R.I.P Markbass CMD121P...3rd time (good riddance!)

[elgecko]

I bought my Markbass CMD121P in January 2007, the day I found out they were finally available in the U.S. At the time, 500 watts in a 29 pound, tiny cube was unheard of. I loved the form factor and the amp served me well until 2013 when I started this thread:

Let's play "Faulty Preamp or Main Amp?"

I ended up taking it to VST (Markbass' U.S. service center) to have the preamp board replaced and went on with my life. However, the seeds of my distrust were sown. In 2014, I picked up a second CMD121P from Guitar Center used site and swapped out my original, repaired head with the second, used head and rigged that enclosure to work as an extension cab. I ran that rig for two years.

In 2014, after two years of use, the second head gave up the ghost rather dramatically, marking the second time that a Markbass head went south on me. I didn't even entertain the thought of of getting it repaired and sold it off on eBay for parts. I swapped my original head back into its original enclosure and went on with my life...

Early this year, my band decided to do a livestream event and I dusted off my gear after a year of COVID lockdown. I did a test run of my gear beforehand and everything was working as properly. While setting up on the day of the livestream event, the amp went into "protect mode", cutting out completely. Cycling it on and off seemed to bring it back to life and we finished the event but something didn't sound "right". I chalked it off to not having gigged in a year. A few months later we started rehearsing and gigging again and it still didn't sound "right". In addition, it seemed like I was having to crank it up higher and EQ it differently than I used to but wasn't absolutely sure...until now.

After systematically going through the amp, I've determined that the replaced preamp board is wonky. The sound of the bass going in has little relation to what's coming out of the DI/tuner out/effects send/amp. Deep down, I always knew this was coming. I never really trusted Markbass after the first incident and now I'm completely done. I understand that there will always be failures with electronics but three strikes in 14 years seems completely unacceptable to me. Perhaps I'm expecting too much.

I've acquired a Gallien Krueger combo and hope it's kinder to me than Markbass. I also plan to ditch my original Markbass head and will insert a new micro amp in its place for times when a tiny combo is the right choice.

 

[SJan3]

I've had a bit better luck than you. My Littlemark3 head was made in 2009 and last month it lost it's volume. I had it diagnosed and it looks like I need a new board. Was quoted over $300 for the fix so I'm not going forward with the repair. At 12 years old with flawless service, I figure it owes me nothing.
But, like you, I've got that bad taste in my mouth now. I have two MarkBass cabinets but I may try a different brand head. I haven't decided yet as I still have two lower powered heads that are doing the job.
Decisions..

 

[byacey]

Is there nobody doing board level repairs on these amps?

 

[frankie5string]

Is there nobody doing board level repairs on these amps?

All the work I have seen on them over the years has been board swaps and Piezo tweeter swaps.
I was beginning to wonder if any of the NA authorized repair places were actually authorized to repair them, or were just entrusted with swapping out entire parts. Perhaps Markbass wanted the boards sent back for analysis like TC used to do?

 

[byacey]

That would be a deal breaker for me. If I'm looking to purchase something and the manufacturer can't provide service information, I'll buy something else. This is a good indicator of how well they support their product.

I got into an argument with Bryston years ago, because they wanted me to cover shipping on a 40 lb amplifier to the other side of the country, rather than send out a schematic.

 

[SJan3]

All the work I have seen on them over the years has been board swaps and Piezo tweeter swaps.
I was beginning to wonder if any of the NA authorized repair places were actually authorized to repair them, or were just entrusted with swapping out entire parts. Perhaps Markbass wanted the boards sent back for analysis like TC used to do?

I spoke to 3 repair shops including the authorized one in CA and I couldn't get a straight answer from any of them.
And my amp is an earlier class A/B. My question was will it be converted to Class D when the power board is replaced. Can't get a straight answer. Guy in CA says there's only one main board and wouldn't differentiate between class A/B and D.
I love my amp but I'm quickly losing faith in their service ability.

 

[elgecko]

I've had a bit better luck than you. My Littlemark3 head was made in 2009 and last month it lost it's volume. I had it diagnosed and it looks like I need a new board. Was quoted over $300 for the fix so I'm not going forward with the repair. At 12 years old with flawless service, I figure it owes me nothing.
But, like you, I've got that bad taste in my mouth now. I have two MarkBass cabinets but I may try a different brand head. I haven't decided yet as I still have two lower powered heads that are doing the job.
Decisions..

