WalMan

So the first "used in anger" review and some photos Rehearsal tonight and the new MB CMD121H and SUB5 come out to play. Boy does it shift some air and shake the ground, and in a good way considering it is a single 12 and horn. I presume that the rear reflex porting must help extend the bottom end. I ran it pretty much flat and about half way up (until requested to rein it in a bit - well quite a big bit actually!). I may need guy ropes as it did go for a little walk through the evening, but it was on wooden flooring, carpet will probably be different. The combo is very light, which probably did not help with walkies, but this does not seem to compromise the sound at all. It works really well with the MM SUB5 and is quite happy down to the B, though obviously there is rather more in the way of speaker excursion Up against a Bonham replica kit, Marshall TSL combo (60 I think), keyboards through a Behringer combo and vocals in the foldback doing rock covers (Whitesnake, Tubes, Gary Moore etc) and it held its own easily even 1/3 way up on the master, no VLE - Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator, which filters HF as you turn it up - and no VPF - Variable Pre-shape Filter which basically boosts lows & highs and scoops mids, a bit like the pre shape button in Trace Elliot but variable as you turn up the wick. The room was a large village hall. Photos Alongside a couple of basses for scale Closer & the Boss pedal tuner box on top With the top opening open to show access to the back of the amp. The cut out is held in with velcro, but is quite a snug fit anyway Back of the combo which shows the alternate access to the back of the amp. Better to open the top as the opening is narrow. The reflex port at the back has not come out too well ...and finally the handy carry out How good is that! Bass over your shoulder, amp in one hand and a hand free for doors!! More details and the manual [url="http://www.markbass.it/products.php?lingua=en&cat=3&vedi=40"]HERE[/url] More thoughts after the first gig on Saturday - now I must either relearn the songs I have got so used to playing on the Wal with the D-Tuner switched down OR make sure I can change basses quickly for those detuned number where I was still getting thrown using the SUB5 as the shapes have all changed. Much muttering along the lines of "Are you going to know this on Saturday Al?" Hmmmm we shall see

[quote name='WalMan' post='54265' date='Sep 2 2007, 04:40 PM']The chap I have used in the past on the south coast quoted me a starting price of £150 to refinish the MM Sub with a tobacco burst to match my Wal - depending on the current finish[/quote] Just got the MM back from a set up and Graham has confirmed £150 if I wanted to add a tobacco sunburst. I guess it must depend where you are. He is on the recommended list elsewhere - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=253&hl=wheeler"]Graham Wheeler[/url]

Good luck with it. I sort of learnt it from Bass Player a few years back. Some of those harmonics are a swine to find as the ones down around frets 2-4 have a much tighter area to hit to get them to ring than 5,7 & 12. Good when you nail it though!!!

[quote name='paul, the' post='57766' date='Sep 9 2007, 03:42 PM']Will you be putting a picture up? It would be great to see it scaled up next to something. I find it hard to imagine in the pictures.[/quote] If I don't get a chance beforehand I shall take some photos at r/h on Tuesday & post them. It is small but deep, presumably for the rear porting

[quote name='OldGit' post='57694' date='Sep 9 2007, 11:52 AM']Whats the deal with GAK education prices? Any idea what they need .. I may or may not still have an undated Uni card from a previous life as a lecturer .. gets me into gigs cheap ...[/quote] I think you need to be signed up for a course and get a tutor to sign off on it, so it may require a relevant course as well. Son is starting a sound production course having finished the guitar course at BIMM and is looking at things like Logic Pro & Pro Tools to put on the Mac once he knows what they will be using on the course. We had been thinking of some of the fleabay offers for this but GAK Education dept is at least as good as the Bay so it seems easier and in many ways to go there to get definite legit copies

So here we go then. Everyone's back from hols and we are back on the road again - some months better than others [u]2007[/u] 15 Sept - The Crown Littlehampton - Including the first outing for two new "toys" Gosh this is so exciting, I haven't had a new toy for ages & then two come along at once 28 Sept - Red Lion Stubbington 05 Oct - Cheers Bar Bognor Regis 06 Oct - The Crown Littlehampton 12 Oct - The Fountain Chichester 13 Oct - Admiral Drake Portsmouth 19 Oct - The Heroes Waterlooville 16 Nov - The Swan Woolston, Southampton 23 Nov - The Crown Littlehampton 01 Dec - The Fountain Chichester 07 Dec - Red Lion Stubbington [u]2008[/u] 04 Jan - Cheers Bar Bognor Regis Rock covers along the lines of Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Billy Idol, Whitesnake, Gary Moore, The Tubes, etc. We tend to [i]try [/i]to do slightly different than the standard numbers. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. MySpace with examples below. Say hi if you happen to make one. Cheers Al

