Markbass Marcus Millers

[uk_lefty]

Anybody here using the MB Marcus Miller heads? They seem quite a reasonable price and I'm wondering how the Old School and Millerizer effects work for us mortals who are not MM himself. 

[mybass]

I prefer these Miller heads to the regular heads…the eq seems tuned better (for me) and the old school and Miller effect have their uses…grab a foot pedal to switch eq “channels” and I think you’d be happy with it.

[fretmeister]

Yes.

Much better than the regular ones - the EQ centres are far more sensible.

[uk_lefty]

Have watched a few reviews but even through good headphones and speakers I think I'm missing some naunace. I'm thinking about upgrading my RM500 to a really flexible amp that can give me a good warm P bass type sound and a powerful, modern, clean sound for my Stingray and Headless. I've looked with interest at some of the hybrid valve amps but to be honest a valve is just another thing to go wrong. I don't need my amp to distort or drive because I have pedals for that. I don't think a pedal can give me the full clarity, punch and sparkle I'd want for my clean sounds. I'm not a slap player though I play some stuff with slap phrases in, I just like that kind of tone for its clarity. 

The old school function to me sounded like rolling the tone knob on a P bass but I couldn't pick up any added warmth from it. The Millerizer also, I guess that provides scoop, poke and high end but probably due to how I was listening to it I wasn't wowed by it. 

[Al Krow]

16 hours ago, mybass said:

I prefer these Miller heads to the regular heads…the eq seems tuned better (for me) and the old school and Miller effect have their uses…grab a foot pedal to switch eq “channels” and I think you’d be happy with it.

6 hours ago, fretmeister said:

Yes.

Much better than the regular ones - the EQ centres are far more sensible.

+1 ^^

The LM3 head, which I still have in my CMD 121H combo, has a massive gap between upper mids at 800Hz and treble at 10kHz, which is an unusably high centre point. A 3.5kHz to 5kHz for treble centre would have been much better, IMO, for the treble centre.

The bass EQ in the LM3 is centred at 40Hz - which is at the boomy low end and could do with being centred at 65Hz to 80Hz instead. 

The Marcus Miller head has dealt with each and every one of those issues.

Having said that, a LOT of folk really like the warm MB sound that the LM2/3s deliver, so horses for courses.

Edited July 5, 2021 by Al Krow

[dmdavies]

22 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

Anybody here using the MB Marcus Miller heads? They seem quite a reasonable price and I'm wondering how the Old School and Millerizer effects work for us mortals who are not MM himself. 

Got one for sale on this very site!

[Al Krow]

Just seen the FS post, my queries answered  

Edited July 5, 2021 by Al Krow

[fretmeister]

On 05/07/2021 at 10:03, uk_lefty said:

Have watched a few reviews but even through good headphones and speakers I think I'm missing some naunace. I'm thinking about upgrading my RM500 to a really flexible amp that can give me a good warm P bass type sound and a powerful, modern, clean sound for my Stingray and Headless. I've looked with interest at some of the hybrid valve amps but to be honest a valve is just another thing to go wrong. I don't need my amp to distort or drive because I have pedals for that. I don't think a pedal can give me the full clarity, punch and sparkle I'd want for my clean sounds. I'm not a slap player though I play some stuff with slap phrases in, I just like that kind of tone for its clarity. 

The old school function to me sounded like rolling the tone knob on a P bass but I couldn't pick up any added warmth from it. The Millerizer also, I guess that provides scoop, poke and high end but probably due to how I was listening to it I wasn't wowed by it. 

Youtube demos of bass amps have to be one of the most pointless things on earth.

 

I have the Gold Line version of the amp so it has a semi para rather than the Millerizer / Old School thing but TBH I don't really use those controls. The regular EQ on it does all I need 99% of the time.

The para is useful for taming the very highs if needed but I use flats mostly so it's not an issue.

 

I find it nice and warm even with a BF Super Twin. Definitely sounds better than youtube suggests.

[Rich]

I spent a very pleasant day with @MoJoKe a couple of years or so ago trying out the Marcus heads, and was really impressed. I far preferred them to the 'ordinary' MB amps. I was completely sold, and intended pulling the trigger on a Marcus 800 head until a Shuttle 9.2 came along at a price I couldn't resist. 

[Al Krow]

35 minutes ago, Rich said:

I spent a very pleasant day with @MoJoKe a couple of years or so ago trying out the Marcus heads, and was really impressed. I far preferred them to the 'ordinary' MB amps. I was completely sold, and intended pulling the trigger on a Marcus 800 head until a Shuttle 9.2 came along at a price I couldn't resist. 

Be v interesting to hear why you "far preferred" them over the LM2/3s. Was it mainly down to the better EQ centre points, or was there other stuff going on as well?

[Lozz196]

I’ve not tried the MM range but did have the LM3 and LMT (tube). Great amps, worked nicely for a traditional Precision sound but I couldn’t get what I needed for my punk band which was that gnarly/gainy sound from boosted hi mids and treble. Seems like the eq points of the MMs have addressed that - not specifically for me I might add, but I’m sure that’s just because I didn’t ask…..

[Rich]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

Be v interesting to hear why you "far preferred" them over the LM2/3s. Was it mainly down to the better EQ centre points, or was there other stuff going on as well?

I was really hoping nobody would ask me that...  

