Which Markbass for me?
 

I have a blueline vintage Ampeg SVT and a vintage V4 cab loaded with Eminence 12As. I will be buying a suburban soon for my new band and we are all considering downsizing our amps considerably to make sure we have room to bring everything in the aforementioned suburban.

I am considering either selling my vintage rig or saving to buy a Markbass set up. I played the little 112 combo the other day and was blown away by the sound! I want a lot of volume and need to travel with a spare so I am considering getting a pair of the Markbass Little Mark Tube 800s and a pair of Markbass Club 102 400W 2x10 Bass Speaker Cabinets.

The sound is awesome. Its awesome that I could fit two rigs in less room than the Ampeg.

Questions,

1. Would you trade the vintage Ampeg for the practicality of touring?

2. Is this the right Markbass combination that would "replace" my tube set up closely?

3. The head is 500 watts at 8 ohm. Will that overpower if I just want to use one 210 rated at 400 watts?

I sold my Ampeg SVT Classic and the 6X10 HLF Classic cab in 2008. Bought a MarkBass CMD 102P and a MarkBass STD 102HF. I feel like I can replicate the tonal range of the Ampeg and have played large and small venues, as well as open outside settings without the need for sound reinforcement. Power and punch to spare.

I've never looked back....never regretted replacing the Ampeg stuff. And, my 64 year old back really appreciates it at load in and load out.

MarkBass is great stuff....all except the fuzzy covers. Will recover mine in tolex someday. The sound quality and power are the real deal.

Drop me a PM if you want more info about this equipment.

Hope this helps.

Koog.

1. HELL NO!! I would, however, get something small for those times where size counts and keep the SVT rig for when size doesn't matter a smuch.

2. Nope. I think if anything, the regular LMIII would be closest, but if you're looking for small and really Ampeg sounding, I'd go for an SVT 7 Pro or a PF head.

3. It could, most certainly, especially since 400w through a 210 is a bit of fantasy. I've yet to see one that could take more than about a 250w amp without pushing it into distortion. On the bright side, as long as you don't push it and back off it when it sounds like it's going to explode (HINT: if it sounds like it'll explode, it will), you can use any amp you want.

Thanks for the feedback. The Markbass cabs I am looking at are covered in tolex thank God!

But boy this is the one of the ugliest looking amps IMO. I didn't want to like it because of that. But it sure sounded great in the store. More worried about getting it and then not liking it in the mix.

I would replace the metal grille with silver grill cloth :)

Mark Bass
 

I kinda like the grill. Pulled the MarkBass plastic logo off....it's glued on....I like it better that way.

Also should have said earlier that I also own the Mark Bass Mini 112P. I only use it for practice in my studio or light rehearsal settings. It would probably work well for coffee house acoustic types of gigs too, but I wouldn't take it to a full band show setting.

Koog

If I have to sacrifice sound, I wouldn't do it.

That being said, I also have to mention my back is getting kinda bad. Always hated hearing older guys say that, but after years of playing now at just 32 my back is not in the best shape.

Last year on a tour, I had my V4 412 cab, my SVT and my V4 head. We ended up playing the Cake Shop in New York which is a basement club. The stairs were so steep after over a week of hauling that thing I didn't have the energy or desire to try and get my rig downstairs. I ended up using a horrible Behringer that someone left there.

Yeah I would have to have the 800 watt and two cabs I think. I play anywhere from 500 capacity to record store in store shows.

I didn't know these places still existed ... ;)


Seriously though, you will probably have to sacrifice either way - your ideal sound = big & heavy or lighter and not your exact sound. Almost everything is going to be some kind of compromise....

Perhaps I'll keep the SVT and buy a cheaper combo, like the portaflex 500.

Kinda hard to answer your questions without knowing a bit more about what kind of music, whether you will be thru PA support or standalone, etc. There are so many good small but powerful rigs to choose from these days - Ampeg, Genz Benz, GK, MarkBass, the list goes on. Depends on your needs and desired sound. As you'll read on this forum, endless choices and endless opinions.....

Tell us more about you and maybe we can help a bit more.

