grayn

I've been using my trusty bass rig for years.
A Gallien Krueger Backline 600 head, through a 4 ohm, MarkBass 2x10 traveller cab.
Always got a very reliable sound.
A few months ago I bought a new practice/back up combo, a Fender Rumble 500.
Then I got the urge to have a slightly bigger rig and got an 8 ohm MarkBass 2x10, to run with the Fender Rumble combo.
It sounded OK but kind of lacked focus/punch.
I thought about replacing the Rumble with a MarkBass combo, so I tried the Mini CMD121P & CMD151P combos, with the additional 2x10 cab.
I didn't like the sound at all and came to the conclusion that I'm not keen on Markbass combos, although I love their cabs.
So I decided to stick with what I know, and got myself a Gallien Krueger MB500 amp head.
At the same time I swapped my 4 ohm Traveller cab for another 8 ohm one.
So now I have 2, 2x10 cabs with my new amp and kept the old Backline 600 as back up.
Oh, and I sold the Rumble.

The new GK head is a real belter and is around a 3rd the weight of the old Backline head.
They share most of the same inputs and outputs and equalisation controls.
Where the old Backline has an overdrive channel, which I never used, the MB500 has a foot switchable boost facility, which to me is far more useful.
The MB500's front panel has the usual Gain, Master, Boost, 4-band EQ and Contour controls.
And the conventional passive/active dampener and mute switches, are also present.
The rear panel also follows the tried and tested conventions of dual speaker outputs, return & send for effects, footswitch input and tuner output, direct out with pre/post EQ and a ground lift switch.
When I tested the amp, I used it with everything turned to 12 o'clock and immediately liked the clear, punchy tone that is natural to this amp.
The 4 EQ controls worked well and gave me some superb and massive sounds.
The MB500 is far louder than the old Backline head and sounds really good through 1 or 2, 2x10 cabs.
Very pleased with my new set up.
It's light, simple to operate and sounds just how I like.

That looks really nice and in remarkable condition.

Congrats.

Cute Mustang, congrats.

Looks a real monster.

Congrats😎

1 hour ago, Sparky Mark said:

Thank you, that's very helpful. I'm keen on 3TSB and not sure the extra £280 for the AP is worth it for me.  Does the Fender bag offer any level of protection? I.e., how thick would you estimate the  padding to be or is it canvas only? Is the Markbass bag for short scale or is it 4" or so too long for the mustang? Thanks again. 

If you want the more traditional Mustang sound, the Vintera should be fine.

The bag has a little padding, it's not just material but it's all very minimal.

If you want to take it to band practice or gigs, you might want to invest in a reasonable quality bag.

The Markbass gigbag isn't specifically for short scale but is very stiff and holds the bass very snugly, so I am more than happy with it.  And it matches my cab.☺️

2 hours ago, Mister RLP said:

Do any of the currently available Mustangs have both bridge and/or through body loading options for the strings? 

No.  The Vintera, American Performer and JMJ have through the body stringing and the PJ has through the bridge stringing.

3 hours ago, Sparky Mark said:

I've got post xmas GAS for a Mustang and wonder if you could compare the your two tonally please? I already have a couple of PJ and favouring the Vintera because of its faithfulness to the original Fender design but wondered how the single pup sounds compared to the AP version? Also, a lot of owners complain how crap the supplied Vintera gig bags are; just how thin is the padding please?

Cheers, 

Mark

Tonally the difference is pretty much as you'd expect.

Th A.P. has a lot more variety and blending the 2 pickups is producing some lovely results.

I usually leave the tone on passive basses full on but just taking the edge off, with minimal tone reduction, again produces some very useable tones.

The Vintera has a more traditional Mustang tone, which is again, as you'd expect, like a short scale Precision.

Not quite as much thump as a P but nice and round, with a good middle presence.

The bag with the A.P. is no better than the Vintera, IMO.

Fortunately the shop gave me a great MarkBass gigbag, gratis.  And I already had a decent gigbag at home for the Vintera.

I would have gone for the JMJ over the Vintera but I hate relicing and TBH I'm very chuffed with the Vintera, although the A.P. is a definite step up in quality.

