If you have a small cab reguardless of ohms wattage sometimes youll get distorted sounds it usually comes from overloading bass mids in the basses preamp and the preamp section. Just roll off the mids roll off the bass
@@DRXxUziixX95 no but overloading bass mids on your on board preamp...then on the amps preamp will definetly make a small cab fart out my dude. I know i literally play through a small cab with drop tuned basses and to get clarity you have to roll off the bass. Read the original comment think...then reply =)
@oliverjohn2633 you are commenting on the small cabinet causing distortions from over excursion and/or port chuffing. These have NOTHING to do with PREAMPS. Preamp cause distortion by electrically altering the waveform. Saturating the signal with harmonic content while reducing transients and dynamics. Small cabs created distortion by being driven to hard and reaching the limits of the drivers suspension or port velocity. Think then reply.
@@DRXxUziixX95 youre probably right but im also right. If you overload a preamp signal twice into a small cabnet with small speakers...it will fart out and distort champ i literally just told you it happens all the time with my rig turn down the bass adjust the preamp no distortion. The dude was complaining about the cab distorting hence my explaination of why it might be doing so. Think then reply and maybe dont be so arrogant yes overloading your signal will always have an effect on what sounds your cab produces like what planet are you on?. I think youll also find bigger rig harder you can drive said preamps without distorting farting or general unpleasantness. Im not guessing haha
I’ve played well over 200+ gigs on my 102P in the last few years and have had 0 issues with distortion. Our experiences are different, but in my case I run a Little Marcus 800 (800 watts) and I have so much headroom and 0 issues with clipping. I could use this rig and overpower some FOH rigs if I’m not careful. I used to think my speakers were faulty but when I started buying higher watt heads I didn’t have those issues anymore! Just a thought; if you have any homies with higher watt amps (with the appropriate resistance so you don’t break anything) try that and see if you notice a difference, cuz I did!
I'm not sure what head I want to invest in next (seems I've tried them all in 30 years), the ones with great power don't give me the warmth of tone I need when I play fretless, and the lower powered amps like the SWR workman sound good for Jazz and Funk but I need Power and Versatility (especially for my most recent road gig) and I need it to work with my Carvin 210 cabs. (400watts) I'm open to suggestions - not sure I'm ready to trust the Little Marcus.
Definetly- you are over driving the Hartke preamps. I had this exact same problem with my Hartke when my brother brought over his new Ibanez bass. I switched back to my Peavy bass- no distortion!!!
I still use my Hartke with the master now on 10+ and the gain on 2. I now pair it with a rebuilt SWR Goliath Jr II with rebuilt speakers rated down to 20Hz (custom). Expensive but now I'm getting almost everything I need out of my small travel rig!
The amp isn’t powerful enough for that cab. That amp doesn’t have enough power to push the watts required by the speakers for the low notes, Which is causing distortion.
It's a little 210. You've got the lows boosted too much. I don't know what you were really expecting, but it's just a small stage monitor/practice set up. Dial back the low end, and you'll clean it up.
I'm not saying the cab didn't have an issue but I've always had that audio quality with a 2x10 cab and my low B string especially with active pickups. Didn't matter what the cabs power was rated for v.s. the power of the head. Now unless the speakers have the throw to handle reproducing 30.9 hz for that low B it's going to "fart" a bit, and that's from over extending the cone at the webbing at any practice or gig volume. The other caveat is you had mentioned that this cab was a 4 ohm cab and in the comments you had said it was paired up with another 15 cab. At this point you're not running at 4 ohms and the head is now seeing a load lower than 4 ohms outputting more power than it should be and is potentially pushing different amounts of power to each cab. 4 ohm x 4 ohm cab combo amp sees 1.6 ohms (at least with my multi-meter and past experience) and is outputting more power than specified max stable output and could blow the output transformer of the amp. (ask me how I know... bye bye SWR 550x you were a good head that claimed to be 2 ohm stable.) 8 ohm x 4 ohm amp sees 2.6 ohms and on top of that is pushing more power to the 4 ohm cabinet due to the lesser resistance so you're actually pushing the 10's harder than the 15, fart city man. 2x10 cab is okay for 4 string but I've never had luck with a 2x10 cab and a low B. Nothing worse than getting new gear and being disappointed. Sorry you had to deal with that. I wish you many happy gigs sir.
Thanks for your knowledge and insight! With that head I generally run either 2x Carvin 8ohm cabs in series (making 4ohm load) or a single 2x10 4ohm cab. That day I was trying the 4ohm MarkBass with a 8ohm Beringer 15" speaker and a horn in parallel which would have stayed above the heads 4ohm load maximum so, I should've been okay? When I was on the road years ago, I had a guy in Upland Ca. build me 15" bass speakers rated at 4ohms @ 20hz and they never distorted with my low B string. I'm gonna see if he's still in business, maybe that's where I'll end up. These days I only gig about twice a month.
