Markbass LMIII or F500 w/ s1 Epi UL310?

[tedsalt]

My (new to me) series 1 Epi UL310 cab will arrive tomorrow (thanks JoshB!). My old SWR rig is now gone. I've been researching here for a micro amp to go with this cab. I've got it narrowed down to the Markbass LMIII or an F500. Looking for an all purpose amp. Small/med size clubs. Maybe an outdoor gig or two. And small (intimate) acoustic type gigs. May even plug an upright into it. I'm leaning towards the LMIII for it's warmth. Can the F500 reproduce the warm LMIII sound with a little tweaking? What will I lose by going with the LMIII over an F500? I am primarily a fingerstyle player.

[Jerry Ziarko]

Maybe not exactly what you are looking for, but I used a LMII for quite a while with my UL310. GREAT combination!! I moved on to a GK-500MB, and like it for different reasons, but IMO, the LM stuff in general plays well with that box.

[lsimy]

Same as Jerry, I used an LMII with a UL310 Series II and it was fantastic. I kind of miss it but I wanted to double the rig and would have had to get another amp. GREAT setup. Get the LMIII (or used LMII).

[KJung]

Originally Posted by tedsalt

My (new to me) series 1 Epi UL310 cab will arrive tomorrow (thanks JoshB!). My old SWR rig is now gone. I've been researching here for a micro amp to go with this cab. I've got it narrowed down to the Markbass LMIII or an F500. Looking for an all purpose amp. Small/med size clubs. Maybe an outdoor gig or two. And small (intimate) acoustic type gigs. May even plug an upright into it. I'm leaning towards the LMIII for it's warmth. Can the F500 reproduce the warm LMIII sound with a little tweaking? What will I lose by going with the LMIII over an F500? I am primarily a fingerstyle player.

Nice cab, and both heads are fantastic.

For me, given that the EpiUL line has a relatively deep bass extension (especially the Series I originals), and a bit of a hole in the lower mids (i.e., the UL's are wide and pure but not particularly 'punchy), I GREATLY prefer the F500 with the 310UL and 410UL. The slightly tighter voicing of the F500 just works a bit better for me personally with that cab, and the variable low mid control on the F500 is very handy in difficult rooms when you sometimes need to shift the ratio of low bass to low mids around a bit to reduce boom and increase definition.

The LMIII sounds very good also, but the F500 just seems made for that cab. They do sound a bit different, with the LMIII being a bit wider and smoother and warmer, but it is relatively subtle on the gig in a mix, and the differences in a mix all IMO are positive in the F500 direction.

IMO and IME! Another head to consider is the Genz Benz Shuttle 9, which is about the same size as the F500, and also has a nice, tight low end and punchy mids, with a semi-parametric mid control to punch up that cab. Both the F500 and Shuttle heads are nice matches with the UL cabs IMO and IME!

[tedsalt]

Thanks everyone for your comments! Based on everyone's input and other threads I have read about LMII/IIIs and F1/F500s, I've made a decision. Here's the thought process behind my decision ...

Noticed that both Jerry and lsimy have both moved on from their LMII/EpiUL rigs to other setups, but Ken still gigs primarily with the F500.

Originally Posted by KJung

Nice cab, and both heads are fantastic.

For me, given that the EpiUL line has a relatively deep bass extension (especially the Series I originals), and a bit of a hole in the lower mids (i.e., the UL's are wide and pure but not particularly 'punchy), I GREATLY prefer the F500 with the 310UL and 410UL. The slightly tighter voicing of the F500 just works a bit better for me personally with that cab, and the variable low mid control on the F500 is very handy in difficult rooms when you sometimes need to shift the ratio of low bass to low mids around a bit to reduce boom and increase definition.

The LMIII sounds very good also ...

I ended up listening to Ken's clips on youtube and the comparison of the LMII and F1 helped alot in the decision making process.

I had read elsewhere a LMII/III user who commented that his has been boomy at times (up on a plywood stage, etc). I've also read that the LMII/III runs out of gas sooner than the F1/F500 (more headroom?). This may be because of the deeper voicing of the LMII/III, requiring more power. I also like the smaller size of the F500.