I slightly prefer the A.P's Yosemite Split Single-Coil, over the Vintera's Vintage-Style '60s Split Single-Coil but that's my taste.  They both sound great to my ears.

On the string length subject, both of these basses come with short scale strings as stock and I've just put some short scale flatwounds on the Vintera and they fit perfectly.

Sweet looking bass, congrats.

The Vintera has through body stringing, as well.

Got a brother for my Mustang today.

A Vintera, that I'm going to string with flatwounds, for some sixties thump and click.

Congrats on a lovely bass.

Sunburst and tort, really classic.😎

1 hour ago, scrumpymike said:

Back in the day when most were lusting after Fenders it was always the short-scale basses that floated my boat thanks to the influence of Macca, Bruce and Fraser.  Over the years I've had other stuff but always come back to the 30" scale that I'm more comfortable with.  Pleased to say there's never been a better choice of s-s basses than you can find nowadays including many at very affordable prices.  The Mustang is the best s-s bass I've NEVER owned - yours is a beauty.

Totally agree, you only have to look at Bass Direct's website, under short scale, to see just some of the multitude of interesting short scales around these days.  For those used to the long scale, the short scale may seemed cramped but within a very short time, you see and feel the benefits.  I'm loving the ease of play and slightly lesser string tension.  It really lets you get expressive.

I've been wanting to go short scale for a while but up until now, every time I've gone out to look at getting one, I've
come home with another long scale.  I've dabbled in the past, with a couple of cheap violin basses and a couple of 
Mustangs , one US, one Jap.  Anyway, I did all my research and lusted after all sorts of obscure makes and models but 
all these basses were very long distances away and I do like to try an instrument before I buy, where possible.
So I decided to try out one more Mustang.  An American Perfomer series from Fender, in a lovely aubergine.  This one had
an added Jazz Bass pickup, by the bridge.  The only other shorties in the shop, were an Italia Torino bass in blue, 
which looked nice but wasn't much fun too play and had rather dire pickups in my view and a Hofner Ignition Violin bass.
The cheapest in Hofner's range, it was actually not that bad, although it was crying out for some flatwound strings.
But the baby bass that I went to see was all I hoped for.  Quite a looker, although I think Fender could reduce the size
of the headstock a tad.  Very playable, with a nice neck and good overall balance and feel.  And those PJ pickups really,
work together well, with a lot of super useable tones.  It didn't sound like a compromise to my ears, it just sounded
like a really cool Fender bass, that really benefits from the added Jazz pickup.  And the finishing is really of a good
standard.  The metallic augergine paint job is super handsome.
My only 2, minor gripes are the sad little gig bag you get with it.  Fortunately the shop threw in a very nice MarkBass
gigbag, which was a vast improvement.  And for some reason, Fender put a protective plastic sheet over the bridge plate,
held down by the bridge saddle mechanisms.  That's just bloody annoying, as it's a hassle to remove and it buzzes against
the strings until you do.
Had a couple of good sessions at home with it now and I'm loving how easy and comfy it is to play and the strong tones
it produces.

Looks like a great fix for giving room for the string binding not to rest of the bridge saddles.

Nice one😎

I agree with what you said about head and heart.

It makes sense to buy the Japanese, preowned but that 2600 is a real beauty and IMO Nordstrand Big Singles are probably the best bass pickups I have had/heard.

Either way, you're onto a winner.

You've got a lovely pair😎

Italia Torino

Very cool, congrats.

Great bass.😎

Congrats on a very nice looking and well made bass.

I owned an Odyssey, over 25 years ago.

All I can remember was it had Bartolini pickups, a brass nut and had a great build quality.

Also it had a bridge with a tailpiece, which meant I had to find extra long length strings.

I didn't even have the internet then and had to send a picture of it to that large, free music paper, you got in music shops and they IDed it for me.

Thanks for the memory.😎

Love that video.

Great pantomime and probably my fave Xmas song, with Greg Lake's.

Oh yeah, ridiculous pickup positioning but fun.

11 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

I think the whole range has been improved, including the Mex Fenders,, which now feel on a par with precious US models. Perhaps they’ve upped their game through competition, but it’s great to see old names still creating great production instruments.

