Bloody things!

[lee4]

I have placed other topics about my problematical rig(Markbass LM II into Zoot 2x12).
So far,the amp has buzzed,been stripped down by a pro-audio firm(Thanks Ed,at E&M Acoustics),worked,and now buzzes when cold,but if left to warm up,is fine.
The cab has developed various rattles that have been remidied,but now the control panel looks like it's the culpret,and I may well have to get a new panel made(by the above audio guys).
This was an expensive rig that I could only afford due to money being left to me after my Mother died,so I am f**ked off and fed up.
Rant over,would you repair or replace?There may be a chance of Ed canibalising my Zoot and building a new cab(if he does,I'll put it in the build diary),but if not,I would need 300-500 watts into one cabinet only.
It seems only Harke Hy-drive would be suitable,but what else is there,and where from(bearing in mind that I am on a VERY tight budget).
Ta,Lee.

[LukeFRC]

how old is it? under EU law the head will have a 2 year warranty

[stevie]

What do you mean by speaker's "control panel"? The input panel? I'm not sure why a new one would be needed. Can't it be retightened and maybe fitted with some new foam gasket?

[JTUK]

Sounds like an excuse to get more gear..although what you have should be decent enough
How far off are you from getting all this sorted..? The warranty idea was good although you may have nulified that with a repair..??
What budget do you have?

[rmshaw37]

Got to say, I smiled reading the header! I'm in the same position ATM with my shuttle 6!

[lee4]

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='994289' date='Oct 19 2010, 11:48 PM']how old is it? under EU law the head will have a 2 year warranty[/quote]
About 3 1/2 years old.

[lee4]

[quote name='stevie' post='995151' date='Oct 20 2010, 05:59 PM']What do you mean by speaker's "control panel"? The input panel? I'm not sure why a new one would be needed. Can't it be retightened and maybe fitted with some new foam gasket?[/quote]
The panel has been out and re-tightened once already.It looks like the HF horn control is rattling.Oh yes,and all controls are mounted onto a circuit board,so it all has to be replaced.l

[lee4]

[quote name='JTUK' post='995157' date='Oct 20 2010, 06:05 PM']Sounds like an excuse to get more gear..although what you have should be decent enough
How far off are you from getting all this sorted..? The warranty idea was good although you may have nulified that with a repair..??
What budget do you have?[/quote]
Until it can be looked at properly,I am in the dark as to a time scale.
As for the budget(checks pockets),50p,some blue fluff and a boiled sweet.
I may consider a combo.Any thoughts?

[lee4]

Going for a replacement input panel,and the probable removal of the HF horn,or at least the controls for it.I don't need high-end sparkle,it just draws attention to the bum notes

[pete.young]

If I were you I'd have a chat with Mike Walsh at Zoot before you do anything drastic. Even if it is out of warranty.

[lee4]

[quote name='pete.young' post='996508' date='Oct 21 2010, 11:16 PM']If I were you I'd have a chat with Mike Walsh at Zoot before you do anything drastic. Even if it is out of warranty.[/quote]
I would rather go to E&M Acoustics.Not only are they local(Dunsfold),they are a PA company who design and build speaker enclosures that are used world-wide.On of them is a bass player,the other a drummer,and both are very good at what they do.
I notice that Zoot cabs are no longer made.Make of that what you will.
After this,I will never consider lightweight gear again.

Edited October 22, 2010 by lee4

[pete.young]

Well, that's true - Zoot cabs are no longer made. On the other hand, Purple Chilli cabs are. I think that was a marketing thing, because of the basses.

It's your call, but I know Mike Walsh and I know that his customer service is legendary - if there's anything he can do to help you I'm sure he will. What have you got to lose for the price of a phone call?

[lee4]

[quote name='pete.young' post='997497' date='Oct 22 2010, 08:26 PM']Well, that's true - Zoot cabs are no longer made. On the other hand, Purple Chilli cabs are. I think that was a marketing thing, because of the basses.

It's your call, but I know Mike Walsh and I know that his customer service is legendary - if there's anything he can do to help you I'm sure he will. What have you got to lose for the price of a phone call?[/quote]
I would need to send the cab to Essex,which would not be cheap.Or I could drive it to Dunsfold from Godalming,which takes 20 minutes.Plus the panel is going to be a freebie.
I do not wish to knock Mike,or Zoot,as others will have Zoot cabs and have had no trouble with them,but this is my second cab,as the first one had to be returned to Bass Merchant because only the HF horn worked.I'm sure you can see why I am going to someone I know personally.

Edited October 23, 2010 by lee4

[lee4]

The cabinet is still awaiting repair as the guys are very busy at the moment.
As an aside,would you have a combo or a rig?I play in a 6 piece band,but we are not loud(our guitarist uses a pair of 12w Cornfords so we have to keep it down).
If I have to replace the rig I would go back to 300w(my old rig was a 300w Trace head).
What combo would be suitable?

[JTUK]

I would guess those Cornfords can rack it up, for sure.
I like the MB 102 combo but that isn't that cheap and I am guessing you are off MB stuff anyway.

If you like TE stuff, then you can get a lot of that kit for less money, so decent bang for buck.
I use an old SWR amp..which I love.. through 2 GS112's for quite a vintage vibey sound..although I like it to work the top end as well, so must have the horns.
I would much rather lump this around than a heavy TE combo tbh... so my carry is light but I need to make 2 trips but that is the way I like it.

