mcnach

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1403621461' post='2484616'] Under £400! [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/markbass_little_mark_iii.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...le_mark_iii.htm[/url] [/quote] C-razeee!!!!! and the LMT800 £542!

[quote name='Pukie' timestamp='1403614042' post='2484469'] but if you have that sort of money I'm not sure you need to go busking. [/quote] the money was a bonus, not a primary objective, for us. we wanted more people to hear us. It led to selling a few CDs to tourists (who will hopefully start new fan clubs of our band in their home countries) and a few gig offers. And mostly, we had fun.

well, I contacted customer service about my handle, and they're sending me one FOC as well. I wish they changed teh design instead, but I can't really complain. I'll just keep an eye on it.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1403021272' post='2478949'] number 4 they can f*ck right off - do i look like a f*cking people person and reel big fish? who they? [/quote] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCgX4ixCRcQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCgX4ixCRcQ[/url] we cover this one in my band, great fun!

For a very versatile and not very expensive option, check these out: [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Qtx-178-840UK-QR10PA-portable-PA/dp/B009L4KZ8I"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Qtx-178-840UK-QR10PA-portable-PA/dp/B009L4KZ8I[/url] There is a similar thread I started last year, as I was about to start busking with my band, and I got one of those. They're great. Good battery live, it can be a lot louder than is reasonable in a busking situation - even with three other guitars, a mini drumkit with brushes and a trumpet - and you can put other things through it. It's not the best bass amp in the world, but it sounds pretty good. I'd recommend using an external EQ pedal (or an active bass with active EQ) for adjusting the sound, as the built-in tone controls are pretty limited for bass. It's also smaller than it looks in the picture, and ultra portable. A year later I'm still very happy with it.

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1403518059' post='2483366'] In which case the Compact is the same footprint as the Midget on its side (and only a little bigger than it standing up) and would be a great stack and give you a few options to boot. Midget+Midget great too (only one needs to have the 'T') but, for me, the Compact gives some more options. [/quote] indeed. Very similar footprint, but significantly deeper sound, louder.

Following reports of another BC member having broken his handle in a few days, I opened mine to realise with horror that mine looks like it's about to break! The rubber that covers the metal sheet in the handle has broken near the mounting screw, exposing the metal sheet which has been acting like a saw, carving a deep groove on the plastic... I would like to get a replacement that's more solid (metal anchors, please!), and hopefully a straight replacement (same thread for the mounting screw etc) Anybody?

[quote name='Davebassics' timestamp='1399904155' post='2448794'] Does your 500W get hotter/Drive the fans more? Anything that isn't converted to compressed/decompressed air is wasted wattage. [/quote] Wasted wattage? I disagree. Just unused in a particular situation.There's no such thing as wasted when it comes to headroom

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1403111931' post='2479953'] We clamber over the monitors, tune up silently get just about ready to go then the vocalist announces he needs a pee and we stand there like lemons for five minutes! [/quote] I've played with that guy too!

That's a very reasonable price for a SUB5 in decent condition. The USA SUBs are true Stingrays, just with ugly clothing Great great basses. I would not go for any other "clone" no matter how pretty.

[quote name='Fenderlicious' timestamp='1403304175' post='2481805'] How about this sort of thing? [url="http://www.mojotone.com/amp-parts/amplifier-handles/Black-Plastic-Strap-Handle-with-Chrome-End-Caps-w-Hardware#.U6S4uBbkQ8N"]http://www.mojotone....re#.U6S4uBbkQ8N[/url] [/quote] Yeah, something like that will be the best option. I'll have to search.

[quote name='Fenderlicious' timestamp='1403303443' post='2481791'] Crap, that is bad. Like you say, I'm sure we can't be the only ones. All my guitar amps have metal ends for the strap fixing, makes sense really. Hopefully we'll get a reply soon, carrying the amp with two hands underneath kinda defeats the whole point of them! [/quote] Maybe we can attach some straps with heavy duty velcro. There's enough carpet to get a solid grip A metal washer between the screw head and the handle will do the job, but it'll look ugly by itself.

[quote name='Fenderlicious' timestamp='1403302453' post='2481759'] Just as well you checked mcnach, I'm guessing they'll be a lot of people doing it once word gets round? I contacted Markbass customer support earlier so wait to hear what they have to say about it. [/quote] I'll be interested to hear what they say too. I'll contact them too. I can't believe we are the only ones who had this problem. I used mine quite a bit over the past year (bought in May 2013), but I have not mistreated it in any way...

