Buy Markbass? Marco De Virgiliis already had an impressive CV before he founded Markbass. He had already worked in the amplifier industry, but especially in marketing and sales. Eventually he met Sterling Ball, the son of Ernie Ball, with whom he went to work. At that time he was working on the now famous Music Man Audiophile series of bass amplifiers. This made it clear to him that he could make special bass amplifiers. With this information he went back to his original company, with which he founded Markbass in 2001.Read more...

Markbass innovations

What made Virgiliis bass guitar amplifiers so innovative was the use of Neodymium speakers in his amplifier systems. He was one of the first. These types of speakers have relatively by their weight the most powerful magnets. Alnico or ferrite magnets that are also commonly used, need to be made much larger if they are to be just as strong. The advantage of this is that Markbass cabinets are a lot lighter, without sacrificing power. The amplifier heads are also extra small thanks to Class-D technology. No wonder a lot of touring bassists like to bring Markbass products.

The typical Markbass design

Markbass has thus managed to distinguish itself from the rest of the market. The amplifiers immediately stand out thanks to the yellow-black colour combination. But behind this look is extremely versatile hardware. On each head is an extended equalizer and model specific controls such as the Old School Filter and Millerizer on the Little Marcus or the VLE and VPF on the Little Mark III. In addition, each model also has useful features such as a tuner out, 3-pin lineout, pre/post-EQ switch and an effects loop. For example, every bassist has a Markbass amplifier for sale in which their perfect, personal tone is hidden.

Bass guitars and effects

The logical step after making amplifiers is to make pedal effectsand the BassesItself. Their effects turned out to be just as good as their amplifiers. For example, several pedals have already won consumer prizes and the Compressoreused by the bassists for Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert and Slash. The Markbass basses are all unique, because Markbass is proud of their Italian history and tradition in making lutes. If the builders see that an improvement is possible, they improve it. As a result, it is advisable to give them a try in our store, to experience the quality that Markbass products get as a result.