Markbass F1 First Impressions

[barroso]

sure it is a great product. I tried it briefly in a shop and was really amazed. I am thinking to buy and use it as poweramp for my beloved Ampwg SVP-Cl pre.
a single unit poweramp... like a peavy DPC but much more cheaper and with the ability to be used as a complete amp.

 

[gillento]

Has anyone any experience with the F1 or LM2 with Aguilar GS212 or GS112 cabs.
I am looking for a lighter head (than my beloved Ashdown ABM500) to go with the Aggies and I am trying to decide between MarkBass and the Aguilar AG500.

 

[KJung]

X-box bag... Nice packaging for these small amps but something without a logo would be a lot less likely to be stolen.

Great discussion on the voicing of F1, LMII, and SD800 amps! LMII seems to get the nod for best overall tone and versatility but F1/SD800 can be great with the right amp/cab match. It sounds like even though the SD800 has more headroom, its wide voicing makes the low end sound a litle loose compared to the F1. The F1 also seems to work well with the wide voiced Bergantino HT series and the more evenly voiced Epifani UL-410 Series 2. I like an articulate cab with highs that are clear but not sterile and lows with a solid visceral punch but not boomy.

My question: For an Epi UL2-410 or Berg HT322 would an F1 be the amp of choice of the 3 listed and if so, do you find 500W to provide adequate headroom for most gigs?
I don't play in a metal band or other extreme volume situations but hate it when I can't dial in the right wump for the room to make the groove feel right.

Nice to see this thread again!

You hit the nail on the head with your above post. The F1/410UL (II) has become my primary gigging rig at this point, and I also recently sold my Walter Woods since I like the tone of the F1 so much with my 's' stack... the modular HT322.

I do find that the F1 is matched beautifully to these deep low end, even mid, wide sounding boxes... even moreso than the SD800, which gets SO big down low versus the tighter punch of the F1. The voicing of the F1 makes its 500 watts sound like much more... FANTASTIC head.

Per the previous post on the Aguilar cabs, both the F1 and LMII sound GREAT with my Aguilar DB112's, but I would guess the F1 would be a better match for the GS series for the reasons posted so nicely above... the GS cabs also have that wide low end, and actually a somewhat polite mid response, and the F1 just loved punching up a cab like that... as long as you like a pure, clean, tight, SS tone. Also, I find the tweeters on the Aguilar cabs to be a little bit harsh and the VLE control on the MB stuff is WONDERFUL for softening the tone a touch IMO. Either the LMII or F1 would sound fine with the GS IMO.

The LMII sounds wonderful also, but I really do like the F1 voicing with the cabs described above. The SD800 is cool also, and it does the BIG boom down low, but it seems quite fussy...similar to the iAmp800 it can sound huge and even, or too scooped and sterile and somewhat 'bottom heavy' if you aren't careful with both EQ and cab matching IMO and IME.

 

[Bassic83]

Ken, as usual, you are so dead-on with your assessment it's scary! You and I hear the same things, the same way, it seems, but you're a lot better at putting it into words than I am...you didn't have a gig as an art or wine critic, did you?

I totally trust your ears when it comes down to amps/cabs, probably basses as well...

 

[KJung]

Ken, as usual, you are so dead-on with your assessment it's scary! You and I hear the same things, the same way, it seems, but you're a lot better at putting it into words than I am...you didn't have a gig as an art or wine critic, did you?

I totally trust your ears when it comes down to amps/cabs, probably basses as well...

Thanks... I love this stuff It is hard to put some of this stuff into words, and provide enough context so that the reader can separate out 'here's what it sounds like' from 'it works for my personal sound or not' or 'I personally like it or not', etc. The fact that the mix of different heads with different cabs also can really impact performance and tone makes it even more complicated. Context is everything, but I enjoy the challenge of trying to describe some of this stuff!

 

[KJung]

Just thought I'd dredge this old thread up for my fellow Markbass users.

Just wanted to post that the great Tommy Kennedy is now a Markbass artist. Hadrian, Dominique, Tommy, Jeff Berlin.... that's getting to be quite a roster of users.

I am again amazed at the pure, even, transparent but musical tone coming out of the LMII and especially the F1!

The F1 gets the majority of my gigging work at this point, and I look forward to checking out the F500 in a few months.

Anyway... Tommy burning through the yellow! Cool!

 

[GRoberts]

Tom Kennedy is one seriously bad a** bass player! Highly under rated in my opinion. His work with Dave Weckl is off the chain! It's always Victor Wooten and a few others in the limelight. But man, Tom Kennedy is AMAAAZING!!!! Thanks Ken for bringing that to the forefront!