@@larreetheexhortationist8878 You're very welcome, I enjoyed your video and the bit of playing I got to see and hear. Good sound and technique. "That day I was trying the 4ohm MarkBass with a 8ohm Beringer 15" speaker and a horn in parallel which would have stayed above the heads 4ohm load maximum so, I should've been okay?" The math gets weird but it wouldn't be above 4 ohms, mixing the 2 will result in a load of 2.67 to 2.8 ohms depending on the cables used between the head and cab, and that results in 2/3 of the power to the 2x10 and 1/3 to the 15. I learned this the hard way and blew up a head and cab on a gig. That custom 15 cab sounds like a dream! if you happen to find his name and if he's still in business I'd be very interested in a cab like that. Glad you're still gigging and I hope to hear more of your playing.
Did you check the preamp on your bass? How about your Gain setting on the Hartke head?? I've got three MarkBass cabinets, all Indonesian made, and they're great! I use Mesa, Aguilar and MarkBass heads. They all sound great. Check your Gain!
I had just put a Tone Monster pre-amp in that bass, and it kicks really hard - great! One of my friends that is on-the-road 9 months out of the year told me that his MarkBass cabs came directly from the factory in NY, (he has an endorsement deal) and he said to be careful with the imported MarkBass cabs; sometimes they cheat on the speaker end. I really believe that's what happened to me!
I've had no problems since I had my SWR Goliath Jr. II custom rebuilt with the speakers now rated down to 20Hz. They push a ton of air with the port holes unblocked...so far so good!
I've never had this issue and I've owned and still use Markbass cabs. I use a pedal board and GK 500 watt head at 4 ohms, so only 300 watts are going in. I have never been underpowered for any room or outdoors. My guess is you have to dial back some low-end either on the fancy pot on the bass or the head. Any 2x10 will do that.
trying for too much out of 2 10s. 2 10s can't push enough air to knock down the garage. Sound you describe takes 4 or 8 10s. The distortion you are hearing is result of too much low frequency in the cab (mimicing) power. i know this video is a year old, did you try a markbass or other 4 10? Or even try a 2 12. I remember feeling your same disappointment with Hartke combo that had 2 10s. They sounded great in my music room (extra bedroom) but like crap in my garage and on stage. I got lucky and found a deal on some GK neos, got a 4 10, 2 12s, and a 15. That's when I learned what the combinations of speakers sound like in a given room. NOw, most of the time I can get away with a 4 10 or 2 12s. I also found out the hartke is very "hifi" and articulate, istead of adding lows it need more power to push more air through more speaker surface area. (i'm a sound geek nerd duded). The speakers really depend on where you are playing, add to that in a big place, your amp is only a monitor anyway, sound man will want you to go DI anyway. lol That said, I dumped the Hartke. I got a MArk bass DI and a dedicated crown power amp to push what ever speaker combo I need for a given place. (I can do 1 12, 2 12s, a 4 10, a 4 10 and 2 12s, 2 12s a 4 10 and a 15 or all of them, and the sound man still wants DI! lol) I like the MarkBass stuff, very modern sounding, you can actually use less lows out of your amp , fill the room and shake the floors and walls. Very 'quick to the touch' sounding compared to , say, an ampeg (which are less immediate, less articulate, more earthquake-ish). That said, I hope you found your sound. I've teched for a lot of guys, you markbass 2 10 is good, you just expected it to do something its not designed to do.
For the small amount of power I was pushing, that cabinet should have been able to handle it. I was using the Markbass cabinet for mids and highs only. I had a Beringer 15" spkr with a horn below it. I have tons of equipment so, I just went back to using 4-10 Carvin bass cab. I still gig four times a month and that setup does the job for me!
I FEEL YOUR PAIN. 1) Have you ever had a good experience with a 2-10? Maybe it's possible. It seems to me bass really needs at minimum a stand-alone 2-12 cab, perhaps a 1-15. Otherwise, add a 15 to the 2-10. I just don't see a 2-10 ever cutting it. Agree? 2) Hartke has always let me down. 3) Consider 400 watts at 8 ohm head going through a 2-12 or 115 8 ohm cab.
You're playing an active bass with a Hartke on active mode. I don't think you turned off the active mode, at least l didn't hear you say it. You're overdriving the gain. Turn that off then if need be you bring down the input volume until you can turn up the master. It's pretty simple. If you did turn off the amp's active setting then I stand corrected. And are you 100% sure that was a fresh battery? After those things are done then it's time to be concerned.
Good insight, I most likely was playing through the active input with my active Tone Monster preamp cranked up, and yes my battery was fresh out of the package. It is possible that I was contributing to my own distortion but,... not that much! I no longer use that setup. Thanks!
I'm having similar issues with mine too. I'm saving up to swap out the stock speakers with heavy duty eminences. To be fair, ive had these cabs for 15yrs and i have beaten the crap out of them with huge volumes.... I'm guessing the stock speakers are about ready to retire.
