+1. I love my Markbass rig.
My customer service story is that I thought my cab crapped out on me. The were ready to send me a brand new one - but just in time I realized the problem was my cable not the cab so I was able to call off the replacement.
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Markbass...Thoughts? Love? Hate?
- Thread starter longtom33
- Start date
+1. I love my Markbass rig.
My customer service story is that I thought my cab crapped out on me. The were ready to send me a brand new one - but just in time I realized the problem was my cable not the cab so I was able to call off the replacement.
Had my CMD102P nearly 4 years now (bought May 06), gigged extensively in all sorts of venues, still like new. I like the sound of the two 10s in it myself, although I would agree about the mid hump being there as others have mentioned. Plenty of lows though, I often find it necessary to dial some bottom end off slightly. Not much EQing needed for me otherwise.
I also have the Traveller 151P extension cab and the thing has low end that is almost unbelievable for something that size and weight. I'm guessing the people who say the MB cabs lack low end haven't experienced this one.
My MB stuff is certainly amongst the best gear I've ever bought in over 30 years of playing, so yeah - put me down for "love" in that case.
I also have the Traveller 151P extension cab and the thing has low end that is almost unbelievable for something that size and weight. I'm guessing the people who say the MB cabs lack low end haven't experienced this one.
My MB stuff is certainly amongst the best gear I've ever bought in over 30 years of playing, so yeah - put me down for "love" in that case.
well it could be that the upper mids give me the illusion of a smaller low end. that could very well be. anyway, i'm not at all against markbass cabs...just that they are most definitely not your typical sounding cab.
I tried mine with a couple of very nice 1-15 cabs (Bag End and Nahas). It sounded fine and would easily work if that's what I had to use. Problem is, I'm way past using gear that sounds fine. I want amazing
. In each case, the cab I normally use with each of those 15's (Bag End coax 1-10, Nahas 1-12 w/horn) sound much better to me. I'm pretty sure this is a case where a biamp setup would be preferable when using the NY604... I could run it with less bottom and it would likely help tighten up the sound. Problem is, I get that effect with the other cabs running them on a mono head with no crossovers. So why bother?
Granted, I never use the top cabs of my rigs alone. By the same token I could do that with the NY604. So for a single cab, light load-in, moderate volume gig or gig with PA it's very cool.
I had the same experience with my GS112. The trick was to use a pair. Problem solved. Otherwise I was at the mercy of whatever room and I hate that type of uncertainty when I go to a gig. With my current main setups, I've yet to come into a situation they couldn't handle with ease. Usually they're overkill but the rig is so small and easy to move, who cares?
I'd be willing to bet that most people haven't tried them live. I haven't. I was at a GC recently when a guy I know was lighting up a 2-10/1-15 stack. Playing way louder than you should indoors (or in polite company). And they were holding up very well. It was a nice surprise.
But I'm set on cabs so for me the point is moot.
Peter Murray
Commercial User
- Dec 13, 2005
- 627
- 80
- Disclosures
- Marketing and artist relations for Xvive (ex-Markbass, ex-Supro, ex-Pigtronix)
I'd be willing to bet that most people haven't tried them live. I haven't. I was at a GC recently when a guy I know was lighting up a 2-10/1-15 stack. Playing way louder than you should indoors (or in polite company). And they were holding up very well. It was a nice surprise.
But I'm set on cabs so for me the point is moot.
Hey everyone!
Obviously I adore Markbass cabinets (and use them live on average 3 nights a week), but am not really allowed to rave about them here the way I would really love to.
What I CAN say, and would like to, is that the key is: TRY THEM LIVE. They're designed to sound great in the context of a live band. Isn't that what's important anyways?
I think many of you will have had the experience of trying a cabinet in a store or quiet studio, think it sounds beautiful, and then get it on a gig and find it just doesn't CUT.
The name of the game for cabinets is not to sound "pretty". You need to sound great in context. And a quiet room and a loud stage are very different contexts!
And yet there are many people out there slagging the cabinets who have never tried them in this most important context!
Of course they want to defend THEIR cabinets, and that is perfectly normal. Nobody is too quick to accept the idea that they may not have the best gear for them.
Of course it's possible that you may try Markbass cabinets live and not like them--but in my experience I have very rarely heard of that scenario!
I have a lot of gear here and I enjoy lending rigs to local bass players to try on gigs... that's what sells them! Not the "at home" test. Our endorsers, reviewers, and customers all RAVE about our cabinets, and in fact the Standard 104HF was voted SECOND in the "best cabinet" category of last year's Bass Player magazine reader's poll (after the Ampeg SVT 8x10).
So when you hear people put down Markbass cabs without trying them live, please take it with a grain of salt. Do whatever you can to try the cabs live yourself, where they were designed to shine. Listen for yourself. THEN draw your conclusions.
