Markbass Little Mark II Head vs. Ampeg B1-RE

you answered your own question almost..nobody talks about the ampeg, but people rave about markbass..hmmm...theres a reason for everything!

the ampeg might be a great amp.. but my oppinion, the markbass LMII and SD800 are world class amplifiers, and are very inexpencive considering the quality level. my main amp is a LMII, always nice and clear, never dirty. you want your bass to shine, markbass is your best choice.

and since you mentioned you think you can get the price bumped down, its not likely..i have a good friend in whatever high position in a local guitar center, so anything i buy there i get at cost- but markbass they cant discount at all..something about them being imported from italy? either way, i think it came to $650 after tax. considering i prefer this over a $2300 walter woods, not a bad deal at all..

 

The ampeg B2-re is usually considered the bottom of the ampeg line. The b1-re even more so. Ampeg is not world famous for their SS stuff... 300 watts (especially ampeg SS watts) don't go so far... The LMII is a well-liked head (Hey, I use it ) that is rated at a very conservative 500 (head says 600) watts.

Even if you wanted to get the ampeg sound, I'd bet the B1-re doesn't give it. To me, the LMII is clearly superior.

 

I`ve recently been in a similar situation. My main amp has always been my good old reliable Ampeg b100-r combo. It`s a fantastic combo with lots of warmth and vintage sound.

I`m gradually starting to play in larger venues so I started my search for my 1st head+cab. My final choice was Markbass LMII and Epifani UL410 S2. My main source of info is always TB, so I`ve read plenty of comments from those who have far more experience and are always willing to help.

Do a search and you`ll find plenty of positive comments on Markbass heads matched with Epifani cabs. Hope it helps.

 

If the 610 is 4 ohms you'll be pretty set. if the LMII at 4 ohms can't meet your volume needs... God help you . It should get you pretty far.

I use mine with a mesa 212 at 8 ohms and is just enough. I'm hoping to add another 212 and then I'll be more than set.

The LMII is a pretty transparent head, so most of your tone is going to come from the cabs you choose and your bass.

You won't want the LMII to distort on itself (I don't even know if it does, haha). If you want distortion you'll want to look into a decent pedal or something like the agro by aguilar. Just volume match it to your clean sound and use it like a second channel. With a quality overdrive/distortion pedal, this will sound pretty convincing. My EBS multi-drive pulls off a great SVT.

 

I'm curious--have you been able to get a sound similar to the B-100R with the new setup?

Sorry for the temporary hijack. Now, back to your regularly-scheduled show.

 

Well, not yet, mainly cause I haven`t received the Epifani cab yet
I`ll post a review once I have it.

 

The B1Re is a decent amp but the Littlemark will blow it away in terms of loudness and tone. If they are close in price - get the Markbass!

 

I love Ampeg amps, but only their tube amps. Their hybrids are decent, and their Rocket bass combos are really good, but their SS heads are very average IMHO. There is no way I'd ever get a B1RE over a Markbass LMII. The LMII is the best SS head on the market IMHO.

 

ive got a B2RE and that doesnt even push near enough power as I need, youd be better off with the mark bass

 

markbass... duh