I am currently looking to upgrade my bass amp. I am interested in a Markbass CMD 102P combo amp which costs $1150. My question to you guys is: Is there a COMBO AMP better than or expremely competitive to the Markbass CMD 102P for $1500 or less? $1500 is my limit and i refuse to go any higher so please dont suggest anything that exceeds that price. Also, I don't gig frequently, so sound quality is much more important to me than loudness. Thanks for any input.
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Markbass CMD 102P
- Thread starter bkk130
- Start date
If I ever buy another combo, that's exactly the one I'll buy. And then I won't buy any more combos.
I won't give my reasons, because they are all totally subjective.
--Bomb
I won't give my reasons, because they are all totally subjective.
--Bomb
Pretty much everyone makes a combo that's competitive with it. All a matter of taste. Smoe like Markbass, some like the Shuttle, some like the GK, some like HyDrive, etc...the 102 isn't my favorite combo Markbass makes but it's pretty sweet. And the LMII head in the combo is about as good as it gets for solid state IMHO.
Why does it seem like there is always a stigma attached to combo amps? I understand that alot of combo amps are underpowered and dont have alot of flexibility when it comes to features and sound control, but the Mark Bass CMD 102p doesnt seem to fit this category. Is there anything that should concern me about the Mark Bass CMD 102p?
Well ... I did see a thread here the other day by a guy who wanted to know if it was safe to rip the head out of his Markbass combo, I guess b/c he wanted to use it with other cabs. So, there's that.
--Bomb
I bought the CMD 102P. I regret it.
The LMII is truly an amazing amp, if that's the sound you're looking for. Many people dislike the Markbass cabs. If I could go back in time, I'd probably still get the LMII, but separately and not as a combo; even though it comes out more expensive this way. It'll also be alot harder to sell it as a combo if you decide too.
Thinking about it again, getting the LMII for 600 bucks and spending the rest of the $550 on another cab sounds pretty darn good to me (Markbass cabs are EXTREMELY expensive, imo. For the price of a 2x10 Traveler, you can get like two Warwick/Kustom/Marshall/Peavey/whatever cabs)
The LMII is truly an amazing amp, if that's the sound you're looking for. Many people dislike the Markbass cabs. If I could go back in time, I'd probably still get the LMII, but separately and not as a combo; even though it comes out more expensive this way. It'll also be alot harder to sell it as a combo if you decide too.
Thinking about it again, getting the LMII for 600 bucks and spending the rest of the $550 on another cab sounds pretty darn good to me (Markbass cabs are EXTREMELY expensive, imo. For the price of a 2x10 Traveler, you can get like two Warwick/Kustom/Marshall/Peavey/whatever cabs)
Well ... I did see a thread here the other day by a guy who wanted to know if it was safe to rip the head out of his Markbass combo, I guess b/c he wanted to use it with other cabs. So, there's that.
--Bomb
Sorry about the double-post, but I'm pretty sure it's quite simple to do that. The amp is only connected to the cabinet through the 1/4" speaker cable and the 4 Allen screws. Shouldn't take long to disassemble it.
I heard there's no top-cover on the combo head, so if anyone ever does it, they'd want to cover it somehow.
Depends on the combo. I never could get the head out of my Mini CMD121P, while I hear the head in the 210 combo pops out easily. I consider this a bit of a gaffe on Markbass' part. They should have made their combos so the head pops out easily and doesn't require a homemade cover.
Why not consider the 121 combo with a single 12 ext cab-still in your budget (although at its' limit IF you buy new) but more modular. The 121 combo is pint-sized and a joy to move around. I suspect you'll get more low end out of the 12s than the 10s, but I haven't heard the 210. FYI there are several MB items in the classifieds now FS.
I've tried the MB 210 combo and really liked it. I really dig the tiltback feature. Great for small stages.
My personal experience with the cmd121p is that it is astoundingly loud for its size (you could easily do a medium sized venue with it) but sounds much better with another cab as an extension. For awhile I was using a UL112 with it and man that sounded great. What even sounds better is the epi ps112. Perfect match with that combo as it really fills out the lows.
In the end I decided I prefered the tone of two cabs that are exactly the same so I have two UL112s1 cabs and my LMII... which is superb.
That said, just ignore my sig.
My personal experience with the cmd121p is that it is astoundingly loud for its size (you could easily do a medium sized venue with it) but sounds much better with another cab as an extension. For awhile I was using a UL112 with it and man that sounded great. What even sounds better is the epi ps112. Perfect match with that combo as it really fills out the lows.
In the end I decided I prefered the tone of two cabs that are exactly the same so I have two UL112s1 cabs and my LMII... which is superb.
That said, just ignore my sig.
Thanks for all of your input. I have decided to go pick up the Mark Bass CMD 120p today. It doesnt seem like there is another combo amp that can challenge it in its price range. I am also not concerned about removing the head at this point since i do not gig in front of large crowds.
Now that I think of it, depends on the style, but if you play rock-ish stuff, a Fender Rumble 100W 15" combo would be as loud as the 2x10" 300W combo and will cost 4 times less.
You can get 2 of those and use them as a 2x15" stack for half the price of a 102P.
You can get 2 of those and use them as a 2x15" stack for half the price of a 102P.
Actually i currently have the fender rumble 100 and i cant stand it. It has poor sound quality and definitely is not as loud as the mark bass i heard at guitar center. It has no punch at all. I feel like the mark bass cmd 102p is a good upgrade from the fender rumble 100.
One great thing about the CMD 102p is how great it sounds with an upright bass.
I have a 3/4 Engelhardt that absolutely thumps through it with no feedback.
I have a 3/4 Engelhardt that absolutely thumps through it with no feedback.
have fun, trying combos out... there are some many great options in this price range and it all depends on taste really. If you dig Markbass go for it. As for the removable head Genz Benz and Mesa really dig strike a chord with the bass community with this idea seeing that variety is the spice of life and the biggest contributor to GAS down the road that feeling of..."man I love the amp but wouldn't mind trying out a different cab"
you may already have a solution for this but one thing that may be a deciding factor is a headphone out... just something to keep in mind.
depending on your area if I had the cash I would just make a day of the purchase and go to different stores and try out as much as I could before pulling the trigger.
you may already have a solution for this but one thing that may be a deciding factor is a headphone out... just something to keep in mind.
depending on your area if I had the cash I would just make a day of the purchase and go to different stores and try out as much as I could before pulling the trigger.
Congratulations. I purchased mine about 5 months ago and absolutely LOVE IT!! It is an outstanding combo IMHO. I also have the 151p to add on for larger venues.... Lately I have only needed the 102p for some med/smaller shows.
