Downside of the Markbass LMII/III? - Page 3

bassman64 · #41 05-11-2012, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by electracoyote

Ha! I play classic rock and country through mine, it's a match made in heaven. And an extension cab let's me rattle the stage of even the big theaters here in the Denver area.

no doubt you are rattling the rafters. it is definitely a powerful amp. I just dont like the way that the Ric sounds through it. Trust me, I am not happy about this. in a day and age where almost everything is made in China to keep costs low and quality suffers buying an Italian made item of such quality is nice....

hennessybass · #42 05-11-2012, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim C

I must be in the minority here as I just didn't like it that much.
Bought one 2 years back based on the great reviews, had it for 6-8 months; tried to love the clean warm sound as mentioned above. It just was flat sounding to my ear with linited depth. Great little amp; super reliable; just not my cup of tea.

Same experience here. I could never get it to sound right. It sounded flat, and had no depth to it. Kind of a boring amp... and ugly if you ask me. Also thought it sounded funky when I used it with just one cab, and some guys say that it's caused by running at 8ohms, and that it does better at 4ohms. Not sure if that's true or not.

bassman64 · #43 05-11-2012, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim C

I must be in the minority here as I just didn't like it that much.
Bought one 2 years back based on the great reviews, had it for 6-8 months; tried to love the clean warm sound as mentioned above. It just was flat sounding to my ear with linited depth. Great little amp; super reliable; just not my cup of tea.

thats what I am saying...trust me, I really really wanted to "Love"it. funny thing is, 3 years ago before I even heard of MB, A friend asked me to sit in at his gig for a song or 2. when I looked at his SWR 6X10 cab and the little head I laughed and asked what is that!

well, when he plugged in and started playing I was blown away. When I plugged in I couldnt believe it...

maybe its the speakers in the combo. I see a lot of people have the heads running into different cabs

Rodger Bryan · #44 05-11-2012, 06:47 PM

When I was hunting for a new head, it was around the time that the LMIII was being introduced and the LMII's were being discontinued. A bunch of TB'ers were selling off their LMII's to buy the newer models and I had no idea why at the time, but it caused me to put off my purchase a while longer.

If you like what the LMIII does in terms of basic tone, but want a mute switch and a semi-parametric eq, then don't rule out a MoMark 500 system. Momark heads haven't been as popular in the US and among the TB crowd. This isn't an indication of an inherent downside, but of a lack of presence in retail stores, IMO.

Crabby · #45 05-11-2012, 07:03 PM

I had an LMIII for awhile and thought it was pretty good...but then I compared it to my Walkabout which pretty much destroys anything I compare it too as far as the tone I aim for.

Also in Canada, Markbass gear is really expensive compared to US prices.

bassman64 · #46 05-11-2012, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crabby

I had an LMIII for awhile and thought it was pretty good...but then I compared it to my Walkabout which pretty much destroys anything I compare it too as far as the tone I aim for.

Also in Canada, Markbass gear is really expensive compared to US prices.

they are not exactly cheap here in the US either. $1049 for the 1X15 and the CMD 102p

murphy · #47 05-16-2012, 06:07 AM

I was informed that the LMIII didn't quite capture the same sound of the LMII, so I picked the LMII as my backup

electracoyote · #48 05-16-2012, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murphy

I was informed that the LMIII didn't quite capture the same sound of the LMII, so I picked the LMII as my backup

This is misinformation.

The only significant difference between the II and III is the upgraded line out. Otherwise, they are literally identical.

But congrats on your acquisition nonetheless. It is a more than sufficient backup, considering it is the weapon of choice for so many.

DWBass · #49 05-16-2012, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murphy

I was informed that the LMIII didn't quite capture the same sound of the LMII, so I picked the LMII as my backup

Not true. Same amp with added features.

Russell L · #50 05-16-2012, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WoodyG3

I think a few LM IIs are sold off by people who have gotten the LM III for the better XLR line out with level control. I also think that there are so many sold, that it is only natural that there will be more in the classifieds. I love my LM III, and I tried a bunch of stuff lately and couldn't find anything I liked better. I use a Sansamp BDDI in from of mine to get a warmer tone when I want it.

I will say that I don't like the fact that they are only sold through GC, and I've heard some people have had problems with customer service. I'd way rather buy from my local music store.

Bought all my Markbass gear from Musician's Friend. It's available online from lots of places.

Love my LMIII. I only wish it had semi-parametric mids, and wish the lows were centered a little higher than 40hz, say 60-80Hz. I'm looking at an F500 that's for sale on MF for a back-up (or maybe use the LMIII as back-up).

dave_bass5 · #51 05-16-2012, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russell L

Bought all my Markbass gear from Musician's Friend. It's available online from lots of places.

