Nebadon2000

Seems Big Bang is LM III with added features some have asked for such as Aux input, Mute, footswitch for EQ and Mute and Headphone out. Not sure why it isn't more popular in their line. But getting a LM III with added features would be my choice in this competition.

FYI for Guitar player if bought Fender Custom Shop tweed they have been discontinued for Deluxe series; upgraded as I posted before. Not trying to excuse Fender for previous problems, hopefully your guitar player bought 'Ebay' Cables and is happy and got a couple extra pints with money saved. I bought Fender Deluxe series seemed well built, don't kink, reasonable value and I like the way they look [yellow tweed] can see in dark😀

I saw on Youtube Review Fender has upgraded its deluxe cable a couple years ago; addressing failures

I use newer 15' Fender Deluxe Series Instrument Cable Tweed; sturdy, sounds as good or better than Mogami and Planet Waves I have and is anti curl/kink. Use Fender for Bass to Amp; 20' Mogami from EFX send out to powered monitor for drummer and checking sound in club during setup; 10' Planet waves for tuner out Both Mogomi and planet waves were main cable Bass to Amp at one time.

Both these post are from; DDEZ on Talkbass and another where he post pictures of new and old. https://www.talkbass.com/threads/nad-markbass-cmd-121p.1347948/#post-21688616 I played a friends Italian CMD121P MarkBass then ordered a new one on line from MF. It was advertised having a B&C speaker which was not true as MarkBass stopped putting them in their amps over 3 years ago. I got my new amp that I paid far more for than most 1-12 combo amps and discovered the speaker would fart out and distort at fairly low volumes. Eventually the only service center for MarkBass told me the speaker had been downgraded from the awesome B&C to the new MarkBass Yellow Line speaker which still had a yellow cone but no balls and I could not get a decent replacement speaker from them. I sold this piece of crap months later at a very huge financial loss and still feel guilty for selling it to someone else.

That is a tad deceptive; He complained the woofer was 'farting out' and found speaker change during his investigation also Markbass switched from A/B Class Amp to D class. That being said I have a 2013 Italian made 121p with new speaker and class D Amp; sounds great.[older design may still be better IDK] They switched design months before moving to Indonesia.

I to bought mine for 'middle' part of All right now but have found many other use's in my repertoire.

d) Keep the LMIII and just find a used pair of 121 cabs.

Yes I agree with 'Pinch of Salt' when dealing with any spec. Markbass does not show how sensitivity spec was gathered. Aguilar specifies 1watt at 1 meter but there 112SL IS RATED AT 99.9 DB at 1 watt 1 meter

https://geoffthegreygeek.com/understanding-speaker-sensitivity/

I have noticed isolated tracks seem to sound snappy and bright but fat and punchy in mix. I wouldn't have guessed a 59 P by isolated track but in mix with song it sounds like a Vintage P. I find live that having my stage sound more middy and bright[ not preferred tone] sounds the way I want in mix out by audience.

I am American😈 but I always wanted to live in London and enjoyed my time there in 2000. I will recite the 'Serenity Prayer' as I had to on Talkbass when visiting the forum. Sometimes that helped. When you said have a 'nice' day; nice was the key word?

I agree

😀 I appreciate your input, Have a Great Weekend

This is original post; "I am new to the Bass guitar, but want to learn with a good versatile instrument, that is not restrictive in terms of style or sound." "Any recommendations appreciated. The budget is for the instrument only. I had a look at the Fender series, and I am sure they are good, but for some reason i am always hesitant to buy the market leaders." What does that have to do with your comments? 1K TO 1.5K Basses don't use exotic 'type' woods or preamps as compared to a say a Squire; just better quality So what if he decides Bass isn't for him. He also mentioned in another post that buying the best Guitar he could afford when learning was a positive experience. Sure buying a Fodera won't make anyone a better player; again 'so what'. [you may enjoy playing more] Do you know of a 1K TO 1.5K Bass the OP may like? That would have some value. That your happy with a less expensive bass and think more expensive basses are a rip off and if purchased they only benefit better players than OP [not helpful] My challenging yours and others 'Buy Cheap' opinions may be helpful to OP.

iI have heard dozens of bands live where the Bass player is using Markbass Amplification Head/Cabinets, Combo's and combination.[ Some with Stingray's] All sounded excellent to me and led to my purchase of Markbass Combo with ext. Cab. But what sounds excellent to me may be dull to OP; He is clearly not happy and feels he has tried all avenues unsuccessfully. maybe amp is defective and VLE circuit is stuck full on😀 I would suggest listening to new GK Legacy and Fusion Combo's 2x10 with 15" extension Cab or GRBASS Products for similar price range. Then there is also Mesa and Genzler

😂

"Maybe there is a reason for that if everyone says it." No there is not a 'Reason' other than maybe self deception [with a dose of Ego] as I mentioned before. You also made your reply[to me] about yourself like many on this thread as opposed to dealing with OP's question. And this thread may have succeeded in changing the OP's mind based on his recent post, congrats; And sympathy for the OP

I joined this Forum to take a break from 'Talkbass' but judging by this thread 'There's nothing new under the Sun' . You would get same type of responses trying to urge you towards buying cheap and save you from yourself and getting a quality Bass. Some [not most] may have good intentions . If you get the chance to play a few you will soon find a Squire is not a Sandberg, American G&L or Fender American etc.. The theory all Basses are adequate or True Gig ready has not proven true in my experience. Playability, and comfort are crucial along with tone, neck consistency and build quality. Best Advice so far was from your Guitar teacher. 'buy the best you can afford' I will add; You are never sorry for buying the best. Reading this thread and many similar a favorite quote of mine comes to mind; " Humans greatest affliction is Self Deception"

At low volume the scooped sound is pleasing but scooped sound with bands struggles to cut in the mix can sound muddy and incoherent unless slapping. with Sadowsky just crank Bass and Treble at 'Bedroom Levels' and it will have a more Bedroom /pleasing sound. In live gig situation leave it closer to flat so mids are prominent in mix. May sound to middy where you stand [or in Bedroom] but the audience will hear a more balanced and coherent tone and the reason Sadowsky's are so popular in 'Boutique' Bass Land. Lots of Amps, Basses, Strings have built in Scoop for point of sale purpose, why many have learned to crank mids live those who haven't learned have one note tone sent to audience. Go listen for yourself

Picture of my Newer Ultra Precision from Store where I bought it[ Better than I can Do] I just came out of retirement from 2015; My last go to was a Ernie Ball Musicman 25th Anniversary [ became Reflex]

https://traynoramps.com/product/sb112/ They have a 10" combo version also. I used older Yorkville/Traynor XM50C 50 WATTS with 10" it kicked butt and was built in Canada ;significantly more solid built and performance than similar imports from Big Brands.

Ultra has Modern 'D' NECK it is shallow in sense your thumb is closer to fretboard and allows you to stretch fingers easier on fretboard; it is far from chunky and yes should give it a play. I find it extremely comfortable, fast and easy to play; also neck width is only 1.625 so good for even small hands. I thought 1.5/38mm necks were for Guitar Players who were sentenced to playing bass by bandmates😀 quote from review 'With Fender’s new “Modern D” neck shape, which is a slimmer neck with ultra rolled edges, a 10”-14” compound radius, and a tapered neck heel that allows easy access to the higher frets, the American Ultra Precision Bass is a hell of a lot easier to practice or gig with. It was comfortable to play for hours without getting tired because of the delicately contoured backside—it seemed to hug my body.''