In terms of neck feel, it’s very much a vintage profile. The whole instrument feels a lot like the 60s reissues, but the modern components and fantastic clarity from the modern single coil pickups really make it stand out. The high profile narrow frets are  a lovely touch. I’m used to thicker vintage frets but these seem to me to be a welcome upgrade. 

I’ve swapped to D’Addario chromes and they give a beautiful thump. 

At the moment, I find the finish a little too shiny, but I’m sure a few gigs, sessions and all that will tone it down I’m sure. 

The problem with the pink is that you’ve really got to have some chops nailed to pull off the look. Back to the woodshed for me it seems...!

Oh and the kids and wife love it too. Basically, it’s a winner.

Good idea to keep the family on board.

The pink word is spreading🐷.

Met up with Basschat forumer Karlfer this afternoon, to do a trade and ended up with this rather nice US Deluxe HH
Dimension Bass.  It was a pleasure meeting and doing business with Karl and talking bass, of course.
For some reason, Fender's Dimension series of basses didn't seem very successful, coming and going rather quickly.
I remember buying a new SQUIER Deluxe Dimension Bass V MN Black, for under £300 and being very impressed.
A lot of Fender players are very traditional and I guess they didn't take to Fender's attempt to produce an EBMM Stingray beater.
My first impressions of this particular Dimension bass, are very positive and having owned a number of EBMM Stingrays,
can see the similarities and differences.
The Dimension uses some very nice woods and hardware and the build quality and finishing are very good.
The 2 HB pickups come with a 5-way selector switch, that gives 2, double pickup, single-coil options.
And it is these 2 options that I like the most.
The pickups in full HB mode, singly or together sound good but I prefer the clarity of the SC options.
So how does it compare with a Stingray?
The bridge pickup is a lot closer to the bridge than on a Stingray.
So if you are after a bass that can do that Stingray sound, you'll be a little disappointed.
The Dimension's pickups don't have the HB quality of an EBMM Stingray, IMO.
But they do have there own sound and a lovely variety of combinations to delight your ear.
This bass sounds great through both my gigging rig (Galien Krueger - Mark Bass) and through my practice/back up amp (Fender Rumble 500 combo).  
It's a lovely mix of Stingray and Jazz Bass, to my ears, with something of it's own as well.
This Deluxe bass came with very low, very solid action and this combined with a very comfortable neck, make it a pleasure to play.
To my eyes, it's a bit of a looker too, with a translucent sunburst finish, over some lovely wood grain.
Although, on a personal level, I'd have preferred a tort scratchplate, with black, Jazz Bass style knobs.
As in it's name, this bass comes with some welcome, Deluxe features.
A very tasty, Hi-Mass bridge, a Heel-Mounted, Spoke Wheel, Truss Rod Adjuster and a very capable 18V Preamp with Active 3-Band EQ.
I also really like the Fender "F" Light-Weight Vintage-Paddle Key Tuners, with Tapered Shafts.
OK, I've only played this bass for about an hour, both solo and along to my own recordings (bass muted of course) but so far
I am very very pleased with it, both as a very capable/usable instrument and as a tasty addition to my bass herd.
I don't think I've played a bass quite like it, which is a very good thing, in my book.
So cheers Karl.

3 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

Of course!

These modern Fenders are absolutely beautifully made. Not like some of the nonsense they were building years ago. As someone who only bought and played vintage basses (and was undoubtedly a huge snob about the whole thing) I’m convinced today’s Fenders are some of the best guitars they’ve ever built. (And I’m not just saying that because I bought one!)

Definitely agree.  I think they've really improved, just over the last 3 years.

And this particular model (Little Pinky) really stands out, IMO.

9 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

I played one of these today and fell in love. So much so that I bought it.

I’ve got to say the guys in PMT really are good nowadays. I had a long chat, no pressure to buy and the fella could do enough for me

Personally I think a tort guard on it would completely ruin the look, but appreciate I may be in the minority!

Congrats on a fine purchase.

The guys in PMT Leeds are pretty good.

Whilst I was waiting for the tort guard, I got to quite like the original, mint guard.

It would be no fun if we all liked the same thing.