| Author | Message | ||
| Duncan Muller (muller1007)
Junior Username: muller1007 Post Number: 16 Registered: 5-2002 |
If you guys want to check out a full concert of a fantastic bass player, playing the most fantastic basses in the world, try the DVD "Grupo Mark King, Live on the Isle of Wight 2000". Mark King plays his beautiful quilted maple medium scale Series II (with the super bright red laser leds). On the final track he plays his breathtaking coco bolo medium scale series II bass. Both basses sound and look awesome!! During this show Mark uses Eden amps. This is really must have Alembic footage. You can order it through his website: www.level42.com or for the US readers: www.audiophileimports.com Just a tip. Have any of you guys seen this DVD already? Any reactions? Does anyone have any other suggestions for live video/DVD footage of Alembic players? Duncan p.s. Don’t be fooled by the low quality realaudio samples on Audiophile Imports. The real thing sounds a thousand times better. Just try it on your home DVD/stereo. | ||
| Dave Houck (davehouck)
Junior Username: davehouck Post Number: 31 Registered: 5-2002 |
Duncan; I went to the Audiophile site and played the samples from the Isle of Wight DVD and got all excited about ordering it. Then I noticed that it is a Region 2 DVD and my player only plays Region 1. So I went to the Level 42 site. There the Isle of Wight DVD is for all Regions but it is PAL format and my player doesn't do PAL format. So apparently I'm not going to be able to purchase this DVD. The Audiophile site lists two other Mark King live DVD's. Do you know anything about these? The Audiophile site is a nice site for finding music DVD's; thanks for the link. Thanks, Dave | ||
| Duncan Muller (muller1007)
Junior Username: muller1007 Post Number: 17 Registered: 5-2002 |
Hi Dave, I never realized the problems with regions and PAL and NTSC. I'm sorry. Of course I didn't intend to fob you off with this. However, there is and audio CD of this show as well. It's not the same thing, but the music remains the same. On the other two DVDs Mark doesn't play Alembics. The Live in Reading 2002 CD is double sided, suitable for both NTSC and PAL, and region free. Mark Plays the Status Graphite Kingbass. Indeed Audiophile is a nice site for finding quite rare and interesting CD's. Duncan p.s. If I can think of a solution to let you obtain the video part of the 2000 live show as yet, I'll let you know. | ||
| Joey Wilson (bigredbass)
Junior Username: bigredbass Post Number: 46 Registered: 9-2002 |
While I am a fan of Mrk King's music, what I REALLY wonder about is how does the guy wind up with an MK Alembic, a MK Status Kingbass, another MK model with another UK company, and the JayDees? Is the guy an endorsement hog? The greatest salesman since Joe Girard? Can anybody explain this to me ? | ||
| Dave Houck (davehouck)
Junior Username: davehouck Post Number: 33 Registered: 5-2002 |
Thanks Duncan; I do appreciate you letting us know about the DVD. I'm always looking for bass related DVD's; of course the pocketbook is usually a limiting factor. Thanks again, Dave | ||
| Duncan Muller (muller1007)
Junior Username: muller1007 Post Number: 18 Registered: 5-2002 |
Hi Joey, I actually know for a fact that Mark King never signs for an endorsement. He just plays the instruments and uses equipment that he likes to use at that particular moment in time. He can choose to play any instrument or use any piece of equipment he likes, at any time. For what I know about the signature basses: The Jaydee supernaturals were actually one of the first basses Mark used. Mark had some alterations to the standard Supernatural model made by the builder John Diggins, making it a Supernatural, Mark King model. The Alembics Mark uses are actually not signature basses, but Series II basses. I guess Alembic found that there was a certain demand for basses similar to Mark’s Alembics, so they designed and marketed one of the best selling Alembic models to date, the MK signature (Dlx). The Status Graphite Kingbass that Mark King uses today, is actually designed by and especailly created for Mark and is thus called the Kingbass. The Fender Jazz Bass Deluxe that Mark used for a while, was also altered to Mark’s specs, making it a Fender Mark King Deluxe. The bottomline is: Mark King sells!! That must be the reason why companies would like to name an instrument after him. Duncan | ||
| Daniel Tracey (dannobasso)
Junior Username: dannobasso Post Number: 30 Registered: 7-2002 |
Not to argue your point that he sells, but the majority of companies that have an artist "use" their product are compensated in varying degrees. That could be equipment, production help on the road, publicity or dare I say it ... cash. Many artists go to the highest bidder. Alembic as far as I know don't really compensate endorsers to any significant degree. The artist "endorses" their product. Even more of a bottom line. Cha Ching in the artists account. Check each manufacturer that is publicly traded and find out how much of their budget is for endorsers and artist relations.Mark may not use the model that bears his name, but we can get exactly the specs on what he uses and have it made because each ordered bass is a custom of sorts. Not so with other manufacturers.By the way, how many basses have been sold because Mark King uses them? Outside of the gear head world, many pop fans don't play bass, don't know what gear guys use, any are lucky if they remember Level 42 in 2003. Don't get me wrong, I admire and respect Mark's talent, voice, writing and playing. A unique talent to be sure but he is getting paid. We aren't. We just love the basses we bought and wish everyone else could fell how we feel. | ||
| Rob Steen (rob_steen)
New Username: rob_steen Post Number: 2 Registered: 8-2002 |
I was at that show. It's hard to miss me on the DVD (front and center). It was great to hear Mark playing the Alembics again. They really sounded great live. If I recall this disc is region free. The only problem is that it is PAL and not NTSC so you can watch it on your PC but not through some players. It's amazing the amount of players in Europe that do still remember Level 42, and not just bass players. A friend of mine (another Alembic head) regularly gets comments on the Level 42 instrumentals his trio sometimes throws in. - Rob. |
