goonieman

yep - there are 3 on ebay right now. A glut!

thanks guys. Yeah, I read the manual. Didn't help me much. Maybe keep it somewhere halfway, just to be safe, at all times?

I'm the proud owner of a GK MB150E-III head. Great fun - with loadsa knobs and tweakability. However, I can't - for the life of me - figure out this dang limiter control. I can't hear any squishiness when engaged, or anything for that matter. I presume its designed as some kind of safety precaution to protect from overloads. It will act like a limiter should presumably, i.e. cutting or affecting major peak transients. Personally, I can't get it to do anything (i'm mainly using headphones at the moment - maybe that's why? maybe the limiter doesn't route through to the headphone jack? I dunno....) Anyone have hands-on experience? thx

Nice one! How's it coming along? Pics! We can make this the upgraded fleabass appreciation thread...

yeah, for the original price at stock configuration = huge market assessment error 2nd hand price, with some TLC and upgrade = huge win. Slim, fast neck with comfy body and ability to kick like a mule Check out the youtube of this lad that changed JUST the pickup to the same SMB-4D. Sounds night and day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alI0-7Jdtik

Howdie all, I finally got around to finishing this cheeky devil. I was inspired by flea's very own upgraded china fleabass - see it at 1:58 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ARZGwfhC_U) Was in need of a fret job - so I levelled and crowned/polished the frets. I then put a bone nut in place to replace the junk plastic, (and hollow!) original nut. I mean really... a hollow nut? (who has hollow nuts?! LOL ;p ) good grief. I removed the terrible pickguard that was glued on. Sigh. I re-routed the pickup cavity and upgraded to a seymour duncan SMB-4D, with an original pre-76 stingray preamp. I also routed a new input jack as the original fleabass only has three holes for tone, vol and input. This cheeky chap now sounds as good as it looks! I can get the action super-low with no undue buzzing. Sounds super-tight and punchy. Love it. A shame it has to go as I was not expecting to be the new owner of EBMM Sterling and I have to make room! Pics: [URL=http://s723.photobucket.com/user/bassfiend3000/media/IMG_4737_zpsrhwtpuzt.jpg.html][IMG]http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/ww234/bassfiend3000/IMG_4737_zpsrhwtpuzt.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s723.photobucket.com/user/bassfiend3000/media/IMG_4738_zpspsrh8jam.jpg.html][IMG]http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/ww234/bassfiend3000/IMG_4738_zpspsrh8jam.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s723.photobucket.com/user/bassfiend3000/media/IMG_4741_zps9jzvl1mj.jpg.html][IMG]http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/ww234/bassfiend3000/IMG_4741_zps9jzvl1mj.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

super - thanks. That's reassuring

I know... I know... this has been asked ad infinitum But can I run my MB150E-II (GK) head into an 8 ohm cab? implications? Lower output - how much lower? I'm worried because the manual says this: [i][b]Be sure not to exceed the recommended speaker load below.[/b][/i] [i][b]Maximum Recommended Load: Internal Speaker On: One 8 Ohm extension cabinet.Internal Speaker Off: One 4 Ohm, or Two 8 Ohm extension cabinets[/b][/i] thanks

Hi all, I'm not a tech-head, but I know for sure I can figure this out with your help. Apparently I can use a 'switching jack' so that my amp re-routes to new amp head when its plugged in, but remains routed to stock AMP>CAB when unplugged. Q1. What jack do I need please? Q2. Pointers on wiring? Q3. I presume I will not need any dummy loads or any 'funny stuff' like that. I read somewhere that speakers should not be unplugged while the amp is on, etc. I'm pretty worried about creating an accident waiting to happen. Q4. Can I presume because my amp says that the external speaker out is 4 ohm, that the internal speakers themselves are 4ohm? (no other way to tell because the speakers are closed off in the cab) thanks!

Ok, just for the sake of closure - the preamp assumed a collective grounding plate attached to the cavity of the bass (like a real musicman has) Given the preamp was attached to unshielded wood, there were all sorts of grounding issues. Fixed! Thanks for all your help anyway.

Hi All, I need ideas on a small cab for practice at home, that could theoretically be used for low-level gigs. Either 1x12, 2x10 or 2x8 I am aiming to use it with a GK MB150 head, or an MB500. The TC RS112 seems the best fit: small, tidy, and elegant. relatively lightweight as well. Should I be aiming for something else? Budget is in the £200 mark.

Stratus Blue - that's it! Finally, now I know for sure. Thanks. Yeah, I know about the SLO special stingray. They are like hens teeth though. Anyway, I'm loving the series/tapped/parallel switching on the Sterling too much to consider making a change. The tone is VERY close to my ol' stingray - though an A/B comparison would probably correct me on that. And yes, the smaller body is WAAAY more comfy - at least for me.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1441177873' post='2856597'] JohnK_10 from Talkbass and Frank Appleton from FEA Labs co-designed an overdrive that simulates a GK amp. Entire thread is here: [/quote] wow - people think of everything. A 'rails' pedal. That would be it... but something in me can't help be purist about it and just get a GK amp. I would love to give a try though. GK should probably do a production line version of its boost circuit.

