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Markbass F1 First Impressions

#21
Bryan R. Tyler said:
Ken, did you try removing the feet from the F1 before putting it in the bag? They add another half inch or so- after removing the feet on my LMII, I was able to fit it in my Low End gig bag's pouch while I couldn't with the feet still on.

Strange about the rack ears- I swear I read somewhere that the F1 was supposed to come with them.

Thanks for the review- I'm still interested in trying one out.
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Interesting, and that might actually work. Not sure if I would want to use the amp without the feet on the top of a cab, especially one with spray on coating. But... good idea!

K

Edit: Actually, the issue with the Slimbag is not the 'height' of the unit, but the 10" depth, so the foot thing wouldn't help. It results in the amp fitting nicely into the laptop pocket, but the top of the amp is too close to the top of the pocket, making the zipper very hard to close. Again, the Portabag might be different enough for this to work. It will be a few weeks before I am able to try this.
 
#22
chiplexic said:
What is the main factor that makes the R500 so different from the TA501 or TA503. Aside from things like the VLE and VPF which the R500 won't have. Is it the fact the R500 is analog or are the others too? I notice the R500 doesn't seem to have a fan.

It seems MarkBass is using less yellow paint on the newer face plate schemes ,or have the F1 and R500 been in exsistence just as long as the LMII?
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I don't know the technical side of things, but tone-wise (based on the marketing blurb on the site), the R500 seems to be targeted toward the 'Ampeg hybrid' market... the ability for the tube pre to be overdriven for a more 'rock' tube grit tone. I assume the primary difference is in the gain structure, since it seems they are using the same A/B power amp and switching power supply as most of their other amps... looking at the power spec's.

My guess is, the fan is on the rear of the unit.

I would guess the lack of yellow on the R500 is to distinguish it from the main line of amps, that are really just tweaks of a quite similar, clean tone. The F1 'seems' that it has less yellow since there is virtually no room for anything other than the knobs on the front.

I again continue to be impressed with how the MB guys are tweaking their bassic design to provide the different flavors of tone that players are looking for, based on what seems to be a relatively common platform to keep costs down and reliability up. Nice!
 
#23
Bryan R. Tyler said:
Strange about the rack ears- I swear I read somewhere that the F1 was supposed to come with them.

Thanks for the review- I'm still interested in trying one out.
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Regarding the rack ears, they do come with the larger amps like the SD-800. I assume that very few users would end up putting 'micro' sized amps like the LMII and F1 in a rack, which would be my guess why they made the ears an option on those heads.

Post up a review after you've pounded on yours a bit.

K
 
#25
Divesh said:
If it is similar to the LMII, I would not pay more for less weight, considering the weight of the current LMII.
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I would agree with you there, but it's quite a different tone. I have a feeling that the voicing of the F1, along with its very small size is going to be a BIG hit in the DB world (those guys are REALLY fussy about size and weight!), while the warmer, fatter, 'prettier' tone of the LMII (along with the amazing price point) will continue to be a huge hit in the EB world. IMO.
 
#26
tallboybass said:
Well, you've been calling this one for quite a while, eh? I'm still loving the tone of the SD but just can't imagine needing a lighter amp at the moment. I REALLY wish the SD had a 'power amp in' so I could use my WalkAbout pre into 750 watts. Have you tried anything in front of the SD to warm it up?
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I actually prefer a very clean tone, so I do not use any 'up front' processing. Interestingly, the way I ended up warming up the SD800 was pairing it with the Epi410UL Series II. That combination really sounds good, and the slight peaks and valleys of the head and cab match up to provide a very even, punchy tone. It's still very clean and quite modern versus the LMII 410UL Series I, but has some nice character to it to my ear, and the amazing headroom from a 7 pound amp is just a thing of beauty.

I was playing much of the week through my Walter Woods Ultra (1200 watts) and the 4ohm Epi410UL, and then hooked up the SD800. There was no comparison... massively more full low end, fatter tone, more volume (the Walter sounds great, but it 'is what it is'... these newer class D/switching amps have really moved everything to the next level IMO). Actually, the F1 matches up closer to the Walter regarding total volume IME. The SD800 is really something, and I continue to view it as 'a louder, lighter, punchier iAmp800'.
 
