Double Bass Markbass 121p vs minimark

[earthlypunk]

I am looking for a small combo amp that I can use for practices and small/medium gigs with my jazz big band and indie rock group. So far I've got my list down to two amps the Markbass 121p and the markbass minimark.

I play most upright and EUB but I want something that handles bass guitar well because I do some funk/fusion numbers with my jazz band and use mostly BG for the indie stuff. I have tried many other amps including GK, Acoustic image, and gk but really fell in love with my sound on the minimark. I haven't had a chance to play the 121p yet but the increased wattage and better set of features is highly appealing. (especially the mic input and eq)

Right now I don't need the full 500 watts of the 121p but I want to have to upgrade to a bigger amp. They are both so small the exta size/weight of the 121p probably won't be an issue. Now I use a 150 watt combo and it's fine in terms of power but I think I'll be playing some larger venues soon . Which amp do you think I should get?

thanks

 

[walking_line]

Your situation sounds very much like my own. I haven't played the minimark, but I am very happy with my new 121p. It sounds great for both upright and electric and has a lot of power for such a small package. It pushes 250w through the built-in 12 and you can add an 8 ohm extension cab to get the full 500w, if you need it. I love it b/c I can show up to rehearsal carrying both my upright and the combo in 1 trip, do a quick set up and get a great sound.

 

[earthlypunk]

that's exactly what I'm looking for. Right now I'm using a hartke kickback 15 (which sucks for upright) and weighs 57 pounds. either amp plus an upright would be a lot lighter and easier to carry than it.

Also, I've never used a cab with speakton extension plugs. How are they different than 1/4" outs?

 

[jesso]

The minimark is good, but it is a lot more limited volume wise than the 112 combo. that is unless you have an extension cab to use with it on bigger gigs, then it gets quite loud. I would only reccomend the minimark if you really want something very small. In that respect, it is a little wonder.

 

[earthlypunk]

I got a markbass cmd121p about a month ago and it's just what I was looking for! It sounds great with my fender jazz basses and wav 4 EUB. I've found that this amp is very directional and that I don't like it's sound too much unless it's off the ground and pointed straight at me. I don't hate the tone with it not facing me. I just don't love it.

Also, I've found that the amp is alot punchier when the gain and master volumes are both at the same setting. I don't know why...
But when I can dial it in right, this amp sounds killer! Nothing else I've played works as well for both EB and UB. Plus the DI is great for recording.

I'll be gigging with it for the first time next week with a large big band doing swing, funk and latin stuff for about 500 people so I'll see how the amp is for medium/small shows. Something tells me that it'll work great!

 

[AMJBASS]

That was a good choice. The 121p combo is a lot more flexible than the Minimark(although the size of the Minimark is pretty cool indeed). I think you will find that as you step away from the combo the sound will really open up. It should project quite well.