Markbass Question............R500 vs. SA450????

I have an SA450, and have never regretted buying it. It does all I want and has a warm, clean punchy sound with plenty of grunt. Nice and light and looks good in a rack (better than an LM2). My other amp is a Mesa 400+ but I can honestly say that the 450 is one of the few transistor amps I have played when I don't miss tubes. Sorry, I haven't tried the 500 for a comparison.

 

My SA450 is great and now gets more time than my CA-9/Kern rig. I can get pretty close with the SA450's parametric and the VLE/VLP knobs. Close enough anyway and it's a bit faster, too. Really like the SA450.

 

I use a little VLE quite regularly - very easy to quickly dial in a vintage sound or to "tame" a speaker. I can honestly say that after nearly 40 years of bass playing this is th eclosest to a plug and play amp that I have found.

 

Probably not, since the entire product line has only been available in America since June.

 

The R500 has been readily available for about 8 months though.

I have played one in a store setting. I was really hoping to like it, but in my opinion, they took away some of the nice parts that I like about the LMKII (the VLE, VPF) and added a tube, in front that is capable of adding some overdrive. However, the amp really seems to be a one trick pony. If you want any real volume, you almost have to crank the tube gain up and therefore have a cool, but not so clean sound. Its limited on the amount of clean volume, which was probably not what it was designed to do, but it limits its usefullness.

I would buy the SA450 or LMKII and add my favorite OD/Fuzz pedal for when I want that tone and have a more flexible setup.

 

Not sure what the manual says, but I dial in the left knob about 9-10:00 and the right one about 2:00 to get what I hear as closest to my tube preamp I love so well.

 

+1 for the SA450, I love mine

 

Just a heads up for those who've been checking the Musician's Friend website in search of the SA450. It seems that they won't be available until Sept 10, 2008. They will be receiving one very soon as a return. Sadly (for me), mine is going back within the 45-day return period. It's just not the sound/tone that I had hoped for. If anyone wants me to PM them when I ship it back early next week, let me know. Don't feel bad for me...I have other great tone machines.

M. M.

 

And their was me thinking this was a global forum

It could just be that it's not a popular model. Have you tried the harmony central review database?
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Bass+Amp/brand/Markbass

 

I had a feeling someone was going to ask that question. There is a lot to like about the SA450. I love the ‘tone’, love the feature set, the knobs and switches have a quality feel to them, it’s stupid light, it's power rating at 4 ohms seemed to be accurate (and then some). I even like the color scheme. I really wanted this amp to work out.

What I didn’t like was the sound ‘balance’ for lack of a better description. On all of my 5-strings through any of my cabinets, the lowest notes on the B string seemed a bit reticent. In the middle of the fingerboard (frets 8 to 15) on the E and A strings, some notes bloomed excessively and other were a bit dead sounding. I am aware that any wood-necked bass will exhibit this characteristic to a small degree, but this was excessive (and annoying). Even with EQ adjustments this trait remained.

What’s my frame of reference? My Eden WT-400, Ashly SC-40/Crown XTi 2000, Demeter HBP-1J/Crown XTi 2000 rigs do not seem to exhibit this trait. And they are very different animals from each other. I put the MB through its paces at home, in three different rehearsal studios, on a live outdoor gig…always with the same results. My guitar player noticed it too. Some may say that because the SA450 is more 'accurate', it is more revealing of issues upstream. That argument could be made in comparison to the Eden, but I'm not sure that would hold up against my other two amp setups. Whatever the reason, I know what I like...and don't like.

There's no need to let my experience steer you away from the SA450. Most TBers who have tried the LMII/SA450 amps dig them. I listen to and appreciate the collective wisdom around here, but sometimes my ears tell me to go my own way. This is one of those times.

M. M.

 

I played an R500 at the store. Nice and punchy! I was waiting while I bought an F1. They F1 is smaller lighter more versatile.
I would wait til September for the R800 if you like the R500.
That being said I don't think the tonal differences are so monumentally staggering that you would regret one over the other.
I've been very happy with the F1 and the 500w has been more than enough playing out. I never bumped the gain or volume past 9:00 and I wasn't run through the PA.

 

One last heads up for those contemplating the purchase of a Markbass SA450. Mine shipped out yesterday on its way back to Musician's Friend. It should hit their doorstep around Fri, Sat, Mon. They couldn't tell me how long of a period it would be from when they receive it until it will become available to the public, but now you know to be on the lookout. It left my hands in mint condition, so you can buy with confidence. I'm glad I tried it out. Now I know firsthand what a MB amp sounds/feels like.

Edit: Tracking shows it should get there on Friday, for those that might care. For those who don't...at least you know I care.

M. M.

 

i have a LMII (and a SD800 on its way ) and i find that using the VLE and VPF is seriously usefull. i put them both at about 9 o'clock, maybe a hair lower. ive never really used either of them alone, but if i needed the "oldscool" tone, or the scooped mids, they definately do a good job of it.