Markbass to Jad Freer Sisma

[Planetguitar]

I’ve been using a Markbass 12” combo and 15” cabinet. It was sounding pretty good, but the amp was only clean and sounded weird at high volume.

So, I purchased a JF CAPO to add some saturation and a Cali76. With the pedals, it was sounding real nice.

Enter the JAD Freer Sisma. My wireless failed on my pedalboard, so I skipped my pedals and went direct into the amp. At first my singer said my bass was too loud/ but he turned around and said it wow it sounds so nice and it does not step on his vocals. So, I ran it loud, and it crushed my Markbass amp with only one 15” cab.

The Sisma was a HUGE upgrade from - HUGE. The Sisma excels where Markbass doesn’t and generally excels at everything. The lows are rich and thick with my Jazz.

Anyone have issues with the Markbass amps being too clean?

 

[gtirard]

Anyone have issues with the Markbass amps being too clean?

Not really, I think Markbass amp sound good, not too clean for my taste. But the Sisma is on a higher level (it's also much more expensive, but it's worth it IMO).

 

[logdrum]

Not really, I think Markbass amp sound good, not too clean for my taste. But the Sisma is on a higher level (it's also much more expensive, but it's worth it IMO).

Hey, I have been using the Freer Capo and Sisma captures that you shared on tone3000 in my NAM player. It is really interesting that when you do more than one string that the combo excites some overtones even though they are on the clean side. Not having an experience with the actual hardware. I am thinkin to start using them on my live setup for this originals rock band. It is more interesting than the Ampeg SVT. B15 . Not as dominating as some of the GK captures. I am still looking for an Aguilar capture

 

[gtirard]

Hey, I have been using the Freer Capo and Sisma captures that you shared on tone3000 in my NAM player. It is really interesting that when you do more than one string that the combo excites some overtones even though they are on the clean side. Not having an experience with the actual hardware. I am thinkin to start using them on my live setup for this originals rock band. It is more interesting than the Ampeg SVT. B15 . Not as dominating as some of the GK captures. I am still looking for an Aguilar capture

Great to hear you like my captures, and it's interesting to read your description because it's also exactly what I like with the real Sisma (and Capo).

There's something NAM can't capture though: the highly rewarding (think "big smile of your face") power that you feel when you push Sisma's Class G power amp.

 

[SJan3]

I’ve been using a Markbass 12” combo and 15” cabinet. It was sounding pretty good, but the amp was only clean and sounded weird at high volume.

So, I purchased a JF CAPO to add some saturation and a Cali76. With the pedals, it was sounding real nice.

Enter the JAD Freer Sisma. My wireless failed on my pedalboard, so I skipped my pedals and went direct into the amp. At first my singer said my bass was too loud/ but he turned around and said it wow it sounds so nice and it does not step on his vocals. So, I ran it loud, and it crushed my Markbass amp with only one 15” cab.

The Sisma was a HUGE upgrade from - HUGE. The Sisma excels where Markbass doesn’t and generally excels at everything. The lows are rich and thick with my Jazz.

Anyone have issues with the Markbass amps being too clean?

Nope

 

[frankie5string]

I’ve been using a Markbass 12” combo and 15” cabinet. It was sounding pretty good, but the amp was only clean and sounded weird at high volume.

Anyone have issues with the Markbass amps being too clean?

I don't know about "too clean" but if you run them set flat knob-wise, their speakers throw a lot of energy into the midrange, and our ears have been conditioned to see a bit of a scoop around the vocal range on most studio recordings. So, you might want to fiddle with the VLF and VLE controls, or play with the midrange controls on your Markbass amp.
Unless you want more dirt - which most Markbass combos don't really do.

Why not just experiment with the Capo running into the return of the Markbass amp - that will pretty much get you an un-voiced feed into the Markbass power amp - then you can dial the Capo any way you like it.

 

[DWBass]

I wouldn't consider Markbass amps 'clean' except maybe the Marcus Miller model which is voiced to his specs. I gigged a LMIII for well over 10 years, maybe more. It didn't mate well with all my cabs but I dealt with it.

 

[tleebassist11]

I’ve back lined a bunch of Markbass amps over the years, and now as a Sisma owner I can say the Sisma is on a whole other level, warmth, volume, tone, useful saturation in spades. To my ears the markbass are cool but very anemic

 

[Sparky Mark]

I’ve been using a Markbass 12” combo and 15” cabinet. It was sounding pretty good, but the amp was only clean and sounded weird at high volume.

