Mark Bass??

[vision]

The Little Mark II looks great...500 watts @ 4 ohms, in a 6.4 lbs package, at $719 Canadian!

[Turnaround]

[quote=ModulusAcacia]I've owned two Little Mark I's (i bought one as a demo just becuase it was a great deal). I previously had an Eden wt-550, then a Euphonic iAmp 350 and the mark bass smoked both of them in great warm tones./QUOTE]

I owned the Little Mark I and now have the Little Mark II. Version I really wowed me, but version II knocked my socks off. I don't want to use anything else now - the iAMP will probably not get much use from here on. I'm really hanging to get a pair of Bergs for the LMII - I tried that setup at Club Bass and I found it really thrilling. I haven't been this excited since I moved up from a Peavey combo to a GK/Eden rig many years ago.

[kasbrey]

[QUOTE Jazz Ad]I'd compare combos and little mark heads to Yorkville or Nemesis[/quote]

Please don't make the comparison based on the price. The new heads and cabs are a massive improvement on the old ones (and they're good).

The cabs will take anything you throw at them without breaking up. The 12" cabs are far superior to the Aggy 12's (I was very disappointed how easily they distort). My Traveller 2x10 is much louder, tighter, warmer and lighter than the Eden CX110's I used to own.

The amps are similar in tone to Eden but less prone to clip IMO

[Jazz Ad]

I tend to make comparisons based on my ears rather than any other factor.

Novelty hype is a big danger with newly imported brands. We've had them in Europe for over 2 years now.

[Mark Sacchetti]

I think the weight of the T503 is about 8.2 lbs which is almost half the weight of the tf amp.

Sure its not a WW amp, I have owned one and traded mine,but it also is a third of the price.

I did hear that MarkBass designed the epi amp for Nick.

From what I understand the power section is a different design then the amps we currently have here in the US market

How long have the newer lightweight amps been out in Europe

From all reports I have heard the tone on the newer models is even better than the older models

[unatratnag]

Originally Posted by Jazz Ad

I tend to make comparisons based on my ears rather than any other factor.

Novelty hype is a big danger with newly imported brands. We've had them in Europe for over 2 years now.

I have to agree with Jazz Ad.... I think a lot of things get hype because they're rare. I'm in florence right now and have had the pleasure of playing one and listening to it live in a club.

It's a nice amp. Everyone's description is right. It's warm, but not super warm. It's clean but not super clean. And it's really cheap and light. So it's a good little amp and it definately does pack some power. But it's just not amazing IMO.

and FYI I tested it thru the MB 2x10... not sure which one it was. So on one side i couldn't A/B it with an cabinet i'm more familiar with unfortunately. But such is life...

[MODNY]

i poicked up a iamp 350, i seemed to like the tone a bit better than te markbass, with my F's

i still iked the mark bass though. great amps, great price. what more could u want?

[kasbrey]

Posted by Jazz Ad
I tend to make comparisons based on my ears rather than any other factor.

Novelty hype is a big danger with newly imported brands. We've had them in Europe for over 2 years now.

As I live in Europe too the novelty brands would probably be American like the Eden gear I sold.

As far as I'm aware the new Markbass range only hit the shops this summer. I was aware of the previous range but did not rate it as highly.

I've not played through anything that I've liked better and I've tried most of what's available in the UK.

[stedtale]

Hey MB users: How solid are they built? Are Mark Bass amps pretty solid, or are TF, EA and Eden more "tankish?"

[GrooveWarrior]

Originally Posted by stedtale

Hey MB users: How solid are they built? Are Mark Bass amps pretty solid, or are TF, EA and Eden more "tankish?"

They feel real solid. Everybody has talked about how light the heads are, but the cabinets are incredibly light as well. Nice stuff.

[AREA]

I´ve played a Markbass Little Mark F1 for a few Years. I was very satisfied with the Amp (450W/4Ohm) Very powerful, very easy Handling and very versatile. Easy way to get "your" Sound. The Sound is warm and clear. I naw changend into a Eden Nemesis Top, because I have G.A.S.

After all Markbass builds very good Amps and Cabs

[ebozzz]

Originally Posted by Landyachtz

They seem to be very hard to find in the US.............

Try GuitarX . He had some in stock recently.

[Peter Murray]

Hello everybody!

My name is Peter Murray. I'm the International Promotion, Marketing and Artist Relations manager for Markbass.

It's great to hear all of your various comments, and it's exciting to have this medium to communicate directly with all of you.

Obviously I'm not allowed to launch into "selling" mode here, but I just wanted to say that I'm here now and if anyone has any questions about Markbass I'd be happy to address them.

Thanks, and glad to be here.

[Mark Sacchetti]

Welcome to the forum Peter.

Can you tell us about the power section of the new amps?


By the way I spoke with Dave at Club Bass and my LMII is finally on its way to me. Boy! The wire transfer sure took its time getting through to Dave.

[stedtale]

Originally Posted by Mark Sacchetti

Welcome to the forum Peter.

Can you tell us about the power section of the new amps?


