NAD Markbass Blackline LM 250

J-Mags

J-Mags

Jun 18, 2018
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Durham NC
#1
I was sucked into the Musician's Friend annual Markbass sale and I got the most inexpensive Markbass head, the Blackline Little Mark 250, and I'm glad I did. I was looking for something that was cheap, loud enough, plug & play, with decent EQ options. This checks all the boxes admirably. I plugged it into my GK Neo 212, plugged in my PJ, rolled the lower mids off just a tad, and it sounded good, deep and loud immediately. Then I set the two EQ contour knobs to about 9:00 and it sounded even better. It sounded like a good, old-school bass amp sound to me.

I already had an amp I liked, a Darkglass Alpha/Omega 500, but it was beginning to seem a little fiddly, like I was always having to do something to the sound. It needed some internal or external overdrive to have any warmth or depth, and having tiny eq sliders instead of knobs stressed me out onstage whenever something needed to be adjusted. You can still plug into it and get a great sound, but I was looking for a great old-school sound where you plug in and you don't need anything.

Anyway, the Markbass was under $300. It sounded plenty loud, even through an 8-Ohm cabinet, and it sounds to me like you'd expect a bass amp to sound. The lows sounded especially big and controlled. Cool amp!
 
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#3
Marko 1 said:
Just be aware that your EQ and Contour settings are going towards mid-scoop,

and that might not be so great for being heard on stage (rock/punk)

so just be prepared to do the opposite of what you did if you have a problem being heard.

That said, cool amp, great cab, and congrats. :bassist:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I just turn both the contour knobs so they're barely on, and it's a fairly middy amp. I play with flats and a pick. I'll be heard. There's still a significant gronk of midrange with every note.

With my setup I need to scoop the lower mids a bit so it doesn't get out of control. It happens with my other head too. It still has a fairly thick EQ profile afterwards.
 
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#4
J-Mags said:
Yeah, I just turn both the contour knobs so they're barely on, and it's a fairly middy amp. I play with flats and a pick. I'll be heard. There's still a significant gronk of midrange with every note.

With my setup I need to scoop the lower mids a bit so it doesn't get out of control. It happens with my other head too. It still has a fairly thick EQ profile afterwards.
Click to expand...
Yeah, actually, considering that GK 212, that setting might work just fine. :)
 
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#5
J-Mags said:
I was sucked into the Musician's Friend annual Markbass sale and I got the most inexpensive Markbass head, the Blackline Little Mark 250, and I'm glad I did. I was looking for something that was cheap, loud enough, plug & play, with decent EQ options. This checks all the boxes admirably. I plugged it into my GK Neo 212, plugged in my PJ, rolled the lower mids off just a tad, and it sounded good, deep and loud immediately. Then I set the two EQ contour knobs to about 9:00 and it sounded even better. It sounded like a good, old-school bass amp sound to me.

I already had an amp I liked, a Darkglass Alpha/Omega 500, but it was beginning to seem a little fiddly, like I was always having to do something to the sound. It needed some internal or external overdrive to have any warmth or depth, and having tiny eq sliders instead of knobs stressed me out onstage whenever something needed to be adjusted. You can still plug into it and get a great sound, but I was looking for a great old-school sound where you plug in and you don't need anything.

Anyway, the Markbass was under $300. It sounded plenty loud, even through an 8-Ohm cabinet, and it sounds to me like you'd expect a bass amp to sound. The lows sounded especially big and controlled. Cool amp!
Click to expand...
Your settings are very similar to how I set my LittleMark3. These are great sounding amps.
Also, the VLE is not a contour control. It progressively cuts high end and is contributing to the tone you're digging.
The VPF is the contour control and it's great for shaping the cabinet.
 
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#6
SJan3 said:
Your settings are very similar to how I set my LittleMark3. These are great sounding amps.
Also, the VLE is not a contour control. It progressively cuts high end and is contributing to the tone you're digging.
The VPF is the contour control and it's great for shaping the cabinet.
Click to expand...

The VPF helps bring out the pick attack, as long as as I don't overdo it. I need to figure out if the VLE helps or if I'm just using it cuz it's there.
 
#7
J-Mags said:
The VPF helps bring out the pick attack, as long as as I don't overdo it. I need to figure out if the VLE helps or if I'm just using it cuz it's there.
Click to expand...
The VLE will cut the edge from your pick attack (may make it more thumpy sounding). I'd try without it 1st, then go to about 9 o'clock and progressively increase.
 
#9
SJan3 said:
The VLE will cut the edge from your pick attack (may make it more thumpy sounding). I'd try without it 1st, then go to about 9 o'clock and progressively increase.
Click to expand...

It's all about tuning the pick attack. I already have the tweeter on my cabinet turned off, so I don't really see the point of cutting more highs, but I never know how it'll sound in a mix.

dbsfgyd1 said:
You beat me to it. Good post.
Click to expand...

It still has plenty of mids. My bass and cab pump out so much lower-midrange that I gotta tame it somehow.
 
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#12
Congrats! I also bought (and later sold) one of those on some crazy MF sale. It really is a good little amp. It offers quite a bit more tone control than almost anything else in its quality/price range, imho.

