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molan

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Everything posted by molan

  1. molan
    So today I've been playing an original series 1 MB121P back to back with the version II. The first thing I noticed is that the original combo feels a little lighter than the the newer one. There's not a lot between them and my scales are knackered so I couldn't weigh them but I could feel a difference and my, ever suffering, wife could as well. More interesting is that they sound different. The original version is all round darker and bassier with less of the bright top end of the new one. At identical settings it's also a shade louder. I don't know if this is simply that the older one has had more use and has mellowed a little or that the components have changed over the years. The old one hasn't been used a lot (although it does hold a world record for being used at a faster speed and a higher altitude than any other bass amp, lol) and has only ever been gigged twice. He volume difference is marginal and could just be calibration of the pots or maybe it seems a bit louder because it's bassier. I'm going to rehearse with the older one tomorrow night so that'll be a more representative test Apart from the lack of pre/post DI options mentioned above the original one doesn't have an output control for the line out. Other than that it appears, from the surface anyway, to be the same, albeit a different colour scheme.
  2. molan
    [quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1382158382' post='2248754'] And Fodera's don't even come finished! It's bare wood, so it looks worn just a few months after purchase. The funny thing is, besides a few famous endorsees (who I assume get basses for free) it seems that the people buying these instruments are more hobbyists looking for that "dream instrument" than pros who need a solid workhorse. [/quote] Obviously a well informed post, I'm not sure it could actually be more incorrect. Foderas come with amazing, lovingly hand-crafted, finishes. The finish lasts for years without a blemish - I owned a 30 year old one that was near perfect and it had been played a lot. All Fodera endorsing artists pay for their instruments - and they have to get in the queue behind all regular customers as well. I have been recently involved in helping someone buy a new Fodera that costs over £10,000. He's a professional musician who makes his living from playing bass. He will only have one instrument and he wanted the very best he could get. He chose a Fodera and is working every hour he can (including a lot more teaching) to be able to afford it. I've personally sold four Foderas valued at over £5,000 each - every one of them to full time pro players who wanted something really special. Every one of them has kept them for a long time and still owns them. The guys who run Fodera are unpretentious, down to earth, hard-working (they all do long hours and in not great conditions) and universally really nice friendly people. They don't have lots of money and they aren't remotely flash. What they do is love their work with a passion I've rarely seen, strive to do the very best they can and look after each other and their employees. The level of professionalism they show is streets ahead of most custom builders, a truly inspiring business. . .
  3. molan
    In general I find jazz just leaves me cold Especially the kind where there's solo, after solo, after solo, after solo, after solo. . . We went to see Gregory Porter at a jazz festival earlier this year and the support groups were full of great technical musicians that just bored me rigid. Completely lacking in any sort of soul or charisma. For me, that was the big downer. It just felt like they were playing for themselves and had zero interest in the audience. Gregory Porter came on and the whole place came to life
  4. molan
    [quote name='MB1' timestamp='1382185709' post='2249022'] MB1. I've previously owned an Alembic SC signature and I'm having difficulty seeing any similarity whatsoever? [/quote] The listing says it's a copy of a Lowenhertz and not Stan's Alembic. I'm happy to say that it looks even less like a Lowenhertz than an Alembic! I played a Lowenhertz once, pretty crazy basses
  5. molan
    And now sold Thanks for the interest everyone. The GgRig with extra special super funky mojo is headed to London. . .
  6. molan
    [quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1382049826' post='2247421'] Trust me, most builders aren't in it for the money. If they wanted to make their fortune they'd take their skills to a real job with a regular income. (we're obviously not talking about the Foderas of this world here) [/quote] I've met the Fodera guys they definitely aren't in it for the money, lol. I really can't imagine any luthier is making a lot out of making instruments.