#27
I'd love to try the F1 for DB, but IME/IMO, it won't work at substantive volumes without a sweepable mid cut/semi para eq kinda deal.
Eden WT, TFB, Mesa Walkbout, SWR BBII are all examples of amps that I've found to work acceptably well, perhaps mostly because of that ability.
Carvin B1500/800, Mesa 400, most any Ampeg are examples of amps I wish worked better for lack of that feature.
YMMV, etc.
 
#30
Chef said:
I'd love to try the F1 for DB, but IME/IMO, it won't work at substantive volumes without a sweepable mid cut/semi para eq kinda deal.
Eden WT, TFB, Mesa Walkbout, SWR BBII are all examples of amps that I've found to work acceptably well, perhaps mostly because of that ability.
Carvin B1500/800, Mesa 400, most any Ampeg are examples of amps I wish worked better for lack of that feature.
YMMV, etc.
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Have you tried the SA450? It's a little bigger footprint than the LMII, but still only 7.5lbs. I'm loving mine.
 
#33
KJung said:
My guess is, the fan is on the rear of the unit.

The F1 'seems' that it has less yellow since there is virtually no room for anything other than the knobs on the front.

I again continue to be impressed with how the MB guys are tweaking their bassic design to provide the different flavors of tone that players are looking for, based on what seems to be a relatively common platform to keep costs down and reliability up. Nice!
Click to expand...

Fan: The picture of the rear on their site shows no fan on the rear...hmmm

Yellow: Yes that's true there isn't room for much more than the knobs and their labeled use.:)

Design: Ya it is apparent they do seem to be just tweeking the basic proven platform for different types of customers needs. Reliability should definately be a result. I love simple, basic to the point, no frills..and quality. This company has my attention.
 
#35
tZer said:
Making me wanna go tiny!

Shhh... don't tell my Ampeg monster... It will not be happy to hear such talk!
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+1.

My 6U rack with my Ampeg weighs 45-50lbs.

I am very likely buying a LMII, F1 or SA450 today.

I will play all of them (and a Genz Benz NeoPak 3.5) and there is a 95% chance I will leave with one of them. I am leaning towards the SA450 at this point as the F1 is over $300 more.
 
#36
KJung said:
You still have the TNT! Cool...
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Just the speaker. That poor TNT became the subject of many 'experiments' and to be quite honest, I don't know what happened to it's guts! But I still had the 15" BW, so I built a simple cab around it and have been using it for small stuff ever since. I wish I still had it all intact - but hell, I was young...

KJung said:
However, if you love tubes, have you checked out a Mesa Walkabout yet?...
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I will do that! Thanks for the name-drop tip!

KJung said:
Hope to see you someday. I believe I'm back gigging in St. Louis the middle of November, with maybe a club gig on a Friday. I'll PM you as it gets closer.
K
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I look forward to it! Since I've finally met Dr. Cheese, we should be sure to grab him too!

Keep on thumpin' and keep on keepin' us all hip! I know your reviews are highly valued by all us TB'ers!
 
#38
Yesterday's field trip: F1, LM2, R500, SD800, TA-501

Sorry, no Tfunk :)
 

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#40
I tried out a F1, LMII and SA450 today.

The LMII is a bit warmer but the F1 has more of a bite IMO. The SA450 was just too big compared to the other two.

I ALMOST walked out of the store with the LMII but the ability to throw the F1 in my gig bag was too much to pass up.

I went for "bleeding edge" and am now a proud owner of an F1.

First impression (and only after 15 minutes of playing around with the dials on this thing) is this.... holy crap how does something just over 3lbs and the size of a hardcover book soung so friggin' loud and so good?:eek: It is amazing.

I have it on top of my 6U backbreaker (50lbs+) and I noticed in my comparison that the F1 sounds about as good as my Ampeg head through a BBE Sonic Maximizer and a SansAmp RBI!:eyebrow:

Note: I have yet to rehearse or gig with this thing but in the 15 minutes I used it in my basement at relatively low volume, I am floored how good this thing sounds.

I bought this head as a backup to my heavy rig and I was planning to use it just for rehearsal. I seriously think my Ampeg might be in danger of becoming an eBay casualty IF it gigs as good as it sounds at lower volumes.

I will post more detailed impressions next week after I have a chance to put it throught the ringer.
 

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