Dood

I've scanned the post quickly, so apologies if it has already been mentioned. The MB800 has a different preamp to that of the other MB series heads. It is an all FET signal path which I believe is like the ole 800RB heads. It has been suggested that it reacts a bit more like a valve preamp. I find that the drive is a real soft saturation which sounds nice just before it gets 'angry'. Clean settings are dynamic and great sounding all the way up the dial. It's also REALLY loud!

Tech Soundsystems, the company has had a facelift and name change to Tec Amp. I've owned a pair of Tech cabs as well as a pair of Tec Amp cabs in the past. They are known for being very lightweight as well as having great build quality using top components such as B&C drivers. New they command boutique prices, but the second hand market is good as they are less known. You can contact Tec Amp and ask directly, though when I'd asked for locating spare Tech parts, they sent a short email saying that they couldn't help. you might find the old tech soundsystems website cached via google with info'?

Thanks Jake! Actually, you've mentioned the kinda things I wanted to hear! I'll be selling my Korg M50 soon I think.

Discreet, yup the USB is also for firmware updates.

No, the MS isn't an audio interface like the B3 - i've not tried Edit & Share with it. I understand you can power the pedal by USB but am a bit short of those type leads having moved to the darkside. The fruit shaped one lol

Tonyclaret, you mean have 4 effects on, but just switch one off and back on again without affecting the other three in a patch? Yes you can and it's a doddle. Very easy

I like this thread as it kinda helps to explain where I come from as a musician. I started playing bass and did so for many years. We had a piano in the house, albeit a rather out of tune one but I loved the sound of it, mixing chords and melody seemed really cool. I've always had some sort of guitar about too, but for about 6 years i swapped out my bass gear and ended up playing lead guitar for a local (successful i guess) metal band. So, to answer the OP: the epiphany I had when i realised i had to be a bass player was also that I still wanted to be all those other musicians condensed in to one also. The only instrument I would need would be my Shuker (either of em actually) - they are both designed for bass playing, but also ease if access to chords and melody. The choice of pickuos being perfect for clarity, harmonic richness and tone. The action spot of for speed but great percussive elements too. It took a long while to figure out what the balance of components should be, but i know that my bass will always be my chosen instrument! yeah, where IS that 'wub' emoticon ha!

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1365978208' post='2046948'] Yes, I should have said the same thing but have been a little distracted today. The stereo, wet highs, mono dry lows worked for John Entwhistle too. But its a bugger to load/unload unless a one cab solution is available with separate ins. [/quote] The only cab I could think of was the Trace BFC - and that wasn't an easy schlepp ha!

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' timestamp='1364235599' post='2023648'] Love the Laney Nexus stuff, designed and built in blighty too! [/quote] YES YES YES! - I reviewed both the Nexus FET and Nexus TUBE heads along with Laney's range of cabinets in Guitar Interactive Mag and I was seriously impressed with the Tube stuff. Laney are enjoying a return to force at the moment especially with their valve guitar heads. Interestingly, one of my favourite guitar amps is Laney's GH100L - Superb sounding dynamic amplifier. Good to see a british brand flying the flag.

I too have played in Stereo quite a lot. As Kiwi has said, there is something very cool about having stereo bass effects all around ya lug'oles. - Multi-tap tempo matched delays and rich reverbs on melody and chordal work YUM! I'd send a stereo signal out to the PA and with as much detail as possible for the enginner, let them get on with the front of house sound. As for muddy lows, a wet/dry mix is essential and typically, I'd keep my choruses and other modulations below 25% OR use an effect that allows you to only treat the higher frequencies leaving the lows intact. This helps a lot.

As much I was looking forward to using the switching option for channels, in reality, I didn't use it at all! Ha. I think I prefer using my pedal board at the moment. Great lil amp though. One of the more punchy D-Classers I feel

[quote name='BigBeatNut' timestamp='1365948588' post='2046312'] Errrm ... are they not available yet ? Quick searches on eBay and Google Shopping revealed nothing. [/quote] Not just yet in the UK - I have a pre-release model.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1365748266' post='2043737'] Sorry to say this Mick, but unless you've bought or tried-out a bass from each of 3-4 I don't think you have the right to vote here... imho I'm sure all these guys named in this forum have produced some amazing pieces of work. Maybe some owners can post pics and reviews of some of the beauties they own? If possible with sounds or videos? After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. [/quote] If you can find a June 2011 copy of Bass Guitar Magazine, I wrote a four page article all about Shuker basses! Great to see a small company being noticed! - There's some old vids on my YouTube page too, but I am in the midst of planning a whole bunch of new Shuker orientated stuff. As for pictures and stuff, here's the Shuker pics Mega Thread: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/25096-shuker-mega-thread/page__hl__shuker I'd planned to copy and paste the links to all of the other luthier mega threads too but I figured it'd just be easier to roam freely through the Porn forum!

Also, be very careful on home policies to check if you use your basses for anything remotely semi- or professional. If you earn money from playing your Bass / gear you may find that you are not covered.

