Show Us Your Rob Allen Basses Part IV

[FenderP]

It was a fun experiment, but I'll admit they don't add as much as one would hope. The piezo can basically cover the full range of the magnetic pickups. The pickups are kinda like the piezo with much less dynamic range. The LaBella strings were built around the piezo and have a noticeably weak response on the D string. One big benefit on my 6 string is that the magnetic pickups added enough weight to balance it. Without them, the body is too light and would result in neck dive.

I think it depends. I had a Mouse 30 with mags only and my current D4 which Rob custom built for me with the mag and piezo (discreet outputs). The Mouse 30 was interesting, but not enough to keep. I didn't bond with the neck - the radius was too flat for me.

The D4 mag and piezo on first blush sound more similar than different. The mag is a slightly lower wind (i.e., not as hot) S4 pickup - a soapbar like the one above or the Mouse 30. Originally I thought I would blend the two. The mag brings a punch that the piezo does not have. There are times that the piezo even with tweaking the wooliness is a bit much. Switching to the mag sometimes makes it sit better in a mix (not the piezo is a problem - I don't want to give that impression). I like the mag on Latin-y tunes sometimes vs. the piezo.

I have used the two blended at times and it is its own unique sound. Depending on how you blend, to me it's almost like mixing a DI signal with a mic due to the differences in pickups.

String choice has a lot to do with it as spade2you points out. The various RAs I've owned over the years have sounded different with different strings.

 

[HoochfromP]

Damn, these Solid 4 are such sweet basses ! Snagged 2nd-hand a 2-pickup version, couldn't be happier. Mine is an early 2013 build, Brazilian fingerboard option and a wonderful neck which got this late 60s B-shape profile and also the stiffness of these old Precision necks. Tone is mind-blowing. It's the most interesting bass i ever heard providing both single-pickups Pbass and jazz bass tight tones. Seems Rob Allen basses are sought-after mainly by players digging their fretless tones, and maybe it's the reason why Solid 4 aren't that much coveted by vintage Fender tones lovers. But whoa, these Solid 4 deliver. And what a comfy bass to play !

Mine came without the tone circuit triggered by pulling the volume knob. Is it 'just' a cap of some sort, or a more complex passive circuit ?

 

[foothilla]

It was a fun experiment, but I'll admit they don't add as much as one would hope. The piezo can basically cover the full range of the magnetic pickups. The pickups are kinda like the piezo with much less dynamic range. The LaBella strings were built around the piezo and have a noticeably weak response on the D string. One big benefit on my 6 string is that the magnetic pickups added enough weight to balance it. Without them, the body is too light and would result in neck dive.

Do 5-string mb2's (without mag pickups) tend to be neck heavy?

Anyone?

 

[spade2you]

Do 5-string mb2's (without mag pickups) tend to be neck heavy?

Anyone?

Perfectly balanced. The 6 string must add just enough mass to add a touch of neck dive without a little extra weight. The highly chambered body is otherwise a tad too light without the extra weight. Even then, not that bad.

 

[Jeff Elkins]

Thread Drift: What make/model case is that? A Hiscox perhaps?

It is! The bass came from Italy, and that's what the seller had it in. The RA didn't really fit in it, but it WAS well-protected during shipping.

There was an mb-2 RA case for sale here around the same time I bought the bass, so I snagged it and it fits perfectly.

The Hiscox was the quasi-Gibson 335 design, and I was lucky (again) enough to find a guitarist in the market for one! I've since seen a few other basses of various models in Hiscox cases in the UK.

 

[J.Wolf]

Happy New Year's to the Rob Allen club!

Just thought I would share this, I made a ramp for my MB2-5, to help anchor my right hand position. Came out pretty good, works great, I think it looks cool, but maybe weird.

 

[tedw]

I think it looks great! How did you attach it?

 

[porterbass]

Happy New Year's to the Rob Allen club!

Just thought I would share this, I made a ramp for my MB2-5, to help anchor my right hand position. Came out pretty good, works great, I think it looks cool, but maybe weird.
View attachment 4943122 View attachment 4943123

Nicely done! Looks great! I have a similar one made from Ebony for one of my MB2s.

 

[J.Wolf]

I think it looks great! How did you attach it?

just a little piece of dbl stick tape, so its easy to remove. Im probably gonna have to sell the bass when my custom fretless is done in a month or two. That ones gonna hurt...

 

[Randy W Lopez]

just a little piece of dbl stick tape, so its easy to remove. Im probably gonna have to sell the bass when my custom fretless is done in a month or two. That ones gonna hurt...

Sorry you have to sell but keep me in mind if you do have to go that route.

