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Markbass K1 Combo - the new K(ing) on the block?


Al Krow
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Just spotted that Markbass have bought out a new flagship Alain Caron signature amp: the K1 Combo.

Looks gorgeous and it's a beast!

I bought a previous version 121 Lite AC Combo a couple of years back and it's been my trusted gigging amp ever since.

The K1 provides 600W at 8ohm (vs 500W at 4ohm for the 121 Lite AC). It has an additional 1x5" speaker which should be a fantastic plus for the mids, as well as the previous 1x12 and 1" tweeter.

It's on the market for "just" £100 more than the 121 Lite AC i.e. a not insubstantial £999, but I guess I would have expected a bigger mark-up to its little brother?

But for those of us who value portability, whilst the footprint of the K1 is actually smaller than the 121 Lite AC and it's only 4" taller, it weighs in at a K(ing) size 60lbs up from a Lite 36 lbs!

Anyone got one of these already? If so, what is your feedback? Anyone tempted to trade up?

In terms of the best bass combo (in the world?) for < £1,000, I think there may be a new K(ing) on the block?!

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Fantastic! I've not seen much publicity at all for this new amp (hence the new thread!) - how did you come across it and what's your current set up that this is going to replace?

Just seen Alain Caron's YouTube short clip on the K1, he's clearly chuffed to bits :)

Unlike the 121 Lite AC, the K1 also has scope for an extension cab - Markbass have released a matching 8ohm Traveller 123 cab but it's an additional £799(!) and 46 lbs(!)

However with 2 8ohm cabs in parallel, running at a combined 4ohm, the K1 will deliver an awesome 1000W!!

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I spotted it at the London Bass Guitar Show and just loved the concept. I really like the tone you get from 12" drivers, and also I find that 5" speakers give a really nice natural warmth to the top end. The power is ridiculous, but headroom is a beautiful thing....

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Some of the best speakers I have heard have a small speaker instead/as well as a tweeter - some how sound more balanced and natural.

In particular I have a Musicman HD212 which is a 600W 2 x 12" + 1 x 5" (ish). My rig of choice,would be this with my Marshall DBS7400 on top, but for practicality a Vanderkley 112MNT + LM3 gets used more often.

Edited by Count Bassy
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Hmmm...so I've been giving some further thought as to whether to upscale to the K1 from my current Markbass 121 Lite AC. In a nutshell...with two speakers I would get 1000W in stereo up from 500W mono; that would weigh 106lbs instead of 36lbs and cost, with the Traveler-123, a total of £1,800 i.e. exactly double the 121 Lite AC. So twice as much "everything" (and three times the weight) for twice the price? The extra 5" speaker would also be a real bonus...

But wait...in terms of additional headroom for a larger gig what would I really be getting? 1000W is only a +3dB increase over 500W i.e. just barely noticeable! So methinks I will gaze in awe at the new K1 and marvel at the back muscles and deep pockets of its owners, but continue (for now) with its more modest little bro...

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[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1490968630' post='3269488']
Hmmm...so I've been giving some further thought as to whether to upscale to the K1 from my current Markbass 121 Lite AC. In a nutshell...with two speakers I would get 1000W in stereo up from 500W mono; that would weigh 106lbs instead of 36lbs and cost, with the Traveler-123, a total of £1,800 i.e. exactly double the 121 Lite AC. So twice as much "everything" (and three times the weight) for twice the price? The extra 5" speaker would also be a real bonus...

But wait...in terms of additional headroom for a larger gig what would I really be getting? 1000W is only a +3dB increase over 500W i.e. just barely noticeable! So methinks I will gaze in awe at the new K1 and marvel at the back muscles and deep pockets of its owners, but continue (for now) with its more modest little bro...
[/quote]

I'd tend to agree with your thinking.

I find that my AER amp two combo, that has 12" + 4" speakers and "only" 240 watts, is adequate for almost any gig. It's loud and sounds so very clear. It's a real pleasure to listen to.

If I need to go any louder than the AER is capable of then it really should go through the PA or the stage volume would be too much.

Frank.

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I think this looks fantastic, I'm quite jealous of you. It seems they've ditched the VLE and just retained the VPF - a good decision IMO. Ony thing that annoys me is no mute! On the Tube 500 (and I'm sure others) it's a pull-to-mute master volume but this seems missing from this and other MB amps. Small point though!

