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Ed_S

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Everything posted by Ed_S

  1. [quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1401096132' post='2459891'] Can you clarify from memory how you were using the RBI/amp together? I've heard/read so many conflicting methods of connections (jack to jack, XLR to XLR), going into the front panel RBI or the rear one. Power amp full up and control the overall output with the RBI level knob. And so on. [/quote] I'm pretty sure I tried the lot, but the setup as pictured was going into the front of the RBI with the DBX in the loop and out to the XLS over XLR-XLR. Wow.. that was a lot of TLAs! The other problem I found with the RBI was that it's not the quietest (or least noise susceptible, maybe) pre-amp out there, so when I tried going jack-jack instead of XLR-XLR and putting a clean boost (MXR MicroAmp) in the middle, the electrical hum was just too prevalent. Edit: forgot to answer the last bit - I ended up with the power amp full-up and using the level on the RBI as the master volume, even though that doesn't appear to be the case on the picture.
  2. I used an RBI into a Crown XLS1500 for a while. Obligatory grainy phone-camera picture included.. They're great power amps, but sadly they need to be driven with more oomph than my RBI could ever put out, so whilst it was a loud rig, it was always running flat out to try and keep up. I ended up dismantling the rig, using the RBI for recording and the XLS to power the PA tops. Guess what I'm saying is whatever you choose, run the numbers and make sure that the sensitivity of the power amp input is right to match up with the pre-amp output.
  3. Never played the Hartke myself, but I'll take the opportunity to say that the loudest and best sounding small, lightweight single cab I've found so far (including the Midget) is the Markbass NY121. It'd go perfectly with the Blackline head, too. Bit more expense in the short term, but a great cab.
  4. [quote name='Muri' timestamp='1396004779' post='2408855'] Hi Ed, would liek to ask for an update on your experience with that mini rig you have, particularly when using it for small pub gigs — would it do the job at Barfly, for example? I'm about to buy the Black Line 250 and I'm tempted with the Ex112 to match a power/portable amp/cab. Thanks in advance! Cheers, [/quote] Hi Muri, Sadly I don't own the Eden any more, having traded it for a Barefaced Midget. It was a good cab for the money, but you couldn't attenuate the tweeter element of the speaker, and ultimately I didn't feel that the co-axial speaker was altogether happy with what I was throwing at it. Depending on what you play, I don't think you'd have any problem with the volume of it at a 'normal' pub gig without PA, and the Markbass' VLE control would certainly help with the tweeter, but keep your expectations realistic in terms of loud low-end. All the best, Ed
  5. And just for added confusion on the Ashdown front, I believe I've already said in this thread or another like it that the ABM500 is one of the worst amps I've owned, but having recently given them another chance the ABM1000 is, without hesitation, one of the best.
  6. I'm sure you'll enjoy it - the reports from other owners are great and my own experience of basically the same thing but in two boxes is similarly very good. Just to complete the thread for the benefit of anybody reading at a later date, I got the 802 because I wanted something for small acoustic gigs that was just plug and play, and I got it at a price it would have been rude to refuse! I agree completely that if I were paying full price and only wanted one combo to cover everything, it'd be the 121p every time.
  7. No probs Kev :-) The CMD121p was *that* close to being part of my little collection, but because I have LMII and LM800 heads already, I went for the NY121 cab. But now, given that I have the 'right' extension cab, I keep thinking that I might yet pick up the combo, drop the new LM3 combo-head out, chuck my trusty LMII in there and see how much cash I can get back for a brand new combo-head. But do I really need it, given that on its own the NY121 knocks down walls, and I already have the 801 for home *and* 802 for acoustic gigs... As you so rightly say, decisions!
  8. I made time this evening to try the boost pedal idea I was musing on previously, and am happy to report that it worked nicely... but not as nicely as an old Boss GEB-7 graphic EQ pedal that I tried out of interest but then spent the next two hours playing through. Don't get me wrong, the 801 is great on its own, but the EQ pedal gives back the missing tone controls as well as the ability to push the input a little harder. Even with extra input level and a gentle bass boost, low B is still loud, clear and fart-free. I'd like to try the Markbass MB7 Booster, but until I can, the Boss looks like it'll be staying hooked up.
  9. [quote name='Kev' timestamp='1393457800' post='2380691'] I just want a speaker than sounds as full and rich as possible at low volumes..and one that doesn't fart out should I choose to turn it up [/quote] I honestly think the 801 would be worth a road-test, then. Of the small amps I've either owned or borrowed, the list including both of the little Roland Cubes (4 small speakers and 1 larger one), Line 6 Studio 110, Fender Rumble 15, Marshall B25 and even a TC BG250-208, it's the best quality sound I've had; it's like 'me playing quietly through my bigger rig' rather than 'me making do with a prac amp because I'm at home'.
