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Marcus Miller bass?
- Thread starter greasemonkey
- Start date
Brad I'm sure that he does have a Bartolini tct preamp that's been slightly modified by Roger,but I can recall when Marcus was doing the real early Luther Vandross, and Lonnie Liston Smith lps and Aretha Franklin " Jump to it lp ( 82-83 ) at that time he was using a Stars Guitar Preamp.Not trying to yank your chain but bear with me. You said this:
For the record Marcus has a Stars Guitar preamp in his Jazz not a Sadowsky preamp.the misinformation comes from Marcus having Sadowsky early in his career do repairs and some modifications for him.at the time Sadowsky didn't even have his own basses or for that matter his own preamps.
Marcus has said he has a Bart preamp. You just said the Bartolini came a "little later"...
So what does he have in the bass now?
Just want to make sure I'm following this
JAUQO III-X
Inactive
adrian garcia
In Memoriam
- Apr 9, 2001
- 5,110
- 17
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Nordy Basses, Schroeder Cabs, Gallien Krueger Amps
Well, as I am likely to post on it's own thread. I just spent some time at the local GC checking out the MM4 and I have to say, in Marcus' hands or not, the bass sounded NOTHING like his tone. I have heard a closer tone on a few other basses easily. And what's up with all the basses there having action 1/4 in off the board? and when I ask for a wrench so I can lower it , they say "no". Good luck selling a bass to anyone but a newbie. Played a Mexi Active Fender 5 that actually had a good fingerstyle tone, but again, the action was horrid. But back to the MM, in my opinion, not even in the ball park.
Hola,
The very first Marcus I played did'nt sound or feel good to me. But, I purchased one 2 yr.s ago, and with few mods, I think it's a fantastic sounding Bass, with an Aggie OBP-1 pre. To me that was the missing link. I'd love to put a J-Retro in it, but for $40.00, I could'nt pass up the Aggie.
Now, Jauqo put a link up to this cat named Peter Muller ( Link Removed. Just a Jazz with some EMG's, but, that cat's got the "Marcus tone" fo' sho'!!
The very first Marcus I played did'nt sound or feel good to me. But, I purchased one 2 yr.s ago, and with few mods, I think it's a fantastic sounding Bass, with an Aggie OBP-1 pre. To me that was the missing link. I'd love to put a J-Retro in it, but for $40.00, I could'nt pass up the Aggie.
Now, Jauqo put a link up to this cat named Peter Muller ( Link Removed. Just a Jazz with some EMG's, but, that cat's got the "Marcus tone" fo' sho'!!
hello I'm new here, just for info I have a fodera emperor II 5, an Fbass 6, a gary willis fretless sig and a marcus miller 4
. I have a sadowsky onboard preamp on it and just to say that now it is a completely different bass, more powerful, great sounding and I think it's an all round instrument, it just depends on the way you use . with the pream you can have marcus miler tone for slap but not only, and I think that, even if sadowsky are great basses, the MM is sounding as good as any sadowsky . but just noisey when you don't touch the strings.
. I have a sadowsky onboard preamp on it and just to say that now it is a completely different bass, more powerful, great sounding and I think it's an all round instrument, it just depends on the way you use . with the pream you can have marcus miler tone for slap but not only, and I think that, even if sadowsky are great basses, the MM is sounding as good as any sadowsky . but just noisey when you don't touch the strings.
Hey Jauqo III-X!! I'm that crazy engineer dude that built that prototype monster Kudzai now sports! It looks frankenstein, but sounds great. It was the prototype I based the Marshall builds I now do, and was my test lab for a number of years (I would try out different circuit modifications on it). I got a call from him a couple of weeks ago, and we seem to play phone tag, so if you see him, tell him I am still trying to get hold of him!
ANYWAY:
I have a Marcus Miller IV (natural finish, of course) and I love it. It pop and slaps great, though I think the preamp can make the low E boomy. It does cut and boost (with the center being flat - I guess). The pickups are the single coil vintage stanrdards (the same as the reissue models have). I think it plays better than most of the other jazz basses Fender offers, and I bought it over a 1975 RI they had (I got the bass and a 450 watt amp for the same 1400.00 the 75 RI would have cost). This bass is good enough for a guitar player crossover to bass guy like myself, but I can say this is the one I would use if I was a 'pure' bassist.
One guy I have known for years plays the Rosco Beck sig model Fender Jazz, and that is likely what a pro would use.
