ThomBassmonkey

I'm too picky with basses without adding year of manufacture into the process. I can only really think of Wal that would fit the bill and since I play 5ers, it'd be incredibly expensive just for a YOB bass. Maybe a Ray 5, but I was born 84, so if I was going to buy a Ray from that era, I'd probably be better off just buying a new one.

Yeah, the larger number will probably be peak power, the continuous is generally what people look at when they see the power rating of heads and cabs IIRC. If you run both cabs through one side, it looks like they'll have 170w each. Running one from each side will give 205w each.

Just took some pics of my basses on a settee for my gear thread and thought I'd post the group shot here too. Hondo II P bass (gutted and I don't have all the bits here to re-assemble it), Sandberg MM5, Sandberg JJ5, Ibanez BTB406QM and a Washburn XB100 underneath.

Finally got around to some pics of my basses now I have a new one! The pics are a bit dark, I'll edit this post sometime if I can be bothered to get better ones (if anyone shows any interest, that is). Left to right there's a gutted Hondo II P bass, I have the pup and scratchplate somewhere around, I need to pick up the controls from the person that gave me the bass still. My new (2nd hand) Sandberg MM5, Sandberg JJ5, Ibanez BTB406QM and underneath is my first bass, a Washburn XB100.

[quote name='chriswilliams666' post='1204262' date='Apr 18 2011, 11:00 PM']Nice setup Thom! Someone with more GK than me! I should of been on commission after connecting you and Polar! haha. I'm pretty sure your 2001rb can power all 4 of your cabs? Might be something to try! [/quote] Why settle for the 1080w powering the 4 cabs? The MB Fusion has a line out on the back, I can use that to power the 12s and then take the line to the 2001 to power the 10s.

Just a question: If you're using the kill switch so that it doesn't drain batteries when you're not playing, wouldn't an active/passive switch have the same effect? If you're worried about it getting knocked and making a noise, roll down the volume (assuming you usually have it at max) or mute your amp/pull out the jack a little for the same effect.

[quote name='obbm' post='1204183' date='Apr 18 2011, 09:43 PM']So how would you describe the deign and performance differences between an extension cab and a stand-alone cab?[/quote] I'm wrong anyway, I've just looked it up and the MBEs are the extension cabs to the MB combos. In reply to your question though, I don't know the ins and outs of the extension cabs (obviously since I had the model number wrong ) and I don't know much about the MB combos in terms of build but if the MBX cabs [u]were[/u] the extension cabs and what Bilbo says is true, there would have to be some differences as the MB combos generally have good reviews (which specifically include mention of people using them at gigging volume). I assume not all extension cabs are simply the same as the combo but without the head installed so if a combo was getting good reviews and a matching cab was getting bad reviews when used on it's own, I'd suspect they were designed differently but to work together and the cab may be missing something that the head would provide. As I said, I got confused with model numbers so it does look like they're simply stand alone cabs anyway and my assumption was based on a mistake, apologies. Edit: I've just looked up the MBX on Thomann to see the price and it says there that they are the extension cabs to the MB combos. The ones on the GK website look different though and there's no 112 mentioned so maybe the one on Thomann is an old model or something, I honestly don't know. Edited again to say that I found it on the GK site, apparently it's an extension to the MBX series combos, not the MB series combos but either way, my logic was based on them being an extension cab for the MB combos so is flawed. Again, apologies, I'll try and do my research better next time.

I dunno, maybe it's because I don't buy into the whole vintage instrument thing. Technology's moved a long way in the last 50 years and it doesn't make sense to me to fork out more for an instrument made using old techniques and out of date machines than for a modern one. If they genuinely were better, they'd still be made using the same methods. If I was going to buy a vintage bass, I'd do all the homework and I'd never buy one off ebay or the like unless I could have it checked over by an expert of my choice first. Even if I bought one from a shop (however reputable) I'd take it to someone who really knows what they're talking about straight away and have it looked over. As shown by the recent Truckstop/Bass Direct thread, even people with the best intentions can make obvious mistakes. If you buy a bass that you feel is worth the money, then there's no problem IMO. If you paid a premium because of it's age, then that's your choice but if you find out the bass isn't as old as it says then you still paid the same amount of money for the same instrument, if you paid extra because of the date it was put together irrespective of how it plays, then feel it's somehow worth less because you find out it's a more recent instrument, sorry but I still fail to see the problem.

