Markbass Minimark 802 2x8

[Dmiels]

I posted last month looking for direction on a portable amp that was versatile enough to play out with. Got some really good advice. Thank you all very much! I think I've narrowed it down to the Markbass 802 2x8 combo which can provide 150watts for rehearsals and I can add another external cab for up to 250 watts for gigs. I'm hoping someone out there may be using this as I described and could provide some feedback on their experience. Or feedback on Markbass in general.

Thanks!

 

[monsterthompson]

nothing?

 

[Jeff Scott]

This is the first I am reading about this amp. I can only imaging how great it is given how wonderful and versatile my Minimark has proven to be over the years.

 

[baste_artist]

I've seen the minimark being used at a small club in New Orleans by a badass upright jazz bassist. He had a great full and defined sound and that amp was freakin tiny. Note that jazz db doesn't require much amplification.
It's just the type of amp I'm lookin for myself..

 

[anton72]

I had a chance to test it in our local dealer's shop. It's a great liitle amp, very full sounding and loud but I can't understand why do they keep putting these horrible piezo twitters in...It gives that terrific annoying hiss just after you turn it on and it can only be reduced by VLF filter but you lose brightness accordingly. It's a shame really why can't they just put an OFF switch for this piezo tweeter to leave this noise. It is the only stopper from buying it now IMO at least for me. It's an expensive combo and I expect that it would justify its cost. Again, I love Mark Bass amps and heads, but for these tweeters...

 

[pbass888]

i have the old version the markbass minimark (with 2 6 inch) and it kills. i play a fender jazz and an upright and its volume is huge, clear tight and focused . i use it here in nyc clubs and it always gets compliments. i ve never used it with an extension and never used it past 1 oclock in a live setting. i use it with the jazz bass and a sadowsky outboard pre and its easily in the ballpark of my larger rig ( a markbass little mark 2 and a 12 inch markbass cab).
. its easy to carry on the subway and can take a tremendous beating because its built solidly. ive used it in clubs in houston also. great option and lightweight and portable. my mini rig of doom

 

[Rosebud]

2x6 was great but I kept wanting 2x8, now we're talking! I will say I'm not in the market for this right now but if I were...well there are a few options in the 8" speaker department these days, well aren't there

 

[MotorCityWest]

I also had the old 2x6 version. Although I loved the sound for my tiny apartment, I never liked how it sounded with my 102p or 151p when trying to jam with other instruments.......which was my reason of spending a premium in the first place. Both cabs sounded great with LM II, LM III, and LM Tube 800, just not my mini.

The new 2x8 might be better, but I have to say my 2x6 was not worth the price tag.

This is purely from a very subjective tone opinion. The quality and features, plus light weight were top notch.

 

[woodyng]

I had the 2x6 version,which at the same price point as Markbass's own cmd121p combo,paled by comparison.(except for the ultra portability,but really it's only a difference of 8-9 pounds anyway)
I sold the mini,and am using the cmd121p. If the mini were $300 less,i would say go for it,but the 1-12" combo is better in every aspect and features,power,etc.
I was just looking at markbass website,so the newer version has the same power section as before (150/250w),dunno if they lowered the price on it but the weight difference between it and the 121p combo is now less than 5 pounds. Get the cmd121p.......

 

[Dreamsinger]

Good luck finding an 802 in the US. Apparently the distributors have so many discontinued 602's in their warehouses that it looks like they're holding off on the 802 until they can unload the old stock. At $800 I don't see that happening anytime soon. I *love* my MarkBass gear but the price of the 802 is making Phil Jones look better all the time.

 

[Tim1]

I recently acquired a 2x6 at rock bottom clearance price. I am very happy with it, although I doubt that I would gig it in anything other than an acoustic setting. Tonally, ease of use and weight-wise I love it. It fills exactly the gap for which I purchased it - a first class practice and small/acoustic gig combo.

 

[Dreamsinger]

Define "rock bottom".

