phatduckk
Well-known member
thats a dope lil project! very clean work man!
- Thread starter AnthonyD
- Start date
AnthonyD
Well-known member
Thanks guys - it was a fun project and it fills a gap in my area of need quite nicely!
The other benefit is the ability to unbolt the LMK-II (two screws) and slide it right out to use it with an alternate cabinet or stack.
I love the options!
The other benefit is the ability to unbolt the LMK-II (two screws) and slide it right out to use it with an alternate cabinet or stack.
I love the options!
bovinehost
Administrator
Nice work, man.
fly
Well-known member
The other benefit is the ability to unbolt the LMK-II (two screws) and slide it right out to use it with an alternate cabinet or stack.
I love the options!
helluvan option..........great idea.
hope you put it to work too......................
*heads off with many ideas fluttering in his head*
sloshep
Well-known member
I like it, I like it a lot! Great work, you may be starting a trend here.
Peter Murray
Well-known member
Curious to know what the motivations are here. Markbass does make combos, and the amp inside the MB combos is identical to the Little Mark II.
Is this just to make use of an old combo and upgrade it?
Is it cause you feel that Markbass combos are too expensive?
Is it just for a fun project?
Or is there something you feel you are upgrading here?
Cheers,
Peter
russinator
Well-known member
Yes.
Yes.
In my case, and it seems in the OP's case. Not competing with your products, just using them in another way.
roburado
Well-known member
That was very cool!
AnthonyD
Well-known member
Hi Peter! Actually, it's a little bit of all the above...
I started out looking to replace my Hartke Kickback 12 with something lighter and louder and a combination of factors lead me down this path.
First, I looked at - and almost bought - a MarkBass CMD121H, but decided against it for a combination of reasons: 1. cabinet didn't have "tilt-back" feature; 2. tweeter was a bit "hissy" for my taste; and 3. it was a bit more than I wanted to spend. I left GC a bit bummed.
When I got home, I took a closer look at my Hartke's dimensions and specs and compared them with the LMK-II specs and I realized that with minor modification to the combo cabinet, the LMK-II would slip right into the space occupied by the Hartke head. I went back to GC to pick-up the LMK-II the next day, as I really was impressed with the head.
Also, I already had the 12" neo speaker on a shelf, so the pieces came together in my mind. I love building "stuff" and took pleasure in creating what, for me, is really a perfect solution. Definitely part of the reason I undertook the effort.
And finally, by creating this "modular" combo, I can easily pull the LMK-II out for alternative configurations. This way my investment serves "double-duty" for both practice and "church" gigs as a combo, as well as the small bar/indoor party with a smaller cabinet or two.
Rano Bass
Well-known member
Very nicely done!
What a good idea.
What a good idea.
smallequestrian
Well-known member
Hi Peter, I wanted to reemphasize this as well. The tweeters on both combo's available in the US are hissy. Of course at gig volumes, it probably not such a big deal, but at home for practice, it can be very annoying. Of course, you can always use the VLE to quiet the tweeter, but the VLE shouldn't be used in place of an attenuator or a quieter tweeter.
That said, I may still end up with the 2x10 combo, because the sound I want can allow for me to roll off the highs a little bit and make th tweeter liveable.
Big Poppa
Well-known member
Great Job anthony
YOu know that wouldnt be a bad option for Mark Bass to offer the ability to modularly use the LM2
YOu know that wouldnt be a bad option for Mark Bass to offer the ability to modularly use the LM2
Freddels
Well-known member
That would be a great idea. MB could offer a deadhead cab that the LMKII could fit into.
AnthonyD
Well-known member
Yep - Or a LMK-II based combo with an "easy-out" option...
Me? I already gots mine!
Me? I already gots mine!
Smakbass
Well-known member
Cool lil combo I have the 2 channel LMK and use 12" speakers....sounds amazing on my electric and my electric stand up.
Aussie Mark
Well-known member
1. Name a bass cabinet with a tweeter from any manufacturer that doesn't sound hissy.
2. Give me a good reason for any bass cabinet to come with a tweeter.
Peter Murray
Well-known member
I have heard these points before.
But I maintain that it's better to have too much of something with the ability to cut it back than have the ability to boost something that isn't available.
When you take the tweeter out of the cabinet or combo, you get no hiss, but you also severely limit your high-end response.
For example, the new Classic cabs--they have a 1" compression driver with custom horn, that can be turned on or off. With the tweeter off, the cab sounds great to my ears, certainly no hiss. With the tweeter on, all of a sudden the high end of the cab's frequency response goes from 5 kHz to 20kHz. The sound is crisper, more modern, more high fi. The top end of my Bongo (that I know the bass is putting out) comes alive.
Is it the sound everyone wants? No. But they have the choice.
I've noticed that the hiss from the combos really varies depending on the instrument you use. People regularly comment that the amp gives back what you put into it... So if your bass is putting out a lot of high end, or the pickups are microphonic, for example, you're going to hear all that. Other basses sound relatively smooth, and you wouldn't want to cut your highs at all.
I think the VLE provides a very musical solution to taming the high end when you need to.
To totally eliminate any chance of hiss, you could remove the tweeter (as in the Jeff Berlin signature combo, available in the US in October)... some will like that, but some would find it lacking in high end response.
Anecdotally, I was presenting a clinic with Jeff in Calgary last year, before his combo was designed, and he started talking about tweeters and how much he disliked them... he started raving about the sound of the combo he was using "see how great it sounds without a tweeter??"... I had to tell him that actually there was a tweeter in there.
I think in most live contexts the advantage of the high end by far outweigh any aspect of "hiss"... you hear the high end in the bass tone but the hiss disappears in context. Again, better to tame it when you need to instead of get rid of it altogether. Using the VLE and/or the high EQ control, and/or the tone controls on your bass, gives you lots of musical solutions.
Cheers,
Peter
Peter Murray
Well-known member
Yep - Or a LMK-II based combo with an "easy-out" option...
Me? I already gots mine!
We're considering the option to provide combos that include the LMK instead of the Little Mark II. A lot of players who use both electric and acoustic on the same gig have expressed interest in this idea.
As far as making the head removable for the combo is concerned, I don't think this really makes sense. If this flexibility is important to you, you should get a Little Mark II and cabinet as separate pieces. Otherwise, any Markbass combo (except the Micromark) can be plugged into a second 8 ohm cabinet to turn it into a 500W rig. I do this a lot and it makes great sense!
Small gigs and rehearsals, use the combo... bigger gigs, add the cab.
By the way, the TRV 121H and TRV 151P will both hit the US in November.
The TRV 121H stacks perfectly under the Mini CMD 121P. For those who like 12s (like me!) it's a great combination.
Cheers,
Peter
Rano Bass
Well-known member
I totally agree with you Peter!
AnthonyD
Well-known member
Thanks Peter!
I appreciate the opportunity to share these thoughts and ideas. And I am looking forward to increased availability of the MarkBass product line in America!
I appreciate the opportunity to share these thoughts and ideas. And I am looking forward to increased availability of the MarkBass product line in America!