Cheers,
Peter
I have never tried the cabs, but I do own the F1 and the TA501 heads, and like them both. Loud as hell, and very nice eq points. The compressor in the 501 is the best I've ever heard next to the one in my Roland DB700. Both of them need only a smidge of compression before you hear the effect. With a 4 ohm cab, it's pretty darn near perfect. I have tried the Genz Benz heads , and they are not for me. In fact, the only competition I see now for MarkBass are the new Carvin heads, the BX1500 and the B2000. Time will tell.
Hey everyone!
Obviously I adore Markbass cabinets (and use them live on average 3 nights a week), but am not really allowed to rave about them here the way I would really love to.
What I CAN say, and would like to, is that the key is: TRY THEM LIVE. They're designed to sound great in the context of a live band. Isn't that what's important anyways?
I think many of you will have had the experience of trying a cabinet in a store or quiet studio, think it sounds beautiful, and then get it on a gig and find it just doesn't CUT.
The name of the game for cabinets is not to sound "pretty". You need to sound great in context. And a quiet room and a loud stage are very different contexts!
And yet there are many people out there slagging the cabinets who have never tried them in this most important context!
Of course they want to defend THEIR cabinets, and that is perfectly normal. Nobody is too quick to accept the idea that they may not have the best gear for them.
Of course it's possible that you may try Markbass cabinets live and not like them--but in my experience I have very rarely heard of that scenario!
I have a lot of gear here and I enjoy lending rigs to local bass players to try on gigs... that's what sells them! Not the "at home" test. Our endorsers, reviewers, and customers all RAVE about our cabinets, and in fact the Standard 104HF was voted SECOND in the "best cabinet" category of last year's Bass Player magazine reader's poll (after the Ampeg SVT 8x10).
So when you hear people put down Markbass cabs without trying them live, please take it with a grain of salt. Do whatever you can to try the cabs live yourself, where they were designed to shine. Listen for yourself. THEN draw your conclusions.
Cheers,
Peter
Out of curiosity I`d like to know what you think about Markbass cabs with a different brand of head. Would you say they still maintain their cutting presence? (assuming you don`t cut out all mids, of course)
I keep hearing the same blanket disdain for Markbass cabs over and over again. I'll repeat myself from previous threads:
MB offers a wide range of cabs; they don't even come close to all sounding alike.
To my ears, some sound fantastic, some more average, some not to my tastes.
With cabs, we've simply got to try them for ourselves, preferably with our own bass and with the same head each time. As musicians, we don't do ourselves any favours by pre-judging an entire line; we want to be choosing gear with our ears, not our frontal cortex's!
The other thing to keep in mind is what someone else already said: what sounds good in isolation doesn't necessarily cut in a band mix. A little mid to high-mid prominence may not sound smooth at the store, but it's definitely our friend on stage.
MB offers a wide range of cabs; they don't even come close to all sounding alike.
To my ears, some sound fantastic, some more average, some not to my tastes.
With cabs, we've simply got to try them for ourselves, preferably with our own bass and with the same head each time. As musicians, we don't do ourselves any favours by pre-judging an entire line; we want to be choosing gear with our ears, not our frontal cortex's!
The other thing to keep in mind is what someone else already said: what sounds good in isolation doesn't necessarily cut in a band mix. A little mid to high-mid prominence may not sound smooth at the store, but it's definitely our friend on stage.
i completely agree, except i do think that markbass cabs have a kind of signature tone. every one that i've played has a similar vibe in its voicing. it's not that they all sound exactly the same, but the voicings are very similar. i've only used one of their cabs onstage and liked it very much for a micro combo, and i agree that the other cabs would come to life onstage and give a better impression than at the store. and really, if you don't like the strong upper mid, most of their heads have an upper mid knob centered at 800 hz and it's good for taking them down a peg or two.
Speaking of which: was Mark Bass the first co. to center two mid controls in the 175 - 250 and 750 - 1000hz vicinities? Man, those spots strike me as just perfect for bass! They're only 2 octaves apart or less, but they're exactly the crucial parts of a bass sound that often need adjustment (and as often as not, in opposite directions). Everytime I read of another bass amp company situating twin mids in both those areas, I pump my fist and go "Yes! Another bass product designed by actual working bass players!"
I find it so frustrating EQing bass on a channel strip that has Lows at 80hz, and then nothing until 1000hz or higher.
- pw
I love Markbass. I mean, what's not to love? They are made in Italy, they have an unconditional two-year warranty through Guitar Center, and they have orange speakers.
They are reliable and never break down. Do they sound as warm and anywhere near as a good-old USA-made Ampeg? NO!
But they sure get the job done, better than most bass amps out there.