TBH it was just one of those je ne sais quoi things, an indefinable 'something'. Perhaps it was the EQ centres, I don't know. But even with the EQ flat it  just sounded... better. I'm sorry for the vagueness, I wish I could nail it down.

 

[Al Krow]

7 minutes ago, Rich said:

I was really hoping nobody would ask me that...  

TBH it was just one of those je ne sais quoi things, an indefinable 'something'. Perhaps it was the EQ centres, I don't know. But even with the EQ flat it  just sounded... better. I'm sorry for the vagueness, I wish I could nail it down.

Oki doki. Were you using the same rig otherwise ie was it a fair A/B comparison? Did you have a hangover when playing through the LM2/3? Any other variables? 😄 

[Rich]

11 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Oki doki. Were you using the same rig otherwise ie was it a fair A/B comparison? Did you have a hangover when playing through the LM2/3? Any other variables? 😄 

Same bass, same cab, I don't drink  

[Al Krow]

28 minutes ago, Rich said:

Same bass, same cab, I don't drink  

That's pretty A/B!

 

Edited July 6, 2021 by Al Krow

[BillyBass]

I have one of the Gold line heads, like @fretmeister, though mine is a 500W version. Mine was a lockdown internet purchase as Andertons had the 500W version on a deal and I liked the look of the EQ points.

if you are a P bass with flats guy, it could possibly be a great choice.  I'm not, I don't like flats and my P bass tone control is always fully on.

Playing my Marcus Miller (with the EQ flat) through a barefaced Super Compact doesn't give me the result I want, its too dull.  It comes to life, however, with the GED 2112 pre amp before it, with the pre amp's 'bright' switch pressed.

Horses for courses I suppose.  I can get the sound I want from mine but only by the use of the EQ and/or pre amp bright switch.  Perhaps I  would have got on better with a Gallien-Krueger head or something with a bit more top end.

[fretmeister]

2 hours ago, BillyBass said:

I have one of the Gold line heads, like @fretmeister, though mine is a 500W version. Mine was a lockdown internet purchase as Andertons had the 500W version on a deal and I liked the look of the EQ points.

if you are a P bass with flats guy, it could possibly be a great choice.  I'm not, I don't like flats and my P bass tone control is always fully on.

Playing my Marcus Miller (with the EQ flat) through a barefaced Super Compact doesn't give me the result I want, its too dull.  It comes to life, however, with the GED 2112 pre amp before it, with the pre amp's 'bright' switch pressed.

Horses for courses I suppose.  I can get the sound I want from mine but only by the use of the EQ and/or pre amp bright switch.  Perhaps I  would have got on better with a Gallien-Krueger head or something with a bit more top end.

That might be a fair bit to do with the cab. It tops out at a pretty low 4 Khz.

The tweeter cabs go all the way to 20 Khz - just like the Mark Bass Marcus cabs, and he's got plenty of top end.

[Al Krow]

6 hours ago, BillyBass said:

Playing my Marcus Miller (with the EQ flat) through a barefaced Super Compact doesn't give me the result I want, its too dull.  It comes to life, however, with the GED 2112 pre amp before it, with the pre amp's 'bright' switch pressed.

Horses for courses I suppose.  I can get the sound I want from mine but only by the use of the EQ and/or pre amp bright switch.  Perhaps I  would have got on better with a Gallien-Krueger head or something with a bit more top end.

3 hours ago, fretmeister said:

That might be a fair bit to do with the cab. It tops out at a pretty low 4 Khz.

The tweeter cabs go all the way to 20 Khz - just like the Mark Bass Marcus cabs, and he's got plenty of top end.

Concur entirely with the comments above which are just as relevant to MB's own 12" cabs on their combos and which certainly have a tendency to roll high-end off.

I go for a very similar approach to @BillyBass, in fact with another Tech 21 preamp (the VTDI in my case) with it's bite / presence switch engaged. I think this equates to: +6DB at 6.5kHz in the treble, and a similar boost of +6DB at 1.5kHz in the upper-mids. I've got a makeshift presence patch on my Zoom B1-4 which works pretty well too.

Makes all the difference and definitely feels like removing a blanket over the MB combo!

[BillyBass]

9 hours ago, fretmeister said:

That might be a fair bit to do with the cab. It tops out at a pretty low 4 Khz.

The tweeter cabs go all the way to 20 Khz - just like the Mark Bass Marcus cabs, and he's got plenty of top end.

I have a Super Midget and I will admit I get a better result with this at home without the GED 2112 but I have yet to take this and the Marcus Miller to our rehearsal studio. More experimentation required.  I shouldn't complain, as I said I can get the tone I want with EQ and pedals but it would be nice to have the tone I want straight out of the box with all EQ flat.

5 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Concur entirely with the comments above which are just as relevant to MB's own 12" cabs on their combos and which certainly have a tendency to roll high-end off.

I go for a very similar approach to @BillyBass, in fact with another Tech 21 preamp (the VTDI in my case) with it's bite / presence switch engaged. I think this equates to: +6DB at 6.5kHz in the treble, and a similar boost of +6DB at 1.5kHz in the upper-mids. I've got a makeshift presence patch on my Zoom B1-4 which works pretty well too.

Makes all the difference and definitely feels like removing a blanket over the MB combo!

I have failed to find any information anywhere as to the frequency point of the GED 2112 'Tight' switch, but it could be similar.

'Removing a blanket' is a good analogy!  That is just what it sounds like.