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Markbass Megathread PART 3

#761
Holy cow.

I just picked up a Markbass 103 combo.

Never had such tone, let alone in so light a package. I am still pinching myself. Every note is a joy.

Thanks to this forum for turning me on to the brand. Now to sell my old SWR Workingman's 15. What an upgrade.

Peace!
 
#764
tallboybass said:
I've got one for my SD800 and I LOVE IT!!! The vents line up, you just unzip and play! (whoa, that sounded nasty) It fits nicely, there's even velcro on the inside of the flap, enabling you to stick the amp to a fuzzy cab....to tilt-back without it sliding off.

Alan
Click to expand...

Its great the way the vent holes line up with the vents. It means rain can get right in to the amp without any trouble when its strapped to your back ;-)
 
#766
I have no idea what are you talking about, the vent holes on the ampbag are facing downwards, so if rain will not fall upside down-or downside up? :p -, you will hardly get your amp wet.
I have the bag, it works nice.



KJung said:
That's the thing that kept me away from the MB bags. I have my SD800 in a lightweight SKB rack, and the smaller heads in Mooradian bags.
Click to expand...
 
#767
I just ordered a MB bag today from Guitar Center although I am skeptical that they actually ordered the right thing. He had to manually force it into the system because he said no one in the US had ever ordered one before (which I doubt is true). In any case, I hope they got it right.
 
#768
Rather talk about this new little cute something!
Has anybody heard it? I want info!!! :hyper:
(I've just read, that Marcus from Miller's family tried it on NAMM or where, and liked it, cranked up the lows on his bass, and the tiny little speakers liked it.)
 
#769
Askia said:
I have no idea what are you talking about, the vent holes on the ampbag are facing downwards, so if rain will not fall upside down-or downside up? :p -, you will hardly get your amp wet.
I have the bag, it works nice.
Click to expand...

You are wrong but maybe you are talking about the LMII bag. Mine and Kens replies were referring to a SD800 bag and the big bags have holes at either end.

113185149_L32D3-M.jpg


113185158_GyGTi-M.jpg


this is what i use for my LMII.It only cost £19 and is ncely padded and takes everything i need other than my bas and cab ;-)

165722427_P2KsR-M.jpg

165722415_vE4CW-M.jpg

165722419_AM6e6-M.jpg
 
#770
Hmm....:hiding:
Yeah, I have the LMII bag, which one has ventillation holes only on one side. What a pity! You could have the right bag for your LMII, and get better one for your 800! :bawl:


dave_bass5 said:
You are wrong but maybe you are talking about the LMII bag. Mine and Kens replies were referring to a SD800 bag and the big bags have holes at either end.

113185149_L32D3-M.jpg


113185158_GyGTi-M.jpg


this is what i use for my LMII.It only cost £19 and is ncely padded and takes everything i need other than my bas and cab ;-)

165722427_P2KsR-M.jpg

165722415_vE4CW-M.jpg

165722419_AM6e6-M.jpg
Click to expand...
 
#772
Just got back from GC. Tried the LMII, the 800, and the F1, all with the 104HR bottom. I hate to sound heretical, but the rigs all sounded a little "honky" to me. Just a little. Is this a characteristic of the neodymium speakers or the amps or me?!

I do not have a "honky" sounding bass (I brought it with me) at least not for the past 15 years I've played with it, but I do wonder if any one else noticed this. Btw, it could be somewhat dialed out with the tone controls.

I liked the LMII the best tone wise, oddly enough the least expensive!!!
 
#774
agfrag said:
Just got back from GC. Tried the LMII, the 800, and the F1, all with the 104HR bottom. I hate to sound heretical, but the rigs all sounded a little "honky" to me. Just a little. Is this a characteristic of the neodymium speakers or the amps or me?!

I do not have a "honky" sounding bass (I brought it with me) at least not for the past 15 years I've played with it, but I do wonder if any one else noticed this. Btw, it could be somewhat dialed out with the tone controls.

I liked the LMII the best tone wise, oddly enough the least expensive!!!
Click to expand...

You are one of many, many posters that describe their Markbass experience at GC when playing a Markbass head out of a MB cab, and that cab in particular, as having a 'dark', or 'mid heavy' or 'honky' tone.

Since I own all three of those heads, and they are among the most transparent and 'alive' sounding heads I've ever used, I again feel that the Markbass cabs have a tone that at least some don't seem to like.

The F1 or LMII through an Epi or Bergantino cab is just a thing of beauty. The SD800 can actually be a little too wide down low and a little too harsh up top, but with some EQ, it's quite a hammer.

Again... I'm not hammering on the cabs so much as praising the heads. Except for the guys who really like a tube/rock tone and that don't like SS heads, the vast majority of negative comments on the MB stuff come from those who play a MB head only through a MB cab.

