Marbass Little Mark II Low Volume Issue

[Misanthropic]

I've had a LMII for closer to ten years with mostly no issues, and gigged it probably a hundred times.

Now it has a problem: The volume is diminished to a very low level. The sound quality in itself seems to be okay, it's just that the volume is very low. At 4 ohms and decent cabs, I usually only need the volume to be at around 9. Now I can turn the volume up all the way and it's still not loud enough for a band.

My first thought was the unused effect loop causing volume drops. I've always kept a patch cable there to prevent the issue. I removed the cable and cleaned the jacks with electrical cleanser spray. I also took the lid off and cleaned them from there as well, and did the same to the other jacks. I also cleaned off a small amount of dust from and around the circuit board.

The amp does not ger very hot, and the issue is there right from the moment I turn the amp on.

I have tried different cables, cabinets and basses, and my other head works fine in the same setup.

 

[Sparky Mark]

As you've already eliminated the effects loop as the possible problem you're going to receive the standard advice here; you can either accept that your amp which is 12+ years old has reached end of life, or entrust it to a Markbass savvy amp tech to diagnose/fix. LM2 are regularly available used for $260 or less so throwing too much money at it might be a waste. I love the older class AB Markbass heads and have bought a few very cheaply so I'll never need to have one fixed $$$$$$.

 

[DavidbCan]

I have the same MB head and just started experiencing the same issue.
Has anyone posted any information about what is causing this problem and maybe how to fix it?
I've had my combo for 5+ years and it has been generally babied so I'm not too impressed that it is now virtually unusable. I thought when I was buying Markbass, I was paying for quality that would last!
David.

 

[SJan3]

I have the same MB head and just started experiencing the same issue.
Has anyone posted any information about what is causing this problem and maybe how to fix it?
I've had my combo for 5+ years and it has been generally babied so I'm not too impressed that it is now virtually unusable. I thought when I was buying Markbass, I was paying for quality that would last!
David.

That is indeed premature for any kind of failure. Most MarkBass owners get at least 12+/- years, some even more. But there is a running issue with eventual power board failures in LittleMark amps. Repair estimates seem to eclipse $350 so it's a judgement call whether you wish to repair your unit or invest in another amp. Personally, I got over 12 years of HEAVY use out of my LittleMark3. When it became symptomatic I opted for another new amp.
Since you have the combo, I'd pickup another head, maybe used or open box from Musician's Friend. They have a few in good shape.

 

[DavidbCan]

That is indeed premature for any kind of failure. Most MarkBass owners get at least 12+/- years, some even more. But there is a running issue with eventual power board failures in LittleMark amps. Repair estimates seem to eclipse $350 so it's a judgement call whether you wish to repair your unit or invest in another amp. Personally, I got over 12 years of HEAVY use out of my LittleMark3. When it became symptomatic I opted for another new amp.
Since you have the combo, I'd pickup another head, maybe used or open box from Musician's Friend. They have a few in good shape.

Great advice, thanks.
Just disappointing to me that premium brands like Markbass (and others) just do not last.
Guess I'm showing my age here, but a premium quality SS bass amp should last longer than 12 years.

 

[SJan3]

Great advice, thanks.
Just disappointing to me that premium brands like Markbass (and others) just do not last.
Guess I'm showing my age here, but a premium quality SS bass amp should last longer than 12 years.

I hear you but at today's prices (you really do get more performance for your $$$ these days), and with the current throwaway mentality of electronics I think any amp that goes beyond a decade owes you nothing.
Agree that there is plenty of old iron that's decades old but underperforming and impractical by today's standards. If my flat screen tv fries, I'm buying new.
But you have a right to be disappointed in the early demise of your amp.

 

[Mark Ambler]

I hear you but at today's prices (you really do get more performance for your $$$ these days), and with the current throwaway mentality of electronics I think any amp that goes beyond a decade owes you nothing.
Agree that there is plenty of old iron that's decades old but underperforming and impractical by today's standards. If my flat screen tv fries, I'm buying new.
But you have a right to be disappointed in the early demise of your amp.

