Markbass MiniMark Combo

Some people complain about lack of features. I don't know why. The reason you buy this amp is the size and weight! 20 pounds! But still they manage to fit two tone shaping controls, an aux in mini phone jack for your ipod, an eight ohm external speaker jack, and a balanced line out for direct recording or for your tuner. Expecting more features than that in a package this small is asking too much. I gave it a ten for versatility, because I can use it alone for home practice or lower power acoustic type jams, or add an external speaker and gig with a full band. I love this amp!

I can dial up just about any sound I need by using the amp controls and my bass controls. It's amazingly loud and deep for those two little speakers. Don't forget, we are not comparing this to an Acoustic 360 or SVT810 cabinet. That is not a fair comparison. As much as I like a huge bass rig, the truth is for the places I play (bars, clubs, private parties), those big amps are way too powerful and I'm tired of killing myself moving them around. I figured I would blow this thing up the first time out with the band at a real gig. I figured wrong. It outperformed my Eden World Traveler, especially as the night went on and I started pushing the volume.

I've only had this about 7 months so I haven't had this long enough to rate it for reliability. I haven't dropped it, played in the rain, or had someone spill beer onto it yet. I never ever gig without a backup. I can't help but think someday those little speakers will blow out, but it hasn't happened yet.

Hopefully I won't need any customer support, because I doubt it would be convenient in any way.

I've been playing bass since 1971 and have owned Sunn, Acoustic, Ampeg, Kustom, Harkte, etc. I'm old school and still love a good solid 2 x 15 bass cabinet or two. This is the only amp that has come along to convince me to stop lugging the beasts around. I use this minimark alone, or with a 1 x 10 Ampeg Portabass cab, or with a Peavey 210TVX if I need to be extra loud, and never lack power or versatility.

I compared this to a Phil Jones amp, and to me, the Markbass can be driven much harder before having the limiter kick in.

Unfortunately, if it were stolen or lost, I could not afford another. I lucked out and got this one at a special half price sale. Same goes for the speaker cabinets this company makes. I'd love to have one or two, but they are just way too expensive. That's why I rate the overall a 7..... the price.

this is about weight.19lb. bass amp that can cut practice,recording and small gigs.no tone controls,you get to really hear your bass clearly.line out to the house or add a 2nd cab for more volume.every pro needs this amp.

clean hi-fi sound or add a little vt for a dirty tube vibe. holds the low b tight.I play a KYDD travel bass 4[no tone control]and it kills,very woody.my warwick nt4 thumb can get any sound I dial in.

my 2nd mark bass amp.selling my other rigs.

had to buy it at the kmart of music stores[GC] no one can answer any question correctly at this chain.they just make it up.useless time wasters.spelled my mane wrong on the warranty[could not correct it]takes about a week for the Ialians to get back to you.hope the stuff is as good as they say[you pay for it]

it's light weight,sounds great[really]I need a pro rig to run out the door w/last minute gigs,pracice,lessons.won't cut it w/loud drummers.does what it does better than an other amp in its class.

so this just might be my imagination but as the gig gets longer the amp vibes up a bit. kinda cool. (I dont drink on gigs! ;) wish they made a stand alone head w/ these 3 knobs. sound is just perfect!

I wanted to update my older review. I've had the chance to gig w/ this amp quite a bit. it really has taken a licking. plus it's my practice amp. this gets used a lot. the knobs are just as solid as the day I got it. speakers still sound great. fa??ade is still in good condition.

So yeah - the low B could be beefier but considering the size it does a decent job. I've used this in full band settings and it worked ok. usually it's in an acoustic duo so I dont need a huge amp. but the size is just simply amazing! build quality is stellar! worth every penny!

I tried this combo extensively when searching for a new bass amp.
Pro: this is a very small combo, that sounds surprisingly well.
Con: tone shaping possibilities are limited. Next to volume, it just has VLE and VFP filters, that allow you to boost mid and high+low, respectively. If you're looking for a clean sound, that should be enough, but I would have preferred high/mid/low controls.

The sound is of this combo is surprising, esepcially when you considerits size: it is quite deep, thumpy, and it has nice definition. I tried it with a fretless electro-acoustic Gretsch bass, and this amp emphasised its acoustic qualities. I think that it will sound great with an acoustic bass as well, but I didn't try that.
I actually preferred the Minimark over three other Markbass combos I tried (MINI CMD 121p and 151p and the CMD 151 Jeff Berlin).