If the head is only 250w and the cabs require 400w, you are underpowering them. Not enough energy to move the voice coil on a low frequency properly. Power = Clarity. Always have more power than you need.
Hartke amps sound better with Hartke speaker cabs. I had a Hartke 120W kickback years ago that the speaker blew out from a power surge during a gig. I couldn't get a replacement speaker in a reasonable amount of time so I replaced it with a good namebrand 15" bass speaker. Didn't sound as good after that. It was okay, but not as good.
Years ago when I was playing on ships working in a show band, myself and the relief bass players all had issues with the Hartke aluminum speakers. They didn't hold up well under daily use, perhaps we drove them too hard but - that's why you buy pro gear. We continued to use the amps but, traded out the cabs.
@@larreetheexhortationist8878 I am currently trying with an Orange OBC 112. Sounds great but I’ll have to return it and get a new one once, unluckily, its grille is rattling! 😩
One of my road- bass friends says the same thing as you. He uses a 1000 watt head with the master on 8 and the channel gain on 2 for power and clarity. It's something for me to think about - thanks!👍
Larree! Markbass offers a dozen cabs for every purpose. Clearly you picked the wrong Markbass cab for what you're trying to do. You went with their smallest & cheapest, intended for small "unplugged" gigs and rehearsals. If you want to crank your low B and push power, youll need a larger cab than a 102p traveler. Try a standard HF that handles resonant freqs below 40. I own both cabs and a 5 stringer never a prob w the Standard. I only use the traveler at smallest gigs or living room rehearsals.
Howdy... I do appreciate your input but, since I am a person blessed with a lot of gear, I've decided to go back to using my "Tried & True" SWR Goliath Junior II. And trust me.....it blows every Mark Bass cab I've tried so far, out of the water. And, I'm not a loyalist to any brand; I just need good sounding gear for a lot of live situations (three celebrity gigs this year). Some of my friends on the circuit swear by Mark Bass but....it's not for me, thanks.
Hi! What I ended up doing is something I did about twenty years ago...I reconnected with a speaker builder in Upland California and took him my SWR Goliath Jr. II and had him completely remake the 10's to respond and push more air at 20hz with the port holes unblocked! It was expensive but now I'm getting close to what I need out of my small travel rig.
Bass is all the way up on what? Your amp?? I've got two 102P cabs and they kick hard for such a small cab. They don't distort, even with my 5 string. Maybe you just got a dud.
not for nothing but, a 2x10 cab is not going to ever be able to handle the power which your head is putting out. It's a crime for these manufacturers today to falsely rate the power output capacities of these kinds of things. in my studio I'm using a GK RB 800 with two 4x10 cabs, and I have to be careful with not pushing those too hard, but in a live situation I'm using two Ampeg SVT 400 THs with two Trace Elliot 1x15 cabs and that serves me well. In the old days it was two GK RB 400s powering teo Acoustic 406 2x15 cabs, man that bass was earth shaking !! Moral of the story: you need big cabs for big bass :)
It's funny, a lot of the gear you've mentioned - I used to use! Trace Elliot, GK, even Ampeg SVT, not to mention SWR Goliath. The places I play these days and the artists that I back up mostly run me through the PA through my bass DI. But when I do need an on-stage amp, I only need 200watts of bass for my own personal monitoring but....I need it clean! I'm an older guy and the days of lugging around SVT are long behind me 🙂
@@larreetheexhortationist8878 i have a couple of bass rigs and one of them is a mark bass combo 12 inch speaker. That thing is unbelievable. It reproduces my low B string very accurately and never complains or distorts. It truly is unbelievable and other musicians are always blown away by the big sound coming out of that one speaker. Coupling effect, is having the cabinet on the floor. Somehow the cabinet and the floor “couple” or “join” and the bass notes just fill the room! I noticed you had the 2x10 cabinet up high on some other cabinets? The exact model I have is the Alain Caron series. Maybe just 2x10 by itself not capable of reproducing the low B?? What is that other company, Phil Jones?, they have 5 inch drivers. I played one at a gig once and was blown away with its sound reproduction!
I've never been impressed with Mark Bass, but have always been a Hartke fan. The 2x10 cab should easily handle that head. You're an experienced player and have a great ear. I hope you got it straightened out.
I did! the issue was the cab not being rated with speakers that could handle low enough Hz. I had my SWR Goliath Jr II re-built and re-coned (custom) from a long time speaker builder in Upland California and now the cab pushes a ton of air with the port holes unblocked and I'm getting 90% of what I need from this small travel rig. Note: It was expensive but, I shouldn't need any more travel cabs!
