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Mark Bass vs. EA

ppal

ppal

Sep 1, 2006
268
59
Sacramento, CA
#1
I have a local bass shop here in town who is getting all the latest EA gear in....i just tried the LMK, which i love the tone, those VLM filters are very cool ( i primarily play fretless). I'm just not sure if i should pull the trigger on the Mark Bass equipment or look at the EA gear, or something i may have overlooked. The shop also has everything else under the sun as far as bass gear, but i'm looking for something micro and portable (99 percent of the gigs i play are small venues). i just bought some Bergs ( Ht-12, Ex-12) to use as cabinets....what do you guys think as far as a high end micro bass setup?

I would appreciate any input....thanks.
 
#8
You should play both and go with your ears, but one thing to keep in mind is that Markbass has a largely untried and unproven customer service record. EA has the absolute best in the business...and most any other business as well.
 
#9
mchildree said:
You should play both and go with your ears, but one thing to keep in mind is that Markbass has a largely untried and unproven customer service record. EA has the absolute best in the business...and most any other business as well.
Click to expand...

Hello, here I am... somebody need something?

PM
 
#11
Yes, this is a good sign....but in all fairness, marketing guys tend to be everywhere, all the time. :ninja:

What I referred to is the service AFTER the sale. Not claiming that Markbass won't take care of their customers, it's just that they're new enough that we don't hear much about it. Hopefully that's a sign of reliable gear.

EA on the other hand, has been around long enough that we hear some pretty amazing stories about hurdles they negotiate to take care of their customers. I am one of those.
 
#12
B String said:
ah haaaa! Ok then, summer it is. It just mght be time to
check out an LMK II.
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I was in GC in Sherman Oaks last Monday and played around with a Markbass combo, the 2x10. They also had some heads and cabs on the floor. I really loved the sound of that combo, but I couldn't stay long because some kid was slapping "Higher Ground" on a NS EUB through a Line 6 combo on some hideous distortion setting.

:) -Markbass combo
:eyebrow: -kid playing like crap
 
#13
I have only messed around with Markbass stuff at GC for limited periods of time and have owned EA gear. IMO the markbass stuff doesn't touch the EA gear. EAs tone shaping section is unreal. On top of the quality of tone and construction EA has THE best customer service ever. They have set a new bar IMO.
 
#14
I keep hearing about customer service and not sure how good it is with the MarkBass stuff. I work in the computer area and the best customer service is when you don't need it!!!! I work with gear that a call once every few years is all that is needed. Lack of needing customer service is the best customer service.

After saying all of that, I have not heard much about markbass stuff breaking. All the reviews state that the stuff runs all day without heating up. I have an LMKII and is played constantly and has been flawless. It is also only new to this country and has been around Europe for a few years. It would be nice to hear from our european members on the reliability of the Markbass gear.
 
#15
Customer service is important for several reasons. Some times **** happens. I had an iAMP 350 purchased used (3rd owner) and I starting hearing a crackling noise. EA paid for shipping round trip and checked my amp out free of charge. It turns out that it wasnt my amp, but it did not cost me $0.01 to find out. As far as I know Markbass is something new to us in the US. (I could be wrong) but they just started carrying them in GC. Again, I could be wrong but I wouldn't be shocked if they start having problems based on the fact that they are going to have to mass produce these products to supply every GC on every corner in every state.
 
#16
allenhumble said:
Again, I could be wrong but I wouldn't be shocked if they start having problems based on the fact that they are going to have to mass produce these products to supply every GC on every corner in every state.
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Chances are if they've been mass producing anyway. Once you go past prototypes and enter the market with PCB products you certainly are not going to be approaching this on a per-unit basis.

Good customer service is fine, but a lot of companies could do a lot more research and testing too, before launching their products toward the public. Quite a few flawed designs or manufacturing processes results in a great need for deep, involved customer service/repair, and short product life cycles.
 
#17
greenboy said:
Good customer service is fine, but a lot of companies could do a lot more research and testing too, before launching their products toward the public. Quite a few flawed designs or manufacturing processes results in a great need for deep, involved customer service/repair, and short product life cycles.
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Excellent point. Getting it right the first time is the best customer service. This comment does not reflect negatively on companies like Euphonic Audio, Epifani and Genz Benz that manage to get it right the first time 99.9% of the time and also have excellent customer service. Hopefully, we will find Markbass in the same category after a few years experience with them.
 
#18
Hi there,

I've got 3 MarkBass Amps, the TA503, the old LittleMark (old F1 Edition in Ferrari-red, this might be a real Collectors Piece in some years!!)and the MicroMark.
They've never let me down once, and I'm gigging very hard with the TA503!
all my Questions concerning MarkBass stuff were responded by Peter within few hours, so IMO the best service I can get, need I say more?
 
#19
Thanks for your input Drucocu...

Since you have most of the MarkBass line....do they all sound pretty much the same? just different power levels is all. i was considering the LMKII for portability, but i actually played the TA503 and i liked the levels in the EQ section (LMKII doesn't have that feature, or the tube preamp?) let me know what you like.
 
#20
Marley's Ghost said:
Yeah, I haven't heard anything here from the EA Reps. :eyebrow:
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That could be because the EA guys are busy designing the best mass produced cabinets on the planet, filling orders, reaching out to new dealers, and fielding calls from customers- not hanging out on a message board.

If you have trouble communicating with EA when it matters then you are really doing something wrong. They are in the upper echelon of CS.



on second thought, your post was probably tongue in cheek and mine was probably from the hip.
 

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