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Markbass Little Mark Tube Bass Amp Head

#6
raymondl3 said:
I really like it. I think it's very warm sounding whether or not the tube is engaged. One strange thing I've noticed is there is a volume swell when turning the tube knob on and then it tapers back to the original volume when fully engaged. Has anyone else experienced this?
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I tested this on with my bass turned low (active) on both full tube, or full trans, and noticed no swell. So turned the master volume to the max, with about 10% gain.
 
#8
JimmyM said:
That wouldn't even get the tube warm!

I wouldn't worry about the volume swell. Just don't play while you turn it ;)
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Lol yeah. I have a feeling that my neighbors wouldn't appreciate me having max master and max gain while at home lol.

Edit: in the interest of science, I ramped up the gain and turned down my bass to almost nothing and tested. So max master max gain. Got a bit of static, but still noticed no swell.
 
#10
I used to own a LMT800, but it was a bit fizzy at higher gain settings (I usually ran the gain from 12:00-3:00) and it just wouldn't clip in a way that I wanted (IIRC Markbass amps have a built in limiter which squashes down the signal hard, which may have been the "bloom" effect you encountered). I really tried to like that amp, and the Shuttle 6.0 that I tried after it. Finally, I got my hands on a vintage Univox amp which is what I am usually using these days. It's only 60 watts, but gets loud enough for small/medium sized gigs and has made me a believer in tube amps. The single tube preamps just can't get the same character that a real tube amp has. I do still own a Class D amp, but it is a TC Electronic amp for when I travel (the Univox is a huge heavy sucker), or when I am playing a larger venue where the DI out comes in very handy.

Personally, I really liked the LM-II I had over the LMT800.
 
#11
TheMutt said:
I used to own a LMT800, but it was a bit fizzy at higher gain settings (I usually ran the gain from 12:00-3:00) and it just wouldn't clip in a way that I wanted (IIRC Markbass amps have a built in limiter which squashes down the signal hard, which may have been the "bloom" effect you encountered). I really tried to like that amp, and the Shuttle 6.0 that I tried after it. Finally, I got my hands on a vintage Univox amp which is what I am usually using these days. It's only 60 watts, but gets loud enough for small/medium sized gigs and has made me a believer in tube amps. The single tube preamps just can't get the same character that a real tube amp has. I do still own a Class D amp, but it is a TC Electronic amp for when I travel (the Univox is a huge heavy sucker), or when I am playing a larger venue where the DI out comes in very handy.

Personally, I really liked the LM-II I had over the LMT800.
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Isn't the LM-II a class A/B design? I think the LM-Tube (not 800) is also. Maybe that would account for your preference (?).

The main reason I got the LM Tube instead of the LM-III is I wanted 2 channels with separate gain, although it's nice to have a tube in the preamp too.
 
#12
raymondl3 said:
Isn't the LM-II a class A/B design? I think the LM-Tube (not 800) is also. Maybe that would account for your preference (?).

The main reason I got the LM Tube instead of the LM-III is I wanted 2 channels with separate gain, although it's nice to have a tube in the preamp too.
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Upon further research, you are correct, the LM-II and LMT are Class A/B. However, that's not the reason that I preferred the LM-II over the LMT800. I really liked the LM-II over the LMT800 because I felt that the tube preamp didn't do much for me personally, and unlike you I didn't need two inputs with separate gain controls. If I had a preference for Class A/B over Class D, I wouldn't love my RH450 head so much (which I do, and think it is much more versatile than either of the Markbass heads and the Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0 that I have owned).
 
#13
i demo'd one of those amps,but then decided the cmd121p combo was probably the overall "best buy" in markbass' line and got that. i have had a few amps (mesa walkabout,ampeg svt3) with the preamp tubes,and never could get the sound i was looking for. After reading a LOT of positive posts here,i decided to buy a VT pedal,and it works very well with the markbass amp--i dial in just a touch of grit and drive,and it makes all my basses sound the way i envisioned,modern,clear,but with a tube-y edge.
 
#15
I owned the LMTube (class A/B, 500 watt version), and while I did really enjoy the amp, I ended up having to sell it because I needed more power at 8 ohms. Basically I had to run the amp hard enough for the limiter to kick in, which sounded really bad. Anything below the limiter sounded great.

I have to admit that I'm in the camp of not being able to hear any noticeable difference between the SS and Tube blends outside of increased gain as you moved from SS to Tube. That micro tube they stick in the circuit just doesn't do much, if anything outside of having a bit more gain on tap than the SS side. Ultimately that didn't matter as I liked the tone enough on either side of the knob to not be bothered by it.
 
#18
Hi talk bassers...
I need help,so please help me . I have MarkBass Little Mark Tube,but on gig, two days ago I could not turn it on. I am from Bosnia,and we dont have service here. I need schematic for these amp,so if anyone can help,please help,I am desperate. Thnx,I am waiting for answer...
 
#20
The MarkBass LM Tube amps barely have a tube in them. I forget the Nomenclature but its a little tiny itty bitty micro iature tube that solders in to the board and cannot be removed. I prefer the LMIII or LM800.

MarkBass amps are best suited for 4 ohms cabs, they get a little squashy on the gig in an 8 ohm cab.

MarkBass amps are at full potential at half way on the volume knob.
 

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