Ok. . . very interesting point here is that I've been voicing my basses (pickups particularly) with a pretty good low-mid forward bump which seems to work very well on track in the studio in most situations to make the bass be present in the mix right off the bat without adding EQ. In live gig testing, this has proven to be good practice as the basses tend to sit very well in the band. This is why I did not like the stock Nordstrand NJ4 and had coil (shape, depth, wire) and magnet specs altered to voice the pickups differently.
The ACME B2 can be argued to have a hole there (mids). . . the Accugroove tri 112 and Aguilar GS112 both may also have a scoop there, but with the way I've voiced my bass builds, they even out nicely. With the F1, I can afford to dial a bit of that mid back, and the sound with the EQ's set flat when played with my basses is generally pretty mid-forward in a good way. Even at relative low volumes, the bass easily claws its way forward in live situations.
For price/performance, right now for a newbie, I'm thinking it's hard to beat the Markbass F1/F500/LMII/LMIII paired with the Aguilar GS112. Add another GS112 for larger venue, and it should get the job done 90% of the time at least. That's what I think I'm going to start recommending even though I carry neither brand. I think the value and flexibility there is hard to match.
Stepping up, I think I'm going to go the route of developing my own amp solution. Who knows where that will land? It will definitely not be priced as friendly though!
BTW, personally, I am now gigging F1 and Aguilar GS112. The band has responded positively so far to this setup. It is a keeper and I am really enjoying the setup. I feel the tweeter is a little cheap on the Aggie, so at home for pickup/bass development work, I'm still generally listening through the B2 because I like what the silk tweeter and mid-driver are able to articulate for me in terms of nuance and transparency especially when sitting relatively close to the speaker cab, but the "cheap" horn on the Aggie cranks out more volume live and without loads and loads of headroom, I have to think about efficiency when running the F1 more than before.
I do not personally gig the Walter Woods. Just listen to it for testing and at gigs where other people are playing (and I'm making minute action adjustments between sets on basses
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However, I use relatively high SPL 4ohm boxes. I did find the Walter to sound more full and deeper and louder into a large 8ohm box or my Acme cab.... so +1 there!
