Sparky Mark

That's a fantastic rig, congratulations.

I had a UK built MAG (cant remember whether 300, 400 or 600) but it sounded great. Maybe not having the extra features (complications?) of the ABMs gave the MAGs a more direct and punchy delivery.

Why not find another Midget?

Watch out for head/cab width hangover problems. A narrower cab could give stability issues and using a narrow cab on its side will fire at your ankles rather that our knees/backsides that we have grown accustomed to listening with.

I agree with Lozz. Try a set of roundwounds first; a. because for the styles you are playing they would suit better than flats IMO and b. your bass will sound completely different for very little expense. A precision into 500w GK and two single twelves shouldn't lack unless you are scooping the mids too much and trying to cut through with deep bass. Low mids is where you'll find the answer.

It's a 300 watt head and totally impractical for low volume neighbour friendly home practice IME. If you only put it through a single 12 you're not going to feel the humongous lows that it pushes out. At lowish volumes it doesn't really sound much different to a solid state head but as you turn up the 'heft' keeps on a coming. I bought a pair of Bergantino HD210s to sit mine on and the walls really shake when my neighbours are out. One day it's going to a gig in place of my 6lb head........one day.

If you never intend moving it out of your house I would recommend removing the 6550 valve retaining springs. They can scratch the glass surface of the valve leading to cracking and failure. I actually replaced them in mine with Ampeg retainers that only grip the valve base. I think their purpose is to stop valves unseating themselves during transit, therefore not required if it's staying put.

I get the impression that they were just too expensive to produce. There seems to have been a limited production run in 2012 then no more. Talkbass threads report that some units had terminal problems but others are still going strong both in home and regular gigging situations.

I bought one a couple of years ago and it's a beautiful sounding amp. I am impressed with the quality feel of the controls and the infinium auto bias. Like you I don't have a gigging need for it, but I can guarantee that when you hook it up to a decent 4 ohm cab ( a single 12 won't do it justice IMO) you will be even more amazed at the depth and quality of sound of this amp.

By stating Markbass Proprietary Technology (MPT), Markbass wanted to differentiate itself from all the amp companies that used proprietary (off the shelf) ICE class D power modules by emphasising that its class D power sections were of its own design and manufacture.

Markbass did the switch to class D in the LM3 in 2012.

I don't think that amp tech knows what he's looking at. The 500 watt Momark power frame is class AB but with a switch mode power supply meaning it doesn't need large transformers associated with more traditional class AB heads. Just because it's light doesn't mean it's class D. The LM2 and early LM3 were class AB. The Momark 800 watt power frame is class D.

Bought a bass from Tom today. He's a busy chap (just back from Germany) but was still happy to drive and meet halfway to do the deal at a great price. Another trustworthy Basschatter. Cheers Tom; safe travels.

Not without swapping out the 4 ohm speaker in your combo for an 8 ohm one; then you can.

Which head are you using? I ask because the dimensions of that cab are to suit the Ampeg full width heads including the SVT and V4 etc. Which cabs have you tried out that didn't work for you? Could be that a single 12 or 15 might not give you that full precision thump (if that's what's lacking?) on its own and a second cab (or a 212 or 410) would get you there.

If you want additional tone options something like a Tech 21 VT Bass pedal would be a lot cheaper and possibly easier to use.

You have an option to replace the internal 4 ohm speaker with a suitable 8 ohm version, then you can add another 8 ohm cab. Two 8 ohm cabs will be significantly louder than the single 4 ohm internal speaker.

If the speaker in your combo is marked as 8 ohms then you will be okay to connect another 8 ohm extension cab giving the total impedance of 4 ohms.