  10. [quote name='Kev' timestamp='1393443181' post='2380442'] The 'full' sound was certainly something I was looking for, and I assume from the cone's 200w handling the sound is still crystal clear at full whack? [/quote] I've only gone up to about 3/4 on the master but that was certainly loud and still clear. Given the way it responds to different basses I own, I get the feeling there might be some mileage in using a clean boost before the input to get maximum volume from passive or lower output basses, but I'm yet to try that out.
  11. I bought one a few weeks ago and have been very impressed by it so far. It's not really much louder than I expected it to be given that it's Markbass, but I certainly didn't expect it to sound as big and 'full' as it does. I paid the premium in the hope that it would sound like a Markbass rather than a cheap prac amp, and I've not been disappointed. I say go for it!
  12. Just got back from rehearsing with my new NY121 and was very impressed with it. I went with it over the combo because a} I already have MB heads, so why buy another and b} as mentioned I can manage the tweeter on the cab but can't properly on the combo. Maybe cheated a little bit because I was using the LM800 so had a fair bit more power available than the combo would have, but it's just successfully done battle with a full drum kit and two guitarists using 200W and 300W rack rigs through Marshall 1936 (2x12) cabs, and I actually had to turn down a bit from where I assumed I'd need to be pitching to keep up. I took a grainy photo on my phone for no other reason than I recalled seeing this thread and thought I'd enthuse a little when I got back home
  13. Thanks for the suggestions everyone. In the end, I decided that the strings were just the last point on a list of reasons I didn't get on with that bass, so I swapped it for the Markbass combo I wanted, and having spent some time playing my MIM Jazz V and Ray35 through it, am confident I made the right call.
  14. Cheers for the suggestions, guys. I'd not actually considered Fender strings given that they're the first thing I've taken off every Fender I've ever bought. That said, chances are that what rolls out of the factory might not be the same as what arrives in the packet. Steels I love, but I'm trying to limit the number of basses I chew the frets up on. I can see both my workhorse P's (4 string) needing a re-fret before long, which for the one with the lacquered maple board, probably won't be much fun. I'll be honest, I'm stuck between spending the cash on new strings and maybe more work to get this how I want it, or just saying sod it and trading it in against the Markbass combo I'm fancying. I've recently acquired a Ray35 which sits nicely alongside my MIM Jazz V and together they're making the P seem less and less comfortable. Dunno yet.. need to have a good think!
  15. [quote name='njr911' timestamp='1391016387' post='2352317'] I want an OBT and SP212 if anyone is selling [/quote] [quote name='indiegrungesound' timestamp='1391269085' post='2355204'] I went to purchase a SP212 with a Terror Bass head today. However [...] the cab wasn't reduced as much as I first thought! :-( [/quote] Second hand SP212 in good order [url="http://www.richtonemusic.co.uk/products/orange_sp212_bass_cabinet_2nd_hand-yashdown16425.asp"]here[/url] for £299.
  16. Hi all, Not sure if this would be more at home in the 'repairs and technical' - mods please move if you feel it is - but I'm having an issue with finding the right strings for my Fender USA Standard Precision V and wondered if anyone can offer some advice? I want to be able to string through the body, but am finding that: a] this limits the brands I'm able to select from as some aren't long enough to get over the nut at full width when bought as a long scale set, but are still at full width beyond the peg when bought as extra long and b] the B string (.130) is bent at pretty much a right-angle over the saddle, and the saddle itself is at quite an unnatural angle: Excuse the dust! The setup pictured was done by Jon Shuker when I took the bass to have the nut replaced and whilst it played fine for a while, the B string is now sounding dead long before its expected expiry date (less than 10 hours of playing at home) and even if that's got nothing at all to do with the setup and it's just a duff string, if I'm going to buy it a new set I'd prefer to sort this out at the same time. So, I'm looking for a set of (or the ability to buy 4 plus the single 5th string to construct a set of) NPS round-wound strings in 45,65,80,100,130 gauges with a taper-wound B string which from the front face of the ball-end (not counting the ball end itself) to the start of the taper is at least 5.5cm to get over the saddle, and then carries on at full thickness for about another 88cm to get over the nut before starting to reduce back down to get round the peg. I know it's a long shot, but does anyone know of anything that fits the description? I've sent a couple of emails out to manufacturers but so far nobody's replied. Many thanks in advance, Ed
  17. [quote name='Pow_22' timestamp='1390291365' post='2343537'] I used to be a massive Ashdown fan, still love the tone but the thing that got me was their power ratings. They just never seemed to have the juice they claimed. I used an ABM500 through a 414T cab and it was OK, i replaced the head with a Hartke HA3500 and it seemed 10 times as loud! [/quote] I had almost exactly the same experience (apart from in my case it was an HA2000) and that put me off Ashdown for a while, but in the last year I've acquired a MiBass 550 and an ABM1000 and am happy to report thay both live up to their power ratings - the ABM1000 especially!
