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Markbass combos - What's your favorite?

Favorite Markbass Combo Amp

  • CMD 151P Jeff Berlin

    Votes: 9 14.5%

  • Mini CMD 151P

    Votes: 3 4.8%

  • CMD 102P

    Votes: 11 17.7%

  • CMD 121H

    Votes: 10 16.1%

  • Mini CMD 121P

    Votes: 19 30.6%

  • 121 Lite Alion Caron

    Votes: 2 3.2%

  • CMD Super Combo K1 Alian Caron

    Votes: 8 12.9%
  • Total voters
    62
#81
Pedulla-Player said:
I guess where I am going with this is that I am very interested in the AC Lite (so I don't have to spend the extra money on another cab), but after years of playing through 'big rigs' I have a hard time believing that one 12" speaker can keep up in a loud band situation. I've been proven wrong before. ;)
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I play in two gigging covers bands and I've never had an issue with the AC 121 Lite keeping up. In fact there have been several occasions when I've been asked to turn my amp down by my bandmates! I really don't think you're going to have any issues with headroom with this amp. If they are going new for $899 that sounds like a very good price for one the best standalone combos (not just Markbass) available today.
 
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#82
Pedulla-Player said:
As I mentioned in the beginning of this thread I have been retired from gigging the last couple of years and am looking to get back into the game. The other weekend I had a re-union gig with my old singer/guitarist (and a drum machine!) but he lives out of the state and was just around for a couple weeks. Long enough for a couple practices and the one gig which I used the TC Electronic BG250-210 for. I thought the BG250 was ok, but I was definitely craving more. I used to play with big rigs in the old days with either two 410 cabs or two 212 cabs. My last gigging rig was a GK Fusion 550 with two Neo 212 cabs. I sold all of that off when I retired. I am definitely done hauling rigs like that around (and can't afford another rig like that!) - hence I'm looking for a decent easily portable combo that packs a punch. I guess where I am going with this is that I am very interested in the AC Lite (so I don't have to spend the extra money on another cab), but after years of playing through 'big rigs' I have a hard time believing that one 12" speaker can keep up in a loud band situation. I've been proven wrong before. ;)
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I played an outdoor gig last Sunday. I normally take my cmd121p combo stacked on my traveller 12 cab,but I didn’t have access to the cab this past week. I put the combo on an adjustable amp stand that raised it off the floor about 15”,and it also tilts the amp upward. It was more than enough (with PA reinforcement,ofcourse) to keep up with a very loud drummer,and 2 loud gtrs for onstage volume. The ac lite combo is more like the traveller cab,which does have a bit more fullness at both ends of the tonal spectrum than the combo,so i’m thinking it would be great as a stand alone unit.
 
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#83
I've narrowed it down to either one of the signature amps - The Alian Caron (Lite), or the Jeff Berlin 151P. I've been reading the reviews of the amps on GC's website. Unfortuantely the AC Lite only had one review and the JB 151P had 20. They were all great reviews so I don't think I can go wrong either way. Actaully a lot of the people were glad that the JB 151P didn't have a tweeter. They said that they still got plenty of highs out of the amp and the bottom was incredible with the 15" speaker. The GC nearest me however doesn't have either one of the amps in stock so I won't be able to make my decision by trying them out.
Thanks to everyone for thier input on this thread. One thing said - It seems like everyone is pleased with their Markbass combos. Please feel free to keep commenting on the MB combos and taking the poll. It just might help out someone else in my situation. Thanks again!
 
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#85
woodyng2 said:
I’m not sure,but i think it might be worth the extra money to get the AC lite.
IIRC,the 15” driver in the JB is not their best quality speaker. And i have not found the 12” to be lacking anything in the bass boom department.
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+1 ^^

For me, if I am going for a single cab, I would choose in order of preference:
1) 2 x 12
2) 2 x 10
3) 1 x 12
4) 1 x 15
ie I would go for a 1 x 12 over a 1 x 15 every time, in terms of having a tighter, punchier more articulate sound.
This will obviously depend on the quality of the cabs etc. and I appreciate this is very much a personal preference point. There is no "right" answer here!
 
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#87
Since it was a 2 hour (one way) trip to the store we made a day of it and took our two daughters (ages 9 & 13) to the amusement park Bay Beach down in Green Bay (WI). Very cheap and fun entertainment! We just got back.