I bought a new Markbass CMD121P and the speaker distorted like this cab. The old Italian ones were had much better speakers. The new Indonesian made Markbass have their own speakers-Markbass Yellow line speakers. I sold it and took a huge financial loss. I will never buy their gear again
sorry to hear that man. I like the markbass stuff. Very articulate! sounds like you are trying to get too much out of one speaker. Lows come for pushing a lot of air, not from eq. Low eq distorts the speaker and audience doesn't even really hear notes of lows, they hear low mids and mids. I loved my line 6 cube (decades ago) with the sub bass ports in the store and in my bedroom. I took it some where else and IT farted all over the place. "I" wasn't pushing enough air for the room. I tried low get the low end back by adding low eq, nope! No matter what salesmen say, 1 12 in a bass amp is a small room practice amp, pretty much no matter if its 2000 watts, 1 12 inch speaker cant move enough air. Imagine a 1500 watt laptop speaker! Still NO BASS! If you want lows and low mids you need speaker surface area. (4 10s is 40 inches pushing a certain size wave, 2 12s is 24 inch moving bigger waves. 1 guy likek a 4 10 and a 15, another guy like 2 4 10s, somebody else wants 4 12s) Soundman wants DI. Use the combination that is the best monitor for you if you are on stage. If you always play in the same room (ie same church or club) get the speakers combination that sounds good in the room with out the soundman being there. Even then, once its LOUD enough to move the crowd, its shaking the drums and getting in the singer's mic! lol
@@larreetheexhortationist8878 Sorry I did not explain myself, I had the same issue as You and the fix was: I got a MarkBass Head and now it sounds Bitchin'
To be honest, I'm now a little gun shy of Mark Bass because of that earlier problem and spending top dollar on a brand new cab. Maybe, if I can get hold of a used Mark bass head, I'll give it a shot.
Sorry, that amp is a great workhorse! I use it for almost all of my gigs because it's so versatile. Never need to crank the gain up more than 2 with the master on 8 and it's clean power with or without the EQ and Comp.
master on 8 and gain on 2 will blow apart any 2x10 cab, I see a used SVT 8x10 cab in your future, that would totally serve you well. Your settings are interesting I usually run my gain stage around 6 and keep the master vol much lower maybe around 4 or so, with my GKs.... and the sound is always real clean. I think you are using a Hartle head ?? Those heads have lots of gain and power, way too much for such a small cab like that.
@@georgewaters456 Interesting...every working bassist that I know keeps his Master volume up very high and the Gain for the channel being used , very low to get maximum clean power without distortion...? Oh well, different strokes I guess. Whatever works for your sound.
I was an SVT guy for many years until I started playing full-time, then I found that there wasn't enough tone variation to meet the needs of my clients various styles.
@@larreetheexhortationist8878 I ordered Markbass 4x10 Energy box today, made in Italy. Do you think they are the "good ones"? Is your speaker also Made in Italy?
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If you have a small cab reguardless of ohms wattage sometimes youll get distorted sounds it usually comes from overloading bass mids in the basses preamp and the preamp section. Just roll off the mids roll off the bass
O podría usar un preamp limpio que tenga volumen ganancia graves y agudos ....se wmprolijaria todo
First u talk about cab then preamp. They are totally different. A small cab has 0 effect on the preamp
@@DRXxUziixX95 no but overloading bass mids on your on board preamp...then on the amps preamp will definetly make a small cab fart out my dude. I know i literally play through a small cab with drop tuned basses and to get clarity you have to roll off the bass. Read the original comment think...then reply =)
@oliverjohn2633 you are commenting on the small cabinet causing distortions from over excursion and/or port chuffing. These have NOTHING to do with PREAMPS. Preamp cause distortion by electrically altering the waveform. Saturating the signal with harmonic content while reducing transients and dynamics. Small cabs created distortion by being driven to hard and reaching the limits of the drivers suspension or port velocity. Think then reply.
@@DRXxUziixX95 youre probably right but im also right. If you overload a preamp signal twice into a small cabnet with small speakers...it will fart out and distort champ i literally just told you it happens all the time with my rig turn down the bass adjust the preamp no distortion. The dude was complaining about the cab distorting hence my explaination of why it might be doing so. Think then reply and maybe dont be so arrogant yes overloading your signal will always have an effect on what sounds your cab produces like what planet are you on?. I think youll also find bigger rig harder you can drive said preamps without distorting farting or general unpleasantness. Im not guessing haha
I’ve played well over 200+ gigs on my 102P in the last few years and have had 0 issues with distortion. Our experiences are different, but in my case I run a Little Marcus 800 (800 watts) and I have so much headroom and 0 issues with clipping. I could use this rig and overpower some FOH rigs if I’m not careful. I used to think my speakers were faulty but when I started buying higher watt heads I didn’t have those issues anymore! Just a thought; if you have any homies with higher watt amps (with the appropriate resistance so you don’t break anything) try that and see if you notice a difference, cuz I did!
I'm not sure what head I want to invest in next (seems I've tried them all in 30 years), the ones with great power don't give me the warmth of tone I need when I play fretless, and the lower powered amps like the SWR workman sound good for Jazz and Funk but I need Power and Versatility (especially for my most recent road gig) and I need it to work with my Carvin 210 cabs. (400watts) I'm open to suggestions - not sure I'm ready to trust the Little Marcus.