Soooo ... I ended up ordering an F500. Should be here Friday. I'm pretty stoked!!!

Thanks again for all your input! I'm gonna be one happy camper!

[B String]

Just to pile on at the end. I love my UL310 and the F1 is probably the best amp match up I've ever used with it. As Ken said, they seem to be made for each other.
I like the LMII with it too. As a matter of fact, I've liked most of the heads I've used with the UL310. One of my all time favorite boxes, but the F1 (F500) is still tops with it. Enjoy the gear.

[tedsalt]

The F500 arrived today. Haven't had much time to try it out yet, but I think I'm gonna like it!

[KJung]

Beautiful rig. It should sound very good set 'flat' (i.e. tone controls at noon and filters off, tweeter around 10 o'clock or so).

If you want to mess with the mids with that cab (to pump up the punch and reduce upper mids a touch), set the low mid freq control to around 200hz... around 9 o'clock or so.... and boost a smidge, and the upper mid freq to around 1K (10 to 11 o'clock or so) and cut just a smidge.

Nice!

[Quadzilla]

I have an F500 w a Epi UL310 (early series II). She's out with me each and every weekend. The rig just KILLS! Punchy, warm but with sizzle, and very LOUD for it's size. I've owned many, many, many rigs over the years and this is by far the best sounding rig to date. Here is the thread I started on it ---> I've Received More Compliments Lately Than Ever Before with my..........

[Quadzilla]

Originally Posted by KJung

The LMIII sounds very good also, but the F500 just seems made for that cab. They do sound a bit different, with the LMIII being a bit wider and smoother and warmer, but it is relatively subtle on the gig in a mix, and the differences in a mix all IMO are positive in the F500 direction.

Totally agree. I had an LMII paired with my UL410 (S1) and my UL310 (S2). Nice, but the F500 is a better match by a significant margain. It's like the F500 and UL series were made for each other. A perfect match indeed!

[michricker]

Trying both an F1 vs LMIII, I highly prefer the LMIII warmer tone...IMO

[tedsalt]

Originally Posted by michricker

Trying both an F1 vs LMIII, I highly prefer the LMIII warmer tone...IMO

Straight that's probably true. I've found that putting a Sansamp BDDI in the chain warms up the F500. I like it alot!!!

I'm open to other ways of warming it up. I like the warmth of tube amps, just don't like the weight (since I'm getting older). Maybe I just need to play with the F500 some more. Or maybe there's a small preamp (tube?) that would work with the F500/UL310 ? It's pretty good with the BDDI though. Warmth w/o boominess ??? Mabbe there's a conflict here ...

[Pedulla-Player]

Quadzilla - What ohm is your Epifani cabinet that you run with your F500 head??

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Pedulla-Player

Quadzilla - What ohm is your Epifani cabinet that you run with your F500 head??

5.3 ohms...

[Doug Parent]

Congrats on the F500. My F-1 works great with my UL410, it's tight and ultra punchy-total keeper.

[Pedulla-Player]

Originally Posted by KJung

5.3 ohms...

I've never heard of a 5.3 OHM bass cabinet before - just 4 OHM and 8 OHM. I was just wondering if he was running a 4 OHM UL310 cabinet with his F500 because I'm going to be running a 4 OHM UL410 cabinet with my F500 and I was wondering about his thoughts on tone and volume of the head with one 4 OHM cabinet.

[Jimmy Stump]

Originally Posted by Pedulla-Player

I've never heard of a 5.3 OHM bass cabinet before - just 4 OHM and 8 OHM. I was just wondering if he was running a 4 OHM UL310 cabinet with his F500 because I'm going to be running a 4 OHM UL410 cabinet with my F500 and I was wondering about his thoughts on tone and volume of the head with one 4 OHM cabinet.

The UL310 is indeed only a 5.3 ohm option.

The UL410 are either 4 ohm or 8 ohm.

[Crabby]

I sure like my LMIII and Series II UL410 (4 ohm) combo but have never tried an F1 or F500.