Played some heads today. (arbitrary string content)

[phaeton]

For the ADHD folks, my question is "What do you think of the MarkBass Little Mark II?".

 

All else, read the diatribe:

 

 

I went to GC to plug into some bass heads. I didn't expect to find an 800RB in there, but I knew there would be a 700RBII. I was pretty surprised to find a bass like mine (MIM Precision Special). IIRC they never get them in unless someone orders it in, and they're not as popular as other things. More on this below.

 

 

Anyways, I played it through 3 different things in the rack o' heads: GK700RBII, GK1001RBII and GK Backline 600. The 700 and 1001 sounded identical, no surprise. Compared to the Backline they were very "scooped", even with all the eqs on everything set flat. I realize that's what the eq is for, but I found the sound of the Backline satisfactory right off the bat with no fussing. I assume that should tell me something. I even dialed in a likeable tone on the distortion channel, even if i'd use that somewhat sparingly. (I'm real particular about distortion on the bass).

 

Then a salesd00d came over to talk to me. We talked about bass sounds throughout history and whatnot, and then he pointed me to the MarkBass Little Mark II. I was pretty impressed with it, actually, but I don't really know what to listen for in a bass amp. He went through the VPE/VLF dials on it, showed me some choice sounds even with the eq flat. It seems pretty versatile and powerful, and in addition to the "scooped" modern sound that I was hearing out of the RBs, he dialed in a nice fat, middy, rubbery vintage sound that I liked.

 

He seemed pretty excited about it, referring to it like "this will be the new standard in bass amps. As you can see, GK is now copying it" and pointed to some tiny GK that I overlooked before. He also mentioned that in a live band situation I'd be kinda pushing a 200W amp like the Backline 600, and its tone would degrade a little. The 500W LMII should be "about right" power-wise, and it got pretty loud even through a pair of cabs that the sales guy said "weren't the best". He stated that he may not have one on hand, because they've been selling out of them consistently, but he can reserve one for me, blah blah.

 

I realize he's a sales guy and all, but to me he sounded pretty earnest. He also seemed like an all around neat guy- we shared a lot of the same interests in music and gear.

 

So what do you folks think about the LMII? How accurate are the above claims of "this is going to be the new standard" and parts about power? I read the reviews on GC's site and the ones here on HC, all of them glowing, but I kind of expect that. I don't see any used ones for sale anywhere, which might mean something. Or not.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

 

About strings:

Seems like every other bass I pick up is 100x easier to play than mine. The action on my bass is pretty low, no buzzing etc. It's usually *better* than most every bass in any given music store. I still have the stock (Fender?) strings on my Fender bass. I don't know if Fender strings are unusually *stiff* or what. For a little bit I was worried that I need a fatter neck profile and was going to have to get a different bass. But the other Special I played today seemed to have much lighter strings on it. It seemed to take much less effort to play than mine. Salesd00d swore up and down that they were factory strings. Should be the same strings, same neck..... What gives?

[james on bass]

I love mine!! 6.5 lbs, loads of power. I run it into 2 cabinets for gigs and it sounds great with the eq completely flat. What's not to like?

 

My previous rig was a 3 rack space amp with some other goodies in a 6 space SKB case. Now my amp fits into a laptop bag. I can't see going back to larger "standard" size amps.

[phaeton]

What kind of music do you gig, James?

[flemtone]

I played a Trace Elliot for years, but fell for the sound of the LMII. It does everything I need and has room to spare, so I'm about ready to put the Trace up for sale. It really complements my L2K.

[james on bass]

 

What kind of music do you gig, James?

 

 

Modern country / rock. Small bars I use just a 1x15" cab. Larger bars I put the 1x12" on top and can DI to the PA as well, though I haven't yet played a big enough gig since buying the LMII in October. I have yet to have my volume at the half-way point.

[T. Alan Smith]

Lub my LMII. Whachya wanna know?

[phaeton]

Lub my LMII. Whachya wanna know?

 

1) Enough power?

2) Reliable?

3) Decent sound in an actual gig situation?

4) "becoming the new standard?"

5) Are Fender factory strings stiff compared to other brands?

[james on bass]

1) Enough power? 2) Reliable? 3) Decent sound in an actual gig situation? 4) "becoming the new standard?" 5) Are Fender factory strings stiff compared to other brands?

 

 

1) Yes. If you can't be heard, you need to be going direct to the PA.

2) So far.

3) Excellent tone, but basses and cabinets are part of that equation as well.

4) Quite possibly.

5) No idea.

[phaeton]

Took the bass in today for a setup.

 

Most ppl here recommended DR Hi-Beams, but the place was sold out of them (except for really heavy sets). So I went with Ernie Ball 45-105. I play Ernie Balls on my guitars.

 

Hope those don't suck.