They are reliable and never break down. Do they sound as warm and anywhere near as a good-old USA-made Ampeg? NO!
But they sure get the job done, better than most bass amps out there.
You really can`t deny the mid presence with these amps, but it`s still the severe lack of low end that is killing me with mine. The sound just doesn`t have any balls about it. I really want something with a deep low warmth that`ll literally shake rear ends out in the crowd, but unfortunately my MB is missing that. OTOH, you can`t beat their weight, reliability, or customer service - they are bar none the best in those regards - but the tone just isn`t doing it for me. I think I need me some tubes...
Wow, I shudder to imagine the tone you're after; what style do you play? I don't recall ever hearing the phrase "severe lack of low end" about MB. It's true they don't extend to subsonic, but what's there strikes me as nice and solid. I understand the F1 and F500 are voiced a little higher.
Anyway, you know what you want to hear.
What happens when you max the lows? (I wouldn't do that with my speakers at full volume...) I assume you've played with the filters on the right...
Are you using the right speakers for your aim? Have you ever heard the sound you're after through those speakers, with a different head?
A Little Mark is pretty powerful, but it's not, like, infinite. Are you just pushing it beyond its ability to push electrons?
If sheer volume is not the problem, rather than over-cranking the low end, what about reducing highs and high mids to get the right tonal balance, and then volume to taste?
Or: maybe you're right, it's just not the amp for you, what do I know!
Best of luck finding your sound.
- pw
Originally Posted by pbasswil
Speaking of which: was Mark Bass the first co. to center two mid controls in the 175 - 250 and 750 - 1000hz vicinities?
- pw
Speaking of which: was Mark Bass the first co. to center two mid controls in the 175 - 250 and 750 - 1000hz vicinities?
- pw
That's right! -- they've always had 4 band, haven't they? But are they always placed in those great freq areas? I haven't tried a GK amp for ages; I'd like to try one of their micro-heads.
Haha, I guess it`s the subsonic that it`s missing then
I dunno, to me their low end only goes down so deep and then it seems to cut off right before it gets to the sweet depth. (using an SD800, btw) That said, the amp can get plenty loud and whats lovely about it is that it maintains stellar clarity the louder it gets, but again the low end just seems to drop completely out after a certain point in the sonic spectrum and it seems to be right before it gets to the 'sweet spot' where funk just oozes out.
That said I don`t push the amp or crank the lows past 2, but in my mind I shouldn`t have to. If the amp isn`t giving me what I want with everything close to high noon it probably just isn`t for me. I`ve also done some more drastic EQing on the head and it`s been able to really kick, but it still doesn`t get the low end richness that I`m craving. That said, it could definitely be the MB 6x10 that`s causing it to be incapable of reaching those lows since it has a natural high mid voicing, but meh. After playing an SVT-CL I`ve been craving tube warmth and kick, and as such I`m looking into getting hybrids to help get the best of both worlds.
It`s not like MB`s are bad amps - far from it (I`d actually be one to argue they are the top brand of bass amps, all around), it`s just that the voicing isn`t for me. I`ll probably pick up a used LMII as a backup head (more than probably, actually), but right now I`m thinking I need tubes and a more low voiced cab.
But yeah, that`s where I stand currently - but I`ll be back to Markbass soon enough
Oh, and to answer your question about the genre I`m doing - right now neither myself or my band are settling down in any one genre so it`s pretty loose right now. With that in mind I don`t want my gear to limit me in case we go into some deep RnB, funk, or venture into electronica/dub any.
I really cant imagine this situation.
are you trying to play Wembley with no PA support?
really, what cabs you using it with? if you haven't tried it with an efficient 4x10 or any setup which involves at least 1x15 I'd say your observations aren't too serious.
I`m using a Markbass 6x10. Again, it`s most likely the mid voicing that`s killing it for me. That said, I just don`t have the heart to 'downsize' and trade/sell it for a 4x10 and I currently don`t have the funds to spring for two 4x10`s, a 4x10 and a 1x15, or two 2x12`s like I want to.
But even so, I`ve played a lot of MB cabs and they all seem to have that mid boost (sometimes it`s high mid, sometimes low). It`s great for cutting through a live mix, but again it`s the 'missing' low end that kills me. I actually recently had the chance to play in a pseudo bar setting with no one in it so I actually was able to go out and hear my sound out front... it was nice, but it didn`t support the band as much as it just sat in with the band. Again - nice, but not what I want at this time.
Plus, after the gig I had with an SVT-CL my ideal tone has completely flopped. After more research in the field it seems like an Aguilar DB750/1 is my ideal amp at the moment
Till then, I`m hoping this GB 1200 I`m trying to score will tide me over as far as tube warmth and solid state articulation is concerned. I`ll consider it my practice hybrid till I can get an Aggie 
