Davebassics Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 How new is the little mark vintage line? Has anyone had a chance to try them? Looks to be two variants, the Little Mark Vintage: http://www.markbass.it/product-detail/little-mark-vintage/ and the Little Mark Vintage D2 http://www.markbass.it/product-detail/little-mark-vintage-d2/ The D2 appears to have a more flexible EQ where as the normal Vintage has a limiter which is interesting ... both of those things are major plus's for me, shame they are not in the same unit. I am a long time Mark bass user, I had a Little Mark II for years before swapping it for a Little Mark III because of the more flexible Line output. Despite my contentment, I recently got a hold of a Sansamp pedal (The SVT one) and rather that using the LMIII's Vintage speaker emulator, I am using the Sansamp pedal to round my tone and give me a subtle bit of emulated tube drive. I play quite a diverse range of music. It is mainly soul, motown, blues at the moment but I also have some side hustles in the rock and pop world. Mark Bass heads have always worked for me because I find them to be so flat and clean when all of the knobs are dialed centre but there is a good deal of versatility in the tone controls. I'd love to get rid of the Sansamp pedal and have the tone shaping in the amp head but the Sansamp has so much more character than what the LMIII can give me. .... its all very fine margins, I admit, I probably couldn't tell a difference in the mix at a gig. I am not sure why I am so loyal to Mark Bass, there are so many alternatives on the market these days. Would be really interested to hear some first hand reports. Youtube is great but its difficult to really understand how much of what you are hearing is the amp. For info, my cabs are 2 x Bergantino AE112 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 My mates just brought one of these (the non D2). I should get to play it through my F112 over Christmas. Only at house volume though. I like that the EQ points are higher than the old style MB heads. I used MB for years, and I'd say 95% of the time with a BDDI in front (and some others like VTBass and DG stuff). I always found MB stuff to be ok but a bit like SpagBol without Parmesan on top. Clean and nice but needed spicing up.I now only have a F1 which is not being used but its been my fav MB head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 2 hours ago, dave_bass5 said: My mates just brought one of these (the non D2). I should get to play it through my F112 over Christmas. Only at house volume though. I like that the EQ points are higher than the old style MB heads. I used MB for years, and I'd say 95% of the time with a BDDI in front (and some others like VTBass and DG stuff). I always found MB stuff to be ok but a bit like SpagBol without Parmesan on top. Clean and nice but needed spicing up.I now only have a F1 which is not being used AND WILL SELL TO LINUS27 AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE 😊 Edited for you Dave because you missed a bit out 🤣😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 11 minutes ago, Linus27 said: Edited for you Dave because you missed a bit out 🤣😂 Haha, who knows, maybe Santa does exist..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davebassics Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 14 hours ago, dave_bass5 said: I used MB for years, and I'd say 95% of the time with a BDDI in front (and some others like VTBass and DG stuff). I always found MB stuff to be ok but a bit like SpagBol without Parmesan on top. Clean and nice but needed spicing up. Glad to know it's not just me who is a MB enthusiast who also feels the need to run something in front of it because it is lacking in flavour! Maybe I should start looking elsewhere. Looking forward to your opinions on the LMVintage if/when you get a chance to have a go! When did they start shipping? surprised not to have seen some basschat discussion yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 12 minutes ago, Davebassics said: Glad to know it's not just me who is a MB enthusiast who also feels the need to run something in front of it because it is lacking in flavour! Maybe I should start looking elsewhere. Looking forward to your opinions on the LMVintage if/when you get a chance to have a go! When did they start shipping? surprised not to have seen some basschat discussion yet! From what ive read over the years quite a lot of MB owners put something before the heads. Mate got his from Bass Direct yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebadon2000 Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 (edited) Dave bassics wrote; "The D2 appears to have a more flexible EQ where as the normal Vintage has a limiter which is interesting ... both of those things are major plus's for me, shame they are not in the same unit." The new D2 Version has a limiter with on/off switch. Edited December 25, 2019 by Nebadon2000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davebassics Posted December 27, 2019 Author Share Posted December 27, 2019 On 25/12/2019 at 14:26, Nebadon2000 said: The new D2 Version has a limiter with on/off switch. Interesting ... but no other control? I am a sucker for tweaking. Watched some awfully biased sales pitched on YouTube over Christmas. I just don't get what they are achieving with this range. Gold plated PCBs? Has anyone ever had an issue with copper in the past 70 years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chienmortbb Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 (edited) 30 minutes ago, Davebassics said: Interesting ... but no other control? I am a sucker for tweaking. Watched some awfully biased sales pitched on YouTube over Christmas. I just don't get what they are achieving with this range. Gold plated PCBs? Has anyone ever had an issue with copper in the past 70 years? Apparently the heft is shinier. On a sensible note. There is no reason to use gold, silver would be an improvement (although no noticeable) but gold is a wasted expense. Edited December 