For the money, the MM is the best Fender thing out there, and it beats the hell out of the 500.00 MIM Jazz bass class, and plays the 60s and 70s sound I like (you can do Getty with it as well, as it does have the 'clack').
ANYWAY:
I have a Marcus Miller IV (natural finish, of course) and I love it. It pop and slaps great, though I think the preamp can make the low E boomy. It does cut and boost (with the center being flat - I guess). The pickups are the single coil vintage stanrdards (the same as the reissue models have). I think it plays better than most of the other jazz basses Fender offers, and I bought it over a 1975 RI they had (I got the bass and a 450 watt amp for the same 1400.00 the 75 RI would have cost). This bass is good enough for a guitar player crossover to bass guy like myself, but I can say this is the one I would use if I was a 'pure' bassist.
One guy I have known for years plays the Rosco Beck sig model Fender Jazz, and that is likely what a pro would use.
For the money, the MM is the best Fender thing out there, and it beats the hell out of the 500.00 MIM Jazz bass class, and plays the 60s and 70s sound I like (you can do Getty with it as well, as it does have the 'clack').
JAUQO III-X
Inactive
I know that amp very well. Kudzai used it on two full Cd's with me and seriously it is one of the best guitar amps I have ever heard. DaLawn Simpson who also plays guitar with me was really digging it as well, at one time he was trying to get in touch with you about the possibility of making him one. Are you still making amps?
Yes, I am doing consignment builds, but I would like to stick to making Bassman or Early Marshall circuits only. The problem is that the parts to build either for just a head is around 900.00! I spec'd out the parts and circuit for a 400+ watt all-tube bass amp and discovered it could cost me 1700.00 to build and weigh upto 70-80 pounds (for just the head). I just play that Marcus bass through a Behringer Vamp Pro into a 600 watt PA (it sounds like what you would expect).
The amp Kudzai has is a Model 1987 Marshall (the one they build around 1970) with a master volume modification (like Marshall did in 1975). I then replaced the silicone rectifier with a 5U4 (the 'Mesa Boogie' rectifier). I used a 35 watt output transformer and a Marshall 50 watt-class power supply and used 22 gauge wire and with the tubes he is using gave a great sound. I used it for several recordings myself, and at one time was my only guitar amp. It is unique, and has been built and rebuilt atleast 4 times when I tried different things out I could not do on a 1900.00 build without testing.
You can also contact me thru this site email, or my email (pass that on to Kudzai if you see him).
Thanks!
-m
I would like to buy an olympic white marcus jazz.
I had checked out several videos on MarlowDK's youtube channel and in his gear list he said that he had a sadowsky on board preamp installed. will it improve the output of the bass? i am used to my full active warwick and to be honest i have troubles cutting through when i jam with my stingray. any thoughts?
I had checked out several videos on MarlowDK's youtube channel and in his gear list he said that he had a sadowsky on board preamp installed. will it improve the output of the bass? i am used to my full active warwick and to be honest i have troubles cutting through when i jam with my stingray. any thoughts?
I think the MM bass is brilliant playability wise, but the tone isn't the same as in the original and I'm not particularly fond of the the preamp. With a new preamp and maybe new pickups it could be truly great. If I had the $$$ I'd probably go for it. I think it's a great deal as it is and I'd really like to have one, but for it to be a great bass I'd say change the electronics. After that I think it compares to any bass on my standards. Of course it's not a fancy coffeetable but could hold it's own in pretty much every situation.
Now that I think of it, if it only had the regular passive vol vol tone set and maybe some american vintage pickups I'd be all over it allready. I like the passive sound as it is, but if I remember correctly it had some limitations. Can anyone correct me? The active department is less than stellar IMHO. This is to say, if there only was a CIJ ash body 70's jazz, but all I've seen over here are alder bodied ones.
Now that I think of it, if it only had the regular passive vol vol tone set and maybe some american vintage pickups I'd be all over it allready. I like the passive sound as it is, but if I remember correctly it had some limitations. Can anyone correct me? The active department is less than stellar IMHO. This is to say, if there only was a CIJ ash body 70's jazz, but all I've seen over here are alder bodied ones.
This part of Kipaste's post mirrors my experience, at least wrt the preamp. Not sure if the pickups need to be changed or not.
I've had a few MMs pass through my hands. The best one was the first one. It was a sunburst that I bought from Woodchuck for a ridiculously low price. It had a John East U-Retro installed. To me, it sounded like Marcus.
