Markbass Little Mark II, Standard 104HF & Traveler 121H

Little Mark II

Production efficiency and amp-to-amp standardization are key tenets of the Markbass mission. Each amp in the line (save the flagship SD800) has an identical Class AB power amp, and each makes extensive use of surface-mount technology, a manufacturing method that places electronic components directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards. The benefits for the consumer include reliability and cost savings. The Little Mark II is lightly populated with high-quality components, all expertly located and installed. Thanks to a variable-speed fan and thorough heatsinking, the Little Mark doesn’t get too hot—but in the unlikely case of a thermal crisis, there’s an automatic shut-off circuit. While the head has some cool bonus features, like a balanced xlr input, I missed having a mute function.

The Little Mark II sounded crisp, poised, and pleasant. It doesn’t offer extraordinarily burly low end, but it’s always balanced and capable, even at high stage volumes. Its flat tone is colorful and edgy, with a lower-midrange bite that’s slightly vintage in personality. Some engineers criticize switching power supplies for their instability under heavy loads, due to their inherently weak “power factor,” which is a measure of the current necessary to transfer a given quantity of power. The audio consequences are sluggish attack under loud, consistent duress (like high-volume slap), but the Little Mark II didn’t seem to suffer during testing. I appreciated the Little Mark’s capable tone circuitry. Markbass augments the conventional 4-band peaking/shelving EQ with a mid-scooping vpf control and a treble-cutting vle control. I found the vle to be exceptionally useful in practice. Mid-contours like the vpf are commonplace on many amps, but perhaps a tone-knob-mimicking thump circuit like the vle should be, too. It was a quick and easy way to get thick, dark tone out of an otherwise bright and sparkly head.

Standard 104HF & Traveler 121H

Neodymium speakers are more than light-but-identical alternatives to conventional ceramic-magnet drivers. They have a unique tone personality that manifests as quick delivery and sonic delicacy. With few exceptions, each neo-equipped cabinet I’ve tested has exhibited these fundamental qualities, but the Markbass cabinets are an exception. Both the 4x10 104HF and 121H 1x12 have a distinctively gutsy, thick, and throaty tone whose stoutness is more conventional in scope.

The Markbass cabinets we tested were solidly constructed from good materials. The cabinets’ multi-ply Italian poplar was well secured and cross-braced. The grilles were offset with rubber bushings and attached with nickel-alloy screws to prevent vibration. Well-placed handles made lifting the phenomenally light cabinets a breeze. A 12dB/octave 2nd-order crossover handles signal distribution, and a 50-watt L-pad helps tweak the tweeter sound. I liked the placement of the L-pad adjuster on the cabinets’ side, which makes onstage tweaks much easier than the usual back-plate position. I didn’t dig the cabs’ blazingly bright yellow graphics and oversize logo, however. As a bass player, I like being able to retreat into the background.

The Traveler 121H 1x12 was a sweet little gigging companion. It’s absurdly portable, but capable of impressively thick and syrupy tone. When I was a bit abusive with a powerful amp and indulgent B stringing, it winced, but under normal circumstances it held its own. Its sonic presence in a room was excellent for a small cab, particularly because it seemed voiced for strong midrange. The tweeter was a tad edgy but tamable with the L-pad. In a sea of groovy 1x12s, the 121H is among the most portable around-town options.

The front-ported Standard 104HF is the bigger of the two 4x10s in the Markbass line. The 104HF sounds barky and thick, with punchy low mids and modest treble extension. Its high-range response is snarky and aggressive, not crystalline and lacy. Fingerstylists will certainly appreciate its potent midrange hump, but slappers who demand clacky sizzle may be best served elsewhere. It’s great at reproducing thick, palm-muted P-Bass sounds and other traditional pillowy and supportive tones.