LeftyBassist.com

I have no qualm against advancing the state of the art, but for the life of me, I cannot understand why people are so nuts about ultra-small bass amps. To be blunt, having played a few, I think most people vastly overstate/sell their tone and volume because of their smalll size and weight. Not one of them I've tried has the guts or balls I expect out of a bass amp.

Let the flame fest begin....

The small mark bass amps are really great.
pro stuff!

there rest i don't know...

Specifically, the LMII is one severly overhyped amp, IMO. I spent a LOT of time with a few of them and couldn't get anywhere near the balls or punch out of it that I expect in a bass amp. The tone was always thin, and yes, I knew how to operate its tone controls and filters. No matter what the settings, there was always a harsh upper-midrange artifact and a thin bottom. I just got variations on that sound with lots of different cabs. On the soundclips posted on TB, my FFT software confirmed what I was hearing, so it's not a case of bias; what I hear IS there. To be clear, weight and size don't automatically make an amp desirable to me. I just want to know what it is in the sound of amps like the LMII that makes people so nuts for them. They sound like crap to me.

it's all about trade-offs IMO

if I'm playing a venue where I'll run direct into the house mains, why not save my back and pack a smaller amp that will serve me purely as a reference should the house sound tech fail to addres my monitor needs. I don't need tons of stage volume in order to be able to play at my best, and this only helps in the overall house mix since the sound tech won't be fighting my stage volume in the big mix

I can't remember the last time I played where my bass amp was utilized to fill the house, or the last time I practiced somewhere that a fully robust bass volume would have been tolerated by the neighbors

I'll admit I couldn't do this when I was younger and less experienced. it took a healthy dose of studio sessions and live sessions with headphone monitors to break the "I gotta feel it in my gut or I can't play" syndrome. just because I do this doesn't mean I expect others to - what works for me may totally not work for you. thankfully amp manufacturers offer us variety at various pricing points so we all can find our voice and play it like we mean it

all the best,

R

Gee, I use an LMII with Bergantino HT/EX 112 cabs. It's plenty loud for the venues I play - 200 to 300 seats - and folks are always complimenting me on my tone, regardless of what bass I use. I've got more bottom than I can use and I've never noticed a harshness in the upper mids.
what sold me on them and the cabs wasn't just weight and size - tho that was a major consideration as I have back issues. i was a little concerned when I first bought the LMII (I'm really into tubes), but after using it at home at low volume I was able to dial in some dang awesome sounds. Of course it doesn't sound like a 1970 SVT, but I find it to be very transparent in it's own right and allows me to get classic 70's Roger Waters out of my Pbass, or smooth jazz tones through my Ken Smith, and lots of Squire growl from my Ric.
Though I am heavily influenced by specs and software results, I try not to have them be the deciding factor. Tone is in the heart and hands, not the software or hardware. I've had amazing results from totally out of spec gear that defies logic.

This type of thinking, I understand. As a trade-of,f I can definitely see the benefit of a small monitor carry situation, but my question is for those who just gush about how "good" the amp sounds, that it is superior to other amps in every way, etc.

In my playing situation, the only time I encountered a PA capable of carrying the bass at band volume, the idiot "sound guy" turned an SVT into bad Korn tone, hence I've always relied on my amp for backline AND house sound, and the band's sound was much better for it. It may be my taste. I have an AMP preamp (the Thunderfunk sound) that I don't really care for either. It's either too mid-tweaked or way too boomy.

Perhaps you missed it, but I did in-person playing tests several times before I ever had a chance to do an FFT analysis on the LMII clips that were posted on Talkbass, and they agreed with my ears.

Well then, what kind of amp & cab turns your crank??

I have several bass amps and the MarkBass LMII is one of my favorites, to my ears it sounds great. I actually like mine better than my SVT. But hey use what you like.