Markbass TTE 800

[pshep68]

Has anyone had any experience with this amp?

[rpsands]

The TTE500 has a really solid clean tubey tone. I dug it.

[mjac28]

Is this the Randy Jackson one?

[pshep68]

Originally Posted by mjac28

Is this the Randy Jackson one?

yes

[jeffbonny]

I played one a few weeks ago in the store and really liked it. Simple, powerful and convincingly does the big-ass tube amp thing at less than 14lbs. I just pulled the trigger on one today and I'll have it next week. I'll post more a detailed impression once I get a few miles on it.

[mjac28]

They look really nice let us know what's up with it.

[RoeyHaviv]

I played it's 500w brother at GC and was very impressed with the sound.
The EQ it very subtle compare to other amp, so is the compression (I like it because I don't EQ much).
My only problem with it is that those huge knobs move too easily and not much features - no effect loop, Aux, headphones, not even ground lift for the DI out

[jeffbonny]

I haven't gotten to use the TTE 800 with any of my cabs yet but through a provided 8x10 GK and a 2x12 Trace my initial impression is similar to what I thought trying it in the store.

Very crisp, clear and articulate even with the preamp being driven to breaking up. Subtle EQ that doesn't radically change the basic character of the tone but allows you to dial it in to the cab and room. Unlike a lot of amps I haven't felt the need for a HPF to trim the inaudible or barely audible lows that so often muddy up your sound. This might change but based on what I've heard so far it kinda doubt it.

The color control as advertized rolls of highs/upper mids for a less articulate "old school" sound although it too is subtle and doesn't change the fundamental character of the amp. The voicing of the mids and highs in the EQ section still work well even with the color control dimed.

The compressor is also subtle but very musical. I'm not sure if it will replace the Diamond I've been using though. The Diamond adds fairly overt presence and articulation that the onboard one doesn't. It does add the smoothness you'd expect from a very conservatively adjusted tube comp.

It is capable of extreme volume. Paired with an appropriate cab the chances of getting blown away by any 100w guitar amp is nonexistent. I'm looking forward to using it with my MB New York 804 which at 800w is quite power hungry and has taken an AI Clarus IV and an SWR Amplite to redline. One of the reasons I moved to the TTE 800 is that I'm eventually going to add another NY 804 cab and I wanted something that would drive the pair with tons of headroom.

I've used this amp twice now at volume with a band so take my observations with a grain of salt. I'll probably have some more clear ideas after putting on some miles with my cabs. So far I'm extremely impressed though.

[eff-clef]

I've been looking at these and wonder if you think it sounds like a full blown tube amp? I've tried it's little brother(TTE500) and find it does. Some of the people around here think that the different output typology(class D vs. AB on the TTE500) would make it sound a little less tube like.

[jeffbonny]

Comparing the two in the store at a relatively low volume through the same cab I couldn't hear any significant difference. I've used the TTE 800 on several gigs and a bunch of rehearsals over the last few weeks and except for the difference in headroom I doubt I could distinguish between the two in a live situation.

[kasbrey]

Originally Posted by jeffbonny

The color control as advertized rolls of highs/upper mids for a less articulate "old school" sound although it too is subtle and doesn't change the fundamental character of the amp.

On my TTE 500 I thought this at first. This control is really noticeable in a band situation and thickens the tone up fairly dramatically. I start with the control fairly high and roll it off to get the right level of detail for whatever type of music I'm playing.
Adjusting it while you are playing alone you don't notice too much of a difference.