Does anyone know if you can replace the head that comes in the CMD combo amps with any of the other Little Mark heads. I would like to pop the Little Mark Tube head into my 102P. Just wondering if anyone has tried this before.
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Markbass Combo head replacement
- Thread starter boogie8008
- Start date
It seems as if any Markbass head with the same dimensions as
the LMII would fit. It would have to be the exact same
dimensions though. The combo head is a very tight fit.
Also, you'd obviously have to put screw holes in the head,
which might void your warranty.
the LMII would fit. It would have to be the exact same
dimensions though. The combo head is a very tight fit.
Also, you'd obviously have to put screw holes in the head,
which might void your warranty.
Whew!Glad holes ain't screwed in my head(although it may seem at times),so MY warranty ain't voided.Nevermind,back on topic.....Sorry.
Seriously,take the head out of the combo and try to find the dimensions of simular models.
An amp company should manufacture a combo or head with interchangeable 'modules' for completely different sounds.
Seriously,take the head out of the combo and try to find the dimensions of simular models.
An amp company should manufacture a combo or head with interchangeable 'modules' for completely different sounds.
Peter Murray
Commercial User
- Dec 13, 2005
- 627
- 80
- Disclosures
- Marketing and artist relations for Xvive (ex-Markbass, ex-Supro, ex-Pigtronix)
In theory the heads are the same dimensions, although the combo head doesn't have a "top" on it. For safety/homologation reasons, we do not recommend that you do this, and any user modification will void your warranty.
Cheers,
Peter
Homologation?!? Man, there's a 50c word if I ever heard one! No wonder you make the big bucks, Peter! 
I hate to raise a zombie thread, but I figure I might as well chime in incase someone else is wondering the same question and needs a 100% concrete answer:
Swapping out the combo head with a LMII requires no modifications in anyway. All that needs to be done is to remove the top cover on the LMII before you slide it into the combo. At 1st it appears that the additional 4 screw holes which are used to anchor the head in the combo aren't there, they are indeed there...they're just hidden under a strip of foam/rubber tape. Once you peel up the tape (or just poke a hole in it where the anchor screws go) it's a 100% direct swap.
I'm going to assume that the LMIII is the same deal, although I have no experience with that swap.
trevtdogg
Guest
- Mar 28, 2015
- 21
- 3
- Disclosures
- i play in the melbourne grunge rock band charm: www.charm.bandcamp.com
sorry to bring back such an old thread, but i just swapped the combo 1 head out of my 121 combo and replaced it with my lm3 head.
thought I'd give some info for others looking to do the same.
very easy job, anyone can do this. 4 allen key screws hold the head in place in the combo, they go through the piece of wood part of the combo box right where the top of the amp head would be if it were on its own. they are quite long screws by the way. un plug the speaker cable from the amp head, leave it dangling. push the amp head out the front by pushing the from the back of the amp head - this took a bit of force as it's a tight fit, but it does slide out if you keep at it. as has been said, the top piece of metal casing is missing from the combo amp head, but this doesn't affect the function at all of course, just adding one will help with the look, and easiet safety / care for the amp. also the combo amp doesn't have rubber feet attached, but it does have holes to attach them if you want to.
Little mark 3 once i took the feet off just slides right in there, no need to remove the top plate or for any other adjustments. you only need to remove the top plate if you want to screw the new head into place. I want to be able to swap mine in and out whenever, so instead while the cab was empty without any amp in, i just put one of the allen key screws in the back hole all the way in so that the amp can't slide too far back anymore. The front of the head sticks out by a few mm this way, but it becomes a nice snug fit that is easily removable and playable. the knobs on the front do slightly extend past the cab housing, so if you aren't careful you might bash/scrape the front knobs a little while moving the combo around, same as many other combos from different brands though so not a huge deal for me.
and i'm sure people with more skills than me could easily create a better latch/stopper type thing at the back of the head slot to stop it from sliding back too far, still without the need to screw the amp in place. i doubt you'd ever have to worry about the head falling out the front accidentally, it's a pretty tight snug fit and holds well in place for normal use.
best of both worlds: portable lm3 head for gigs with back line provided, and a great head/cab combo when i need to bring my own full rig! just need to get the 121 extension cab now for the louder occasions
thought I'd give some info for others looking to do the same.
very easy job, anyone can do this. 4 allen key screws hold the head in place in the combo, they go through the piece of wood part of the combo box right where the top of the amp head would be if it were on its own. they are quite long screws by the way. un plug the speaker cable from the amp head, leave it dangling. push the amp head out the front by pushing the from the back of the amp head - this took a bit of force as it's a tight fit, but it does slide out if you keep at it. as has been said, the top piece of metal casing is missing from the combo amp head, but this doesn't affect the function at all of course, just adding one will help with the look, and easiet safety / care for the amp. also the combo amp doesn't have rubber feet attached, but it does have holes to attach them if you want to.
Little mark 3 once i took the feet off just slides right in there, no need to remove the top plate or for any other adjustments. you only need to remove the top plate if you want to screw the new head into place. I want to be able to swap mine in and out whenever, so instead while the cab was empty without any amp in, i just put one of the allen key screws in the back hole all the way in so that the amp can't slide too far back anymore. The front of the head sticks out by a few mm this way, but it becomes a nice snug fit that is easily removable and playable. the knobs on the front do slightly extend past the cab housing, so if you aren't careful you might bash/scrape the front knobs a little while moving the combo around, same as many other combos from different brands though so not a huge deal for me.
and i'm sure people with more skills than me could easily create a better latch/stopper type thing at the back of the head slot to stop it from sliding back too far, still without the need to screw the amp in place. i doubt you'd ever have to worry about the head falling out the front accidentally, it's a pretty tight snug fit and holds well in place for normal use.
best of both worlds: portable lm3 head for gigs with back line provided, and a great head/cab combo when i need to bring my own full rig! just need to get the 121 extension cab now for the louder occasions
I did the swap on my Cmd121p combo,which now sports a Markbass 800 tube amp.(both of which are out of warranty).
I do like the design of the Mesa walkabout/scout,which allows for the encased-housing amp to be removed and used independently. The markbass heads are even smaller than the Mesa,so i'm sure they could probably be installed with a bit of padding....
I do like the design of the Mesa walkabout/scout,which allows for the encased-housing amp to be removed and used independently. The markbass heads are even smaller than the Mesa,so i'm sure they could probably be installed with a bit of padding....
And....2 and 1/3 years later, I did do just that. Bought an ampless Scout 12 cab recently,installing the Markbass combo head was a snap. The combination of the Markbass head and the Mesa scout sounds great to me,with more of a full botttom presence than the Cmd121p.
I use a VT DI to preamp both combos,to add just a smidge of tube edge.
Not really any transition pics.
I installed the markbass combo head into the mesa cab using just 2 Small L brackets.
15 years ago, After discovering there was no top plate, I built a top plate for if I wanted to only bring the head.
I never needed it, but at least that abberation was fixed.
I still don't understand WHY they do that.
In some combos I can understand, there is not even a casing, but here, beside saving the cost of the piece of metal, I can't see a reason.
Even without top plate, the top of the head is closed by the wood of the combo anyway.
I never needed it, but at least that abberation was fixed.
I still don't understand WHY they do that.
In some combos I can understand, there is not even a casing, but here, beside saving the cost of the piece of metal, I can't see a reason.
Even without top plate, the top of the head is closed by the wood of the combo anyway.
