Anyone here use MarkBass at all?

[Dave W]

I haven't seen anything official yet. Chromium sent me this link the other day:

http://www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/read/genz-benz-and-swr-to-face-fender-axe/018157

I've been a fan of theirs since the early 90's and would hate to see them go away. I have a GBE600 and 2x12XB that I enjoy quite a bit.

That is ominous. Just rumors so far, but when a spokesman says that no new models are being developed, that doesn't bode well.

[Pilgrim]

Of course, FMIC can do what it wants, but this shutdown talk sounds like idle Talkbass rumors. Has there been any official announcement?

I haven't heard anything, but one wonders when you start seeing heavy discounts.  Regardless, based on my experience with G-B I'd go after a Shuttle series amp over just about any other micro-head.  They do have a good reputation and Rahock and I can attest to their sound.

[Pilgrim]

Just spotted on Amazon: G-B Shuttle 9.2 at $549 with free shipping...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0070YFECS/ref=dra_a_cs_lr_hn_it_P1400_1000?tag=dradisplay-20

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Check my thread in the Outpost Cafe. It seems the rumors are just the tip of the iceberg.

[Happy Face]

Returning to the original topic, I am amazed how mellow everyone here is about MarkBass gear. Normally there are MB fan boys who rival Apple fan boys in their intensity. If anyone dares suggest that MB products are not the best gear ever made (and even cure disease) they go nuts! 

[Basvarken]

Guess we're a sensible bunch of guys 

[rahock]

Guess we're a sensible bunch of guys 

Generally speaking, I think that this is true and this is why I hang out here . However, I have yet to hear a definitive answer on what the best bass is for metal .  As near perfect as we are , I guess we are still a work in progress
Rick

[Pilgrim]

Generally speaking, I think that this is true and this is why I hang out here . However, I have yet to hear a definitive answer on what the best bass is for metal .  As near perfect as we are , I guess we are still a work in progress
Rick

And as long as that question is NOT debated here, it will remain a credit to this forum.

[ack1961]

Returning to the original topic, I am amazed how mellow everyone here is about MarkBass gear. Normally there are MB fan boys who rival Apple fan boys in their intensity. If anyone dares suggest that MB products are not the best gear ever made (and even cure disease) they go nuts! 

...which is exactly why I posed the question here and not on a different bass forum.

BTW, the amp is fine.  I've played through amps I've liked better, and I've played through some I've liked worse.

[Dave W]

The only Markbass fanboy I've encountered was a salesman at Guitar Denter in San Antonio. Really obnoxious bastard who just couldn't believe I wanted to try a bass through their G-K display instead of Markbass and tried to argue with me when I told him the G-K sounded better to me. Then after I started playing, the jerkwad pulls a bass off the wall, plugs into a Markbass and starts slapping the shit out of it trying to drown me out. I put down the bass and walked out.

That store was very near a friend's house so I went in again a couple of weeks later to try the same bass through the G-K display. No salesman in the bass room. A minute later the same guy walks in and does the same thing. Walked out again, only this time I phoned the general manager after I got home. Never set foot in that store again.

[ack1961]

The only Markbass fanboy I've encountered was a salesman at Guitar Denter in San Antonio. Really obnoxious bastard who just couldn't believe I wanted to try a bass through their G-K display instead of Markbass and tried to argue with me when I told him the G-K sounded better to me. Then after I started playing, the jerkwad pulls a bass off the wall, plugs into a Markbass and starts slapping the shit out of it trying to drown me out. I put down the bass and walked out.

That store was very near a friend's house so I went in again a couple of weeks later to try the same bass through the G-K display. No salesman in the bass room. A minute later the same guy walks in and does the same thing. Walked out again, only this time I phoned the general manager after I got home. Never set foot in that store again.

That sucks, and those "tactics" are prevalent throughout their company. I'd imagine that their margins are pretty high on all the stuff the salesmen regularly try to force-feed us (Markbass, Ocean, etc.).  I had similar experiences here in the Raleigh store and vowed to never go in there again.

I've also called the store manager once (which is something I don't do often) to bitch about their salesmen/guitar-heroes and the lack of customer skills they possess - due to a similar issue in the bass room.  The fact that I have to go to a sales counter, wait on a line to get a cable to plug in a bass is ludicrous. Then, that guy hovers over you telling you everything he knows about every instrument or amp you touch - and then stands there awaiting your decision. These guys need to understand that to some folks, a $300 purchase is a huge deal, while other have the means to drop a couple grand without batting an eyelash.

Just recently, I went to the Raleigh GC (looking to try out a few amps) and there must have been 3 or 4 cables lying in the bass room. One guy came over to me, introduced himself and told me to find him if I need any assistance.  Perfect.  I like the fact that they seem to be trying to improve...

With a couple of kids into everything musically (guitars, vocals, bass, drums, recording/production, live shows, etc.) the big box stores are a necessary evil for me.

[rahock]

The only Markbass fanboy I've encountered was a salesman at Guitar Denter in San Antonio. Really obnoxious bastard who just couldn't believe I wanted to try a bass through their G-K display instead of Markbass and tried to argue with me when I told him the G-K sounded better to me. Then after I started playing, the jerkwad pulls a bass off the wall, plugs into a Markbass and starts slapping the shit out of it trying to drown me out. I put down the bass and walked out.

That store was very near a friend's house so I went in again a couple of weeks later to try the same bass through the G-K display. No salesman in the bass room. A minute later the same guy walks in and does the same thing. Walked out again, only this time I phoned the general manager after I got home. Never set foot in that store again.

Dave,
I'm curious, what GK amp were you trying out? When I checked out their new lightweight class D/neo amps I was very underwhelmed. I'm a GK fan too .
Rick

[lowend1]

Not to derail the thread (what, here?), but the way the pay is structured in those stores, you aren't going to get the cream of the crop. It's almost criminal - for real. I recently spoke to a local manager at one of GC's competitors, (with a similar structure) and was astounded at how messed up it is. He basically told me that a job as a sales guy there is okay if all you're after is a discount on gear, but if you have bills or are supporting a family - it's pretty much worthless. Anybody that is any good at all is shepherded into management, where they are pretty much ridden into the ground. He also told me that if anything, GC's system was more aggressive, which might account for part of the silliness that Dave experienced (although I will confess to being amused by the story, and would love to have been a fly on the wall at the time). Having said all that, my local GCs are generally hands off - the will ask once and then disappear. I also tend to use the same sales guy (who I have been buying from for years) when I'm looking for something, so I will just say "Thanks, Ed's got me already". When that fails, I will ask them questions that they don't know the answers to, but I already do. "What kind of wood are they using on the Squier basses these days?"  

[Happy Face]

"When that fails, I will ask them questions that they don't know the answers to, but I already do. "What kind of wood are they using on the Squier basses these days?"   

Love that!

[Dave W]

Dave,
I'm curious, what GK amp were you trying out? When I checked out their new lightweight class D/neo amps I was very underwhelmed. I'm a GK fan too .
Rick

Rick, IIRC it was a 700RB head. This was some years ago, whenever it was that Fender reissued the Mustang bass -- that's what I was trying to play. Maybe 2006? Before the Neo series, which I haven't tried.

GC is what it is. You'll find some knowledgeable people there, and some fools. I can deal with either since it's not a place I'd ever go to seek advice. This guy really rubbed me the wrong way, though. And to top it off, I had to listen to his pointless atonal slapping.