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

#41
I hardly ever use input pads myself. Something about em I just don't like. Irrational fear of the 'known' :D I s'pose.....
Ive always simply turned the gain down or up to where it's needed.

If the MB amp's you tried were distorted, and turning down the gain wasn't working, then, yes, something's wrong there.
My old Telecaster Bass with its ridiculously high was, I think, the only time I've hadda use an input pad (or separate padded input).
Best bet....
Get an all tube amp. Ain't got no steenkin' input pads :roflmao:
 
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#43
This seems very odd to me. I have three Markbasses, all LMII's or III's, two of them built into combo and one just a head. They are a combination of old ones (no DI Level Control on the panel) and new ones (DI Level control on the panel). They all behave and perform the same. I run a Stingray 4H into them. On the 'Ray I have the Bass and Mid full on, the Treble on or below the "notch". I have the 'Ray master volume backed off just a hair, not much. On all three of the LM's the clip light *just* starts to flicker on the really hard low notes when set around 1 O'Clock. It sounds fine like that so that's how I run it.

So unless Markbass have changed recently I'm at a loss to understand all these reports about clipping.

Mike
 
#44
I used a LMII and a LMIII for many years and I never had any problems with clipping. The gain was usually set around 12:00 and the amps sounded great. I don't have active basses, but my passive basses have pretty hot pickups, and I also used my acoustic double bass and an EUB through an fdeck with no problems. I loved my sound through MB and still have them as backups.
 
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#46
I have GK and Ampeg, so I have no dog in this race. But to the OP, posting a thread complaining about Markbass is like throwing bloody chum in shark infested waters. Although 90% of all instrument amplifiers are built in Asia, a lot of TB'ers have a pretty healthy dislike for Markbass for moving overseas. They don't have the same problem with Fender and Ampeg though.

I recommend that the OP go back to the store and bring out the said combo, and ask for a tech to come out and listen and analyze and get stats on the performance of the amp. The LED might be set to trigger at too low of a signal. Most Markbass amps I've tried always performed very well, lots of bang for the size. However Gallien Krueger offers the same performance for half the cost.
 
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#48
Peteyboy said:
Kinda messed up. Markbass was never American to begin with. If that matters. Mine was made in Italy. Still has the clipping issue. God knows, nothing made in the USA ever sucked:whistle:
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Sorry sir I'm not understanding what's "messed up." Something I said? I don't know what I said that pulled the conversation about American products into this conversation. I remember years ago when Markbass moved to Indonesia there were flaming threads here for quite a while condemning Markbass. I'm talking maybe 8 years ago.
 
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#49
alaskaleftybass said:
Sorry sir I'm not understanding what's "messed up." Something I said? I don't know what I said that pulled the conversation about American products into this conversation. I remember years ago when Markbass moved to Indonesia there were flaming threads here for quite a while condemning Markbass. I'm talking maybe 8 years ago.
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I don't want to take the time to go back over the particulars, but I meant no slight towards you. Messed up is specifically the outrage over an already "overseas" manufacturer moving arguably further overseas. I don't think Italy has a track record of spot-on engineering and manufacturing.
 
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#52
alaskaleftybass said:
I have GK and Ampeg, so I have no dog in this race. But to the OP, posting a thread complaining about Markbass is like throwing bloody chum in shark infested waters. Although 90% of all instrument amplifiers are built in Asia, a lot of TB'ers have a pretty healthy dislike for Markbass for moving overseas.
Click to expand...

Odd that TB members would object to an Italian company subcontracting production out to Asia when many of the usual suspects do it (Peavey, Ampeg, Ashdown to name but a few)...
 
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#53
I'll get flamed for this I'm sure. Donning my fire gear now....

Where an item is made has ZERO bearing on the quality of said item. If the item is designed well, and manufactured with quality it will undoubtedly be a good item. Case in point. In the 70's Japanese manufactured gear was considered to be all "crap". You couldn't give that stuff away to a gigging musician. It took 30 years for that same group of people to understand just how high the quality of guitars and basses coming out of the Matsumoku factory was. Now those same instruments are highly sought after and demand stupidly high market prices.

Same goes for more modern companies like Apple. They design the stuff in the USA, but the stuff is all made in China. They still (arguably) make some of the best consumer electronics on the planet.

