👕 Get New Ernie Ball Merch Now!
  • Ernie Ball
  • Music Man
  • Sterling by Music Man
Majesty Premium Select

What Ever Became Of The New MM Amps

Monahan

Monahan

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 25, 2013
Messages
85
Location
Olympia, WA.
It was a year or two ago (longer?) that I remember reading of folks at Music Man talking with Mark Bass about reintroducing the Music Man bass amplifiers...

Several of the newer MM bass videos show folks plugged into small MM combos, which I suspect are old models.

Anybody know what ever became of that? I would LOVE a small/medium MM combo :D
 
I think it was about 4 or 5 years ago they launched, and for some reason they were discontinued after a while. There are some in Sweden at least, and they work fine:)
There was a head, BH-500, and also a 810 as seen here: MUSIC MAN BH-500 AMP & 810 BS CABINET
Also there was a combo, 115b-250: Amps | bass, electric bass, luthier, online shop | DoctorBass
Maybe there were other options too, can't remember, and I have no ieda why they stopped. It was all built by Markbass, I think based on markbass amps but I'm not sure. Sounded good ant esepcially the BH-500 head was a nice one:)

Edit: Found the manual, dated 21 october 2014, so there around they were getting available I guess:)
https://www.zikinf.com/manuels/musicman-bh-500-manuel-utilisateur-en-50456.pdf
 
Last edited:
Monahan said:
It was a year or two ago (longer?) that I remember reading of folks at Music Man talking with Mark Bass about reintroducing the Music Man bass amplifiers...

Several of the newer MM bass videos show folks plugged into small MM combos, which I suspect are old models.

Anybody know what ever became of that? I would LOVE a small/medium MM combo :D
Click to expand...

Good question...????
 
Thanks guys!

2014/15... boy how time flies! As I continued to dig, I did find a few videos talking about the new amps. Here is a good one from the unveiling at Musikmesse '14:


Browsing the online sellers, I did find a few nice examples of the old ones, but both were in New York, and both require local pickup. Guess I just need to put some money aside and keep my eyes open for a nice combo.

Still though, I can't help but wonder what happened and why the project had such a short life span...
 
Most likely, they didn't sell, simple as that. They are not exactly hard to find on the used market, and while some people like them, they are also up against tons of amp builders out there right now, making every conceivable type of amplifier.
 
I bought the 115 B250 combo when it came out a few years ago. Very powerful unit!
 
Seem to remember these may have only been released in Europe and not in the US?
 
Aren't they basically Markbass with MM aesthetics? Markbass is doing ok in Europe, but it's not as popular anymore. Now if those were like the old tube power section amps, that would be something. Markbass? Meh. Ok I guess, whatever.
 
Where in Europe are you? I'm in Sweden and here Markbass isn't much of a deal, but in the short period when the new MM amps were available they sold ok I hear. And the BH-500 is a lot like the Casa, no class D:)
 
strummer said:
Where in Europe are you? I'm in Sweden and here Markbass isn't much of a deal, but in the short period when the new MM amps were available they sold ok I hear. And the BH-500 is a lot like the Casa, no class D:)
Click to expand...

Central Europe. Older Markbass heads weren't Class D either. Everything is Class D nowadays though.. Shame.
 
mouth said:
Central Europe. Older Markbass heads weren't Class D either. Everything is Class D nowadays though.. Shame.
Click to expand...

That's my point, the Casa (and BH-500) isn't class D. Markbass has been doing class D and A/B side by side for a long time, I personally think it's great that there are ultra light options. I enjoy more traditional amp designs, but a 2 kg amp is handy when taking the subway to a gig:)
 
strummer said:
That's my point, the Casa (and BH-500) isn't class D. Markbass has been doing class D and A/B side by side for a long time, I personally think it's great that there are ultra light options. I enjoy more traditional amp designs, but a 2 kg amp is handy when taking the subway to a gig:)
Click to expand...

It's still just a repackaged LM3 in a heavier case. Class D or not, Markbass have always been lightweight amps. It's not even a big (at least toroidal) transformer.
 
I've always wondered the end result of Class A/B vs Class D when it comes to solid state power and bass amplifiers. Most the bass amps I have are older Carvin units with toroids and Class A/B power sections. I do have a smaller 250 Watt Carvin that is class D, and a Power amp that is Class D.
 
My knowledge of an amplifiers inner workings is limited, though I do have a lot of experience using different types of amps. While I like the sound of tube amps better, I really appreciate the reliability of many solid-state versions-- and they sound pretty darn good too ;)

Around 3:20 in the video, Marco DeVirgiliis says that the MM amps are different from Markbass amps. It's difficult to understand exactly what he's saying at times, but he does mention the speakers, cab and something about the internals. Earlier in the video he also mentions that the preamp is solid state, with valves in the power section.

tbonesullivan said:
I've always wondered the end result of Class A/B vs Class D when it comes to solid state power and bass amplifiers. Most the bass amps I have are older Carvin units with toroids and Class A/B power sections. I do have a smaller 250 Watt Carvin that is class D, and a Power amp that is Class D.
Click to expand...

Ahh yes, Carvin. Their gear has been a staple of mine since the mid 1990s. Currently, a BRX 2x10 cab sits below my Mesa D800, and on the other side of my desk I have a MB250 15" combo with a dark brown "western" covering. That little Carvin has been a real workhorse over the last six years or so; I sometimes forget to turn it off after muting it, and a day or two later realize that it's been on all that time(!) Even so, it still keeps truckin' :D

Sadly, since the split in the company (Carvin/Kiesel) the Carvin offerings have been thinned way down and most of-- if not all of it-- is no longer USA made.

Anyway...

I have seen a few of the newer MM speaker cabinets available here in the US, with "Audiophile" painted on the lower front grill, but haven't seen any of the heads yet. I really should set aside a few bucks to have ready when I do find one :D
 
Last edited:
Monahan said:
I have seen a few of the newer MM speaker cabinets available here in the US, with "Audiophile" painted on the lower front grill, but haven't seen any of the heads yet. I really should set aside a few bucks to have ready when I do find one :D
Click to expand...

From what I remember, the Audiophile line was about 15 years ago, there was a nice amp called HD-500 and speaker boxes that everyone loved the sound of.
This line up had a more modern styling, and the Audiophile logo looked a lot like a car logo from yesteryear. If I ever stumbe on a HD-500 I might buy it.

https://images.reverb.com/image/upl...upersize/v1560639805/duaxgtrqyrqqdfoimjze.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Jacquard Straps
Back
Top