Great suggestion.
Just seeing this now. Did you end up getting a new head?@@larreetheexhortationist8878
Definetly- you are over driving the Hartke preamps. I had this exact same problem with my Hartke when my brother brought over his new Ibanez bass. I switched back to my Peavy bass- no distortion!!!
I still use my Hartke with the master now on 10+ and the gain on 2. I now pair it with a rebuilt SWR Goliath Jr II with rebuilt speakers rated down to 20Hz (custom). Expensive but now I'm getting almost everything I need out of my small travel rig!
The amp isn’t powerful enough for that cab. That amp doesn’t have enough power to push the watts required by the speakers for the low notes, Which is causing distortion.
I feel your pain boss, and I sent it back because of the same issue.
Go with SWR Goliath Jr. II! You can get them pretty cheap these days and they really kick!
It's a little 210. You've got the lows boosted too much. I don't know what you were really expecting, but it's just a small stage monitor/practice set up.
Dial back the low end, and you'll clean it up.
I'm not saying the cab didn't have an issue but I've always had that audio quality with a 2x10 cab and my low B string especially with active pickups. Didn't matter what the cabs power was rated for v.s. the power of the head. Now unless the speakers have the throw to handle reproducing 30.9 hz for that low B it's going to "fart" a bit, and that's from over extending the cone at the webbing at any practice or gig volume.
The other caveat is you had mentioned that this cab was a 4 ohm cab and in the comments you had said it was paired up with another 15 cab. At this point you're not running at 4 ohms and the head is now seeing a load lower than 4 ohms outputting more power than it should be and is potentially pushing different amounts of power to each cab.
4 ohm x 4 ohm cab combo amp sees 1.6 ohms (at least with my multi-meter and past experience) and is outputting more power than specified max stable output and could blow the output transformer of the amp. (ask me how I know... bye bye SWR 550x you were a good head that claimed to be 2 ohm stable.)
8 ohm x 4 ohm amp sees 2.6 ohms and on top of that is pushing more power to the 4 ohm cabinet due to the lesser resistance so you're actually pushing the 10's harder than the 15, fart city man. 2x10 cab is okay for 4 string but I've never had luck with a 2x10 cab and a low B.
Nothing worse than getting new gear and being disappointed. Sorry you had to deal with that. I wish you many happy gigs sir.
Thanks for your knowledge and insight! With that head I generally run either 2x Carvin 8ohm cabs in series (making 4ohm load) or a single 2x10 4ohm cab. That day I was trying the 4ohm MarkBass with a 8ohm Beringer 15" speaker and a horn in parallel which would have stayed above the heads 4ohm load maximum so, I should've been okay? When I was on the road years ago, I had a guy in Upland Ca. build me 15" bass speakers rated at 4ohms @ 20hz and they never distorted with my low B string. I'm gonna see if he's still in business, maybe that's where I'll end up. These days I only gig about twice a month.
@@larreetheexhortationist8878 You're very welcome, I enjoyed your video and the bit of playing I got to see and hear. Good sound and technique.
"That day I was trying the 4ohm MarkBass with a 8ohm Beringer 15" speaker and a horn in parallel which would have stayed above the heads 4ohm load maximum so, I should've been okay?"
The math gets weird but it wouldn't be above 4 ohms, mixing the 2 will result in a load of 2.67 to 2.8 ohms depending on the cables used between the head and cab, and that results in 2/3 of the power to the 2x10 and 1/3 to the 15. I learned this the hard way and blew up a head and cab on a gig.
That custom 15 cab sounds like a dream! if you happen to find his name and if he's still in business I'd be very interested in a cab like that. Glad you're still gigging and I hope to hear more of your playing.
@@eaf27 🙂you're very kind
Did you check the preamp on your bass? How about your Gain setting on the Hartke head?? I've got three MarkBass cabinets, all Indonesian made, and they're great!
I use Mesa, Aguilar and MarkBass heads. They all sound great. Check your Gain!
I had just put a Tone Monster pre-amp in that bass, and it kicks really hard - great! One of my friends that is on-the-road 9 months out of the year told me that his MarkBass cabs came directly from the factory in NY, (he has an endorsement deal) and he said to be careful with the imported MarkBass cabs; sometimes they cheat on the speaker end. I really believe that's what happened to me!
I didn't know that there's a NY factory for MarkBass. Interesting, if true.
I've had no problems since I had my SWR Goliath Jr. II custom rebuilt with the speakers now rated down to 20Hz. They push a ton of air with the port holes unblocked...so far so good!
