Markbass break-in question

[fnsweeeet]

I purchased a new Markbass CMD 102P a month ago, and have played it about an hour a day. When I first purchased it, it sounded great at low volumes, up to about 30% master volume. It now sounds good up to about 50%-60% of master volume. I played their 121 combo the other day at GC and it was killer up to at least 50% (I didn't try any louder). It seems like it is headed in the right direction, but has anyone else taken awhile to break this stuff in? I've only bought used gear in the past (but got a super deal on this), so is this maybe just a normal break in period for the cab?

 

[JimmyM]

It shouldn't take a month for a cab to break in, nor should it take a month for it to sound good at higher volumes.

 

[fnsweeeet]

thanks . . . and crap. i may take a trip to the gc and see whats up. playing at 50% is not an option for a pricey combo.

 

[jobu3]

Depends on how you EQ and turn the tone knobs... One scoops mids and adds bottom. Not typically a great mix for maximal volume and cut.

 

[JimmyM]

thanks . . . and crap. i may take a trip to the gc and see whats up. playing at 50% is not an option for a pricey combo.

Well, your arbitrary use of percentages is a bit off. Don't know what the gain is set at, don't know what your settings are, don't know if you're trying to make it do the impossible...

For example, I was at GC once, and this guy starts talking to me about the Mini CMD121P. He was mad because he bought one and it distorted. He takes the floor model, turns the gain up to 3:00, bass on 4:00, scoops out all mids, dimes the treble and master, and says to me, "You hear all that distortion?"

I told him he was trying to make a little 12" cab sound like an SVT and it was impossible to get it to sound good with those settings. He says, and he was completely serious, "If the knobs let you turn up this far, it should sound good anywhere you turn them." Well, it doesn't work that way.

 

[KJung]

thanks . . . and crap. i may take a trip to the gc and see whats up. playing at 50% is not an option for a pricey combo.

Per the above post, the actual level of the master volume control means nothing. Depending on the level of your input signal, and how you have EQ set, that could easily be full volume.

As far as breaking in, while you might hear a touch more low end after a while, there is nothing in my experience that suggests that an cab will have significantly more usable overall volume over time. Something strange going on here.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

It shouldn't take a month for a cab to break in..

It would depend on how much it was used, not how long it sits there, right?

But since the OP has played it for about 30 hours, it should be broken in.

To the OP: How about checking your bass? If it's active, what about its battery? If you didn't bring your instrument to GC, that's a huge variable.

Also, the room can make a big difference. Move around your room and listen: the tone will change dramatically depending on where you stand.

 

[JimmyM]

It would depend on how much it was used, not how long it sits there, right?

Um, yeah it would, Rick. I assumed, though, that since the OP said he's played it an hour a day for the past month, that he didn't just let it sit there