Mark Bass Amps

grayk · Post by **grayk** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:40 am

Is there anyone out there who uses Mark Bass amplification. I am a long term Ashdown user but have been hearing great things about the small Mark combo's. I am interested what they are like and whether a 4003 sounds good through one.

rickenbrother · Post by **rickenbrother** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:00 am

Mark Bass made Ernie Ball's Audiophile bass amps and cabinets. Although they sounded very nice, hey didn't sell very well. The cabinets were very heavy, though I don't know if that was part of the reason.
I think the new Mark Bass cabinets are made to be light. They look cool, I saw Jeff Beck a few weeks ago, his bassist using a Mark Bass rig. I'd like to check them out, but I haven't seem them in a music store in my area.

grayk · Post by **grayk** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 1:52 pm

Thanks for that Joey. I am very much into portability these days and these Mark combos appear to be just that. They have a fantastic reputation for power, clarity and reliability. See Harmony Central reviews. I was talking to a big volume dealer a few miles from me today. He was telling me that he is astounded at the fact that he hasnt had any back in with faults and he has sold dozens of units. He really rated them. I had been looking at the Mesa Boogie Walkabout Scout combo and he put me off it. He said whatever you do look at the Mark combos. I was impressed with that because he sells both brands but the Mark gear is about half the price.

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:44 pm

A friend recently bought a Markbass head (500w?). It sounds awesome and weighs nothing. Following my lead he paired it with 2 1x12 Aguilar cabs, and he says he can't get it past "1". It's next on my list of amp "must buys".

I've also tried the Walkabout Scout combo (1x12) and it was great with some basses (Status and Alembic) but wasn't up to much with the Rics we tried (72 4001 and recent 4003).

jps · Post by **jps** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 3:38 pm

Yeah, small and light is the way to go!

grayk · Post by **grayk** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:41 pm

Thanks for that Shaun, thats the feedback I need. Especially regarding the Mesa. Jeff I was going to go with your 1 x 10 cab option with a separate head but I think I just want the simplicity of a small powerful and light combo. I havent got a small head that would suit the 1 x 10. I cannot wait to try one of these Mark Bass combos out. There is a dealer just 40 miles from me who has the full range. Hes hard to pin down on a decent deal though and I know I can get a better deal elsewhere. I would still appreciate some more thoughts if anyone has them. The more positive feedback the better.

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 4:19 am

Keith, bear in mind it's only my opinion, and yours may differ (although my friend felt as I did but even more so).

I've only tried the 2x10 Markbass combo and I wasn't keen because you couldn't turn the tweeter off. But I've heard good things about the others...

hoptownbass · Post by **hoptownbass** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 9:26 am

After reading this post last night I went on to the Markbass website, I noticed that they do make a 1x15 combo without a tweeter that weighed in at about 50 pounds (it's the Jeff Berlin model). That sure beats the heck out of my current 2x10 combo that weighs in at over 100 pounds.

rickenbrother · Post by **rickenbrother** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 9:59 am

I was impressed with that because he sells both brands but the Mark gear is about half the price.

I'm thinking that this price difference may not be the same in the USA as it is in the UK, since MarkBass products are made in Italy. Though if it is, there might be a MarkBass product in my near future...if I can find any to try out. Supposed GC carries them, but I've never seen one in GC, at least not at the one near where I work.

rick_redux · Post by **rick_redux** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 5:05 am

I've been a very happy MarkBass S450 user for about 18 months now and can't say enough good things about it. This was an end-of-line model from 2005, so it's not one of the ultra-lightweight amps they currently produce (mine weighs around 20 lbs, as opposed to 8 lbs for the newer models).

My four major considerations when buying a new amp are: (1) tone (2) build quality and warranty (3) price and (4) ease of operation. The S450 has met or exceeded all my expectations in all categories, and has been dependable as the sun to this point.

There's lots of grunt -- 280 watts @ 8 ohms; 450 at 4 -- and the EQ is simple but versatile, delivering the sound of your bass, not the sound of the EQ. It runs dead cool at 4 or 8 ohms and delivers the power cleanly and consistently all night. Clipping is virtually non existent.

For small clubs I run it at 8 ohms into either a Bag End S15-D or a Euphonics VL 2-10. For bigger gigs, I use both cabs. On the first gig with my newly acquired 4001, I used the 15" only and got lots of clean grunt at the low end and a surprising amount of highs, given the Bag doesn't have a tweeter. Next time, I'm going to add the 2x10 as well because to me the amp sounds best when it's driving a 4 ohm load.

Complaints? Not much. The channel volume pot gets a little scratchy if the amp has sat for a while, but this is easily fixed by giving the knob a few quick sweeps before firing things up.

I've not tried any of the MarkBass combos, but if I was looking for a combo they'd be the first units on the audition list.

johnallg · Post by **johnallg** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 11:45 am

Joey - what about your excellent RIC combo amp (the one at the 75th)? That one sounded awesome, especially with Dane's 4008CS.

The GC website does not list Mark Bass as a carried brand.

rickenbrother · Post by **rickenbrother** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:07 pm

According to the Markbass website, GC was supposed to start carrying their products starting in August '06. Either the deal fell through or they are just very slow to make a real transaction.

That RIC RB120 is an impressive sounding amp. I'm glad it got used the way it was at the 75th. I'm just afraid to gig in a loud band with that amp, because from what I understand about the amp is, the speaker has a special feedback coil to the amp. If that speaker were to get blown, I don't know if I could replace it.

johnallg · Post by **johnallg** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 5:53 pm

That IS a real concern. But it stood up to Helter Skelter!

bob_the_bass · Post by **bob_the_bass** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 12:58 am

Thanks for the original post and all the updates guys!
I was in Sounds Great last weekend (where I get all my gear) & they had a full stand dedicated to Mark Bass gear. The store had nothing but praise for the heads, cabs & combos - the weight (or lack of) is a real selling point for me ... I'll be trading my Peavey combo in for a head, 1x15 & 2x10 cab very soon !!

Bob

turlu · Post by **turlu** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 9:00 am

I bought a Little Mark 11 and the 410 HF cabinet, for a total of 70 pounds altogether !!!

The tone is excellent and very loud. You guys have to try these amps. For a gigging musician, these rigs are the dream come true, so much they are light and easy to carry. I laugh at my guitar players every gig when I show up with the amp in my laptop backpack !!!

Sincerely, if you are looking for an amp that sounds good right out of the box, very simple to use, has a great tone, not expensive, super loud, and easy to carry, MarkBass is the way to go. I gigged about 10 times so far with the rig and never had to push the volume to get the cutting through tone I am after. I play without PA support.

I used to have heavy all tube amps, and heavy cabinets, but absolutely no more !!!!

A Sansamp BDDI or a Behringer BDI21 will give you the tube emulation with the rig as well, without the weight. My two cents.