• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

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
...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?
:thumbsup:

Jeff_800_5616.jpg
 
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?

I thought that I've read somewhere that the amp on the floor helps project the sound (or something along those lines). Might have been in a thread about casters on cabs. It was a long time ago, so I can't remember the exact thing I read, but that's what I got out of it.
 
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?


I was just watching Alian Caron's review on his AC Lite on youtube and at 15 minutes into the video he talks about the amp 'coupling' with the floor to "spread the low frequencies throught the room" <---quoted Alian Caron from his video (minus his cool accent). So I guess what I read a while back wasn't just BS.
 
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'.



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...

You didn't see a lot of reviews because it is new. The JB has been out for years. If you don't have the money for the upgrade, you should be happy with what you got. If it won't hurt you financially, the AC will make you happier in the end. It will also make your back a lot happier. It is just engineered better than the other MB stuff. If you want to see what better engineering gets you, look at the Phil Jones bass site. He has a video on YouTube where he goes through a lot of his very expensive products, but talks about the engineering that went into them.



On a very small scale, that is the process Alain Caron went through to produce that amp. Those drivers are totally different from the others. He explained that in the video you posted.

My cabs were both Italian made.
 
Last edited:
Sorry if my comments were construed as apersions,that's not what i intended.
I only meant to say that the 15" in the JB combo is a 200 watt rated speaker vs the 400(or higher) rated 12" speakers used in the cmd121p and AC Lite combos. But i do think Pedulla player (would love to try one of those fabulous basses out someday!) will be best served going for the AC.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pedulla-Player
Sorry if my comments were construed as apersions,that's not what i intended.
I only meant to say that the 15" in the JB combo is a 200 watt rated speaker vs the 400(or higher) rated 12" speakers used in the cmd121p and AC Lite combos. But i do think Pedulla player (would love to try one of those fabulous basses out someday!) will be best served going for the AC.

I loved my 93 Pedulla Thunderbass. Unfortunately, a couple of years ago when I quit gigging due some bad band experiences I also got permanetely laid off from my job along with 9 other people (due to a drop in business), so I had to sell it. I hated to do it, but I wasn't gigging, was jobless and really needed the funds to get by until I found another job. So now I just use an Ibanez SR500 (Mahogany) bass. Far cry from the Pedulla, but I got a steal of a deal on it and it plays and sounds decent enough. My old singer/guitarist moved to Florida several years ago (it was the band after playing with him that gave me the 'bad band experiences') and he was recently back up in the area (Northern WI) for a couple weeks. We ended up doing a re-union gig a couple of weeks ago (he's now back in Florida) and it really gave me the itch to try to find a band to play with again. Hopefully this time not with a bunch of jerks like the last band I was in. Pickings are pretty slim for musicians in my area, but who knows, maybe I'll find the right bunch of guys eventually.
Here is a photo of me playing my Pedulla from several years ago. It was back in my 'big rig' days - back before I had hernia and back surgery (probably from that cab!!!). It was a hazardous gig because I had to keep an eye out for flying darts. ;) lol
My old Thunderbass wasn't as pretty as some of the ones with the fancy paint jobs, but I was a fan of the flamed-maple and thought it was a good looking bass. It sure played great and sounded awesome!
100_2333.JPG
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: woodyng2
You didn't see a lot of reviews because it is new. The JB has been out for years. If you don't have the money for the upgrade, you should be happy with what you got. If it won't hurt you financially, the AC will make you happier in the end. It will also make your back a lot happier. It is just engineered better than the other MB stuff. If you want to see what better engineering gets you, look at the Phil Jones bass site. He has a video on YouTube where he goes through a lot of his very expensive products, but talks about the engineering that went into them.

On a very small scale, that is the process Alain Caron went through to produce that amp. Those drivers are totally different from the others. He explained that in the video you posted. My cabs were both Italian made.

Agree with all of that, apart from the first bit: the MB AC 121 Lite has been around since 2012 (that YouTube clip of Alain Caron was posted in May 2012) which for me makes it no longer "new". The tweeter was changed from 100W to 300W (but everything else stayed the same) in 2015/16.

