MB Big Bang + Baer ML112 = good stuff?

[IveHeardWorse]

i am shopping for a light weight, easy to carry, rig that can accommodate a variety of styles and venues. Vintage rock, British invasion tribute, acoustic (think Allison Krauss / James Taylor / Paul Simon), Blues, R&B, country, light jazz, latin ...

Something I can use for duos in coffee shop up to moderately loud 7 piece bands. Oh, also, I would like the DI to be good (and quiet) for recording and FOH scenarios.

i have read the talk bass mega-threads re: the Baer ML112 cabinet although it appears that all of the sound samples that were posted are no longer available. However, the detailed discussions of the ML112's properties make me think it would be a good place to start.

Then it's all about finding a small amp that will marry up to that cabinet. I have not been able to find any videos or audio files re: the Big Bang (and have never even heard a Little Mark in person), and there are none available to try, so I am mostly looking at the Big Bang based on some comments here as well as the price point and feature set.

I play with my fingers, thumb and pick. Some Kala acoustic U-bass fretless, but mostly active or passive electric guitars.

Do you think I'd be happy with this setup? Based on my reading I think this is light weight and versatile at about $1400 price point. But I would sure appreciate hearing from folks with real world experience and/or other ideas?

 

[jeff7bass]

I see no reason why they wouldn't sound good together, since the Baers are great cabs, which get LOUD, and the MB Big Bang head "sounds like a more powerful and aggressive version of the LMII", with sharper attack and punch.

I would go to the BAER ML-112 topic and see what other heads people are using. They get pretty descriptive around you so you should get an idea of what heads work.

 

[IveHeardWorse]

Thanks for the reply. I was beginning to think I was going to get no replies. Good tip about trying the Baer mega-thread. I'll give that a shot!

 

[jeff7bass]

It is odd because there's lots of love for those cabs. I think it's because not many people have tried the Big Bang yet. The quotes I gave were from a recent issue of Bass Gear.

Quite frankly the Big Bang sounds like more my style of head because I play rock in a 3 piece band and prefer quick, punchy attack compared to smooth and rounder tones.

 

[Wolffgang]

It sounds like you're after a fairly versatile rig, and I think those will deliver. I have no experience with Baer (have heard nothing but good things), but I have been using a friend's Markbass LMII for a bit a couple of months now. My usual head is a Streamliner, and I prefer its tone, but if I were after more versatility, I'd probably be happier with the Markbass. From my experience and what I've read on here, they have fairly powerful EQs, a very neutral starting point and take pedals well.

I think the head and cab will both be a fine choice, but that you may find yourself wanting more cone area. Although starting with the 112 puts you a perfect position to add another, should you need to.

 

[B String]

Having played extensively through the ML112 with a number of different amps and with different styles of music and instruments, I can say this would be a great rig.
One major reason is that the ML112 sounds great at the low volume you would need to play at for coffee house gigs. The box works very well for my upright and ABG basses. We've used LMIII and F500 Markbass heads as well as a TH500, Eden WT400, Genz 9.0, and I'm forgetting some. Anyway, loud or quiet, the box speaks very well thanks to the 6in speaker. The Big Bang is a very nice amp. I just wish I could get with the eq point of the low mids. Wrong spot for me, but that's why I have an F500.....yummy!

 

[jeff7bass]

Having played extensively through the ML112 with a number of different amps and with different styles of music and instruments, I can say this would be a great rig.
One major reason is that the ML112 sounds great at the low volume you would need to play at for coffee house gigs. The box works very well for my upright and ABG basses. We've used LMIII and F500 Markbass heads as well as a TH500, Eden WT400, Genz 9.0, and I'm forgetting some. Anyway, loud or quiet, the box speaks very well thanks to the 6in speaker. The Big Bang is a very nice amp. I just wish I could get with the eq point of the low mids. Wrong spot for me, but that's why I have an F500.....yummy!

Lots of good info there... Ever try a Carvin head with them? The BX series has the mid-eq section that is quite versatile.

 

[nostatic]

I've run GB Shuttle, GK MB Fusion, Aguilar TH500/350, Puma 500/900, Glock BlueSoul, and Monique/Minnie through my ML112s. All sound good and sound like a Baer - articulate, no low-mid wool, a bit mid-present, and nice grind in the upper mids if you want it. I never ran a Big Bang but did gig an LMTube for awhile before I got the Baers (was running Berg AE210s). I had a problem with MB in the past so I won't own any of their gear any more but I imagine it would sound great with the ML112.