Review: Lusithand F1 Studio Filter Preamp

Since the electric bass’s conception, a fairly consistent design vocabulary has emerged around how electronics shape an instrument’s voice: passive magnetic pickups in industry-standard positions, passive tone controls, and later, onboard preamps and EQ. Most basses live somewhere within that framework, but several iconic designs have taken a more idiosyncratic path, including two of the most coveted (and expensive) brands in the biz: Wal and Alembic. Both brands pair distinctive construction and pickup design with filter-based electronics that contribute substantially to their unique sound — which makes their circuitry especially interesting territory for designers interested in borrowing that sonic vocabulary for us mere mortals.  

Nuno from London-based Lusithand Devices is just that sort of electronic archaeologist. Although Lusithand’s catalog includes the studio-grade, transparent Alma compressor (as well as the Rosa and Ground & Pound overdrive/distortion pedals), its onboard preamps reveal the founder’s penchant for interesting and esteemed tone circuits. (The 800BM series, for example, adapts the four-band EQ topology of the GK 800RB for installation in a bass, an admirably specific bit of nerdery.) Rather than simply designing yet another competent onboard EQ, Lusithand often starts with a circuit or concept possessing a distinctive musical identity and asks what might happen if it were transplanted somewhere new. 

TWO FOR ONE

Of all the company’s onboard offerings, its resonant-filter preamps are perhaps its most enticing. Sweepable filter-based tone controls are a big part of the Alembic and Wal sound, but Wals can be maddeningly difficult to obtain, while a new Alembic is as much as a decent used car. The $340 F1 Studio Filter Preamp takes the idea out of the control cavity, puts it on the floor, and then expands it considerably. 

The F1 combines two independent filter sections and, importantly, they aren’t identical. The left filter’s cutoff frequency, variable from 50Hz all the way to 6kHz, can be switched between low-pass and high-pass modes. In low-pass mode, frequencies below the selected cutoff are passed while content above it is progressively removed; switch to high-pass and the relationship reverses, making the same control useful for shaving off low-frequency weight or creating leaner, more mid-forward sounds. The RES knob adjusts resonance at the cutoff frequency, allowing the transition from passed to rejected frequencies to become increasingly pronounced.

The right filter covers a narrower 120Hz–4kHz range but substitutes a band-pass filter operation for the left side’s high-pass option. In low-pass mode it behaves similarly to its partner; in band-pass mode it isolates the region around the selected frequency, opening up more pronounced midrange textures. It, too, has its own independent resonance control.

CHOICES GALORE

The clever bit is that Lusithand doesn’t make a player choose one filter or the other. A PAN control blends the two outputs, while a VOL knob establishes the level of the active signal. Set both sides conservatively and the F1 can behave like an unusually flexible corrective EQ. Set them radically differently and blend between them, and it becomes something closer to parallel signal processing: one filter might provide broad-spectrum low-end body while the other contributes a narrow, resonant midrange peak. The permutations and possibilities multiply quickly.

Calling the F1 simply an “Alembic-style filter pedal” undersells it. A classic resonant low-pass filter already represents a fundamentally different approach from bass/mid/treble EQ, but the F1 gives that vocabulary several extra verbs.

Filter-based tone shaping does, however, require a small mental adjustment. The typical EQ layout is initially more intuitive, with its preset boost/cut filters at static frequency points. With the F1, cutoff frequency, filter type, and resonance all interact. Sweep a low-pass filter downward and the sound progressively darkens; add resonance and the cutoff itself begins to speak, potentially producing the vocal, rubbery quality closely associated with this kind of circuit. The high- and band-pass options widen the palette even further.

There is a downside to all this freedom: The F1 is less immediately plug-and-play than those three familiar EQ knobs. Small moves might have outsized consequences, especially as the resonance increases, and it’s entirely possible to turn a perfectly good bass sound into an unappealing honk-fest. Repeatable settings also demand a little more attention. This is a preamp that rewards using your ears as the guide. 

RANGE & HEFT

The rewards are handsome, though. The range of tones on tap is enormous. With the resonance down, the F1 was exceptional for subtle bandwidth management — removing excess lows in a boomy room, smoothing the top end for a more burnished and elegant sound, or gently repositioning my bass in a mix. More aggressive settings produced chewy upper mids, pillowy dub-worthy low end, narrow nasal peaks, and even tones sufficiently synthetic to feel more like an effect than EQ. The pan control unveils still more territory, particularly when the two filters are set to do very different jobs.

Lusithand has also paid attention to headroom. The F1 accepts a 9–18V supply but incorporates an internal voltage doubler, meaning an 18V adapter can result in 36V internal operation. This is especially important in a preamp expected to accommodate active basses and substantial resonant boosts. That extra voltage means more internal headroom to keep large signals from clipping.

The F1’s construction was superb. The metal enclosure felt stout, the metal footswitch was top-shelf, and the large knobs turned smoothly with a substantial, durable feel. Nothing seemed precious or boutique for its own sake; it had the reassuring heft of something intended to survive actual stages.

CONCLUSION

The F1 sounded exactly as advertised. The pedal’s strength is the extraordinary amount of sonic territory Lusithand extracts from two well-chosen filters and an unusually smart way of combining them. Players already attracted to the Alembic/Wal school of tone shaping will immediately grasp the appeal. Those merely curious about why resonant filters have inspired such devotion also have cause for excitement. At $340, the F1 isn’t an impulse buy, but it’s a comparatively accessible ticket into a style of bass tone-shaping that has historically come attached to some of the most expensive basses on Earth. For players inclined toward this kind of sonic sculpting, it’s a remarkably capable — and entertaining — place to start.

Lusithand F1 Studio Filter Preamp

Price: $340

lusithanddevices.com