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Markbass ? Why the dislike ?

#401
i have not read 20 pages of this discussion, but for me it's the aesthetic. I simply do not like the orange and black color scheme.
The Markbass amps that I have played have sounded fine for the most part, but I'd never buy one based purely on how they look.
 
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#402
NKBassman said:
i have not read 20 pages of this discussion, but for me it's the aesthetic. I simply do not like the orange and black color scheme.
The amps that I have played have sounded fine for the most part, but I'd never buy one based purely on how they look.
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..and that's purely subjective. I happen to love the look, but that's me. Totally respect your feelings. I'm sure I'd be disinclined to buy gear that I hated visually when there's something else more pleasing.
 
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#403
I've gigged with a LittleMark III and two 1x12 New York bass cabs for ten years now with absolutely no hiccups. This is the made in Italy stuff and thus I have no idea how the Indonesian gear is holding. However from my experience, it's been excellent gear and just validates that the choice I made a decade ago was the right choice.
 
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#404
Sandman64 said:
I've gigged with a LittleMark III and two 1x12 New York bass cabs for ten years now with absolutely no hiccups. This is the made in Italy stuff and thus I have no idea how the Indonesian gear is holding. However from my experience, it's been excellent gear and just validates that the choice I made a decade ago was the right choice.
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I had a LMII that I really liked and gigged regularly, but it died after only about 5 years. I gave it to a friend who thought he could get it repaired but last I heard it was still dead. I've had much better luck and longevity out of my Ampeg, Genz-Benz and Mesa gear.
 
#406
Mastermold said:
I had a LMII that I really liked and gigged regularly, but it died after only about 5 years. I gave it to a friend who thought he could get it repaired but last I heard it was still dead. I've had much better luck and longevity out of my Ampeg, Genz-Benz and Mesa gear.
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Nothing is perfect. Sometimes "stuff" happens. I got better than 12 years from my LittleMark3.
 
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#408
NKBassman said:
i have not read 20 pages of this discussion, but for me it's the aesthetic. I simply do not like the orange and black color scheme.
The Markbass amps that I have played have sounded fine for the most part, but I'd never buy one based purely on how they look.
Click to expand...
I must be color blind. I always thought they were yellow/Black. I kind of like the look either way.
 
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#409
NKBassman said:
i have not read 20 pages of this discussion, but for me it's the aesthetic. I simply do not like the orange and black color scheme.
The Markbass amps that I have played have sounded fine for the most part, but I'd never buy one based purely on how they look.
Click to expand...
My Markbass head wasn't gaudy enough so I replaced the black chickenhead knobs with yellow (actually so that I could see them on a dark stage). A great sounding head.
IMG_20190726_021346.jpeg
 
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#410
They are expensive to get repaired and there is lousy dealer support.
I had an LM250 and my friend had the one with the preamp tube, we both bought at the same time from GC.
His went out a week after the warranty expired and had to ship it to Atlanta and wait, it cost him $600.00 to have it repaired. The minute I heard that I unloaded mine, while it still worked, for a GK RB400.
This is when they were made it Italy, maybe the Chinese made amps are better quality, but there is still that issue of terrible dealer support from GC, they are basically clerks.
 
#411
laklandplayer said:
They are expensive to get repaired and there is lousy dealer support.
I had an LM250 and my friend had the one with the preamp tube, we both bought at the same time from GC.
His went out a week after the warranty expired and had to ship it to Atlanta and wait, it cost him $600.00 to have it repaired. The minute I heard that I unloaded mine, while it still worked, for a GK RB400.
This is when they were made it Italy, maybe the Chinese made amps are better quality, but there is still that issue of terrible dealer support from GC, they are basically clerks.
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They are made in Indonesia actually, not China. I have found that amp repairs are rarely worth it. Fortunately, all my Markbass equipment has held up very well.
 
