Upgrade Little Mark II

[fortvideo]

Hello,
I have a Little Mark II pushing two 8ohm cabs (18" and 4x10") and am looking to upgrade my power. To keep up with my current band, I am maxing out my power and sounding muddy after increasing the gain on the head. I play in a reggae rock band, and am always getting asked to turn up so I would love some head-room.
I am thinking about the Little Mark 800, but would love any other suggestions. I would like to stay with something lightweight, and around $700

Thanks for your advice

[BurningSkies]

You'd probably get more out of a second 410 and ditching the 18 than you would another amp. But otherwise I'd consider getting a peavey IPR1600 and use your amp as a preamplifier for it.

[DWBass]

Originally Posted by BurningSkies

You'd probably get more out of a second 410 and ditching the 18 than you would another amp. But otherwise I'd consider getting a peavey IPR1600 and use your amp as a preamplifier for it.

+1 You need to push more air. Another 4x10 would be ideal. A Markbass LMII not loud enough? Inconceivable! I can't have my volume go past 9 o'clock on my gigs! I'm using 2 1x12's. Y'all must be extremely loud!

[chadhargis]

No doubt!

If your stage volumes are that high, I'd invest in a big box of industrial ear plugs.

[Musicman20]

GB Streamliner 900

[bassjam]

I ran 2X410 boxes on a gig once with the LMII.I cant imagine needing to be louder than that.

[Handyman]

As other folks have said, your 1x18" cab is probably your limiting factor here. Which 4x10 are you using? Some are quite a bit more efficient than others.

[hyp.spec]

I'm assuming you're using the 410/118 setup to get some solid thump right? Reggae is heavy on the low bass is it not?

I agree that looking into different/more efficient cabs, but that's not the be all end all either.

I tried running a LMIII through an 810 and was severely disappointed. I've read the LMII/III really only puts out 400-440 watts, and not the advertised 500, so you may indeed be running out of power.

Exactly what type of sound are you looking for? That will certainly help in what kind of amps/cabs to suggest!

[DWBass]

I believe the power output is determined by the cabs power rating. In his setup his 1x18 is only getting 250 watts and it's probably an inefficient speaker. 400-500 watts doesn't matter. It won't make much of a difference in db. The LMII/LMIII a LOUD amp.

[BurningSkies]

As someone who plays reggae and uses a LMII, I would think this amp would work for most situations give a set of efficient cabs. I would guess that a second matching cab would not only give you more clean volume,but also give you more low, allowing you to roll back your lows a bit and give you more headroom. My one problem with the amp is the power amp limiting on the low lows. I know that lots of guys pick 18's because they think it will provide the heavy bottom, but you limit your potential volume with a single speaker cab matched with a multi speaker cab and almost all eighteens aren't as low as people think they are.

[pacojas]

i play Reggae with a LMIII and it has more than enough power. i can get a massive round sound out of a 102P or my old Peavy 2X15! gl.

[JimmyM]

let me correct a little misinfo here by parroting what i heard the really smart audio types say:

power rating of a head is determined not by what the cabs' power handling, but by what impedance your cabs run at. i used to own an lmii and imho it's rated accurately. output of a cab is determined by a cab's sensitivity specs vs the amount of power it's receiving. a low sensitivity cab will require more power to run it.

the 118 is DEFINITELY the screwing factor here. the idea that a 118 has more low end than your average 410 is engineering by looks. a second matching 410 is the ticket if you want output...yes, even for reggae. check out the specs of most 410's...most go at least as low as any 115 or 118. some, like the ampeg 410hlf, go way lower. however, it's a bit lower on the sensitivity than the sealed 410he, so it requires more power to get it as loud as the 410he.

[Kwesi]

Originally Posted by chadhargis

No doubt!

If your stage volumes are that high, I'd invest in a big box of industrial ear plugs.

Ditto! Well firstly a 410 and 118 are hardly the most efficient combo but I can't imagine not being able to get the volume I need out of that with a LMII. That sounds like a problem in and of itself.

[RickenBoogie]

I'll echo what's been said- dump the 18, which is holding you back, double up on the 410 and thump away. And +1 to the comment about the speakers rating having nothing to do with how much power it receives. Nada.

[jasper383]

+1

The 18 is holding you way back. Get a matching 410.

[BurningSkies]

I do believe we've been Lownered.

Possibly on account of us not supporting additional amp shopping.

[Marley's Ghost]

I played a medium size room Friday night with my LMII and 1215L and had to turn down twice at the request of the sound guy. I played most of the night at 9-10am. It's your eq or your cab preventing you from cutting.

[fortvideo]

Thanks for all your input! I did replace my LMII with a Little Mark Tube 800 yesterday to get some more headroom. Testing out the new head, I really think the tube aspect of the head will give me a more "butter-y" sound as well

I will definitely look at another 4x10 to replace the 18" in the future. I lOVE the 18" stage rumble, so I'll see how a new head does first.

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by fortvideo

Thanks for all your input! I did replace my LMII with a Little Mark Tube 800 yesterday to get some more headroom. Testing out the new head, I really think the tube aspect of the head will give me a more "butter-y" sound as well

I will definitely look at another 4x10 to replace the 18" in the future. I lOVE the 18" stage rumble, so I'll see how a new head does first.

You'll get as much and probably more low from a good set of 4x10's than the 18 with a 4x10. The 18 is also the limiting factor in your volume & clean headroom.