Was the $300 quote from VST? It used to be $125 for the preamp board and $165 for the main board.

 

[SJan3]

Was the $300 quote from VST? It used to be $125 for the preamp board and $165 for the main board.

Here is their email to me:
"We charge $85.00 labor + $207.06 for part plus install kit. + $19.67 tax + $20.00 shipping if you like to send in for repair."

 

[CallMeAl]

I’m dropping mine off to get looked at today. It doing this weird thing, where at first I have to turn it up full blast (gain and master) to get a useable sound check volume. Then in 15-20 minutes, I can dial it back (noon or less.) it makes it through the gig, but I’m worried it’ll get worse or just die on me.

I’m not holding my breath on an affordable/easy fix. I’ll report back, but I expect to be amp shopping soon…

I've acquired a Gallien Krueger combo

What’cha get? Never owned one but thoroughly impressed with my demos of the MB 112 and 210.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Remember like 15 years ago when the CMD121P and a BDDI or VTDI pedal was the rig of choice on TB?

 

[Phaidrus]

Molto dramatico. You could perhaps email Markbass Italy direct ([email protected]), tell them the whole story and see what they have to say about it. Or even call them: +39 085 4463755. Btw, my 2009 LM3 still runs strong.

 

[SJan3]

I’m dropping mine off to get looked at today. It doing this weird thing, where at first I have to turn it up full blast (gain and master) to get a useable sound check volume. Then in 15-20 minutes, I can dial it back (noon or less.) it makes it through the gig, but I’m worried it’ll get worse or just die on me.

I’m not holding my breath on an affordable/easy fix. I’ll report back, but I expect to be amp shopping soon…



What’cha get? Never owned one but thoroughly impressed with my demos of the MB 112 and 210.

That's exactly what my LM3 was doing. Now it no longer comes up to normal volume.
Please let me know what they say/do.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Molto dramatico. You could perhaps email Markbass Italy direct ([email protected]), tell them the whole story and see what they have to say about it. Or even call them: +39 085 4463755. Btw, my 2009 LM3 still runs strong.

The used combo and swapping components would have the factory washing their hands of anything. Justifiably so, under terms of the warranty, which would also be long expired. But not sure if it's because of their popularity and the rates are still low, but you seem to hear a lot of issues with MB amps.

 

[Phaidrus]

The used combo and swapping components would have the factory washing their hands of anything. Justifiably so, under terms of the warranty, which would also be long expired. But not sure if it's because of their popularity and the rates are still low, but you seem to hear a lot of issues with MB amps.

Obviously they are legally covered, as far as warranty terms is concerned. But given the ensuing bad publicity they (the folks in Italy) may be willing to do something about it. Just a suggestion.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Obviously they are legally covered, as far as warranty terms is concerned. But given the ensuing bad publicity they (the folks in Italy) may be willing to do something about it. Just a suggestion.

It's possible

 

[eriky4003]

SJan3,
I've seen a lot of your posts supporting MarkBass. I hope they help a brother out! Good luck.

 

[Slevage]

I bought my Markbass CMD121P in January 2007, the day I found out they were finally available in the U.S. At the time, 500 watts in a 29 pound, tiny cube was unheard of. I loved the form factor and the amp served me well until 2013 when I started this thread:

Let's play "Faulty Preamp or Main Amp?"

I ended up taking it to VST (Markbass' U.S. service center) to have the preamp board replaced and went on with my life. However, the seeds of my distrust were sown. In 2014, I picked up a second CMD121P from Guitar Center used site and swapped out my original, repaired head with the second, used head and rigged that enclosure to work as an extension cab. I ran that rig for two years.

In 2014, after two years of use, the second head gave up the ghost rather dramatically, marking the second time that a Markbass head went south on me. I didn't even entertain the thought of of getting it repaired and sold it off on eBay for parts. I swapped my original head back into its original enclosure and went on with my life...

