Count Bassy

Had a (second) meet up with a potential band at Quad Studios in Leicester last night, and in the rehearsal room there was this MarkBass rig. Checking pictures on the net I think the amp must have been the SD800 (not the MoMark SD800) with a 4x10 and a 1x15 cab. First thought was "Wow, I've heard a lot about these - possibly the best rig I've ever played through" but when I plugged in I just could not get a sound I liked out of it whatever I tried (Starting with everything on the bass and amp flat - except the VLE/VLP which I had fully anticlockwise). The sound just seemed undefined with a very boomy bass. I unplugged the 1x15, which helped a bit, but even so, as soon as I turned the bass up (on the amp or at the guitar) it just sounded boomy and muddy. Now it may have been the room I was in (pretty well a cube), but you'd like to think that a rehearsal room at a studio would have good acoustics, and there were a lot of drapes and carpets around. Came away dissapointed by it and very happy to get back to my modestly priced Marshall gear. Is there a trick to getting the best out the MarkBass kit, or is this just what they sound like?

[quote name='cetera' post='1188778' date='Apr 5 2011, 11:26 AM']Sorry to hear this mate but it is, I fear, partly a result of the avalanche of information available around us. There's almost too much to deal with and people back away and can't be bothered to look for it. We often encounter a similar situation with our band where people ask the most mundane questions about our regular gigs - for which the answers are available from the venue websites, ticket agents etc etc... e.g. Q. What time are you on? A. Ask the venue Q. How much are tickets? A. See the venue/ticket agent website Q. When are you playing *insert venue*? A. See our gig listings on our website/Facebook or check the venue website and believe it or not... Q. "What bus goes from the local station to the venue and what time is the last bus back?" A. How the F**K do we know?!?!? and Q. "What time is the last train back to town?" A. See above!!! Basically, rather than spending time e-mailing us and waiting for a reply they could have looked up the info online and got the answers they required within seconds!! [/quote] On the other hand, the people coming to your gigs are your customers and are ultimately paying your wages, and might reasonably expect a polite reply to the first three questions above (the last two are pushing it a bit). And re. the OP: If you went into a shop and asked 'How much does X bass weigh' you'd be pretty pissed off if they said 'don't bother me with questions, why didn't you do your research first?'. There are plenty of threads on here compalining about poor customer service in shops, but when the same people become the seller rather than a customer it seems that a different set of rules applies. If you want people to come to your gigs, or want them to buy your bit of kit, then you need to make it easy for them. On the other hand buyers should be honest, straight and polite, and not mess people around, but sometimes thatere are genuine reasons why someone decides not to proceed. Not aimed specifically at you Cetera, just that your post triggered the thought.

I heard that it goes to 11

I can sort of understand the space problem on the RH450, but why on earth would speaker manufacturers not fit two sockets as standard, Total extra cost would (I'm guessing) be less than a tenner.

The orange smelling label remover stuff is also very good for this. I use this or WD40 depending on which can I find first.

Generally try to avoid them on the basis that if you learn something without using open strings than you can slide the the whole shebangle up, down and across the fretboard to change the key. However, as people have said, there are times when they are are useful for that big open sound, or when your using it as a drone or pedal note.

Or mod your cabs to add an extra socket in parallel

[quote name='lowdown' post='1182509' date='Mar 30 2011, 05:49 PM']You are correct - Hardly the end of the world. However - after reading all that it feels like it. Sorry Clive - no offence intended. Garry[/quote] None taken at all. I hadn't even looked at the whole clip when I wrote that (my download speed is abysmal) and it seems he is not a good example of how to do anything. I just thought it was a bit harsh to have a go at his use of words.

[quote name='lowdown' post='1182233' date='Mar 30 2011, 02:09 PM']This guy seems to think he has frets on His Double Bass, And he gives you a free lesson on how to find those two hidden frets. [In Gb] Garry[/quote] So he uses the word ftrets when he means positions or something - hardly the end of the world. Hands up who has never referred to a fret position when playing a fretless bass. Personally I get annoyed with people on here who talk about a maple/rosewood/ebony neck, when they actually mean the fretboard or fingerboard, but I don't ridicule them for it. However to say that the first position is halfway between the second 'Fret' and the open string is wrong.

[quote name='voxpop' post='1176135' date='Mar 25 2011, 05:28 PM']Ive sold my soul.[/quote] How much did you get for it, given the current climate? I'm thinking of selling mine, but am unsure how much to ask.

Plus the picture of the damage is out of focus - might give teh impression taht you're trying to hide its true extent.

If I were to use the system I would go for a light weight rig/combo, but to be honest my playing frequency and ability don't warrant me spending anything at the moment.

