LawrenceH

[quote name='1976fenderhead' timestamp='1339610750' post='1691527'] When using only one, it was the top one and I was sitting so it was pretty much pointing at my face. If anything when using 2 there was a more direct coupling with the floor adding lows? I also expected there to be only a difference in volume, but the tonal difference was massive, much fuller rounder sound, LOADS more headroom, totally different beast. Best way I can compare it is like the difference between running the Catalinbread SFT in 9v or 18v, but even much more evident and bigger improvement in this case. I then went back to one cab and tried to increase volume and EQ it to get close to the stack sound and couldn't get nowhere near! [/quote] Hmm, thinking.. on a cab raised substantially off the floor you will unavoidably get some cancellation that'd typically affect the low mids - could it be that? Since it's a cancellation node EQ can't compensate for it but moving the cab close to the floor and tilting back would solve this. The ICEpower module in the tonehammer is capable (actually more powerful than that used in the Genz or GK MB500 even though they're rated similar outputs) so I'd be surprised if it didn't work well at 8 ohm. [quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1339607942' post='1691451'] I don't know how far the family resemblance goes between the MB Fusion and the other MB heads, but my MB200 definitely has a baked-in smile curve. A guy over on Talkbass did some measurements and found that the MB200 [i]can[/i] be set more or less flat, but with the Contour off, Treble and Bass at 10 o'clock and the high and low Mids at 2 o'clock and 1 o'clock respectively, not with the knobs centred. Or is your concern more to do with aggressiveness in terms of gain? I'd agree on the disappointment of starved-plate designs. Even though I'm a big fan of valve amps and gig with one whenever it's not too impractical, when I've tried hybrid heads which have the typical blendable valve stage for "drive", I've always preferred the sound without the valve stage blended in. I'm not sure why nobody has yet come out with a micro head with a simple Fender/Alembic/Hartke LH style clean valve preamp - I reckon a lot of players would be very happy if someone did. [/quote] Yes, absolutely an F2b type pre in a micro would be great! I suppose the micros are aimed at people who like 'more' features in general. My reservations probably would concern both EQ and gain, but particularly the latter (I think the passive tonestack in the F2b/whatever Fender clone is actually pretty mid scooped anyway...). I am really tempted to switch my F1 for a Fusion if I can find an extra £200 somewhere! But I'd need to try it first as the F1 is great - be pretty interested to hear your MB200, gigging with it sometime soon?

[quote name='1976fenderhead' timestamp='1339606783' post='1691419'] I tried the TH500 today with a pair of SL112's. Loved the sound playing with 2 of them, didn't like it at all playing with just 1. Would love to get the stack but I can't afford it new, no way. [/quote] Silly question, but did you try it with the single cab angled more towards your ear and bumping up the bass/low mids a tad? I'd be suprised if there was a noticeable difference in tone from the amp itself run at 8 v 4 ohms (though it is possible) so I'd have though the most likely difference would be the placement in relation to your ear combined with the low/mid frequency coupling.

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1339605730' post='1691379'] That's not really how it works... more that all (I think) of these micro valve hybrids, with the notable exception of the GK MB Fusion, are running 'starved plate' designs [/quote] In fact thinking about it, I wonder if there might be an advantage to using a smaller valve in a low-voltage design, you could potentially use one actually designed to operate at low voltages... I wonder what the valve is in the markbass stuff?

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1339529701' post='1690074'] The tube is so small on the LMTube it's insignificant [/quote] That's not really how it works... more that all (I think) of these micro valve hybrids, with the notable exception of the GK MB Fusion, are running 'starved plate' designs where the plate voltage is much lower than the design spec of the valves call for. It may distort, but it's not a 'true' reflection of the 'classic' valve sound of old studio or Fender/Ampeg preamps. It's the subtle harmonic enrichment before audible breakup in high voltage designs that gives that 'magic smooth sheen' to classic valve pres. I'd be very interested to know if any of the other designs use a high plate voltage but I doubt it, as it's more expensive to implement and they'd be able to make a big thing of it, as GK have rightly done. That's why I am really keen to try an MB Fusion! Just concerned that it'll have been voiced to give too much of the signature GK aggression. FWIW I thought that the Orange TB and TC RH450 sounded precisely nothing like the sweet spot of a classic valve pre, the Orange when I tried it just sounded broken to my ears no matter where I put the gain. Not heard the Ampeg, Genz or SWR models (though if the headlite could actually do the sizzling HV valve pre thing that the old Redhead etc do so well then that would be great)