I've never had this issue and I've owned and still use Markbass cabs. I use a pedal board and GK 500 watt head at 4 ohms, so only 300 watts are going in. I have never been underpowered for any room or outdoors. My guess is you have to dial back some low-end either on the fancy pot on the bass or the head. Any 2x10 will do that.
trying for too much out of 2 10s. 2 10s can't push enough air to knock down the garage. Sound you describe takes 4 or 8 10s. The distortion you are hearing is result of too much low frequency in the cab (mimicing) power. i know this video is a year old, did you try a markbass or other 4 10? Or even try a 2 12. I remember feeling your same disappointment with Hartke combo that had 2 10s. They sounded great in my music room (extra bedroom) but like crap in my garage and on stage. I got lucky and found a deal on some GK neos, got a 4 10, 2 12s, and a 15. That's when I learned what the combinations of speakers sound like in a given room. NOw, most of the time I can get away with a 4 10 or 2 12s. I also found out the hartke is very "hifi" and articulate, istead of adding lows it need more power to push more air through more speaker surface area. (i'm a sound geek nerd duded). The speakers really depend on where you are playing, add to that in a big place, your amp is only a monitor anyway, sound man will want you to go DI anyway. lol That said, I dumped the Hartke. I got a MArk bass DI and a dedicated crown power amp to push what ever speaker combo I need for a given place. (I can do 1 12, 2 12s, a 4 10, a 4 10 and 2 12s, 2 12s a 4 10 and a 15 or all of them, and the sound man still wants DI! lol) I like the MarkBass stuff, very modern sounding, you can actually use less lows out of your amp , fill the room and shake the floors and walls. Very 'quick to the touch' sounding compared to , say, an ampeg (which are less immediate, less articulate, more earthquake-ish). That said, I hope you found your sound. I've teched for a lot of guys, you markbass 2 10 is good, you just expected it to do something its not designed to do.
For the small amount of power I was pushing, that cabinet should have been able to handle it. I was using the Markbass cabinet for mids and highs only. I had a Beringer 15" spkr with a horn below it. I have tons of equipment so, I just went back to using 4-10 Carvin bass cab. I still gig four times a month and that setup does the job for me!
@@larreetheexhortationist8878 wow, ok. I didn't realize you had the 15 with it. Yeah, that's faulty.
Carven gear has always been first rate.
I got a 2 10 Burgera cab with the matching 15 inch bottom! She is right bro!!!!
I'd love to hear your rig sometimes!
@@larreetheexhortationist8878I will most certainly post it soon because I have had others ask for the same thing!! Thanks!!!!
I FEEL YOUR PAIN. 1) Have you ever had a good experience with a 2-10? Maybe it's possible. It seems to me bass really needs at minimum a stand-alone 2-12 cab, perhaps a 1-15. Otherwise, add a 15 to the 2-10. I just don't see a 2-10 ever cutting it. Agree? 2) Hartke has always let me down. 3) Consider 400 watts at 8 ohm head going through a 2-12 or 115 8 ohm cab.
Replace the speaker. I went thru several MB speakers. Same issue you are having. I replaced my speakers with eminence and celestian. Sounds great now.
You're playing an active bass with a Hartke on active mode. I don't think you turned off the active mode, at least l didn't hear you say it. You're overdriving the gain. Turn that off then if need be you bring down the input volume until you can turn up the master. It's pretty simple. If you did turn off the amp's active setting then I stand corrected. And are you 100% sure that was a fresh battery?
After those things are done then it's time to be concerned.
Good insight, I most likely was playing through the active input with my active Tone Monster preamp cranked up, and yes my battery was fresh out of the package. It is possible that I was contributing to my own distortion but,... not that much! I no longer use that setup. Thanks!
Very good combination, very beautiful sound!
You are very kind bass friend 🙂!
I'm gonna order a 210 Energy for my MB LMT 800, curios if I'll have the same issue at the volume I play. If I do, as you said, "it's gonna go back".
I'm having similar issues with mine too. I'm saving up to swap out the stock speakers with heavy duty eminences. To be fair, ive had these cabs for 15yrs and i have beaten the crap out of them with huge volumes.... I'm guessing the stock speakers are about ready to retire.
Emimences are super heavy but sound bitchin,
IDK, I'd try everything flat first, the remove the frequencies I don't want, then I'd judge.
I know I'm very late to this game but I owned exactly the same cab with a Little Mark II head some years back now. I think the cab is faulty.
If the head is only 250w and the cabs require 400w, you are underpowering them. Not enough energy to move the voice coil on a low frequency properly. Power = Clarity. Always have more power than you need.
I think that's good council. One of my favorite bass buddies keep saying the same thing that you said. He uses a 1500watt Carvin head.
That's not true at all actually.
Then please enlighten me.@@blastmanutz7798
My hartke HA3500 350watt head runns my behringer 1200watt cabinet just fine. No issues
You don't understand how amps & cabs work apparently.
Hartke amps sound better with Hartke speaker cabs. I had a Hartke 120W kickback years ago that the speaker blew out from a power surge during a gig. I couldn't get a replacement speaker in a reasonable amount of time so I replaced it with a good namebrand 15" bass speaker. Didn't sound as good after that. It was okay, but not as good.
