Mark Bass vs. EA

[jmain]

I own both EA and MarkBass. They are both great amps. I find the EA a touch flatter than the Mark Bass amp. Having said that, my Markbass combo is my first choice for gigs because it has great sound and weighs very little too.

I had an iAmp 800 for a while and currently have a Focus 2.

Would you say that the LMII has good lows and low mids?

 

[jmain]

What is the height of the Markbass LMKII? Didn't see it listed on the specs on their website.

I'd love to have an amp that fit into the saddlebag-type pouch on my gig bag, but the new Eden and EA head aren't powerful enough (I need to run an 8ohm cab, and both of those are rated at about 300w at 4ohms...I don't even know what their wattage is at 8ohms).

The manual gives the height as 2.8" (7.1cm).

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

That might be stretching it...do you know if that's with or without the feet?

 

[jmain]

That might be stretching it...do you know if that's with or without the feet?

Not sure. Doesn't say, but I might be missing it.
You can download the owner's manual from the website.

 

[The Penguin]

Ok, I just got off the phone with GC San Francisco.
The reason they called me is because Little Mark IIs are in short supply at the moment in the US and they were wondering when more were arriving from Italy.
There's a shipment coming in any day now, so they should have an amp for you soon. John Wilson is not in the store today but he will call you tomorrow--if you want to speak with someone today, you could call the store manger, Roberto Hernandez.
I'm sorry for this delay, and hope you have your amp ASAP.

Best,
Peter

Thanks

 

[Peter Murray]

I use a MarkBass TA-501 and the Bergantino HT/EX-112 mini-stack like the original poster. The tone is super, and it hangs with my Demeter and Alembic preamps on top of lead sleds, up to its power limits. Handling capacity is excellent, and it covers most of my reasonable needs very easily. Overall, I really like it!

That said, I shudder every time I plug into those CHEAP yes I said CHEAP, CHEESY, PLASTIC JACKS. Sales reps can sing all night long about how they use only the greatest, most expensive components available to humans, but when you flaunt third rate components like that on the OUTSIDE of your product, well, it's just hard to take the sales-speak seriously.

People can see those jacks, and people know that they break very easily because Fender, Electro-Harmonix and others have used them for years, and everyone has owned an amp or knows someone who owned an amp on which the nuts broke. I understand how the cost of components adds up, but Switchcrafts are probably around a buck, no more than two, in the quantities a major manufacturer buys, so how about either toning down the rhetoric or tuning up the high-stress points?!?!

I checked with Marco on this.
He says the decision to use plastic jacks was in part to avoid ground noise. They tested many different options before choosing this component. The jacks they chose have been used by Markbass and many other manufacturers for many years. He adds that on over 20,000 units, Markbass has changed two or three jacks.

PM

 

[B String]

I checked with Marco on this.
He says the decision to use plastic jacks was in part to avoid ground noise. They tested many different options before choosing this component. The jacks they chose have been used by Markbass and many other manufacturers for many years. He adds that on over 20,000 units, Markbass has changed two or three jacks.

PM

I would agree with this. The jack on my old SWR combo
broke. I went to the factory (near my home) to get it
fixed. I brought a Switchcraft jack with me to install.
They couldn't use it because of grounding problems.
I guess you can't always judge a book by its cover.

 

[Giraffe]

Thanks for the reply,Peter. I hope mine is one of the 19,997 that don't fail!

 

[Smallequestrian]

That might be stretching it...do you know if that's with or without the feet?

Bryan, its standard 2 unit rack height I believe.

 

[Peter Murray]

Thanks for the reply,Peter. I hope mine is one of the 19,997 that don't fail!

Me too!
If it isn't, we'll take care of you!

PM

 

[MCML]

So, Mike, here is a direct, factual question for you:
What's the current ETA for those of us who have preordered the Micro 300 and WZ 110? Thanks.

 

[The Penguin]

There's a shipment coming in any day now, so they should have an amp for you soon.

