Markbass ? Why the dislike ?

[CL400Peavey]

lowut? I would never use markbass gear for any heavy style of music. It isnt that it couldnt work, but there is so much out there that would just work better.

 

[mpdd]

lowut? I would never use markbass gear for any heavy style of music. It isnt that it couldnt work, but there is so much out there that would just work better.

thank you, that's what i was trying to articulate, but i'm a good visual artist not a person skilled in the finer details of sound semantics

 

[anavar]

Post punk is a totally different tone and sound than death metal, stoner and sledge. All those have a bass tone(less) that any amp can easily produce. There is no high end to it at all. All low and you really cant hear much articulation or string nuances in it. So in that aspect your right. I suppose if one tweaked with them, they might be able to get a reasonable post punk sound out of it, might be difficult though. Listen to the bass tone in Joy Division, Sisters of mercy, the damned, Love and Rockets, stuff like that is post punk. I think you just had your genres confused.

trust me, i listen to a lot of pop punk, i know what it sounds like.

sisters of mercy is great though.

 

[BassByBaldSteve]

It's a real bummer about the way the stuff looks. I had an MB rig years ago right after I landed a 3-5/week regular gig at a high end spot in Beverly Hills. After the first week on the job management asked if I could use something else because they felt the "gaudy" appearance of the gear detracted from the classy ambience and overall experience for diners and music listeners. For what they were paying me? I said, "no problem" and had Aguilar gear in there right away. Never heard another word until I brought in a mesa boogie subway d800 and they had me put black electrical tape over all the lights. I mean, yeah, it sucks that appearance can be an issue, but that's reality and by putting out gear without that in mind, they're limiting themselves. Look at that new ninja head. I would never even try it because based on the appearance alone I'd never show up on a gig with something that hideous. It's a shame. I've tried a lot of MB gear that I dug, it's just not appearance appropriate sometimes, and even one incident is one too many if your livelihood depends on it. Having a piece gear that could cost you work just isn't worth that risk.

 

[Groovegestapo]

It's a real bummer about the way the stuff looks. I had an MB rig years ago right after I landed a 3-5/week regular gig at a high end spot in Beverly Hills. After the first week on the job management asked if I could use something else because they felt the "gaudy" appearance of the gear detracted from the classy ambience and overall experience for diners and music listeners. For what they were paying me? I said, "no problem" and had Aguilar gear in there right away. Never heard another word until I brought in a mesa boogie subway d800 and they had me put black electrical tape over all the lights. I mean, yeah, it sucks that appearance can be an issue, but that's reality and by putting out gear without that in mind, they're limiting themselves. Look at that new ninja head. I would never even try it because based on the appearance alone I'd never show up on a gig with something that hideous. It's a shame. I've tried a lot of MB gear that I dug, it's just not appearance appropriate sometimes, and even one incident is one too many if your livelihood depends on it. Having a piece gear that could cost you work just isn't worth that risk.

Hopefully Marco will consider a cosmetic re-design in the future.
However the branding has had the unmistakable ID like Trace Elliot and others

 

[bassboysam]

they sound weak and thin to me. the amps with another cab are passable but the MB cabs are garbage.

 

[Garret Graves]

I think calling the cabs 'garbage' is more than a little extreme. I use a couple of their ported cabs with Aguilar TH500 head, and get a solid, full sound. I didn't care too much for the LMT800 head with those same cabs though- I found it hard to dial in a consistently good tone, and was constantly tweaking and chasing the tone I've heard through it before- but it seemed to have a mind of its own. The Tone Hammer 500 with those same Mark Bass cabs though, and it's set it and forget it- clean, fat, chest thumping tone all night.

 

[arbiterusa]

It's a real bummer about the way the stuff looks. I had an MB rig years ago right after I landed a 3-5/week regular gig at a high end spot in Beverly Hills. After the first week on the job management asked if I could use something else because they felt the "gaudy" appearance of the gear detracted from the classy ambience and overall experience for diners and music listeners.

I use the heads. Didn't really care for the speaker tone. But this exact situation would have been a concern if I had liked the speakers, because I've played some venues where they really care about that kind of thing. I too also black out/severely dim my LEDs on the amp since asked to back in the nineties; again, sometimes the gear can be a distraction and you may really need to avoid that.

Kind of wish manufacturers would offer the old school dim red LEDs as an option. Some of the blue LEDs going into amps, Markbass included, are bright enough to land an aircraft with.

 

[JMacBass65]

I have played through a LMII and an F1 a number of times in GC, always was able to get a great sound with a minimum of knob turning. If I'd had cash to blow, I'd have picked up an F1 in a heartbeat.

 

[CL400Peavey]

I think calling the cabs 'garbage' is more than a little extreme. I use a couple of their ported cabs with Aguilar TH500 head, and get a solid, full sound. I didn't care too much for the LMT800 head with those same cabs though- I found it hard to dial in a consistently good tone, and was constantly tweaking and chasing the tone I've heard through it before- but it seemed to have a mind of its own. The Tone Hammer 500 with those same Mark Bass cabs though, and it's set it and forget it- clean, fat, chest thumping tone all night.

they sound weak and thin to me. the amps with another cab are passable but the MB cabs are garbage.

