Just been lucky enough to tour with a MarkBass 410HR & LM2..

[shiftyshuffle]

..for five weeks through California. I can see why people say the MarkBass 410 cab is tuned in favour of the midrange; it's certainly more honky-sounding on a flat setting than many other cabinets I've tried, including Ampeg 8x10/1x15, Ashdown 8x10/2x10/1x15, Trace Elliott 4x10/1x15, and Hartke 4x10, and Peavey 4x10. The VPF control on the LM2 head can be turned up to counter this with ease however, and I think it's a good match for the cab. The VPF needs to be increased more than on other cabinets to achieve the same effect of a smooth, scooped-mid sound. This setup certainly has no problems cutting through a mix when required. I currently use a MarkBass SA450 head through a Hartke 410XL back home, which sounds reasonable unless driven hard, but after having had the luxury of testing the MarkBass cab in all sorts of different venues, I'm tempted to upgrade to the 410HF. It's also very light and compact, but is easily loud enough to fill a small to medium sized venue; at the very least to be heard on stage with PA support.

So my conclusion would be that I agree with players when they say the MB cabs don't sound pleasant on their own, ie. in a shop at low volume; but I would say that in a live situation, they allow a great stage sound to be dialled in quickly, especially for funky, groovy music. Rock can easily be catered for too, though more mids might have to be scooped away for this style.

[Buster Brown]

I had the pleasure of seeing Robin Trower last summer and his bassist (damn, can't remember his name ) was using a MarkBass 6X10 cab with a MB head....sounded pretty damn good to these old ears...

[shiftyshuffle]

Apologies, I meant HR (rear-ported), not HF.

[murphy]

You could correct your title

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by murphy

You could correct your title

Done.

BB