The time has come! Markbass MegaThread!

[tusitala]

I played this at NAMM, which is not the best place to audition gear, and it was one of my favorite Markbass heads. I specifically wanted to that that model, as it is most similar - layout, at least - to my Music Man HD-500, which I really like. The inherent tone was very similar to the most of the other amps based upon that 500w output section, and the main difference was in the controls/EQ. You can dial in a hint of tube warmth/grit with the Gain and Master.

Now, an unexpected surprise was the R 500, which is the all-tube preamp from the Classic 300 (yet another unexpected gem!) and the same 500w amp section. Man, that thing was just plug and play rock-n-roll!

Tom.

how would you compare it with the little mark (old or new version) ?

 

[tombowlus]

how would you compare it with the little mark (old or new version) ?

I really did not play them enough to say, to be honest. My impression was that set 'flat', the tones were very similar, and that the main difference was in the controls available to you.

 

[rougeporn]

Little Mark II with a Tech ND412 S

 

[HiFi]

Ran my LMKII straight into the PA system last night at an outdoor gig and had no issues.

The tone was very nice and with some quick adjustments (mainly the VLE)--down a guitarist from our usual two--I had the tone I was looking for on the evening.

It went great, and I had some compliments on my tone after we finished our two sets.

This amp is awesome!

 

[Alan 342]

Oh man, looking at all these pictures...

How much do you think their 2x10 combo amp would cost?

 

[Dave W]

How much do you think their 2x10 combo amp would cost?

$999...

 

[vision]

I'm loving my LMII so far. I've been using it similar to how I used my Thunderfunk...I leave the eq flat and make small adjustments with the VLE and VPF. It has a great deal more headroom than my TF had with the Epifani 310UL.

 

[Alan 342]

Yeah so I'm a little impulsive. Man do I love this thing so far though. It's real quality.

Just got it today. It's funny, yesterday I was asking if anyone knew how much it cost. Now it's in my living room.

 

[Fender32]

Yeah so I'm a little impulsive. Man do I love this thing so far though. It's real quality.

Just got it today. It's funny, yesterday I was asking if anyone knew how much it cost. Now it's in my living room.

TB should carry a government "wealth warning", IMO .

Yesterday, I was fantasising about the day that I could find a justifiable reason to add a second 12" cab to my little MB family (see below). I discovered via the MB website that they have re-designed and re-sized the 121H. Panic! If I leave it too long, I'll end up with a pair of 12"s that won't stack together neatly and give me my "dream M.R.O.D".

Fear not! eBay to the rescue! By the end of the week, my rig will look like the bottom picture . Mmmmm, orangey!

 

[Peter Murray]

TB should carry a government "wealth warning", IMO .

Yesterday, I was fantasising about the day that I could find a justifiable reason to add a second 12" cab to my little MB family (see below). I discovered via the MB website that they have re-designed and re-sized the 121H. Panic! If I leave it too long, I'll end up with a pair of 12"s that won't stack together neatly and give me my "dream M.R.O.D".

Fear not! eBay to the rescue! By the end of the week, my rig will look like the bottom picture . Mmmmm, orangey!

FYI, the new 121H cabinet is the same "width" as the old one... in other words it will still stack the way you've mocked it up in photoshop there... but the new one will be "taller"... the height is the width of the Standard series cabs.

They also stack with both the Mini 121P and CMD 121H combos.

PM

 

[needmoney]

But then the Badge is the wrong way

FYI, the new 121H cabinet is the same "width" as the old one... in other words it will still stack the way you've mocked it up in photoshop there... but the new one will be "taller"... the height is the width of the Standard series cabs.

They also stack with both the Mini 121P and CMD 121H combos.

PM

 

[dave_bass5]

I really did not play them enough to say, to be honest. My impression was that set 'flat', the tones were very similar, and that the main difference was in the controls available to you.

Tom
Can i ask what your views on your new SD800 are? How does it compare to the LMII?
Sorry if the answer is in another thread, there seems to be a lot of MB threads these days and i loose track of things

Thanks

 

[vision]

Tom
Can i ask what your views on your new SD800 are? Who does it compare to the LMII?
Sorry if the answer is in another thread, there seems to be a lot of MB threads these days and i loose track of things

Thanks

The best person to ask is Ken (KJung), because he owns both the SD800 and the LMII. I only tested the SD800 at his house for a few minutes, but to me it sounds like the LMII on steroids. You can feel even more power behind each note.

