VERY cool Philter! Your settings are very similar to what i use with the MB210. I think that gives you as close to a neutral sound as possible with this amp. I'll bet you're getting quite a bit of gain from your pedal....those volume settings would be pretty quiet without a gain stage in front pushing the amp.
It's all about working with gear until you get what YOU need out of it.
I do get some gain from the sansamp, but my level for each channel on the sansamp is between 9 and 12:00. So Im not pushing it as far as I could.
We do some acoustic songs, and when we do those, I bypass the sansamp so its just bass going through the MB210 and it is a drop in volume and tone, which tends to mix perfectly with an acoustic guitar.
This combo definately isnt for everyone but for anyone using a similar setup to me, where you have a preamp shaping your tone, this amp is working perfectly.
But if you are playing in a thrash metal band and want some serious overdrive in the preamp stage, then this probably isnt your combo. (and you probably shouldnt even be looking for a combo)
And I agree, its about working with gear until you get what you want. Which is why I try to post as much info about what I play, my style/genre, and what my setup is.
I wrote a comparison when I first got these amps between the BA115hpt I had, the MB212, and the MB210.
After spending time and a gig with the MB210, I have some additional thoughts:
I play in a cover band and we tend to play at a moderate volume level. My bass is an Ibanez SR700. In past gigs with the Ampeg BA115HPT, I could plug my bass directly into that amp and get a warm clean sound with oodles of tone. My sound was full and I think thats due to the tube preamp section. But as a con, that amp was only 220 watts and it was heavy as heck. For gigs, I had to set the EQ to boosted and the master volume level at 8, so I was pushing the amp up to its limits so I needed something louder.
For the MB212 and MB210, they are solid state preamps so if you are looking for a warm, fuller, tubey sound, you need to get that through a preamp pedal.
For me, being in a cover band and needing to change from a warm tubey sound to an SVT sound to a distorted bass sound from song to song makes a floor programmable preamp mandatory and essentially Im using a flat EQ on the amps preamp and using it as a lightweight portable powered bass combo. All my tone is coming from my bass EQ and my sansamp.
AND if you are getting your tone from your bass's preamp or another preamp before going into the MB210 or MB212, then you will probably notice no difference in sound and could easily EQ both combo's to probably sound pretty identical. So if you are going that route, then the subtle differences in tone between the 210 and 212 are negligible. And then the decision making process would probably be:
- Are you on a budget? Then the 210 is the way to go.
- Can you afford the 212 and need all 500 watts? Then the 212 is the way to go.
- Can you afford an amp and an extension cabinet and want the maximum volume from your combo? Then the 210 with an extension cabinet is the way to do.
For people who are in original bands and have one sound, you really need to play through these amps to see if they are going to be a good match for your needs. Power and portabilitywise, there isnt any competition on the market at this pricepoint. Just make sure its got the sound you are looking for. If it doesnt, a preamp could probably do the trick and give you the sound you are looking for, in a lightweight, small, portable, high powered and low cost combo.
As a side note, Im thrilled that I got the MB210 because it can fit into my G37. With my BA115HPT, I always needed to take my wife's SUV to gigs. Now, because I have a small combo, my aluminum case for my pedal board and cables, and my bass in its case, everything can fit easily into my small backseat and trunk.
on the bottom or add washers - something to make it clear the handle when not in use (not recessed; screws right on)