  7. molan
    [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1382046710' post='2247363'] My understanding is that Fodera took on someone to specifically deal with the customer relations side of running the business. If that's correct, then the above shows very much that it is working. Of course not everyone can afford something like that as a small business... [/quote] Fodera do have someone who manages much of the customer facing business. However he does way, way more than just that. He oversees the complete 'front of house' operation, sorts all the logistics, selects most of the wood they purchase, keeps the staff happy, sorts out the healthcare (a major issue in the US!) and basically lets the two principal builders do what they do best - make basses This has meant their production times are shorter, builds are more controlled and output has increased significantly. [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1382047070' post='2247377'] If I were a small boutique bass maker, like fodera, or even small scale like Letts or something, I would team up with a local shop for each territory and let them do the customer facing side, they get a few instruments in stock for folk to try and so on. the public get to try your stuff, they're happy. the retailer gets a cut and a sale, they are happy, the builder gets to do less talking to the unwashed public - they are happy. [/quote] Fodera do both They have a local dealer in most of their major markets and also have an internal guy who works closely with the dealers and/or deals direct with the public in markets where they don't have dealer representation. He also looks after artist liaison - a much trickier job than many people imagine! Ritter now run a similar system with exclusive dealers outside of continental Europe (basically USA, Japan & UK). Both of them aim to set prices that are identical from their dealers to those they would sell at to direct customers.
  8. molan
    [quote name='Kev' timestamp='1382045162' post='2247317'] Buy yourself a boutique analogue fuzz, envelope filter and pitch shifter for the same money and have a hell of a lot more or, if you want the cheesy sounds, buy a synth [/quote] Or, buy a Deep Impact and swoon every time you hit the 'on' button
  9. molan
    [quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1382044878' post='2247310'] Nope. Not being ironic. Never heard of him. Come to think of it, I had vaguely heard of his signature bass, maybe. He's good though. Have Mr Big or any other bands he's been in ever bothered the charts? [/quote] Definitely in the US. With David Lee Roth he's had #4 & #6 albums. Mr Big have had #15 album and a single that was #1 in USA, Germany, Australia etc and even #3 in the UK All of these were quite a while ago but I think he's got credits on something like 400 recordings! He's pretty famous for live clinics and has done these all over the world. He seems to be playing somewhere virtually every night! Very much a lead 'face' for Yamaha and Hartke.
  10. molan
    Nice little story from the 'premier' end of custom building today. Beautiful spec Fodera ready to go into first stage of production next week (necks are put together first). Fodera production team confirm with retailer that final specs need to be confirmed (bang on schedule). Retailer informs customer and a few questions are raised about final selecting of body woods and fingerboard, plus a few smaller bits and bobs. Retailer requests some examples of tonal quality that customer is looking for based on recordings from other players. Customer supplies these and they're forwarded to Fodera. Retailer and Fodera think it will help to set up a 3 way Skype vid call so everyone can go over all possible options, answer questions and nail everything down. Retailer sends notes to all parties in advance of the call so everyone can prepare questions and answers. Retailer initiates call and everyone is present, again bang on time. Production guy and one of the partners from Fodera join the call, both super enthusiastic and helpful. No hard sell for upgrades, detailed explanation of every possible option based on customer questions, really 'sensible' recommendations made based on real world playing experience. Every single question answered professionally in a friendly and helpful manner. Customer quite keen on three relatively expensive upgrade options. Retailer offers to add these to the build at cost without taking any additional income - principally because this is a major investment and it would be a huge shame if the customer couldn't quite afford those last little things (two of them were aesthetic rather than tone altering) that might make him look at the bass in the future and think 'if only I'd added those couple of extra things'. . . Customer accepts offer (works out at three major upgrades for the price of two), retailer informs Fodera and build goes into production on Monday. Almost all of his was achieved in a 3 hour time span in one day (and don't forget that the builder is in a completely different time zone). Net result - customer is over the moon, his dream bass is being built to a very exacting standard with every question answered in advance of production. Retailer is pleased that he's sold a high end bass with a lot of confidence that it will meet the customer's exact requirements - he's taken a slight hit on income but knows it was the right decision. Builder is happy that both customer and retailer have acted professionally, covered all eventualities in advance of production and that everything is bang on schedule. Now that's how things should be done Although a Fodera is a serious high end investment it's still made by a tiny company of enthusiasts working to tight deadlines, they just don't 'screw around' like a lot of other people. . .