If it were me, I'd get in 2 Aguiar 12's and use the LM amp which happen to work very well with Markbass agree a lot of people.
If I wasn't concerned about size and weight, I'd consider a a 2x12 on wheels as a 2x12 will cost less...mostly..than 2 single 12's.
The advantage of single 12's is that, paired, at 8 ohms you get 500 watts out of your amp or else get a 4 ohms 2x12

You would have to be a very loud band..and pretty much deaf to out run a decent amp pushing 2 x 12's, IMO.

Edited November 25, 2010 by JTUK

[Prime_BASS]

Did none of this new gear of returns policy/warranty.

As for cabbage: I can't suggest Barefaced bass enough. If you find the Nottingham bass bash thread there is a lot of praise for my tiny midget and the compact seriously loud, I down sized.... It wa that loud. Also the super twelve is 4ohms and will handle anything upto around 700w. That's a bit pricey though.

[lee4]

Ta very much for the advice guys.Both are options that I had not considered.A night of web searches is on the cards!

[bassbloke]

It's tough. Once you lose faith in your gear, you just want want shot of it, but on the face of it, your rig should be more than up to the task.

How's this for a proposal. I'm up the road (OK 20 miles) in Long Ditton. Bring up your rig and A/B against miner, which is a Tech rig from around 10 years ago - neo 4x10, 600W head. There may be some obvious issues that will become apparent.

[lee4]

[quote name='bassbloke' post='1036924' date='Nov 25 2010, 08:55 PM']It's tough. Once you lose faith in your gear, you just want want shot of it, but on the face of it, your rig should be more than up to the task.

How's this for a proposal. I'm up the road (OK 20 miles) in Long Ditton. Bring up your rig and A/B against miner, which is a Tech rig from around 10 years ago - neo 4x10, 600W head. There may be some obvious issues that will become apparent.[/quote]
Could do,especially as I work in Claygate!About 2 miles I think!If you are passing the timber merchant there,stick your head in for a cuppa.
I'm taking it to Dunsfold next week to (hopefully)get the rattle sorted.I really don't want to get shot of the rig as it sounds great,but if the head plays up again it'll have to go.

[bassbloke]

[quote name='lee4' post='1036964' date='Nov 25 2010, 09:14 PM']Could do,especially as I work in Claygate!About 2 miles I think!If you are passing the timber merchant there,stick your head in for a cuppa.
I'm taking it to Dunsfold next week to (hopefully)get the rattle sorted.I really don't want to get shot of the rig as it sounds great,but if the head plays up again it'll have to go.[/quote]

Would do, but unfortunately, my work is in the opposite direction (Putney). Anyway, the offer stands. My circle of friends includes far too few bass players :-)

I have a backup head you could try out for a couple of weeks - to see if it's head or cab.

Markbass kit is Italian right? Say no more. My mate has owned 3 Alfa Romeos.

[4 Strings]

I must admit I would have contacted both Zoot (Purple Chili) and Markbass about these problems. Although out of warranty they are not out of reasonable duty. You might have had to pay something but I bet they would have helped fix things.

If the new control panel works then you have a great cab, surely Markbass might be able to help out with the amp. In which case you get to keep your first choice (and very nice) gear.

[lee4]

[quote name='bassbloke' post='1036987' date='Nov 25 2010, 09:30 PM']Would do, but unfortunately, my work is in the opposite direction (Putney). Anyway, the offer stands. My circle of friends includes far too few bass players :-)

I have a backup head you could try out for a couple of weeks - to see if it's head or cab.

Markbass kit is Italian right? Say no more. My mate has owned 3 Alfa Romeos.[/quote]
Might take you up on the very kind offer.I'll see what E&M Acoustics can do with the cab first,though.
The Italian bit made me laugh!

[lee4]

[quote name='4 Strings' post='1037076' date='Nov 25 2010, 10:33 PM']I must admit I would have contacted both Zoot (Purple Chili) and Markbass about these problems. Although out of warranty they are not out of reasonable duty. You might have had to pay something but I bet they would have helped fix things.

If the new control panel works then you have a great cab, surely Markbass might be able to help out with the amp. In which case you get to keep your first choice (and very nice) gear.[/quote]
I see your point,but I have noticed from other threads about faulty MB gear that the average price for repairs(IIRC)is £200.Thats about 75% of the value of a new head.
At the moment I feel rather unsure of MB gear in general.Owning this head is like owning a crap car;will it start,will it stop,etc.
I belive the cab can be fixed,which would be great as it has a sound I like.

[dave_bass5]

I know its no consolation but my MB SA450 has done well over 150 long gigs without any issues. I also have a LMII that i used occasionally with my other band over the past 3 years and again, no issues.

Not wanting to sound too cheeky but im selling my LMII head if you do want one, although by the sounds of it you wont want to touch another LMII.

[lee4]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1038358' date='Nov 26 2010, 10:12 PM']I know its no consolation but my MB SA450 has done well over 150 long gigs without any issues. I also have a LMII that i used occasionally with my other band over the past 3 years and again, no issues.

Not wanting to sound too cheeky but im selling my LMII head if you do want one, although by the sounds of it you wont want to touch another LMII.[/quote]
Once bitten etc.I'm coming to the firm opinion that the only good this to come out of Italy is espresso.