Reviews by ad9000

This is a new model that Demeter first displayed at NAMM back in Jan. 2017, where I played through it and loved it. (there it was shown in a flip-top combo version with a 112 cab, but the tolex covered head-only version is what I have, as seen in the product photo). The amp is currently marketed only in Japan, but James will make them to order for US customers, as he did in my case. It took about 2 weeks between placing the order and receiving the amp.
At the direct price of $1199 I think the Bass 800D is very reasonably priced for what you get.

Because I've been using a Demeter Minnie 800D for the last couple of years, and a VTBP-201 on and off for many years, I had a baseline expectation that the Bass 800D would sound good. However, my jaw just about hit the floor when I plugged into it, and I was immediately seduced by the massive, beautiful, fat yet controllable low end courtesy of the inductive bass boost circuit (a feature that makes its debut on the Bass 800D). In addition, this amp offers something else that I almost didn't realize I'd been missing lately - high end! Especially with the mode switch in the bright position, the 800D has very present but not overly aggressive highs and upper mids, voiced in exactly in the right range to bring out nuances that I haven't heard adequately through my live rig for quite some time. The balanced DI output sounds amazing as well, probably the best I've ever heard and the recipient of some glowing comments from front of house engineers.

I've used the Bass 800D on a few live gigs now, and I've liked it more each time (the amp, but not necessarily all the gigs). It has more than adequate power (rated 800w @4 ohms) - the power hungry cabs that I've used it with so far (a 4 ohm EA VL-210 and an 8 ohm Bill Jenkins 112) definitely put it to the test and I wasn't disappointed. Like the Minnie 800D, the Bass 800D has a considerable feeling of heft and headroom, unlike some class D amps that give you the sensation that you're hitting a soft, saggy ceiling when you crank them up.

The basses that I've used with the amp so far are a Moollon J-Classic V (as seen in the photo), a Fender Roscoe Beck V and a Warmoth/Fender P-bass with flatwounds. All sounded amazing, with their individual personalities coming through very nicely.

I look forward to putting this amp to work in a big way in the slew of gigs I have over the coming months and, needless to say, I'm giving it ten thumbs up.

Note: Two of the other reviews above obviously refer to the 4-string Marcus, which is a somewhat different animal than the V.

I had been looking for a Marcus V for about 6 months and finally found a used one. Other than some fret wear indicating a lot of use, it is in good shape and is virtually identical in weight and feel to one I played previously.

Simply put, the Marcus V is the best 5-string Fender has ever made by a considerable margin. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is the best new production bass they have come out with in many years (excluding Custom Shop models). It's obvious a lot of thought went into various design aspects, including much input from Marcus himself, apparently.

As far as the overall concept of the instrument, it is meant to be a faithful 5-string version of Marcus' '77 Jazz Bass with some more modern design tweaks. Among those are the Hipshot Ultralite tuners, the lightweight bridge with thru-body stringing, and the offset 5-bolt neck attachment scheme. Some late-'70's Fender features remain - thick acrylic finish, ash body and black pickguard - but thankfully, some are eliminated (bullet truss rod, 3-bolt neck attachment, chunky necks, poor quality control). Also, unlike the typically super-heavy late '70's Fender bodies, the Marcus V has weight standards resulting in a pleasantly light and perfectly balanced instrument.

I know the pickup cover is authentic and probably will be appreciated by some players who use it as an anchor for slapping, but for me it is right in the area where I usually pluck, so it had to go.

Apprearance wise, my bass is in the "natural" finish, which shows off the nicely chosen, well-matched ash used in the two-piece body. The large, out-of-proportion pickguard is not very attractive but it is true to Marcus' bass, which is the idea with a signature model, I guess.

The neck radius is a very comfortable shallow "C" shape. I would describe it as "wide and thin." This brings me to one of my only complaints about the bass. In attempting to replicate the aged "amber" appearance of Marcus' neck, Fender mixes a fairly dark amber dye in with the finish, a practice they have used on various reissue models over the years. In the case of the Marcus V, it is sprayed over the frets, binding and inlays, giving the inlays an ugly, yellowish cast and completely obscuring the binding! I understand to do a more realistic replication would be a much less cost-effective process, but please! Fortunately, if I really like the way a bass plays and sounds I can be a bit forgiving of the aesthetics.

Ah, now I can talk about the electronics. The control scheme is vol/vol/treb/bass (all boost) as on the Sadowsky basses. Fender has added a switch which bypasses the active circuit, putting the electronics in a passive mode. I would be greatly in favor of adding a traditional passive tone control that works in both active and passive modes. In fact, as I'm sure I am going to keep this bass and am not overly concerned with keeping it 100% original, I am planning to add such a tone control in line after the volume pots.

How does the bass sound? It has the familiar Marcus tone, with lots of headroom and none of the dead giveaways some active basses display. When I first plugged the bass in, I had to bust into "Tutu", "Never Too Much" and some other Marcus favorites. However, I wouldn't say the sound is limited to that flavor. It has a big, ballsy rock sound when played with a pick and a back pickup sound that is very usable - not as thin and nasal as on some Jazz Bass-style instruments. I like opening up the treble and bass controls just about 20%, which makes the bass bigger and wider without being overtly "active" sounding. The treble control nicely brings out the subtleties of fingerstyle playing, and the bass control is voiced low enough to add an overall hugeness to the bottom end without getting muddy.

The low "B" merits some discussion, as it is usually the trouble spot with Fender-style 5-strings. When designing a Fender-style 5, the first question has to be whether to go 35" scale or not. The Lakland 5's and others have very successfully used a 35" scale, but Fender chose not to with the Marcus V, wisely so in my opinion. There is something about the comfort and familiarity of 34" scale. Somehow, with this bass Fender has produced a very nice low "B" with lots of authority and focus and a response that is well balanced with the other strings. I give it (the low "B") a 9.25 on a scale of 10. Hurray!

In conclusion, the Marcus V is a fairly priced, excellent choice in the hot rod Jazz Bass 5-string sweepstakes. For a lot less than a Sadowsky Metro, for example (a great instrument in its own right), you can get an instrument with much more character and lots of true Fender vibe, if that's what floats your boat (it does mine). Run, don't walk to pick up one of these basses, if you can find one. During the couple of months I was actively looking for a new one, there wasn't one to be found in any music store in Southern California or at any of the typical online bass retailers, and a dealer I checked with said they were backordered 2-3 months.