So here it is. The rubber has broken roughly where the screw is mounted. This allows the sheet of metal inside the handle rub against the plastic bit that broke off on Fenderlicious amp. In mine is not broken, but the metal inside the handle has carved a deep groove (orange arrow points to it) and it's nearly reached the centre, where the screw goes, weakening it considerably. It's just a matter of time until it breaks. That's really POOR DESIGN! The amp is not hugely heavy, but it's not a feather either, and its weight is being supported by those small bits of plastic! Time to go to B&Q and find some alternative.

Wow... Fenderlicious, THANK YOU for posting this!!! Mine is the same design and... it looks like it would have not lasted much longer. Thanks for making me check and avert a possible disaster. Pictures coming in a few minutes...

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1403300711' post='2481735'] Looks like poor design, to me. There should be a penny washer or similar to spread the load, I'd have thought. Just sayin' [/quote] That's indeed extremely poor design! Or a mistake I would have assumed the plastic bit was merely a cover and that the actual load was born by the screw attached to the handle (metallic core). There must be a piece missing on that one, I can't believe mine would have lasted until now if the weight were born by the plastic cover... hmmm

[quote name='Fenderlicious' timestamp='1403295948' post='2481680'] Well I read through the entire thread before taking the plunge and buying an Indonesian Mini CMD121P last week 09/06/14. Sounds great, nice and light just as expected. Then tonight I go to pick it up and the plastic end on the handle snaps where it attaches to the screw. Great, I haven't even gigged it yet. To make matters worse I also have a NY 121P on its way to me. Will this suffer the same fate? Beginning to wonder if I've made the right choice here, thank goodness I wasn't carrying it outside at the time but at home on carpet. [/quote] oh no! that's pretty bad! did it actually break, or did the screw just came off? On mine, Italian, I noticed soon after I got it, that the handle screws were feeling a little loose. I tightened them and I noticed every once in a while they feel a bit loose, so I just check them regularly. Just in case.

That's a bargain! Nice bass

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1403289449' post='2481596'] Might be more to do with it being higher up and closer to your ear. And sounding bigger overall because of more speakers. My Super compact is insane in the air, but on the floor I need to have the amp on a lot. [/quote] it's definitely a bit of both, when it comes to onstage volume. I have used two cabs onstage live many times now, not so much because I need the volume (I'm DI'd most times, and onstage two cabs is unnecessary), but because the stack is higher and I can hear it better using probably less volume overall. It seems a bit wasteful, but the cabs take up so little space and are so portable, so why not?

[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1403249366' post='2481054'] How could anyone not have taken photos?!?!? [/quote] maybe nobody had a wide-angle lens

[quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1403218427' post='2480976'] I'm based in Edinburgh, and not aware of any midget users nearby. Tbh I never have trouble hearing myself at gigs but I am almost always running the amp near full. [/quote] I'm in Edinburgh and have a Compact, if you want to hear what it sounds like with your midget...

I just got a LM Tube 800. So far, I only had a chance to try it at home, not very loudly. I like it. But I really have to see how it performs at volume before I'm sure. It's different from the LMIII in tone, but it does not seem ENORMOUSLY different. It's perhaps a bit brighter, something is different in the midrange... but at low volumes it's hard to tell exactly. Once I get to play loud we will see. One thing is very different from the LMIII: the gain control. This amp, unlike the LMIII, can distort relatively easily by pushing the gain up. And it's not a pretty distortion. I don't think it's meant to be treated as an overdrive sound, as the clip light flickers when it's distorted. With the gain at about 1-2 o'clock, it distorts clearly with my J-Retro equipped Jazz *without any bass boost at all*. It seems louder than the LMIII at similar positions of the master volume... but that really means nothing as it's a different amp entirely. The tube/solid state thing... Like all the reviews I read: it seems pretty useless! I can hear a tiny difference. Maybe at volume it becomes more noticeable, but I doubt it's a big thing. Looks like the tube thing is pretty much a gimmick after all. The tube position seems a bit more open, while the solid state is a bit muffled by comparison, but the best sound is with the knob right in the middle. It's also louder there. It seems like a nice amp, and although different from the LMIII, I doubt it's a light year away, and you can get that same sort of tone: so it's nice. At least at apartment-friendly volumes. Once I play it loud maybe the character reveals itself to be entirely different. I mean, it's different, a bit more toppy, but it sounds good and I can get the same sort of sounds I was liking on the LMIII. The VLE filter is fantastic. I like those two little filters a lot. If it's close to the Shuttle 9.2 in terms of volume, I might actually prefer this: I find the controls a lot more intuitive and direct. I'll have to wait till the weekend...