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It does look fantastic, I agree! The more closely I look at it though, it seems to be a somewhat different product to the existing Lite Alain Caron. The K1 loses the VLE (agree with Muppet, this is no great loss) and mute as noted above, but also loses the aux in and headphone sockets as far as I can tell (which can be really useful if you want the occasional late night practice session at home). It gains: 100W as a stand alone, £100 in cost, 24 lbs, an extension out to another cab and a potentially great additional 5" speaker.

The K1 seems to me to be geared more to live performance and has a heck of a lot going for it.

Which would I buy if they had both been available? That is actually a tricky question...there are definitely plusses and minuses (particularly weight) which means I think there will definitely be a market for both. I would probably still opt for the 121 Lite Alain Caron but continue to hanker after the K1 every time I see it in action, with an extension cab, played live by a great bassist! (Is that a bit like marrying a great girl but still being distracted by a supermodel walking passed? :))

However I do think the new Markbass K1, objectively, is going to steal the title of best combo for < £1,000.

OK - I think I have had more than my fair share of air time on this; please feel free to say if you disagree with my conclusions!

Edited by Al Krow
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[quote name='Muppet' timestamp='1491032572' post='3269931']
I think this looks fantastic, I'm quite jealous of you. It seems they've ditched the VLE and just retained the VPF - a good decision IMO.
[/quote]

I'm the other way round. I think the VLE is really cool and useful but the VPF is not quite as good. Sure, it's useful if you want to give yourself a big mid-scoop with the turn of one control but I have found that to really be a less and less useful sound over time.

OTOH, the VLE really softens the top end in a judicious and musical fashion. It seems a little more organic than simply turning the treble control down.

The caveat is that I own a CMD151P Jeff Berlin combo and for the first time, I'm embracing a tweeterless sound and looking for a more horn-like tone. Rolling on the VLE really tames the top end on my SR3006 nicely.

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[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1491040393' post='3270012']
It does look fantastic, I agree! The more closely I look at it though, it seems to be a somewhat different product to the existing Lite Alain Caron. The K1 loses the VLE (agree with Muppet, this is no great loss) and mute as noted above, but also loses the aux in and headphone sockets as far as I can tell (which can be really useful if you want the occasional late night practice session at home).

The K1 seems to me to be geared more to live performance and has a heck of a lot going for it.

Which would I buy if they had both been available? That is actually a tricky question...there are definitely plusses and minuses (particularly weight) which means I think there will definitely be a market for both. I would probably still opt for the 121 Lite Alain Caron but continue to hanker after the K1 every time I see it in action, with an extension cab, played live by a great bassist! (Is that a bit like marrying a great girl but still being distracted by a supermodel walking passed?
[/quote]

Spot on. I debated between the two for some time and decided that, as I'll be using it as gigging amp, I'd go for the extra power and articulation the K1 brings over the more studio friendly/home practice facilities on the Lite.

Edited by walbassist
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I have to admit I don't like Markbass for the shallowest of reasons, it's all so fugly. If I drop the attitude I quite like the tone of their heads as long as it is not thru an MB cab. This K series looks to be a really powerful small package, on paper lots to like, I wonder how the speakers hold up though. I have never tried any MB combo, are they quite strong in the upper mid range like the cabs are?

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A bit harsh?! I think the new K1 Combo is actually a great looking amp and must admit in my years of playing live I've NEVER had one person say about my Markbass (even when audience members have been very well lubricated by the end of a pub gig) "well your vocalists are really cute, but that bass amp of yours mate...I had to look the other way..." :)

But more seriously to your Q, the speakers are very well matched to the head, as you might expect with a relatively high-end amp, and my bass lines have always easily cut through the mix with plenty of headroom to spare (which you would expect and hope for from a 500W amp).

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I really like the look of Markbass kit. I can remember when they first arrived on the market (the marketing explosion was palpable). The thing that struck me first was the brand's look. Not since Trace Elliot has a bass amp brand had such distinctive and impactive colouring or styling.

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You want the list alphabetically or in order of severity? :P

I'm looking forward to seeing/hearing one of those in action actually. It's a bit heavy, but apart from that (and it's not [i]that [/i]heavy) it looks like the perfect pub gig amp.

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Had a quick go on the K1 at the SW Bash yesterday. Given the restrictions of having others trying out gear near by, I only got the impression of loads of headroom and tone in such a small package without being able to really let rip. It dwarfed my 802, literally and physically.

Had the following all lined up, left to right: 802,Ninja 102, K1, Multiamp and Evo.

Edited by yorks5stringer
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