IMO!
 
#775
KJung said:
....The SD800 can actually be a little too wide down low and a little too harsh up top, but with some EQ, it's quite a hammer.....
Click to expand...
I guess I'll just never understand this. On the rare occasions the lows are too much, I just roll them off a hair and it's perrrrfect. As far as the highs are concerned, I must have some hearing loss up there 'cause I boost the dooky out the highs with the tweet at noon on my UL410S1 just to get the upper mids and highs to poke out of the mix a little!!! :confused: YMMV
 
#776
tallboybass said:
I guess I'll just never understand this. On the rare occasions the lows are too much, I just roll them off a hair and it's perrrrfect. As far as the highs are concerned, I must have some hearing loss up there 'cause I boost the dooky out the highs with the tweet at noon on my UL410S1 just to get the upper mids and highs to poke out of the mix a little!!! :confused: YMMV
Click to expand...

Depends on the bass. I like an almost Marcus Miller tone (not that over the top, but plenty of grind, sizzle and big low end), and have my tweeter at about 10 o'clock and never,ever, ever boost treble on the amp or preamp with any of the Markbass stuff. However, I use relatively aggressive J basses with always new stainless steel roundwounds.

Regarding dialing back bass... it's not the amount of bass to me, but the nature of the low end. Yes, I can keep the bass flat or slightly attenuated on the SD800 and punch up the low mids a touch, but that's not the same thing as using that head flat through a more low mid voiced cab. The probability of a shelving bass control and a fixed Q semi-parametric mid control exactly 'fixing' a voicing issue is pretty low.

That being said, it all sounds darn good, but I continue to find that some combinations sound better than others. Again, on this site, we split hairs a touch. I can get my tone through just about any full range cab and SS head. However, some stuff just sings to me!

That being said, one of my least favorite combinations is the SD800 and the 401UL (I). If you have that combination, that might explain your rather extreme EQ to end up with some articulation. Those two pieces of gear have their holes and peaks lined up exactly with each other to my ear. Just IMO... it surely doesn't sound horrible to me at all, but is my least favorite of any combination I own. The LMII with the 410UL (I)... ahhh.. that's what I'm talkin' about!

Edit: Of course, one man's least favorite is another man's favorite! That's what makes this all so cool!
 
#777
KJung said:
....Of course, one man's least favorite is another man's favorite! That's what makes this all so cool!
Click to expand...
Yes Ken, I know we've got completely different tone goals....I really didn't like the LMII with the UL410S1, and that's one of your faves. I totally respect your opinions though and, as you know, pay attention when you speak. It's really hard to talk about these amps when the BASSES that are plugged into them are so different. I'm using everything from a 55-94 to a Hofner, mainly played fingerstyle, and I need lots of upper mids and highs to define the note. Ah well, as we like to say around here....'It's a great time to be a bass player'...:hyper:
 
#778
tallboybass said:
Yes Ken, I know we've got completely different tone goals....I really didn't like the LMII with the UL410S1, and that's one of your faves. I totally respect your opinions though and, as you know, pay attention when you speak. It's really hard to talk about these amps when the BASSES that are plugged into them are so different. I'm using everything from a 55-94 to a Hofner, mainly played fingerstyle, and I need lots of upper mids and highs to define the note. Ah well, as we like to say around here....'It's a great time to be a bass player'...:hyper:
Click to expand...


+1 all the way. I can TOTALLY see the SD800/410UL(I) screaming with a 55-94 with the Barts in it.. talk about nice punchy mids and warmth.. and the somewhat polite top end of that bass would allow you to crank the tweeter and upper mids on the amp a bit to make it growl.. If I used that setting with my Celinder, every glass and ashtray in the place would shatter:D

All good stuff. I'm actually digging the SD800 with the new Berg AE410 Neo cab quite a bit, since that cab adds some low mid punch to my somewhat wide sounding instruments.

Cool all the way around!

K

PS Those Hofners are so cool... not my thing, but every time I hear one in an alternative country/folk/rock setting, it just sounds so warm and fat. Those are little bitty necks on there if you are used to a big old 5 string!!!!
 
#779
agfrag said:
Just got back from GC. Tried the LMII, the 800, and the F1, all with the 104HR bottom. I hate to sound heretical, but the rigs all sounded a little "honky" to me. Just a little. Is this a characteristic of the neodymium speakers or the amps or me?!

I do not have a "honky" sounding bass (I brought it with me) at least not for the past 15 years I've played with it, but I do wonder if any one else noticed this. Btw, it could be somewhat dialed out with the tone controls.

I liked the LMII the best tone wise, oddly enough the least expensive!!!
Click to expand...
You shoulda' checked those heads out with some other cabs. What you're describing is exactly what I hear with the MB cabs. I'm really not a fan at all. Love their heads tho. :)
 

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