Love my LMIII. I only wish it had semi-parametric mids, and wish the lows were centered a little higher than 40hz, say 60-80Hz. I'm looking at an F500 that's for sale on MF for a back-up (or maybe use the LMIII as back-up).

I'd love a F500. I got a SA450 over the LMII to start with as i wanted a bit more control over the EQ. Now all i have is a F1 and while i love it (more than my old LMII) i could do with a bit more low mid adjustment and DI out level control.

Im no expert (so will probably be wrong) but IIR there are minor differences in tone between the LMII and III, i also think the limiter was tweaked or something like that. Probably not enough to make a difference in a band situation and i'd personally would have gone for the III with its added features.

bassbully · #52 05-16-2012, 09:58 AM

I have a new LMIII and 210p cab and love it....my back does to. I don't need allot of volume for what I play so it will never get pushed and at 300 watts will have tons of headroom. I have had 300 watts amps before but never so loud as MB. The mute switch would of been nice but not a big deal.
The only thing is about it is I need to work the EQ more since this head makes each bass sound clear and I hear the true tone of the bass itself better than before. trying to get a good EQ on my Dano longhorn took a bit of work but worth it.

Lobster11 · #53 05-24-2012, 10:48 AM

I recently bought a used LMII thru TB classifieds and really like it. I'm playing it through a pair of 8-ohm 2x10 cabs (stacked vertically) and am blown away by the volume (with the volume knob at about 10:00) and balance of clarity and warmth. I was looking for something pretty transparent, with the idea of using my VT-Bass as an always-on pedal, but I'm finding I like the amp's tone without the VT more than I'd expected.

The only downside for me is the lack of a mute switch, but that seems trivial in the scheme of things. Besides, the amp I replaced it with didn't have a mute switch either.

THORRR · #54 06-02-2012, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lobster11

I recently bought a used LMII thru TB classifieds and really like it. I'm playing it through a pair of 8-ohm 2x10 cabs (stacked vertically) and am blown away by the volume (with the volume knob at about 10:00) and balance of clarity and warmth. I was looking for something pretty transparent, with the idea of using my VT-Bass as an always-on pedal, but I'm finding I like the amp's tone without the VT more than I'd expected.

The only downside for me is the lack of a mute switch, but that seems trivial in the scheme of things. Besides, the amp I replaced it with didn't have a mute switch either.

I have a LM III - 800w and it doesn't have a mute switch either. My understanding is that on an all-solid-state (digital) amplifier, the on-off switch is really all you need
and it can be used instead of a mute switch without harm to the amp.

Mine is 2 years old and it hasn't been a problem at all.
Love the amp too. The more you play with the EQ the more
tones you discover this little thing can put out. Great amp.

Mokebass · #55 06-30-2012, 02:32 AM

Thumbs up to MarkBass II and III/LMT/etc. Great tone.

Anyone who says they flat hasnt cranked them.

Only downside here is I cant work out what the "phantom" switch is for. Presume its for recording?

dave_bass5 · #56 06-30-2012, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mokebass

Only downside here is I cant work out what the "phantom" switch is for. Presume its for recording?

What head is that on?

**eddododo** · #57 06-30-2012, 03:14 AM

Its for, say, a mic for acoustic, or a preamp needing voltage

Sufenta · #58 06-30-2012, 08:23 AM

I still dig my TA501 which is basically a LMII with a couple more features including a footswitch mute. That amp with the HT/EX stack sounds great and is perfect for smaller/medium gigs and home practice. I've had it for years and never had a single reliability issue. The downside is that it just can't deliver the watts needed to drive my NV610 at the volumes my main band plays at. That job goes to my DB750.

JSK5String · #59 06-30-2012, 09:15 AM

I bought my LM II from a fellow TB'er after the III's came out and he upgraded. I have a VT Deluxe in front of it and I play a P with flats in a classic rock cover band. For me, it couldn't sound better. I've been G.A.S. free for over two years and couldn't be happier.

That said, all the clubs we play have great PA support and smallish stages, so I'm thinking about going away from my current two 10/one 15 set up to a 2x12 floor wedge configuration because my current set up blows right by my mid section and never hits my ears on most stages we play.

So, if any of you are interested in replacement Neo 10's or a Neo 15, send me a PM, as that may just be the prodding I need to get off my butt and build a new DIY cab. After all, what fun would music be if we NEVER had G.A.S.???

::::BASSIST:::: · #60 06-30-2012, 09:33 AM

Quote:

there is a downside, I would say it doesn't match well with just any speaker cab/cabs

Not in my experience. I used my LMII religiously for a couple years with a multitude of different cabs. Some mine some at rehearsal studios. I always found the LMII matched well with all of them. The reason I sold my LMII was because I needed an amp that had more power at 8 ohms.

I do miss it though. One of my all time faves.