Sparky Mark

498€. Woodbrass.com

Mine arrived yesterday. Build quality and finish is amazing at this price. Perched it on top of my Bergantino HT112ER and EX cabs, connected and nervously switched on. Waited a couple of minutes and flicked the standby off. All I can say at this point is that this is a fantastic sounding amp with incredible depth which may be down to the valve power amp? I was concerned that it might be DOA but it is built like a tank and the valves are all okay at the moment. It's interesting to watch the infinium circuit LEDs flash intermittently as they continually monitor and adjust the valve bias. My normal gigging rig is markbass LM3 and neo cabs but this heavy weight head plus ceramic speakered combination is making me fear for my back as it really is something else.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1439371008' post='2842163'] The LM2 was analogue but the LM3 and LM800 are both digital. [/quote] +1 to all the EQ advice above. Too much low EQ will sap your ability to cut through in the mix. It's true that all LM2 have analogue power amplifiers but the lm3 power amp was changed to class d around 2012. I have an earlier lm3 which has the analogue power section.

Hey Greg . Doh, I missed the 4 ohm reference! I wouldn't worry too much about going past 12 o'clock on the gain and master as long as speakers aren't complaining. Unless you are hitting the strings really hard the gain control limit led should remain off at 12 o'clock with a typical output passive bass. Although the cab is rated as 800w this is a thermal rating only and the LM800 extra power may just end up being dissipated as heat rather than generating more volume. The 500 watts from the lm3 may already be as much as the cab can convert to sound energy. If you are maxed out on the amp and the cab isn't loud enough the only solution is probably more speakers ie use two 8 ohm std104hf.

I know that other BCers were recommending that you get the 8 ohm version of the std104hf so you could add another 8 ohm cab if you wanted more volume, but as you only want to use one cab you may have been better served by the 4 ohm version which allows the LM3 to output its 500 watts not the approx 300 you are currently getting. The difference may be marginal but when I run my LM3 into the 4 ohm std104hf with both gain and master at 12 o'clock the volume is staggering. Both lm3 and LM800 have digital power amps these days. Maybe the previous analogue power amp LM3 was more powerful?

As Bill has advised, if the tweeter is still hissing when the LPad is fully off then that is a fault with the LPad.

A ubass is intended to be amplified. A large bodied acoustic bass guitar will work as long as you aren't up against much else.

If you just want something to practice on in a quiet environment on your own a ubass might just fit the bill. However if you are thinking of playing with other musicians you will need a small practice amp to be heard. Even full scale acoustic basses struggle to be heard in a proper acoustic setting with acoustic guitars. The bass guitars in mariachi bands and double basses project decent amounts of bass. I do have a kala ubass and an acoustic bass and both require amplifiers to be heard.

I have a cmd121p combo that I use with a ny121 cab when space is an issue at small venues and two trv121 cabs together with a LM3 when it isn't. I also have a 4ohm std104hf for outdoor or marquee gigs. Nothing wrong with markbass travellers but the standard cabs are significantly bigger and have a deeper natural delivery.

As you already have a LM2 why not just get either a 210 or 112 Markbass cab?

[quote name='1970' timestamp='1436432883' post='2818027'] risk management. [/quote] Every time this question gets raised I am more convinced that natural selection should be allowed to answer it.

I should add that connecting those cabs to a Puma 900 immediately invalidates my enormously generous lifetime warranty! ☺

I'm a little nervous about adding my thoughts to this thread ( for fear of confirming my ignorance ) but the cab rating is a thermal rating only. As the AEs are relatively efficient at converting the Puma's output into sound I would be amazed if you ever come close to feeding them with anywhere near 300 watts continuous. You could just as easily damage those cabs with a 500w head cranked too high and a compressionless slap fest!

Hi there Greg, If you go LM3 plus a 4 ohm Markbass STD104HF you won't lack power at all. I don't have any experience of the new class d LM3 driving this cab but my class ab one has plenty of clout. It could be too much for small venues however so two STD102HF would give you more flexibility.

I've owned one of the original mosfet 3500 for nearly 20 years and then bought an LH1000. I sold the LH1000 after a short while because I couldn't get on with the passive fender style tone stack. The HA series are much more flexible in my experience. Never played one of the newer bipolar versions but the ones with mosfet stated on the front face are loud!

Result! ☺

Got my first gig tonight with my recently acquired 4H. Loving the 18v 3 band pre at practice volumes. Just hope it keeps the powerful delivery at gigging levels.