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Markbass ? Why the dislike ?

#261
I've tried one with a JB and got a sound I liked almost immediately. Tried a PB through the same amp and didn't care for it at all no matter how I tweaked it. So either I was doing something wrong - or this is one of those amps that likes a certain type of bass (or certain playing styles) more than others.

I'm guessing it was more me than the amp. I wasn't super wild about its tone. But it wasn't a complete turn off either. Seemed like a decent enough amp even though I doubt I'd ever buy one.
 
#263
I've never had any interest in Markbass, but it seems to they get fairly consistent good reviews here on TB. My blues band has been rehearsing at our new keyboardist's studio, and he's got some kind of Markbass head with a 410 sitting on a 115. It sounds good enough for me not to lug my own rig, but not good enough for me to own.
 
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#265
I've had a lot of Markbass gear. It's good stuff, albeit a little sterile to my ear. Some will disagree, but they are my textbook definition of flat and middle of the road, and I mean that in a good way. You can add anything you want to their amps and cabs to find your sound, but their inherent voice is very unobtrusive and modest.
 
#269
PeaveyPlayer said:
why do so many people dislike markbass?


I'm in no way bashing markbass
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For me it's mainly a cosmetic thing. I wouldn't say they make terrible gear, cause I've seen people get nice sounds out of em, just that they make ugly/tacky looking gear in my opinion.

I mean look at this $900 bass cab. It looks like a 90s peavey cab and I'm not feeling the orange cones. It's different, and different people like different things, so I understand others having a completely different opinion.
IMG_2239.JPG

I think soundwise greenboy/fearless/fearful/accugroove cabs sound amazing but they often look like radio shack speakers. I like ampeg cabs because there's a happy medium of performance and looks. I run direct from sans amp RBI or darkglass b7k ultra and never mic my cabs so while I like what I like, I'm not super anal about them.
 
#270
I don't care what they look like. I got my used Italian made Markbass gear through order at Guitar Center and the price was great. Mark Bass makes great sounding and reliable gear IMO and you can dial in a great clean sound in any room from a small restaurant to an echoey church or anything else in between. They also sound great with effects. I could not be happier with my rig.

Little Mark 800 Head
Markbass Traveller 15 cabinet
Markbass Traveller 210 cabinet

And they don't break my 40+ old back either.

Love em.
 
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#271
micguy said:
I never liked the sound of their gear when I played through it in a store. Plus, my name is Mark, and I play bass, so having gear with "Markbass" on it seems....I don't know - kind of self important or something.
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Totally disagree!! My name is Mark also, and I cannot deny that part of the appeal of their gear is my name emblazoned on the front in yellow!
 
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#274
Musicman20 said:
The LM2/3 was/is great, but they don't seem to have moved on with that series and the fact they've kept the prices pretty high and saved themselves money by manufacturing elsewhere is something that puts me off. The whole 'Made in Italy' part of Markbass was pretty cool, I must admit....
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I had a LMII that I adored and never should have sold. It sounded perfectly neutral (at least I thought so) and every gig I had with it, I was distinct and audible, although I attribute a lot of that to the cabs I was using too. It really was. A nice, blank canvas to use.

I agree with the above however, that in recent years, Markbass has sort of let me down in the fact that they moved all their manufacturing to a presumably cheaper Asian country, and then turn around and charge me the same amount as their in-house Italian stuff when the competition in the bass amp world has grown exponentially.
 
#276
Musicman20 said:
The LM2/3 was/is great, but they don't seem to have moved on with that series and the fact they've kept the prices pretty high and saved themselves money by manufacturing elsewhere is something that puts me off. The whole 'Made in Italy' part of Markbass was pretty cool, I must admit....
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I would agree. As I mentioned previously, I like their gear a lot. But all of my Markbass gear is the Italian made stuff. I don't know if I will buy the Indonesian made Markbass gear ever, given the fact that the prices are the same as when they were Italian made. Still, I love the Markbass gear that I do have now.
 
#277
Munjibunga said:
I've never had any interest in Markbass, but it seems to they get fairly consistent good reviews here on TB. My blues band has been rehearsing at our new keyboardist's studio, and he's got some kind of Markbass head with a 410 sitting on a 115. It sounds good enough for me not to lug my own rig, but not good enough for me to own.
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Hold on... you let somebody run a 1x15 underneath a 4x10? I hope you gave them a good scolding about mixing drivers. They should really be on TB to know that the 1x15 should be on top so you can hear it die first. Sheesh, you're a terrible bandmate for not insisting the keyboard player use their bass gear correctly.

;) :D

CapnSev said:
I had a LMII that I adored and never should have sold. It sounded perfectly neutral (at least I thought so) and every gig I had with it, I was distinct and audible, although I attribute a lot of that to the cabs I was using too. It really was. A nice, blank canvas to use.

I agree with the above however, that in recent years, Markbass has sort of let me down in the fact that they moved all their manufacturing to a presumably cheaper Asian country, and then turn around and charge me the same amount as their in-house Italian stuff when the competition in the bass amp world has grown exponentially.
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As Marko pointed out after the move, they didn't raise prices for years while their cost went up and nobody said a word. The only way to continue to operate without raising prices was to outsource. It isn't like they are making some kind of insane cash now that they moved offshore nor are they producing an inferior product. There are no "Viet Nampeg years" with Markbass.
 
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#278
DiabolusInMusic said:
As Marko pointed out after the move, they didn't raise prices for years while their cost went up and nobody said a word. The only way to continue to operate without raising prices was to outsource. It isn't like they are making some kind of insane cash now that they moved offshore nor are they producing an inferior product. There are no "Viet Nampeg years" with Markbass.
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That's entirely possible, but I do question sometimes whether or not the manufacturer is exaggerating or not. Regardless, they still make excellent stuff from what I can tell, and I still want a CMD121 as bad as anything. The difference is that they just kind of threw in with the rest of the small amp crowd and remain pretty darn expensive.

The other thing that bums me out is that they keep discontinuing a bunch of cool amps that I really would like to get my hands on at some point, but never had the chance. :banghead:
 
#279
DiabolusInMusic said:
Hold on... you let somebody run a 1x15 underneath a 4x10? I hope you gave them a good scolding about mixing drivers. They should really be on TB to know that the 1x15 should be on top so you can hear it die first. Sheesh, you're a terrible bandmate for not insisting the keyboard player use their bass gear correctly.

;) :D



As Marko pointed out after the move, they didn't raise prices for years while their cost went up and nobody said a word. The only way to continue to operate without raising prices was to outsource. It isn't like they are making some kind of insane cash now that they moved offshore nor are they producing an inferior product. There are no "Viet Nampeg years" with Markbass.
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I did admonish him, but it is what it is, and I don't have to lug a rig to rehearsal.
 
#280
Orange makes some people sad.

Green makes some people sad.

Black makes some people sad.

Yellow makes some people sad.

Colors can be very powerful and emotionally controlling. And when you are rocking the stage, well, you know your audience is busy making notes about the color scheme of your rig and critiquing your choices after the show. They may not even hear the music at all.

Keep your priorities straight and choose wisely.
 
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