I can'[t believe how seriously people are taking this and how much grief the OP is getting! As for being bitter?! There are bands who I don't particuarly like but I can recognise that the bass player is contributing something musical and interesting in some way. There are other bands like U2, Korn, Greenday, Coldplay, all incredibly boring IMO whose music leaves me totally cold, and the insipid and/or ADHD basslines contribute to my feeling of overwhelming, despairing tedium when I hear them. I think that it's allowed to not like those bassists (as players) and, when they're sitting there in Beverley Hills in front of a wall filled with platinum records casually burning bundles of money on a big open fire, I doubt very much they care at all what someone on the internet says about their playing so it's probably fine to express an opinion

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1331725284' post='1577681'] Emailed GK, the USA made MB amps will probably start shipping to the UK in June/July. They have to sell the Chinese made versions first before shipping the new ones. [/quote] Any idea what this'll do to prices? I don't really care where they're made as long as they're made well. I really want to try the MB Fusion with its proper high voltage tube preamp, especially after the reviews posted here by Lozz196 and deepbass5, all other valve micro options are just pretend. But I'd rather not find its gone up by £200 by the time I can get it!

There's a lot of difference between speaker types. What's the ampeg cab model name/number?

Thanks guys, from what you're saying this might be much closer to what I'm after than the other 'valve' micros. It's pretty much the same size and weighs a shade less than my F1, so I'm sorely tempted to try one out. Looking at the MB200, if you had one of each the MB fusion would be the 'big rig'. Insane!

Lots of good ideas here. Me, I tend to think in terms of phrases that have a balance to them (as in speech) and also about what the other instruments are doing and think about this in terms of monologue versus conversation/counterpoint. Conversation can be really quickfire or slow and measured but you need to be able to follow it which you can't if everyone's all talking at once. The exception is if everyone's saying the same thing (monologue), and that can be really effective too.

[quote name='apa' timestamp='1339357429' post='1687417'] Is this what you call being damned with faint praise? A [/quote] Not at all! Just that people pay a premium for the B/B necks (I have a couple myself) and so the contrariness of merrily ripping it right off earns a respectful smile IMO.

Useful info, cheers guys - especially that it's working well in a jazz context. I like the clarity of my Markbass F1 but it just lacks a little of that valve magic. I'm interested in the MB Fusion because, unusually, it is running the valves at high voltage. I love the clean sound of a nice SWR or classic Fender valve preamp, and wondered whether the GK can do that 'shimmery' thing with the high end where it just sounds essentially clean but somehow sweeter? When people talk about 'valve sound' here they seem to mostly focus on more distorted tones, whereas what I like is I think more what you'd get from a high-end valve mic pre: smooth, creamy and with plenty of sizzle. BTW I tried the Orange Terror bass and thought it was pretty much the worst sounding amp I'd ever heard, right through the gain range, if that helps with my tonal preferences!

If you want to w&*( in your bedroom (which is fair and reasonable ), listen with guitarist's ears. If you want to play with a band, listen with a bassist's ears. Or a keys player's. Or pretty much anything but a guitarist's! I'm sure most of us have heard and played with too many guitarists whose tone just doesn't work in the mix at all. I personally find it hard to see beyond the 8 million or so variations on a Fender theme, the strat in particular is just so versatile. Agree with the majority about PRS, never met anyone who was really enamoured with the tone (why do people buy them, is it just because of the shiny deep poly finish?!). But at that price point with Fenders/Gibsons as others have said, it's much more about investing the time to find 'the one', there's just so much variation out there in terms of tone, pickups, feel, etc etc.