Wish I could help, but I've not used any of the MB extension cabs. It's worth remembering though that they are designed as extension cabs for the MB combos, not as standalone cabs.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a replacement for my big rig. I love that thing and can't see me ever getting rid of it. It's just a pain (literally) to shift around and although it sounds amazing, it's pointless taking something so heavy everywhere with me when there's great lightweight options available. Whenever it's convenient (and more to the point, I can be arsed) I'll still be busting out the 1080w 8x10 monster. One day I want to do this (as posted in my GK porn thread):

What's the solar flare spacing?

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1204046' date='Apr 18 2011, 07:57 PM']Everyone has realised you don't need them, All their favourite players use fours, all their favourite songs were recorded on fours, if they needed to they could fit a hipshot detuner, 34" thumbrest etc. Have I missed any?[/quote] Someone fetch the noose, we have a lynching! Things come and go in phases, people see that there's a few 5 strings around and think "I fancy that", so loads of people rush out and buy one, 6 months later there's loads of 5ers available in the for sale forum. The thing about forums like this is that even though people aren't neccessarily prone to following trends as such, it opens their mind to more things. Dingwalls have had a phase of being very popular, Sandberg seems to be going that way at the minute, things like fretlesses and 5ers follow the rule too. I moved from a 6 to a 5, I'm a bassist, I don't need to go too high or I'm interfering with the guitar, much lower than a B seems pointless though as it'll get lost and/or leave a gap in the mix (unless your guitars are tuned right down too). 5's a nice amount, it gives you an extra few notes to finish that run down but it never feels like there's a gap in the mix.

It sounds as good as it looks. I've just plugged my 2001 into one of the 212s and the MB into the other to directly A/B them, they both sound brilliant. I think the 2001 is a little better IMO, but with the difference in weight and size, I definitely won't be mourning the gigs that I can't justify the extra hassle for. Comparing the NEO212s to the 410RBH (I'm doing the 2001 into the 410RBH by memory compared to the 2001 into the Neos): The neos seem to have a smoother more scooped sound. It sounds a lot cleaner than the RBHs but still very fat sounding, lots of high end too, still very defined like the RBHs though but quite a different voicing. I can't put that down to whether it's the size or neodynium that makes more of the difference though. The RBHs are pure rumble. Lots of low end and natural growl but still very defined. Comparing the 2001 and MB Fusion (both through the Neos): The Fusion again sounds naturally more hi-fi, playing about with the controls it seems to be much more versatile than the 2001. I could get the classic GK style growly fat tones out of it, but twiddle a few knobs and it could do Fieldy (from Korn) clack right through to very smooth jazzy tones. I think it's like the Thumb and Streamer to Warwick (as covered in a previous thread), the RB is the Thumb: GK's trademark sound, it does it perfectly and it's very versatile tonally, but whatever you do it will always sound like an RB head/Thumb bass. The MB Fusion still has that classic trademark tone, like the Streamer, but it's signature sound is reigned in a bit to give it much more versatility. Overall impression of rig vs rig is that the 2001/RBH setup is classic GK, it's pure fat tone and growl. I can't fault it, it's why I love the amps, they have all the beef and grit to carry a song while the guitarist's off w***ing up the neck but they still have enough presence and clarity that if you do a run in a heavy section of a song, it's not lost and still clear with no mud. The MB Fusion/Neos is much more versatile, it's naturally cleaner but thanks to the head having the gain and volume A and B, you can dial in the grit as you need. Thanks to the deep switch on top (note I usually hate deep switches, not so in this case as it's not any kind of octaver, purely EQ) you can get it to do those low growls that GK are known for. They're much more versatile beasts though, going from very clean smooth tones right through to full on distortion. As said above, I do slightly prefer the 2001 to the MB Fusion, but given the differences (price, size, weight, power, the 2001 has 2 channels wheras the MB Fuses uses two gain structures with one channel meaning only one EQ) I don't think it has a worse sound, per se, I just prefer the classic GK fat growl. I'd have no problems taking it head to head (pun not intended) against any of the other class D heads other companies are bringing out and to be honest, I think my preference for it comes down to opinion as it does sound fantastic. I now have the option of taking either to gigs and I honestly can't see me using the 2001 for most gigs, I'm amazed at how well this little thing does. I'll probably do another shorter update tomorrow after band practice so I can hear it at proper volume (I cranked it a bit when I was comparing them earlier but it's still not the same as a band mix). I'm amazed by this little beasty though. It's small (annoyingly the head's *just* too big to go in my gig bag, it can still go in my backpack with my leads though), light (I can carry the cabs in 1 hand without straining myself) and so capable. Definitely going to save my back a lot of pain in day to day use.

