Cool vid of the bridge on my PBC bass...

The Rig from Hell, Part II: The ADA Preamplifier, and why it's so freaking awesome...

One of the key components in my "rig from hell" is the ADA MB1 preamplifier. It's well over 10 years old, and the company that made it no longer exists (as I understand it, their factory burned to the ground and they just cut their losses and closed up shop rather than rebuild) - but I love what it does for me; I even own a backup that lives in my studio rack.

It's an electronically controlled unit that allows you to create 256 recall-able preset tones (it also comes with some of its own factory presets). Lots of EQ control is a given, with multi-band and parametrics galore; but one of its nicest features is that it's actually a "dual" preamp - your signal passes through (at your option) 1 or 2 onboard circuits: a solid-state preamp as well as a tube-based preamp. So you can combine those two characters to create a very unique blend. And the tube preamp also has overdrive, so that adds to the sonic stew.

Also quite useful (essential, in my case): dual effects loops, which are switchable within your presets. It also has a built-in chorus effect and built-in compressor, both useful tools for bassists.

It also features Bi-Ampable outputs (alongside a standard full-range output) which I used when running the full rig with both cabinets. When I'd play smaller rooms, I'd bring just the 2x10 and run full-range through that.

The ultimate key, though, was that the preamp is MIDI-controllable. That means that I could use a MIDI floor pedal to choose between presets on the MB1, either between songs or mid-song, to change the sound that I was playing. ADA even made a simple pedal that worked well, but my Ground Control pedal was much more advanced (read about that in a future post.) So whether I needed a straight-ahead bass sound, a distorted grinding tone, a chorus-laden tubey sound, or one of many others, I had to but step on my pedal. And different presets used various effects, too - some used the effects loops, some bypassed them. So already I have lots of tonal flexibility, and I haven't even delved into the many other pieces of gear in the rack.

Next issue: Various Bass Effects Units in the Rig From Hell

Wordless Wednesday

The Rig from Hell (Part I)

I've made several mentions of my "insane bass rig" and I guess it's probably time to clarify that description. Lots of bassists have put together bass rigs that are excessively complex and chock full of features and tones (most of which they'll never use.) There are also plenty of bass toys out there that do some amazing things; the Line6 gear offers tons of tonal flexibility by modeling a huge collection of amps and effects, the Roland V-Bass does it as well (but uses a special pickup to accomplish it). There are certainly plenty of analog effects pedals and units out there too.

Before I go into the technical details, I'll first examine the "why"... as in, "Why did Mark bother to brainstorm, purchase, assemble and carry around this giant tangle of cables and rack-mounted insanity?"

Heh.

Good question. Actually, quite a while back, when my good friend Scott and I were starting to put together the band that would eventually become Second Story, we both decided that we needed the ultimate in flexibility for our sounds. While we always intended to have a keyboard player in the band, we also wanted Scott (on guitar) and me (on bass) to be able to create new sonic flavors to add to our musical stew. That is, besides the "normal" guitar and bass tones that are common in popular music. And we needed them to be switchable "on the fly" so that we could change them between songs - even mid-song - so that we could really be free to create new textures. So we set out to figure out how to do that.

So now that you understand the why (maybe) here's the gear list.

The image to the right shows the rig behind me; it is an earlier shot, prior to the addition of the MB76 Patch Mixer.

Rack 1

• Furman Power Conditioner


• dbx Subharmonic Synthesizer


• ADA MB-1 Preamp


• Peavey Spectrum Analog Filter


• Akai MB76 Patch Mixer


• Yamaha G50 Pitch-to-Midi Translator


• Alesis NanoBass Synth Module


• Furman Pluglock



Rack 2

• ADA B500B Power Amplifier



Speaker Cabinets

• SWR Goliath Jr. 2x10"


• SWR Big Ben 1x18" Subwoofer



Miscellaneous

• Digital Music Corp. Ground Control MIDI Pedal


• Ernie Ball Volume Pedal (used as CV pedal for MIDI)


• Axon AIX-103 Hexaphonic MIDI Bass Pickup

So you can see that there are a lot of components; all of the ones in the "Rack 1" list are crammed into a 6-space SKB rack. That rack also has one of my favorite gigging inventions, the "RakTrap." It is an addition to the SKB which adds two separate door-access compartments into the back lid - normally wasted space - where I can carry spare cables, a flashlight, a soldering iron, picks (for when Scott would invariably forget his), my eBow, spare strings, NuSkin liquid bandage in case of emergency, and much more. It's a shame that they aren't available anymore...

Next Issue: The ADA Preamplifier, and why it's so freaking awesome...

Saturday Morning Cartoon

One of my longtime favorites...

My new Bass Combo

It's been a long time since I bought a new bass amp; I've purchased a few smaller things (like a Bass Pod Live) but no actual amps. I've long enjoyed the massive tone options of my insane bass rig (the subject of a future post) - but it's getting to the point where I want to do "pickup gigs" and other jams that don't require the sonic flexibility of that rig. And since that flexibility comes at the cost of size and weight (a six-space rack and a two-space power amp, plus cabinets), it was unwieldy to say the least.

I'd considered some upgrade options; I tried a Euphonic Audio iAmp500 with my 2x10 SWR cabinet, but they didn't really suit each other that well. I considered a micro-sized rig, like an Acoustic Image Focus with an EA Wizzy cabinet, but the price started spiraling out of control - and since I'm not actively gigging, I couldn't justify the cost.

Enter Markbass. I've seen their stuff around, and lots of folks on the boards have been talking about how nice their gear is for a while, but I never had the opportunity to try out their amps or speakers. They just started carrying Markbass at Guitar Center though, so one day when Josh and I were there just window shopping, I decided to take a closer look at what they had. Here's what I found:

This beauty is the Mini CMD 121P; it's a small-format combo amp that has the "Little Mark II" power amp mounted in a 1x12 cabinet with tweeter.

And I proclaim it the "VOICE OF GOD" in a package that weighs under 30 pounds.

As it sits, it has 300w - add a second 8ohm cabinet and it jumps to 500w. Punchy, loud, and accurate (that's important to me) it just sounds great without having to fiddle with the knobs. Most of the time, I run it totally flat, it just sounds like me. (As I've always said: 70% of tone is in your fingers; the other 30% is in your other fingers).

Along with the very usable and musical EQ, it has a "vintage voicer" which offers a sort of darker, old-skool vibe, and a "slap voicing" which - predictably - gives that scooped mid sound that slappers love. Both are on rotary controls, which allow you to bring in as much (or as little) of those tones as you like. Add a Tuner out, direct out, effects loop, XLR input - there are just too many cool features to list. And even though the strictly enforced pricing policy has it price-locked at $899, I figured out an end-around that got it into my hands for a good bit cheaper (big surprise).

I'm totally digging the sound, and it would have even been worth the 9 bills if I'd paid full price. I'm definitely looking forward to using it often.

Consider this my unpaid endorsement - if you haven't checked out Markbass amps, please do!