Markbass nightmare

[jnuts1]

What I do have is a manufacturer's date, along with a serial number which is as hard to alter as a car's VIN. Furthermore, that Little Marcus Series was just released last year, so there's no question of its age. Again, if an original sale through means of an "authorized dealer" is so essential to honor a warranty, how can a damn unit get released to the public in the first place unless it's through the vendors owning the exclusive selling rights.

Reduced to a syllogism: if original purchase verification from an authorized dealer is necessary to honor a warranty; and Mitt Romney 's Evil Music Empire has an EXCLUSIVE distribution contract with Markbass; then it's most likely originally purchased through MF or GC.

The manufacture date should trump everything, & I should be given the benefit if the doubt. Recently I bought a used Wizzy 12 from Euphonic Audio & EAs CS department verified they'd warranty the speaker, no original RTF'seceipt needed.

dude, MB has no clue what has or hasn't happened to this bass amp, what store it came from, who owned it, where it was originally shipped to, if you stole it. you bought it from a pawn show, I don't care if it was manufactured last week, a pawn shop is not a reputable dealer where you would expect an original factory warranty. they say transferable but you actually have to provide some documentation to get it transferred.

your expectations are pretty unreasonable. and the evil music company talk kinda reinforces that since they have not done anything wrong except exclusively importing those amps.

 

[bassdude51]

You might be surprised at how much you can get for your "needs to be repaired" MarkBass head.

I had a 12 year old LMII that went bad on me and I put it up for sale on eBay and got around $250 for it.

We hope that you can get this problem resolved.

Mesa was an excellent buy!

 

[ThisYouCanTrust]

Am I the only one to find it crazy to even compare these two amps ?

The markbass is 600e new here, the mesa is 1500e, of course I would expect better support and hopefully a better sound too, for 250% of the price.

 

[agedhorse]

Am I the only one to find it crazy to even compare these two amps ?

The markbass is 600e new here, the mesa is 1500e, of course I would expect better support and hopefully a better sound too, for 250% of the price.

This doesn't hold true in other parts of the world.

 

[Parrotlover]

You might be surprised at how much you can get for your "needs to be repaired" MarkBass head.

I had a 12 year old LMII that went bad on me and I put it up for sale on eBay and got around $250 for it.

We hope that you can get this problem resolved.

Mesa was an excellent buy!

You might be surprised at how much you can get for your "needs to be repaired" MarkBass head.

I had a 12 year old LMII that went bad on me and I put it up for sale on eBay and got around $250 for it.

We hope that you can get this problem resolved.

Mesa was an excellent buy!

It's a shameful embarrassment of riches! When I first got this amp I bashed it because it didn't come close to the transparency of my G&K. Of course then I had a set of Hibeams on it that was flatter than I realized. 2 weeks ago, I picked up my Marcus Miller bass that my tech put on GHS round core boomers (95-40) along with single string bridges/saddles & I realized the G&K is too bright (of course turning tbe highs & hi-mid dial to the 9 o'clock position sorta fixed thst, & the MB Little Marcus sounds just right. It's been working without shutting off now & I'm thinking sonically it's a keeper. If or when it shuts down I'll keep your advise in mind. Thsnks!

 

[Parrotlover]

dude, MB has no clue what has or hasn't happened to this bass amp, what store it came from, who owned it, where it was originally shipped to, if you stole

I confess. I went to Italy, stole it directly from Marco Vigiles house, put it in a back pack & rode off with it on his yellow & black motorcycle. When the bike craps out on me, Guitar Center & Musicians Friend will have a lot to answer for

 

[Parrotlover]

Am I the only one to find it crazy to even compare these two amps ?

The markbass is 600e new here, the mesa is 1500e, of course I would expect better support and hopefully a better sound too, for 250% of the price.

Here in the states

Markbass formerly $849, but suddenly $549....plus sales tax, required from GC & MF plus e tended pro coverage warranty.

Mesa Boogie $999 , no tax & inclusive 5 year warranty.

 

[Wasnex]

Last February I purchased on eBay a Markbass Little Marcus 800 for $550. I thought I got a decent deal because the unit's relatively new, manufactured in 05/2018.

