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Markbass - HPF or not? MB don't seem to know!

Not to hijack the thread but does the Bass Eq on the head being at (what I consider too low) at 40hz have anything to do with the need for a HPF for Markbass heads? I think the Tonehammer series by Aguilar has it set at the same point too.

IME I would say yes. If I knew what I know now, I may have kept my old Little Mark 2. I really struggled to control the low end on that amp. IMHO a variable hpf should be standard on all bass amps.
 
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Not to hijack the thread but does the Bass Eq on the head being at (what I consider too low) at 40hz have anything to do with the need for a HPF for Markbass heads? I think the Tonehammer series by Aguilar has it set at the same point too.
This graph for the LM series low EQ shows that whilst it is centered at 40Hz it will cut or boost a much wider range. Being centered low you'd think it would work well at controlling sub bass. I use the 30Hz graphic EQ slider on my Trace Elliot heads for precisely that.
20211214_112204.jpg
 
That's weird the FAQ seems to infer they ship internationally.
FAQs | Broughton Audio

The only dedicated HPF I can find that is made in EU (UK) is the SFX Micro Thumpinator, but unfortunately it is not variable.
You can order direct from Broughton and they will ship to the UK. I bought a HPF & LPF pedal direct from them a couple of years ago. I would highly recommend it and only sold mine after buying a Bergantino B|Amp which has adjustable HPF and LPF built in.
 
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Mesa/Boogie Subway WD-800 Lightweight Hybrid 800-watt Bass Head

I'd definitely consider looking into a head like this and selling your current setup to offset costs to you. This gives you full control and will solve a lot of issues for the future. I'm happy you like what you like but in my experience with them... there are a lot better options out there than MB with much more shaping control. Food for thought.
Don't, you'll start me gassing!
 
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Thanks for all your replies guys! I'm definitely gonna get one - Rafferty make them in the UK. However I've asked him if he could make a rackmount version as I like to keep everything off the floor if possible. I'll let you know what he says. The other option to keep everything in the rack would be to get a head with variable HPF, like a MesaBoogie or Bergantino. That seems a little extreme for what I am trying to achieve, especially as I really like the head I've got. Anyways, we'll see where we end up. Trying to keep the GAS turned down low..........
 
Thanks for all your replies guys! I'm definitely gonna get one - Rafferty make them in the UK. However I've asked him if he could make a rackmount version as I like to keep everything off the floor if possible. I'll let you know what he says. The other option to keep everything in the rack would be to get a head with variable HPF, like a MesaBoogie or Bergantino. That seems a little extreme for what I am trying to achieve, especially as I really like the head I've got. Anyways, we'll see where we end up. Trying to keep the GAS turned down low..........
Ah, your new rackmount requirement changes the situation entirely. If you are looking for a bespoke repackaging of a standard product then you're into big costs I'd assume.
 
STOP PRESS!!! MarkBass just got back to me. LM Tube has a HPF at 20Hz. So now I know. It seems to me that a HPF set that low will still allow a fair bit of junk signal through, so I'm still minded to try a variable HPF. If it doesn't make a difference it wouldn't be the most expensive mistake I ever made...
Yes, Riccardo says my BIG BANG and NANO both have HPF filters set at 20hz.
 
It was mentioned before, but you can also check this from France: https://www.zorgeffects.com/index.php/en/kuth-detail

Thanks! On the Zorg website it is stated - if I understand it correctly - that the purpose of the Küth is to clean up the very low frequencies produced by stacking multiple effects and pedals. Would it also be beneficial for playing just with a bass and an amp? My Little Mark Vintage head probably features the same HPF at 20Hz and the Low EQ knob has a center frequency of 68Hz.
 
EVERY speaker - - whether it's for sound reinforcement, bass or listening in your living room - - needs high-pass filtering. No matter if your speaker is a totally sealed enclosure, a vented box or a horn-loaded system, when the speaker system is fed signals below it's tuning frequency, it results in the driver(s) being pushed very hard (typically over excursion), with very high distortion and with a much greater chance of driver failure. Although some people think that a high-pass filter will give them less low end response, the truth is that it makes the low frequencies much cleaner. If frequencies are outside the range of a speaker, it isn't going to reproduce them anyway. So - - if you don't have high-pass filtering, your sound and reliability will improve by adding one.
 
If 20hz is about as low as the human ear can hear, I guess it makes sense to eliminate anything below that point.

If using standard engineering speak, 20Hz will only be -3dB, not even close to eliminated fully. ;) And it will also depend on the filter slope, a first order filter would only be -9dB at 10Hz at best.
 
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Thanks! On the Zorg website it is stated - if I understand it correctly - that the purpose of the Küth is to clean up the very low frequencies produced by stacking multiple effects and pedals. Would it also be beneficial for playing just with a bass and an amp? My Little Mark Vintage head probably features the same HPF at 20Hz and the Low EQ knob has a center frequency of 68Hz.

If you read what they say in their website: "If you are a bass OR a guitar player who like to play low or to pile up fuzzes and octavers...". So if you just play bass you will also benefit from a HPF. I also bought recently a HPF, after reading a lot about it on the forum, and I regret I didn't buy it before. As mentioned before, 20Hz is as low as the human ear can hear. However, in the context of playing in a band with drums, you should get away from those low frequencies 20-40Hz, and make room for the kick drum. I even use my HPF at around 60 Hz. The sound is tighter, and the amp is more efficient.
The tone knobs that you mentioned are a bit different. They can help to shape your sound by allowing you to boost or cut at specific frequencies. But they are not a filter.
 
I never thought of this. I run my HPF 2nd to last in my signal (right before my Pre/DI) and my compressor 2nd after my tuner. I'm going to try to bump my HPF before the comp and see how it sounds.

I have an mxr-m87 bass comp. I played with it before/ after the compressor and watched the leds for compression. It did make a difference. Granted, I do play a 6 string and tastefully incorporate the lower registers a lot. When I'm using a bass with piezo bridge saddles, it does help filter out some of the ultra-lows picked up.
 
@mcnach

Where I live it would be: unit price + shipping + VAT + (most probably) customs handling fee = over USD200. Still OK if one really wants it.

Yes, buying from overseas has that: in the UK you end up paying an additional 25-30% over the retail price, easily. But you can get it.

Whether the additional cost is worth your while I can't say, that's your decision and only you can judge that.
I hesitated too, but I found nothing else that I liked better, so I got the HPF and the RFE pedals from Broughton. I no longer remember how much I spent, so it didn't hurt that much after all.