dave_bass5

I also like both 7150's and 8250's (i believe the same as 7250s but with a taper wound E string) Ive not used 7150's for years though. No real reason, i just keep forgetting about them. They are nice warm, cheap strings and i think ill get a set next string change. I first used 8250's a few years ago when they came stock on my Fender P5. I did find them a bit bright but got used to them and went through 3 sets beofre going over to Chromes. Earlier this year i had a few MIA Jazz basses and these too come with 8250s. I have a unused extra long set at home that wont fit any of my current basses as none of them are strung through the body but one day they will get used. I like Fender strings as they are cheap but work well. They are now made by D'Addario and they now have the same coloured ball ends. A lot of people thought that were XL's when Fender first changed manufacturer IIR. They come standard on the Squier CV basses as well as others.

I also love the smaller frets. As already mentioned, Lakland use banjo wire and this give their necks a really fast action IME. Funny enough both my Squier CV bass also have vintage (low) frets and these too are pretty fast necks.

I ran in to the reverse last weekend. I tried to put a Wizard (standard Fender fit) in to my Squier CV P and found the pup was too large. I must admit im not one to do thing properly so i got the files out and just kept going until it did fit. The whole time the pup was screwed in and the PG was still attached to some wires. I got here in the end though. it looks a bit rough close up but its not too bad. As i plan on getting a better PG i wasnt too worried about it getting damaged but i think it looks fine.

Thanks Crez. Its sounding like maybe the MB500 is closer to what im after than my old GK head. Thats good to know. Gareth. I do agree the RH450 ticks all the right boxes, and more. I really like the idea of the on board tuner. Not that i need one but the more flashing lights the better ill sound ;-) Its a shame the Gallery dont sell this as i would be tempted to take both MB heads in and pay the remaining for the RH450 once ive have tested it. The cab i plan on using is my 1212L and that has quite a character of its own so i think maybe a mail order is in order so i can try the head out at a gig.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1013253' date='Nov 5 2010, 01:15 PM']GAS! Give the Shuttle 9.0 a whirl, let me know what you think.[/quote] Ive just seen the price on that and it does look temping if i go for getting rid of both MB heads. That or the RH450.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1013232' date='Nov 5 2010, 01:04 PM']understand the questioning and reasoning, Dave, makes total sense to consider it all. Personally, I only take out one amp with a DI/pre box, but I think the market that GK are aiming at isn't the same as the MB stuff these days. If it was for the emergency angle...have you got a spare side to use on your PA..? and plug your DI box into that..?[/quote] Although we olny use a fairly modest PA i do DI from my amp at most gigs. As im also using my BDDI at every gig im sorted as far as the amp packing up goes (touch wood etc) so i dont take a back up. I dont really need two amps but if i get any gigs with the other band it would involve public transport to my pick up point. They have my 1210R cab but i would need to get the amp there. While the LMII does fit in my suit bag i really like the look of these micro amps. And the GK seems to be a bit cheaper than a lot of the other in the 500watt@4ohm bracket. I guess another trip to the Gallery is in order. If i could raise around £600 for the two MB heads i could afford to get a F500....hmm.

Cheers John. I pretty much agree with all that. The reason i started this thread was to see if anyone had any opinions on the tone from the MB's, as my only experience with GK is the 1001RBII. If the MB does sound similar then maybe its not for me. As ive already said, i took my GK1001RBII and SA450 to a gig once and swapped heads over for the second set. It was like chalk and cheese and i sold the GK the following week. The thing is, while i love my LMII i dont use use it. And on the very rare occasions next year that ill need it its still bigger than i care to carry. So a smaller head is needed. But, as it wont be used much im not going to pay £700+ for one, unless it also replaces my SA450 as well and i use it every week. At the moment i dont really want to get shot of the SA450 as its always done the job, with pretty much flat EQ so it would be pointless getting rid of it. I think maybe ill put the LMII up for sale as i definitely wont need it this side of the new year, then see what happens next year. Once i get a gig in that ill need an amp then i can have a look around.

Yeah, ken knows everything about all these amps. He has done various comparisons with his MB heads, as well as others and i have had a few PMs with him about these over the years. I know what you mean about living in the USA. Lucky buggers. A si use a radio system im ok with the lightweight heads. I have found in the past my whole rig used ot move around on some stages but since i got my Gramma pad it seems to stay put.

Cheers. I did get the hang of it but it felt like it was a bit more than i needed knob wise lol. I do like the warmth i get from the MB heads and i guess for the older stuff we play it suites it better but as long as i still have a nice low end i can always EQ the rest.

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1012823' date='Nov 5 2010, 01:03 AM']GKs are a bit complex with the gain structure. Remember there's the MB Fusion coming out soon with the valve pre that should add another option to your list. [/quote] Yeah, i didnt like the idea of the two levels knobs and how easy it was to get a dirty sound if your not careful. This original idea was about getting something smaller than my LMII, just as powerful but cheapish as it might not be used much. But it could go the other way and become my main amp and i might sell both MB heads. If that was the case then maybe a TC RH450 would be ideal but for now i really dont have any issues with my SA450 so i dont think i want to part with that, plus the RH450 costs quite a bit more. The heads with tubes in are a bit out of my price range and to be honest tubes dont really have any attraction. I have the BDDI and even on that i keep the drive almost off. I guess the cheapest option would be one of those little Ashdown digital heads, and while i think that would be fine for the occasional gig i wouldn't want to use it regularly. I would love a MB F500 but i think the MB heads are a bit expensive these days. So many decisions, so little money and Christmas coming up. Not a good time to get GAS. At least its not urgent.

