MarkBass Little Mark Tube Bass Head
As far as I am concerned, I can’t see myself having to buy another bass amp head ever again! Just maybe different bass cab shapes and sizes. The Markbass Little Mark tube head is extremely powerful for such a small, light (6.31 lbs), and elegant looking unit. It is a valve amp head with produces 800 watts into 4 Ohms, it has a 4-band EQ, variable pre-shape filter and a vintage loudspeaker emulator. It also has two input channels (one with XLR input as well as 1/4” jack), a variable XLR line out and a handy mute switch if you pull the master volume out slightly. On top of this, there is a control that can blend between the warm sounds of the tube preamp with the clean attack of the solid state preamp (The black control next to the Markbass logo.) On the back of the unit there is also a ground lift switch, a pre/post EQ switch, a line out for a tuner, and the main outputs are a speak-on out and class 2 wiring as well for 1/4” jack connections.
Sound-wise, the MarkBass Little Mark is amazingly versatile, awesomely loud and generally mind blowing. It handle the lows without muddy blur for your rock or metal which can be enhanced with the VLE control, and on the other hand you can push the VPS filter up above 12 o’clock and out come the higher end tones which is perfect for a funky slap sound, all without touching the EQ! At all settings from lows to highs on the EQ to different levels of the VLE and the VPS filter, this amp produces a clear tone that can sit nicely under your band or, with minor adjustment, can cut through without being offensively loud or harsh sounding.
Out of all bass amps I’ve played including Ampeg, GK, Trace elliot, Ashdown, Hartke, among others, this amp is definitely a winner for me. It seems to be able to easily handle all sorts of different sounds brilliantly which I’ve never found with other amps. The Little Mark’s great sound and power along with its light, small transportability, are among the many reasons I would recommend this it to anybody who can afford it, and why I never intend to trade it in for anything else. I have never reliably heard anything bad about the MarkBass Little Mark Tube, or the MarkBass brand in general. From what I have heard MarkBass have great customer service should you have a problem (which I have also heard is very unlikely due to their reliability!)