When you first wrote this last month I was optimistic. Silly me

So... 9 days after GC charges my credit card I get a call that a combo is in if I want to buy it. I remind them I bought a head, I don't want a combo too. I took this opportunity to ask when the amp I paid for might be in. The salesman then gets the great idea to order one from another store I agreed that we've waited long enough without ordering one that ordering one soon would be a good idea. He calls back later that day and tells me the good news that he ordered one from a local store and they'll ship it out the next week

So today it comes in (short lived) so I go to the store to pick it up. When I get to the counter there's a LMK II in a beat up box on the counter with the cord hanging out. Startled I asked is this mine? Turns out someone else was returning one because they told him it will work in Europe but it really won't. No, mine was in another box so we opened that. In between a few thin sheets of foam was tossed a head, nothing else, no cord, no manual, nothing but just the head which was scratched and clearly used. I was cheerily informed that I'm getting a floor model (Yippee!) So I mentioned that when I paid for this 2 weeks ago I was told I would get a new one. Now a bit less cheerily I was informed that this was a take it or leave it deal, they will not lower the price on this used scratched floor model so I could either take it as is or get a refund. Another salesman joined in noddingly and confirmed there was nothing they could do and I'll just have to take the used demo at the full price of a new model.

It was at this point I pulled out my Uzi and sprayed the store with bullets... no wait, that part was just in my mind, I think what really happened was I asked for a manager.

Fortunately the manager agreed with my assessment that this was total BS and offered to let me take home the used amp, get me a new one from Italy (apparently there are none in the country) that we'll swap for the old one I have now and pacified me will a generous helping of swag from the showroom floor. ETA on the new amp is a month or so, maybe, no one really knows.

And Peter, I think you got passed your buck back

But now that I actually have one in my hands and my blood pressure has gone back to normal I have to say that so far (no loud volume tests yet) the amp is meeting all the expectations I've built of it. The simple EQ works great for my tastes. I find the amp strongly colored but it's a hue I like and I'm not one of those people who gets offended if an amp improves their tone.

I hope to get a new one of my own some day.

 

[bugbass]

When you first wrote this last month I was optimistic. Silly me

So... 9 days after GC charges my credit card I get a call that a combo is in if I want to buy it. I remind them I bought a head, I don't want a combo too. I took this opportunity to ask when the amp I paid for might be in. The salesman then gets the great idea to order one from another store I agreed that we've waited long enough without ordering one that ordering one soon would be a good idea. He calls back later that day and tells me the good news that he ordered one from a local store and they'll ship it out the next week

So today it comes in (short lived) so I go to the store to pick it up. When I get to the counter there's a LMK II in a beat up box on the counter with the cord hanging out. Startled I asked is this mine? Turns out someone else was returning one because they told him it will work in Europe but it really won't. No, mine was in another box so we opened that. In between a few thin sheets of foam was tossed a head, nothing else, no cord, no manual, nothing but just the head which was scratched and clearly used. I was cheerily informed that I'm getting a floor model (Yippee!) So I mentioned that when I paid for this 2 weeks ago I was told I would get a new one. Now a bit less cheerily I was informed that this was a take it or leave it deal, they will not lower the price on this used scratched floor model so I could either take it as is or get a refund. Another salesman joined in noddingly and confirmed there was nothing they could do and I'll just have to take the used demo at the full price of a new model.

It was at this point I pulled out my Uzi and sprayed the store with bullets... no wait, that part was just in my mind, I think what really happened was I asked for a manager.

Fortunately the manager agreed with my assessment that this was total BS and offered to let me take home the used amp, get me a new one from Italy (apparently there are none in the country) that we'll swap for the old one I have now and pacified me will a generous helping of swag from the showroom floor. ETA on the new amp is a month or so, maybe, no one really knows.

And Peter, I think you got passed your buck back

But now that I actually have one in my hands and my blood pressure has gone back to normal I have to say that so far (no loud volume tests yet) the amp is meeting all the expectations I've built of it. The simple EQ works great for my tastes. I find the amp strongly colored but it's a hue I like and I'm not one of those people who gets offended if an amp improves their tone.

I hope to get a new one of my own some day.

You find the LMII strongly coloured? That sounds very strange to me, as IMO the LMII is very uncoloured. The filter-knobs are set to zero(all the way to the left)?

 

[jmain]

When you first wrote this last month I was optimistic. Silly me

So... 9 days after GC charges my credit card I get a call that a combo is in if I want to buy it. I remind them I bought a head, I don't want a combo too. I took this opportunity to ask when the amp I paid for might be in. The salesman then gets the great idea to order one from another store I agreed that we've waited long enough without ordering one that ordering one soon would be a good idea. He calls back later that day and tells me the good news that he ordered one from a local store and they'll ship it out the next week

So today it comes in (short lived) so I go to the store to pick it up. When I get to the counter there's a LMK II in a beat up box on the counter with the cord hanging out. Startled I asked is this mine? Turns out someone else was returning one because they told him it will work in Europe but it really won't. No, mine was in another box so we opened that. In between a few thin sheets of foam was tossed a head, nothing else, no cord, no manual, nothing but just the head which was scratched and clearly used. I was cheerily informed that I'm getting a floor model (Yippee!) So I mentioned that when I paid for this 2 weeks ago I was told I would get a new one. Now a bit less cheerily I was informed that this was a take it or leave it deal, they will not lower the price on this used scratched floor model so I could either take it as is or get a refund. Another salesman joined in noddingly and confirmed there was nothing they could do and I'll just have to take the used demo at the full price of a new model.