 

[dave_bass5]

The best person to ask is Ken (KJung), because he owns both the SD800 and the LMII. I only tested the SD800 at his house for a few minutes, but to me it sounds like the LMII on steroids. You can feel even more power behind each note.

Thanks
I have spoken to Ken, just wanted more opinions really.

 

[Vic]

Thanks
I have spoken to Ken, just wanted more opinions really.

I can give you a "basement eval" after 6/10. I'll be A/B'ing the SD and the LM.

 

[dave_bass5]

Vic
Look forward to it.

 

[tombowlus]

Tom
Can i ask what your views on your new SD800 are? Who does it compare to the LMII?
Sorry if the answer is in another thread, there seems to be a lot of MB threads these days and i loose track of things

Thanks

My LMII actually just arrived yesterday, but as it turns out, we had a band practice last night.

So, based upon one practice session (competing with drums, guitar, and amplified vocals), and playing a variety of instruments through both heads feeding a Berg HT115/HT210 stack, my very preliminary 'take them with a huge grain of salt' initial observations are as follows.

The SD800 definitely has gobs of headroom, and you do hear that, even at lower volumes. The notes just pop out with an eagerness that is quite intoxicating. It is also a bit more 'pristine' and open sounding to my ears. The LMII has a bit more midrange mojo going on, especially in the lower mids. I like this, though with some basses I had to tweak the low-mids a bit to avoid slightly too much bloom. The LMII is punchy as heck, and plenty loud. I didn't push either head at all, volume-wise, though I did briefly explore some of their higher gain settings. The LMII at higher volumes has that sense of fullness and just the right amount of warmth, while still remaining controlled, clear and articulate. When you switch to the SD800, though, you can't help but feel like you've just been given the reigns of a notably more powerful beast. The notes just jump out with an explosiveness that is not quite there with the LMII. The dynamics are very impressive, and I was not able to get it to a volume point where I even began to feel like I was exploring its limits (which I was able to touch on with the LMII).

Most of my testing was done with the EQ set relatively flat (or with a very small amount of high mid and treble boost), the VLE off, and the VPF at about 9 o'clock.

In short, I loved both heads (in this setting, at least), and my preference between the two actually varied from instrument to instrument. I spent a little time running them both through my Epi T-212D, and my initial 'gut-check' feeling is that the SD800 is more well suited to the Bergs, and the LMII is more well suited to the Epi cab. Suffice it to say that much testing (and much fun!) lies ahead.

Tom.

 

[dave_bass5]

Tom
Thanks very much for posting that.
Do you think the LMII has enough power to get the best out of the 212? I would have thought the SD800's output would be a good match for the 212 but from what you and Ken seem to think maybe the LMII's warmth works better with the openness of the Epifani.

Oh decisions decisions.

 

[tombowlus]

Tom
Thanks very much for posting that.
Do you think the LMII has enough power to get the best out of the 212? I would have thought the SD800's output would be a good match for the 212 but from what you and Ken seem to think maybe the LMII's warmth works better with the openness of the Epifani.

Oh decisions decisions.

Well, this is the type of question best answered through gig experience, but I'd be quite surprised if the LMII did not have the juice to make an Epi 2x12 sing on a gig. And yes, it's low-mid girth, slight added warmth, and somewhat more 'punchy' tone (relative to the SD800) would, IME/IMHO, be an asset when pairing with most Epifani cabs.

But really, you can dial in a pretty close approximation of either amp with the other, so if you want to play it safe and bring all the headroom you'll ever need, then the SD800 might be a safe bet.

Tom.

 

[vision]

The SD800 definitely has gobs of headroom, and you do hear that, even at lower volumes.

I noticed that same thing, when Ken and I were comparing these heads (there was also a Thunderfunk there) that when we plugged into the SD800 even at our low basement volume you could actually hear the additional headroom. I have no idea of how to articulate that sound, but I definitely took notice of that immediately.