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92 | REVIEWS

MARKBASS NINJA 102 500SMALL IS GOOD. LOUD IS GOOD. SMALL AND LOUD IS GREAT. BY STEVE HENDERSON

In less than 20 years, Markbass has become

the premiere, got-to-have-it amp/cab builder

for bass professionals and amateurs alike,

pushing aside more established brands and

continuing to refine the line with innovative ideas

and no-nonsense products.

The range is quite diverse, but the recurring

theme is great tone, simple controls and amazing

portability. To say that they are lightweight is

like saying Paul McCartney has written some nice

tunes. You can easily pick up a 410 cab with one

hand and an 800-watt, full-function bass head will

fit into the pocket of your gig bag.

Likewise, their guitar lines (under the DV Mark

banner) are lightweight, full of features and

toneful, with monsters like Frank Gambale finding

“the sound” within the simple control layout of a

standard DV Mark amp.

EVERYTHING IN THE RIGHT PLACE

The Markbass Ninja 102 500 is virtually the

perfect product: simple to use, easy to lug and

satisfying to hear. The cab part is a rear-ported,

two-by-ten plus super tweeter-loaded box that

is barely wider than the speakers and just tall

enough to incorporate the 83 millimetre high

Little Mark Ninja head.

The Ninja is a 500-watt (into four ohms) brain

that features input gain and master volume

controls (the yellow knobs), line out (also yellow)

and six tone controls (sort of). The back panel has a

speakON out, tuner out, an effects loop, a pre/post

switch, a ground lift switch and a built-in DI with an

XLR output. It’s only 276 millimetres wide, too.

The Ninja delivers like no other compact bass

combo I’ve heard. Played with an alder-bodied

Precision Bass (with a Jazz Bass treble pickup),

with all amp tone knobs at noon and the VPH/

VLE circuits off, the Ninja 102 offers a warm and

woody sound that seems to bloom richly into

the room. The attack is fast and full, but there’s

an ‘aftertaste’ that spreads out to envelope the

listener, like a compressor opening up.

Place it in a corner or against a wall, and the

bloom is fairly quick; place it further from the

reflective surface, and there’s some latency in

that bloom, sort of like a pre-delay. Sit it up on a

chair or in an amp cradle or stand, and you’ll hear

a subsonic image coming back from under the

amp. The P-Bass pickup sounds mighty through

the two tens – a woody attack followed by a

harmonic sustain. Dig in a bit for that fabulous

Precision grunt, where it sort of growls a little on

the attack of the note.

This is a rock’n’roll tone that fits into almost any

style of the genre, from emo to blues. The J-bass

pickup has a snappy attack and plenty of cutting

power, and if you’re in the market for some funky

tones and portability, look no further. The Ninja

delivers funk like it was designed specifically for

the Brothers Johnson.

A BONAFIDE WINNER

That said, the folks at Markbass actually had

Richard Bona in mind. Playing something more in

line with his style reveals a smooth sweetness in

the Ninja that is even more infectious than those

other classic sounds.

The Ninja has a level of subtleness to its

delivery that is not immediately noticeable. This

is where the touch-sensitivity of the Ninja kicks

in: play brashly – maybe with a pick – and you’ll

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WHAT WE RECKON CONTACT

PROS Professional build quality

Simple operation

Very portable

CONS

Brightly coloured aesthetic might Brightly coloured aesthetic might not be for everyone

CMC MUSIC

(02) 9905 2511 cmcmusic.com.au

RRP: $2,395

TOP 5 FEATURES

• 500 watts

• Two ten-inch speakers

• Light and portable

• Rear ported

• Built-in DI

find a plethora of great rock tones. But play

dynamically with fingers and there’s loads of

nuance to be found.

The Ninja can present four-string bass

chords without any grind or clash. Harmonics

sit sweetly through a couple of octaves above

the fundamentals, and those ten-inch speakers

effortlessly handle the complexity of the

overtones so that they don’t rub up against each

other. There’s no distortion of fuzziness – just

clarity and harmonic depth.

The VPF and VLE controls should be used

sparingly at first – the more you get to know the

amp, the more effective these circuits become.

Think of them as a couple of extra tone controls

that work with, but outside the scope of, the main

tone stack. The Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator is

particularly effective in adding some organic feel,

but a little goes a long way.

In effect, it takes out some of the brilliance for

an old school vibe – some rock’n’roll thud. The VPF

highlights the lows and highs while cutting the

mids for a woodier tone, which is very cool if your

bass has a preamp (this will soften it) or if you’re

just into that scooped tone and softer attack.

Just for fun, I plugged in a Maton MSH-210D

acoustic-electric and found that the Ninja is

equally happy with six strings an octave up. If you

need an acoustic amp with oodles of juice and

plenty of bottom-end, this may be what you’re

after. The two tens are perfect for the body of an

acoustic tone, and the super tweeter adds some

top-end sparkle.

THE BOTTOM LINE

With the Ninja 102 500, Markbass have really

nailed the power and tone versus portability

issue. Unless you’re after that whole heavy metal

subsonic thing, the Ninja will deliver a sweet and

even tone across the frequency spectrum without

breaking your back or bank account.

One of the most complete pieces of gear I’ve

ever seen, the Ninja is gig-ready and studio

quality; the sound is audiophile without the

sterility; the attitude is hi-fi with heart.