Mark King Mark Bass

[MacDaddy]

 

 

Mark King at Fairfield Hall last night. Mark bass all the way. Little Mark Vintage 1000 head, Standard 104HR cabs, and a small unobtrusive pedal board 😜

[pnefc42]

And a lovely Jaydee!! 😀

[MacDaddy]

1 hour ago, pnefc42 said:

And a lovely Jaydee!! 😀

 

Pink 🩷 

[Bassfinder]

5 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

 

 

Mark King at Fairfield Hall last night. Mark bass all the way. Little Mark Vintage 1000 head, Standard 104HR cabs, and a small unobtrusive pedal board 😜

Great looking setup, he’s bypassing the Markbass pre and using the Caveman BAS-1 for tone shaping though 😊

 

[lowdown]

Blimey, he needs those big boots to find his way around that big pedal board...

[HeadlessBassist]

I was chatting to @Mike Brooks on WhatsApp about this latest L42 tour the other day. He was saying that the Pink JayDee sounded a little hollow and flat, but when the red JayDee came out, it sounded immense. I haven't heard it in the flesh yet, but I've never liked traditional/vintage instruments through the ultra-processed MarkBass amps. They just don't sound right to me. (I have one and only use it due to the light weight. I much prefer my TC  RH750.)

 

By all means tell me if I have weird ears, but the JayDees through the MB rig always sound as if they 'Quack' like a Duck... 🙉

[HeadlessBassist]

Interestingly, here's a video from the Croydon gig from a couple of nights ago, with the Videographer obviously at the front, catching more of the bass rig, and much less of the full PA mix. The pink JayDee sounds pretty good here...

 

 

[pantherairsoft]

4 hours ago, lowdown said:

Blimey, he needs those big boots to find his way around that big pedal board...

Small pedalboard. I’m disappointed… the guy calls himself a pro and he has a pedalboard that can still be carried by one person. Pathetic!

[Sparky Mark]

Pink!!!

[HeadlessBassist]

1 hour ago, Sparky Mark said:

Pink!!!

 

You'd get on well with my friend Jaymi in Nashville - the PinkBassMan!

[Misdee]

Those pink JayDees came out in about early 1987 and along with other pastel shade pearlescent finishes like blue and yellow. My dad warned me at the time that if I bought an expensive bass in a colour like that I wouln never be able to sell it again. I heeded his warning and got a cherry red custom-made JD Mk3 MK. It was mega, much better than the production models in the shops at the time. John Diggins himself made it for me, and he was a superb craftsman, and a very nice chap too in all my dealings with him. I was very sad to hear that he had died.

 

Regarding Mark King's sound, without wishing to court controversy, I have long been of the conviction that his tone is seriously compromised by the super light gauge strings he uses. It's just a case of how much each bass compensates for the lack of body in those thin strings. Whatever bass he uses he sounds remarkably similar to me. Don't get me wrong, I really admire Mark King and enjoy lots of things about his playing even though Level 42 aren't really my cup of tea, but his whole style and sound is defined by those strings.

 

[bacchusbunny]

I understand you're using a Caveman preamp and compressor, plus a vintage Boss chorus.
What other pedals are you using?

[Chris2112]

On 19/10/2025 at 15:42, Misdee said:

 

Regarding Mark King's sound, without wishing to court controversy, I have long been of the conviction that his tone is seriously compromised by the super light gauge strings he uses. It's just a case of how much each bass compensates for the lack of body in those thin strings. Whatever bass he uses he sounds remarkably similar to me. Don't get me wrong, I really admire Mark King and enjoy lots of things about his playing even though Level 42 aren't really my cup of tea, but his whole style and sound is defined by those strings.

 

 

I was really taken aback seeing Level 42 on the Retroglide tour years ago. Mark was playing a MK1 Kingbass through Ashdown amps and his tone was absolutely ferocious. Super crisp and clean but with a huge amount of punch. That setup really moved the air in the way that his other basses don't - I love the Jaydees but they don't have the 'fullness' of sound or body that the Status did. 

[Misdee]

6 hours ago, Chris2112 said:

 

I was really taken aback seeing Level 42 on the Retroglide tour years ago. Mark was playing a MK1 Kingbass through Ashdown amps and his tone was absolutely ferocious. Super crisp and clean but with a huge amount of punch. That setup really moved the air in the way that his other basses don't - I love the Jaydees but they don't have the 'fullness' of sound or body that the Status did. 

It's funny you say that, because the other day I watching some footage of MK/Level 42 where he was playing a King bass with what looked like the Parametrix EQ on it and it sounded like an Alembic. It had that extended, glassy top-end and super-deep punch you associate with a full-spec Alembic. It made me wish Status were still making graphite basses so I could buy another one.

 

For me, MK's first solo album, Influences, is his best work. I remember when it came out in the summer of 1984 and what an impact it made. It really shows what he can do, and that his talents go well beyond the slap show pony tricks that really don't appeal to me. Tracks like Clocks Go Forward and the title track show the depth and subtleties of his style, and the slapping is super,-tight and appropriate where he uses it. Everything on that album sounds good to me. 

Edited 1 hour ago by Misdee

[Sparky Mark]

I was the first customer to have Status fit a graphite neck to my 70s jazz bass. It felt great, but ultimately the shift in the mids took something away from its character. I hear the same when listening to Mark playing his Status and Jaydees; both great, it just depends on your preference. 

Edited 1 hour ago by Sparky Mark