Markbass at Sweetwater

[pingvuiini]

Looks like Markbass products are now available at Sweetwater.


I just got my CMD 102P at MF for a great price on sale, but I am curious to try and replace the 58R head with something different.

 

[SJan3]

This is a great thing for the consumer.
I suspect pricing will be more competitive as these 2 giants vie for our business.

 

[Clark W]

Well Guitar Center / Musician's Friend no longer has a monopoly on Markbass gear. Definitely a good thing for Markbass and those who like their gear. Got an email from Sweetwater today with the announcement and link to 3 pages worth of Markbass gear.

 

[yonkrz]

Yes, got that also. Just took a look.

 

[skycruiser]

They don't sell those weird Markbass Bass Guitars yet, I see.
Such a divisive color choice. An automatic "no" for a lot of people. Seems like a pretty dumb business decision.

 

[tb-player]

They don't sell those weird Markbass Bass Guitars yet, I see.
Such a divisive color choice. An automatic "no" for a lot of people. Seems like a pretty dumb business decision.

They should offer a blackout version (or maybe they do/did???). Still, I'd MUCH rather buy from Sweetwater!

 

[Clark W]

Yes, got that also. Just took a look.

I own two Markbass Traveler 151P and two Traveler 102P cabs, but I use Mesa & GK amplification(D-800+, 800D, Goldline 500). Doubt I'll ever try their amps. But been really pleased with their cabs. I also own a GK Neo IV 212 and actually prefer the two Markbass 115 cabs over the GK 212.

 

[Clark W]

They should offer a blackout version (or maybe they do/did???). Still, I'd MUCH rather buy from Sweetwater!

They do offer some blackout versions except they still have a yellow logo and yellow tweeters

 

[ninjatanzen]

They don't sell those weird Markbass Bass Guitars yet, I see.
Such a divisive color choice. An automatic "no" for a lot of people. Seems like a pretty dumb business decision.

It could also be part of the reason some people like it, compared to all the other cabs out there that are plain black/gray.

When I was younger, the design/color drew me to their products. It wasn't until playing a few over the years that I realized they aren't for me.

I agree it may be an automatic "no" for a certain amount of people. But I imagine only Markbass know if doing all black cabs would be worth it in the saturated pool of gear selection currently.

 

[skycruiser]

But I imagine only Markbass know if doing all black cabs would be worth it in the saturated pool of gear selection currently.

I don't think this is only "knowable" by Markbass. It is a factual question about the inclination of buyers that could be evaluated by anyone willing to perform a study on the topic.

 

[ninjatanzen]

I don't think this is only "knowable" by Markbass. It is a factual question about the inclination of buyers that could be evaluated by anyone willing to perform a study on the topic.

True, but for their purposes I imagine they would do their own research. I'm doubtful an outside source will collect accurate data and provide it to Markbass for free, with them then changing course.

I could be wrong, but it doesn't seem logical for them.

 

[SJan3]

I'm sure MarkBass has heard it all about the black/yellow color theme. Bottom line is, Marco likes it and it's his company. If you don't like it, pass on it. Get what you like.
I do like it and more importantly I like the performance of the product which to my mind is the most important aspect of gear for any serious player.
I've stated before that many world class players use MarkBass gear.
Can they all be wrong? I think not.

 

[5StringBlues]

Nobody's going to see the yellow except my big fa tass.




NEXT ISSUE!!

 

[Crackle]

I always thought Markbass rigs looked cheap with that color scheme. Hard pass and will continue to hard pass.

 

[RGerhart]

Perhaps Markbass finally saw that Guitar Center/Musician's Friend is going the way of the dinosaur, and moved on to bigger and better things.

 

[Pep]

Perhaps Markbass finally saw that Guitar Center/Musician's Friend is going the way of the dinosaur, and moved on to bigger and better things.

Perhaps someone from GC/MF is now a buyer for Sweetwater.
Eden was a hard pass for me because of their “cheap” speakers. Mark Bass is a hard pass because for me they sound “vanilla”.
I’ve never tried their cabs with another amp so I’ll reserve judgment on those, but the Mark Bass amps and combos are mediocre at best. JMHO

 

[TeaTime]

Not implying any sort of knowledge about this specific issue, but it might parallel something I've seen in other situations.

It can be difficult to get a foothold in a foreign market. One approach is to hand off the new market sales building to a well established player in the scene. Often they will step into that role , knowing it will take a while to get profitable. So, contract will exchange potential market penetration for long-term exclusivity.

Perhaps there was such a contract in this instance, and it came up for renegotiation?

 

[roccobass]

I have a Minimark 602 combo and I really dig it. Straddling the fence between getting an 802 and a CMD Traveler 102.

 

[ahbradot]

Hey if EBMM sold to me with the toilet seat weird looking at the time pickguard but phenomenal bass, twice mind you, then Markbass can sell me on their color scheme and they did too and I love the 500w combo amp.

 

[eniac]

Perhaps someone from GC/MF is now a buyer for Sweetwater. [...] JMHO

I sure hope not. IMO I can't see that benefiting the latter party at all, business-wise or image-wise.