stevie

You can't really compare the MiBass 550 with the small MarkBass amp because the Ashdown has twice the power. The MiBass 220 is probably closer to the LM 250 as far as output is concerned. They both have B&O power amps and power supplies - so the only difference will be in the preamps and features. The killer feature of the MiBass IMO is the tone-shaping section, which is semi-parametric with variable turnover frequencies. You should be able to dial in your perfect sound with a bit of trial and error. The MiBass also has dual Speakon outputs, a neat auxiliary input with level control for an MP3 player or even another instrument, and an extruded aluminium case. The MarkBass doesn't have any ot these features but does have a mute button, a balanced input and a level control for the Line out. Although it's not perfect, the MiBass tone controls and higher output make it a much better choice in my opinion.

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1334601465' post='1618389'] Barefaced Dubster, 4 ohms, Peavey Tour 700 700W @ 4 ohms, large school hall, and yes the concrete floor can be made to vibrate [/quote] And how much of this energy is coming from the bottom of the cabinet, pray tell?

It depends what you call "flat". I'd bet a large sum of money that all these amps would sound identical if you were to set them to a flat response. The MiBass is pretty flat, I'd say. It could have a slightly rolled off top end, but without measuring I couldn't swear to it. Doesn't the MarkBass have some built-in contour? The tone controls of the MiBass are really versatile. They're parametric with infinitely variable frequencies - similar to the Rebelhead 450. I'd be surprised if you couldn't dial in the MarkBass tone. I've compared the MiBass flat sound to the TC Electronics Classic 450 and prefer the former.

I think the LIttleMark 250 is probably the equivalent of the MiBass 220. The power amp / power supply on many of these amps is identical. Don't quote me, but the Markbass and Gallien Krueger 450/500 watt mini-amps (and the Genz Benz equivalent and more that I can't think of at the moment) all use the same B&O power amp and power supply. The only difference is in the preamps and cases. I can confirm from experience that the MiBass preamp is faultless, if you ignore the stupid Deep switch. It also has a very good tone control section, but no buit-in bells and whistles or valves.

Mark bought my TC Electronics head last week. The money was in my account as quick as a flash and communication was great throughout the transaction. He's relatively new here, but my experience shows he's a reliable trading partner.

Bought a pedal from Nick and it arrived quickly and was just the job. Good man!

1. Yes, Ultralites make a big difference to neck dive - and to the overall weight of the bass. They are also very good tuners, irrespective of their weight. 2. I believe Schaller have a similar product, but installing lightweight tuners is the best way of solving neck dive IMO. 3. Yes, you will be left with some holes showing - but who cares? If you plan to sell the bass at any time, just put the original machineheads back and they will hide the hole you need to drill for the Ultralites. I'd never consider a bass without lightweight tuners again. They should be fitted as a standard to everything.

I'm experimenting with a Behringer parametric equalizer and an Ashdown MiBass. I can plug it into the input, like an effects pedal, and it works fine. I can also put it in the effects loop (which is between the pre and power) and it works there too.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1334315717' post='1614310'] But if you were head of Marketing, and you were consistently hopeless at it, it would be justified :-) [/quote] For this kind of semi-impromptu sales pitch, a good salesman would normally do fine. You don't have to be a BBC presenter. These interviews have become de rigeur at trade shows and there's no excuse for not rehearsing your pitch. Nobody can be good at everything and sometimes it makes sense to get a professional in. Otherwise you risk looking like a tit.

I'm with Mr Foxen on this.

[quote name='DirkThrust' timestamp='1334263183' post='1613590'] Those Mibass combos look very interesting. The 550 with a 15" extension cab would make a cracking portable rig. [/quote] Agreed. I think they have a really good product there. The styling is well done and I love the stripy vinyl, although I can't find a lot on the specs yet. And they are considering building them in the UK (hooray!). I'm generally very positive about these. I actually bought a MiBass head despite the crappy marketing, and I don't regret it.

The new Ashdown MiBass combos might be worth waiting for. They seem to be very well designed and the MiBass amp itself is pretty good with some interesting features. http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2012/04/09/ashdown-introduces-mibass-combo-amps/. I haven't seen any prices yet though.

I've come across a few underwound pickups in the past on Squiers and Yamahas (to be specific). Replacing them with a proper pickup - usually a Duncan vintage - improved the sound each time. It's not absolutely reliable, but you can try measuring across the windings if you have a meter. The standard resistance is about 10.5k (from memory). Or just try it and see.

The new MiBass combos look really nice. Why does the company have to ruin it by letting Mr Edsel Ashdown go on camera? Try counting the number of times he says 'versatile' - and look out for the highlight of the interview where he tries to remember what year it is - and fails! It starts off with a great bass solo. Not. Why do British companies still think that it's all about being a keen amateur? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iDVXwwyjUU

By the way, there are people on eBay offering spacer rings if you don't fancy doing it yourself. It might have to be a custom size though, as they normally make them for the car audio brigade.

You need to get yourself a sheet of 1/2" MDF and cut spacer rings to bridge the gap. Inside diameter to fit the Eminence drivers - outside diameter about an inch larger than the hole in the cab. You should be able to use the existing screw holes in the cab to screw the spacers down. Glue if you want a permanent job or use foam for a less permanent job. Paint matt black. The drivers will now be 1/2" further forward than the old ones, which is not normally a problem - and you will actually gain a bit of cabinet volume.

There's an awful lot of guff written about bass pickups. On a 'vintage' type pickup like the SPB-1, all the manufacturers are using the same bits and winding to the same specification. You would therefore expect them to sound very similar - and they do. Take a listen here: http://www.atkinsonbasses.com/multimedia.html and see if you can tell the difference between a cheapo GFS P-Bass pickup and a 'booteek' Lollar at many times the price. Pickups that are physically different like the Quarter Pounder will sound different, of course, and cheap pickups that don't use enough wire sound weedy, but otherwise, the emptor should be aware that most of his money is paying for the brand name.

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' timestamp='1333796707' post='1606560'] I think 4x10 is a format in danger of being left behind. [/quote] Interesting post.

I recently bought a set of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270920824395?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649. That's a great price. They are excellent and are now on the bottom of my Ashdown cab. I appreciate the OP was looking for a trolley, but putting castors on the bottom of your combo is an option worth considering.

That all makes sense but it's a separate issue to driver choice. The cabinet should have the equivalent of two ports 4" in diameter. By the same token, jack inputs should ideally be changed for Speakons and the cabinet should be damped and braced at its weakest points. But we're now into the realm of redesigning a cab without knowing anything about it. I'm a great believer in premium drivers. There's no point paying £100 for an adequate driver when you can get a great driver for just £60 more. The Eminence Legend CB158 would work. It's £90 but it's not a patch on the 18sound (and not available in 4 ohms anyway). Still, it is better than the Delta 15LF, although that wouldn't be hard.

2Hz. Do I get a prize?

It's unsafe to assume that Fender knows how to port a bass guitar cab? Just editing this, because I think I see where you are coming from now. Bass guitar cabs are all tuned to around 50Hz, give or take. There is a certain amount of wiggle room - tuning to 40 or 60Hz is not going to make that much difference. The tuning frequency is a characteristic of the cabinet - not the driver. So, when you change the driver, the cab tuning frequency doesn't change. As long as the driver is suitable for the cabinet size it will work. You can therefore fit a variety of different drivers to the same cab and they will all perform. They may sound different but you won't need to change the tuning unless the tuning was badly out in the first place.