Sparky Mark

You're welcome. I think that they are as reliable as any other quality brand, just be aware that a good amp may well have seen plenty of gigs in 14+ years. If you can find a lightly used/ home studio example it could well last several more years. A repair by a Markbass authorised tech will probably cost around £200 even if they keep the parts so may not be worth doing.

The LM2 will be quite old as they stopped making them around 2008. All LM2 had a class AB power amp. For three to four years of production its replacement, the LM3, also used a class AB power amp, but from around 2012 all LM3 have a class D power amp. A good condition LM2 is an excellent amp that can be found second-hand for £200ish.

Another 4003S?

And the verdict is......?

Strange to think that depending on your definition of "vintage" the Precision Lyte (1989-95) now qualifies as a vintage instrument. My example is all original and being a Fender nerd I'd never change the electronics. I actually like the original pre amp on these; the bass and treble cut/boost being much more subtle than most. The approximate 7lbs weight will possibly make this my old age bass alongside my Mustang.

If we're allowing PJ as options then I'll suggest the 90s Japanese Precision Lyte. It's lighter and smaller bodied than a standard P and has a slim J like neck.

This is spot on. There's not many manufacturers of anything that publish full design schematics that would allow others to copy their products or elements thereof. Electronic components and printed circuit boards are relatively low cost but the labour time/cost of properly diagnosing faults and then swapping out the correct part(s) is the expensive bit. We shouldn't forget that the repair tech needs to make a living too, so there is profit to include also. I would estimate to open up, diagnose, dis-assemble, replace failed part/assembly then test, re-assemble, pack and return even the simplest job would take between one and two hours labour. Add modest material costs and profit and it's not hard to see where £200 comes from for an out of warranty repair. No one is making a killing fixing old amplifiers.

I think it could be the Essence.

Most electronics over 10 years old will have component obsolescence issues even if you can find someone capable of properly diagnosing and performing a repair. Buying a second unit of the type you like second-hand can be cheaper than a repair.

Erm... 2008 was 14 years ago and most LM2 are older than that. ( I know you were only joking though).

The LM2 was last made in 2008. The LM2 and LM3 have been amongst the biggest selling heads for many years now, so the fact that we are seeing failures shouldn't be a surprise and doesn't indicate a latent fault. There will be many thousands of LM2 and LM3 out there and all will give up the ghost eventually.

Agreed. I think it was the "bang average" bit that was a little harsh.

I'm have to disagree there. For me, the SR1200E premium is a fantastic bass. I love the ergonomics, light weight, EQ electronics and Nordstrand big single pups. It's as good as any bass I've owned and far more flexible than most. I'd take it over any 1980s Japanese bass.

Back in the 80s I bought an Ibby Roadster (tobacco sunburst, maple bolt on neck with cream PJ pups) from Rockbottom in Croydon. I think I chopped in my Shergold Marathon (never liked that one) and thought because it had PJ it had everything I'd ever need! How naive was I?

That's interesting. Which amps suited those basses better for you?

I find that my Markbass amps work equally well with my Fenders (both passive and active), Rickenbacker, Hofner, Gibson, Spector, Musicman, Ibanez, Kala, Tanglewood and Tom Clement basses.

Yeah, he's the bass player.....

You need to be sitting on a square of cheapo matting in that case! And that Berg tolex is really slippy.

This was my experience with my class D and class AB LM3 amps. I convinced myself that the AB was slightly fuller sounding but that could've been down to other preamp design enhancements. Maybe the HPF was changed slightly? I could still EQ the amps to sound the same at home but didn't attempt to compare on a gig. As for reliability, I believe that electronics that run cooler have a better chance of living longer. My AB was always pretty warm at the end of the night, the D was much cooler. I'm sure that both had appropriate thermal management but I hear of people complaining when their class AB LM2/LM3 failed after 10 years of use, which may very well have been the intended design life.

Cheapo matting in operation. It's really grippy! It works and is cheap, why spend more for more obtrusive solutions? This wasn't the maximum tilt angle but I bottled it!