I tried quite a few combos in search for a new one, including four Markbass combos. The main reason I didn't buy this particular one was its power, I thought it would not be enough. An extension cabinet could resolve this, but take away one of the main advantages of this amp: portability. I settled for a AER amp one, which outclasses the Minimark by far (and pricewise by a factor 1.5). However, I would recommend the Minimark for practicing and small gigs, especially (semi)acoustic ones. If you only use it for practicing only, it is a bit expensive, though.

Had it about 3 weeks.
It suits me very well, but its a very specific thing.
I was originally going to buy a littlemark as a back up for my jeff berlin combo and 102hf cab. Thing was, I also wanted a practice amp. This amp acts as both a backup and practice amp for me.
On its own its loud enough for acoustic jamming, or even jamming with a drummer whose using brushes. Hooked up to my 102hf cab, its as loud as a 102combo I think, its should be putting out about 250 watts at 4 ohms.

Sounds excellent on its own. Very nice tone, great reproduction of my fender jazz, Danelectro longhorn and ibanez roadstar going through a sansbass. The VLE and VLF are fine for me to be able to get a nice sound. The Danelectro sounds very woody and the markbass really gets that feel across.
Its very loud for its size, but its tiny.... your not going to burst anyones eardrums with this. Its does produce very convincing lows, but nothing trouser flapping or stomach churning.
Its very light and I would be happy carrying it on public transport with one hand.
Its very nice to know that its potentially 250 watts... more mighty than it might seem at first.

I never gig without a backup, but I trust this amp.

Dunno

If it were stolen, I couldnt afford another! Very expensive. Not bad value for me, but as a practice amp it dosnt make sense price wise, especially compared to some of the 10 inch combos. As a practice amp which will be used occasionally with an extension cab it starts to add up.
I really like this amp, its a great design.

I wish this amp had some sort of tone shaping other than the VLE and VPF (which I personally find useless) I also wish it had an effects loop. This amp is clean - I use it for bass and acoustic guitar!

CLEAN No vibe, which can easily be added. I would have never thought I would dig that but I do. Some amps have too much vibe and you can't turn it down. It is VERY clean and great on acoustic guitar as well as bass. I play a passive J V. The B is pretty solid. This amp can move walls. It's surprisingly loud.

I should note that when really cranked it does vibe up a little. I really like it past like 6.


I've recorded this amp a few times as well. Very smooth. Very pleasant.

I've had it a few months and done a bunch of gigs w/ it. It feels very solid. Knobs and switches are tight and secure.

They are an Italian company, so for being in a different country the support is pretty good.

There is something to be said that when leaving my house for a gig my bass amp is lighter than my bass in my case. For intimate small to med size rooms this thing is a no-brainer. You may need a pedal to achieve your sound, but so what. I actually haven;t found a pedal to compliment it.

My gripe about the vanilla tone may just be smoke and mirrors - every pedal I try just ruins the sound. When I kick it off I'm like - no way, the amp sounds better on it's own. Maybe I'm just freaked for not having EQ and a passive bass. Who knows.

For the price, this is a great amp! The technology is fantastic, I wish more amp makers were doing it (in fact it seems like a trend is forming!)

Oh, forgot to mention my biggest gripe w/ this company. In the US the only place you can get 'em is Guitar Center. . . ARG!!

Simple, but largely all you need. If you have an EQ pedal or a preamp on your bass, then the two filters offer plenty of sounds (even if you don't have some sort of EQ). The biggest feature is portability, but 150 watts on its own with 2 6" speakers didn't cut it while doing jazz or church-rock though (so nothing terribly loud), so if you have to haul around an extension cab then that perk is right out the window. This would be great for recording, practicing at home or if you need an amp as a glorified monitor.

I used a passive 5 string J bass with this amp and it was quite punchy, which works well with my style. The low B was a bit thin, but I don't rely on notes that low anyway. At rehearsal I turned it up to 3/4 volume and there was no distortion, although the tone was extremely compressed. With the VLE, I was able to dial in a nice clean tone that worked well with a Big Muff and an MXR M-80.

didn't have it long enough to say

I emailed customer service with a question and they got back to me in less than 24 hours.