I suspect there are not too many reviews as it's been a pretty well kept secret and / or has been considered a little spendy prior to the current significant discounts becoming available? But also perhaps because if you were getting a MB Combo the compactness of the CMD121P gave that considerable appeal over the rest of the stable?

It would be really interesting to see what the relative total sales of each MB model was, but I suspect MB are rightly going to be keeping that info close to their chest!
 
PS just me being pedantic (and feel free to ignore!) but I know I'd hate my name being spelt wrong on my signature product(!) so if you fancy correcting your poll for the last two from 'Alion' / 'Alian' to 'Alain' I'm sure Mr Caron wouldn't object... :)

I tried, but it won't let me. I can add new poll choices, but I can't seem to edit existing ones.

My apologies to Alain Caron for the misspelling of his first name (twice!!) in my polls.
 
Last edited:
I have a few days until 151P Jeff Berlin combo arrives which I will then be taking back down to the nearest GC (1 hr 45 min away) and switch it out for the AC 121 lite.

In the meantime I have a couple of questions for the people who have been checking in on this thread who own Markbass gear (not only their combos):
#1. Is your gear from when MB was made in Italy or after the production shift to Indonesia?
#2. Has anyone compared the newer gear made in Indonesia compared to the older stuff made in Italy? If so, are there any noticeable differences. (Tone/warmth, build quality, ect...)
#3. If you have the newer MB gear made in Indonesia - Any complaints or are you happy with it?

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Given his superhuman skill set,maybe it should be "Alien"......;)
This reminds me of a situation in my neighborhood. (Will try to make this a bit anonymous to avoid any issues by changing the person's name.) A previous Dallas Cowboy recently bought a decent sized lot a few blocks from me. He spent 2.5 million on building a mansion there. (I am not in that league, just live in the middle of such houses.) In the tax rolls it doesn't say "Staley Estate" it states "Stlaley Estate" Spending 2+ million to get an estate named after you and they trash your name on legal public record. I often wonder what would happen if I knocked on his door and told him about it, but that will never happen. Just makes me smile every time thinking about the humor in it.
 
I tried, but it won't let me. I can add new poll choices, but I can't seem to edit existing ones.

My apologies to Alain Caron for the misspelling of his first name (twice!!) in my polls.

If the end result is that you get his signature combo via starting a thread which has given it a lot of publicity, I'm sure he'll be pretty happy to suck up a spelling error :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pedulla-Player
View attachment 3075659 Been loving my cmd121p combo paired with a Traveler 12 cab for years now.

CMD121P. Tiny but mighty!

112 combo with 112 extension.

I do gigs with that rig and EUB or BG.

One trip in ( hand truck required), one trip out.

I'm a big fan of the 121p. I also bring a 1x12 extension cab to gigs, if for nothing else to get a speaker closer to my ear for monitoring purposes.

+1, same here.

The CMD 121P is the sure winner. Small. scary loud and has great tone. I much preferred it to the 2x10. This is the one piece of gear I would replace without thinking if lost or stolen. I am always getting good comments on the sound playing a P or Mustang P/J through it. I think I would like the 151p to go a little lower, but no one complains!! And this is so small it fits in my car trunk. When I bought it the matching cabs were not yet available. I found a Schroeder cab with TWO 12s that is not much larger than the 121P and also Neo and lightweight. So - when playing outdoors, I have 3 x 12s and 500W - plenty for anything.

View attachment 3076095

Just curious if your CMD 121P's are Italian or Indonesian??
**If yours is a newer Indonesian made one - are you happy with it (build quality & tone/warmth)? Thanks

The reason that I am asking is because I'm toying with the idea of trading in an electronic drum set (I bought for my daughter but it just sits around collecting dust) and go with a CMD121P with the New York 121 cab. Ya, I'll lose money on the trade in, but both of those MB products are 25% off right now so that will help lessen the blow. The AC 121 lite is still in the mix as well.
Note: I am trying to sell the drum set before this weekend so I don't take as big of a loss on it, but a couple days doesn't give me much time to sell so I'll more than likely be trading it in.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: woodyng2

Latest posts