By the way I spoke with Dave at Club Bass and my LMII is finally on its way to me. Boy! The wire transfer sure took its time getting through to Dave.

...and what is done/taken away/used to make is so goshdern light?

[bmc]

Originally Posted by Peter Murray

Hello everybody!

My name is Peter Murray. I'm the International Promotion, Marketing and Artist Relations manager for Markbass.

It's great to hear all of your various comments, and it's exciting to have this medium to communicate directly with all of you.

Obviously I'm not allowed to launch into "selling" mode here, but I just wanted to say that I'm here now and if anyone has any questions about Markbass I'd be happy to address them.

Thanks, and glad to be here.

Welcome aboard Peter. Glad you signed up. It's 02:05am and I'm home from corporate Xmas gig and my Little Mark did just fine once again.

What are the plans for further distribution in the USA? Lots of guys have asked that on the forum.

cheers and thanks for the follow up.

[Jeff Moote]

Originally Posted by unatratnag

I have to agree with Jazz Ad.... I think a lot of things get hype because they're rare. I'm in florence right now and have had the pleasure of playing one and listening to it live in a club.

It's a nice amp. Everyone's description is right. It's warm, but not super warm. It's clean but not super clean. And it's really cheap and light. So it's a good little amp and it definately does pack some power. But it's just not amazing IMO.

I don't know what the situation you were listening in was (cabs, basses, and the room) but:

I understand there may be a novelty factor for the newly imported brand, but Dave's had them in Canada for as long as you guys have had access, I believe. I played a 1st gen. Little Mark and was impressed, but not hugely and it didn't meet my needs at the time. A couple of years later, I found the LM II to meet my needs quite well, and bought it. It has been serving me well for a few months.

If I may comment on the 2nd gen. Markbass amps (not cabs), I would say they are as clean as you're going to find an amp, short of a WW. I didn't think they were really shooting for warm, and yes, it's not as warm as say a tube amp, but it's a clean solid state head and I think in that category it delivers.

Paired with my 2 Bergantino 112s, I would say the tone is better than any Eden/SWR/Ampeg/name other north american brand here. I would say they compare very well to EA, Epifani and the others, from my experiences.

[Turnaround]

It is worth making a distinction between the MarkBass amps and their cabs. I have not been particularly impressed with the cabs, nor with the amps when played through the MB cabs.

First thing to note is that the cabs use neo drivers. That allows them to be light (big plus for me), but also results in them delivering what has been described as the neo sound.

To me, the amps shine when played through better cabs. I know Jeff Berlin really likes the MarkBass amps and cabs, but I much prefer my LMII through some Bergs.

[vision]

Is anyone using a MarkBass head with Epifani cabs? I'm really interested in how that combo sounds...

[Peter Murray]

Hi Mark and Stedtale,

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Re: Power Section

All Markbass amps feature cutting-edge digital power supplies, and all but one (the SD800) include the same analog power amp, rated at 500W RMS @ 4 ohms, 300W RMS @ 8 ohms. This means that the power section is identical on all Markbass amps except for the SD800 (which includes a digital power amp, rated at 750W @ 4 ohms, 450W @ 8 ohms). The differences between the different analog-power amp models (TA503, TA501, Little Mark II, LMK and SA450) are all in the preamp sections. Standardizing the power section saves on production costs and simplifies the manufacturing process.

The analog power supplies used in most bass amplifiers weigh around 6 kg (13.23 lbs). The hi-tech digital power supplies developed by Markbass weigh approximately 200 g (0.44 lbs). That’s 30 times lighter! This is the single largest factor in making Markbass amplifiers among the lightest bass amps in the world.
The Little Mark II and LMK 500W heads weigh 6.39 lbs.
Our SD800 800W head weighs 7.5 lbs.
Our heaviest heads (the TA503 and TA501 tube models) weigh 8.16 lbs.

Digital power supplies generate much less heat than analog power supply transformers, which means that Markbass amps are also uncommonly cool! Components are strategically positioned in the amp to optimize air flow, which also helps keep the temperature down. Even when the amps do heat up, the Markbass cooling fans are extra-efficient because they speed up gradually as the temperature increases. This means that when the amp is only slightly warm, the fan operates slower—and therefore quieter—than most amplifier fans.

Historically, when using analog power amps, manufacturers have had to use completely different transformers for different international voltages. With Markbass digital power supplies, however, only one transformer is used in all the amps. Making the voltage change is easy, quick and inexpensive—it’s a simple matter of changing a couple of solder connections. Any Markbass amp can be modified for different voltages without changing any components.

Markbass power amps are designed specifically for bass. The new version includes six matched transistors, whereas the old models had four. This gives the amp more current, more power, faster response and increased reliability.

Re: Lightness

As mentioned above, the power supply is the main factor in making the amps light. Building materials have also been chosen for their combination of durability and light weight. The use of surface-mount technology results in lighter components. But only the highest-quality components are used--sound quality is of higher importance than light weight.

I hope this answers your questions!

Cheers,
Peter
Markbass