Jeff Berlin Markbass Combo

[Lorenzini]

I believe it's LMII in a 15" combo, no tweeter.
Should be in Guitar Centers soon, I suppose!
I got this info from Jeff himself, on a MySpace blog.

I find it very interesting that Jeff can get such a clear tone out of a 15, especially with the style of music he plays and how each line is articulated so well.

I'll be looking forward to trying it out.

 

[pedro]

I find it very interesting that Jeff can get such a clear tone out of a 15, especially with the style of music he plays and how each line is articulated so well.

Why would that surprise you?

 

[John Wentzien]

I like 15's with no tweeters also. Tweeters just seem to amplify fret-noise, buzzing and string squeaking to my ear--- A good 15 cab has plenty of highs for bass (and they are smoother sounding).

 

[Lorenzini]

I would expect Jeff to enjoy playing through 10s or 12s but as was posted above, it's probably true and a well designed 15 would have clarity too.

Also Jeff has a distinct tone, with a lot of fret noise, string squeaking, etc... I would have thought he used a tweeter.

 

[pedro]

There was some Jaco fellow that had a rather articulate sound using a 1x18 speaker.

 

[Lorenzini]

Thanks for your comments, pedro.

Anyone have any opinions on the cab? Or maybe someone's heard it?

 

[pedro]

Anyone have any opinions on the cab? Or maybe someone's heard it?

No but I did try a Markbass rig recently at a Boston Guitar Center and thought it was very nice. Not my cup of tea and very expensive as I recall but nice.

 

[bradjonesbass]

Makes sense to me. His live rig has been an LMII and two MB 15's for a while now. I think he's pretty much always used 15's because they sound rounder to his ears. I bet that's a nice combo, though I've not played it - I don't think it's even out yet.

 

[bugbass]

The Jeff Berlin combo sounds very quick and articulate and with a bit of warmth too. This is a punchy little combo, and the low mid bark IMO suits the buisy finger-style players well

 

[HMZ]

I like 15's with no tweeters also. Tweeters just seem to amplify fret-noise, buzzing and string squeaking to my ear--- A good 15 cab has plenty of highs for bass (and they are smoother sounding).

I use to think the same way but I have an Aguilar DB210 and find the tweeter usable.

 

[Lorenzini]

I'm going to go to GC tomorrow and see if they have the combo.

Good ole Jeff!

 

[Jeff Scott]

Us Jeffs like our 15" speakers! I use two Traynor YS-15 cabinets from the mis '60s with Eminence Delta Pro drivers in them, powered by either a MB LM II or WW Super. Makes my Rickenbackers sound like Geddy/Chris/Jon/Me!!!

 

[pbass2]

I wanna check that combo out---I have the MB 1X12 combo and while I love the portability and power for it's size, I'm a 15" guy. i use a 15" ext cab sometimes for more booty, but probably wouldn't need it if I had the 1x15 combo. I will say the tweeter in my MB makes me nuts. I use the VLE to completely dial it out. I never understood tweeters in a bass cab--it's rather silly IMHO. There's nothing in that freq. range on a bass guitar that I wanna hear, personally . . . .

 

[mraappana]

Hi. This would be my very first post around here.
I have owned this combo almost a year now. Done some Jazz, Pop/Rock and Funk gigs with it and it suits very well these styles. imho. It´s very punchy and warm sounding but still good amount of clarity. Maybe not so good with slapping but can do that too, if you tweak some VPF filter.

 

[Micolao]

well...I tried one and there's a sort of tweeter in it...I don't know what kind it is, maybe a piezo...but there's something on it...can you see it on the pic?

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[Tom Howland]

I like 15's with no tweeters also. Tweeters just seem to amplify fret-noise, buzzing and string squeaking to my ear--- A good 15 cab has plenty of highs for bass (and they are smoother sounding).

+1
No tweeters for me.

 

[John Wentzien]

I'd really like to try one of these..Can't seem to find them anywhere around here..
Anyone know what the price is on these at GC? They don't have it posted on the site.

 

[basskopf]

I own this combo. Jeff was on tour in Switzerland about 3-4 months ago and I was able to buy one of the units he played on personally from the importer/distributor. (As an aside, we had a 3 hour workshop with Jeff, which only about 10 people attended because they forgot to publish the date! This was fantastic ... but belongs in another thread.)

This is a beautiful amp. The power output ist 300 watts @ 8 ohms or 500 watts @ 4 ohms. This is on 220v/European standard but I guess the US values won't be much different. There is DEFINITELY no tweeter on this amp. Jeff explained that he doesn't like them and doesn't need one.

There is no issue at all about articulation on this amp. Don't forget, Markbass has some very clever engineers on board and the envelope on state of the art is being pushed every day. You will not miss the tweeter.

This amp has a big boomy low end, as you would expect. (I insulated the floor in my study, upstairs, because the whole house was vibrating and it was driving my wife crazy!) Warm mid range, decent highs. I use the VLE (vintage loudspeaker emulator) filter to mute the mids a bit and it gives me the sound I want. Play with the 4 band EQ, you will get it to just where you want it. (In contrast to most manuals, the Markbass booklet accompanying this unit gives a fantastic explanation of all the controls, allowing you really to fine tune it perfectly).

I just love this amp and can only recommend it. I play mostly jazz, blues and some classic rock, it is perfect for me. By the way, the weight is under 20 kg (about 45 pounds), so relative to it's power it is VERY portable. I am so sold on Markbass that I just bought the Micromark, which is only one 6" speaker, but outstanding for travel!

Tim

 

[hands5]

No but I did try a Markbass rig recently at a Boston Guitar Center and thought it was very nice. Not my cup of tea and very expensive as I recall but nice.

Agreed. Okay at best

 

[Peter Murray]

I'd really like to try one of these..Can't seem to find them anywhere around here..
Anyone know what the price is on these at GC? They don't have it posted on the site.

The Jeff Berlin combo is now in the US and available from Guitar Center!

If they don't have one at your local store they can order one in for you, or have one sent directly to your door. As with all Markbass products at GC, there's a 60-day return policy and 2-year warranty included.

I can't post the price here but feel free to PM me for it.

Cheers,
Peter