johnny2shoes

I think it's just a surprise, I turned it on in the kitchen and it just seems unnecessarily loud. Would be fine for gigging and playing at rehearsal but I'd find it annoying as a practice amp at home. 

I ordered one last weekend after my little mark iii died. After chatting with Bass Bunny it made sense to spend less than a repair to get a brand new head with 3 year warranty. 

Arrived on Thursday. Not had a chance to play yet, waiting for the mrs and kids to be out. I have turned it on and agree the fan is really loud. It's a shame there's isn't a thermostat built in. Might be worth swapping the fan for a quieter one. 

Hopefully I'll get hooked up today to have a play then can decide if it's staying or not. 

Thanks for all the feedback

I've taken the plunge for the Peavey minimax at 164 quid rather than give my hard earned cash to Mark Bass for something which light fail again. 

I may decide one day to repair it or donate it to someone for spairs, but not ready to part ways with my doorstop just yet. 

Dave 

It was stored in a bag at some rehearsal rooms. Cold place but not damp. Never had problems before and my ashdown mag 300 stored at the same place worked perfectly fine 

Yea I'm kinda thinking it's worth repairing. I bought it second hand a few years ago. Wouldn't buy another MB product though. Tempted by the peavey for gigs and MB for anything else but wouldn't be able to fund everything at once. Might try another fuse or two before taking it to real. 

Ha I love the response 

I have a MAG 300 I've had for years, not too fond of the sound with the mag speakers, but it works. 

I've just picked up a BF One10 with the idea of keeping small and using the little mark, but don't like the idea of paying nearly 200 quid to repair it. Hmm...... Decisions..... 

7 hours ago, BassBunny said:

I know s couple of people who had Little Marks repaired by Real and they were in the £150 - 180 range. This was just the repair cost.

I believe they will supply/sell pcb's, but you still need someone to diagnose which one needs replacing. Don't they waive the £35 if you go ahead with the repair?

2 hours ago, BassBunny said:

As a long term Mark Bass fan and from what I have learned and seen, everything inside is mounted on a number of PCB's and Real don't do anything at component level. It sounds like it could be a Power Supply problem and that is all mounted on 1 board. The other thing to consider is that if it is a Class D model then it really is a "swap a board" excercise.

I am having a problem with a 12 year old SA450, (Little Mark with parametric mids), that has suddenly sunk to practice level volume after not being used for 6 months or so. It just isn't worth chucking nearly £200 at it as it's only worth around that figure. Problem is i haven't found anything to touch it for sheer "grunt"

I think you're right, I've been put off buying another MB. I like the look, sound and build quality but they're internals don't seem up to much given how many are having to be repaired. 

I don't play too much these days so don't want to invest loads, but the Peavey with its guarantee sounds promising, or even the little trace elliot but I'd expect I'd find it under powered after a while. 

I'll sleep on it, I don't like the idea of chucking the little mark, but I'd struggle to sell it for parts, will end up a doorstop or in the tip. 

Thanks both. I have a MAG 300 stored away as a spare but the small amps are ideal for my main rig (mrs friendly). It seems a waste to bin the LM iii but their problems seem a little too common. 

I'll give it some thought over the weekend. I might get lucky and they can repair it without a new PCB. 

Morning, thanks for the reply 

They've just emailed me as they've been closed for Christmas. Quoted 69 plus vat for labour and 79 plus vat for a new PCB if they can't repair at component level. 

Almost as much as picking up another second hand one or another different head, but always a chance that would fail at some point. 

Evening all, 

My LM iii (manufactured 2011) died the other week, it hadn't been used for two years, worked with a little use for 20 minutes then there was no power. I tried new leads and then the replacement fuse in the power which blew straight away without it powering on. 

Online searches indicate its common, and will require a new PCB, particularly because Mark Bass won't provide parts or schematics to anyone but their approved engineers. 

Does anyone have this experience? And how much did it cost to repair? Luckily I work outside of Sheffield near to Real Electronics so I can drop it off rather than ship. They charge 35 quid to diagnose it. Trying to work out if its worth paying or putting it towards another amp given its age. 

Thanks everyone 

Dave 

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