So, I purchased a JF CAPO to add some saturation and a Cali76. With the pedals, it was sounding real nice.

Enter the JAD Freer Sisma. My wireless failed on my pedalboard, so I skipped my pedals and went direct into the amp. At first my singer said my bass was too loud/ but he turned around and said it wow it sounds so nice and it does not step on his vocals. So, I ran it loud, and it crushed my Markbass amp with only one 15” cab.

The Sisma was a HUGE upgrade from - HUGE. The Sisma excels where Markbass doesn’t and generally excels at everything. The lows are rich and thick with my Jazz.

Anyone have issues with the Markbass amps being too clean?

I'm assuming your Markbass combo is 500 watts at 4 ohms, which is less power than the Sisma, so I'd expect a difference in audible power. The Sisma also incorporates a tube in the preamp to add some hair to the tone. Whether class G vs class D is significant I'll leave to the usual suspect to argue, but I know my 800 watt class D Markbass head with a tube Compressore in front sounds huge too.

 

[songwriter21]

I’ve been using a Markbass 12” combo and 15” cabinet. It was sounding pretty good, but the amp was only clean and sounded weird at high volume.

So, I purchased a JF CAPO to add some saturation and a Cali76. With the pedals, it was sounding real nice.

Enter the JAD Freer Sisma. My wireless failed on my pedalboard, so I skipped my pedals and went direct into the amp. At first my singer said my bass was too loud/ but he turned around and said it wow it sounds so nice and it does not step on his vocals. So, I ran it loud, and it crushed my Markbass amp with only one 15” cab.

The Sisma was a HUGE upgrade from - HUGE. The Sisma excels where Markbass doesn’t and generally excels at everything. The lows are rich and thick with my Jazz.

Anyone have issues with the Markbass amps being too clean?

Markbass cabs are great...never been a fan of the heads, though.

 

[logdrum]

Great to hear you like my captures, and it's interesting to read your description because it's also exactly what I like with the real Sisma (and Capo).

There's something NAM can't capture though: the highly rewarding (think "big smile of your face") power that you feel when you push Sisma's Class G power amp.

I do not have experience of the new class G amps. I know that it is not the same, however accurate and whatever the class of the original hardware

But my solution is a SushiBox DI (Nep or Ginally ) towards the end of a Digital Stompbox to round and warm things some

 

[GrowlerBox]

I don't know about "too clean" but if you run them set flat knob-wise, their speakers throw a lot of energy into the midrange, and our ears have been conditioned to see a bit of a scoop around the vocal range on most studio recordings. So, you might want to fiddle with the VLF and VLE controls, or play with the midrange controls on your Markbass amp.
Unless you want more dirt - which most Markbass combos don't really do.

Why not just experiment with the Capo running into the return of the Markbass amp - that will pretty much get you an un-voiced feed into the Markbass power amp - then you can dial the Capo any way you like it.

Be aware that the effects loop on Markbass amps is after the EQ section. Fortunately, this can be easily set pretty genuinely flat with the 4 bands set to noon and the 2 VLE/VPF filters fully anti-clockwise. That said, as you point out, the strong mid-voicing of the cabs means that this can be compensated for on the Markbass head, before adding whatever magic your preamp brings.

 

[SJan3]

You can literally buy 3 LittleMark heads for 1 Sisma. Not that you want to but the point is, I'd absolutely expect something more from an $1800 amp! The fact that we're putting the LittleMark and the Sisma in the same conversation says A LOT about the value of the LittleMark. Are there better amps? Maybe, but at the price of the LittleMark, maybe not.

 

[thrashingbass]

Love my Little Mark MB58R 500 watt head (though mine is inside a combo). "Nothing" that I need that it can't do-and I have plenty of pedals and pedal preamps to achieve whatever else I want that it doesn't excel at. The latter work AWESOME through the effects return, because EQ is applied post effects-super versatile. Can use it for guitar that way, and it beats my previous amp head on that regard.

I have been playing it a lot without much effects, just pure bass tone with a tuner, compressor, and an EHX Holy Grail in the effects loop (not necessary, but cool to have), and the amp by itself has plenty of oomph, so I cannot relate to the anemic comments people ascribe to Markbass heads. Plenty of attack, mids snarl, or boom should I EQ that way, though of course it does have its own sound.

Enjoy what you love! We are all different, and have unique musical needs and tastes. But as far as I am concerned, I am super satisfied with my Markbass stuff.

