I had my first experience with Mark Bass yesterday, and I must say, I was really impressed. I have to tell you -- I almost felt ashamed of myself, because I was walking into a local Guitar Center here, talking the usual amount of smack about GC and its employees, but, I had a nice experience with a guy working there who, although in his early 20's, really knew his bass stuff. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and a very good bass player. I'm sure his band(s) are happy to have him on board. That comment is not a dig on the youth - I love meeting somebody with youthful exuberance, and the class he had was a refreshing experience to other memories of GC sour taste, regardless of age!
We talked for a bit about my situation. I'm a recent guitar convert, and am setting myself up right in the next few months with gear that will be versatile for gigs, practice, and the possbiliity of studio.
Although I'm attracted to the Big Ampeg stuff, (like most humans)
, I realize that I don't really need it right out of the gate, so my money can be spent much wiser on a couple different scenarios. Besides, the money I save on amplification can go into the "dream fund" of someday owning a Sadowsky, or the like.
As for the gear: I was initially turned off by the bright school bus yellow cones and logos, but after watching them thump, and feeling the whump, my opinion has changed.
I first plugged into a CMD102P combo that was also attached to an additional 2x10 that I think must have been the traveler 102P? This sounded killer! I played a Fender Jazz standard, Deluxe Precision, and an Ernie Ball that I'm not sure of the model, but it seemed to be the loudest of the three. Standard GC flare for sure.
I thought that combo package was really a lot of bang for the buck, and you can really hear the bass through this amp. It wasn't earth-shattering power like some of the big tube heads I've plugged into recently, but it was plenty for sure and would definitely be an excellent practice or small club amp.
Next up was the Little Mark Tube 800 through another 4x10 cab. This is the ticket right here. This seemed to be a nice combination of preamp tube and solid state straightforwardness, and the power was getting people's attention in the store! I would definitely be satisfied with this setup right here.
I've seen a lot of you guys and gals are advocates for Mark Bass here, and now I know why. I wanted to share my experience with you.
We talked for a bit about my situation. I'm a recent guitar convert, and am setting myself up right in the next few months with gear that will be versatile for gigs, practice, and the possbiliity of studio.
Although I'm attracted to the Big Ampeg stuff, (like most humans)
, I realize that I don't really need it right out of the gate, so my money can be spent much wiser on a couple different scenarios. Besides, the money I save on amplification can go into the "dream fund" of someday owning a Sadowsky, or the like.As for the gear: I was initially turned off by the bright school bus yellow cones and logos, but after watching them thump, and feeling the whump, my opinion has changed.
I first plugged into a CMD102P combo that was also attached to an additional 2x10 that I think must have been the traveler 102P? This sounded killer! I played a Fender Jazz standard, Deluxe Precision, and an Ernie Ball that I'm not sure of the model, but it seemed to be the loudest of the three. Standard GC flare for sure.
I thought that combo package was really a lot of bang for the buck, and you can really hear the bass through this amp. It wasn't earth-shattering power like some of the big tube heads I've plugged into recently, but it was plenty for sure and would definitely be an excellent practice or small club amp.
Next up was the Little Mark Tube 800 through another 4x10 cab. This is the ticket right here. This seemed to be a nice combination of preamp tube and solid state straightforwardness, and the power was getting people's attention in the store! I would definitely be satisfied with this setup right here.
I've seen a lot of you guys and gals are advocates for Mark Bass here, and now I know why. I wanted to share my experience with you.
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