It's had very little use, as it's just a back up & I've sporadically noodled with it. A month ago it came up with an intermittent shut down problem. The LED lights stay on, but no sound. I'm aware of the fact that Markbass has a two year transferrable warranty, &he authorized warranty repair center in Arcadia, CA did their best to get me an RA. Ultimately I have to provide documentation it was purchased through an "authorized dealer". I was surprised to learn of Guitar Center/Musician's friend's exclusive contract. The bottom line is that it's incongruous that the unit could have been released into the world by any other means. I'm certain he serial number is traceable, all that takes is cooperation from a corporate executive overseeing both GC & MF (good luck Charlie, I have no idea who to call & possibly sue in small claims court). Yes buying used is risky, but knowing how new the amp is gave me a sense of false security.

Out of shear frustration I just ordered a Mesa Boogie WD-800 hybrid. It has a 5 year warranty, & a customer service department in the US that you can call. & they will respond with a sense of accountability. Now I'm kicking myself in the butt for not doing more research. Never again will I have anything to do with Markbass, Musician's Friend or Guitar Center.

Unfortunately if the amp wasn't registered and you don't have proof of the original purchase, the transferable warranty goes back to the date of manufacture. Also, Markbass is sold in other markets than the US, and different markets have their own warranty terms, so you have to prove where the amp was bought.

I got burned on my Mesa Titan in pretty much the same way. I was the third owner and was able to determine where the amp was originally sold. I called and the owner of the store confirmed the purchase date and said he would email me proof, but it never came. I called back and got some BS story about the owner needing to talk to his new distributor, and he ghosted me afterwards. The amp had been in the wild less than two years.

I called Mesa and they said the original manufacture date was over five years, so I needed to provide proof of the purchase date or there was nothing they could/would do. The amp needs a major reliability update, and they basically told me to not worry about.

I know exactly how you feel, but unfortunately (IMHO) it's own us for not ensuring the warranty was in place before we bought our amps. You could take it to small claims court, but I suspect you will spend way more than the value of the amp, and lose.

At least your good to go because you bought a brand new WD800. Before I bought my Titan, I bought an M9 Carbine, which also needed a major reliability update. Because I had proof of purchase the update was covered without question.

 

[ThisYouCanTrust]

This doesn't hold true in other parts of the world.

Yeah I just saw this in the numbers posted afterwards.
I guess we're just getting the shaft in the EU, like always.

It's also one of the reasons I didn't even consider a mesa cab to go with my 400+ (I got a barefaced 2x12), the mesa equivalent sounds good I'm sure, but it was twice the price !?

Here in the states

Markbass formerly $849, but suddenly $549....plus sales tax, required from GC & MF plus e tended pro coverage warranty.

Mesa Boogie $999 , no tax & inclusive 5 year warranty.

Out of curiosity, how does one avoid the sales tax and not the other ?

 

[Watchootognbout]

I got it from a pawn shop in Texas.....

The seller was a Texas Pawn shop.....

Why would GC or MF have anything to do with the amp?
A warranty is not transfered to sucessive owners.
Only the first buyer.

 

[Double E]

Why would GC or MF have anything to do with the amp?
A warranty is not transfered to sucessive owners.
Only the first buyer.

Wait... what? @Parrotlover, was staking their claim on the basis that the warranty was transferrable. I never bothered to check, but no it is not transferrable at all!

Sorry dude, the warranty listed on the site states that it is explicitly for the original purchaser. Your whole gripe about corporate accountability is completely unfounded.

What a farce.

 

[agedhorse]

Yeah I just saw this in the numbers posted afterwards.
I guess we're just getting the shaft in the EU, like always.

It's also one of the reasons I didn't even consider a mesa cab to go with my 400+ (I got a barefaced 2x12), the mesa equivalent sounds good I'm sure, but it was twice the price !?



Out of curiosity, how does one avoid the sales tax and not the other ?

Those in the EU get "screwed" on some things, those in the US get screwed in other things. In the end, it probably evens out more or less and the screwing is "equal opportunity"

Sales tax is always paid (in the states that have a sales tax), though it can be paid by either the buyer or the seller at the seller's choice. It's no difference than stating a price plus VAT or a price including VAT.

 

[Parrotlover]

Wait... what? @Parrotlover, was staking their claim on the basis that the warranty was transferrable. I never bothered to check, but no it is not transferrable at all!

Sorry dude, the warranty listed on the site states that it is explicitly for the original purchaser. Your whole gripe about corporate accountability is completely unfounded.

What a farce.

You really are spending a lot of energy on this, putting yourself in the role of a brown or black shirt-like henchman or agent for Mitt Romney's dynasty. He really needs your help!

You might be right. I'm simply going by what Virtual Sound in Arcadia told me in an email. They confirmed the warranty is transferrable, & they might be wrong. They did try getting authorization to fix it, submitting the serial number & manufacturing date & they were denied.