I had a go on the one at about 2:30 in this video: It was fun, I might be tempted to pick one up when they come out later this year.

If you've tried and tested the OTB and it's passed, why not just go for that? Of course I'm going to echo some of the other posts saying GK, the 700RB-II and MB500 are within your budget, MB Fusion is just above it and MB200 is way below and a very capable amp for 200w (only downside is only one output, though not a problem if you get the right lead or your cabs have a link socket). I've owned several GKs and they've all been stunning amps and cabs.

I've posted about my new rig elsewhere but I'm well chuffed so I thought I'd start a GK porn thread here too! I know there's other people with them from the baby MB200 to the almighty 2001RB-II so get out your pics! Apologies for a couple of them being a bit blurry, apparently my camera didn't like being there as much as the other spot. I'm sure you'll still get the idea. My "big gig rig", 2001RB-II and two 410RBHs. The 410s rarely see an outing together, but they do get used at bigger gigs, our single release on Saturday saw me drag them both along in my Fiesta. Featuring a Korg DTR-1000 tuner and Stagg shell. My "mini" rig, because the big rig is...well..big (and more importantly very heavy). Only just got this but from playing around in my house it's versatile and sounds great. It's probably going to get it's first gig outing in the next week or two depending on what I take on tour. MB Fusion and two NEO212s. My actual mini rig will be just one cab which should be more than capable at most gigs. Some may say I'm over-compensating for something, but I'm sticking to the excuse that it's just for laughs (I doubt I'll need this setup for a while, but hey, why not?). 1630w (including tweeter amp) into 8x10 and 4x12...it's magnificent (ugh, my back).

[quote name='Gust0o' post='1203324' date='Apr 18 2011, 10:18 AM']Someone owes me a quid [/quote] We never shook on it! AFAIK Dingwall are the only company that make fanned fretted basses as standard, so it was pretty unavoidable. A few luthiers are doing fanned fret basses as customs now, but if the OP is on a budget, he'll probably be looking at a Dingwall, especially with a 6. The other option is getting a bass with a long scale, Overwaters are available with 36" scales and 6 strings, that should do the job and would cost less than a new Dingwall (and you don't see many 2nd hand Dingwalls). The other option would be to get an even thicker string on your current bass. Depending on what you play at the moment, that should be fine. There's a lot of 7/8 string basses around that go to F# (as standard, I doubt an extra semitone would make a lot of difference) that people play without any problems.

Currently I have a Washburn XB100 (first bass), Ibanez BTB406QM (my workhorse for about 8 years), a Hondo P (needs to be assembled, I got it free from the shop I used to work at after they had to move and didn't want to take it with them though they ended up taking some bits in a bag with some other stuff by mistake)) and a Sandberg JJ5, my current main bass.

AFAIK the SX aren't available directly over here (any shops that do sell them probably had them imported from the US), it's one of the reasons they've died off a bit in popularity recently as the exchange rate died on it's arse a while back and they suddenly weren't anywhere near the value for money they used to be.

Bump up for a new rig. The 2001RB-II and 410RBH in the above picture is amazing and I can't see me getting rid of it ever (including the 2nd 410RBH I have now) but it's a heavy beast and I needed something lighter to get to practices and small gigs where I'm just too lazy to take that monster so I now have this! Full frontal, bass there for perspective. It's not exactly a small rig, it's definitely much more managable than my big rig though! It's bum, the same GK control plates as on my 410RBHs on these NEO212s. Another frontal with a bit of an angle, showing the depth of the cabs. The head. This is voodoo! 500w, 3 valves in the pre-amp, so many controls they couldn't fit them all on the front and some are on top (though still simple to use), 2 seperate gain structures that are footswitchable, 4.5lbs and available for less than £600... We really need to have a GK porn thread!

