Buying amps for practice and small venues

[JCheung]

I have just a quick question for the members of TB. If I want to purchase a set up for small venues, most having their own PA as wel, and practices with a rock and funk band (drum, guitar, vocals, keys, and bass) will a GK MB 115 Combo and GK MBP 115 work? I'm looking to get a combo that I can easily move around but I love the idea of being able to expand it to use with cabs. How does this combination tend to fare and would you recommend it?

[sharkwagon]

A lot of folks around here would say that you will almost always be happier buying a head like a GK mb200 and something like a 2x10 or 1x12 cab than a combo. Much more flexible for adding/swapping/upgrading/selling components. I'd agree. I wish at times my Trace 1210 was a head and cab for these and other reasons.

[john nam]

Yes, if you're looking for the best ratio between price, weight, and volume, the GK MB115 combo is probably one of the very top choices currently available. Now, you can argue about tone, but it sounds good to me. I just lifted one at GC two hours ago and it was sooo light (35lbs), especially with the top handle placement. Of course, you can go high end and spend a whole lot more for similar specs. Even a Markbass 1x15 combo would run you more than double the price.

[john nam]

if you're likely to get bored of your gear and switch out components, buy a head and cab separately, but if not, a combo is much more convenient to carry, unload, setup, break down and you still have the option of adding an extension cab.

[JCheung]

Originally Posted by john nam

if you're likely to get bored of your gear and switch out components, buy a head and cab separately, but if not, a combo is much more convenient to carry, unload, setup, break down and you still have the option of adding an extension cab.

Hah, well I'll be honest I'm kind of limiting myself to GK because I love the tone. I can't really afford to get "bored" of my gear so I mostly want to combo with the option to expand. As someone mentioned 35 lbs is quite light as well. I recently used to play in college with some friends at the music building and they had a 200w 15 inch speaker combo that I could have used as a gym weight, it was a heavyweight somewhere in the ballpark of 70+ lbs. For a combo that seemed to defeat the purpose of being portable. I believe I read somewhere that if I want to I could chain (or daisy chain?) more than one powered cab and then hook an output to a PA? If that's true I'm almost totally sold on the GK Combo for now and expanding when funds allow.

[john nam]

yes, you can just hook that combo up to any other 8 ohms cabinet to get even more volume (most new GK cabs are 8 ohms).

[Downunderwonder]

The new GK combos don't take extension cabs, you have to buy the powered slave extension cab. Two 15's should be able to keep up to the drumset if the drummer isn't a rabid gorilla on speed. That's all anyone needs.

I dunno, for the coin they seem reasonable value. Either it pounds out bass or it doesn't. I haven't seen any of the new GK stuff here yet.

Used gear is hard to beat. You can trade it for other used gear if it doesn't suit instead of taking a bath on the new stuff.

[john nam]

oops, you're right, they're 4ohm cabs.