I sold mine way back before I had my Mesa cabs, I believe, and definitely before I had my GKs. I think all I had back then was a big Ampeg SVT410HLF. I remember thinking the amp sounding a little "blah" at the time, but in retrospect it was probably more to do with the woofy cab than the amp itself. The VPF and VLE controls were pretty cool for getting in different tone zones quickly.

Dangit. Now I want to get one again! lol
 
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#13
musicman556 said:
Congrats! I also bought (and later sold) one of those on some crazy MF sale. It really is a good little amp. It offers quite a bit more tone control than almost anything else in its quality/price range, imho.

I sold mine way back before I had my Mesa cabs, I believe, and definitely before I had my GKs. I think all I had back then was a big Ampeg SVT410HLF. I remember thinking the amp sounding a little "blah" at the time, but in retrospect it was probably more to do with the woofy cab than the amp itself. The VPF and VLE controls were pretty cool for getting in different tone zones quickly.

Dangit. Now I want to get one again! lol
Click to expand...

For last year's sale, I tried the Little Mark Vintage V2. I liked it, but ended up choosing my Darkglass instead. I think I just couldn't believe that something with as many bells and whistles as the LMV, and such a weird aesthetic design, could be reliable. I liked the way it sounded, but I also liked the completely different way the Darkglass sounded, so I was perplexed. This year, I figured I could have both if I got a cheaper option.

I think that next year is the year I replace my 2x12 with two 1x12s, or even two 1x15s. Are Markbass cabs good?
 
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#15
I have gigged with my Blackline 250 on smaller gigs where I have no PA support and larger gigs with PA support. When I need more power (fairly rare these days), I bring my Blackline 250 as a backup amp. Fits right in my milk crate of cables, mic, extension chords, etc. Lately I have been taking it to rehearsals.

It sounds great with all the cabs I use it with; GK 115 Nano III (8 ohm), Fender Rumble 4x10v2 (4 ohm), and a very old Kustom cab with a single 4 ohm EV SRO speaker.

My only dislike is a lack of a limiter on the power section. I would gladly give up the variable DI output feature for a limiter.
 
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#16
J-Mags said:
I think that next year is the year I replace my 2x12 with two 1x12s, or even two 1x15s. Are Markbass cabs good?
Click to expand...

I have never owned any MarkBass cabs. The ones I've played at GC have generally sounded fine to me, but of course that's at low store volumes. I don't push things in-store at all. I'm a bit too timid to just plug in and crank up an amp beyond the ambient volume of the store, lol.

The only thing that's kept me from ever considering them for purchase is that fact that I think they're all hideous, lol! I very much buy with my eyes AND ears, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. If I were in a Stryper tribute band MarkBass gear would be perfect for me! But I'm not, so it isn't. :D

If you like or at least are not put off by the MarkBass visuals, I see no reason why you wouldn't find a nice cab that matches your sound goals from them. They have a TON of options, it seems! Also, keep watching those GC/MF sales. MB stuff seems to go on sale VERY frequently. Is it correct that GC/MF are the exclusive USA distributors for MarkBass?
 
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#17
TerribleTim68 said:
Pics or it never happened. :thumbsup: ;) I don't make the rules. :roflmao:
Click to expand...

Ok. It's not much of a looker:
IMG_20221210_001743.jpg


I love the low end that this amp has.
 
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#18
J-Mags said:
For last year's sale, I tried the Little Mark Vintage V2. I liked it, but ended up choosing my Darkglass instead. I think I just couldn't believe that something with as many bells and whistles as the LMV, and such a weird aesthetic design, could be reliable. I liked the way it sounded, but I also liked the completely different way the Darkglass sounded, so I was perplexed. This year, I figured I could have both if I got a cheaper option.

I think that next year is the year I replace my 2x12 with two 1x12s, or even two 1x15s. Are Markbass cabs good?
Click to expand...
I've been using MarkBass cabs for a few years now. I think they sound great.
 
#19
musicman556 said:
I have never owned any MarkBass cabs. The ones I've played at GC have generally sounded fine to me, but of course that's at low store volumes. I don't push things in-store at all. I'm a bit too timid to just plug in and crank up an amp beyond the ambient volume of the store, lol.

The only thing that's kept me from ever considering them for purchase is that fact that I think they're all hideous, lol! I very much buy with my eyes AND ears, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. If I were in a Stryper tribute band MarkBass gear would be perfect for me! But I'm not, so it isn't. :D

If you like or at least are not put off by the MarkBass visuals, I see no reason why you wouldn't find a nice cab that matches your sound goals from them. They have a TON of options, it seems! Also, keep watching those GC/MF sales. MB stuff seems to go on sale VERY frequently. Is it correct that GC/MF are the exclusive USA distributors for MarkBass?
Click to expand...
I believe you can buy through Amazon but I've had good luck with MF. Aesthetics are very subjective. I like the look of MarkBass gear and, more importantly, like their tone. And, FWIW, I've seen quite a few people with other brand heads using MarkBass cabinets. The combo of Aguilar and Markbass seems to work particularly well.
MarkBass cabs are light and, I believe, reasonably priced compared to the competition. Most importantly, they sound good! You get used to the yellow pretty quickly and, after all, your back is to the cab on the gig!
 
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