[quote name='paul, the' post='57492' date='Sep 8 2007, 07:37 PM']The H&K is a funny amp, I don't think there's an extension cab that matches it and I don't think you can run another cab in parallel, suggesting the original twelve wouldn't be driven as its intention when using an extension or not at all.[/quote] Indeed. Having decided to spend that bit more the option to use an extra cab - not possible with the SWR, or the EBS I think - was another factor I took account of. Even so far as thinking of perhaps building a [url="http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/Omni12.html"]BFM Omni 12[/url] sometime in the future. My woodworking skills proved sufficient to build a pair of EV design 15 cabs years back - so long as the wood was all cut to size for me at the merchants - so it's a thought.

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='57514' date='Sep 8 2007, 08:33 PM']excellent work. i am considering replacing my mb separates with one of these. how much did you pay in the end?[/quote] PM'd I'm sure it's not top secret but not wishing to upset anyone I'll do it that way. Or thinking about it try somewhere between their web price and their education department price. Of course I suppose what I [u][i]should[/i][/u] have done is get #2 son to buy it at the education department price when he gets signed up on his sound production course next week

T shirt & a pair of long shorts even in winter. Have done for years now after starting in a hot summer & it feels really weird to do a gig in jeans now

[quote name='paul, the' post='57470' date='Sep 8 2007, 06:48 PM']Sounds like a great buy to me[/quote] I certainly hope so. Time will tell. [quote name='paul, the' post='57470' date='Sep 8 2007, 06:48 PM']are you in pillaging distance of me? [/quote]Thankfully no if that was for a raiding party to relieve me If its for a try out well my son is due to move down to Blandford in November so no doubt we shall be heading that way on occasion [quote name='paul, the' post='57470' date='Sep 8 2007, 06:48 PM']Had you tried the Hughes and Kettner(sp?) QC 412 or whatever it's called? Would love to compare those two.[/quote] Hadn't even thought or considered that one and looking at it now it could have been a contender, but its too late now the deed is done

So the TE 122H went last night and off to GAK today for a final try of the Markbass 121H. It is a bit of overkill for my purposes as most of my gigging is straight through a Line6 Bass Pod XT Pro direct to the PA, and I was after a small bass amp just to shift a bit of air on stage rather than just rely on monitors. That said I tend to just use an amp at r/h and you never know I might get the odd dep where I just want an amp. I have considered all sorts from cheaper Behringer, Hartke & GK Kickback combos to somewhat more expensive things like the Phil Jones Briefcase, SWR Workingman 12, EBS Drome 12 and the Markbass 121H. In the end I decided to spend a bit more than just the kickback type combos so that put me up to the PJB, SWR, EBS & Markbass PJB got discounted from reading some other reviews here. EBS was considered as I have a contact, but he never got back to me so......I could not be bothered to wait and with gigs coming up SWR, well I had a head before & it had some reliability "issues" so did not stay long So we were down to the Markbass, which I had already tried and liked the sound, weight and size. Another criteria was that it needed to slide into the back of the estate alongside the rack and light boxes, which the MB also seemed to meet having measured the boot & compared with the on line dimensions. So this afternoon it was off to GAK but what to take, the Wal of the MM SUB. In the end took the latter to check reaction to the B and I have to say that based on the blast it had in the shop it sounded sweeeeeeet even with the tone set pretty much flat. A bit of bartering later (but not much as the price quoted when I tried it out before beat both the GAK webshop & Thomann, indeed any price I could find with an online search) and the combo left the shop and a dent in the Mastercard. Unbelievably when I got it to the car and slid it in the way I think it will need to go it was about 1/2 in too tall for the boot cover, but I think I can get around that with a little rearranging. Still I don't care. It sounded really nice. I shall post back more when it has had a r/h and gig under its belt.

Just been in there this afternoon to spend the money from the TE sale, having already been in before trying out various amps. Took in a bass I knew for a final try out and had the combo for a price better than both their webshop & Thomann.

