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Punched in the face by Markbass - could it be love?

monsterthompson

monsterthompson

The Eighth Note Wonder Of The World
Nov 25, 2008
20,345
37,773
Hollywood
#1
I walked I to Guitar Center yesterday, where I first laid eyes on the Markbass NY 604. It was very cute, so much so that I dismissed it. I've been looking at beasts like the TC115 and fEARful 15/6 for my desire for low weight and high fi. Still, I couldn't resist plugging in, just for a giggle. I grabbed a P-bass and turned on the LMIII800 head, turned the EQ flat - then POW, right in the kisser. I fiddled with the EQ and gain, played all string up and down and open, changing my attack from gentle to harsh, and was astonished at the thick punchy sound.

I've recently acquired a Dingwall ABZ 5 and been playing through a M6 carbine into a PH 115. I have yet to get a low volume living room practice setting I love, though it kills once a drummer volume is reached. Now I can't stop thinking about what the Markbass rig sounded like and am contemplating spending for the whole thing so I can have that sound at home.

A few questions first:

The sound was thick and punchy and full. How much of that is likely from the head, the cab, or the synergy?

Are all Markbass cabs similar in tonal quality, or is the 604 an odd duck with that speaker configuration? I've been eying the NY 804 as a bigger, louder, yellower alternative, as well as the NY 122 for possibly pairing with my M6. Are those cabs in the same tonal neighborhood as the 604, but louder?

My gut says to take advantage of the GC return policy and get the head and the cab (only the 604 cab is in stock) and play at home, including mixing and matching heads and cabs to find where the magic is, then considering what needs to be kept, retuned, and/or sold.
 
#2
The 604 has got a low end from some other dimension. It's deeper sounding than other Markbass cabs with larger drivers. I haven't heard the 804, though. I have the CMD 121 combo, and it and other Markbass gear I have heard are all thick and punchy like the 604 but the 604 just has some extra boom from I-don't-know-where. It sounds like a Markbass but it isn't a typical Markbass sound, if that makes any sense.
 
#3
July 2010 Bass Player review says the NY 604 is very warm and bass heavy with well textured midrange and have very fast transient response.

I recently picked up a pair of Club 102's (2x10's ) and they have plenty of punch too. The 102's also sound good at low volume and really shine at drummer volume.
 
#4
I was wondering when the buzz on this cabinet was going to start to catch on. The drummer in my band is raving about how deep and punchy the LMII/F500 2x 604 rig sounds. :cool: And at 31 lbs each, they are a breeze to move and the 17" cubes fit nicely on small stages. :)

LMII_NY604_stack.gif
 
#5
As the Markbass Club President, how much of the punch is the cab and how much is the head? Also, how hard do you push the cabs? I'm thinking the 604 is pure awesome for my living room. One is obviously not going to be LOUD. I'm wondering about how the M6 will play with it, since it is a 600w head and the cabs are rated to that too. I'd hate to go overhaul on my rig, but "the sound" is the sound.
 
#6
I gigged with the LMII and 1 604 in a small room and it did a nice job of stage volume with some audience projection. With the 2 cabs the LMII filled a medium room with thick deep bass, but it's not going to cut like a Schroeder or other similar cab.

The thing is, everyone in the band was really happy with the tone and depth, and they sit super well in the mix.

With my new F500, the rig is louder, punchier, and cuts better, but will have to wait until March for a gig report.
 
#7
It was the first cab I ever had to turn the bass down on to get a real sense of the mids in the cabinet. I liked them enough to not turn it back up.

I would love to have a couple of these cabs and a head I like more than the Markbass offerings...like a mesa M6/M9
 
#8
This thread made me curious. My knee-jerk reaction is that "this can't really be effective." I'd think a really nice 12" cab would be more effective. For around the same price you can get a Thunderchild or a Baer, I think.

But I never even knew the 604 existed an hour or so ago, much less seen one in person and God knows I've been wrong before.

There are probably other threads about it, but here's the one I'm currently reading. http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/markbass-4x6-cab-aka-ny-604-a-452520/

KO
 
#9
Srsly, I've played a Baer and the WA Scout, and looking at underground voodoo unicorn blood builds. I've been a bit uncertain about how the mid-drivers cross over, and the rarity of parts in the case of repairs. I'm not a DIY guy, so a mojor brand with a warranty of any sort and the GC 30 policy on returns are attractive.

I must say, this rig had me unable to sleep. I'm going to hit GC later, use up the 15% weekend deal on the 604. When you find your sound, you find it. Though, I wish they had the 804 and the 122 to test. Maybe I order them down the road. Though there is enough being said that makes me think the 604 is a bit of an oddity in the MB line.
 
#10
Markbass have 6 inch drivers in their Minimark and Micromark combos. The Micromark is a 1x6 practice amp and the Minimark is a 2x6 model. I think it's the same driver as in the 604. The Minimark combo cab supports an external cab but only puts out 250W into 4 ohm. But with a NY 604 it'd be a 6x6 rig and kind of cool in a way.

1.jpg
 
#11
If you are contemplating using it primarily for home use or smaller gigs, the Minimark is a killer amp all it's own. Just an alternative to the 604, which from the one time I had an opportunity to try, is truly an amazing cabinet. :)
 
#13
Just back from the jam session. Got the 604, and rolled on in. Everybody giggled, then I plugged in the M6. Bang! Full of Win!

I will post more later, but anyone else notice some notes don't pop? I worked my way down the B-string, and the 6th fret F vaporized into space. ***? Wonder if it was the room, or the cab, or the ???

There was a LMIII in the studio. I plugged in for a bit, but couldn't find a tone I liked quickly enough, so I popped back over to my M6.

I played with the same guys in the same room using a different head (GK Backline) with a Baer cab, and while the mids cut in the mix, this 604 punched with more pressure, and possibly a bit more wool, but not bothersome amounts. To be fair, the M6 is a different enough beast that I can't say any comparison is particularly "fair" in this contrast using different heads. In any case, the both smoked the GK 410 in the studio.

Now time to hit the living room test.
 
#14
A bass player in my town had a couple of those cabs, and he swore by them. I couldn't believe that something so little could have much low end, so I rented one. I got it home, and set it up next to my '63 B-15 portaflex. My B-15 is the ultimate gold standard for the kind of tone I like so, I compare every rig I try with the B-15. I used an Eden traveller 550 to power the cab. I couldn't have been more underwhelmed, honestly. Next to the B-15 it sounded absolutely tiny. No thickness, no real low end, it just sounded very smooth, polite and small. It even got buried playing along with my stereo at apartment volume! I rented the cab for a month, and tried it several times. I hated it each time. I even had other bass players come over and try it, and none of them liked it either. Everybody thought it sounded small and thin, and way too smooth/polite to cut through any kind of mix. I know Bass Player mag swooned over it, I just don't get it... I think my B-15 has me spoiled.
 
#16
Good to know. The LMIII sounded good in the shop, but not in the studio, IMO. It certainly got too wooly and lacked definition. There is an F500 on sale at GC. I may need to give that a try.

Tonight, I stack the 604 on my Mesa PH115, just for giggles.
 

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