It was at this point I pulled out my Uzi and sprayed the store with bullets... no wait, that part was just in my mind, I think what really happened was I asked for a manager.

Fortunately the manager agreed with my assessment that this was total BS and offered to let me take home the used amp, get me a new one from Italy (apparently there are none in the country) that we'll swap for the old one I have now and pacified me will a generous helping of swag from the showroom floor. ETA on the new amp is a month or so, maybe, no one really knows.

And Peter, I think you got passed your buck back

But now that I actually have one in my hands and my blood pressure has gone back to normal I have to say that so far (no loud volume tests yet) the amp is meeting all the expectations I've built of it. The simple EQ works great for my tastes. I find the amp strongly colored but it's a hue I like and I'm not one of those people who gets offended if an amp improves their tone.

I hope to get a new one of my own some day.

That really stinks!! This is a big fear that I have and has been a big factor for me not ordering one. (That and my Focus is cranking along just fine.) Most GC floor models can easily pass for used.

I hope this gets cleared up soon.

Thanks for the update and your thoughts on the amp.

 

[The Penguin]

You find the LMII strongly coloured? That sounds very strange to me, as IMO the LMII is very uncoloured. The filter-knobs are set to zero(all the way to the left)?

This is very subjective but I find it strongly colored when compared to going DI into a PA or a recording console.

But then I think the concept of an uncolored bass amp to be a marketing myth any way It's like writing new & improved on a tube of toothpaste.

 

[The Penguin]

That really stinks!! This is a big fear that I have and has been a big factor for me not ordering one. (That and my Focus is cranking along just fine.) Most GC floor models can easily pass for used.

There's another post somewhere where someone had a similar problem, they paid for it and GC didn't order one. I really wish there was another way to get one. Or another company that made something similar.

 

[bugbass]

This is very subjective but I find it strongly colored when compared to going DI into a PA or a recording console.

But then I think the concept of an uncolored bass amp to be a marketing myth any way It's like writing new & improved on a tube of toothpaste.

Comaring to all the other bass-amps I`ve played IMO the LMII is very neutral, even compared to recording and PA. That is when the eq is flat and filters off.

And how do we know how our bass really sounds? Every bassrig, DI, PA and even recording equipment sounds different?

 

[The Penguin]

Comaring to all the other bass-amps I`ve played IMO the LMII is very neutral, even compared to recording and PA. That is when the eq is flat and filters off.

And how do we know how our bass really sounds? Every bassrig, DI, PA and even recording equipment sounds different?

The questions kinda defeat the statement That's what I mean about transparent and flat just being marketing fluff, we apply the terms to tones we like without having any knowledge of what it may be altering. But with the 2 filters off and the other EQ's flat I find the LMII to be farther from the tones I hear direct than most other amps I've used. In this case it's a good thing to me.

 

[RLK]

--I really wish there was another way to get one. --.

You can try what I did. I ordered from http://clubbass.ca/
I've managed to avoid GC until I (tried ) to purchase a Markbass head.
Fortunately, I have a good long-standing independent music store near me for most of my needs.

I spent over two months getting the runaround from GC about special ordering a 2-channel LMK. I wound up learning on my own that MB was imposing a limit on the product line-up with GC for quality assurance purposes. Too bad MB didn't look closer at the quality of GC as a merchant.

The GC near me in Michigan is manned by buffoons and most of the on-line helpers seemed to be clueless sheet-readers.

Clubbass had the amp I wanted (in stock!), they had competent staff, and the prices are close to GC's (naturally they list their prices in Canadian dollars ). Even if the prices weren't close, at your least not supporting the evil empire (GC not the USA ). Accross the border shipping was no biggie either.

 

[The Penguin]

You can try what I did. I ordered from http://clubbass.ca/

Good suggestion, I've met Dave Freeman a few times, seems pretty cool.

I really thought GC could handle something as simple as a no haggle pre paid purchase... my bad