I needed something portable (I rely on public transportation) but could still handle a rehearsal, so I stepped up to the CMD 121 for about $50 more. I think at lower volumes the MiniMark has a better tone out of the two amps, but since I wasn't looking for recording/practice amp, I couldn't justify the cost of this amp.

Very minimal control setup. Only has volume and 2 tone controls. VLE (Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator) and VPF (Variable Pre-Shape Filter. While both of these controls do a lot to change the sound its not an amp i would recommend for anyone who likes to do a lot of tweaking to their signal at the amp. On the back panel you've got a balanced XLR out and a 1/4" speaker out. There is a speaker on/off switch but when i try to use this it will shut off any signal going to the extension cab as well as the internal speakers, may be useful in a studio situation where you just want to use the head to preamp your signal. Fairly standard ground lift switch also on the back panel. Overall its not a feature packed amp, suits me fine as i like a very straight signal but doesn't offer a lot in the way of versatility.

I play a Warwick Corvette Neck-Through 5 string. It gives very smooth tone and a very fast response. Bass response is a little lacking on the lower notes when only running it through the combo however pair it up with a 4x10 or 1x15 extension cab and it puts out a very meaty low-end. I'm giving it a 7 because even though i love the sounds it really needs an extension cab before it can reproduce the full spectrum of my bass with clarity. Running the 1x15 extension cab with the 2x6's at the same time gave me a sound that i really enjoyed. Please note this is a very smooth sounding rig, if your after Gallien Krueger style brightness this is not the amp for you.

I've had the amp for just over 6 months and no problems so far.

3 year warranty, no problems so far so i haven't had to contact them.

Great little amp, but not for everyone. Smooth tones, i find it great because i like to really fill out my bands sound rather than cut through over it. I play in a 3 piece progressive/experimental band and there is a lot of space to fill and i find the Minimark great for that. Just as a combo its only really viable for smaller jams, gigs and any higher volume practices your probably going to want to run an extension cab. But overall a great amp, love it :) Can't beleive i can now walk into a gig with my amp in one hand and my bass in the other.

This new MiniMark bass amp combo is new to the market. Minimal features. Volume and 2 tone controls... see Mark Bass website for full description. Both tone contols shape the sound to a 'vintage' tone. You can plug in an external 8 ohm cabinet to increase output wattage from 150 to 250 watts. You can turn off the combo speakers and use only the external cabinet speakers. Since I like a straight sound, this tone control limitation works for me.

The combo has two 6 inch speakers and piezo tweeter. It has an amazing sound for such a small package. It is VERY light weight, about 25 pounds, which is why I bought it.

I use the combo in jazz workshops, church band, and practice. It has more than enough power for my purposes. I have never turned volumn beyond about 3/4 max as it is too loud. It would be fun to connect a 8X10 external cab to see what it can do...

Great sound for such a small light weight unit. Loud enough for practice, small venues, and the church in which I play. It seems to emphasize the low frequencies and deminish the mids... sounds a bit 'boomy'. but when connected to my Ampeg flip-top (SB12) 12 inch speaker, it fills out nicely and it sounds very much like the Ampeg tube amp thru the 12 inch speaker.

Turn up the volumn past 2:00 o'clock at it begins to distort, not bad, but I like a clean warm tone for jazz. I usually run it at 12:00. Beyond that, I connect the extension cab.

I have two basses, both kinda 'home brew': 1) Fender body, Warmnoth fretless neck, De Marigo (sp) active electronics and 2) homemade fretted (pawn shop beater neck) with EMG select passive pickups.

I've had it about a month, no opinion.

No problems with the MiniMark, so no comment

I've been playing for about 5 years (I started late in life) and have been on the equipment and tone search from the beginning. I may have completed my search.

My other bass amp is the Ampeg SB12 flip-top tube combo from the late 1960's... I am surpried how similar they sound. Neither are cheap to replace, but I would replace the MiniMark with another in a heartbeat. My equipment quality exceeds my playing skills.. but I love it.

I traded my GK Backline 112 combo, plus a bunch of cash, for it. Mark Bass equipment is not cheap.