Years ago when I was playing on ships working in a show band, myself and the relief bass players all had issues with the Hartke aluminum speakers. They didn't hold up well under daily use, perhaps we drove them too hard but - that's why you buy pro gear. We continued to use the amps but, traded out the cabs.
Sounds like distortion when playing the low B. Yes take it back.
I almost was going to get a Mark Bass but went with Ampeg instead , after seeing this probably a smart move.
Yeah, you probably saved yourself a little heart ache (and some cash!)
Having the same issue with a CMD151P. But that happens mainly with lower notes from the E string. Very disappointing.
I hope you find a combination that works for your sound needs. Can be a challenge
@@larreetheexhortationist8878 I am currently trying with an Orange OBC 112. Sounds great but I’ll have to return it and get a new one once, unluckily, its grille is rattling! 😩
You need to put real power on that cab. 250 watts is not enough. Try 800 or 1000 watt head, you will be amazed of the difference!
One of my road- bass friends says the same thing as you. He uses a 1000 watt head with the master on 8 and the channel gain on 2 for power and clarity. It's something for me to think about - thanks!👍
Larree! Markbass offers a dozen cabs for every purpose. Clearly you picked the wrong Markbass cab for what you're trying to do. You went with their smallest & cheapest, intended for small "unplugged" gigs and rehearsals. If you want to crank your low B and push power, youll need a larger cab than a 102p traveler. Try a standard HF that handles resonant freqs below 40. I own both cabs and a 5 stringer never a prob w the Standard. I only use the traveler at smallest gigs or living room rehearsals.
Howdy... I do appreciate your input but, since I am a person blessed with a lot of gear, I've decided to go back to using my "Tried & True" SWR Goliath Junior II. And trust me.....it blows every Mark Bass cab I've tried so far, out of the water. And, I'm not a loyalist to any brand; I just need good sounding gear for a lot of live situations (three celebrity gigs this year). Some of my friends on the circuit swear by Mark Bass but....it's not for me, thanks.
Something must be wrong, thats not normal
Did you try another amp to see if the same thing happens? That's too bad!
Hi! What I ended up doing is something I did about twenty years ago...I reconnected with a speaker builder in Upland California and took him my SWR Goliath Jr. II and had him completely remake the 10's to respond and push more air at 20hz with the port holes unblocked! It was expensive but now I'm getting close to what I need out of my small travel rig.
Did you check the gain on the amp? Is it underpowered? Did you ever find out?
Yes, Master on +2, gain on +1, bass is all the way up, it shouldn't distort. I sent it back. Using a 210 Carvin cab instead.
Unfortunate. Maybe it was the unit but good you got what works!
Bass is all the way up on what? Your amp?? I've got two 102P cabs and they kick hard for such a small cab. They don't distort, even with my 5 string.
Maybe you just got a dud.
Dime the master and adjust volume with pre.
By the time he gets that cab back to the shop for a refund it will probably be discontinued, mark bass discontinues products faster than Usain Bolt😂
A little knowledge goes a long way..
not for nothing but, a 2x10 cab is not going to ever be able to handle the power which your head is putting out.
It's a crime for these manufacturers today to falsely rate the power output capacities of these kinds of things.
in my studio I'm using a GK RB 800 with two 4x10 cabs, and I have to be careful with not pushing those too hard, but in a live situation I'm using two Ampeg SVT 400 THs with two Trace Elliot 1x15 cabs and that serves me well.
In the old days it was two GK RB 400s powering teo Acoustic 406 2x15 cabs, man that bass was earth shaking !!
Moral of the story: you need big cabs for big bass :)
It's funny, a lot of the gear you've mentioned - I used to use! Trace Elliot, GK, even Ampeg SVT, not to mention SWR Goliath. The places I play these days and the artists that I back up mostly run me through the PA through my bass DI. But when I do need an on-stage amp, I only need 200watts of bass for my own personal monitoring but....I need it clean! I'm an older guy and the days of lugging around SVT are long behind me 🙂
What if you put the cabinet on the floor, so you can get the coupling effect?
Normally my rig is lowered to the floor. Not sure if I understand what a coupling effect is?
@@larreetheexhortationist8878 i have a couple of bass rigs and one of them is a mark bass combo 12 inch speaker. That thing is unbelievable. It reproduces my low B string very accurately and never complains or distorts. It truly is unbelievable and other musicians are always blown away by the big sound coming out of that one speaker. Coupling effect, is having the cabinet on the floor. Somehow the cabinet and the floor “couple” or “join” and the bass notes just fill the room! I noticed you had the 2x10 cabinet up high on some other cabinets? The exact model I have is the Alain Caron series. Maybe just 2x10 by itself not capable of reproducing the low B?? What is that other company, Phil Jones?, they have 5 inch drivers. I played one at a gig once and was blown away with its sound reproduction!
