Double Bass Powered MAS 18 Redesigned Version 2

[shwashwa]

My first powered MAS 1/8 had an issue with the power amp. I sent it up to Mike immediately, but when he got it the issue had totally disappeared. There were no issues with the powered cabinet. He banged it around for several

days trying to get the power amp to fail, it never did. So, he replaced the power amp with a new one. I've had absolutely no issues with the cabinet since. So who knows. Just a aside here, I totally believe that others

have had repair issues and no doubt they were a real problem that said, even with the best quality control in the world, think AI, or EA there are issues with units because no production will get you above a 5% failure

rate. It's not possible Ampeg had issues with the PF 500's and Loud Technology is a huge company with all kinds of quality control in place. Just my take.

Correct, for me it was about how he dealt with those issues.

 

[flatback]

I shouldn't be such a dick, it's hard to make things for a living.peace.

 

[lurk]

I shouldn't be such a dick, it's hard to make things for a living.peace.

It's hard to play music for a living and spend money to improve your music making tools and not get what you paid for. I've never dealt with this guy and hoped for quite a while to eventually upgrade to one of his speakers. After reading this thread I don't think so.

 

[Eric Hochberg]

Knowing what I know now beforehand, would I still have ordered these speakers? Yes, because these are the best sounding upright bass speakers in the smallest package I’ve ever played through! Mike is a genius at invention and design; he should leave the building, marketing and sales to those who are good at that.

And where's the money coming from for all that? The prices would probably have to double for anyone to make anything.

 

[Lee Moses]

Does the sudden negative turn of the thread have anything to do with Mike's sudden inability to respond? Just curious.

 

[neddyrow]

i e-mailed him today letting him know to reach me via e-mail due to his situation when he has updates for me. he replied quickly and said he's almost ready to ship my cabs.

 

[shwashwa]

Does the sudden negative turn of the thread have anything to do with Mike's sudden inability to respond? Just curious.

for me personally? no. i am posting now because i finally got most of my money so i feel safe from retaliation. if you want to see if i have a problem confronting mike, then just read this thread :

MAS Bodai 28 - Bodai 38 Special and 18 Discussion

and i should like to point out, that after this exchange, there was a 2nd and 3rd attempt to repair it. actually the 3rd was a totally new cabinet. neither of them worked and the 3rd time the speaker stopped making sound all together. he finally agreed to give me my money back and i finally got it last month. so if you have an extra $1,100 to play with, knock yourself out

 

[Lee Moses]

for me personally? no. i am posting now because i finally got most of my money so i feel safe from retaliation. if you want to see if i have a problem confronting mike, then just read this thread :

MAS Bodai 28 - Bodai 38 Special and 18 Discussion

My comment wasn't directed at anyone in particular--I hadn't paid attention to who posted what. But thank you for responding.

 

[kerrycares]

I had read all of the great things about MAS and visited a few buddies that owned his cabs.
I thought his cabs were overpriced yet I bought a 45 , didn’t like it and per the warranty returned it for a refund. It was a nightmare!

Then a year or so later after reading all of the posts , I ordered a 18. It was a nightmare!
Numerous delays due to weather , plumbing ,toilet failure at his cabin etc. you name it.
And as someone pointed out ,during this whole fiasco Mike was responding almost immediately to posts and chiming in all over the place about “new” developments.
It left me confused and unsatisfied to say the least.
So after what I consider professional courtesy and fatigued from chasing my build, I asked for my money back. It was a nightmare!
His assistant/office manager Steve called me and chastised me for asking for a refund.

Still intrigued by the almost cult like MAS following, I then bought a used 18 from my buddy Ben and thought it was ok but for my taste it exaggerated my bass low end. I had no problem moving it thanks to all of the positive MAS reviews. It sold in less than a day of posting!

I went back to a Crazy8 which is perfect for my bass and when I did a new cab day post, Mike got on , hijacked the post , answered all the questions that were directed at me and proceeded to explain how he was the resident expert of the Crazy 8 and why MAS was superior.
He even went so far to point out why my red custom color option was a horrible idea and why it would be dirty and look terrible after a few gigs ...... lol!
All of this noise overshadowed the fact that Gigmaster Sound of Western Michigan did an excellent build, delivered on time and at a fraction of the cost.

Mike seems to be a “nice guy” as long as you agree with him.
I think he is talented and would benefit from a business partner or silent investor.

I have come to accept highly opinionated responses from players based on their personal tastes but it is hard to listen a builder proclaim themselves to be the Ultimate Expert.


I love the bass and our bass community and will forever support it.
When builders “pontificate” all over everything that isn’t theirs I agree with talkbass.