I did go with the CDM 151P Jeff Berlin. The AC lite users made this a VERY tough decision for me and hopefully I don't regret it.
Couple of reasons for my decision (and I appreciate everyones response on the thread!!!):
#1) All of the people that responded on this thread who use a CMD 151P Jeff Berlin seem very happy with them. #2) All of the positive reviews on the GC and MF sites.
#3) Listening to various videos of Jeff at NAMM using his signature amp. Ya, I'm sure most of the tone probably came from his fingers and playing style, but dang he sounded good!!
#3) Last but not least - the ability to add an extra cab down the road (when I can afford one). <--- More for the fact of getting a speaker closer to ear level than adding extra volume. 33 years of playing bass and I think I may have lost some of the low frequency range in my hearing and having a cab closer to ear level helps me hear myself better in a band situation (and will probably cause more low frequency hearing loss - Catch 22. Oh well, what's a guy to do).
 
#90
woodyng2 said:
I’m not sure,but i think it might be worth the extra money to get the AC lite.
IIRC,the 15” driver in the JB is not their best quality speaker. And i have not found the 12” to be lacking anything in the bass boom department.
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Al Krow said:
+1 ^^

For me, if I am going for a single cab, I would choose in order of preference:
1) 2 x 12
2) 2 x 10
3) 1 x 12
4) 1 x 15
ie I would go for a 1 x 12 over a 1 x 15 every time, in terms of having a tighter, punchier more articulate sound.
This will obviously depend on the quality of the cabs etc. and I appreciate this is very much a personal preference point. There is no "right" answer here!
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You guys had to make these posts after I already left to make my purchase... :(

Had to order it so it won't get here for 3-7 business days.
 
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#92
ccfalkner said:
So, I guess for you, we can say that size matters.
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or maybe height... ;)
I really wanted to go for the AC lite (actually talked myself out of it at the last minute), but going new (even with the sale) I was already spending over my limit at this time. I know it wasn't much extra to get the AC lite, but it put me just that much more over my limit. The lack of reviews on GC and MF (one review on each site) for the AC lite compared to the many reviews on the other combos was telling me that the AC lite doesn't sell as good as the other combos. Maybe the AC lite is like a real good band that doesn't get the credit they deserve compared to other bands that are no where as good, but have more noteriety. Or maybe AC lite users want to keep it their little secret. Like I said, I may regret my decision.

Edit*** They did had a floor model CMD 121P at the store, but I didn't want to buy a floor model. I have to say one thing - I was surprised by how small that combo was!! I guess I couldn't get over the fact of how small it was despite all of the good reviews that it got on this thread. So, maybe size does matter to me after all... Could be the case of 'Good things coming in small packages'.

woodyng2 said:
I’m not sure,but i think it might be worth the extra money to get the AC lite.
IIRC,the 15” driver in the JB is not their best quality speaker. And i have not found the 12” to be lacking anything in the bass boom department.
Click to expand...

I hope this isn't the case. I would be surprised if they put a low quality speaker in a signiture cab. I have seen crazier things...
 
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#93
electracoyote said:
I bought a CMD151P combo (1X15) about 10 years ago, and it's still going strong. Love the tone. Added the matching 15 cab. I'm set for everything from quiet coffee shop to small theaters and outdoor stages. Pretty transparent, so if you like the tone of your bass, you may like what the MB does. Plenty of headroom and I can pin the ears back on the loudest drummers I've worked with. I'm 60 years old and can still one-hand the CMD151P into the venue.

I sub a lot on guitar and a couple of the bass players I work with have gone with the MB 1X12 combo with a matching 1X12 extension cab, or the Ninja 2X12 cab with matching Ninja head. They are moving some air and sound great too.

I think you owe it to yourself to audition some MB gear while you have the return window of opportunity. You may prefer what you have right now, but if a more modular flexible rig is a goal it sounds like you're stuck with your current combo.

