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Markbass ? Why the dislike ?

#21
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I do love my Markbass gear,but not crazy about the big plastic logo,so i pried them off. The orange speakers still I.D. the cabs.
 
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#22
I think a lot of people are turned off by the colour. The fact their cabs have that mid bump instead of a ton of lows is something that turns off the average Joe. Additionally, I don't think many people understand their controls. As a Markbass player, I often pick their amps when trying out gear at the store. Every single time I turn on a store Markbass amp some fool has cranked both the VLE and VPF knob so, obviously, the amp sounds friggin' horrible.
 
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#23
elgecko said:
They're ugly...and I own two of them!
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Right there with you. Ugly indeed, but after years of owning my Little Mark ll, (only own one) still my main go to amp. No problems . Sounds great with all my cabs and basses. A very versatile amp IMO. Gets quite loud when needed, with headroom to spare. Love mine.
 
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#24
I played a Jazz Bass through one yesterday and it sounded great. It had a dial to adjust the amount of tube sound and it was clear, fat, punchy and warm as hell. It was running through a Markbass 410 and I really don't like 410's that much but this combination sounded pretty good to me. And it had lots of headroom too. I could have probably rattled a few basses off the wall if I wanted to..

If I were looking for a new amp, Markbass is one I'd consider. They are good enough for Jeff Berlin....
 
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#29
I've never tried their cabs, but I love my LMIII. I've been using it for years and am happy with my tone (with fEARful 12/6). My backup amp is an old, beat up LMII, but I never need it, since the LMIII has been solid as a rock.

That being said, I don't really like the color scheme, though....
 
#30
Zooberwerx said:
I hate it when that happens!

Ummm....what's a VLE and VPF? I'm too lazy to look up the manual.

Riis
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One scoops the mids, I think VLE (other manufacturers have called it a "contour" knob). The other rolls of the highs to try and emulate an older rig. In combination (or even dimed on their own), they are a recipe for garbage tone.
 
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#31
DiabolusInMusic said:
One scoops the mids, I think VLE (other manufacturers have called it a "contour" knob). The other rolls of the highs to try and emulate an older rig. In combination (or even dimed on their own), they are a recipe for garbage tone.
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Yes, but the other way around. The VLE (Vingtage Loudspeaker Emulator) rolls off the highs. I'm not sure what VPF stands for but it scoops the mids.
 
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#32
I have tried lots of amps that are part of back line gear. Ampeg, Gk, Mesa Booogie,Trace Elliot and most all work horse bass amplifiers out there. It is often necessary to work with a variety and rarely do you get to use boutique priced gear, though I am sure they sound great. I tired of lugging my own SWR gear and Ampeg SVT around as they were heavy and unreliable. I gave the CMD15 a shot. It sounded great. Everything flat, no VLE or VPF. Rock, blues, latin & reggae sound deep full and I articulate imo. Especially with an ext cab. Now I have a 12' version w. New York 121 as well. I have on occasion bypassed the preamp section which also works fine well. The look, the carpet the color has not made an impression one way or another. I am more concerned with how I look and sound, ( do these pants make me look like I'm standing on a chicken) Also, it is a comfort to know my gear will be there on the downbeat.
 
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#33
i bought a used micromark which is the smallest combo they make i think. I was looking for a small portable amp; its probably the lightest amp ive ever encountered at 10lbs. Its really small, makes it so easy to take anywhere. Only has a volume and a "vpf" control which is like compression, simple but all i need for a practice amp. I could see why tone is not for everyone but i really dig it. Regardless of wether you like it or not, it doesn't have the negative sound qualities of a "cheap" amp. I think the tone sounds kinda like an upright thump. I saw a Jazz bass professor at a university show playing his upright through one and it sounded great.

I probably wouldnt choose markbass over other amps because i think they are a bit overpriced and sound a little muffled for some types of music. If you like the whole fretless/pbass/flats sound, you'll probably dig the amp though
 
#34
Can't say anything about them other than I really don't like how they look. Also, they became a popular choice around these parts by a certain segment of bar-band musician, laughably to the point where it became kind of cliche, seeing these guys out in the parking lot passing their bright yellow amp around so everyone could feel how incredibly light they were. You would think there was a Markbass discount center nearby just giving them away to anyone over 40 with a back problem...that's how prevalent they were and I really didn't want to be associated with that in any way, shape or form. So, I stay away from Markbass for those silly, shallow reasons.
 

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