Chris2112 Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Evening all, I've put an order in for a Markbass CMD151P Jeff Berlin combo at Guitar Guitar in Newcastle this morning. I thought I'd start my thread on it now whilst I'm still in eager anticipation. I've not tried one of these amps yet, more on that in a bit. First off, Guitar Guitar were excellent at handling the sale. My brother and I have been buying guitars there for years (and with the same blokes at Sound Control beforehand). I lugged my Fender tube amp and Classic 50's Stratocaster down for a part exchange. Both fantastic bits of kit, kept in great condition if I do say so - but my interest in playing guitar had waned significantly and it was only a passing fad. I've had a couple of years off from serious bass playing but I'm looking to get back at it! Recently, I've been listening to loads of Jeff Berlin. Not just for his music and incredible ability, but because his tone has been consistently delightful over the years. It's changed as time has went on, but the core aspect of a deft touch, low action, strong midrange and plenty of bridge pickup wasn't lost on me. It's an approach I have always favoured but now I really want to bring it to the fore. In choosing the Markbass Jeff Berlin combo, I am making a bit of a departure from my old amp tastes. I used to like bright, super even, modern tones. Well, interestingly, I heard someone on Talkbass say recently that 'modern' tones are old fashioned now as that trend has died off. I'm not looking to go full vintage, but I want a modern interpretation of someting a little sweeter. So the tweeterless 15" might have been something I would have passed over in years gone by, but here we are. I'm putting my trust in Jeff's good name that it'll sound good. The closest I've been to one so far is listening to youtube videos. I knew I wanted to go with Markbass this time, and my brother has recently bought a Little Mark and a 2x10" cab which sounds amazing - it makes you realise how far the technology has come when I can say without laughing that it sounds better than my old Trace Elliot head and the gargantuan 4x10" cab! The only other Markbass product I really looked at was the Alain Caron combo, which sounds great, but since I'm looking to move away from the tweeter sound, I stuck with my gut instinct and chose the Berlin model. Delivery should be on Monday, and my SR3006 ESOL is ready to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Sounds good! I've got betweetered MB stuff, from before JB signed up with them, but it still does old skool, no problem. Flatwound strings help a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fasttrevor Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Fantastic combo .... I sold one and immediately regretted it ..... just in process of ordering a new one .... played some big venues and no problem with the little combo ...sounded huge ... good choice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I had one for a while - TBH I was underwhelmed by it until I started running it with a compressor - added a whole new dimension to it. Highly recommend you look at getting one if you haven't got one already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted March 18, 2017 Author Share Posted March 18, 2017 It looks as though I'll be waiting a little longer for the amp. I received a call yesterday afternoon saying that the amp had arrived in store, and would be prepared for shipping. An hour later, another call comes, saying that the amp isn't working so they're going to order a replacement and it'll be with me next week. It's a slight delay, but I'm glad Guitar Guitar picked up on the fault before they sent me the product. These things happen and the extra wait won't kill me. I'll probably end up buying a Cort Rithmic at some point now as that tone is exactly what I'm working towards. My Ibanez SR3006ESOL has Bartolini pickups though, and with so much tone being in the hands, I'm excited to see how it turns out. I haven't actually played the SR3006 through an amp since I bought it in 2015. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 The amp turned up today. It's bloody great! I haven't used it that much, just a couple of hours this afternoon playing in the front room with a few tracks on youtube. I desperately need to get some better strings on the SR3006. It's got Dunlop stainless steels on at the moment and they're not much cop (despite being almost brand new). But beside that, I can tell I'll get on well with this amp. It has a very cool middy character. Not harsh or noisy, but prominent and musical. With a little bit of the VLE rolled on, it sounds delightful. If Warwickshire wasn't so far away I'd be going down to pick up a Cort Rithimic to go with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Personally, as a Bruford era Berlin fan, I think his tone sucks nowadys but these are great amps I hope you enjoy it but sound better than JB!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 MB Jeff Berlin is a great amp. Is all about powerful and light these days. Don't get be wrong about the Trace Elliot amp and cab, I use to own them. Although they sound great and can't get a crap sound but they are pain in the butt to move around, specially going up stairs etc. I tend to use small combo these days that is powerful enough to hear on stage but DI the amp out to the PA for bigger sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.