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Markbass - all made in Indonesia now and heavy?


phatbass787
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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.



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[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...

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[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 :P

A metal washer between the screw head and the handle will do the job, but it'll look ugly by itself.

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[quote name='bagsieblue' timestamp='1403340935' post='2481905']
What real differences have you guys found between the F1 and the LM2/3??.
Would be interested to hear differences.
[/quote]

In my experience the LM2 sounds more organic and warm but still clean and clear
The F1 is tighter, with more brittle upper mids and aggressive top end.

It's possible to make the F1 sound very much like the LM series by cutting a little upper midrange and a tiny touch of the filters, but I think you'd struggle to make the LM sound like an F1.

How are you getting on with yours? :)

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[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.

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[quote name='bagsieblue' timestamp='1403343082' post='2481932']
chrismuzz, I like the F1 very much.
How you finding the BAM 210?
[/quote]

Awesome!

The rhythm guitarist hates it, so it's obviously doing its job correctly :D I only really use the Freddie K setting with the amp sim turned off live. It doesn't have that nasty sting that I loved about the F1 but it sits in a metal mix really nicely! Onboard effects are impressive, but I only use them at home :lol:

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[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' :mellow:
[/quote]

yep...just a basic washer but this is where the penny pinching goes...
I personally don't like straps on gear ( too cheap an option, IMO ) and far FAR prefer a handle, anyway.

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I feel the same about straps vs handles, although I do have an old Ampeg SVT-70 combo with only a strap on the top.

It's pretty heavy and uncomfortable to lug around and I used to worry a lot about the strap breaking or just pulling out of the wood, but it never has and the strap shows no signs of wear and tear. So it can be done.

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I replaced the strap on my Italian built Markbass Mini combo about 12 months after buying it as the rubber was wearing away. I got a replacement from eBay that looked more or less the same but was much stronger. That's been on for the last couple of years and the rubber hasn't perished or the screws loosened. It was just a generic replacement that looked similar - guess I struck lucky it was less than four quid if I remember correctly.

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[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1403440020' post='2482650']
+1 to the above.

Customer service has always been very good with Markbass. I imagine it's only due to it being the weekend that you haven't had a reply yet, and I'd be surprised if you didn't receive a response tomorrow!
[/quote]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought.

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[quote name='charic' timestamp='1403433257' post='2482566']
I think that Marco contributing here is great and I would hesitate in using him as a shortcut to customer service
[/quote]

I have to disagree, if I was MD of a company( and for all you know I may be..) and there were issues I'd want to know about them, from any source! I did say PM him and I'd hope he'd appreciate the heads-up ;)

Edited by yorks5stringer
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Got an email today from Riccardo in customer services.
He has offered to either send me another handle or said it can be replaced by their Service Assistance in UK.
Obviously gone for the send it and I'll fit it myself option so hopefully won't take too long to arrive.
He says they only had this problem reported before after years of hard usage?
Maybe I just had a dodgy batch of weak plastic? Hope new handle fairs much better.
I also sent a pic for their perusal of the offending part.

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I still need to check my new (couple of months old) 121P to see how it looks. If there's anything interesting in there I'll send a pic over to MarkBass support so they can see if there's a problem with some of them that they can look into and sort out.

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