I've never been impressed with Mark Bass, but have always been a Hartke fan.
The 2x10 cab should easily handle that head.
You're an experienced player and have a great ear. I hope you got it straightened out.
I did! the issue was the cab not being rated with speakers that could handle low enough Hz. I had my SWR Goliath Jr II re-built and re-coned (custom) from a long time speaker builder in Upland California and now the cab pushes a ton of air with the port holes unblocked and I'm getting 90% of what I need from this small travel rig. Note: It was expensive but, I shouldn't need any more travel cabs!
Well that's not good maybe it's because of all the rain we ben having 😆
I bought a new Markbass CMD121P and the speaker distorted like this cab. The old Italian ones were had much better speakers. The new Indonesian made Markbass have their own speakers-Markbass Yellow line speakers. I sold it and took a huge financial loss. I will never buy their gear again
Yeah, I sent mine back and got a refund. Thanks
sorry to hear that man. I like the markbass stuff. Very articulate! sounds like you are trying to get too much out of one speaker. Lows come for pushing a lot of air, not from eq. Low eq distorts the speaker and audience doesn't even really hear notes of lows, they hear low mids and mids. I loved my line 6 cube (decades ago) with the sub bass ports in the store and in my bedroom. I took it some where else and IT farted all over the place. "I" wasn't pushing enough air for the room. I tried low get the low end back by adding low eq, nope! No matter what salesmen say, 1 12 in a bass amp is a small room practice amp, pretty much no matter if its 2000 watts, 1 12 inch speaker cant move enough air. Imagine a 1500 watt laptop speaker! Still NO BASS! If you want lows and low mids you need speaker surface area. (4 10s is 40 inches pushing a certain size wave, 2 12s is 24 inch moving bigger waves. 1 guy likek a 4 10 and a 15, another guy like 2 4 10s, somebody else wants 4 12s) Soundman wants DI. Use the combination that is the best monitor for you if you are on stage. If you always play in the same room (ie same church or club) get the speakers combination that sounds good in the room with out the soundman being there. Even then, once its LOUD enough to move the crowd, its shaking the drums and getting in the singer's mic! lol
the Hartke head is too old for the type of NEO speaker, same Shyte happened to me, a simple fix get a markbass head
Sorry, my friend who builds and customizes speakers and cabinets tells me that the power amp has very little to do with the problem I experienced.
@@larreetheexhortationist8878 Sorry I did not explain myself, I had the same issue as You and the fix was: I got a MarkBass Head and now it sounds Bitchin'
To be honest, I'm now a little gun shy of Mark Bass because of that earlier problem and spending top dollar on a brand new cab. Maybe, if I can get hold of a used Mark bass head, I'll give it a shot.
You've got a small 210 elevated and expect thunder?
I expected what I paid for.
Correct, it needs to be on the floor to get the bottom.
That is not a speaker issue it is a preamp issue
Possibly...
Always in a store bass test TUM TUM turuntuuuntuu TUM TUM turuntuuuntuu.🥴
Get a used Peavey 2x10 (block logo, black carpet) thank me later.
played one this weekend, not a fan
I normally use hartke/eminence 210 and 410 with a Hartke HA5000 bi-amp
Maybee its the amp
The amp kicks butt with every other cabinet combination I've ever tried....
@@larreetheexhortationist8878 right. It's not the amp. 2 10s isn't enough for that particular room.
Sorry, that amp is a great workhorse! I use it for almost all of my gigs because it's so versatile. Never need to crank the gain up more than 2 with the master on 8 and it's clean power with or without the EQ and Comp.
master on 8 and gain on 2 will blow apart any 2x10 cab, I see a used SVT 8x10 cab in your future, that would totally serve you well.
Your settings are interesting I usually run my gain stage around 6 and keep the master vol much lower maybe around 4 or so, with my GKs.... and the sound is always real clean.
I think you are using a Hartle head ?? Those heads have lots of gain and power, way too much for such a small cab like that.
@@georgewaters456 Interesting...every working bassist that I know keeps his Master volume up very high and the Gain for the channel being used , very low to get maximum clean power without distortion...? Oh well, different strokes I guess. Whatever works for your sound.
Ampeg and nothing else
I was an SVT guy for many years until I started playing full-time, then I found that there wasn't enough tone variation to meet the needs of my clients various styles.
Blown speaker...
I think I got the cheap import and not the original New York built ones.
@@larreetheexhortationist8878
I ordered Markbass 4x10 Energy box today, made in Italy. Do you think they are the "good ones"? Is your speaker also Made in Italy?
That’s what Markbass amps are good for….distortion!
Too much power to the cabinet.
Supposed to be a 400watt cabinet, only had the amp on +2, and it's only 250 watts???
Tocas como El Ort..... jajajajaj. Ponele un cabezal Mark Bass no un hartkiiii ...
It's not the cab...you have gain and volume ass ways on the amp.