 

[FenderP]

I put the Thomastik S42 1/4 upright strings on the D4 and took the Pyramid black nylon tapewounds off.

I did a quick test through my rig. With the piezo, it sounds really good. I like the feel of them a lot and the issues I had with the Pyramids seem to be gone. I then tried the mag pickup and the strings did not sound as good. This is very different than any of the strings I've had on there to date. Specifically, the E and A are "off" for lack of a better term. They are lower in volume and don't have the same punch as the D and G. I mainly use the piezo so it's not a showstopper at the moment.

I'll definitely leave these on for a bit. The mag pickup "issue" may wind up being their fatal flaw but time will tell. Worst case, I will be putting the Rotosound RS88LEs back on there and call it a day. That is the direction I'm most likely headed anyway. The Gallis and Pyramids ultimately were not for me. I probably should have never taken off the RS88s, but whatever.

 

[FenderP]

Following up on my previous post. I've played it exclusively in a few rehearsals (big band and smaller ensembles) and so far, this is the sound I wanted out of the Deep 4 even when I had the Rotosound RS88s on there. The weird E and A thing is still there with the mag pickup but I'm ok with just using the piezo. I tried adjusting the mag pickup height and it really can't be done. It's pretty much fixed.

The feel of them is excellent. I don't see these being strings for everyone to use and they're NOT cheap. I also think that because Rob designed my bridge differently to be able to have high action and reinforced the neck, it can handle these just fine. I couldn't say on a regular Deep or MB-2 if it would work.

 

[Christian Houmann]

Hey Friends

I talk about using a Capo on a fretless bass! Talking about I wrote the bassline for my tune Monent So Close



I'm looking to get 127 more subscribers so please subscribe

Moment So Close:

 

[spade2you]

For the binding issue, has anyone sent theirs back to Rob? I have 1-2 local guys who might be able to do it. One guy is great, but huge backlog. The other guy I don't know.

 

[nonohmic]

What is the string spacing on a Mouse?

 

[lgrankin]

Can't remember if this has come up before, but the battery in my MB-2 5 string dies after 2-3 months. This doesn't happen with other active basses that I own. I don't keep it plugged in, so it makes me wonder if there is a short somewhere in the circuit. Is this normal?

Cheers,
LR

 

[jblock]

Can't remember if this has come up before, but the battery in my MB-2 5 string dies after 2-3 months. This doesn't happen with other active basses that I own. I don't keep it plugged in, so it makes me wonder if there is a short somewhere in the circuit. Is this normal?

Cheers,
LR

How often do you play the MB-2? I would reach out to Rob to get his opinion. I play my 2 Rob Allen's often and I've had to change the batteries maybe every couple of years.

 

[lgrankin]

How often do you play the MB-2? I would reach out to Rob to get his opinion. I play my 2 Rob Allen's often and I've had to change the batteries maybe every couple of years.

I don't play it too often, so I'm always surprised that I have to install a new battery. I'll reach out to Rob.

 

[JohnnyBottom]

Can't remember if this has come up before, but the battery in my MB-2 5 string dies after 2-3 months. This doesn't happen with other active basses that I own. I don't keep it plugged in, so it makes me wonder if there is a short somewhere in the circuit. Is this normal?

Cheers,
LR

Sounds familiar...start here..
Show Us Your Rob Allen Basses Part IV

Then next page describes solution..a result of pinched wire.

 

[JohnnyBottom]

Can't remember if this has come up before, but the battery in my MB-2 5 string dies after 2-3 months. This doesn't happen with other active basses that I own. I don't keep it plugged in, so it makes me wonder if there is a short somewhere in the circuit. Is this normal?

Cheers,
LR

Sounds familiar...start here..
Show Us Your Rob Allen Basses Part IV

Then next page describes solution..a result of pinched wire.

 

[JohnnyBottom]

Can't remember if this has come up before, but the battery in my MB-2 5 string dies after 2-3 months. This doesn't happen with other active basses that I own. I don't keep it plugged in, so it makes me wonder if there is a short somewhere in the circuit. Is this normal?

Cheers,
LR

Sounds familiar...start here..
Show Us Your Rob Allen Basses Part IV

Then next page describes solution..a result of pinched wire

 

[Groove Doctor]

Can't remember if this has come up before, but the battery in my MB-2 5 string dies after 2-3 months. This doesn't happen with other active basses that I own. I don't keep it plugged in, so it makes me wonder if there is a short somewhere in the circuit. Is this normal?

Cheers,
LR

Clean your input jack on the MB-2. It might not be turning off after you unplug the cable.

I had a wire inside the Fishman preamp capsule with a solder issue. Guitar tech fixed it in a couple of minutes (and didn't charge me for it).