I went from Big Heavy Mesa Boogie to MarkBass and have not regretted it at all!
GREAT tone, its versatile with plenty of power..AND minimal weight and size!!
If youre looking to travel with a backup you can roll like me~
I got a CMD 2x10 Combo and have a 15" MB cab and a 4x10 MB cab for underneath so I can switch for venue and personal taste. (LMII head 500watts cranks).
I also bought a LMT800 for backup AND just in case I want that BIG stack 15 with the 4x10.. (I bring the LMT800 as a backup regardless-in bag 8lbs!)..
I feel like I have a rig for ALL occasions with these pieces!! Small-Tonal-Powerful.. <3

I used a LM Tube 800 with a Traveler 2x10 and Traveler 1x15 for a couple of years. That was plenty for our band. I have run it with just the 2x10 when we were space confined and MarkBass said that would work as long as I didn't push the amp too hard. So, I never had any issues but, did feel like I was holding back at times.

As for replacing the Ampeg, I don't know. If it were me, I'd try to hold on to it if you can. I recently switched to a Bassman 100T and while I really like the MarkBass, I can't get enough of real tubes. I'll keep either the Tube 800 or LMIII as backup.

I play in a rock band - not the loudest in the world. We like to hear what we are doing. Two guitarists use a Fender Deluxe (22 tube watts 1x12 combo) and a Matchless (30 class A tube watts and a 4x10 speaker). We also use two keyboardists a drummer and occasional drum loops. I would say in the vein of David Bowie meets Flaming Lips.

I play a Rickenbacker 4003S with flats and use my mute pretty heavily. I have always loved the Paul tone and the Jamerson tone a lot.

I love my SVT - the fan is super loud though and I've had the amp repaired a bunch. It's costed me a lot, is heavy, and takes up a lot of space. But I love it.

Maybe I'll get a backup head. Or maybe a couple of PF-115 combos. No idea.

I should also mention that my cab for the SVT is 8 ohm but I use a dummy plug to make it work with the SVT head. Makes matching the cab with other heads a bit of a pain. If I got a backup head thinking the SVT-7 at 600 watts at 8 ohm should probably suffice. But then Im still left with the delimma that my amp is going to take up a lot of space on tour because of the 412 cab.

Sounds like the Markbass stuff could do it. maybe add a VT pedal to give back some of the dirt you get with the SCVT - it is pricey tho and the smaller Ampeg stuff is good too.

So here's a scenerio. If I got the Ampeg PF-500 and Pf-115 cab for smaller gigs, would the head be a decent backup for me when I take the SVT out? My cab is 8 ohms so I am thinking it would be about 300 watts. Think that'd be enough with PA support in a pinch?

Of course I would like to hear what you think about the PF-500 in terms of sound. It is awfully cheap...

I tried the PF amps and line of matching cabs and personally didn't like them - thought that they were underpowered and didnt like the tone range. But lots of people love them, so would definitely suggest that you check them out. Bang for buck (and they are more bucks), I like the Genz Benz stuff better. I use a Streamliner 900, also had a Shuttle 6.0 that I liked.

If you go the PF route, I would think that they would also be a first-rate backup.

Been running a Shuttle 6.0-210 combo for 2-3 years now as a main gig rig,,, LOVE IT! All knobs at 12, plug and play. love it with my P-bass and Stingray.
Got a PF500 and PF210 cab, it took me some time to get it the way I wanted it but I have to say, the Stingray sound f'in great through it. It's my small gig/practice rig. Love it!

I just got a GK MB500 head, ran it through two different 410 cabs. It ok! throught the SVT-410hlf it's punchy and thick (maybe a little muddy). Through my SWR 410, poop! Sounds flat, not punchy and just like any other off the shelf amp. I'm going to work with it some more but it's not working well with the SWR or the Stingray, it's ok with 410hlf and P-bass.

Looking at GK cab's or maybe a Markbass 102 or 151 combo.

I went from a Mesa 400+ and 2 SWR Goliath III 410s to a Markbass CMD102P + 102HF. Classic Rock and 4s/5s. I don't miss the big rig.