27, 2019 by Chienmortbb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Ill be trying out the non D2 next Friday, but my mate has said there is a huge difference between this and his old little mark tube. Louder, fuller sounding and seems to have a more 3D tone to it. I always think making a big deal about gold plated contacts/connections etc is a bit of a gimmick. Yes, they can be more reliable over time, but ive never personally had issue with non gold plated contacts. I would also expect any manufacturer making pro gear to use whatever works and is up to the job anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chienmortbb Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 59 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said: Ill be trying out the non D2 next Friday, but my mate has said there is a huge difference between this and his old little mark tube. Louder, fuller sounding and seems to have a more 3D tone to it. I always think making a big deal about gold plated contacts/connections etc is a bit of a gimmick. Yes, they can be more reliable over time, but ive never personally had issue with non gold plated contacts. I would also expect any manufacturer making pro gear to use whatever works and is up to the job anyway. Gold is worse than copper in many ways. The only benefit I can see is that it tarnishes less. Hopwever it is also not durable. One reason you should never use gold plated jack plugs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 (edited) On 27/12/2019 at 14:32, Chienmortbb said: Gold is worse than copper in many ways. The only benefit I can see is that it tarnishes less. Hopwever it is also not durable. One reason you should never use gold plated jack plugs. Not really a problem because when/if the gold does wear away you will still have the nickel or whatever underneath. Not saying that they are worth it, just that it's not really a problem. Edited December 30, 2019 by Count Bassy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davebassics Posted January 10, 2020 Author Share Posted January 10, 2020 On 27/12/2019 at 13:30, dave_bass5 said: Ill be trying out the non D2 next Friday, but my mate has said there is a huge difference between this and his old little mark tube. Louder, fuller sounding and seems to have a more 3D tone to it. Did you get round to trying your mates D2 Dave? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 1 minute ago, Davebassics said: Did you get round to trying your mates D2 Dave? Sorry, I forgot to post back. I didn't get over there as i was laid up with a virus. Hoping to get over there before then end of the month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franzbassist Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 (edited) Looks like there’s a D2 floor pre coming out? Edited January 18, 2020 by franzbassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_Stroud_Bass Posted February 8, 2020 Share Posted February 8, 2020 Just bought one of these (Non D2) versions today. Tried it out in the shop against a MB Casa and Genzler M800 and chose this. Using it through a Barefaced Super Compact and it does sound excellent. I have no experience of past MB heads- this is my first one after upgrading from a combo. Only tried it at house friendly volume, but will report back once gigged! Jack 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davebassics Posted February 9, 2020 Author Share Posted February 9, 2020 @Jack_Stroud_Bass looking forward to your review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 (edited) I did finally get to play my mates one last month. Neither of us thought much of it and he sent it back and got a Little Marcus. It just seemed to lack life and tone, at least compared to the head he had before and the one he has now. Edited February 9, 2020 by dave_bass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chienmortbb Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 (edited) On 30/12/2019 at 00:35, Count Bassy said: Not really a problem because when/if the gold does wear away you will still have the nickel or whatever underneath. Not saying that they are worth it, just that it's not really a problem. True. For fixed installations Gold is worthwhile for touring/gigging it does nothing but does not hurt. Edited February 9, 2020 by Chienmortbb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 (edited) On 27/12/2019 at 12:37, Davebassics said: Interesting ... but no other control? I am a sucker for tweaking. I think I'm landing in the opposite zone! An amp delivering a (i) decent "full" clean with (ii) a versatile EQ and (iii) plenty of headroom ie 500W+ at 4ohms and (iv) a reputation for quality ticks a lot of boxes! Add in (v) a valve in the preamp to deliver valve warmth and (vi) the portability of a D class, pretty much ticks the rest. (vii) an hpf on the amp would be super nice to have but there aren't many amps with this that also deliver on all the rest, and this is the easiest of wish list to bottle up in pedal format. Having an on board limiter is pretty cool. These days I'd prefer to have the flexibility of choosing my own flavour of drive; being limited to an amp's preamp drive is a bit of a lottery as to whether its going to give you "your" drive sound; more likely that it won't, so you typically end up using the drive on the amp to "warm up the clean" in a manner emulating a hybrid. Might as well get a hybrid in the first place. I'm getting pretty tempted by this head... Edited March 1, 2020 by Al Krow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildebassman Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 (edited) Received one today, will try it out tomorrow on my 112ext Vanderkley. I have a 60 day return policy on this amp, if it doesn't match with the cab and my ears I can just return it for a full refund. I will post my findings tomorrow. Edit: I returned it to the shop, I want more clarity in an amp. Edited May 22, 2020 by wildebassman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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