Ampeg Portaflex or Markbass Mini CMD151P?

[molan]

My worry is that the PF heads have a really, really bad reputation for reliability. Some people have been lucky but a lot of people have had problems and I've heard of at least one Ampeg dealer who refuses to stock them..

Could just be 'urban myth' stuff but I've personally known two people who had big problems and that's two more than I've heard of with issues from MarkBass gear.

My personal favourite of this type of combo is the MarkBass Mini CMD121. It's a bit lighter and smaller but still packs quite a punch. It also sits really well on top of quite a few extension cabs. I gigged one with a Traveller 1x15 for a while and I've played one with the vertical 1x12 which looks really good as a match and raises the combo controls to a great gigging height.

[nottswarwick]

Thr mini Cmd 121p is nice, I've owned 2 in my time, but it needs PA support or an extension cab to have a proper weighty sound to it,

[Lozz196]

Yes, depending on the type of music played, the extra cab with the Mini CMD121P makes a big difference. In the band I`m in that has 2 basses (drums, 2 basses, keys, 2 gtrs, 2 vox) I just use the combo on its own as I`m not having to fill all the bottom end myself and it is plenty for this . But if the other bassist can`t make it, I then drag along the ext cab (NY121) and the pair are more than enough.

[gsgbass]

I'm sold on the Markbass amps. Good quality working amps. My Mini CMD 121P Combo and NY121 cab go great. I've played other Markbass amps, and never heard one I didn't like. The 2X12's are just my preference. 500 Watts with the NY121 cab.

Edited September 1, 2013 by gsgbass

[PTB]

I have the same rig as Lozz and gsgbass and can heartily recommend it.
Mine has been out most weeks for the last 5 years and has been 100% reliable. What's more, it sounds great with double bass, passive Fender or modern active 5.
Both combo & cab pop up here in the Amps for sale section so worth keeping an eye open for one.
The amp section can be bought separately as a Little Mark II or III so grab one of them & a cab or two if they come up first.

[guybrush threepwood]

IMO the new Ampegs just nail the B15 sound. OK, they can't really do the gritty valve thing, but they're really nice and warm, and the voicing of them is spot on.

However, they're not the loudest of cabs, probably as they're sealed. I've done jazz gigs with my PF350/115, as well as bigger stuff where I was DI'd and both were fine, although the stage volume wasn't really high on the latter. I'm looking to get another cab to pair with it for bigger gigs without PA support.

On the contrary, I've had a Markbass rig (Jeff Berlin 15" combo with NY15 extension) and that was really loud, but I always felt it had loads of presence in the mids to create this volume; it never seemed to be much of a 'rumbler'. There's nothing wrong with this at all, but it seems to me that the Markbass stuff is voiced in a more modern and neutral way, whereas my Ampeg sounds 'tubbier'. Different strokes and all that... I've had the pleasure of playing through a B15 once and was instantly in love. However, they're just too heavy and too quiet to be practical - for me the Ampeg PF gear is the thing that gets closest.

On the reliability issue, they did seem to have a dodgy batch early on, and this did play on my mind when I bought my amp. However, mine hasn't missed a beat as yet, and I got four years warranty on it as I bought it from Digital Village.

[JTUK]

Not sure if throwing in other suggestions is useful, but the best two..or rather, most immediately fanciable rigs I've tried recently
have been the Portaflex rig and a TH500 +Berg CN112 config.
Outside what I am currently running, of course..

Both were very nice straight in...with the same bass, but not side by side.
The Ampeg was warm and focused and the Ag/Berg was a tad less warm and very straight
and not unlike the big Aguilars.
Couldn't pound either so not quite sure how they would amp up when pushed and I think the Aguilar would behave
better in that regard.
Having said that... I never have any problems with a Markbass 102 combo at low levels either... and better than the 12/15 versions, IMO.
The amp gets harsher when pushed, but the cabs out front are loose ........maybe this is designed to compensate..???
No problems if you like or want that.

Edited September 1, 2013 by JTUK