Just thought I'd dredge this old thread up for my fellow Markbass users.

Just wanted to post that the great Tommy Kennedy is now a Markbass artist. Hadrian, Dominique, Tommy, Jeff Berlin.... that's getting to be quite a roster of users.

I am again amazed at the pure, even, transparent but musical tone coming out of the LMII and especially the F1!

The F1 gets the majority of my gigging work at this point, and I look forward to checking out the F500 in a few months.

Anyway... Tommy burning through the yellow! Cool!

 

[Chef]

He's sure getting to play a lot of neat places these days:
Link Removed

 

[KJung]

He's sure getting to play a lot of neat places these days:
Link Removed

+1 I believe he's touring with Stern and Weckl at the moment.

 

[KJung]

I skimmed the beginning of this thread just for the heck of it, and noticed our dear friend MacGroove had posted. As most know, Gary passed away earlier this year. It was nice to see his name again, and read his comments. I miss him.

 

[Steve Clark]

+1 I believe he's touring with Stern and Weckl at the moment.

Wow. The Scofield Trio, Stern Trio and Abercrombie Organ Trio are playing one night in Toronto in June. Could Kennedy be in TO that night? I think a road trip is in order.

 

[Bass Boy]

When in June? I'm doing some gigs in Toronto in June. It would be great to see one of those bands.

 

[Steve Clark]

Sorry for thread derail although I do have an F1 LTD and like it lots. Not as much as my Epi 502 but both float my boat.

TO Jazz Fest - Invalid Link Removed

You can see Marcus Miller one night, Scofield/Stern/Abercrombie the next and Arturo Sandoval the night after that. Oh, and Return to Forever that week as well.

 

[5StringPocket]

There are quite a few notables playing Markbass these days. Thought it interesting that used LMII's are not hard to find but used F1's seem to be very scarce. Maybe not as many are on the market but it's possible that the F1 owners really like their tone and hold on to them.

 

[Wilbyman]

I skimmed the beginning of this thread just for the heck of it, and noticed our dear friend MacGroove had posted. As most know, Gary passed away earlier this year. It was nice to see his name again, and read his comments. I miss him.

+1

 

[LuvMusic]

- One thing strange... the unit makes a short 'whoop' sound as it powers down. The SD800 does not do this, although the SD800 has some 'delay' circuitry at start-up and power down, so it may be masking that. I'm not sure if this is 'class D' normal, and have a PM out to Peter Murray (or maybe he can just post here). Not a problem, as long as it's 'normal' for this head.

Just wondering if you learned anything else about the shutdown noise?

My CMD102P makes a small noise at shutdown (LMII head). Not sure I'd call it a "whoop" but it is there, very short and very quiet. Probably wouldn't hear it if you weren't listening for it.

 

[KJung]

Just wondering if you learned anything else about the shutdown noise?

My CMD102P makes a small noise at shutdown (LMII head). Not sure I'd call it a "whoop" but it is there, very short and very quiet. Probably wouldn't hear it if you weren't listening for it.

Neither Peter Murray nor Markbass responded to my PM/email on this. I've been gigging the F1 regularly now for about a year with no problems, so I assume it is 'just the way it is'.

 

[KJung]

There are quite a few notables playing Markbass these days. Thought it interesting that used LMII's are not hard to find but used F1's seem to be very scarce. Maybe not as many are on the market but it's possible that the F1 owners really like their tone and hold on to them.

My guess is that the LMII sells in MUCH higher volumes than the more expensive F1, which would explain the higher resale levels. Also, the very low price of the LMII makes it a much easier 'what the heck, I'll give it a try', versus the higher price-point of the F1. So, you may be right that there is a little more commitment to the F1 based on the higher price (i.e., more thought going into the purchase prior to pulling the trigger). However, sales volume differences would be my guess as the main driver.

The relatively high number of Shuttle 6.0 for resale is probably due to the same dynamic.

 

[Bassic83]

Just wondering if you learned anything else about the shutdown noise?

My CMD102P makes a small noise at shutdown (LMII head). Not sure I'd call it a "whoop" but it is there, very short and very quiet. Probably wouldn't hear it if you weren't listening for it.

Probably caps discharging. Kind of a "zzzip" sound? Rising in pitch? Mine does that sometimes if it's humid. No biggy to me.

 

[KJung]

Probably caps discharging. Kind of a "zzzip" sound? Rising in pitch? Mine does that sometimes if it's humid. No biggy to me.

That's exactly what it sounds like. I believe a couple of the EE types also mentioned that this was the case... 'caps discharging'. It hasn't been an issue at all, just kind of strange!

Thanks.