Mackie 1400i finally showed up yesterday. I was able to cobble together a working rig. I can sum this up pretty easily.
Chain = Cort A4 - ART Tube Pre (one of the $30.00 ones) - Mackie - Baer ML112.
Result = well, let me put it this way ... it's been 12 hours since I tested it out, and I'm still quite sore. Reason? Playing non-stop for roughly four straight hours with no break wearing a 13 pound bass guitar. My fingers are hash, my neck hurts, my shoulders are stiff. All because I completely ignored the clock and just played and played until I could no longer stand up wearing that boulder.
With that totally minimal rig, I would bet money that I could gig with it like that, it sounded ~that good~. I used no tone shaping circuitry other than the Bartolini MK1 "licensed poo" 3-band preamp that my 12 year old Cort A4 was equipped with from the factory. The Mackie is fairly transparent.
My point is that the ML112 sounds so good that even with nearly nothing between my bass and that cab it was still very valid.
Near the end of my torturous session I had the Mackie dimed (stereo = 375 peak @8ohms - 250watts continuous).
The Baer ML112
will shed light on lazy/crappy technique. I fingerstyle and use a pick, many times together. When I fingerstyle, if I ~hook a nail~ (without intention) the cab will tattle on me for doing so! It will tell the entire audience that I snagged a nail without remorse. Lazy fretboard work will also result in shameless advertisement as well. That cab will drop a dime on you and won't even say it's sorry. (Old LA streetslang for telling on you. Back when payphones used to cost a dime to make a local call, "diming out" meant that someone metaphorically inserted a dime in a payphone and called the cops on you and ratted you out. Payphones were 100% anonymous as well .. so to say "I'll dime you out" = meant to rat on ya. Apologies if that is obvious to you).
That is not to say the ML112 does bad things. Nerp. I'm saying that it simply reports what it's told. It repeats what is input. If you like clickety clack .... it ~can~ be convinced to provide that, if you eq things to do so. But it is NOT a "clicky" cab at all.
Most of my filter array will be back on-line over the next few days. I've been doing some work to the cabs so the entire array is presently disassembled. It's being remounted in a rack assembly .. parts arriving tomorrow or Friday. Once back online, the real story about the ML112 will be told. I'd say the speaker cone is sufficiently broken in at this point so I won't need to tip-toe with it anymore and will run it with the Mackie dimed. I can't wait to hear what this cab really sounds like with a "fully operational Death Star" bass system up and running.
Oh, I wanted to add. I used the Boss RE-20 Space Echo with this simple setup for a little while. Roger Waters galore! I setup the Cort to emulate a P-bass and started goofing with the settings on the RE-20 .... took a little trip back to The Wall. Nice! The ML112 supported that sound wonderfully. And Squeddy sounds are child's play (Chris Squire + Geddy Lee = Squeddy - henceforth shall that tone be known!
).
So there you have it. Cort, cheap mic pre with no tone controls, SS power amp, and Baer ML112 = sore bones from playing so much due to the solid impression the cabinet provided.
Next review will be of the ML112 with my full filter system on line.
Soon as my new DIs arrive I'll be posting demo clips as well (nothing exciting ... just short mp3s)
C-ya L8r, Sk8rs!
Cue "Anticipation" by Carol King...
And I'm right behind you... If only I could actually find a DS!
