Markbass amps do not have dB cut at input...why?

[Life of Brian]

I loved my Little Mark III for its sound properties but Like my Aguilar AG700 better because it has a pad for Active/Passive. If you are looking to spend around 800 dollars I would look at the Aguilar AG 700 or Tone Hammer.

 

[mrjim123]

So, the OP's answer seems to be: ignore the clipping LED, it is a practically useless feature.

I had a similar issue with an Ashdown amp I bought and then soon returned. The issue was (and this was not the reason I returned it) - the input level VU meter's needle would barely move (I mean not even half way to 1!), even if I plugged in an active bass and had the bass volumes both set at 10. The general TB consensus was, and the conclusion I came to, that the meter is virtually useless, only there for looks or possibly historical purposes.

OP, if you like the amp buy it and ignore the LED.

 

[Slevage]

Why not turn down the volume of your bass?

This is the answer.

 

[RoadRanger]

All amp manufacturers should put OCD switches on the back of their amps so the user can set the "optics" to their liking/particular-world-view-issues. Like to run your gain and/or master at noon - and/or afraid to turn your amp up past noon but need more power? No prob - just hit a switch to adjust the gain staging .

 

[Deleted member 165050]

I have a Little Mark 250 and with input gain at noon it doesn't clip with either my active Warwick Corvette or my passive Wal Pro 1... your bass must have very high output.

 

[brianrost]

Plenty of amps don't have input pads. So the answer to your question "why" is "just because".

 

[Element Zero]

Why not turn down the volume of your bass?

Shouldn't have to. Newer MB amps are the only amps I've ever had input clipping issues with.

 

[Bassis78]

Many thanks to all of you who replied. It seems as though I am not the only one who sees this as a problem. I will be looking at something else that has an input pad. Again, I appreciate those of you who responded thoughtfully and kindly.

 

[Bassis78]

It is the one thing about my Littlemark III that annoys me. I only ever plug passive bases into it directly. No pedals at all. Still clips no matter how low I set the pre. I say clips, but what I mean is the clip light goes on. Who knows at what threshold that is set to activate. Is there is an industry standard for that?

Oh it definitely clipped audibly. Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad distortion.

 

[Means2nEnd]

I had several MarkBass combo's and heads every one I had clipped and distorted in the gain stage.

 

[Bassis78]

I owned the CMD210 combo around ten years ago for a few months. To my recollection, the older MarkBass amps did not clip as easily and i never had a problem with mine. However, a couple years ago when I was looking for a new rig I briefly looked at MarkBass again but noticed how low the Gain had to be to not have the clip light annoyingly flashing. I ultimately chose a different product and am very pleased.

I'll mirror what the other guy asked... does it sound distorted to you? Or is it merely the light that's throwin you off?

Terribly distorted.

 

[mcnach]

So, I looked and didn't see a thread on here regarding my question...hoping someone can give me some insight! Thank you in advance!

I'm checking out Markbass amplification because I need a small, portable amp for rehearsals that has a bit more output than what I currently have.

I went to the store the other day to check a few out with my own bass. I noticed that I was 'clipping' the amp at a very low GAIN level. If I boosted my mids or bass on the guitar at, the clipping got worse and worse. I know my bass has a hot output, but the lack of dB cut on the Markbass confused me as most, if not all higher end amps have this feature (am I correct?).

I tried three different Markbass heads - the Marcus Miller one (800watts), the tube one (800), and the Little Mark (250). They all clipped at very low levels of input gain.

Am I missing something? Should I steer clear of these then? Anyone have similar concerns/issues?

Thank you again!

Those amps have an input gain control... why would you want a preset pad instead?
If you're unable to set the input gain so that it doesn't clip, then you must have a seriously unusually hot bass there, what is it? I've owned a couple of MarkBass amps, and different basses require setting the input gain differently, but I can always set it so it doesn't clip.

 

[mcnach]

Terribly distorted.

Ugh... that's not right.

Quite surprising and worrisome to find that quite a few others have had a similar experience. I hope it's not a sign of MB amps declining in quality. I still have an LMIII, it's almost 10 years old and I don't use it live anymore (I prefer the Mesa D800+ these days), but I still love it and sounds great... If it behaved the way you describe I would not have owned 3 of them (and an LMT800)! That is certainly not how my amps operated, and I used them with a variety of basses, some with very hot outputs (G&L L2000, for instance)

 

[Deleted member 165050]

I've just been going over this very subject with some VERY knowledgeable chaps on another bass site where my ignorance about clipping lights was corrected. The only critical issue regarding that light is the Tweeter(if the cab has one) . The amp and main drivers are not in peril . That's why guitar amps don't have clipping lights.. They don't have tweeters!

That's not really why guitar amps don't have clipping lights (I also play guitar). Guitar amps are generally designed to allow clipping (or distortion) or even encourage it. The tweeter idea is a bit off although I have to say if I run my overdriven valve guitar head through my bass cabs with the tweeters turned on it does sound spectacularly awful, but it doesn't kill the tweeters.

 

[agedhorse]

It's just the designer's choice, no technical reason why it couldn't be added, or the range of the gain control and the taper chosen to yield the same effect.

 

[ScottfromCalgary]

I also used to run a MB tube 800 and could run the gain high with my passive basses. If I plugged in the Sadowsky I either had to leave the onboard pre alone, reduce the input gain or lower the bass volume. Lowering the bass volume gave the most flexibility and allowed me to maintain the gain I wanted from the amp. No issue really, just had to adjust to the bass. I'd personally prefer that any day over the padded input.

 

[Korladis]

Ignore the clip light and go by sound only.

My amp doesn't have an input pad, either.

 

[eff-clef]

So, I looked and didn't see a thread on here regarding my question...hoping someone can give me some insight! Thank you in advance!

I'm checking out Markbass amplification because I need a small, portable amp for rehearsals that has a bit more output than what I currently have.

I went to the store the other day to check a few out with my own bass. I noticed that I was 'clipping' the amp at a very low GAIN level. If I boosted my mids or bass on the guitar at, the clipping got worse and worse. I know my bass has a hot output, but the lack of dB cut on the Markbass confused me as most, if not all higher end amps have this feature (am I correct?).

I tried three different Markbass heads - the Marcus Miller one (800watts), the tube one (800), and the Little Mark (250). They all clipped at very low levels of input gain.

Am I missing something? Should I steer clear of these then? Anyone have similar concerns/issues?

Thank you again!

What kind of Bass?

 

[-Stingray]

It has an input gain adjustment.......that's your pad bro.

I have a MB CMD210 and have never had a clipping problem with any bass I own (with the input gain set to around noon). Could be because I play with a compressor that's almost always on.

 

[Element Zero]

It has an input gain adjustment.......that's your pad bro.

I have a MB CMD210 and have never had a clipping problem with any bass I own (with the input gain set to around noon). Could be because I play with a compressor that's almost always on.

How new is it?