| Author | Message | ||
| James L. Martin (malthumb)
New Username: malthumb Post Number: 1 Registered: 5-2002 |
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| Paul Lindemans (palembic)
Intermediate Member Username: palembic Post Number: 189 Registered: 9-2002 |
Martin, I discovered this spot in our club a litlle late but I have to say: one hell of a nice bass! 1. What you mean by "Gold" mother of pearl inlays. Is that an option? I thought "mother of pearl" was just "mother of pearl"? 2. Why is it called a Mark King Signature? It seems a straight and beautiful SII 5 string to me with some nice options? Paul (Message edited by palembic on January 17, 2003) | ||
| Michael Walker (rockandroller)
Junior Username: rockandroller Post Number: 22 Registered: 11-2002 |
... you can get MOP in a naturaly "golden" color have a look here: luthiersupply | ||
| James L. Martin (malthumb)
Junior Username: malthumb Post Number: 48 Registered: 5-2002 |
Paul, You'd get a better impact if you saw this bass next to my Series I with MOP. The gold tint to the MOP plays off the gold plated hardware very nicely. I ordered it as a Mark King Deluxe to get the coco bolo as a standard feature, then optioned up (SII electronics, LEDs) to get more of the SII content. The difference between this and just ordering as an SII are that an SII would be semi-hollow. Signature basses are solid body. Also, an SII would have 2 more body laminates. I like the looks of a 7 layer sandwich, but 5 suits me just fine. | ||
| malthumb
Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 75 Registered: 5-2002 |
More pix of my Mark King Dlx / Series II  | ||
| malthumb
Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 76 Registered: 5-2002 |
Here's the back. Love those continuous plates  | ||
| jake
Junior Username: jake Post Number: 20 Registered: 3-2003 |
wow that really is an incredible bass! i could get lost in that swirly coco bolo! | ||
| jorge_s
Junior Username: jorge_s Post Number: 12 Registered: 8-2002 |
Very lovely bass!!! Do you gig with it a lot? How does your back hold up with the weight? Even though my SII has hollow chambers, my back does complain to me during long gigs. If yours is solid it must weigh even more. | ||
| malthumb
Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 79 Registered: 5-2002 |
Jorge, I don't "gig" that much anymore. I mainly play in miscellaneous church concerts (our Praise Team disbanded). When I do play out though, this is my primary bass. It weighs just under 13.5 lbs, so it is heavy compared to my other basses. It doesn't bother me to play it for a couple hours at a time. I have a really nice 3-inch wide leather strap that has fleece on the bottom. The width of the strap distributes the weight very evenly. The fleece makes it grip my shirt, so that it doesn't slip and slide. The bass is very well balanced and the strap keeps it in place. Life is good. Peace, James | ||
| malthumb
Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 92 Registered: 5-2002 |
Jake wrote (a long time ago) "wow that really is an incredible bass! i could get lost in that swirly coco bolo!" What's really funny about Jake's statement is that I ordered the bass long before this board existed, so I didn't have the benefit of having Mica post pictures of the boards or any progress shots. From many (and I do mean many) telephone conversations Mica figured out what I liked. I told her "just make me happy". The first time I saw the coco bolo pattern on this bass was in the parking lot of the Federal Express terminal where I picked it up. Yes, I'm that impatient that I opened it in the parking lot. I thought I was gonna faint. Easily the most gorgeous instrument I had ever seen. Mica and her team exceeded my expectations. Peace, James | ||
| dannobasso
Member Username: dannobasso Post Number: 71 Registered: 7-2002 |
I just wish that the shipping places had receptacles for the "peanuts and such" that get strewn across the ground when we rip open the boxes to get a gander at our babies. I share your enthusiasm James. (and rightly so in every case, no pun intended on the "case" some of course don't come in cases. All of mine came sight unseen. Holy *&^%$#$#@! is the usual response. Make a joyful noise with loud drums and clanging cymbals and big azz basses! I like to think that it is God's hand coming out of the cloud in the logo. | ||
| malthumb
Senior Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 556 Registered: 5-2002 |
Thirteen plus years later, still going strong. From yesterday's run at the Pit Party before the Monster Jam at Detroit's Ford Field.  | ||
| charles_holmes