Then I had a couple of natural finish ones. The preamps on both were noisy, but the playability was stellar and the tone, though not Marcus, was really nice. Once you started playing, the noise went away. I sold the last one after I put together a parts bass with an Audere and some Aero pickups that sounds A-L-M-O-S-T as good, for a lot less $$ (total build was about $500).
Bottom line, the MM looks GREAT, has GREAT playability, has better than it's price range tone, and if you can't deal with the noise, a preamp swap can have additional tonal benefits.
My Marcus Jazz is fitted with East Marcus Retro + Dimarzio Ultra Jazz, do the "Search" you will see my posts.
IMO, though the East Marcus Retro is a bit pricey but I think it worth the extra, far far far better sounding and versatile than the original. Having said that the orginal is OK but not GREAT!
BTW, the CIJ does have ash body Jazz, Fender JB-75 but does not have the 70s pickup spacing. As far as I understand, for CIJ jazz only the Marcus and Jaguar (Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard + Alder Body) Basses are the only ones with the 70s spacing. Personally, I think the 70s and 60s spacing sound different.
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IMO, though the East Marcus Retro is a bit pricey but I think it worth the extra, far far far better sounding and versatile than the original. Having said that the orginal is OK but not GREAT!
BTW, the CIJ does have ash body Jazz, Fender JB-75 but does not have the 70s pickup spacing. As far as I understand, for CIJ jazz only the Marcus and Jaguar (Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard + Alder Body) Basses are the only ones with the 70s spacing. Personally, I think the 70s and 60s spacing sound different.
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i found a Marcus miller Crafted in Japan at my local store.
For $850 Canadian($950 USD) is it a good deal? i find the pickups and the knobs very very noisy if they are not balanced.
But it is definitely very smooth in terms of the way it plays.
Should i change the pickups to Barts? or leave it as is
Thanks
PS: Is there a MIA Marcus Miller sig & Cij sig, & whats the difference?
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For $850 Canadian($950 USD) is it a good deal? i find the pickups and the knobs very very noisy if they are not balanced.
But it is definitely very smooth in terms of the way it plays.
Should i change the pickups to Barts? or leave it as is
Thanks
PS: Is there a MIA Marcus Miller sig & Cij sig, & whats the difference?
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There are guys on this board that would mod a crowbar. Why not play that new MM a while and decide if maybe you just like it the it is.
Every 4 string MM is MIJ and every 5 string MM is MIA. And they are just as noisy as Marcus' original bass.
Guilty as charged.
To be fair though, I spent some time noodling around on my Marcus when I first got it (a couple years ago, and after they started fixing the grounding issue that made the bass so noisy) and I found the pups to be a bit too bright and the pre a bit too restricting. Those highs were harsh too... (no pun intended)
I have since changed out the electronics completely three times, and finally feel I have something to work with:
-Aguilar OBP-2 preamp
-'62 jazz vol/tone vol/tone stacked knob setup (+the treble and bass adjustment knobs for the pre)
-Stan Hinesly Hot J pickup in the neck position
-MEC passive pup in the bridge position
So, for me, modding this thing out really made a difference, but even stock it really is a great bass.
man i went and bought it right away. i forgot to mention i've been playing the mm 4 string cij for about a full week(2hrs a day) at my local shop.
$960 USD, second hand.
Funny thing, the bass was so noisy at the shop(playing through a Mark II head+ 2 mark bass cabs), but at home i play through my yorkville xm200 &...........
no noise what so ever........ eq & everything flat.
It would be nice to know why that is but right now i think I'm still dreaming.
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$960 USD, second hand.
Funny thing, the bass was so noisy at the shop(playing through a Mark II head+ 2 mark bass cabs), but at home i play through my yorkville xm200 &...........
no noise what so ever........ eq & everything flat.
It would be nice to know why that is
but right now i think I'm still dreaming.[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
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Can anybody give me any insight as to what seems to be a wide variation in the weight of different MM sig basses? There's a burst one here for sale now that is reported to be 8 lbs. In other places I've seen the MM sig described as heavy or something over 12 lbs. Can there really be that much variation between individual instances of this bass? Is there a pattern of weight variation by model year? I just grabbed one off e6ay (hasn't been shipped yet, seller didn't provide a weight), and have my fingers crossed about whether I'll end up with a bass that I'll have to sell off because it's too heavy.
Kevin
Kevin
