The LM3 lo EQ starts working from around 1K Hz and below, whilst the Hi EQ starts working from around 1K Hz and above. Hence why you can hear them working beyond the stated centre frequencies.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Little Mark EQs
- Thread starter Chrisk-K
- Start date
I would have rather that the low mid EQ control were centered a bit lower -- sometimes, I wanted to dial in a slight low-mid boost and it ended up hitting higher than I wanted it to -- other than that, I don't recall having a problem with the Little Mark EQ. In practice, I found it pretty easy to dial in a good sound. I rarely used the VLE or VPF filters -- and then only sparingly -- and think that the EQ knobs stayed between noon and one o'clock for the most part. I did goof around with the interactions between the VLE/VPF and the EQ -- you can get some "outside the box" results if you mess around enough -- but ultimately didn't find those roundabout settings to be worth the trouble for regular use.
I had an F500 for awhile -- the semi-parametric EQ was indeed more flexible (though the concentric knobs were tiny). It was a good head -- tone was smoother and tighter but less warm and organic, in my opinion (and this was dependent to an extent on cabs) than that of the class AB Little Mark II.
I had an F500 for awhile -- the semi-parametric EQ was indeed more flexible (though the concentric knobs were tiny). It was a good head -- tone was smoother and tighter but less warm and organic, in my opinion (and this was dependent to an extent on cabs) than that of the class AB Little Mark II.
Al Kraft
Supporting Member
- May 2, 2016
- 10,768
- 40,437
- Disclosures
- Mesa Boogie beta product tester and player support
I do not own but have played Markbass heads on a number of occasions. In my limited experience I found the overall voicing/EQ control set provided a lot of flexibility and nice tone. I played a 4 hour show last summer using a Markbass head a friend had set up for me so I would't have to haul my own gear. The head was intuitive to use and worked fine in a less than acoustically ideal venue. Sometimes specs alone don't always tell the whole story in terms of how well something will work on stage or in the studio.
My experience with my LM III class AB head is the same as yours. Warm and organic sound, no need for knob-fiddling (I usually end up low mid 1PM, other EQ points at noon). VLE and VPF can be interesting but I usualy do not engage them at all...
Not according to their posted response charts. Of course at 40hz the Low knob might as well be shelving, although as it is it does reduce boosting the real subsonics when turned up.
Personally I'd rather have had an extra tone control and an adjustable frequency high pass than the two custom filters, but lots of people seem to value them judging by posts.
Last edited:
Thanks for that. What document is it from?
It shows how the Low and High EQ are affecting some usable & musical frequencies. Seems much more useful to see that than to know the nominal center frequencies.
Also shows why getting the VLE involved could be useful depending on whether you've got unwanted high end in your signal, maybe from pedals or, on the opposite end, a hissy or shrill tweeter you can't easily adjust. Seems like it could turn the VPF into more of a low-end dubby effect too. Haven't tried that.
From where I am sitting I see a HF roll off that is just being amplified in the T boost graph.
Al Kraft
Supporting Member
- May 2, 2016
- 10,768
- 40,437
- Disclosures
- Mesa Boogie beta product tester and player support
I'm not sure given the size of the graphs (and being too lazy to go look the originals up myself) that you don't have what is a essentially a shelving filter above 10KHz that extends to almost 15-20KHz where the amp is then out of its design range and the signal understandably attenuates rapidly. In any event, other than noise that most would find annoying, I'm not aware of much in the way of useful bass guitar content in the 10KHz to 20KHz range or above.
I see roughly a mirror image kind of situation with the bass EQ. I will admit though that both the bass and treble EQ filters affect a much broader range of frequencies than one might expect when the phrase "shelving type controls" is used. Regardless of the descriptor or specs on paper, I found them to be very useful/musical in real life when trying to dial in a good sound in difficult venues - and that's coming from a guy who doesn't own any Markbass gear!
Good point there, Al.
Something I've done before is to put the LO knob at about 11:00 and the LO MID knob at 1:00. Seemed good in certain rooms, but not in all. Mainly, I just run with them all at noon, including the VLE, with the VPF off.
Something I've done before is to put the LO knob at about 11:00 and the LO MID knob at 1:00. Seemed good in certain rooms, but not in all. Mainly, I just run with them all at noon, including the VLE, with the VPF off.
Received my Marcus 1000 today and absolutely hate it. Very hollow sounding, especially in the low mids. My Quilter 800 and TC BH800(which I wish now I hadn't sold) blow this amp away.
- ULTRALOW: Level ±16 dB (Freq. 65Hz)
- LOW: Level ±16 dB (Freq. 180Hz)
- MID: Level ±16 dB (Freq. 500 Hz)
- HIGH MID: Level ±16 dB (Freq. 1.4 KHz)
- HIGH: Level ±16 dB (Freq. 3.8 KHz)
The low and high mid controls are what bug me. I consider 180 a useless frequency center. And 1.4k is right in the center of that horrible 1-2k range that I hate. In retrospect, I think maybe Marcus might have specified that because Markbass cabs all seem to have a pretty huge bump at that point, and I could never get rid of it with the LMII/III EQ that has 800 for the high mid, but I think that 1.4k could actually get the job done. The other frequencies are fine, but those two bug me. Who knows? Maybe it'll all work out for some, and if they're happy with it, more power to them. But I prefer the LMII/III frequency centers because other than the low mid, which Ampegs don't have, they're very much like the frequency centers on my favorite Ampegs and how I set the mid selector on those with it. And I like the LMII/III but don't particularly care for Markbass cabs. So call it a wild guess or whatever, but nah, not enthused about the EQ of the Little Marcus on paper.
I run a Markbass LMII with a GK NEO 115 III cab. It's a very middy setup. I use the VLE and VPF to tame the cab. Everything else is pretty much at noon. Sounds great.