[quote name='Bassmurf' post='1203440' date='Apr 18 2011, 11:48 AM']Ah, so the difference is mainly the Fusion has the valve pre...hmmm, interesting. Lol, yes I've struggled in the five years I've had the Ashdown to get a usuable sound (and in that time I've been in a variety of bands which included one guitar, two guitars, two guitars and keyboard...etc) and wooly and undefined is definitely the words I'd use. Unfortunately I'd bought it on the assumption that because of the connection with them being some of the original engineers from Trace Elliot that their amps sounded similar...doh! Always liked the sound of GK amps mainly because of growing up listening to the rock/metal guys in the early '90's like Duff, Flea,Eddie Jackson (Queensryche) etc[/quote] Yeah, off the top of my head that's the only difference except maybe the limiter and one or two of the other minor options that are on top of the fusion (can't remember if the 500 has a contour frequency select). The front panel is the same though (apart from the 500 being grey and fusion black of course). Both have the same gain and volume A and B which are footswitchable, the contour control, 4 band EQ, 500w at 4Ohms, headphone/line out socket etc. Yeah, I've heard that connection before too, I quite liked the old Traces but never the Ashdowns. To be fair, most I've played through have been in rehearsal rooms so well used, but even the ones I've heard bands use live have never quite had the definition to cut through in mixes. Funnily enough, I'd never really heard of GK before I tried one out in a reheasal room a couple of years ago (so that was probably well used too in all fairness), instantly fell in love with it and started saving straight away. In the last year and a half I've had 3 heads (700RB-II, 2001RB-II and now the MB Fusion) and 6 cabs (two of each: 210RBH, 410RBH and NEO212s) and they've all been stunning. Really can't wait to unleash this one at practice tomorrow. Of course it's all horses for courses, someone who likes an uber clean tone probably won't get on with GKs, but for me the mix of definition, growl and fatness has me smitten!

Strictly speaking, the MB500 isn't "the one down" from the Fusion, they're very similar, just the Fusion has the valve pre, the MB500 is solid state. IIRC the Fusion has an extra option or two (like the limiter, I don't think the 500 has) but they're very similar sounding amps with mostly the same controls. I don't like Ashdowns, I've never heard one that I haven't thought was either wooly or thin and obviously I'm a huge GK fanboy so if I were you, I wouldn't even be thinking about moving from Ashdown to GK, mostly because I'd already have a GK in my posession and the Ashdown sold. Especially if your back's giving you grief, this rig weighs a total of (according to GK's site) about 125lbs. I'd feel easily confident gigging with one cab and the head at about 65lbs, which isn't very much for such a powerful and versatile beast.

[quote name='eude' post='1203367' date='Apr 18 2011, 10:43 AM']Wow! Looks amazing dude! For me, personally, I'd have gone with 2 X 1x12 cabs, but each to their own Congrats, and looking forward to here how you get on gigging with it! Eude[/quote] I very nearly did, but I figured that the differences (size, weight, price) weren't enough to make it worth going with two 1x12s, I'd rather have two then if something happens to one cab, it's still a capable rig. There won't be many gigs where I'd only need 1 1x12, so if anything it's more convenient to only have to take one 2x12 cab than take 2 1x12s anyway. We're going on tour over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to see how this goes at rehearsal tomorrow before I decide whether or not I'm going to make the effort with my RBH cabs (my MB and 2001 heads will both be coming either way). There'll be enough people with us to share the effort of the big rig, but we'll all be sick of it after moving it around almost every night for two weeks.

Yay, it arrived. I've had a quick play which has confirmed that one cab is easily enough to gig with. It sounds good, it's more hi-fi than my big rig but I've only had a few minutes of front room time with it so far, so I've not had a chance to properly EQ it in a mix and play with it. I'm amazed by how light it is! I managed to strain my shoulders lifting around my big rig on Saturday but still easily managed to lift both of these cabs on top of my 410RBHs for storage. It's not just that they're lighter but because of the port positions, they're narrower too which makes them far more managable. Piccies! Full frontal, bass there for perspective. It's not exactly a small rig, it's definitely much more managable than my big rig though! It's bum, the same GK control plates as on my 410RBHs on these NEO212s. Another frontal with a bit of an angle, showing the depth of the cabs. The head. This is voodoo! 500w, 3 valves in the pre-amp, so many controls they couldn't fit them all on the front and some are on top (though still simple to use), 2 seperate gain structures that are footswitchable, 4.5lbs and available for less than £600...

The thing is that someone could probably put a date stamp on a neck as easily as a Fender decal and there's loads of necks sold without either. I don't see why the date makes it any more of a problem.