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CARVIN BX 500 OR MARKBASS LITTLEMARK 3

#61
I love my BX500. It may not sound the greatest when you set all of the EQ sliders and knob to the middle/flat position but it can sure sing once you adjust them accordingly. The BX500 offers plenty of flexibility. I didn't really have to toy around much at all before I found something that sounded great. I don't mind that it doesn't sound perfect with everything centered; there's no harm in using the EQ to make fine tuned adjustments. :)

The main feature of the Carvin that had me sold on it was that it is stable down to 2 ohms. Also, my past experience with Carvin played a role; I've got a B1500 and it's an incredible amp. I have a pair of 112s that I use with the BX500 and they are both 8 ohm cabinets. I don't regularly utilize the 2 ohm stability but I have considered getting a matching Avatar B210 (4 ohm). I like having the different cab arrangement choices, even if I rarely take advantage of them.

I've heard terrific things about the Markbass Little Mark heads. I would definitely like to try one out sometime. If I hadn't gotten the Carvin then I would have definitely waited to find a used Little Mark II or Little Mark III. I'm sure that all of the praise is well deserved.
 
#62
Theory028 you sound like me in reverse. I haven't heard the carvin but I have heard good things about them, I like the portability and the 2 ohms. You have heard good things about the MarkBass but haven't tried one out. They're really cool, paired with the right bass and cab and not much else, you have a totally portable, great sounding rig. Everyone says you can make one trip in from the car, that's a bit of a stretch but you can make 2 nice easy trips with no grunting if you get a nice lightweight but powerful cab (I'm thrilled with my Schroeder 1212L which is 2 X 12 inch Neo speakers with a titanium tweeter in a rugged 40 pound enclosure and it is the size of a single 12 inch cab.) There's so much great sounding gear out there, best of luck and here's to finding that perfect tone, reliability and convenience of application. Happy New Years!
 
#63
I really dig my Carvin BX500. It is one of those amps that to me does NOT shine set flat though. Use the bass and parametric mids and it can get very deep.

Also, my BR515N combo can sound really warm (warmer than my B100r for comparison). The secret with it is adjusting the eq.
 
#64
I need a new amp and have limited the options down to these:

If I order a micro head, between the BX500 & Markbass II/III, I'd have to go with the Markbass and marry it to an Avatar 2x12 neo. I haven’t tried either so I can only go by reviews which hands down, Markbass wins.

But I've also toyed with the idea of a combo as I’m not playing with anyone right now. And of course if I find myself if a gigging way down the road, I could always add an Avatar 2x10 to it. As for which combo, I'm thinking the Carvin BR515N may be the way to go. I tried out the Jeff Berlin Markbass combo at GC and while not a bad amp; it really didn't jump out at me tonally. And having read this thread, it sounds like the other Markbass combos are not this company's strong point. The Carvin combo with that BX500 head & neo speaker is pretty light, powerful, and versatile. Did I mention pretty easy on the wallet as well?

So any friendly advice regarding Carvin vs. Markbass combos? Or perhaps I should ditch the combo idea and just go with the Markbass head and Avatar 2x12?

Thanks!
 
#66
I tried the Carvin BX500, returned it for a B1500. Never looked back. I know, huge difference in weight. The BX500 tone was just too weird to my hears. The low end is very "airy". No slam. It could have been the bass I was using at the time. Others have stated the 500 is too bright, and I agree 1000%. (And I like bright) Have a GB Shuttle 6.0 now as well and it's easy to get a decent tone with zero tweaking.
 
#67
Funny how subjective this stuff is. I found the 500 to be nice and chunky on the bottom and sizzly on the top to the point of having to actually turn down the treble to about 10 o'clock. The 6.0 was ok, nothing special, imho, and those 3 switches I had absolutely no use for. The Carvin has the advantage of two different eq's which can be used separately or together, tube or no tube, 2 ohm capability, and a compressor, which you NEVER find on these 5lb wonder amps. And the price is right ! Of course, my favorite lightweight is the Markbass F1, but that's a whole different story ! The F1 is fast, loud, chunky, and with 3 different cabs, needed little tweaking at all. I did have an LM ll but did'nt care for it, sounded rather dark to me.
 