Thanks David - good to know .

Hi All, I have an Eden EC combo amp. I was thinking of trying another amp head through the setup, but it has no 'speaker in' - only a speaker out. Would I run the head through the effects return? I don't like this idea because I presume I would be running the signal through a preamp, a power amp (in the head), and then another power amp in the combo, right? There is also a 'stereo media in' - i.e. MP3 player input. Might be an option? Thoughts welcome, thanks

No Musicman gurus here? Anyone else got a sparkle finish on their MM? cheers

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1440975107' post='2855105'] Get an MB500 - it has a boost control giving you the GK grit at any volume.I think with the bigger GKs volume is the only way - maybe a Marshall Power Break would help? [/quote] oooh, I did not know the boost was in the MB500! It seems its the same amp in the MB210 and MB212 as well. Now you got me thinking... I think that might be the best simple solution to my quandary. Thanks!

hmmm... not a bad idea. I've never even thought of an attenuator for a bass amp. A guitar amp, yes. That would mean i'm opening myself to the cost of a full blown rig though (minus the cab). sigh... but probably the best option.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1440957259' post='2854980'] I'd suggest you concentrate on simply finding something that sounds really good when quiet. [/quote] Indeed... indeed. In my experience - there are few shortcuts. However, through much experimentation and luck, I have in the past managed to obtain some very good results. I'm just wondering if this is one of those times, or whether I should stick to amp sims/ plugins to get THAT tone.

Thanks Macdaddy. I've looked into that... it's more like a classic overdrive. It overdrives the whole spectrum, and doesn't have that shaking burpy low end.

Hi All, I really love the GK growl from GK 2001RB amps... apparently something to do with plate voltages or something. My question is, can I get that low driven sound at bedroom levels using a smaller GK combo? ...and to cut you off: I don't want to use an amp sim/PC, and my impression is that if I use a drive pedal, it will overdrive the whole frequency spectrum. The beauty of playing a driven GK at volume is that the bass notes growl, while the mids and highs are relatively pristine. If I DID get a pedal, it would need to isolate the lows and overdrive them alone. Is there a (simple and cheapish) pedal that does that? thanks

Hi All, I traded for this recently via this forum with Raslee - a pleasure to deal with. [URL=http://s723.photobucket.com/user/bassfiend3000/media/IMG_4736_zpshaevklq7.jpg.html][IMG]http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/ww234/bassfiend3000/IMG_4736_zpshaevklq7.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s723.photobucket.com/user/bassfiend3000/media/IMG_4733_zpsjrx1utfq.jpg.html][IMG]http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/ww234/bassfiend3000/IMG_4733_zpsjrx1utfq.jpg[/IMG][/URL] I'm astounded by this bass. I thought my old Stingray was incredible - but this 2002 is immaculate and the fretwork is amazing. I've been looking around for a similar finish online and cannot see anything quite the same. Anyone have ideas? I know EB did a special run ('select sparkle series') - but this was later, and in green. It seems EBMM did very small batches of sparkle colours - but this blue has a touch of green in it. Nothing quite like it, only 'blue sunrise'... Anyway... for me, is damn near a stingray, but with the bonus of Jazz neck which I much prefer. The single coil option is also great for focusing the punch. I can't really say anything negative about this bass. I agree with others on this forum contend that : MUSICMAN INSTRUMENTS ARE THE MOST WELL-BUILT AND CONSISTENTLY WELL QC'D INSTRUMENTS CURRENTLY ON THE MASS PRODUCTION MARKET

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1440767912' post='2853693'] The 2003-2006 SUB *is* a MusicMan. [/quote] This is largely true, although its likely that the chose bodies and necks with knots and disfigurements (hence the paintjobs on back of neck etc.). The USA SUB I had also did not have quite so good rosewood fretboard quality... subtle, but the difference was there. Apart from that, it's a dead-ringer

Resurrecting this post: I finally got a hold of some balanced tensions d'addario and put them on my bass - WOW - this is the way to go. The bass feels so much more logical now. Slapping and popping doesn't uncover weird asymmetries in tension, and the setup is even identical in the sense the strings buzz and rattle to the same degree (all other factors accounted for). In summary: why on earth... WHY ON EARTH are balanced tension strings not standardised!? I fully recommend folks just try these at least once...

Way overpriced given it has no mods I think. These are usually £100-£180... 250 MAX! I have had two of these and they are fun basses, but they usually need a lot of fret work to bring up to standard...