Good luck.
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TN WOODMAN said:
Berlin with the NY151 extension cab. Easy to transport, 2 separate compact light weight pieces , sounds great (to me) with all my basses.
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Funky Ghost said:
Exactly what I have. I feel no need to change what I use at all. Makes my B sound like anything from the voice of a benevolent god to a violent landslide of rumbly doom. It also plays very nicely with all my effects pedals and is equally nice with my 4 bangers, PJ, P and Jazz basses both active and passive. I spent some time on YouTube when I bought it to learn all the settings. There are several very good ones that clued me in to what was what with the amp. The handles that are built in are well placed and make load-in/out a breeze.

View attachment 3076105
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mark beem said:
Love my Berlin sig with the extension cab.

View attachment 3080102

View attachment 3080104
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Question for all of the CMD 151P Jeff Berlin users who posted on this thread. Have any of you had any issues with the speaker quality in your cabs? Not trying to start any issues or arguments, but I just ordered one of these yesterday and it was brought up in this thread a few posts ago that the 15" driver in these cabs is not their best quality speaker. Just curious what owners of this combo think because it sounds like all of you are quite happy with your bass rigs. Thanks!
 
#94
Pedulla-Player said:
Question for all of the CMD 151P Jeff Berlin users who posted on this thread. Have any of you had any issues with the speaker quality in your cabs? Not trying to start any issues or arguments, but I just ordered one of these yesterday and it was brought up in this thread a few posts ago that the 15" driver in these cabs is not their best quality speaker. Just curious what owners of this combo think because it sounds like all of you are quite happy with your bass rigs. Thanks!
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I could be totally wrong about that,but that’s why i prefaced my comment with “IIRC”......
OTOH,there’s usually a reason for price differences,and i’d be taking advantage of the 25% sale reduction on the combo that cost twice as much....you will pay more upfront,but in the long run it would be worth it.
 
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#96
Pedulla-Player said:
Question for all of the CMD 151P Jeff Berlin users who posted on this thread. Have any of you had any issues with the speaker quality in your cabs? Not trying to start any issues or arguments, but I just ordered one of these yesterday and it was brought up in this thread a few posts ago that the 15" driver in these cabs is not their best quality speaker. Just curious what owners of this combo think because it sounds like all of you are quite happy with your bass rigs. Thanks!
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Mine was an early production run, and if I'm to believe everything I hear on TB (chuckle), it has one of the "good" speakers in it.

All I know for sure is mine sounds great, and I have also read threads from the TB brain trust that say when the speaker switch occurred it had literally no effect on speaker quality or output. You can do a search for the specifics on that.

Sorry, I know how nebulous that is, but I've only played mine and read about others here on TB. Remember that some people get very anxious and paranoid when any kind of change occurs to a product's components, and don't discount the fact that a lot of people on TB have yellowphobia and just dislike the brand for superficial reasons, making them prone to baseless nastiness and pointless bashing. (The good news is it's only certain types of musicians who engage in this behavior, and the other 99.5% of your audience will love your tone ;)).
 
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#97
Pedulla-Player said:
Question for all of the CMD 151P Jeff Berlin users who posted on this thread. Have any of you had any issues with the speaker quality in your cabs? Not trying to start any issues or arguments, but I just ordered one of these yesterday and it was brought up in this thread a few posts ago that the 15" driver in these cabs is not their best quality speaker. Just curious what owners of this combo think because it sounds like all of you are quite happy with your bass rigs. Thanks!
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No issues with mine but mine is also one of the older models made in Italy. I believe they’re now made in China (maybe Indonesia) so I can’t speak for those.
 
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#99
Well, called the GC that I ordered the JB combo from so I can switch to the AC lite. They have no problem with the return and exchange (plus the extra cash to boot for the price difference) - problem is it shipped already so I have to wait until it arrives and take it back to the store for the return. I was hoping that I could catch them before they shipped it to save an hour 45 minute (one way) trip. I sure wish that I would've stuck with my gut and went with the AC lite bassed on the recommondations instead of changing my mind at the last minute. Oh well... I want this to be my last amp purchase for a long time so I want to get it right and if they are using a cheaper driver in the JB combo I'd rather not go that route then. No comments from people with a newer JB combo doesn't help much either.
 
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#100
I'm sure you're not going to regret going for the AC 121 over other MB combos, if that is what you decide on, given that MB themselves rate it so highly in their stable.

This may be a bit of an obvious thing to say (and apologies if it is), but to sort out the height / hearing issue for you, why not simply put the cab on a chair at gigs?
 

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