[quote name='Jondeeman' post='1171859' date='Mar 22 2011, 10:43 AM']Guys, thanks for all the help. After going through the details, I've decided to see what the GB-10 offers and give TASCAM a second shot... I was swung on the AA battery and SD card. The footpedal is another £50, so I've decided to live without (for a while, at least). If anyone is interested, I'd be more than happy to review.[/quote] Just be a little bit careful. This came up in a thread a month or so ago and, aLthough the GB10 has more and some very nice features, there are somethings that an MB-BT1 will do that the GB10 won't. For example The MB BT1 will allow you to boost or cut the bass on the playback track where as the GB10 wont. Also the GB10 seems much bigger - I don't think it would sit in your pocket like a BT1. Personally I liked the built in battery of the BT1 rather than having to carry AA's around. Looking forward to a GB10 review if you do get one.

[quote name='Kev' post='1175446' date='Mar 25 2011, 12:09 AM']Couldn't disagree with you more. I bought a £900 bass on the take it away scheme, now fully paid off and i sold it to buy my dream bass. There is no way i would have been able to do that had i not entered into that scheme,.[/quote] Surely if you could pay off the loan over 9 months then you could have saved that same amount and bought the bass at the end of the 9 months, or even have put the money directly into the dream bass, thus avoiding the loss (I assume) on selling it second hand. True you wouldn't have had then bass for 9 months, but then you ended up selling it anyway. EDIT: Whoops I see I was beaten to it with this sentiment. Also, normally yes,it's no one else's business, but when you post it on an internet forum then you are inviting peoples opinions. Edited again: Yes I have a mortgage, but that is slightly different due to the long term nature of the loan.

[quote name='apa' post='1174279' date='Mar 24 2011, 09:40 AM']Or convert it to an IGES or Polygon. They are usually safe bets. This is all getting rather geeky lol A[/quote] Geeks of the world unite!

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1110098' date='Jan 31 2011, 08:46 PM']I remember reading an interview with Kurt Cobain about how desperate Gibson were to get him to endorse their guitars, and him saying he just couldn`t find one that he could get on with. I thought at the time, what integrity that showed.[/quote] But then he took the endorsment deal with Purdey.

[quote name='Big_Stu' post='1173962' date='Mar 23 2011, 10:04 PM']Surely not!!!!??? [/quote] What a wonderful picture

If you're going to use NURBS then check that your mate's machine will process the NURBS data, some controls will, some controls won't (or have it as an option). If not then best get the post processor to output it as masses of straight lines, though this can cause problems with the file size (again depending on the control).

If you can make it work then an even split every time is just so much easier. Actual expenses such as fuel, stamps, Cds etc can be taken out before this, but if you start counting peoples time than it becomes a big can of worms (is drivers time worth less than the web designers? etc). (You'll have to imagine the picture of the can of worms here - I can't be arsed to find it). Which will end up in arguments and bad feeling all round, and ultimately no band. Obviously different if it's a pro set up, but I'd say the above if it's predominately a fun thing.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='1172856' date='Mar 23 2011, 03:36 AM']Its definitely possible but how to register the body for machining the underside once the top is done? Spector tend to leave a chunk of the neck unmachined at the bridge end of the bass and deal with it by hand during general sanding. The risk of getting it wrong even by a few mm is quite high.[/quote] Yes, that's what I would tend to do as well leave a couple of 'tabs' on it some where with a through hole in each and use those holes to do the alignment for the second side. When you're sure you've finished machining on each side then your final program could machine the tabs themselves off. Also - do some practice runs on cheap material first - either foam as has been suggested, or even a chunk of pine/mdf, which would allow you to make a complete mock up of the finished thing, bolting the neck on etc, before you commit to the expensive bit of wood. Also, Waldemar, using cheap materials you could make mock ups of your own neck design and try out different profiles etc. Personally, If I had access to an NC machine I would use if for almost everything, including machining the fret board radius (even putting the slots in if it was the right cutter) The beauty of using a machine is that if six months later you wanted, say, a fretless version you simple run the programs again and you'll get the same part out!

[quote name='waldemar' post='1169131' date='Mar 20 2011, 04:57 AM']Hello. I've been toying with the idea of designing a body in a 3D app and having it CNCed for me sometime in the future when circumstances allow. Anyone here done this? If so, how did you approach the neck - ie. ready-made? Designed then built by a luthier to your specs? Of course, shape wise it's all been done before, but just spending a couple of hours pulling around splines in a 3D app really gets you thinking... And wanting..! Here are a couple of the ideas I've had. One conventional, the other not so... [/quote] I don't see anything there that couldn't be done with a three axis machine and a ball end cutter, provided you had the right post processor to go from the CAD model to the NC data. You'd still want to hand sand to take out the machining marks however. Why not design your neck in the same way and get that routed out at the same time? Personally I don't see a problem with the neck/pocket tolerance, what sort of tolerance are you looking for ?

I had this on a GWB35, put PTFE tape round a couple, which worked but is very fiddly. Did the rest with a smear of silicon sealer which less fiddly and still worked. Both still allow you to adjust it later.

So there'll be a Thumper for sale soon?

I don't know - ask your mother.

[quote name='algmusic' post='1165801' date='Mar 17 2011, 02:35 PM']The Promethean is miles miles better than the Roland[/quote] Possibly, I've not tried a promethean (yet), but its £500+ whereas (if you're quick) you can currently get the old 100W Roland cube for £200.