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If you are looking.... you probably already know what this is.
An amazing rare piece. Part of a collection.
I bought it new at the 1989 NAMM Show From Valleys Arts. It was the first one and was a demo during the show.  A great playing and sounding bass its self with the with EMGs P & J pickups and the addition of the MB4 Midi setup takes it over the top!  A few bumps and dings and the gold hardware is a bit dull. Frets are still in Great Shape and still plays like a dream! Made In USA. 

A bit of background:  

Steve Chick was responsible for the original MB4 MIDI bass system that started out with Valley Arts and he later licensed the technology to Wal and Peavey.

Unlike the pitch sensing technology in more common systems by Roland and Graphtec, the MB4 system created by Steve is unique in that it uses mechanical sensors to obtain all the information required to generate MIDI messages. Each fret is divided so that each string has its own segment. Each fret also has a resistor soldered to it and embedded in the fingerboard. The resistors are wired in series for each string. This means each fretted note can be identified according to the resistance it presents to the outboard controller unit rather than relying on a complicated pitch detection process. The big advantage of this is virtually no MIDI lag.

These first MB4 systems weren’t able to detect pitch bends, but tracked so amazingly because of it.
So what is it like to play? The first thing that jumps out is the absence of lag compared to the other pitch to MIDI systems available. Thanks to the mechanical sensing, triggered notes sound immediate.  Both polyphonic and monophonic modes are available and Steve activates another mode which takes the dynamics of the string attack, sustain and decay and uses a form of subtractive synthesis to apply them to the MIDI signal. The result is a MIDI signal that sounds much more responsive to player dynamics. 

The system is pretty much capable of sensing any bass playing technique including popping and snapping. However it's also still capable of creating false triggers with sloppy playing. Allowing for this remains the biggest challenge for any MIDI bass system. Using a variety of right hand techniques, the least effective was the standard two fingered overhand technique mainly because  of patting the strings to keep in time between notes. It is a common  habit but not one that sits with note sensing very well.  The best results are by using a banjo claw-hammer technique which allows  very fast  playing and clean triplets in a way  never possible with pitch-to-MIDI. Steve suggested a classical guitar technique also works well because the strings are plucked cleanly. The range of sounds available are only limited by the synth you use. 

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Listed4 years ago
ConditionGood (Used)
Good condition items function properly but may exhibit some wear and tear.Learn more
Brand
Model
  • Custom Pro Bass MB4 Fret Wired Midi Bass
Finish
  • White
Categories
Year
  • 1989
Made In
  • United States
Number of Strings
  • 4-String

WittmanSpins

Williamsport, PA, United States
Sales:92
Joined Reverb:2020

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