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Official Markbass Club Pt. 2
- Thread starter JimmyM
- Start date
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Give me #173. I could've joined earler but wanted to wait till #200 or till I get a better photo. Oh, well. 
Say PLEASE! Ok, ok, just kidding...Give me #173. I could've joined earler but wanted to wait till #200 or till I get a better photo. Oh, well.
MBCM #173 BullHorn!
Well,I've had my LMII for a couple weeks now and used it at my bi-weekly jam and at practice with my band. It replaced a GK1001RB-II that didn't quite sound right with my Millennium 5 plus or my Dr Bass 115 with a Kappalite. The Markbass sounds great with both my basses and both of my cabinets. The guys I jam with and the guys in my band all think it sounds great,they can hear what I'm playing more and I can too.
The GK was harder to control and I couldn't quite get rid of the nasal G string sound with my Millennium and I was for the first time in years not real happy with my amp head. I had traded my long time,long loved RBI/Crown rack for the GK to get something smaller,I was really trying to get a LMII or a Shuttle 6.0 but comprimised by getting the GK. The GK is a great head for sure but I couldn't tame it. The LMII doesn't need to be tamed,it sounds great the way it is no matter how hard or soft I play or which speakers or bass I use.
In other words,give me a number,I love my tone again.
The GK was harder to control and I couldn't quite get rid of the nasal G string sound with my Millennium and I was for the first time in years not real happy with my amp head. I had traded my long time,long loved RBI/Crown rack for the GK to get something smaller,I was really trying to get a LMII or a Shuttle 6.0 but comprimised by getting the GK. The GK is a great head for sure but I couldn't tame it. The LMII doesn't need to be tamed,it sounds great the way it is no matter how hard or soft I play or which speakers or bass I use.
In other words,give me a number,I love my tone again.
What Markbass product(s) do you currently own? Sorry if you posted recently and I'm not recalling it.Yo espero pronto poder solicitar mi numero!!!!
Holy cow, Vic! According to his profile, he owns every single product ever made except for Markbass!
I picked up my first Markbass today -- one of those LMII limited editions signed by Marco. I've been playing for several hours now and loving the tone! I'm pretty much keeping everything flat (12 o'clock) including the gain, and messing with the VLE and VPE knobs. Great little amp! I'll take it to rehearsal Wednesday and see how it sounds with the band.
- Feb 8, 2005
- 3,636
- 1,053
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Bag End - Dean Markley - Thunderfunk
Also recently picked up one of the LMII limited edition heads. It's not giving me second thoughts about being a Thunderfunk endorser, but I must admit it's a damn impressive little amp!
I am about a year into my LMII experience now. I can still say that, from a portability standpoint, this amp has redefined my gigging experience completely. On the whole, I remain pretty into the amp. I have arrived upon one personal tone gripe, though, and I should be clear that this is not a criticism - just a possible incompatibility with my tone goal.
Some people describe the LMII's tone as "tubey" for a solid state amp. I may have figued out what they mean - at gig volume, which is somewhere around 10:00 to 10:30 for me on the master volume knob (EQ close to flat), this amp tends to sound a little dirty IMO. Not overdriven, per se, just a little intense and not what I might call totally clean. The amp seems to sound like it is shouting, rather than speaking loudly, if that makes sense.
This is not a bad thing at all, mind you - last night I used my Valenti J5, which has Sadowsky electronics, and my Berg AE410. The resulting tone was very growly, still pretty punchy, and might be the end-all beat-all tone for a rock gig. But I am a funk player, and I like my tone a little more clean that what I am hearing from the LMII at gig volume.
While the tone is appealing to a degree with a J-style bass, it is less so with my Stingray 5, and I have to say I don't care for what that tone does with my Skjold 6-string, which has a pristine piano-like tone. Others may disagree.
So - two questions. First, does anyone else hear the LMII this way, or is it a matter of the combination of the LMII and the AE410? My previous Avatar 410 sounded similar.
Second, if I get my mind set on this, I might want to experiment with other small amps. I cannot go back to a big one, the micro form factor is too important for me. I recall Ken's description of the SD800 - it might be just what I am after tone-wise. But, the SD800 is on the large side of micro, and if I can keep something smaller, I would rather.
What about the F1? I have heard you all say that it is even more mid-forward than the LMII, which, in combination with an AE400 sounds like a possibly dangerous proposition. But, if it sounds cleaner at higher volume than the LMII, I might have to investigate.
Some people describe the LMII's tone as "tubey" for a solid state amp. I may have figued out what they mean - at gig volume, which is somewhere around 10:00 to 10:30 for me on the master volume knob (EQ close to flat), this amp tends to sound a little dirty IMO. Not overdriven, per se, just a little intense and not what I might call totally clean. The amp seems to sound like it is shouting, rather than speaking loudly, if that makes sense.
This is not a bad thing at all, mind you - last night I used my Valenti J5, which has Sadowsky electronics, and my Berg AE410. The resulting tone was very growly, still pretty punchy, and might be the end-all beat-all tone for a rock gig. But I am a funk player, and I like my tone a little more clean that what I am hearing from the LMII at gig volume.
While the tone is appealing to a degree with a J-style bass, it is less so with my Stingray 5, and I have to say I don't care for what that tone does with my Skjold 6-string, which has a pristine piano-like tone. Others may disagree.
So - two questions. First, does anyone else hear the LMII this way, or is it a matter of the combination of the LMII and the AE410? My previous Avatar 410 sounded similar.
Second, if I get my mind set on this, I might want to experiment with other small amps. I cannot go back to a big one, the micro form factor is too important for me. I recall Ken's description of the SD800 - it might be just what I am after tone-wise. But, the SD800 is on the large side of micro, and if I can keep something smaller, I would rather.
What about the F1? I have heard you all say that it is even more mid-forward than the LMII, which, in combination with an AE400 sounds like a possibly dangerous proposition. But, if it sounds cleaner at higher volume than the LMII, I might have to investigate.
The F1 more mid forward? I'm not sure I agree with that. I find the F1 about the opposite... a bit more modern sounding, a little less grunt through the mids with a bit bigger low end and a touch more up top. I'm not calling it scooped, because it still sounds pretty even to me, but IMHO the LMII is more mid forward than the F1. If that really is counter the majority, I better give these two another A/B test. It's been a while, but at least from memory the last time I did it, anyway.
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