dannybuoy

The Little Mark Tube has a push/pull mute switch, plusyou can crossfade between solid state and preamps. I want!

I've read good reviews of it that say it sounds great, not much deep low end, but generally a similar clean warm sound that Markbass are known for. It will struggle however if you try to crank it in a gig situation; you're fine if you're playing the quiet jazz trio kind of thing, but you'll need an extension cab to get 250W out of it or PA support if playing in a loud rock band. I have a CMD121P which weighs a bit more and is a bit more cumbersome at 13kg, but is still an easy one hand carry compared to most bass amps. It has twice the power of the Minimark so you'll get gig volumes out of it without the extension cab... and you still have the option to add one for big gigs or outdoor stages.

Power supply: [url="http://www.johnnyshredfreak.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8&zenid=d300108dcedf90c9373ea31e76b28f25"]http://www.johnnyshredfreak.com/store/inde...73ea31e76b28f25[/url] Daisy chain: [url="http://www.johnnyshredfreak.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9&products_id=52&zenid=01af2c28cc55b9720465d3a2945bb171"]http://www.johnnyshredfreak.com/store/inde...465d3a2945bb171[/url] Right angled daisy chain (more £ but saves space): [url="http://www.ekmpowershop8.com/ekmps/shops/madisaf/madison--fifth-daisy-chain-39-p.asp"]http://www.ekmpowershop8.com/ekmps/shops/m...-chain-39-p.asp[/url] The DHA will run at 9v but will sound better at 12v. [url="http://www.diago.co.uk/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,39/category_id,3/manufacturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,206/"]Diago[/url] can custom make you a 9-12v adaptor to run on the daisy chain, and I know of someone who has done this successfully with the above power supply and a DHA pedal (he's on here, can't remember who exactly!). That Johnnyshreadfreak supply gives 1500mA which doesn't leave room for too many other pedals once you've put the DHA on there. Most ODs/fuzzes etc don't use much current, it's the digital ones that can eat over 200mA and of course tube pedals. The Diago unit supplies 3000mA but is more expensive, then there's the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power which is megabucks!

I recommend this one: [url="http://www.johnnyshredfreak.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=12&zenid=7e626cb3c0b150b2913d71224314645e"]http://www.johnnyshredfreak.com/store/inde...13d71224314645e[/url] But it's 9v only. I have a Diago 18v adaptor coming off the daisy chain to power one of my pedals too. The new XO White finger is 40v (yes that's right there's a newer smaller one, in case you ordered the old one!), not sure what the old one takes, but it probably comes with a power supply of it's own.

There's also the Peterson G2M audio to MIDI converter that doesn't require a special pickup. It doesn't track low notes well though, but you can always play high up and downtune the synth if you need to!

You could go modular and get octave/fuzz/filters to suit your needs. A 4ms Nocto Loco can generate a really good octave down waveform with brilliant tracking, and it also has a frequency dependent tremolo effect (so high notes pulse faster than low notes, [url="http://www.thebunkerstudio.com/BASSSESH/NOCTOLOCO.mp3"]clip here[/url]. They sell them in kit form too to save cash. The Moog MF-101 lowpass filter (which does envelope and expression control and can sound [url="http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=916770&content=songinfo&songID=7403635"]like this[/url]) is on sale for £150 online from Turnkey a the moment (who seem to be back in business!). I was never keen on the EHX BMS as it sounded a bit cheesy 80s to me. The Chunk synth is cool and very versatile but it's expensive, lacks expression control and I've heard the tracking isn't that great. Deep Impacts are way expensive but apparently for good reason, and the Korg looks to be a good bet if you can find a cheap one. Really depends on what kind of synth sounds you're after I guess, any particular sounds you want to be able to clone?

Using a PCB for a true bypass loop seems like too much hard work though... There are no components apart from the switch/jacks/LED, which are all mounted to chassis, so you just wire them up point-to-point.

I thought it was designed for Samuel L Jackson...

My OC-2 is shivering in the corner right now, wishing it had true bypass and a blue LED...

I have to agree, nobody in their right mind would pay £240 for a bypass strip unless it had relay switching, MIDI control, was gold plated, and blessed by Jesus. Check these out: [url="http://www.loop-master.com/"]http://www.loop-master.com/[/url]

I think the pitch shifter would sound a bit artificial and is probably overkill, a bit like trying to kill a fly with a bazooka. Why not just use a capo at the 4th fret for playing in E?

You'd be better off going in with some kind of preamp / amp-sim too, like a Sansamp, EBS Microbass, Tonehammer, Line6 POD, Zoom B2.1u, etc. Most of these have an XLR output on them so can be used in place of a DI box. If you're going direct, you may not like the sound of your overdrive/distortion/fuzz pedals as they will have a lot of high frequency content that gets rolled off by a typical bass amp, but will be heard through a PA. For that reason, an amp-sim can be great as they typically roll off the highs to simulate a speaker. I have a Sansamp VT Bass which I recommend to you if you like the traditional Ampeg sound. It doesn't have an XLR output but you'll get away with just hooking it up to the PA without a DI box.

If you play 2 basses in the same gig, then the Bassbone is worth a look too: [url="http://www.tonebone.com/tb-bassbone.htm"]http://www.tonebone.com/tb-bassbone.htm[/url]

I thought where it says A+B it means A&B in parallel, and A->B means the footswitch switches between A, then B, then bypass? :ph34r:

If you don't need an EQ then look at the Electronix Submarine preamp. I would definitely look at the tone hammer as it's similar to the Aguilar preamps found in some active basses. If you're trying to get a clean modern punchy active sound then I would steer clear of the DHA and Sansamp stuff, which are better At copping warm slightly overdriven tube tones.

If you can't afford the Compact, look out for a 2nd hand Orange OBC-115, they're meant to sounds great. Also the Trace 1153, but it's rated at only 200W compared to 400W for the Orange. Both get glowing reviews in this 1x15 shootout: [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=358077&highlight=1x15+shootout"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.p...t=1x15+shootout[/url]