Early this year, my band decided to do a livestream event and I dusted off my gear after a year of COVID lockdown. I did a test run of my gear beforehand and everything was working as properly. While setting up on the day of the livestream event, the amp went into "protect mode", cutting out completely. Cycling it on and off seemed to bring it back to life and we finished the event but something didn't sound "right". I chalked it off to not having gigged in a year. A few months later we started rehearsing and gigging again and it still didn't sound "right". In addition, it seemed like I was having to crank it up higher and EQ it differently than I used to but wasn't absolutely sure...until now.

After systematically going through the amp, I've determined that the replaced preamp board is wonky. The sound of the bass going in has little relation to what's coming out of the DI/tuner out/effects send/amp. Deep down, I always knew this was coming. I never really trusted Markbass after the first incident and now I'm completely done. I understand that there will always be failures with electronics but three strikes in 14 years seems completely unacceptable to me. Perhaps I'm expecting too much.

I've acquired a Gallien Krueger combo and hope it's kinder to me than Markbass. I also plan to ditch my original Markbass head and will insert a new micro amp in its place for times when a tiny combo is the right choice.

How much for the broken one?

 

[pbassnut]

I bought my Markbass CMD121P in January 2007, the day I found out they were finally available in the U.S. At the time, 500 watts in a 29 pound, tiny cube was unheard of. I loved the form factor and the amp served me well until 2013 when I started this thread:

Let's play "Faulty Preamp or Main Amp?"

I ended up taking it to VST (Markbass' U.S. service center) to have the preamp board replaced and went on with my life. However, the seeds of my distrust were sown. In 2014, I picked up a second CMD121P from Guitar Center used site and swapped out my original, repaired head with the second, used head and rigged that enclosure to work as an extension cab. I ran that rig for two years.

In 2014, after two years of use, the second head gave up the ghost rather dramatically, marking the second time that a Markbass head went south on me. I didn't even entertain the thought of of getting it repaired and sold it off on eBay for parts. I swapped my original head back into its original enclosure and went on with my life...

Early this year, my band decided to do a livestream event and I dusted off my gear after a year of COVID lockdown. I did a test run of my gear beforehand and everything was working as properly. While setting up on the day of the livestream event, the amp went into "protect mode", cutting out completely. Cycling it on and off seemed to bring it back to life and we finished the event but something didn't sound "right". I chalked it off to not having gigged in a year. A few months later we started rehearsing and gigging again and it still didn't sound "right". In addition, it seemed like I was having to crank it up higher and EQ it differently than I used to but wasn't absolutely sure...until now.

After systematically going through the amp, I've determined that the replaced preamp board is wonky. The sound of the bass going in has little relation to what's coming out of the DI/tuner out/effects send/amp. Deep down, I always knew this was coming. I never really trusted Markbass after the first incident and now I'm completely done. I understand that there will always be failures with electronics but three strikes in 14 years seems completely unacceptable to me. Perhaps I'm expecting too much.

I've acquired a Gallien Krueger combo and hope it's kinder to me than Markbass. I also plan to ditch my original Markbass head and will insert a new micro amp in its place for times when a tiny combo is the right choice.

Just a wild idea for you ... there are lots of inexpensive preamp pedals available that you could probably run through the Effects Return patch point on your CDM 121P that would sound good. I have an Ashdown ABM 500 EVO II head that has intermittent problems with its preamp section which makes it a challenge to get repaired so I got myself a Broughton SV-PRE pedal to run through the Line In patch point and it sounds better than the stock Ashdown preamp.

 

[SJan3]

Molto dramatico. You could perhaps email Markbass Italy direct ([email protected]), tell them the whole story and see what they have to say about it. Or even call them: +39 085 4463755. Btw, my 2009 LM3 still runs strong.

I spoke to Markbass and service was supposed to get back with me. They never did.

 

[Sparky Mark]

The only Markbass head that has failed completely on me was the one in my CMD121P combo. Although it was made in Italy in 2012 it had a class D power section. I think there could be something about the vertical orientation of the head in this combo that induces earlier failure.
I'm confident that Markbass has no more failures than other manufacturers. Markbass must be selling thousands of amplifiers each year so the number of failures reported will follow suit. Ampeg is probably selling thousands and there are plenty of problem threads on here too.