Off Topic Markbass Classic cabs - anybody own one?

[Aussie Mark]

Anybody here own any of the Classic series cabs? From what I see in pics, they have grille cloth rather than a metal grille. How tough is the cloth - does it give the speaker cones decent protection from inadvertent bumps during loading?

I'm toying with possibly going lighter in the cab department, and like the look of these cabs.

 

[lowliferumble]

Mark, I have a Mesa Powerhouse 1000 (very heavy as it a Road Ready model) Our drummer plays in another band who share our practice spot with us. Their bass player just got Markbass 8x10 , so I have had a chance to side by side them. The Markbass competes in all tonal categories , as well as volume. It kills in the weight category 71lbs vs. 150lbs. Durabilty is going to an issue in the long run,as it is three months old and already the vinyl covering is peeling and the cloth front is showing signs of snags and rips. The cure for those is a road case, but there goes the weight.... so my take is this. I am completely blown away by how something so light can deliver big tone and monsterous volume( easily fills a 2500+ seat venue with great bass and tone). I really do love my Mesa....but 71lbs If I was rich instead of good looking , I would have both. Or maybe a whole bunch of interlocking Markbass 1x 10" (think Legos!). Alas what is made up for in weight ,will be lost in number of trips to the equipment van!

 

[oli@bass]

Mark, since you're a SWR guy (like I was) you'll probably be more happy with the standard series and their carpet/metal-grille outfit. In my experience, vinyl and cloth grille are generally much more wear resistent and keep looking great even after many years of use.

Not sure about the tone either... when I checked out the cabs, they seem to have less pronounced mid range and top end. For the standard series too much midrange or top end are easily compensated with the VPF and VLE filters, but if you need them in a situation you can still have them.