Small Size, Huge Sound: Valeton Dapper Bass Mini

Disclaimer: I borrowed the Valeton Dapper Mini from a local store called Tampereen Musiikki. However, the music store has no say in the things I mention in the video/post.

FEATURES

• TUNER module with fast, accurate tuning
• Powerful BOOST COMP module for kicking your sound up
• BASS AMP module with wide tonal flexibility
• Warm, lush CHORUS module for expanding your sound dimensions
• AUX input and PHONES output for practicing and jamming
• XLR output for feeding the signal directly to the mixer or for recording
• Compact and robust metal casing

SPECIFICATIONS

• Power: 9V DC center negative
• Current Consumption: 100mA
• Dimensions: 197mm(W) × 65mm(D) × 42mm(H)
• Weight: 440g
• Instrument Input: 1/4″ Unbalanced TS jack, 1MΩ
• AUX Input: 1/8″ TRS jack, 10kΩ
• Unbalanced Outputs: 1/4″ TS jack, 100Ω
• Balanced Outputs: XLR jack, 100Ω

First Impressions

I am not new to the Valeton Dapper Bass, as I have used the bigger Dapper Bass extensively both live and in the studio. Yet, it was still fun to be surprised by just how small the Dapper Bass Mini is, even though its size is literally implied in the name.

I’ve used the Dapper Bass for over six months, both in the studio and live, and found it to be well-built and reliable. The Dapper Bass Mini seems to maintain the same high standards. What I like most is that the Dapper Bass Mini includes the three things I loved most about the bigger Dapper: Boost, Bass Amp, and Chorus. It’s as if someone took my original Dapper Bass review and created a smaller version based on my preferences.

How Does It Sound?

The Dapper Bass Mini keeps it simple: the mix of Boost, Bass Amp, and Chorus delivers a surprisingly wide range of usable bass tones. Using my Sterling StingRay bass, I was able to dial in convincing tones for some of my favorite bass lines from Bon Jovi, Green Day, TikTak, U2, and groovy, driven blues tones. These were easy to achieve by combining the controls of the Boost and Amp sections of the pedal.

The Bass Amp section has a strong Ampeg flavor to it, so if you’re looking for something with more high gain, this might not be the unit for you. But for anything from pop to blues and rock, the Dapper Bass Mini gets very close to some of the tones we’ve heard on our favorite albums. (Check the video above for a few examples.)

Other Highlight Features

This might sound a bit strange, but I really like how they’ve implemented the tuner: every single knob on the pedal also acts as an LED indicator. When you engage the tuner, the knobs not only show whether your string is in tune or not but also which string you’re tuning.

There’s also a headphone out and an Aux input, which makes the Dapper Bass Mini a fantastic practice rig.

Is the Valeton Dapper Bass Mini Good?

I struggle to find any faults with the Dapper Bass Mini: it’s small, sounds great, and seems to be well-built. I’ve used the bigger Dapper Bass live for the past year and found it reliable in every situation.

I do miss the Thru Output that the bigger Dapper had, which allowed me to record both the effected signal and the DI at the same time. But otherwise, the Dapper Bass Mini does everything I need for live playing.

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