  11. molan
    [quote name='peteb' timestamp='1382040650' post='2247220'] I think that the OP may be the only bass player who has never heard of Billy Sheehan…! [/quote] I just assumed he was being 'ironic'
  12. molan
    [quote name='Kev' timestamp='1382029889' post='2246949'] Don't get me wrong, I would quite like to own the pedal again, however I wouldn't be prepared to pay more than you would expect to pay for a fairly limited digital effects pedal. [/quote] I'd expect to pay about £600 for one as good as the Deep impact
  13. molan
    [quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1381932391' post='2245668'] Don't think I've ever seen 2 Deep Impacts on one peadl board before - or even in the same room for that matter! [/quote] 2 Deep Impacts and an original Mu-Tron
  14. molan
    [quote name='Iana' timestamp='1381988843' post='2246340'] Glad you are diggin it, am intrigued by the ae210 sounding boomy, that is not a description that I have ever heard about that cab! I guess on a wooden floor or powered by a streamliner ..... [/quote] Could be that one person's deep low end is another's boomy, lol. I have heard people say they've had some issues controlling the bottom end of the AE cabs because of the rear porting. I had it a little of this when I was using a pair of AE112's. Started using a Gramma pad and that seemed to cure it. I've used the 210 a couple of times at rehearsals and noticed I've had to cut bass a little on the amp. It was free-standing in the middle of a large room so not effected by rear wall issues. Still sounded great so I'm splitting hairs here
  15. molan
    I know someone who loves his Fractal to death but every time I hear him play I'm surprised at how 'processed' his sound always is. Every review I read says they can be incredibly natural sounding but my ears keep telling me different. Could just be that he likes a 'processed' sound I guess N.B. I have tried to broach this subject with him in the past and he always says I'm just 'biased' against rack effects (I'm not!).
  16. molan
    This topic pops up every now and then and I think the simple summary is: They have the potential to sound great. People have tried to replicate them in one form or another but no-one has really nailed it yet. They were discontinued and are now both rare and highly sought after. Simple law of supply and demand means that they have shot up in value and continue to rise. Are they 'worth' £700? Depends entirely on your view of the value of things. If you want something that sounds like nothing else, isn't made any more and is wanted by lots of people then the answer is an unequivocal 'yes'. If you're upset about little metal / plastic boxes rising in price and are happy to find something that does a decent job of replicating one for way less money then it's a resounding 'no'. I'm voting with the former but unfortunately I can't justify this sort of money. I lashed out on a vintage Mu-Tron and love it but I don't really need a synth pedal for anything at the moment
  17. molan
    [quote name='Iana' timestamp='1381937667' post='2245761'] Try an a/b with your AE210 and you will hear what I am talking about, that is one amazing little cab, especially if it is v2 [/quote] The 112H cab is brand new so it'll be he latest version. I've been running the basic combo against the AE210 today and it's really interesting to compare them. The Berg definitely goes deeper and he combo sounds a little boxy. However as you start boosting the volume the AE, to my ears, starts getting a bit boomy whilst the 112 combo starts really snarling and coming to life. For the rock band I'm in it sounds great with a fairly bright and aggressive sounding Sei bass
  18. molan
    [quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1381949930' post='2246009'] I had one of the all yellow heads. It has a transformer power supply as opposed to the II and iii which have SMPS and weighs about 15lbs as a consequence. I prefer the transformer version and wish I'd kept it. Frank. [/quote] That's interesting - so the original is 11lbs vs the II at about 6.5lbs? Why did you prefer the transformer version?