[quote name='thinman' post='1012638' date='Nov 4 2010, 09:57 PM']I'll be interested in how you find the thumper in that bass - I've got a CV P too and the stock pickups seem to be hotter than the 84s I've got in my Jazz but maybe that's comparing apples and pears. You obviously find the standard ones wanting - be interested to know why.[/quote] After a false start (couldn't get it to fit the pick guard, and then when i did it was faulty) im back on track and will be fitting it over the weekend. Im not sure what i dont like about the stock pup, it sounds fine at home but a bit muddy at the gig last week. I think i just wanted to get away from the more vintage/traditionl P tone and the Thumper seemed like a good idea. MY idela pup is a Fralin but i cant afford one and fancy a change anyeaway. I dont know what it is about my CV's but to my ears they are a mellower than other Jazz and P's ive owend. Not a bad thing but i prefer more modern tones. For what its worth ive also got a Fender Vintage bridge on the bass now, and my CV Jazz neck.

Thanks again Ian. It definitely sounds like i need ot try one out as soon as i can. For me the MB heads are the best ive ever played, simple to get a decent tone from and not a lot of knobs and buttons (ive not tried the newer heads though). In contrast my GK seemed to need a lot of fiddling and careful use of the gain to avoid distortion and i never seemed to get the clean volume i do with the MB's, even though the GK was rated slightly higher. From what ive read about the Shuttles vs MB's im sure the Shuttle isnt for me.

Cheers Ian. Not sure about the bash but ill definitely try one out at some point. I guess the main thing is how it compares tone wise to the LMII. I found my GK1001RBII was nowhere near as full sounding, in to the same cab.

Cheers Gareth. I see there are quite a few threads about these amps on TB so i'll work my way through them at some point. It does seem like the M2 had issues to start with. It was just an idea really. As i have a LMII just sitting around doing nothing now i thought about getting rid of it but i might need something small next year so one of these newer micro heads will fit the bill nicely. It really was almost like a ream of lightweight A4 paper and could easily fit in my gig bag's front pocket. Now that i use my BDDI for my tone i dont need something with a lot of bells and whistles on it, i mostly run my MB heads flat now anyway. Of course ill try it first but i did have a GK1001RBII head before and didnt really think it sounded very good, at least not compared to my MB heads (and i did one gig where i used both so i could really tell the difference)

Its been about 5 years since i had amp GAS but during a quick visit to the Gallery today to pick my bass up, i happened to see the above amp. only just as its so small. Im now really itching to get one to replace my little used LMII as my back up amp, but also maybe as my main amp.. Anyone used one, heard one or have any comments? I know there are similar sized heads around (TC, EA etc) but at the moment its really just an idea and im just asking about this head. Im actually not sure if it was the older MB2 or newer MB but to be honest im going on looks at the moment although i would go for the newer version if i got one. I didnt get to play it as i was in a hurry. With the trade in price i can get for my LMII its not going to cost me much. Ive not really paid much attention to amps for a while and its amazing how small they had got.

I recently had to plug the holes at a gig to secure some strap pins. I used splinters from a drum stick. Not ideal but they feel solid enough.

I ordered a Thumper from Andy last week and it arrived the very next day. There was a problem with a pole piece (or two, im not sure) being put in upside down and i was getting a very weak volume level from one string. I emailed him on Sat and got a reply back very quickly, and after checking i had wired it in right we agreed i would send it back for him to check. Before i had even posted mine he had wound me a new one and sent it out special delivery. Now both my main basses have Wizards in them and i couldn't be happier. Plus i saved quite a bit, considering i brought a Fralin for my last P and that cost me £140. I think the Thumper sounds better.

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1009711' date='Nov 2 2010, 03:53 PM']That's ace! Any pics?[/quote] Sorry, no pics and its all wired back now. The only thing i am going to start taking as a back up is a strap. My normal strap has strap locks on it and these are very well secured. Ive done two gigs recently where i took a bass that had normal strap pins and i had to borrow that very short strap as i cant get the Schallers off, so im going to keep a cheap strap in my amp bag.

[quote name='chris_b' post='1010439' date='Nov 3 2010, 09:58 AM']I wonder why everyone hates Clapton today?[/quote] Not Clapton as such, just that boring one chord going through the motions song he did.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1010126' date='Nov 2 2010, 10:34 PM']Not very often that I feel compelled to think 'wtf' but what was that first track all about! I may not be a Blues fan but as a musician I thought I'd appreciate at least something about that track... Nope! [/quote] Same here. Very disappointed. I don't know much about MIA but i do remember them getting boo'ed at the O2 when they were supporting Prince. And rightly so IMO. I thought the band were good and liked the song but someone needs some singing lessons.

I posted this in another thread but had forgotten about it. a couple of weeks ago i took the wrong bass to my gig. By wrong i mean it wasnt in a gigging state. No strap buttons and the pups weren't connected. I had been doing some work on it and put it in a different gig bag a few days before the gig. I really should have checked before taking it but i thought it was my new bass. I ended up having to use gaffa tape to connect the pups and to borrow some strap buttons off my guitarist. I had ot plug the holes with splinters from a drum stick. I also had to borrow a strap and even at its most extended the bass was way to high. It got through the gig though, although i was a bag of nerves.

Yeah, huge superstore out in Germany. Very good service and they offer a 30 day money back guarantee. They even pay for the return. Ive had to send a 3 basses back to them. one because it was marked and the other two because i just didnt like them. Its not something i ever intended to do but i feel pretty safe buying from them. They used to be really cheap but these days not im not so sure. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/electric_basses.html"]Thomanns[/url]