#412
laklandplayer said:
They are expensive to get repaired and there is lousy dealer support.
I had an LM250 and my friend had the one with the preamp tube, we both bought at the same time from GC.
His went out a week after the warranty expired and had to ship it to Atlanta and wait, it cost him $600.00 to have it repaired. The minute I heard that I unloaded mine, while it still worked, for a GK RB400.
This is when they were made it Italy, maybe the Chinese made amps are better quality, but there is still that issue of terrible dealer support from GC, they are basically clerks.
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1st if your friend paid $600 to repair, he got ripped off.
2nd China never made anything for MarkBass. It's misinformation like what you're purporting that give products an unfair negative reputation.
Why do you think many of the premier players in bassdom use MarkBass when they could use whatever they want?
Finally, there is a certified repair center for MarkBass in Ca. To ship any amp from anywhere in the USA is appx $20+/-
Too bad your friend didn't seek out that option.
 
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#413
SJan3 said:
1st if your friend paid $600 to repair, he got ripped off.
2nd China never made anything for MarkBass. It's misinformation like what you're purporting that give products an unfair negative reputation.
Why do you think many of the premier players in bassdom use MarkBass when they could use whatever they want?
Finally, there is a certified repair center for MarkBass in Ca. To ship any amp from anywhere in the USA is appx $20+/-
Too bad your friend didn't seek out that option.
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Given their high failure rate, frankly I would prefer Markbass to be made in China.
My 3 Fender Rumble amps (40, 100, & 500) and TC250 head are ALL Chinese made and they have worked great for years without failure.

The premier players in "bassdom" who use MB probably do so because of the paid endorsement and/or free gear.

The only repair option for Markbass amps, at the time this happened, was located in Atlanta, GA and shipping was not the problem, poor product quality and lack of reliability were. No repair options available but to be held hostage by the Guitar Center / Markbass repair center, which is ludicrous.

I'm Italian and would love to see MB strive in the US but they have the Fiat syndrome working against them...
Poor distribution, questionable dependability, and lack of good customer service.
 
#414
I'm not sure where your data comes from to say Markbass gear has a high failure rate. I've always been under the impression that it's a very reliable brand (some of this comes from a dealer friend who reports less faults on Markbass than other well known brands).

I've owned Markbass heads since the LMII came out and never had a problem. My original LMII is still fine and my Indonesian TTE801 has been used a lot with no problems too.
 
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#416
laklandplayer said:
Given their high failure rate, frankly I would prefer Markbass to be made in China.
My 3 Fender Rumble amps (40, 100, & 500) and TC250 head are ALL Chinese made and they have worked great for years without failure.

The premier players in "bassdom" who use MB probably do so because of the paid endorsement and/or free gear.

The only repair option for Markbass amps, at the time this happened, was located in Atlanta, GA and shipping was not the problem, poor product quality and lack of reliability were. No repair options available but to be held hostage by the Guitar Center / Markbass repair center, which is ludicrous.

I'm Italian and would love to see MB strive in the US but they have the Fiat syndrome working against them...
Poor distribution, questionable dependability, and lack of good customer service.
Click to expand...
The premier players could get an endorsement from just about any mfg.
So, you have statistics on failure rate?
Every product has it's share of failure. You can't prove high failure rate and it's irresponsible to suggest so. And, FWIW, my Ampeg combo amp, made in CHINA, failed a week after receiving. China is no better than anyone else and maybe worse. FWIW, any MarkBass gear not made in Italy is made in Indonesia.
*To summarize, it's fine for you to share your personal experience with a product and your personal opinion as well. It's not ok to demonize an entire product just because your personal experience wasn't good. There are plenty of people here who love their MarkBass gear.
Now, if you can admit that, I'll know I'm talking to a rational individual.
P.S. I'm Italian too!
 
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#419
laklandplayer said:
It's not anecdotal bashing... I know what I hear from the guy who has been a manager at the local GC for over 10 years, personal experience and other players in town who have had issues.
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My friend who has sold as much MB stuff as any retailer worldwide says he hasn't seen more warranty on it than any other brand he sells. Fender, Ampeg, GK, Ashdown, Traynor etc.

But so what? This "my friend says" type of argument is anecdotal and worthless.
 
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