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moosers
Published on 05/25/10 at 13:46
The MarkBass CMB 121H is a bass guitar combo amp that is suitable for use in the studio or for live shows in smaller venues. It's got a 12" speaker in it as well as a tweeter and both XLR and 1/4" inputs on the front panel. In the back it's got a speaker and line output, as well as send and return 1/4" connections. This is the perfect bass amplifier for those looking for an amp to bring on the go...
UTILIZATION
Using the MarkBass CMB 121H isn't difficult at all, but it does have some extra parameters that you won't find on most bass amps. It's got a four band equalizer, as well as parameters for VLE (Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator) and VPF (Variable Pre-Shape Filter), which are certainly unique to MarkBass amplifiers. These parameters will take a little bit of fiddling with before you're comfortable, but they add another dimension to this bass amp that most bass amps don't have. The manual is put together well and is very thorough...
SOUNDS
For a combination amp on the smaller the size, the MarkBass CMB 121H sure packs a lot of punch. I'm primarily not a bass player, but played a live show with a bass player who had one of these and we were all really impressed by the fullness of the sound and by how well the amp worked in a live setting. The venue was definitely on the smaller side, but if you're in a large venue chances are that you'll be miking up anyway. I later used the amp in the studio with the same bass player and the sound definitely translated well. In fact, it probably sounded best in the studio since you could really zero in on your tone. I didn't get the chance to mess around too much with the VLE and the VPF features, but it seems like these extra parameters really help to set the bass amp apart from others.
OVERALL OPINION
While not extremely well known outside of the bass community, MarkBass has become known for offering up an impressive line of bass guitar amps in all shapes and sizes. The CMB 121H is overall a perfect example of what they are capable of doing. While you're going to pay a bit more than you would for this amp than others, in my opinion it would be worth it since you're getting a huge professional sound in a portable amp. If you're in the market for a bass guitar combo amp, definitely hip yourself to the MarkBass CMB 121H if you don't already know about this company...
UTILIZATION
Using the MarkBass CMB 121H isn't difficult at all, but it does have some extra parameters that you won't find on most bass amps. It's got a four band equalizer, as well as parameters for VLE (Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator) and VPF (Variable Pre-Shape Filter), which are certainly unique to MarkBass amplifiers. These parameters will take a little bit of fiddling with before you're comfortable, but they add another dimension to this bass amp that most bass amps don't have. The manual is put together well and is very thorough...
SOUNDS
For a combination amp on the smaller the size, the MarkBass CMB 121H sure packs a lot of punch. I'm primarily not a bass player, but played a live show with a bass player who had one of these and we were all really impressed by the fullness of the sound and by how well the amp worked in a live setting. The venue was definitely on the smaller side, but if you're in a large venue chances are that you'll be miking up anyway. I later used the amp in the studio with the same bass player and the sound definitely translated well. In fact, it probably sounded best in the studio since you could really zero in on your tone. I didn't get the chance to mess around too much with the VLE and the VPF features, but it seems like these extra parameters really help to set the bass amp apart from others.
OVERALL OPINION
While not extremely well known outside of the bass community, MarkBass has become known for offering up an impressive line of bass guitar amps in all shapes and sizes. The CMB 121H is overall a perfect example of what they are capable of doing. While you're going to pay a bit more than you would for this amp than others, in my opinion it would be worth it since you're getting a huge professional sound in a portable amp. If you're in the market for a bass guitar combo amp, definitely hip yourself to the MarkBass CMB 121H if you don't already know about this company...