  18. [quote name='tbonepete' timestamp='1390131345' post='2341703'] Yet the advertised weight remains the same??? cheers Pete [/quote] Hopefully just an oversight that'll be corrected. I'll only be really annoyed if it turns out to be a stopgap to cover a lack of neo speakers, and I end up being the owner of "one of those heavy ones from the end of 2013 production run". I was actually also considering trading a few bits in for a CMD-121P to simplify smaller gigs, but now I think I'll wait and see how this plays out.
  19. Might have worked it out in respect of my 801. If you go to [url="http://www.markbass.it/2012/"]http://www.markbass.it/2012/[/url] you can view the old version of the MB website. Most of the copy text is exactly the same, but in the case of my amp "a single yellow 8" Markbass [b]neodymium[/b] speaker" has become "a single yellow 8" Markbass [b]custom[/b] speaker". Could easily account for the extra weight. Edit: also the substantial looking handle has become a much more simple strap, the associated image having been removed.
  20. [quote name='tbonepete' timestamp='1390049932' post='2340868'] Hey Ed, was it cheaper on account of the much lower labour costs involved, or was it the same price as the lighter weight Italian made combo ? Cheers Pete [/quote] Hey Pete, List price from MSL to the shop was the same from what I can work out. I got a bit knocked off the price as an attempt to price-match with Thomann, but they couldn't do it for the same price because they had to make a minimum margin on the sale! Cheers, Ed
  21. I've just picked up my new Micromark 801 that I special-ordered before xmas. It, too, now sports the "Designed in Italy. Assembled in Indonesia" sticker and likewise is heavier than it 'should' be; 6.6kg as opposed to the advertised 5.2kg which is nearly a 27% increase. Don't get me wrong, it sounds absolutely great - everything I hoped for and more in that respect - and had this thread not been started I almost certainly would never have thought to weigh it, but given that I bought it specifically for maximum portability and paid a considerable premium for the Markbass name and everything which that (as a happy owner of several other products) stood for, it's rather irritating to find that it's no longer as-advertised.
  22. [quote name='BassKS' timestamp='1389538619' post='2335227'] Thanks for that. I was going to use them with my aggie Tonehammer so was wondering if I truly achieved The same clarity as one would with Emg active pups. In other words is EMGhz merely a preampless (lower output) pup cf to its active brother? Are there any differences in tone? [/quote] I don't currently have anything with active EMGs fitted, but a couple of years ago I had a Yamaha BB with a pair of EMG "LJ" long jazz pickups, and as far as I can remember they sounded similar - clean, clear and pleasantly unremarkable. The J-Retro gives tonal variation and some extra output level to the HZs when boosting the EQ (your aggie would probably do the same) but it's not the same as a full EMG system with active pickups and EQ circuit, so if that's what you really want, I'd sell the HZ set sealed to get the most cash.
  23. [quote name='BassKS' timestamp='1389381741' post='2333742'] Anyone know how good are these? [/quote] If it's the "JHZ" set you've got, I've found them to be very low output when used fully passive but quite acceptable connected to an active onboard preamp - in my case, a J-Retro. You can't deny they look the part...
  24. I'm not averse to buying a bass that's been out on display, but if the shop has another boxed I'll get them to fetch it out so I can choose the one I want, the logic being that if they're going to keep one on display then they'll be getting the other out anyway and if I'm buying one, I'll want the box and packing to take it home. When I special-order an instrument that's not in stock, I go one further and make a condition of the order that I want it left unopened as it arrived. They're taking my money for the easiest sale of the day, so have always been willing to pander to my odd requests.
  25. [quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1388706703' post='2325260'] to be fair, you don't know what caused your Tech21 to blow. My first TC RH450 blew the third time I used it or so... sometimes it happens. Given the harmonisation of voltages across the EU that has been going on for years, I doubt that the 230/240V was an issue. In fact, I am not entirely sure the power supplies will be any different... But I do not have authoritative information one way or the other, I admit. [/quote] Ok, fair point - I don't know 100% that it was the voltage issue, but it worked for about 2 minutes and then blew, and when I picked it up to investigate why it'd gone off, the area round the power receptacle was extremely hot - far too hot to keep hold of. I took the fuse sled out and it had blown, so I let the unit cool down and replaced the fuse but the new fuse blew straight away when I re-powered it. Aside from the serial number, the only visual difference between the unit I had and the unit I now own is what's written on the voltage panel. You're right, my first one might have just had a defective PSU, but if a manufacturer goes to the trouble of differently identifying two otherwise identical pieces of equipment and only selling one in a specific region, given past experience, it's enough to make me buy the 'right' one in future.
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