Now there's a thought. I have boxes of guitarist mags going back years that I keep sort of trying to sell. Shame I didn't think of it while I was off getting the hand fixed!!. I shall have to investigate exactly what is under the stairs.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='56931' date='Sep 7 2007, 12:59 PM']i had that on my watching list. congrats![/quote] Me too & ditto

I've been fretting about this all night, but I'll fret less now I have posted this I'll get me coat

How you all have the neck to keep stringing these puns out is driving me nuts. I don't think my truss can stand much more Oh all right I know I branched out to bass generally I ran out of bridge references unless it was by way of ball ends, which seemed to be lowering the tone a tad! Hadn't thought of Mervyn, but could give him a go on Saturday. I actually got in there last Saturday for the first time and wandered round saying "used to have one of those, used one of those, and those, and those" ad infinitum it seemed. Bit of a blast from the past gear wise. Traynor & Selmer columns, Copicats etc Oh yes, and I hadn't realised until I was looking at the current top thread on the John East forum, and then dug the SUB out to check, that the treble pot has Pull Bright on it. I really shall have to be careful using that stun setting as I suspect it could be a bit like Sylers trick in Heroes - OK so my photoshoppings not great. It's supposed to be a head being sliced off

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='56514' date='Sep 6 2007, 01:45 PM']I wouldn't have wanted to 'saddle you' with a problem!![/quote] Nik Until you said that I was going to say no problem but.........its no problem really. The WD bridge was just an idea - and its not hugely expensive, if overkill as Chris says. I sent MM an email & included an address in the vague hope they turned out to be one of those companies that would just stick a load of screws in an envelope and post them I think a quick toddle to the top of Guildford tomorrow for a better selection of keys is still in order. I seem to have a huge number of keys all roughly the same size just never quite the right size DOH! Some fit one side but not the other - wierd Still it sounded nice at the quiet r/h at our sound guys house Tuesday so I have no great qualms about the bass, and was certainly not having a dig - though again with the kwalidy of that pun perhaps I should

[quote]Has Graham set it up now and if so, how is it [s](going off topic again...)[/s]? Nik[/quote] Got it back yesterday & he has adjusted it by resting the saddle on a washer at the mo. Looks OK though, but I had no chance to check it out last night. Subject to a response from MM I think I shall probably just get a [url="http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/shop/products.php?category=206&product=2281"]WD replacement MM5 bridge[/url] and try to slide out the current B saddle and insert one from the WD temporarily. The Elixirs have only just gone on and I do not want to keep taking them off & putting them back. It looks like it should be easy enough to slacken the string and swap the saddle assembly over. I can always put the whole thing on when I next change the strings, but that will probably not be for a while now

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='56310' date='Sep 6 2007, 02:06 AM']Hi Al, had a chuckle at your last post about Graham and Drum & Strum etc!! Has Graham set it up now and if so, how is it (going off topic again...)? Nik[/quote] Nik I shall answer this [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5310"]HERE[/url] to keep your thread vaguely on topic

The cut off is £18 It all depends on what the declared value is on the packet, and if that is artificially adjusted by the seller, whether the package is opened & checked by Customs

[quote name='beerdragon' post='56175' date='Sep 5 2007, 07:05 PM']wow! 75% feedback![/quote] Mind you that's on 5 transactions and the last one he obviously really p1553ed the seller off. [quote]heaven forbid, the bottom couldn't have possibly fallen out of the Wal market could it?![/quote] I don't know it certainly looked nice to me & the Simms were only along the top of the neck. Still my baby's not going anywhere soon so I don't really care what the current values are

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='56270' date='Sep 5 2007, 10:46 PM']I deal with Graham direct.[/quote] Ditto, known him since Broadway Music days when he refinished the Shergold and a top chap. It's just easier to send wifey to D&S - she knows where that is

[b][i][size=6][font="Impact"]Laydeees n gennulmen[/font][/size][/i][/b] - we have the answer. The head of the grub screw is knackered At least that was the technical term used by the guitar chappie who had it for a once over / set up. Well you've got to laugh. So the query now becomes: Where can I find a grub screw to replace the knack'd one for next time I change the strings (which will be a way off as they are Elixirs) or shall I need a complete saddle assembly. Looks like a Google tonight unless anyone can point me in the right direction quicker. [EDIT] Email to EB to see if I can blag anything otherwise possibly this will do the trick (and not hugely expensive either) - [url="http://www.wdmusic.com/musicman_reg_style_bass_bridge_24410_prd1.htm"]WD parts[/url]