Hmmm, definitely a good reason not to buy Markbass Combos! (I was considering the 2x10 M58). Having said that, I did a Jazz duo with a great pianist last night, and my Sadowsky sounded great through my 801! Plenty of volume (and bottom end), such a good amp!
I do hear some negativity regarding Markbass amps, but my albeit limited experience is very positive.

 

[Sparky Mark]

I hear you but at today's prices (you really do get more performance for your $$$ these days), and with the current throwaway mentality of electronics I think any amp that goes beyond a decade owes you nothing.
Agree that there is plenty of old iron that's decades old but underperforming and impractical by today's standards. If my flat screen tv fries, I'm buying new.
But you have a right to be disappointed in the early demise of your amp.

Maybe I've misunderstood the age of this particular combo head but I'm not sure that an amp failing at 12 years old should be called an early demise? I don't classify Markbass as a "premium" brand either; it is mid range compared to Mesa, Bergantino, GR, Darkglass plus others.

 

[SJan3]

Maybe I've misunderstood the age of this particular combo head but I'm not sure that an amp failing at 12 years old should be called an early demise? I don't classify Markbass as a "premium" brand either; it is mid range compared to Mesa, Bergantino, GR, Darkglass plus others.

The fellow with the CMD121P had failure after only 5 years, if I understand him correctly.

 

[agedhorse]

Great advice, thanks.
Just disappointing to me that premium brands like Markbass (and others) just do not last.
Guess I'm showing my age here, but a premium quality SS bass amp should last longer than 12 years.

Agreed, and many do in fact last longer and are economically repairable.

 

[DavidbCan]

Finally a happy 'bottom' ending!
I posted in this thread many months ago how the LMII head in my beloved Markbass CMD151P combo started having volume loss problems. After extensive troubleshooting by my local MB authorized tech, the head still had serious problems and I just felt that I could not rely on the amp any longer.
So I did some research and found a new head candidate which I eventually found used in Montreal. This beautiful Mesa Subway D-800 fits perfectly and the sound is just amazing. Could not be happier to have my combo back in business and sounding (better?) great again.

 

[SJan3]

W

Finally a happy 'bottom' ending!
I posted in this thread many months ago how the LMII head in my beloved Markbass CMD151P combo started having volume loss problems. After extensive troubleshooting by my local MB authorized tech, the head still had serious problems and I just felt that I could not rely on the amp any longer.
So I did some research and found a new head candidate which I eventually found used in Montreal. This beautiful Mesa Subway D-800 fits perfectly and the sound is just amazing. Could not be happier to have my combo back in business and sounding (better?) great again.

View attachment 5295403

Wow! Who knew?? As long as it ventilates sufficiently you're good to go.
@agedhorse might be interested in seeing this.

 

[agedhorse]

Nicely done!

 

[The Bass Clef]

I know this is an older thread, but I've had 2 MarkBass Combo Amp II/LMK III heads poo poo the bed in less then a year. The first head started blowing its fuse immediately upon turning it on, and the 2nd one died on me during a set last night! Luckily I had my Minimax as a backup. This morning I plugged in the head that died last night and with gain, master and EQ all set in the middle, the volume sweeps between about 10% and 50% of the volume it should be and it's distorted like a blown speaker (which the cab is fine).

In my case, I've been using the MB amps to double for electric and standup, and I have the standup running through a preamp and then into the FX return on the back of the amp, while my electric just goes into the normal input. I wonder if I could be killing these amps because of this, but I don't see why?? Or maybe Markbass is just crap, I dunno. The first head was an Italian class A/B from 2012, and the one that blew last night is an Indonesian class D from only 2021. I did try connecting a cable in the FX send/return and that made it a bit louder, but still not right and lots of ugly clipping/distortion.

Like @DavidbCan fit his Mesa into the combo, my Peavey Minimax fits almost perfectly in a MB combo too (with 2 screws holding it in), and the fan is even on the correct side! I just had to slightly round out the holes on the cab to make it work. The Peavey sounds better too, so that's a plus.