#68
Maybe it's my combo, but I crank the treble (and keep the tweeter turned off). I do have the old tweeter (not the new titanium one). I also really think the compressor works well with the BX500.

All of these new light/powerful/good sounding heads are huge wins for bassists.
:bassist:
 
#69
Lync said:
Maybe it's my combo, but I crank the treble (and keep the tweeter turned off). I do have the old tweeter (not the new titanium one). I also really think the compressor works well with the BX500.

All of these new light/powerful/good sounding heads are huge wins for bassists.
:bassist:
Click to expand...

I see on eBay that Carvin is selling new BR15N’s with the old tweeter at a discount. This amp has the same BX500 head and is housed in the new ported 1x15 cab; it just doesn’t feature the new titanium tweeter. I was wondering if the tonal difference between the old and tweeters are really THAT different. I think these eBay Carvins are something close to $200 less give or take. Kinda hard to pass up. I know you don’t even bother you’re your tweeter but what’s your take on this?
 
#70
My take would be to get the new tweeter....when it is available for sale as a replacement part. :D

For now, the combo is only $75 more than the head.

The 15" handles the power no problem and it is light (although my combo is 50 pounds, not 40 like in the specs).
 
#72
tonenazi said:
The new tweeter was an necessary upgrade IMHO.
Click to expand...

What makes the old tweeter so horrible? After all, I suspect I'd only use it sparingly for an additional hint of tonal zip. Word is that the BX500 head is on the bright side anyway. And as Lync mentioned, the combo with the old tweeter is only $75 more than the BX500 head alone. Now I'm willing to pay more if the new tweeter makes makes this amp really sing. But if its only moderately better tonally, way not save a few bucks?
 
#73
I received my new BX500 Dec 30th and used it on New Years Eve for it's first gig.

"I" feel it's less bright than my Genz Benz NeoPak that is replaced. Some above feel the Carvin is brighter than the Markbass, but I feel the Carvin isn't as bright or modern sounding as the Genz Benz. Somewhere in between. At least in my initial gig with it.


.
 
#74
stflbn said:
I received my new BX500 Dec 30th and used it on New Years Eve for it's first gig.

"I" feel it's less bright than my Genz Benz NeoPak that is replaced. Some above feel the Carvin is brighter than the Markbass, but I feel the Carvin isn't as bright or modern sounding as the Genz Benz. Somewhere in between. At least in my initial gig with it.


.
Click to expand...

Good to know. So what kind of bass are you playing thru it? Any pedals? Did you go through the PA as well? And finally, did you tilt back the cab? Thanks!
 
#75
pmano said:
Theory028 you sound like me in reverse. I haven't heard the carvin but I have heard good things about them, I like the portability and the 2 ohms. You have heard good things about the MarkBass but haven't tried one out. They're really cool, paired with the right bass and cab and not much else, you have a totally portable, great sounding rig. Everyone says you can make one trip in from the car, that's a bit of a stretch but you can make 2 nice easy trips with no grunting if you get a nice lightweight but powerful cab (I'm thrilled with my Schroeder 1212L which is 2 X 12 inch Neo speakers with a titanium tweeter in a rugged 40 pound enclosure and it is the size of a single 12 inch cab.) There's so much great sounding gear out there, best of luck and here's to finding that perfect tone, reliability and convenience of application. Happy New Years!
Click to expand...

A stretch? One trip load in rig. Even easier with my 1210L.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7506975&postcount=255[/QUOTE]

I take my LMII in an amp bag I got with my iAmp350, which also holds all sorts of cables, some tools, strings, etc. Put the two cabs on the cart along with two bass stands and a music stand. Gigbag over my shoulder. If I have to carry a garment bag, I hang it on the handle on the cart. Setup/teardown is ridiculously fast. I can be walking out in five minutes or less after a gig. I usually noodle around for a few minutes so as not to rub it in.
:smug:

Here's what I use:

www.kart-a-bag.com. I've been using a Commander 600 for years (decades actually).
 