Another example. IMHO a lot of the stuff coming from Fender in the 70's was crap. Always was crap. Will always be crap. 3 bolt tilt neck? No thank you. Yet so many people today think that stuff was great because it was US made. Most of the articles I've read on the Fullerton factory centers on the fact that even Fender knew the stuff coming out of Japan was superior at the time.

It amazes me how stubborn musicians can be over this issue. Where an item was manufactured really makes ZERO difference. The design of said item, and the care taken in the manufacturing process mean everything.

#dodgesemptybeerbottles
 
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#54
chris_b said:
Really? You can dismiss the abilities of an entire country like that? What about Powersoft, Ferrari and Italy's part in the European Space Agency?
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That's kinda high-and-mighty brother. For this response to fly I'm assuming that you prefer an Ensenada Fender to an American or Japanese model. You can pretend that you don't have preferences as to the nation of manufacture if it suits you. I don't know, Germans have a reputation for solid engineering and manufacturing. Italians kinda don't. I'm talking about a nations industrial output, not some racial issue so please if it goes there I'll just delete everything I said.
 
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#55
Peteyboy said:
That's kinda high-and-mighty brother. For this response to fly I'm assuming that you prefer an Ensenada Fender to an American or Japanese model. You can pretend that you don't have preferences as to the nation of manufacture if it suits you. I don't know, Germans have a reputation for solid engineering and manufacturing. Italians kinda don't. I'm talking about a nations industrial output, not some racial issue so please if it goes there I'll just delete everything I said.
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It's more than a little high-and-mighty for you to be damming a nation's industrial output... Italy is a major player in the automotive and aerospace worlds, so really I can only assume your belief is based on lack of knowledge of Italy's industry. Incidentally they are also big in speaker manufacturing, even bass speakers.
 
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#56
Brothers and sisters, the point is the OP had a sensitive input and an input light that triggered constantly. I stand by my recommendation that he take his bass back to the store and have the tech test the amp for him. If possible, pull another one out of the box.

One of the GOF's said it real well a while back. There are a lot of Asian companies that contract for global musical instrument companies. They are instructed- directed to build equipment to certain standards. If the standards are low-- green wood, less attention to tolerances-- the lesser the product. But a lot of these Asian countries have the ability to build very high quality instruments especially if the instrument company sends a Quality Control manager to the factory to oversee all the aspects of manufacturing. So part of the problem could be the poor design and concept of the company putting its name on the products.

My wife had an old Alfa Romeo when we met 31 years ago. It was fun to drive! The windows quit working, we held them up with wooden stops, and it needed work. But I'll bet she (car) was a beaut in her day.

Peace, all.
 
#57
ficelles said:
It's more than a little high-and-mighty for you to be damming a nation's industrial output... Italy is a major player in the automotive and aerospace worlds, so really I can only assume your belief is based on lack of knowledge of Italy's industry. Incidentally they are also big in speaker manufacturing, even bass speakers.
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You know who is bigger in EVERY facet of maufacturing? China. Do you prefer Chinese products to American? Do you lack knowledge in that particular area? Or would you just be damming an entire nations industrial output? It's just a silly argument that I'll no longer engage in.
 
#59
Peteyboy said:
That's kinda high-and-mighty brother. For this response to fly I'm assuming that you prefer an Ensenada Fender to an American or Japanese model. You can pretend that you don't have preferences as to the nation of manufacture if it suits you. I don't know, Germans have a reputation for solid engineering and manufacturing. Italians kinda don't. I'm talking about a nations industrial output, not some racial issue so please if it goes there I'll just delete everything I said.
Click to expand...
My cab's drivers were built in Italy. They're fantastic.

But sure, cling to your stereotypes.
 
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#60
Peteyboy said:
You know who is bigger in EVERY facet of maufacturing? China. Do you prefer Chinese products to American? Do you lack knowledge in that particular area? Or would you just be damming an entire nations industrial output? It's just a silly argument that I'll no longer engage in.
Click to expand...

Er, perhaps you forgot but it's you that's damming a nation's products, not me. I don't care where things come from - my Italian Markbass amp was made in Asia as was the Ampeg that preceded it. My Swedish EBS cabs were probably made in Asia (apologies to EBS if not). My Warwick was made in Germany, my Wal was (like me) made in England, and my effects pedals come from the USA, China and Belgium. So why did you try and turn that around to make it look like it's anyone but you doing the thing of condemning a whole nation? Why start an argument then pretend it's everyone else?
 
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