I would second your opinion. Their cabs are garbage, and their amps are bland. Fortunately there are lots of options out there.

 

[davy4575]

trust me, i listen to a lot of pop punk, i know what it sounds like.

sisters of mercy is great though.

pop punk or post punk?

 

[MRinus]

I would second your opinion. Their cabs are garbage, and their amps are bland. Fortunately there are lots of options out there.

Mhh I don't go with your judgement.
I just bought an MB Combo and had specific needs to fulfill:
- leightweight
- power
- warm tone but variable to get also some shiny highs
- good deep end
- A tweeter which sound is not hurting my ear

For the weight: some combos or combinations just were off the zone of interest.
For the sound: I checked some (not the off Limits stuff, so no wonderful Aguilar or the new Glockenklang Steamhammer) and found sizzeling piezos, shouting horns and a guy sounding like plastic whose name was T.C.

I found that all in an MB 121 Lite AC combo. I just can't see the crap in it?

 

[CL400Peavey]

And I wouldn't go with your judgement, as I find the MB cabs to be few of those things.

Mhh I don't go with your judgement.
I just bought an MB Combo and had specific needs to fulfill:
- leightweight Subjective
- power Not comparitively when you consider mechanical limitations
- warm tone but variable to get also some shiny highs They are honkey through the mid range.
- good deep end I find this the exact opposite of the truth. They have a low mid honk, but dont really have much true low end.
- A tweeter which sound is not hurting my ear Their tweeters sound terrible to me.

For the weight: some combos or combinations just were off the zone of interest.
For the sound: I checked some (not the off Limits stuff, so no wonderful Aguilar or the new Glockenklang Steamhammer) and found sizzeling piezos, shouting horns and a guy sounding like plastic whose name was T.C.

I found that all in an MB 121 Lite AC combo. I just can't see the crap in it?

A combo would only suit me for at home practice. I couldnt use one at practice or a gig. So every single combo is crap to me.

Good news is, you can pick your own gear. This is also why they make shirts in different colors.

 

[MRinus]

Fine for me - as we all hear different and have different taste and needs.

 

[Buster Brown]

1. I hate yellow.
2. You can't easily remove their logo from the cabs. That's a deal-breaker by itself.
3. Dislike the graphics on their heads.
4. Knobs feel cheap considering the price point of their equipment.



Orange amps and cabs are available in black.

Ever hear of Gaffers Tape? Just asking....

 

[FatDaddySam]

I personally love the markbass combos. The JB 151 is my favorite amp to test drive at GC on lunch breaks. Unfortunately, until the price comes down or I hit the lotto, it'll have to stay at the store.

 

[onda'bass]

Markbass was some of the worst tone I ever had...was chasing to find something passable the entire time I had it. Got a Mesa d800, plugged it in and had better tone instantly. Ymmv

 

[TrevorG]

I've just purchased the Alain Caron CMD Supercombo K1 after spending a LONG TIME looking for a replacement for my SWR RedHead which blew up in a gig. I'd avoided Mark Bass for a long time because I didn't like the way they coloured the bass's tone (though the lightness of the cabs had me curious). When this unit was released the big sales point was it had a completely flat response. I shopped round to discover they had all sold out in about three weeks. So when I found one outlet that had one left (at less than £900!!!!) I just gave them my card number. It's been the best decision I've made with bass equipment. I have to agree the livery is a little unsubtle but it's good marketing. With 600watts into 8ohms (1000 into 4ohms) I'm not expecting it to blow up anytime soon. The response is VERY flat and I feel I'm hearing the sound of my bass way more than I did with the Redhead. The frequency crossover between the 12" speaker and the 5" and tweeter gives it a fabulous clarity, not just with the guitar's tone but with any effect pedal you may add to it. The EQ is basic but dials up (to my ear) tones very much like an engineer would achieve on a studio desk. While there are fatter sounds out there, the last thing I would call it is thin!! However, with my U.S. build Spector NS5 XL the EQ's not really needed. It's a lot heavier than other Markbass stuff but much lighter than the Redhead and the build quality is faultless. I am a converted fan who understands both sides of the argument. If you have the money there are better options out there but I don't think they are THAT much better...

 

[Al Garcia]

I don't understand this thread at all. I have a LM III head, a 4X10 cab, and a 1X12 cab. I use the 1X12 for small electric bass gigs and for upright gigs and the 4X10 for larger gigs. Best sound I've ever had. Once I figured out what the VLE and VPF knows were for and turned them off, everything was good.

 

[TrevorG]

Once I figured out what the VLE and VPF knobs were for and turned them off, everything was good.

Ha ha. I just have the VPF and don't mind it (especially with my electric stand-up which is rubbish even through a desk but sounds great through the K1 with some EQing).