  19. molan
    [quote name='Iana' timestamp='1381932590' post='2245678'] Good question, not sure there would be enough of an improvement to justify a large cost difference, having said that it would be newer, if you really want a Markbass combo the cmd121h might be worth a look, has a horn instead of piezo. Much much better [/quote] I was thinking of adding a 121H cab for gigging and just using the combo on its own for rehearsing
  20. molan
    I've been looking at an original combo but haven't been able to find much info about what the changes were when the LMII came out. The one I've seen is a good price but I don't know if the II is worth the extra cost.
  21. molan
    [quote name='StephenYork' timestamp='1381926635' post='2245541'] That pedalboard looks a lot like Mr Paul Turner's.... [/quote] It does indeed
  22. molan
    [quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1381927222' post='2245561'] I use a markbass CMD102P - think it's the newer model? Not 100% sure as I bought it S/H and I think it's great [/quote] I think you can tell which model by looking at the front of the amp. Original just says 'Combo Head' and is completely yellow First update says 'Combo Head II' and is predominantly black with yellow writing Third version looks the same as second but says 'III' instead of 'II'
  23. molan
    I've been looking at some MarkBass combos for rehearsal use and wondered if anyone knows of significant differences between the original combo head which was replaced by the II series and then the III? From what I can make out the only difference between the II & III is a pre/post eq DI option but not sure about what the LMII offered over the original heads? Must a MarkBass guru here somewhere
  24. molan
    This is an amazing piece of kit with loads of potential applications. This one was previously used to run a, very cool, pedal board with a variety of mostly vintage pedals. It allows absolute "true bypass" when not using selected pedals and therefore doesn't degrade tone and keeps it pure. Each patch can be made to select any amount of the 6 loops and also adjust their level and/or even different outputs if you use two amps. The unit is in excellent condition, comes with the manual (although it's very easy to use) and has been serviced by GigRig. Also included is a new and unused power supply "GigRig Generator" which, as well as powering the Midi 8, can also power over 50 pedals when used with a cable hub such as the Gigrig Distributer. RRP on these is £649. It's listed here at below half price for £300 Please note this is listed on eBay as well so there's a limited time to buy on this. Here's what GigRig have to say about them: "[color=#000000]TheGigRig MIDI-8 is the ultimate floor based switching system designed to give you a level of control over your effects and amps that you've only ever dreamed about.[/color] [color=#000000]I believe that the signal that comes out of your guitar is precious. At TheGigRig we compromise on nothing to bring you some of the best gear on the planet, but don't take our word for it. Read the reviews and watch the demo. See what TheGigRig users have to say, and then show us what you can do. The Possibilities are endless!"[/color] [b]TheGigRig Pro/MIDI 8 features[/b] [list] [*]The MIDI-8's 6 True Bypass effects loops guarantee the best tone possible from your effects. [*]The 8 programmable pre-sets mean 1 step selection over any effects pedal combination you like. [*]An inbuilt optically controlled programmable class A amplifier takes care of volume mismatches from vintage style pedals and gives you easy solo boosts. [*]Choose any combination of 2 amplifier outputs without earth loops or phase problems. [*]Easy intuitive programming designed for tone lovers who use pedals, not computers. [*]Mode settings give you the ability to mix preset 'on the fly' for even greater flexibility. [/list][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] GigRig Product page [url="http://www.thegigrig.com/acatalog/MIDI8.html#SID=13"]here[/url][/size][/font] [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] Generator page [url="http://www.thegigrig.com/acatalog/PowerPathDiagram.html#SID=24"]here[/url][/size][/font] PLEASE NOTE THE SALE DOES NOT INCLUDE THE PEDALS IN THE PIC BELOW! This pic is from a previous owner and shows how he set it up to run his board [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Here's a little demo vid of how someone uses one as well:[/font][/size] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zizztbtm6M4
  25. molan
    I would definitely urge you to get some pictures of your own bass up as quickly as possible Johannes - it'll really help with the sale
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