Markbass cabs: the conclusive thread!

The thing that forced me to start another Markbass thread is the general disagreement about the qualities of MB cabs. In fact there is a sort of "black hole" between two radically opposite positions. The specialized press, including the various magazines coming from every part of the world, acclaiming MB cabs as one of the best builded and sounding stuff available, and a general good match of MB amps (easy to predict...). On the other site there are forum rumors and TB general trend to under-rate MB cabs. I find that many bass players out there are using or planning to use a MB head (good reputation) coupled with a Berg or a epifani cab. The majority of these folks don't even consider to give a try to a MB cab, without even contemplating the possibility of a full MB rig. this apparent contradiction to me is not easily explanable. Moreover I have noticed that this kind of apparent non-sense becomes even more strange when we consider the general TB appreciation of Markbass combos, 1x12, 2x10, 1x15, 3x10. These combos are loaded with the very same speakers used for cabs, the same materials, and the general shape and dimensions of the combo cabs are almost the same as the separated cabs. For example, the CMD 102 P combo has the same building and contructing features than the STD 102 HF cab, except for the tweeter, more high-quality on the cab. Same thing when comparing the CMD 121 H combo and cab, the CMD 151 P and corresponding cab and so on...my dubt is that at TB could be a sort of favourable general trend and disposition toward MB amps and the very same, but opposite thing when considering MB cabs. I beg your perdon in advance for my english, I don't know how to explain my thoughts in a more polite or pleasant way, but I think that the concept is clear: I feel the need of neutral, non-fashion, sincere opinions that can put light on this problem. Please give your contribution. Please also don't defend your purchase only because it has been truly expensive,or any other non valuable opinion.

what you state is what I have read somewhere. In this thread/opinion/rewiew (I don't understand) someone said that when playing alone and for practice or other non-stage purposes, the rig may sound sterile and not so funny, but things may change in more complex outfits or on stage, where the power and clarity seems to cut, or blend, in a pleasant way. I personally own a MB rig with a STD104HF cab and I play in a little room with a 6 members band (the room measures 14 x14 feet) and two idiot guitarist (I'm a guitarist too, so I can talk bad about guitarists). In this environment, regarding the room size, this cab is not so great, as perceived by a close distance. But I tried to move away from it and the sound changed almost completely, more open, wore full-range, less boomy and definately blending well with the other sounds. I even tried to put the cab in different points of the room, and again, the perceived tone varied greatly. Angling the cab upwards (about 40 ° !!!) made a huge improvement because of a better perception of highs. my opinion is that, at least my cab, the STD104HF, with the two large bass ports on the front, has been built to deliver the best in large spaces and at a considerable distance, for example concert stages or venues. I have not gigged in venues or concerts yet, but I'm quite sure that that the MB aim of creating a cab that will work without PA support is the main reason of such a kind of behavior...IMO

you carry the 106 HF alone? and you want to convince me that you have back problems??? apart from jokes, you suggest, in an indirect way and maybe without insight, what I consider being one of the biggest reason of the bad reputation: the yellow drivers...maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm rough, not polite, BUT, IMO, there is a serious possibility that someone could not favour the whole thing because of a perceived bad appearance...it is not casual that in starting this thread I have not mentioned the colour. I think that we all, are musicians, bass players. A musician SHOULD judge a certain gear by means of many factors, but the most important one has to be the sound. the least, obviously, the colour...a painter uses his eyes, a musician uses his ears! Having said that, I will appreciate EVERY, EVERY, bad opinion about MB cabs, but only with a good musical reason. Best to have an opinion coming from everyone that USE these cabs in various situations. It could be great if the opinion comes with the specification of the bass used and any other detail.
Post-note: I'm a medical doctor, so, please, don't lift that light refrigerator alone, your bandmates are there also to help you!

apart from sound, the appearance to me is like a CATERPILLAR. You know, that kind of black-yellow machines used to move the ground, to build a house, the fundamentals...striking link, do you agree? no jokes, for me the SD800-classic 810 could not be a good match, I feel that a tube head could be better while the most modern sound coming from the MB world (F1, SD800) could perform well paired with a STD cab with the primary goal to obtain a contemporary hi-fi clarity. maybe a classic 300 accomodates better with the natural propensity of a 810 in order to produce a warm old-school sound. But mine are only suppositions since I have never played trough that kind of gear personally.

