Sparky Mark

Exactly.

I gigged this AH200 outside at the weekend through a Bergantino HD210. Performs like a 500 watter. No roadie necessary even for a wimp like me!

It's peculiar that the only Markbass product that failed on me was also a CMD121P combo. There are many other threads on Talkbass about this combo failing too. I really wonder whether it's something to do with the head being in a vertical orientation and subjected to vibration at higher volumes? After repair I sold it and moved to two NY121P cabs with my LM3.

I love my Markbass amps but for many years have resigned myself to the fact that it's just not financially viable to repair them outside warranty. My solution has been to buy working secondhand units for roughly the cost of a repair as backups. My 2009 LM3 is the only Markbass head that I bought new and it's still going strong but when it fails I'll have had good value I reckon. Thread derail warning - I'm hoping that Ashdown continues to thrive/survive for many more years because its customer support is second to none (certainly within the UK). If peace of mind was my number one priority Ashdown would be my choice without hesitation (and although relatively heavy by current standards, the ABM600 evo IV is as capable as any amp I've tried under £1000).

You could add a Markbass New York 151 cab which has an adjustable piezo tweeter. This tweeter is fine when you can control its level. This cab is also the perfect size to stack under your JB combo.

I'd never thought about this before but on reflection most of my non Fenders are natural finishes and the vast majority of my Fenders are sunbursts with tort. 3TSB, tort and dark, dark rosewood is my favourite.

The bridge pup on the RH has plenty of grunt on its own.

The Hydrive 410 is sealed too.

Oh, twice above you'd said it was a 4x12 which was a great Trace Elliot cab. A modern 4x10 such as a Bergantino would outperform an old Trace Elliot 4x10 for sure. Or if you're happy to carry heavy cabs another TE 4x10 would make a significant difference to your volume.

The 4x12 on its own should be quite formidable; I'd try it without the 1x15 and see how it goes.

If you are driving a 500 watt RMS amp hard with distortion into that rig the 1x15 is the weak link. A 4x10 and 1x15 isn't considered a good match nowadays no matter what was common practice back in the 90s. A 4x12 (800W thermal rating) with 1x15 (300W thermal rating) is an even less balanced rig. Of course at reasonable levels you shouldn't have a problem but should have the 1x15 at ear level so you can hear when it gets distressed (although with distortion that could be difficult).

This is a very good observation. Running 4x12 and 1x15 cabs together seems like an uneven system. The 4x12 won't even break into a sweat at the point the 1x15 is hitting its limits if you're playing at high volumes and blowing up amps indicates you are pushing things. (Lemmy used to pair his 4x12 with a 4x15).

I figured that at £350 if mine went wrong I'd just skip it. 5 years on it's still working fine, although it's not been gigged yet. An Ampeg SVT is actually a few pounds heavier.

I paid about £350 new for my BVV3000I and it's an amazing amp at any price. I think they were discontinued because the market for big heavy valve amps (that aren't Ampeg) just isn't there for a high volume producer like Behringer. It's the best sounding amp that I own and crazy cheap at £175.

See if you can find a ceramic Bergantino 210; much lighter than a 410 and amazing performance.

I think exactly the same about my pair of HD210 cabs. Most of my gigs only require one HD210 but the pair are as good as it gets for me.

Probably so that Bergantino fans have to buy them even though their existing Bergantino cabs are likely just as good.

The first Bergantino cabs I bought new untried were HT112ER and EX112ER from BD. Initially I was underwhelmed at a low volume practice session but at gig volume the depth and clarity of notes was a revelation. Next I bought a pair of neo AE112 cabs and seduced by their light weight retired the HT112ER and EX112ER to the under stairs cupboard. A couple of years on I bought a pair of Berg HD210 cabs and decided to sell my HT/EX as they weren't being used. However, firing up the HT/EX one last time I was amazed at how different they were to the AEs; seemingly deeper bass but with more control. The AEs were sold instead. I can't think of any scientific reason why my ceramic loaded cabs should have this extra "heft"; is the extra mass of the heavy ceramic magnet providing a more stable base for the driver/motor and less energy lost through cabinet vibration?

Lovely set up, congratulations. P.S., The 600W label refers to the maximum power consumption of the head, not its output power which is approx 500 watts into a 4 ohm load.

I'm a bit late to this thread but my CS62P is the closest to the real thing relic job I've seen. Only the CS logo, rubbish tort and finer thread tuners look different to my genuine 61P.