leroydiamond

And if you are putting 'Highway Star' into your setlist, I want to be in that band!!. I am coming to get ye😄

Very frustrating for you as a technician and the owner of the unrepaired amp. I have no objection to Markbass, or any other manufacturer making there schematics available to the end user, just attempting to put some context as to possibly why they have decided not to. If I owned a Markbass head that had developed a fault, no doubt I would share in that frustration. However I and many others have found them stellar in terms of reliability, but obviously every amp will develop a fault at some stage.

I don't see all that much unusual about my experience as a band member. I played for over 40 years, so guess In that time, I have experienced many different scenarios. I guess I am always a glass half full type of guy and therefore look for the positive in every day, even when faced with adversity and people who are disingenuous. Its a matter of what lense we wear when dealing with such and we can often turn a disadvantage into an advantage. For me there are always worthwhile lessons to be learned. Thats been my experience but obviously not everybody's.

Pretty much every band I have been in from start up, that had the intention of gigging, jammed out in the initial stages to test the waters, find a groove, develop a style and so on. I would have thought that to be the norm. A good jam session can bring to the surface interesting ideas and creativity that are necessary to write material that is required for gigging. In my experience it is part of the process Rehearsing for up to 12 months with guys who come up with excuses after excuse to not gig, surely would be the exception. It hardly takes that long to suss out such a guy, be he dishonest or otherwise. It should be apparent in a matter of weeks and can be dealt with one way or another. I have no idea how you came to the conclusion that I would feel its ok to rope people into a project under false pretences. That would be disingenuous and plainly dishonest. I assure you I strive daily to be neither. People coming together, be it a band or otherwise, will have a degree of unpredictability, together with having to rub up one another for better or worse. In my opinion dealing with someone who is not showing their full hand, is part of lifes lessons that can lead to one's flourishing and wisdom. The only soul being destroyed is that of the person who is being deceitful

As are the vast majority of micro heads, where component replacement is incredibly challenging, due to the multi layered pcb. Board replacement is often the only option and this comes at a cost, that may well persuade the end user to bin the unit and replace it. This is true for many consumer electronic items. Markbass' decision to not make schematics available to end users, however unpopular it might be, is no doubt an effort to protect their IP ,as it has become more and more common for electronic items to be copied by manufacturers located in countries with low labour costs and questionable regulation. It allows such manufacturers to bring a cheap product to market as they can skip the significant cost of R&D. Despite their best efforts, a quick Google and I found this. https://elektrotanya.com/mark_bass_parsek_little_mark-ii_manual.pdf/download.html

Used a LM 2, Markbass F500 and Markbass F1 for many years full on every week and they never missed a beat.

Great set list and you will need a cracking singer to get them songs over the line. If you get that guy, it should be great fun.

The people bowing out, or indeed being asked to leave, can knuckle down, practice and become a better musician as a result of the experience, such as the scenario with Blackmore, Paice and Lynott. Hardly a waist of time. In my experience, band members at the outset can have varying intentions, in many regards, but the some of the parts can result in a really good outcome. Even tensions between members can be acknowledged and contribute to the creative process. Plenty of examples.

How interesting it would have been if it worked out. Then again if it had, we would not had Thin Lizzy at their prime.

Not always. It is a common occurrence that can often result in people bowng out, being replaced, the show going on the road and everyone being the better for it. For many, It is the cut and thrust of being a musician. Plenty of lessons can be learned from such a scenario. Happens to the best. https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-of-baby-face-the-supergroup-that-almost-was Who are the 'we' you refer to?

No it is not. I once played bass in a band purely for the purposes of rehearsing tunes knowing that gigging was extremely unlikely. It was about a mental health struggle that one of the members was going through and keeping in touch with his playing helped so much in his recovery. Stage fright was a trait he had even before his mental health struggles. What is incredibly soul destroying for you can be incredibly empowering for others. We are all different and exist in different sets of circumstances. We ended up doing a few gigs for friends and family. It was the making of him. Everyone benefited. Hard work for him but worth every minute of it.

Kustom KXB 500

Together with my Sadowsky, my Jaydee and Yamaha fretless never got me excited when plugged into Markbass amplification, but the Fender jazz did it every time. I have been through several micro heads and the the now discontinued Kustom KXB500 is my pick of the bunch. Outstanding.

That was my experience. My Fender Jazz just worked so well with Markbass amplification, particularly when favouring the bridge pick up, with the tone rolled off a tad. However the scooped voicing of my Sadowsky sounded thin and lacked any balls. The synergy between bass guitar and amplification is an important element that can get overlooked.

I have witnessed this on a few occasions, most recently a young lady playing a Fender Precision Lyte and Mark bass combo. Tasty player and superb tone.

I have been through several class d amps and the cheap and cheerfull Kustom KXB500 knocked them all out of the park

Total respect for your opinion. Without different opinions we have little to discuss. For me when listening to an album it is the some of the parts, rather than the parts themselves that generate the flavour of the overall album listening experience. When I listen to an album, the impact of one track in isolation to the rest, gets very little traction at all and this is particularly the case when listening to 'prog' albums

Probably my age (60) but for me and my peers, listening to albums was always done from beginning to end and opinions arrived at from the experience of having heard the album in its entirety. Probably had to do with having analogue sources back in the day and no digital alternatives, so skipping tracks was not a convenient option. Tracks in isolation might well have not worked, but as a piece on the listening Journey from the beginning to the end of the album, such tracks can be a crucial part of the overall listening experience. In this regard for me at least, Moving Pictures gets 10/10.

I downloaded Moving Pictures 40th in Hi Res audio. An old vinyl pressing I have sounds considerably better. Remasters are not always all they are cracked up to be.

I stopped a year before lockdown for what I thought would be a short break. Fully expected to be back at it, but to my surprise, I put my bass down and never went back to it. Enjoying life more than ever. Getting away at weekends and regular holidays whenever I please. Guess I was playing for many years and it was time for a change. I just did not realise it till I stopped.

Spot on. That was the same for me when I was actively gigging. After 40 years of it, I stopped and since then I really enjoy listening to music, in way that just was not possible when I was gigging. I go to gigs now and could not give a toss about the bass player, what gear he is using etc. I am a punter now and my point of reference for how I receive music is completely different from when I played and I prefer it this way.

Though I would have a preference for one over the other, thankfully I have no need or desire to do either.

I would gladly unblock drains quicker than play 'Sex on Fire' and the like.