Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

woodyng wrote:definitely! wow--2 markbass combos w/ext.cabs??? that's like 1100 watts---are all your speakers 12"-ers? that would be a kickin' rig! what sort of music does clowncar do?

Well, my rig isn't that crazy, but it is really versatile.

For the Neck PUP, I use the Mark Bass Mini CMD 121P. 300 watts, It has 1 12" reflex speaker and a Piezo tweeter. I then add to it a MB Traveler 102P which has 2 10" and another Piezo tweeter. The neat thing about the MB amps is that when you add an extension cab, it almost doubles the power output automatically, so now we're talking 500 watts. I've never had to push it past 70%. All this from a 1 1/2 foot cube! I love these amps. If we're just doing an informal practice in a small space, I usually just bring the Mini CMD alone.

For the Bridge PUP, I went with the MB Minimark. It's only 150 Watts on it's own, but with an extension cab it becomes 250. This is the amp that I tote around with myself, like I did tonight, so I can sit in front of the TV and practice solo. It's literally "tiny" (9" x 17" x 15")! It has 2 tiny 6" speakers, and again, another Piezo, and I like what that brings to the mix, because it pops out the string, fret and pick noises.

And here's where it gets a little complicated. Depending on the room we're playing in, I'll plug the Traveler into either the neck or bridge amp; into the neck for rooms with really good sound insulation, where I want the low end to stand out, or into the bridge in ******, echoey rooms where I don't want to get muddled up with the kick drum. We gave a show in December that was just like that.

It's not my dream setup. In June we're giving an outside show and I think I'll add a 15"er to the neck, and resolve the Traveler to the bridge for good. That's my dream setup. Versitile, powerful, and really exploiting the tonality of the Ric. It's a lot of separate componants to move around and cable up, but I definitely don't miss my "phase one" Peavey Series 400 with a dual 15" cab. That was a pain to get up stairs. (Although I do miss the occasional reverb tank "Crash!").

But, you know, the Ric isn't my only thing. Aside from various FX and stomp boxes (a 30 year old stereo chorus among them), I use a Little Lehle splitter to switch between the Ric and my Alembic Stanley Clarke (Now that's a MONSTER bass, and probably not for this thread). No more switching plugs for me. Pick it up, step on a switch, and go!

As for ClownCar, we're still only less than a year together. We do covers of Muse, Wolfmother, The Who (My Generation never gets old, does it?), STP, Smashing Pumpkins, Queens of the Stone Age, Weezer, and a lot of Rage Against the Machine. We just penned our first original "For You" which a friend called a cross between The Cure and Foo Fighters. Yeah, I guess we thrash a lot.

- Andrew -

jingle_jangle wrote:Fuel to the fire. Here's one of Andy's that I adjusted with Photoshop a couple of days ago, to my memory of the color:

Wow Paul! That's the one! (At least on my uncalibrated PC @ home.) I'll have to remind myself to have a look when I get into work tomorrow.
Thanks Paul!

Paul's adjusted rendition is really beautiful. That bass just looks so right.

I think the Minimark is the best little amp out there!!!

jps wrote:I think the Minimark is the best little amp out there!!!

And if there was a "facebook style"... "I Like"... button on this forum, I'd have already hit it 5 times. (Can we add that?, or is it a copyright thang?)

jps wrote:I think the Minimark is the best little amp out there!!!

OUCH, severe tailpiece lift close to the little Mark.

heinpete wrote:[ OUCH, severe tailpiece lift close to the little Mark.

It's not as bad as it looks and has not moved or ever been a problem in the six years I have had it. What you see is partly due to reflection on the finish of the body, so in reality it is only half as high as it looks.

It's looks like a nice bass from here!

jps wrote:

heinpete wrote:[ OUCH, severe tailpiece lift close to the little Mark.

It's not as bad as it looks and has not moved or ever been a problem in the six years I have had it. What you see is partly due to reflection on the finish of the body, so in reality it is only half as high as it looks.

My July '73 tail looks a little worse than that, but I think it has the most sweet, ringing, piano-like tone of all of my 4001's.

I'm far from a photography expert, but the photo Paul W posted is my favorite, with Jeffrey's being a close #2.

Beautiful bass, Andrew. I've always been a big '72 4001 fan, regardless of the spontaneously combustible tuners.

Thanks for the additional pics.

rickaddict wrote:

jps wrote:

heinpete wrote:[ OUCH, severe tailpiece lift close to the little Mark.

It's not as bad as it looks and has not moved or ever been a problem in the six years I have had it. What you see is partly due to reflection on the finish of the body, so in reality it is only half as high as it looks.

My July '73 tail looks a little worse than that, but I think it has the most sweet, ringing, piano-like tone of all of my 4001's.

Could it be possible, that actually due to the tail lift the front of the bridge gets better attached to the wood, hence resulting in the "most sweet, ringing, piano-like tone" of the 4001, which still has not been met by any 4003 IMHO???

Could it be possible, that actually due to the tail lift the front of the bridge gets better attached to the wood, hence resulting in the "most sweet, ringing, piano-like tone" of the 4001, which still has not been met by any 4003 IMHO???

Would that have more to do with the hot pu's?

It does have to do with the 4003's hotter pickups and also the difference in pot values too. And neck construction, and old growth vs farm growth maple, and the star orientation when the instrument was made, and the personal feelings of the persons working on the instrument, and ...

Okay, maybe the first 4.

...and the last one, maybe more than any of the others!

The light coloured autumnglo sounds a bit brighter than the dark coloured autumnglo, which sounds a bit more mellow, also depending on the different binding (white or black or B/W)!