I recently acquired this combo and I've gigged with it at least three times. Since I don't own the foot switch I've never tried the FSW setting. I'm going to play with it when I get home! Subbed.
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Markbass combo query?
- Thread starter Baker69
- Start date
Just for the record, I freaking love this amplifier! I haven't owned a combo for bass since my Peavey days (yuck!). This amp is designed to be a gigging musician's wet dream.
Im looking forward to trying it out at our gig on Saturday for the first time!
Have you gone to Musician's Friend or Guitar Center for their reviews? Did you Google??
Both written and video reviews.
I’ve got an older Italian made one (combo head II/LMIII, sans switch in question), and love it. I’ve heard some report failures, but so far so good with mine (I think it’s about 14 yrs old or so now). Also, if you ever need mo more, it’s killer with the NY121 extension cab.
Got it, thanks.
Surprisingly not very much talk on there about the CMD 121P combo’s.
Just looked at the GC site, only 6 user reviews of a couple of lines each. Mainly positive, I agree the panel for connecting the leads underneath is a bit fiddly.
Yes when I saw the combo in the store it was displayed with the extension cab underneath, very tempting but I’m hoping the combo alone will do the job.
Would that be one where you can dial in the scoop like we can all dial in the old school? Got that on a Sim on the Zoom. Piqued my interest big time.
Yeah, the combo does have a lot of get up and go for such a small package… until you get into a pretty loud situation or are on a larger stage.
Yes, it has the VPF knob that gives you the scoop. I have to admit, I’m more of a mid bump guy, so it’s mostly turned down on mine.
I’m playing it tonight completely flat EQ with just a nudge over on the high, old school setting off.
I find pushing the high mids a little bit with the scoop and the low mids backed off a touch is a recipe for some nice low growl. Suspect it might be adding a little bump right at the top of the scoop.
Really happy with the Markbass sound. Sounds, really. That old school knob does exactly what it says on the tin.
I’ll give your settings a try thanks.
I have tried the old school setting but I need to experiment more with it as it does take a lot of high end frequencies out. Might sound better with my Jazz bass but not so with the Stingray.
Yes the Markbass does seem to have a signature tone, funnily enough I had been using my Boss GT-1B a while ago which has a Markbass amp setting, I did an A/B comparison with the combo and to Boss’s credit it is a fairly good emulation. Because I have used this setting before on the GT-1B the 121P’s sound was quite familiar.
Ha ha. I played too many gigs where I felt I need to keep an eagle eye on my gear to bring 2 basses to anything. I been struggling to make the Ray 35 one size fits all until I found the MB old school knob. It's not studio quality. But it gets me in the reggae ballpark. And I can stay there for the Motown and Burt Bacharach where it really shines.
The Zoom got gain, volume and the 2 shapers. Didn't know about the EQ till I bought a real one. No tears and no heartbreaking, no remorse. Got to say it changed the way I use the East uni-pre on the Heartfield. If I push the bump up a few hz, I can extend the growl up the neck some. Of course, onboard don't supply the numbers. Some conjecture as to what really happens.
I'm sure I'm preaching to the converted. Just play, bro. Don't let preconceptions get in the way and you'll find amazing tones everywhere.
I, OTOH, have to let the OCD loose on anything remotely like a result. Anything sounds good, there's got to be a way to make it sound better. C'est la guerre, Fleur.
The gig went well with the 121P on its first outing, as mentioned earlier I set with everything flat with just a nudge over 12 o’clock on the high EQ. I turned the Old School control completely off as I wanted a slightly brighter tone.
I had to virtually tip the combo over to insert the DI lead in the XLR socket but it was no big deal, and I set the Line Out Level on the amp to 12 o’clock and our sound guy was happy at that. At the end of the night he said it was a nice sound and it was coming over very clear especially in the high notes and sounded better than my previous combo (Fender Rumble).
After I had adjusted the Gain setting (just past 9) it meant that the master volume was barely on, but we do use IEM’s and it was at a sufficient level to still hear the combo slightly (the ear buds are not totally sound isolating), and it gave a bit of a feel through the stage flooring. I did play one song totally without the IEM’s and it sounded ok but it needed a bit more volume obviously if it wasn’t going through FOH. I did try it as well when we were setting up and it was plenty loud enough, but I think I need to spend a bit of time at home experimenting with all the settings before our next gig.
I’ve still been looking at reviews on various sites and was surprised how many guys use the 121 New Yorker extension cab as well? I think the combo is quite loud on its own, but I can appreciate the difference the 2nd cab might make, I used to have stacked Ashdown 2 x 10 cabs and with the 2nd cab it just filled the sound out more. I don’t need a second cab but I am intrigued by it now! Another thing I have to get used to is the 12” speaker, I’ve used 10’s for quite a few years now and I do notice the difference.
I had to virtually tip the combo over to insert the DI lead in the XLR socket but it was no big deal, and I set the Line Out Level on the amp to 12 o’clock and our sound guy was happy at that. At the end of the night he said it was a nice sound and it was coming over very clear especially in the high notes and sounded better than my previous combo (Fender Rumble).
After I had adjusted the Gain setting (just past 9) it meant that the master volume was barely on, but we do use IEM’s and it was at a sufficient level to still hear the combo slightly (the ear buds are not totally sound isolating), and it gave a bit of a feel through the stage flooring. I did play one song totally without the IEM’s and it sounded ok but it needed a bit more volume obviously if it wasn’t going through FOH. I did try it as well when we were setting up and it was plenty loud enough, but I think I need to spend a bit of time at home experimenting with all the settings before our next gig.
I’ve still been looking at reviews on various sites and was surprised how many guys use the 121 New Yorker extension cab as well? I think the combo is quite loud on its own, but I can appreciate the difference the 2nd cab might make, I used to have stacked Ashdown 2 x 10 cabs and with the 2nd cab it just filled the sound out more. I don’t need a second cab but I am intrigued by it now! Another thing I have to get used to is the 12” speaker, I’ve used 10’s for quite a few years now and I do notice the difference.