 

[Dreamsinger]

Grist for the rumor mill; a friend with decades in the music retail biz tells me that GC (MarkBass US distributor) is on credit hold with MB plus GC isn't hot to bring in the 802 while they have an overstock of floorplanned 602's.

 

[kimcorbet]

I posted last month looking for direction on a portable amp that was versatile enough to play out with. Got some really good advice. Thank you all very much! I think I've narrowed it down to the Markbass 802 2x8 combo which can provide 150watts for rehearsals and I can add another external cab for up to 250 watts for gigs. I'm hoping someone out there may be using this as I described and could provide some feedback on their experience. Or feedback on Markbass in general.

Thanks!

I just bought my second 802 and use them as a stereo pair for my synth looping set up. very clean and full throated. pushes plenty of air with great bass presence. if I need more rumble, I add a markbass 15 cab, but I rarely need more than the 802 anything beyond medium size spaces. markbass is such great quality and built for life.

 

[Dreamsinger]

I wound up buying a Carvin MX210. I swapped the crappy speakers for a pair of Eminence Basslites for a 250 watt output @ 4 ohms. I had the external speaker out converted to an aux in (which it should had from the gitgo). The neos got the weight down to 23 pounds. While it sounds better than stock it's not all that impressive tonewise but it serves my purposes fine.

 

[bmc]

I came very close to buying an 802. At the very last minute, an AER Bass One came along at half price and I scooped it. As Ed Friedland says in his YouTube assessment, "It's astonishing." what you hear and what you see do not compute.

 

[Dreamsinger]

I came very close to buying an 802. At the very last minute, an AER Bass One came along at half price and I scooped it. As Ed Friedland says in his YouTube assessment, "It's astonishing." what you hear and what you see do not compute.

At $1800 street price even half price is pretty damn steep.

 

[bmc]

At $1800 street price even half price is pretty damn steep.

Street price over here is €1,300. I picked it up for €700. Not cheap at all, But far better sounding than many 1-12 combos. It blew the Genz Benz 3.0 -10T away. No comparison at all. Try one out sometime. It's quite the little unit.

 

[paololoap]

I had a chance to test it in our local dealer's shop. It's a great liitle amp, very full sounding and loud but I can't understand why do they keep putting these horrible piezo twitters in...It gives that terrific annoying hiss just after you turn it on and it can only be reduced by VLF filter but you lose brightness accordingly. It's a shame really why can't they just put an OFF switch for this piezo tweeter to leave this noise. It is the only stopper from buying it now IMO at least for me. It's an expensive combo and I expect that it would justify its cost. Again, I love Mark Bass amps and heads, but for these tweeters...

Yes that's right : that piezo tweeter is spitting out atrocious harshness when the amp is turned up (and I'm talking about a passive p-bass, not an active machine with boosted up treble). COntacting Markbass they said to just turn up the VLE knob, but that does not help me because it will turn down treble and midrange all over and I want to keep the growl oozing out from the excellent two 8'' drivers. I can't believe Markbass has launched this combo on the market without any control knob on that poor tweeter ! Too bad, that tweeter totally ruins the sound at high volumes - it is a NONO !! Now I'm installing my own tinkered L-pad attenuator, figuring out a way to do it without sawing holes in the cab. Damn' !

 

[anton72]

Yes that's right : that piezo tweeter is spitting out atrocious harshness when the amp is turned up (and I'm talking about a passive p-bass, not an active machine with boosted up treble). COntacting Markbass they said to just turn up the VLE knob, but that does not help me because it will turn down treble and midrange all over and I want to keep the growl oozing out from the excellent two 8'' drivers. I can't believe Markbass has launched this combo on the market without any control knob on that poor tweeter ! Too bad, that tweeter totally ruins the sound at high volumes - it is a NONO !! Now I'm installing my own tinkered L-pad attenuator, figuring out a way to do it without sawing holes in the cab. Damn' !

Absolutely agree, this is definitely a design flaw. The amp section is so good and the 8"drivers are too at this combo but this crappy tweeter makes it useless. Just one tweeter off switch or attenuator will improve the thing dramatically, not sure why cannot it be done on their combos while they make it with their cabinets.