NAMM 2022: Walrus Audio drops the Badwater bass preamp and DI

NAMM 2022: Walrus Audio has unveiled the Badwater, a dedicated bass preamp and DI pedal that brings the Oklahoma co’s oh-so-desirable stompboxes to bass players’ pedalboards.

Described as a “bass tone magnification device”, the Badwater escorts your sound through a number of tone-embiggening sections.

First up is an optical compressor with a lone Sustain knob, leading to a three-voice overdrive section, which packs that all-important Blend control to dial in your clean signal.

Lastly, you get a four-band EQ section with adjustable high- and low-midrange frequencies and +/-10dB of boost/cut, plus +/-12dB on the High and Low controls.

This being a DI, 1/4-inch and XLR outputs are onboard, complete with ground lift, and both outputs can be run simultaneously.

Add in footswitches for Drive and Bypass, and it’s a well-stocked feature set, although the Badwater will face stiff competition from established bass preamp brands such as Aguilar and Darkglass.

But do said rivals have a powder-coated matte black aluminum enclosure with white, muted green, and teal ink? We think not. It helps that the pedal sounds pretty tight in the dual bass-off video above, too.

The Badwater is available now for $299 – head over to Walrus Audio for more info.