 

[Ric Vice]

Sorry to hear that, but it was not my experience with Steve or Mike. Steve took the order, Mike built the cabinets and when their was an issue Mike fixed the cabinet within two weeks. I remember the Crazy 8 thread differently, Mike was asked a question and he responded. I'll take a

look at it again. Mike could definitely use a partner to smooth out his business model. Unfortunately, independent builders can't always afford to hire someone to do that. I'm glad you like the Crazy 8, I love 8" speakers for DB I've had a Euphonic Audio VL 108 and 208

a LDS 2x8 Three Way, and other 8" designs from Flite Sound and SWR. As a professional Double Bassist my favorite is the MAS 1/8. Just my take however.

 

[kkenda11]

I too had a disappointing experience with ordering an MAS cabinet in the past. Paid upfront -- promised delivery in 3 weeks. Followed by many months of excuses, inability to reach Mike and miscommunication. In the end Mike sent me a cabinet without some of the custom features we discussed, and a tweeter didn't work and a switch that did nothing (I spent plenty of time trying to diagnose it myself).

My cabinet sounded good enough, but didn't blow away alternatives. I moved on and put it behind me as a live and learn episode...

 

[kerrycares]

Sorry to hear that, but it was not my experience with Steve or Mike. Steve took the order, Mike built the cabinets and when their was an issue Mike fixed the cabinet within two weeks. I remember the Crazy 8 thread differently, Mike was asked a question and he responded. I'll take a

look at it again. Mike could definitely use a partner to smooth out his business model. Unfortunately, independent builders can't always afford to hire someone to do that. I'm glad you like the Crazy 8, I love 8" speakers for DB I've had a Euphonic Audio VL 108 and 208

a LDS 2x8 Three Way, and other 8" designs from Flite Sound and SWR. As a professional Double Bassist my favorite is the MAS 1/8. Just my take however.

In my Crazy 8 thread Ric, you asked me what speaker I had installed in my cabinet and Mike responded about what the most likely speaker was because he designed it.

New Cab Day ...... Red Crazy 8

And in typical Mike fashion, although he never laid eyes on my cab and was not commissioned to build it he inserted his opinion.
Ric, you commented on how you liked the color and then Mike weighed in saying why he didn’t use the color red and assuring me how ugly my color would age after a few gigs. Lol!
Typical Mike.

Ric , I sincerely wish everyone had the same experience you had.

 

[Ric Vice]

In my Crazy 8 thread Ric, you asked me what speaker I had installed in my cabinet and Mike responded about what the most likely speaker was because he designed it.

New Cab Day ...... Red Crazy 8

And in typical Mike fashion, although he never laid eyes on my cab and was not commissioned to build it he inserted his opinion.
Ric, you commented on how you liked the color and then Mike weighed in saying why he didn’t use the color red and assuring me how ugly my color would age after a few gigs. Lol!
Typical Mike.

Ric , I sincerely wish everyone had the same experience you had.

And now weirdly enough, Mike is using a 8.5” Ciare driver. Ciare is now owned by Fatial and is their new professional line. Go figure

 

[neddyrow]

My 18/28 cabinets arrived in the mail today. they are the passive (no internal amp) version.

my cabs are different than this thread but wanted you guys to know that mike delivered on my order from December 4th, 2019.

they are in perfect working order and sound killer! but that will be for another thread when i get everything dialed in.

 

[kerrycares]

My 18/28 cabinets arrived in the mail today. they are the passive (no internal amp) version.

my cabs are different than this thread but wanted you guys to know that mike delivered on my order from December 4th, 2019.

they are in perfect working order and sound killer! but that will be for another thread when i get everything dialed in.

Nice!
@neddyrow Did you get tweeters in both cabs?

 

[bassically_eli]

I believe Mike started putting tweeters in all is cabs a while back. I think he uses a soft dome tweeter by default with some other options available as well.

 

[neddyrow]

Yes. Both have 4" mid drivers. That seemed to be a big part of the hold up on my build.

 

[Ric Vice]

I believe Mike started putting tweeters in all is cabs a while back. I think he uses a soft dome tweeter by default with some other options available as well.

Yes he definitely did, the original 1/8 had two different versions one with the a tweeter and one without. I don’t know about different versions in the same cabinet, but the one I received last December v2 had a different tweeter than the originals. What we’ll call v3 has a 8.5” driver.

 

[Ric Vice]

Yes. Both have 4" mid drivers. That seemed to be a big part of the hold up on my build.

Apparently, there are all kinds of issues with the supply chain of components plus a small builder like Mike cannot afford to by components in big lots.

 

[kerrycares]

Apparently, there are all kinds of issues with the supply chain of components plus a small builder like Mike cannot afford to by components in big lots.

FYI the government is currently offering small business loans at ridiculously low interest rates that might not be seen again in my lifetime.
These have proven to be lifesavers for a number of business owners.