Advanced Member Username: charles_holmes Post Number: 293 Registered: 3-2009 |
Glad you're still gigging! I was considering getting two of the Mark Bass Amps to run my Series I Distillate. Hows does the Alembic sound going through Mark Bass? Do you get enough bass as well as treble? That's really a nice axe too! | ||
| charles_holmes
Advanced Member Username: charles_holmes Post Number: 294 Registered: 3-2009 |
Glad you're still gigging! I was considering getting two of the Mark Bass Amps to run my Series I Distillate. Hows does the Alembic sound going through Mark Bass? Do you get enough bass as well as treble? That's really a nice axe too! | ||
| malthumb
Senior Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 557 Registered: 5-2002 |
Charles, I like the MarkBass setup. Been rolling with that for a couple years now. It replaced a Crown Xs500 / F-1X / SWR cab setup. That setup would have probably been a better fit for this gig, but for most of our gigs, it would be just too damn heavy. I can carry the combo in one hand, the extension cab in the other, my bass on my back. With the other rig, one cab was 85 lbs, the rack with preamp, power amp, tuner, and DS-5R weighed about 70 lbs. The MarkBass setup has plenty of power and a couple tone filters that help you dial in the right amount of highs / lows for small to mid sized venues. Can you get better tone with other rigs? Yes. But for the tone / weight / price balance that I was looking for, this us it. | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 1078 Registered: 2-2011 |
Charles, if you are looking for a great sounding combo I highly recommend the Fender Rumble 350. I tried all the Mark Bass, Acoustic, GK, Ampeg, Peavey, & TC Electronics combos & the Rumble has more bottom end than & sounds better than all of them. I tilt mine back like a floor monitor & it still has plenty of bottom end & at 350 watts I've never had it past 2 1/2 even at outdoor gigs. You can get a Rumble for under $500 which is about half the cost of a comparable Mark Bass combo. | ||
| bonesrad
Intermediate Member Username: bonesrad Post Number: 106 Registered: 5-2002 |
Looks like a fun gig. You and your Alembic look great. Keep playing in great health. Bones | ||
| malthumb
Senior Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 558 Registered: 5-2002 |
Thanks guys. And for the sake of clarity, when I say 13+ and still going! I'm talking about the bass. I got it in June 2000 and it's still my ace. As for me....30+ and still going! Peace, James | ||
| malthumb
Senior Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 559 Registered: 5-2002 |
Charles, You should probably take Rusty's advice and try the Fender Rumble 350. I tried it and a couple Peavey rigs and did not like either at all. Rusty likes the Fender and did not like the MarkBass. Only proves that tastes vary. In my opinion they were wildly different animals. Only you will know which animal is better for you to train. | ||
| charles_holmes
Advanced Member Username: charles_holmes Post Number: 295 Registered: 3-2009 |
You can check out my "Slim Rig" look up...Chalie's Slim Rig.I'm going to weigh my speaker cabinets now. | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1336 Registered: 1-2005 |
I have to add a +1 to Chalie's "Glad you're still gigging!" I love the 2+3 headstock layout on my Stanley, but on yours the 3+2 fits better. I don't know why that caught my eye! Also, how was it with your rig in front of you?!! Does that have backwards-firing speakers or something? | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 1080 Registered: 2-2011 |
I agree with James, Charles, definitely check out all the amps & see what suits your style & tone you are looking for. I did like the Mark Bass with the extension cabinet like James has, but I wanted something more portable without having to haul an extra cabinet. With my SCSD the Fender tone controls seemed to be more responsive than the Mark Bass controls. With James' Series II I'm sure the Mark Bass sounds amazing! | ||
| malthumb
Senior Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 560 Registered: 5-2002 |
Hieronymous, We used in ear monitors. The cabs in front were for the nearby crowds. We were linked into the stadium PA, but for the people right in front of us, the cabs and Bose system were primary sound.. | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 3810 Registered: 6-2002 |
I recently heard a demo for the first time of one of those Bose systems and I was seriously impressed. If I was running my own band and gigging regularly I would consider investing in a system for the smaller club/pub venues. Jazzyvee |