#76
Brad Johnson said:
A stretch? One trip load in rig. Even easier with my 1210L.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7506975&postcount=255
Click to expand...

I take my LMII in an amp bag I got with my iAmp350, which also holds all sorts of cables, some tools, strings, etc. Put the two cabs on the cart along with two bass stands and a music stand. Gigbag over my shoulder. If I have to carry a garment bag, I hang it on the handle on the cart. Setup/teardown is ridiculously fast. I can be walking out in five minutes or less after a gig. I usually noodle around for a few minutes so as not to rub it in.
:smug:

Here's what I use:

www.kart-a-bag.com. I've been using a Commander 600 for years (decades actually).[/QUOTE]

Very cool Brad. I ususally bring 2 basses, only 1 cab but a 4 space rack that's almost as big as my Schroder, my markbass LMIII (in it's own bag) with a gig bag for cables. I don't use a cart. I guess it's time for me to use one! I agree, with that set up, you are easily in with one shot. no strain on the back. thanks for the advice.
 
#77
well, I know this is an old thread but...I've owned a couple LMII amps. I find them a tad muddy and the lack of a real treble control (it's voiced at 10k) is really a drag IMO. When the LMIII first came out, it was listed on the site that the center freq of the treble was 5k but it turns out to be a misprint. The thing about the Carvin is that you get a much better EQ section so I went ahead and ordered it to see if it lives up to the hype. I also intend to use it for recording and even as a poweramp to run with an axe-fx. I'll post back my thoughts when I receive it.
 
#78
you could be right about the muddiness, a lot of tone is personal preferrence. I use a Tech 21 Sansamp RBI rack mountable pre amp and I gotta say, paired with the MarkBass and going thru say a good Ampeg Cab, I get clean, clear low end with good high end crunch. When I use the MarkBass alone it's usually because I'm playing in a smaller venue and I'll pair it with the Schroeder 212L and that amp has great mid range cut, again, no mud. If you're limited on cab, bass, amp, effects then you would need a more versatile amp. With the sansamp and a bunch of cabs, i'm not running into the muddiness problem wtih the markbass. I'm practically using my MarkBass LMIII as a 6 pound power amp running everything flat and just tweaking the VLE and VPF knobs. You can get some great tones doing that, then pre amp it with the sansamp and i have to tell you, you're not going to find a much better bass tone. i get complimented constantly and I have found a sound I am truly happy with. All personal opinon of course. This is pretty subjective stuff.
 
#79
I tried using the LMII as a power amp with an axefx preamp driving it and found that it was too muddy and colored. I'm hoping the carvin will be better in that regard...

pmano said:
you could be right about the muddiness, a lot of tone is personal preferrence. I use a Tech 21 Sansamp RBI rack mountable pre amp and I gotta say, paired with the MarkBass and going thru say a good Ampeg Cab, I get clean, clear low end with good high end crunch. When I use the MarkBass alone it's usually because I'm playing in a smaller venue and I'll pair it with the Schroeder 212L and that amp has great mid range cut, again, no mud. If you're limited on cab, bass, amp, effects then you would need a more versatile amp. With the sansamp and a bunch of cabs, i'm not running into the muddiness problem wtih the markbass. I'm practically using my MarkBass LMIII as a 6 pound power amp running everything flat and just tweaking the VLE and VPF knobs. You can get some great tones doing that, then pre amp it with the sansamp and i have to tell you, you're not going to find a much better bass tone. i get complimented constantly and I have found a sound I am truly happy with. All personal opinon of course. This is pretty subjective stuff.
Click to expand...
 
#80
I've heard some really good things about the Carvins. I like the fact it goes to 2 ohms. I may end up getting one of their power amps eventually. they seem to have all around good deals on their stuff and the quality seems to be there.

Let me know how you like it.
 

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