Is Markbass really all that??

[ThinCrappyTone]

My random and limited XP with MB:

My Markbass compressore is indeed “all that”

I have a Markbass bass distortion pedal that’s pretty rad as well. But its not a ringer like the compressore.

Amps? I tried a few of their tiny combos and was very, very impressed. Loud af for their size, with great tone imo.

Purchased a TTE 800 head and returned it 2 days later. Very dark, hissy, eq was useless. A very un-Markbass-like design and tone imo.

Regularly played through a mb 4x10 at a rehearsal space. Thought it was killer.

Have seen many bands using Markbass, and always thought they sounded great.

 

[lfmn16]

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

Why would you think that there is a product that EVERYBODY likes? If you don't like it, don't buy it. See how simple?

 

[Sparkl]

Nasal mid frequencies. For guitar 800Hz can give a nasal sound but bass.. Bass sits an octave below guitar.. Mid nasal sound on bass should be around 500Hz.. 2kHz for bass guitar is clarity. My problem with some bass cabs are this region. The crossover at 3.5kHz on a horn combined with a speaker t that has little output at 2-3kHz region gives closed sound with bass guitar when playing soft with fingers. TC Electronic cabs with the COAXIAL driver and a lower crossover freq has Much more pleasing natural sound than the low excursion 10s or 12s combined with a 3.5kHz crossover

Yes of course, 2khz (also 3khz) region is the so called clarity area. But if the 2khz gets really harsh the way most mb amps do without a nice treble extension it sounds very harsh to me. A really nice example of how I hear the amps extension are ampegs. Very nice clarity yet doesn't invade your ears like a needle.

As for the nasal mids, they sit around 500-800 hz. 400-500hz area is where the "body" mids are and area around 200hz is where you shape the width of the sound but also risk a boxy character.

Markbass gear is by no means bad but I think it doesn't get along with vintage instruments the likes of Fender etc.

I can see how certain scooped basses could benefit from such voicing but in case of fenders, there's too much of a good thing at once.

 

[kpc]

I still own and use (depending on the gig) my Markbass F1-500 and F500 heads and love them. Their very small and thin. I carry one as a back up in my gig bag but many times I use it. Never had a problem with either.

 

[Mark 23730]

I use a Little Mark 250 Blackline that my wife bought for me last year and love it, works great for me.

View attachment 3331411

New to TB as of today. Thank you for all your posts on gear and technics. I too have the same head, I originally purchased it to help drive my 7.5 3D TV surround sound several years ago. I'm new to playing bass, very old guitarist. Just finished building a speaker box with a 400W 8ohm speaker with Speakon Connectors from GC last night and this head drives it very nicely, can't wait to use it with the band next time we meet up and get reactions. I couldn't part "wallet" company for $600.00 to $800.00 for a speaker and cabinet by MB, or an empty MB box for $399.00.

 

[Frank77]

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

Pro tip: If a particular brand disappoints you, stop buying their stuff.

I don't get the point of threads like these. Some dudes like MarkBass, some don't. Lots of bassists swear by Ampeg, personally I don't like their amps. We're not all playing the same music and trying to get the same tone.

*shrugs*

 

[FirewalZ]

Ive said it on multiple other threads...I think they sound just fine, very good in fact, I just can't get past the fact that they are nearly twice the cost of several other brands that also have amps that sound good.

 

[gazzatriumph]

Don’t understand the hype either. Most of their products sucks the musical fire out of me. Maybe just don’t follow the hype. Could be they made the first portable gear. They excel in marketing. People think its exotic because its an Italian company. Overhere in Europe Italian made was never recommended for its technical quality. See small Italian cars like Fiat.

Agree, being Italian made would a reason for me not to buy one. Ive heard a few in pubs/bars but never thought they sounded great, not bad just not particularly good.

 

[wmhill]

Nope............

 

[IamGroot]

I love MB, but I always use active electronics basses like Warwick Thumb 5s. Tonight I have a rock blues bar gig and I will be using a passive Jazz with flats with LMII and Aguilar cabs.

I am going to pack a GK800 and AB em

 

[skidmarkbass]

I bought my MB rig back in 2008, when my transportation was an Audi TT (Small). I was looking for a lighter/smaller rig that would fit in the car and still sound good. SD800 with 115 and 410. Fast forward to 2019, I still have it, it sounds good, still works as it should. I have used the head to power and Ampeg 810 SVT, it sounded so good that I sold my 80 pound SVT head. I have played many other rigs that sounded better, but not by much. For a small bar gig, to make $60 it's perfect!

 

[JimChjones]

Well, I spent an afternoon in a music shop with MB, TC, GK and Fender amps and picked the Markbass.

 

[Boundary Effect]

I bought a lightly used NY122 because of light weight. high efficiency, 4Ω and I could trade in gear to GC to lower the price string. Eh. It's okay. However, last week I picked up a Low Down Sound 15/6/1 off CL at less than half the price. The LDS crushes the NY122. My generalized observation is MB cabinets don't "speak," if that means anything.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

This is very subjective and posts like this usually end badly.
Some love MB. Some don't. I don't care for MB.

 

[Stranger Danger]

The thing about Markbass is that it gives you what you put in it. If you’re finding it bland then your bass is probably bland. They need to have a good tone coming from the bass or pedals. They are sonically honest.

 

[klejst]

Just like with any player who may be true to a specific brand, either you love them, like them or don't. Personally I have not heard too much negative things about the MB brand.

 

[groooooove]

if MB is not for you, thats fine!

i've always loved their heads.

 

[gorneyg]

Depends on what 'sound' you're looking for but I've had a couple of combinations of Markbass gear and liked it all. I still have the 2x10 combo I use for rehearsal. I also used the 2x10 with the 115 and thought the sound was very good.
Same price point as Epifani? No.

 

[BassBrass]

I like the sound of the speakers and they are super light, got a NY15, NY2/10, and a now discontinued 4/6 (which sounds very balanced alone) I use it with a Carvin 4/10&horn with 200w Eminence classics in it. My amps are Ampeg or GK, never got around to Markbass amp but I jammed (on trumpet) with a funk band with a slapper on bass and his Little Mark 500 into SWR 4/10 sounded Great. That's SWR old school and it was loud.

 

[onosson]

It's fine not to like any brand - that's why there are so many manufacturers, offering you different choices.

For me, the best part of the MB standard set of controls (as in the LittleMark series) is the VLE and VPF. I can usually adapt my sound to any particular bass/cabinet/room combination by simply tweaking those two dials. If that doesn't work, rolling off the bass a bit is usually the trick (usually due to having to position the bass cab in a not ideal part of the room). I play mostly passive Fenders and also have an active Modulus that I use frequently - the same strategy works in either case.