Sparky Mark

If we're allowing PJ as options then I'll suggest the 90s Japanese Precision Lyte. It's lighter and smaller bodied than a standard P and has a slim J like neck.

This is spot on. There's not many manufacturers of anything that publish full design schematics that would allow others to copy their products or elements thereof. Electronic components and printed circuit boards are relatively low cost but the labour time/cost of properly diagnosing faults and then swapping out the correct part(s) is the expensive bit. We shouldn't forget that the repair tech needs to make a living too, so there is profit to include also. I would estimate to open up, diagnose, dis-assemble, replace failed part/assembly then test, re-assemble, pack and return even the simplest job would take between one and two hours labour. Add modest material costs and profit and it's not hard to see where £200 comes from for an out of warranty repair. No one is making a killing fixing old amplifiers.

I think it could be the Essence.

Most electronics over 10 years old will have component obsolescence issues even if you can find someone capable of properly diagnosing and performing a repair. Buying a second unit of the type you like second-hand can be cheaper than a repair.

Erm... 2008 was 14 years ago and most LM2 are older than that. ( I know you were only joking though).

The LM2 was last made in 2008. The LM2 and LM3 have been amongst the biggest selling heads for many years now, so the fact that we are seeing failures shouldn't be a surprise and doesn't indicate a latent fault. There will be many thousands of LM2 and LM3 out there and all will give up the ghost eventually.

Agreed. I think it was the "bang average" bit that was a little harsh.

I'm have to disagree there. For me, the SR1200E premium is a fantastic bass. I love the ergonomics, light weight, EQ electronics and Nordstrand big single pups. It's as good as any bass I've owned and far more flexible than most. I'd take it over any 1980s Japanese bass.

Back in the 80s I bought an Ibby Roadster (tobacco sunburst, maple bolt on neck with cream PJ pups) from Rockbottom in Croydon. I think I chopped in my Shergold Marathon (never liked that one) and thought because it had PJ it had everything I'd ever need! How naive was I?

That's interesting. Which amps suited those basses better for you?

I find that my Markbass amps work equally well with my Fenders (both passive and active), Rickenbacker, Hofner, Gibson, Spector, Musicman, Ibanez, Kala, Tanglewood and Tom Clement basses.

Yeah, he's the bass player.....

You need to be sitting on a square of cheapo matting in that case! And that Berg tolex is really slippy.

This was my experience with my class D and class AB LM3 amps. I convinced myself that the AB was slightly fuller sounding but that could've been down to other preamp design enhancements. Maybe the HPF was changed slightly? I could still EQ the amps to sound the same at home but didn't attempt to compare on a gig. As for reliability, I believe that electronics that run cooler have a better chance of living longer. My AB was always pretty warm at the end of the night, the D was much cooler. I'm sure that both had appropriate thermal management but I hear of people complaining when their class AB LM2/LM3 failed after 10 years of use, which may very well have been the intended design life.

Cheapo matting in operation. It's really grippy! It works and is cheap, why spend more for more obtrusive solutions? This wasn't the maximum tilt angle but I bottled it!

I kinda went a bit bonkers buying up second hand Markbass heads as they appeared for about the cost of a repair. If one fails every year (or every other gig at the moment!) I have enough to see me through to the end I reckon.

Both currently configured with the valve pre amp module and the HE version sporting the 4 band semi parametric EQ module. Oh, and they both have a very rare feature for Markbass amplifiers, a front panel mute switch....hoorah!

That's not the half of it......

I used my 800 watt frame with solid state pre and 7 band graphic EQ with two NY121P cabs as a PA system playing loud dance music at some socially distanced garden parties back in 2020. Sounded absolutely killer!

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Markbass intended for their dealers to each have a tower containing all the amp frames and modules that you could switch about to test which combination you preferred, then buy that configuration. Over the past 15 years Markbass has launched more bass amp products than any other brand, a few stick, but most are consigned to the discontinued category before too long. I think Marco just loves having fun with new product launches.