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Is Markbass really all that??

P

paul5string81

Guest
Jun 18, 2011
3
11
Northern NJ
#1
First time poster here and I apologize off the bat for a somewhat negative start but here goes - I have never had a single positive experience with Markbass gear. Am I missing something? I've owned MB gear on multiple occasions (Why? Because it kept getting recommended and i'm a sucker for yellow and black) and I've always been left disappointed by the sound i've gotten. I've owned combos, separates , pretty much every combination and i've sold it all. I recently moved to Epifani gear Pic 999 head with the TOUR 4 X 10 and I absolutely love it - Punchy , clean and tons of headroom. I would say definitely in the same price point as MB but really just blows MB away IMO. Tell me MB users - What's the big deal? Sacrilegious, i know :)
 
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#2
paul5string81 said:
First time poster here and I apologize off the bat for a somewhat negative start but here goes - I have never had a single positive experience with Markbass gear. Am I missing something? I've owned MB gear on multiple occasions (Why? Because it kept getting recommended and i'm a sucker for yellow and black) and I've always been left disappointed by the sound i've gotten. I've owned combos, separates , pretty much every combination and i've sold it all. I recently moved to Epifani gear Pic 999 head with the TOUR 4 X 10 and I absolutely love it - Punchy , clean and tons of headroom. I would say definitely in the same price point as MB but really just blows MB away IMO. Tell me MB users - What's the big deal? Sacrilegious, i know :)
Click to expand...

Almost 8 years without posting on TB and you don't like MarkBass. Why did you ruin your perfect record? Well at least you still don't like MarkBass!
 
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#3
I don’t care for the sound of their amps or cabs either, for electric bass at least.
I’ve been able to achieve usable, albeit sterile tones for upright gigs using their products though. I imagine the weight is very much part of the appeal for many.
My heart always sinks a little when I see the yellow/black as festival backline I have to admit.
My opinions aside, clearly the brand works for many others, so hey, different strokes right?
 
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#5
I don't like their stuff, very sterile sounding and they are the most hideous looking amps ever made IMHO:laugh:. Remember the band Stryper?

Stryper-1986.jpg
 
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#6
19222827_10158926474330341_7058191671018672786_o.jpg
I really like my MarkBass Jeff Berlin !51p, I have had since 2010 and still use it. I also have used it with an Aguilar 210 cab and the 15 B&C in my MarkBass it sounded it awesome to me I sold the 210 cab and now use my MarkBass. My 2 favorite amps are MarkBass and SWR. At church I use a SWR 350 head and a SWR 410 cab. If I had to choose between the 2 , I am a big fan of SWR.Its to bad they quit making SWR.
 
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#7
gary mitchell said:
View attachment 3331183 I really like my MarkBass Jeff Berlin !51p, I have had since 2010 and still use it. I also have used it with an Aguilar 210 cab and the 15 B&C in my MarkBass it sounded it awesome to me I sold the 210 cab and now use my MarkBass. My 2 favorite amps are MarkBass and SWR. At church I use a SWR 350 head and a SWR 410 cab. If I had to choose between the 2 , I am a big fan of SWR.Its to bad they quit making SWR.
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Me too, I used to own an SWR Goliath III (4×10) loved the sound but got sick of lugging it around. I bought a 122 Ninja Richard Bona cab, & with only 2 12" s (41 lbs) it specs out like the Goliath except its SPL is 3db less than the SWR. IMO they sound the same, with the MB's compression r sounding maybe a smidgeon less 'in your face' than the SWR's Fosterhorn. (I hear that the other MB tweeters are soft).

I believe I got the best bang for the buck given the size & weight limitations. Turned on its side with the 12" drivers aligned vertically it has a very tiny footprint on these tiny stages where local musicians are forced to play.
 
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#9
You're funny. All these complaints about yellow and black and now someone's buying all Markbass gear on planet earth because it is yellow and black. He doesn't like what he bought. He sells it, he tries to get rid of it, but then he's marching into GC again and this black and yellow something attracts him, lets him lose control again and he finds himself back home with a ton of yellow and black Markbass gear. And the mess starts all over again.
Again and again. For seven odd years...
And then this lost soul found God (Epiphany: the appearance of a deity to a human being).

I'm so profan... I keep my LMII, my CMD112 and my Minimark. Works really good in the profan world I live in...
 
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#10
paul5string81 said:
First time poster here and I apologize off the bat for a somewhat negative start but here goes - I have never had a single positive experience with Markbass gear. Am I missing something? I've owned MB gear on multiple occasions (Why? Because it kept getting recommended and i'm a sucker for yellow and black) and I've always been left disappointed by the sound i've gotten. I've owned combos, separates , pretty much every combination and i've sold it all. I recently moved to Epifani gear Pic 999 head with the TOUR 4 X 10 and I absolutely love it - Punchy , clean and tons of headroom. I would say definitely in the same price point as MB but really just blows MB away IMO. Tell me MB users - What's the big deal? Sacrilegious, i know :)
Click to expand...
OK in a reply I just posted in this thread I lauded the Richard Bona 122 Ninja cabinet.. I have never owned a MB head, but I just ordered a Little Marcus 800 from a Texas pawn shop as a back up to my G&K MB800 Fusion.

The publicity video featuring Marcus Miller himself intrigued me. Miller said if he had a signature MB amp, it had to be different from the other heads, with more "booty". I don't know, I might be disappointed when it arrives. My G&K Fusion has 3 tubes to go with the Cass D electronics, & it does a pretty good just b giving me the right sound. Maybe I should a got a usedG&K Fusion, but you don't see many used ones for sale, & that might speak volumes for customer satisfaction.

BTW. I HATE the appearance of most MB products. The amp I ordered is silver (white) with black knobs (not yellow). It's still too loud optically. Amplification gear should be heard & barely seen.

As for my purchase, I impulsively purchased it* because I liked the price & failed to research whether it can easily be repaired in the case of it breaking down. I started a thread about MB reliability & repair that's being ignored by the TBF community. Maybe someone reading/participating in this thread can enlighten me.

* it can be sent back
 
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#12
T Bassman said:
I don’t care for the sound of their amps or cabs either, for electric bass at least.
I’ve been able to achieve usable, albeit sterile tones for upright gigs using their products though. I imagine the weight is very much part of the appeal for many.
My heart always sinks a little when I see the yellow/black as festival backline I have to admit.
My opinions aside, clearly the brand works for many others, so hey, different strokes right?
Click to expand...
Doesn't Marc Johnson also use MB cabs with his upright? BTW I love his piccolo (or small bodied) bass.
 
#20
JazzCrazy said:
Doesn't that LMII have tubes? The "Little Marcus" I bought is solid state & that raises a red flag. I never got the sound I want out of a 100% solid state amp. Also, in a hybrid, some (not sll) repair issues can be addressed by just sticking in new tubes.
Click to expand...

No - LMII does not have tubes. Only the ones with Tubes in the title.
 

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