I will stipulate that after VSTIma did confirm the transferability of the warranty, I made certain assumptions. That the unit's serial number is like a VIN & maybe not the case, & the other assumption is that maybe there's a design flaw that makes these amps act up similarly.

As for corporate accountability? A clueless, apathetic, underpaid operator at a toll free 866 number ain't exactly like calling Petaluma CA & talking to Gary is it?

But you're right in publicly scolding me for not taking enough personal responsibility. When I stole that unit in Italy I forgot about the 220V thing, & only have myself to blame for frying the unit.

But now I have a bigger problem. That motorcycle. After going to all the trouble of painting over the yellow it won't start. Now it's essential MB gets that fixed

 

[Double E]

You really are spending a lot of energy on this, putting yourself in the role of a brown or black shirt-like henchman or agent for Mitt Romney's dynasty. He really needs your help!

You might be right. I'm simply going by what Virtual Sound in Arcadia told me in an email. They confirmed the warranty is transferrable, & they might be wrong. They did try getting authorization to fix it, submitting the serial number & manufacturing date & they were denied.

I will stipulate that after VSTIma did confirm the transferability of the warranty, I made certain assumptions. That the unit's serial number is like a VIN & maybe not the case, & the other assumption is that maybe there's a design flaw that makes these amps act up similarly.

As for corporate accountability? A clueless, apathetic, underpaid operator at a toll free 866 number ain't exactly like calling Petaluma CA & talking to Gary is it?

But you're right in publicly scolding me for not taking enough personal responsibility. When I stole that unit in Italy I forgot about the 220V thing, & only have myself to blame for frying the unit.

But now I have a bigger problem. That motorcycle. After going to all the trouble of painting over the yellow it won't start. Now it's essential MB gets that fixed

I am glad you are taking such a light hearted approach as to be writing wild fictional scenarios... I am afraid I mistook your sense of humor for authentic bitterness.

I apologize for scolding you... anyone who loves parrots cannot be a bad person.

Anyway... welcome to Talkbass! We can always use more creative writers to spice things up around here.

 

[Parrotlover]

I am glad you are taking such a light hearted approach as to be writing wild fictional scenarios... I am afraid I mistook your sense of humor for authentic bitterness.

I apologize for scolding you... anyone who loves parrots cannot be a bad person.

Anyway... welcome to Talkbass! We can always use more creative writers to spice things up around here.

I am bitter. A bitter old man & yeah, the double yellows cook up the best

 

[ThisYouCanTrust]

Those in the EU get "screwed" on some things, those in the US get screwed in other things. In the end, it probably evens out more or less and the screwing is "equal opportunity"

You'd have to give me examples for me to believe it.

I used to work in the german auto industry and if you wanted to buy a nice sedan (m3/c63 or whatever) they were more expensive in germany than they were stateside !
Plus our consumer protection laws which are pretty much non-existent here (no lemon laws, no class actions, no nothing ..).

Hell we don't even get free refills at mcdonalds here ... not that I ever eat there anyway but still

 

[Mingo Sanders]

The manufacture date should trump everything, & I should be given the benefit if the doubt.

I think you should form a corporation, manufacture consumer products, and offer that in your warranty terms. It's easy. Anyone can do it. You'll get rich.

 

[agedhorse]

You'd have to give me examples for me to believe it.

I used to work in the german auto industry and if you wanted to buy a nice sedan (m3/c63 or whatever) they were more expensive in germany than they were stateside !
Plus our consumer protection laws which are pretty much non-existent here (no lemon laws, no class actions, no nothing ..).

Hell we don't even get free refills at mcdonalds here ... not that I ever eat there anyway but still

Health care costs, labor laws, vacation time, pensions... just sayin' (but of course you pay for it in different ways)

 

[ThisYouCanTrust]

Hmm ok maybe, I never worked in the US so I can't compare that - I only see the wages which are basically double over there

 

[MultiScaleMale]

You'd have to give me examples for me to believe it.

I used to work in the german auto industry and if you wanted to buy a nice sedan (m3/c63 or whatever) they were more expensive in germany than they were stateside !
Plus our consumer protection laws which are pretty much non-existent here (no lemon laws, no class actions, no nothing ..).

Hell we don't even get free refills at mcdonalds here ... not that I ever eat there anyway but still

Humans tend to have a grass is greener approach to most things. I guess it keeps us moving and fuels GAS.