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Is Markbass really all that??

#241
I had the MB Little Mark lll anniversary in silver. It was reliable and had no service issues. I traded it for a MESA subway D-800 and eventually a WD-800. The reason was tone alone. I also owned a MB NY 115. It was too noisy and the tweeter hummed . The gear was overpriced and tonally not to my taste but it didn't break down.
 
#243
I have a 410 hf Italian made and it kills. It’s my go to cab for larger rooms cause it really fills them up with some full low end. No need to haul an 810 ever again. And it’s light enough to not get annoyed carrying it. Not crazy about the yellow though. But sounds great, works for me.
 
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#244
songwriter21 said:
I agree with @Killed_by_Death, regarding the Italian-made 2x10 cab. I had one, too, beat the ever-living crap out of it for years and years, and then also foolishly sold it. A ton of people couldn't believe that the cab was so loud for it's size. I haven't heard the same comparisons about their Indonesian and Chinese stuff, though, and frankly the cheaper manufacturing made me frown from the initial change. I look for vintage Italian stuff here and there, but that's it.

Regardless of the point of manufacturer, I tried a few Italian MB amps in the beginning, finally got a limited-edition F1 head, and ended up selling it. I then got a GK 1001 RB-II, and my woes were cured.[/QUOTE

There is no Chinese "stuff".
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#245
fauxtoe said:
I know you're in a different country, but in the USA the price of an 800 watt Markbass amp and the 800 watt Mesa D800 is the exact same, or +/- $50 depending on which Markbass amp we're talking about. The price likely gets inflated for either company depending on import/export fees.
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Not true. At least $100 between LM 800 and Mesa D800. Markbass stuff goes on sale (sometimes deeply). Mesa NEVER does. I've got 10 different Bass amps(Mesa, Markbass,Genz-Benz, Carvin ,Fender, Genzler, and Wayne Jones) ,and like them all! My hands down favorite is the Markbass SD1200(not made any more). It's 1200 watts and voiced like the F1-F500 series. I think it is the best amp they ever made. LOUD, punchy, full, and flexible with endless head room. They make great gear, but tone is in the ear of the beholder.
 
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#246
bassfreakah said:
I got a LMlll and really liked it. I am a big fan of 15 cabs and have always wanted to get a Randy Jackson 151 bass cab. now i will have to get one of the used ones Italian made with the B&K speaker. I really cant think of any negatives about the LMIII.
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Where do you live? I've got one I'll sell you. Only used it about 8-10




times on gigs only. It's my favorite sounding 15. Just moved on to MAS cabs.
 
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#247
eff-clef said:
Not true. At least $100 between LM 800 and Mesa D800. Markbass stuff goes on sale (sometimes deeply). Mesa NEVER does. I've got 10 different Bass amps(Mesa, Markbass,Genz-Benz, Carvin ,Fender, and Genzler), and like them all! My hands down favorite is the Markbass SD1200(not made any more). It's 1200 watts and voiced like the F1-F500 series. I think it is the best amp they ever made. LOUD, punchy, full, and flexible with endless head room. They make great gear, but tone is in the ear of the beholder.
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It was a year ago when I made that post :)
 
#250
Low Class said:
It was over a year when the OP started this thread and he hasn't been back since!
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OK, but the point is still valid!

All joking aside, I think this is a good thread to keep Markbass present in the american market. In Europe and Asia markbass has a good presence and is well appreciated in the market. But in the US it seems they have had a harder time. I think this is due to making the mistake of using GC for distribution which has associated their brand with a much inferior brand. It's a shame because Markbass produces high end gear at relatively modest prices. From what I see here in Italy the gear is pretty much bulletproof and people use Markbass just for the reliability. For the record, they aren't "The Best" by any means, and certainly not here in Italy, but I think Markbass is near the top of the pack and can hold its own against the boutique brands.
 
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#251
I've owned many amps in my 37 years of bass playing, and my TA501 is one of my all time favorites. It has a fantastic sound, is lightweight, and has been completely reliable. I also really like my F1 and I have two of the Randy Jackson 151RJ cabinets. I'm not just into Markbass, though. I have a Thunderfunk head, a Mesa Walkabout combo, a vintage 1965 Ampeg B-15, a first gen SWR Redhead, an Ashdown combo, and a really fun Fender Studio 40 that has some great models in it.
20200418_172402.jpg
 
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#259
An amplifier is a piece of electronics. If it is made to the same design and specification, using the same components, it is going
to sound the same no matter where it is made.
This is of course different to, for example, a guitar when variability of natural materials and attention to detail in hand finishing
will make a difference. The latter could, just, possibly apply to a speaker cabinet but not an amplifier.
 
#260
penllyn said:
An amplifier is a piece of electronics. If it is made to the same design and specification, using the same components, it is going
to sound the same no matter where it is made.
This is of course different to, for example, a guitar when variability of natural materials and attention to detail in hand finishing
will make a difference. The latter could, just, possibly apply to a speaker cabinet but not an amplifier.
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I would tend to agree as long as you add in using the same (or better) manufacturing processes (including cleanliness, working environment, employee qualifications and experience, attention to detail, etc.), parts screening, component/sub-assembly/final assemebly burn-in, test and QA/process control, and appropriate preservation, packaging and packing to enure safe delivery from the new location. However, even then there are no guarantees.

As I understand the evolution and IMO, GK's experiment in moving some prodcution to China a number of years back is a great case study regarding intangibles unexpectedly impacting quality specifically in bass amplification product manufacturing. I genuinely believe GK tried to ensure everything in the plant they controlled in China mirrored their US facility - I can't imagine Bob Gallien letting any detail fall simply to chance.

Given that they eventually brought manufacturing/assembly back to the US (presumably not because it was cheaper to build in California than China), I assume they found intangibles in manufacturing (e.g. process control) were impacting production quality. To be clear, this is only my opinion and it relates solely to the potential to inadvertently create unexpected problems when moving even mature manufacturing as an intact process to a different location - and IME this observation is country/geographic location agnostic.

IME quality and concomitantly the cost of poor quality are sometimes affected as signifiacntly by things we can't/don't directly measure or quantify as they are by specs and standards. And yes, Dr. Deming used to tell us at times like this that everything that matters can be measured in some way...the trick is that you have to first identify and understand "everything that matters", which is not always so obvious when things are going just fine!
 
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