I've been told to check out M-Audio's Axiom controllers too - any good?

I'd definitely get a tech to test the output bypassing the MEC preamp first before replacing anything. EMGs at the correct height in to a set of decent monitors with teh gain set correctly to listen out for any of that distortion. If it is doing it on both pickups, then I don't think it's the EMGs at fault. I'm yet to experience an EMG failure and it'd be even less likely for both to go at the same time. That leads me to believe the MEC is the cause, or indeed a wiring issue / battery fault. You've tried a different battery though.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3G6n_uIbrk&feature=player_detailpage[/media]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiU4ZWdOShE&feature=player_detailpage[/media]

[quote name='keeptrying' timestamp='1347029030' post='1796214'] I hope EBS pay you a fee,I looked at one of these a few days ago, your review has been most helpful in helping make the decision. cheers Dood [/quote] EBS, if you are reading this....

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1365376084' post='2038868'] They've been around for a good couple of years I think? Definitely been in business since some point in 2011 [/quote] Yep yep, they had a stand at LBGS 2011 and 2012 - and they were rocking around the show this year too. Bloomin' lovely peeps too!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1365263200' post='2037394'] And a 5-string set! Personally (looking at the 4-string gauges) I don't think they'll be able to do it. Either the whole set will be floppier than a really floppy thing or you'll need to get the nut re-cut for the thickness of a low B that actually matches the tension of the other strings. However I'm more than happy to be proved wrong. [/quote] Fair assumption i reckon. The gauge would go up, but I'm not sure by how much without looking back at the charts i posted earlier. It'd be worth it for a nice big fat B string tone though? Everyone loves a girth-some B string tone heh heh!

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1365270937' post='2037518'] Got a complimentary set from D'Addario which I put on my Geddy. Didn't really notice much of an advantage to having the balanced tension. D'Addario claim it makes strings easier to bend but I didn't notice any real difference. My friend slapped a guitar set on his USA Deluxe Strat and has had nothing but problems. The guitar needed a complete set-up and the balanced tension really through off the way he had set his micro-tilt neck. This would be fine as a one off but as he rightly pointed out, if an emergency string change was needed before a gig and he couldn't get hold of a BT set, he have to set the guitar up again from scratch which would be hugely time consuming. We both agreed the BT sets were not for us. [/quote] I'm a bit mystified about the comment about making string bending easier. I'd not expect that to be the case, but rather the tension between strings being more even and thus the amount of effort required to bend a string being more even across the set from string to string. Technically if the tension went up instead of down then naturally it'd actually been harder to bend. I've not actually seen or heard that advice in your context so expect that was a misquote or wrong info. If your mate had gone for a heavier set of strings ( or just higher tension than his usual set) then yes i'd expect a floating trem to need readjusting. I've done a few myself and a total set up would be a rip off unless of course he was switching from 9's to 12's! I hope he didn't pay any more than the price of a coffee for it! Totally unnecessary, unless there was a problem with the guitar to begin with. If it helps him any, i really do not think that changing a single string of a similar gauge will mean another complete set up either, he'll be just fine and not to worry. It won't effect playability. If he's worried, then grabbing a few sets to keep in the case as spares, prepared has gotta be the way forward, whatever his choice of brand. Hope that helps

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1365168599' post='2036246'] I'm really lucky to own a Techsoundsystems 6x10", 2,100 watt power handling and weighs...66lbs. Best part is that the speakers are staggered, so the cab is a lot narrower than a 4x10", so getting up and down stairs and through doors is a breeze. [/quote] For old times sake, I've actually gotten one of my original ND410S cabs back. Great lil cab for messing around with!

[quote name='elephantgrey' timestamp='1365362173' post='2038603'] Seams like all the problems you had with it could be solved with the LS2. I'm getting some GAS for this pedal to run a few tone-sculpting patches on that toggle mode you where on about (OD>EQ>synth>Fuzz im thinking, with different settings). Love the fact it has more patches at once than the b3, but less than 1/3 the footprint... [/quote] Yes, it's possible to attenuate the input using the LS-2, but it's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. I'd come up with a better and more simple solution in the meantime. I'd hope that maybe a firmware update in future units could include this DSP loop. I wouldn't however use the LS-2 personally as a hardware 'loop\ due to the phasing issues. As I said, it's not bad, but it's not something I'd go for. My other option is to only do 'that kind of processing' on my B3 instead, leaving all the full range effects to the MS. Kinda the opposite way round to what I'd like. - I've had a bit more time to play with the MS today and - well, it's great actually! It certainly excels in physical size too - I just popped one pedal out of my board and this can fulfil the jobs of 4.

[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1365362570' post='2038612'] The £40 an hour guy just used a back room in his house. Nothing special, he went through 4 popular bass riffs that he'd hand written on tab, talked a bit and that was it. £40 my arse ! [/quote] Really naughty! - Most of my students, if I have time get the 'hang out, reflect and chill' session afterwards, not whilst I am supposed to be teaching them!