Markbass...Thoughts? Love? Hate?

[longtom33]

Hey guys.

I'm currently looking to upgrade from my P.O.S behringer cab (which im pretty sure is about to blow) to a cab.
I went to the bass centre a few days ago, and played around with an Eden 410XST, and an Eden E410 (since I have an Eden Nemesis na-650 head). They were pretty cool.
Then, I asked the guy what markbass are like. He said they're the most popular amp they sell, and are very good and would suit my style of music i predominantly play (thrashy metal/rock)
I plugged in, and started playing, and I must admit, I was pretty impressed by the 104HF I used. It was very efficient (didn't need much power to get loud), had a cool sounds, and apparently they're VERY light
Now, I've heard very various opinions on Markbass from other people on forums, ranging from absolutely raving to saying they are "generic, ugly, and unreliable". Excluding the colour/aesthetics, what are people's thoughts on them, both in terms of sound, and also in reliability? (i've heard from one person the Markbass neodynium drivers die after about TWO years coz they use cheap neodynium...sounds like crap to me but i could be wrong...)

Thanks heaps talkbass friends

 

[David Jayne]

It's good stuff. If you like the sound, go for it, simple.

 

[Jaco who?]

(i've heard from one person the Markbass neodynium drivers die after about TWO years coz they use cheap neodynium...sounds like crap to me but i could be wrong...)

Thanks heaps talkbass friends

Neodymium is neodymium. If the dude you spoke too kept referring to "neodynium, he probably doesn't really know what he's talking about, wants to sell you ceramic magnet speakers, or maybe a little 'a both.

 

[Jay Terrien]

I am interested in checking these amps out. I'll talk to their reps. at the NAMM show next week. I wonder if they have a model that would work well for both electric bass and acoustic viola (2 different channels)????

Jay

 

[electracoyote]

I own a Markbass CMD151P (Jeff Berlin) combo. I've been gigging it since September 2009. I am in love.

I highly recommend a search here on TB. You will discover a lot of Markbass love.

 

[odin70]

I think they sound pretty good. Looks terrible imo. I dont think you should pay much attention to whats popular in the moment.

 

[5StringBlues]

I really like their amps.There should be alot more threads about them.

 

[air_leech]

guess I got lucky, my Markbass cab still going strong even though it's been two years since I got it...

 

[A.CLAYTON]

IMO the amps are great,but i found the cabs to sound terrible.Lacking bottom end and too strong in the upper mids.

 

[UncleBalsamic]

Cabs divide people on tone, but I've not heard anything bad about the quality.
The heads are pretty good though, I like them lookswise and soundwise. Serach around on here, there are loads of threads with useful info.

 

[electracoyote]

IMO the amps are great,but i found the cabs to sound terrible.Lacking bottom end and too strong in the upper mids.

Not my 15. I set it next to my drummer and he begs for mercy. I can rattle the fillings out of his teeth if I want to.

 

[Korladis]

The LMIII I tried was pretty nice. Obviously I couldn't get the grindy sound I normally use with my head, but it did have a fat, warm, thumpy sound I could have used, too.

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

Definitely love here.

LMII is my fave amp of all time.

Light, powerful, great tone... everything a bassist who gigs regularly needs.

 

[Buster Brown]

Yeah...go figure....I've been using my CMD121P since they first came out, what? 3 or 4 years ago. Usually use it for practice and smaller jobs but generally push it fairly hard.

Still going strong!

Apparently I got one of the few "good ones".....

 

[KJAXE]

I've had an SD800 for a couple years now and I love it. Lots of tone control, lots of power and it actually gets a nice tube warmth. Oh ya, it's not too big, it's light and I like its looks!

 

[Jeff Scott]

Love!

 

[Bassamatic]

They are great amps - nothing could compare when I tested them. If I back it into a corner, my little CMD121P can rattle a good sized club. I have even played an outdoor gig with just the single 12" (before I got an add-on cab), and it was nearly loud enough!

I've met with the MarkBass people and they seem to be really concerned about quality.

 

[Baird6869]

I really, really dislike the cabs. Terrible to my ears... not enough bottom end and I just don't like how they sound. And they are extremely expensive.

I liked my F1 head and the LMII and III are ok just not my thing.

If you research on the TB site you will likely see that there is a lot if love for MB heads and a lot less love for the cabs.

In any case, buy what sounds good to you....

 

[jmattbassplaya]

They have some of the best reliability of any brand out there and completely stellar customer service. The tone isn`t for everyone, but that`s okay. I dig them myself, but admit I`m looking for something else. Check them out. IMHO, they are very good amps.

 

[JimmyM]

I can't complain at all about my lmii. great sounding amp. the cabs are a love/hate thing. you won't ever get lost in the mix with a markbass cab, that's for sure. but yeah, they can be a little high middy.