I totally agree with you. I was just aswering to fenderhutz who tried a SD800 + 810...if you read my previous reply I say I don't care colour or other appearance things. ONLY sound matters for me...the Caterpillar was only for joke and for those who citated the colour or the yellow piping...I like MB cabs, and like a traditional sound vibe. More, I like to engage the VLE at about 12:00 to achieve my sound...go figure!!!

GassieBall said:

Sratas,

If you want that "contemporary hi-fi clarity" then I would not suggest Markbass cabs, even though I love them.

Well, I also have a Bongo. I guess I care more about how things sound than how things look.

Of course, this is JMHO.

Click to expand...

I was saying basic things. I'm noticing that many, say, many bass players at TB LIKE, or even LOVE MB combos. For me, it is un-logic that so many guys out there seem to not like the head+cab solution that, in substance, is almost identical to the combo configuration...also I simply report a constant at TB, the great majority of MB owers, likes the heads and doesn't like the cabs, or, simply, not consider the MB cabs and prefer other brands. I'm a simple-minded man, sorry for this,. I'm also a relatively newbie in the bass world and i'm trying to understand why many people out there does not like MB or has preferred other brands (very often Berg or Epifani) . It has to be a musical reason. No conspiracy, for sure, and I'm not so in love with a brand, MB for example, to defend it or promote it. I just want to know musical reasons for the general appreciation of other brand's cabs. Why? It is so difficult to understand? I own a MB head and I want to know if my gear can improve with another cab, other than the std 104 that i'm currently using. I'm not prone to consider superficial opinions based on colour or on the charme belonging to a boutique manufacturer and so on. I just wanted to know why I found, in the previous weeks of surfing TB, that the most part that are currently using MB heads, are coupling them with other brand cabs. I must confess that I also have a sort of feeling that some brands are more "trendy" on TB. Also find that GAS syndrome is in "free running mode" and, as obvious, this is correlated with more trendy brands.

QUOTE=USAJO;5352923]I don't understand your point. Are you saying that because many people like the Markbass heads and many of those same people don't like the cabs they are somehow misguided or there is a conspiracy of some sort?
Or are you asking why if people like the Markbass combo's then it should follow they like a Markbass head with a similar Markbass cabinet?
Here's my take, Markbass entered the market at a considerably lower price point and thus all those who can't afford the Thunderfunks,Epifani's and other top name gear clamored to it. It's human nature to want to stroke yourself when you make a purchase and justify your decision. It would be like me saying my Fender 62 RI Jazz is as good as the Lakland USA Joe Osbourne I sold and I saved $1,000.00 too. In my opinion it isn't and I would never claim it is. The 62 RI just fits my budget better.
I think we owe Markbass a huge ovation though. By entering in the market at a low price point it has forced Genz-Benz, Epifani and others to come up with a product to compete. Markbass owned the low price, lightweight market. Now they don't and we will see which gear people end up with.
Didn't Bergantino insist they would not do the neo speaker thing? (am I confusing Bergantino with another brand?) I feel that the success alone all the other manufacturers have had selling the lightweight cabs forced Bergantino to do the same just as head makers had to put a product out to compete with the less expensive Markbass gear. These are all good things and we all don't have to chose the same gear to be "right", we can simply just prefer one over the other.[/QUOTE]

dear Kenny Allyn,
very interesting considerations about marketing targets and human nature...I agree that separates fit better those of us constantly in search for their "tone in the head" and make experiments much easy. This could be a very convincing opinion of the difference between the two markets and on the fact that many prefer mixed brands configuration at a certain point of their search.