machinehead

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1348529228' post='1814967'] What benefits are those? [/quote] Well, one of the benefits is that I get to feel smug......... One other benefit is having a cab with a better driver but that one's more obvious. Frank.

[quote name='Phil-osopher10' timestamp='1348437416' post='1813720'] This is great stuff! I love hearing others opinions on gear they've used. I can empathise with gaf over wanting to support a local-ish fella trying to make it. Someday I may get a super12 just to see, cause the midget was nice. I was comparing them with my mesa scout and even though I got the impression that the compact could handle more wattage the mesa just sounded nicer (fuller) [/quote] I do agree with that (the Mesa sound) and I think it's to do with the middy grind and boominess in the Mesa cab that you like. It does have an appeal to me too in certain circumstances. If you use the amp EQ you can make the Compact sound fuller as well. The problem that I've found is that that type of cab can sound a mess from the room if the volume is pushed and I'm not saying that's the case with the Mesa because I haven't heard it in that situation. I've often heard this thing where certain notes just boom around the room and I find it really annoying when I'm in the audience at a gig. On the other hand the Compact can handle mid boost without distortion and can go deep as well if you want. I suspect that most of the 12' cabs mentioned in this thread (Bergs, Aguilar, Vanderklay etc) use the same (or very similar to) Deltalite drivers from Eminence and, as far as I know, in the UK, only Barefaced use the more expensive Kappalite range. So, as an engineer I immediately see the benefits in this. My ears like it also. Having owned quite a few Markbass cabs I also recommend them although the speaker movement does look alarming at times. Frank. I know people say "I use my ears" and that's good, and right too. But engineering is important as well

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1348260207' post='1811675'] I can't help wondering if I should be looking to swap my Compact for a Midget..... [/quote] It was my Compact and Midget that Phil-ospher10 tried a few days ago. We were comparing them to his Mesa Walkabout 12 extension cab. Unfortunately it was in my front room (although at reasonable volume) and it would have been better with a band at a gig. Phil preferred the Midget and I think that was because of the mids and the more aggresive sound when compared to the Compact. I prefer the Compact for the better depth and bigger sound although I do gig the Midget on its own and have no problems with volume in small/medium pubs. Both are really great cabs but the Compact is, in my opinion, the better all-round cab if you can only have the one. But I could easily live with either. As a matter of interest, the Mesa stood up well but was noticibly more boomy and less clean in the mids and highs than either of the Barefaced cabs when pushed for volume. Personally, as a choice between 12' cabs, to me the Midget is the better sounding (and far louder!) cab. Not that the Mesa is bad, it's actually a lovely sounding cab, although I didn't like the boominess, but it ran out of steam way before the Midget. It sounds really beautiful at more moderate volumes though. Of the three cabs, I'd take the Compact first, Midget second and......... well, that's why we were trying the cabs Phil. Frank

Nice playing. I was having a little bass night tonight. Just playing the basses I own and enjoying the difference between them all. They are all lovely in thier own way but, playing my G&L L2000 Tribute, I realised that the G&L design is outstanding. It was the bass I enjoyed the most for the massive range of sounds. I spent a while messing with all the sounds and I've decided that the G&L is getting an outing on my next gig. (it's the bass that cost me the least as well - how good is that!) Frank. Enjoy your new toy. (And belated happy birthday)

I've always loved Fender 6 string guitars but, until recent years, never liked Fender basses. Over the last few years I've moved to playing Fenders almost exclusively and a Fender P mostly at that. At last I see how practical, gig-worthy, reliable, easy to play and great sounding a well fettled P bass can be. I also love the jazz bass. As a slight aside, I haven't yet had any desire to own any of the expensive Fender clones. They don't appeal to me. (Yet) I think I could easily spend the rest of my bass playing life with only a P bass. Frank.

Nice playing. Great tone. I really enjoyed that. Frank.

[quote name='thebassman' timestamp='1346311668' post='1787667'] With the risk of being shot down, i wasn't very impressed really. Perhaps it was my very high expectations, or perhaps i'm just a bit speacial Paired with the Orange TB and my stingray 5, the sound seemed very processed. It seemed to sound a lot nicer with my Mesa 2x12, this may mean the Mesa has it's own tone that i prefer.......... not sure really. Don't get me wrong, it was plenty loud enough, i just didn't really dig the tone. I will maybe try it out again at rehearsals next week. They might find themselves in the Classifieds fairly soon though, so if anyone is after some, watch this space. cheers thebassman [/quote] A few weeks ago I had the chance to try a Mesa 2 x 10 against my Compact. The Compact was my preferred sound by a long way. The Mesa cab sounded thin and lacking in the depth and creaminess of the Compact. The Compact also was capable of going louder than the Mesa. All that means nothing if you prefer the Mesa sound but don't give up on the Barefaced cabs too quickly. It might take time for your ears to adjust to the Barefaced sound. Frank.

