Ive been gigging with my MarkBass little mark 800 head and two 2 x 10 traveller cabs for about 5 years now. Its been pretty great to be honest, but some venues I just struggle to get the sound I want. Ive never spent much time playing with the controls - our practice room has all the gear set up ready to go so my amp is only at gig volume when Im playing live - not a time to experiment. Anyway Im interested to hear if most people just set the eq flat or dial in the VLE/VPF to shape the sound much? Doesnt the VLE 'vintage loudspeaker emulation' just work the same way as rolling back the treble highs and mids? And the VPF just scooping out the high lows and the low highs a bit? So yu can just leave your 4 eq knobs at centre flat position? Am I missing some killer tones Ive never had time to explore in this little amp?
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MarkBass head
- Thread starter Al Heeley
- Start date
I use a VLE as kinda a passive treble control to cut a bit highs and emphasize high mids. To me that sounds a bit different than turning the EQ.
IV and onwards don’t have a VPF, so cannot really comment on it, besides that I’ve heard it’s a nice way to scoop the mids before you start tweaking the EQ. set it where it’s closer to the sound, you want, and set the EQ from then.
IV and onwards don’t have a VPF, so cannot really comment on it, besides that I’ve heard it’s a nice way to scoop the mids before you start tweaking the EQ. set it where it’s closer to the sound, you want, and set the EQ from then.
I don't use the VPF much tbh. It's great on the models that are footswitchable if you are looking for a way to get some instant slap tones, otherwise I never have it up past 9:00. If you feel like your tone is sounding too muddy (or getting buried), definitely back off the VPF.
Regarding the VLE; I just never cared for that filter very much. If/when I feel like my tone needs to be a bit warmer I just roll back the highs a little (or use the tone stack on my bass)..
On a few pieces of Markabass gear (primarily their older pre-amps) they only give you VLE and VPF controls (no traditional tone stack). Their earlier marketing stated that the VLE and VPF controls were "all you needed" to get your sound. Meh.....I just prefer a normal tone stack, and generally leave both the VLE and VPF filters off.
Regarding the VLE; I just never cared for that filter very much. If/when I feel like my tone needs to be a bit warmer I just roll back the highs a little (or use the tone stack on my bass)..
On a few pieces of Markabass gear (primarily their older pre-amps) they only give you VLE and VPF controls (no traditional tone stack). Their earlier marketing stated that the VLE and VPF controls were "all you needed" to get your sound. Meh.....I just prefer a normal tone stack, and generally leave both the VLE and VPF filters off.
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The Traveler 102P cabs can get a bit honky in the mids so I'd set the VPF between 9 and 10 o'clock to help mitigate that but listen to your ear as you raise the setting. Maybe even supplement by backing the low mids back to around 10 o'clock. And, depending on the tone you like and instrument used, the VLE can help smooth out the top end of your tone. But the 102P cabs to my ear sound better with a little mid scoop.
Thanks guys, some different approaches to try. I need to get round to taking the gear out with me to practice sessions and play around a bit more. I agree sometimes the 102's can sound a little 'honky', my ears prefer a scooped tone, im using a geddy lee jazz with pretty low setup for some percussive clang and need to takm the top end a bit sometimes.
Yea, the tweeter in that cab doesn't play well with a jazz bass, IMHO. I like the cab much better with a P bass, but that's not your thing. What I'm suggesting here is it's the cabinet, not the head that's holding you back. If you can, look to another cab that is less mid voiced and has a quality tweeter. Your head is fine.
I have the 500w but think this applies to all LM amps…
VPF is a frequency in between lo and hi mid knobs, so can’t be accessed with the EQ. I only use it if I want a super mellow tone like for my country band.
VLE, not sure where it’s set but I like it and find it more musical than cutting the treble knob. I typically set it at about 9-12:00.
Otherwise, I just set the EQ flat and maybe cut the bass a little if the room is boomy.
VPF is a frequency in between lo and hi mid knobs, so can’t be accessed with the EQ. I only use it if I want a super mellow tone like for my country band.
VLE, not sure where it’s set but I like it and find it more musical than cutting the treble knob. I typically set it at about 9-12:00.
Otherwise, I just set the EQ flat and maybe cut the bass a little if the room is boomy.
The key to using a smaller cab is not having too much low end. The Markbass filters are cool and useful, but I feel they are best if you have a larger cab. For example, the VPF can add a whopping amount of low end with a big scoop, similar to pressing the Ultra Low on an SVT. You can then shave off the resulting hi fi sounding high frequencies with the VLE. The VPF at around 2:00 and the VLE around 9:30 is a good sound. But a 2x10 doesn't reproduce it too well at show volume. You need a bigger cab to make it work, assuming you have no PA help or anything like that.
My Little Mark 800 has been my only gigging amp since 2010. For a long time I played it with a Traveler 2x10 Markbass cab, and I've always had it set with every EQ knob at 1 o'clock and the filters completely off (all the way counter clockwise). It's obviously a very flat and balanced sound, with no inordinate amount of low end or top end. I also never use a tweeter. This allowed me to use the 2x10 very effectively because, without a ton of low end in the sound, I could crank it up and cut through.
My Little Mark 800 has been my only gigging amp since 2010. For a long time I played it with a Traveler 2x10 Markbass cab, and I've always had it set with every EQ knob at 1 o'clock and the filters completely off (all the way counter clockwise). It's obviously a very flat and balanced sound, with no inordinate amount of low end or top end. I also never use a tweeter. This allowed me to use the 2x10 very effectively because, without a ton of low end in the sound, I could crank it up and cut through.