Total volume available is roughly dictated by a combination of the amplifier power, the speaker size/sensitivity and the voicing (how deep it'll go). I recently sold an older UK-made Ashdown Electric Blue (130 watts into 1x12) for about £90 that would be perfect in this scenario. Look for the older Electric Blue and MAGs as they are cheap as chips and they're well-made and reliable, more recent ones made in China less so. Otherwise an old Peavey or Trace Elliot should do the job, around 100-200 watts into either 1x12", 1x15" or 2x10" speakers. I am frankly amazed that a 15 watt combo has been enough to play with anything but the quietest drummer using brushes! Probably doesn't produce any actual bass, since bass eats watts like nothing else. But you'll realise what you've been missing as soon as you try something with a bit more power, £100 secondhand spent wisely should be plenty

[quote name='apa' timestamp='1339319118' post='1686665'] All will be revealed but we digress from the thread [/quote] Look forward to seeing the end result! Needlessy butchering a nice blocked and bound neck earns extra points as well, I like it when people aren't too precious about these things

But WTF are you DOING to it?! Is there some crazy build diary I've missed? [quote name='apa' timestamp='1339150445' post='1684337'] And the mystery is solved Appolagies for the quality and a small caveat: Its a 5 string neck and was rebadged but Im 99.99% sure its a VM neck! A [/quote]

In other news, violin players have been banned from playing pizzicato cos it's just too 1780s... also that 300 year old Stradocaster design is SO boring, time they released a graphite headless version... with LED fingerboard markers.

The mixer is probably running at 18V, ie using the two batteries in series. Two parallel connections from a 9V supply won't substitute for this

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1338665723' post='1677885'] Oooh, your fretless PJ sounds interesting. If I could come round at some point I'd love that. Although I'm afraid it could just make me want this mod a lot more. [/quote] I just realised, if you're still with Sea Bass Kid then I think we must have played on the same bill at Henry's cellar bar the other day - in which case you might have already heard it if you stuck around, as I was playing with NUF just after you guys! Though, the bass amp there is knackered as hell (farting so much on the low notes that I had to rewrite a few lines as we went!)

We've got an old copycat somewhere, and had some fun dealing with Charlie Watkins in the 90s, he was a great character!

I'm no drummer but have noticed differences and spoken to various good drummers about this. Something to bear in mind and encourage good technique... Heavy cymbals tend to encourage harder hitting, if a drummer adjusts to light/thin cymbals he will find he's hitting softer with lighter sticks to get a similar tone but at lower volume - hitting hard just ruins the sound and leads to broken cymbals ie a financial AND musical incentive! Choosing a good snare drum for low volume playing also makes a BIG difference. Some are just b&*(%^d loud no matter what, definitely noticed this when playing with the same drummer but on different kits.

The Markbass F1 is a flat amp in the [i]good[/i] sense of the term, ie a very even freq response across the spectrum. The danger with the markbass stuff is IMO misunderstanding the VLE/VLF controls - so often I see both set to 12 o'clock as though that means they're off/neutral like the EQ controls, but it doesn't at all. EQ an ampeg 'flat' and it won't sound flat at all, especially not through ampeg cabs. If you like that sound then great, but I find it easier to start with a 'flat' amp and EQ to taste rather than start with one inherent EQ colouration and try and alter it to another. Ampeg cab sound is all about the midbass hump.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1338551231' post='1676164'] I would put a humbucking J there. Just not sure what. I like the Dimarzio Model J, but looks wise is a no-go, and not sure it would be well matched to the existing P. I have to investigate. I was never a big fan of P/J (mostly because I was not a fan of P basses!), but I find a P-bass does a passable impersonation of a neck Jazz ( just heard so many times the opposite, that I could not resist to throw that one in there! ) and adding a bridge Jazz seems the reasonable thing to do [/quote] I think the Model J would match well to a 'typical' P in terms of levels. But if looks rule it out... actually the stock ceramic P/Js in my now fretless aerodyne sound great IMO, the bridge pup in particular has a nice meaty tone despite being single coil. Since you're in Edinburgh you could come and check it out sometime. If you do add the bridge pickup I'd suggest thinking carefully about placement in relation to the tones you want, the P pickup position means that with a 60s style J bridge the spacing doesn't give quite such a 'jazz' tone as if you move the j bridge-wards, OTOH if you're not really using the blended sound as much then you might prioritise the solo tone.

Seems a bit of a waste to have a maple-board fretless [i]without[/i] a J pickup at the bridge. Model J maybe, or something a little overwound. Burp city!