 

[frankie5string]

You can literally buy 3 LittleMark heads for 1 Sisma. Not that you want to but the point is, I'd absolutely expect something more from an $1800 amp! The fact that we're putting the LittleMark and the Sisma in the same conversation says A LOT about the value of the LittleMark. Are there better amps? Maybe, but at the price of the LittleMark, maybe not.

Ahh good old forum strawman arguments. Being able to buy three of something you don't want doesn't make buying one of something you think you'd like any worse. The tone goals of the two are completely different. There are people out there who just don't want to futz with pedals and want as much of their sound as possible to come from the amp itself.

I can understand why someone would want a "dirtier" amp over a LM, can't you?

 

[frankie5string]

Love my Little Mark MB58R 500 watt head (though mine is inside a combo). "Nothing" that I need that it can't do-and I have plenty of pedals and pedal preamps to achieve whatever else I want that it doesn't excel at. The latter work AWESOME through the effects return, because EQ is applied post effects-super versatile. Can use it for guitar that way, and it beats my previous amp head on that regard.

I have been playing it a lot without much effects, just pure bass tone with a tuner, compressor, and an EHX Holy Grail in the effects loop (not necessary, but cool to have), and the amp by itself has plenty of oomph, so I cannot relate to the anemic comments people ascribe to Markbass heads. Plenty of attack, mids snarl, or boom should I EQ that way, though of course it does have its own sound.

Enjoy what you love! We are all different, and have unique musical needs and tastes. But as far as I am concerned, I am super satisfied with my Markbass stuff.

Yeah, I don't really think of the LM heads as anemic, although if you dime the VLE and VLF controls, you can begin to hit the multi-band limiter earlier and that can make it feel a bit gutless because youre scooping mids and cutting treble at that point, so you turn it up. But you just don't have to do that.

 

[SJan3]

Ahh good old forum strawman arguments. Being able to buy three of something you don't want doesn't make buying one of something you think you'd like any worse. The tone goals of the two are completely different. There are people out there who just don't want to futz with pedals and want as much of their sound as possible to come from the amp itself.

I can understand why someone would want a "dirtier" amp over a LM, can't you?

Absolutely! I agree with you %
And you make a great point. It's all about tone goals and the LittleMark provides that for many. And for those who need something different, there are other options. I myself own 2 Aguilar and 1 Mesa heads aside from my MarkBass. I'd like to think that we pursue our tone goals thru the gear that satisfies. And so the OP realized his tone goals thru the Sisma.
But it may have been a bit more diplomatic of him to say, "I've realized my tone goal via the Sisma" as opposed to, "the Sisma "Crushed" his MarkBass".
He can describe his experience as he wishes but I'm of the school that it's not not necessary to criticize one product simply because you found something you prefer. I've said it many times and I'll say it again. There are numerous world class players using MarkBass gear. These people can use whatever they want. For them, MarkBass gear helps them reach their tone goals. Finally, I have no doubt that the Sisma is a stellar amp and would satisfy many including myself. But I appreciate different things and so I have different gear. Maybe I'll own a Sisma someday.

 

[frankie5string]

...
But it may have been a bit more diplomatic of him to say, "I've realized my tone goal via the Sisma" as opposed to, "the Sisma "Crushed" his MarkBass".

Ah... All the young folk are using that "it crushes..." phraseology now. Even the SBL guys have adopted it.
It's just a modern lexicon thing (like your use of "literally" up there,) it's nothing personal to those brands. It's all good!

There are definitely things I read and hear of these days that seem oddly dramatic for any given topic, but C'est La Vie...

 

[SJan3]

Ah... All the young folk are using that "it crushes..." phraseology now. Even the SBL guys have adopted it.
It's just a modern lexicon thing (like your use of "literally" up there,) it's nothing personal to those brands. It's all good!

There are definitely things I read and hear of these days that seem oddly dramatic for any given topic, but C'est La Vie...

That's fine. I'm not a young "dude" but I get it. I'll try to take that phraseology with a grain of salt. I'm happy for the OP.
Thanks for your input and your view.

 

[SJan3]

Yeah, I don't really think of the LM heads as anemic, although if you dime the VLE and VLF controls, you can begin to hit the multi-band limiter earlier and that can make it feel a bit gutless because youre scooping mids and cutting treble at that point, so you turn it up. But you just don't have to do that.

In my experience, those would be extreme settings. I can't imagine those settings being usable but who knows.
Someone may find a sonic use for them. I've learned to "never say never".