They are, in my opinion, a future classic. I don't see a huge difference between my American Vintage 75 reissue jazz and my Mexican Classic 70s jazz. I love them both though. The necks are the same depth (I've measured them using vernier callipers). The US bass has a nicer colour in the binding and better hardware and is definately a higher quality bass but at three times the price you'd expect that. I'd say the classic 70s is a great series and well worth the money. Frank.

[quote name='eude' timestamp='1345132947' post='1774086'] Aha! It tilts back, and has a fold out handle the like Promethean Combo, so it angles the whole thing upwards a bit. There's a lip on the top to stop your amp head slipping off too - incredibly well thought out design from EAD I'll try and get some more pics and some proper playing time with it soon, having a real DIY'mare at home just now, and for the foreseeable, so I'm really struggling to make any time to play Eude [/quote] Well that all sounds very clever and practical. I think I might adopt the tilt-back idea on my Midget. Cheers, Frank.

Looks like a well designed cab. Would it be easier to hear on a gig if it was sitting on its side I wonder? Frank.

I think I could safely say that very few musicians understand the basic principles of quality control and machine capability. It's a matter of statistical control and maintaining defects at a level which the manufacturer considers acceptable - and it costs money. So a product that is [u][i]consistantly[/i][/u] nearly perfect will be more expensive to produce than one that has a certain number of defects. This applies to machined parts. Manual operations are handled differently. Google will yield lots of information on this very dry subject. All this doesn't matter though if you happen to buy one of the defective ones. Frank.

Yes, the fan in mine is quite noisy. Not noisy enough to be heard on even a quiet gig but loud enough to be annoying at home. It's not bad enough to make me think about changing it though. It just means it's getting plenty of cooling air, which is a good thing. It really is a gorgeous sounding amp though. Just the deep and rich tones I love but with a bit of middy bite too. Frank.

So far, so good with mine. (LG1000) No bother at all. These are really great sounding amps. They are cheap but don't sound cheap. They are loud and deep, but full and rich. It's useful to know about the connectors - thanks for posting this. Frank.

Deal done. I've bought the amp in the post above. While I think my Markbass LMII is slightly louder outright, the Mesa has a deeper, thicker sound. I find it hard to describe sound, but I do know that I like what I heard in rehearsal from the Mesa. Now I'm looking forward to gigging it. Thanks to all who took the trouble to post on this thread. Frank.

Thanks very much for the replies everyone. All very helpful indeed. I've just realised that the poster above (selling a walkabout) is the very same person I'm thinking of buying from. It's a small world. Frank.

That's a beautiful bass. I hope it gives you lots of enjoyment. Frank

I'm considering buying one of these heads and I'm looking for some advice from users. Would they match the volume of my LMII? I don't feel I could live with less volume than the LMII. Any known reliability issues? I'll be using it through my Barefaced Midget, Compact and both for bigger rooms. What is a reasonable price for a well looked after used walkabout? Any other advice and opinions on these amps is most welcome. Thanks. Frank.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1344002576' post='1758557'] It was muffled, but the Stingray being the beast it is, it didn't care and just cut through anyway. That's with a set of flats as well. I was actuaklly quite shocked. To be honest though....usually the pre-amp is so good on a Musicman that a rubbish amp/cab sounds good anyway. [/quote] I know what you mean and I can easily believe what you say. But really, the biggest problem was the horrible boom in the lower notes. I could actually have lived with the cab in every other respect, although I do hate distortion in a bass cab, but the boom would make cabs like that a total no-no for me. Frank.

I recently heard an Asdown 4 x 10 (don't know the model) being played in a small pub. I can honestly say that the sound was simply dreadful. Muffled on top, no detail in the sound at all and very boomy low down. It would probably sound fine at lower volumes but it just wasn't even near to being able for even a smallish pub gig. As compensation, the bass player using it was a really superb and entertaining player. Frank.

Welcome from a fellow Belfast member. Frank.

I think you made the right choice of the Compact over the Midget. I have both and both are really top notch cabs but the Compact is a better all-rounder and gives a little deeper/ smoother tone. You won't regret it. I do use the Midget on it's own in smaller pubs where space is tight and it more then copes without breaking a sweat. Given the choice if I'm using only one cab, I always use the Compact as I prefer the deeper tone. The Markbass amps are superb combined with the Compact. I bought my Littlemark II new in 2006 ish and never looked back but I'm sure there are equally good micro amps out there. Good luck in your search. (Whereabouts in Ireland are you? I'm in Belfast but travel south often enough) Frank.

[quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1340726606' post='1708701'] People are nice to offer to share the experience of their equipment. I've ordered a Compact. I couldn't find anyone in Ireland who has one, anyway, if it doesn't suit I can send it back. I'm not gigging (yet) so I can fall back to my combo If needs be. Good luck with the Dubster / super 15. My understanding is that they are incredibly loud & low. I'm in Ireland (Belfast) and I've had my Compact since 2009 and my Midget since 2010. They are just really good practical gigging cabs. You won't be disappointed. Frank. [/quote]

You really won't do better than a Barefaced Midget and a tiny 500 watt lightweight amp of your choice. I use a Markbass LMII. This is a loud and great sounding rig. I can recommend it. Frank.