Gallien Krueger v's Mesa Boogie

[Keg 16]

hey
i'm looking to get a new bass amp and wasn't sure witch one to get. i liked the look of a lot of them but i think i've nailed it down to 2. i was thinking either the Gallien Krueger 2001RB or the Mesa Boogie M9 Carbine. i haven't played either of these but have seen some demo's on youtube but am still undisided. has anyone played both of these or know anything about them it all helps. cheers

[Shinyflavors7]

What style of music do you play? Not nothing, I'd say the Mesa. It sounds good at low volumes and sounds rich and full.

[RickenBoogie]

The 2 are very different sounding, but both are top notch. A good side by side test would help immensely.

[MysticMichael]

Both these amps can get VERY loud. The 2001RB in particular is a complete monster. If you get that one, I hope you can put it to good use - playing large rooms without PA support. () If not that, I hope you can appreciate having gobs & gobs of clean headroom - because that's exactly what you'll get.

MM

[Crabby]

I had a 2001RB as a loaner while my M9 was being serviced for a few months. It was insanely loud, very heavy and a bit of a sledgehammer tone wise. It has a crazy distortion channel which is not really warm sounding but can give you a crazy shred tone.

The Carbine is less then half the weight, just as loud, much warmer sounding and sounds amazing no matter how its set up. The GK is a dual channel power amp setup but it can be bridged mono. It just seemed over the top to me and it was so heavy. I could see it being great though at super high volumes.

[Keg 16]

i play a few different styles from metal to funk and in between but i like playing some red hot chilli peppers and the 2001RB is the amp Flea uses thats why i was heading that way, but i've always loved Mesa stuff so i wasn't sure. i'm not sure where i can do a side by side test because i live in albany witch doesn't have the best music shops :/ is there a shop in perth that would stock both?? or is there a better suited amp i should be looking for??

[kosmicwizard]

Welcome to talkbass!

Crabby gave you a very good run down. I would like to know what cabs you have and what size venues you are playing. Cheers.

[tombowlus]

As others have posted, those are two great options, with very different personalities. If you want a more aggressive, attacking tone, and you like a brighter kind of overdrive, then I'd go GK. If you like a more warm/round low end, a bit of a mid-scoop, and smoother highs, then I'd go Mesa.

It's not like you can't dial in a full, rich tone with the GK, and it's not like you can't get a more aggressive tone out of the M9, but it is worth noting each heads' inherent voicing.

Hope this helps, Tom.

[rockstarbassist]

Yup, echoing sentiments above. Both are big, pro-level very high-powered heads. I'd offer the Mesa is a tad more "versatile" simply b/c of the Graphic EQ and the Voice circuits, but the 2001 is no slouch either. I looked at getting one before my M9 and still may before it's all said and done, just to have it as an option.
I will also say, while the M9 isn't "G-K Quick", it's very quick for a Mesa and a tube-driven preamp. It's really what I've been waiting for Mesa to do for a long time now.

[Keg 16]

cheers brother and about the cabs i dont have any yet but i was going to get the mesa power house 810 if i got the M9 carbine or if i got the 2001 RB i was gonna go the 410RBH with the 115 RBH or is there a better option for me? i dont want neodymium speakers because i heard they dont handle distortion to well and i use a distortion pedal but if there are some better options for me please let me know

[kosmicwizard]

I am not a real fan of G-K cabs ... or mixing 10's and 15's, even though I run an Ampeg 8x10 and 2x15 with either a MESA/boogie 400 (non +) or an Ampeg SVT 2 (non-pro), mixing driver sizes can sometimes lead to phasing issues (i.e. some notes canceled and others accentuated). I have a 1001RBII and the G-K Diesel Dawg pedal (the OD channel of the 2001) and use it sometimes through either of my cabs since the 1001 (1/2 the 2001) only goes down to 4 Ohms.

If I were you I would definitely go MESA ... but know that each MESA amp is a bit different from the other models. Read TomBowlus' online Bass Gear Mag #5 in his sig to learn more. I think playing slower songs by the peppers like Snow and Under the Bridge sound better done with a tube amp, however some of Flea's slap stuff will be very hard for an all tube head to sound clear doing. So while I am a fan of all tube heads, I know they have their place and some people don't have the same tonal goals as me. If you play lots of slap you probably don't want to go with a 400+ or wait for MESA's new kt88 powered all tube head, in which case I would look at the Titan V12 or as you said the M9 carbine for a good variety of tones exist in these heads.

Now on to cabs, here is a link to the different MESA powerhouse cabs so you can hear how they sound and note differences between them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfKy4...F06E0&index=45 skip to part 3 if you only want the big boys ...

I have found that a nice SS (I had a Ampeg B4r, and 700RbII and 1001RbII G-K heads) head running clean into a Tech 21 VT Bass Pedal is very nice, and the Genz-Benz Shuttle 9.0 or ShuttleMax9.2 and the new Streamliner 900 are very light and loud hybrid amps ... these through a Uber8x10 would be pretty sick, but I don't know if you can get them in your part of the world.

I guess what I am trying to say is unless you know exactly how to get the sound you hear in your head, try different things out until you are totally happy and try to get gear that can let you do more than one thing with it. OR you could be like TomBowlus and have a rig for ever possible situation. I hope you end up happy with what you get and let us know your decision. All the best. Cheers.

[klejst]

I would say if possible try out some of each brand and then choose based on what sounds better to you and for your style of music. I personally have heard great things about both brands.

[CrUiSeR]

Hmm; Flea, GK, M/B
I've seen RHCP twice.
First time flea was playin' a(several) GK800rb into M/B 210 and 215 diesel cabs.
Second time he was playin' the 2001 and rbh setup.
I much preferred the first time for quite a few reasons.
I like GK amps but not their cabs.
I also like M/B amps but only their 15" diesel cabs.

[andrew]

I'd say if the decision has to be between these two amps I'd go with the M-9, although both amps sound good.

However, if weight is not a concern, I would look at the Mesa Titan V-12 too. It's got a nice tone, has a good built in distortion and still weighs less than the 2001RB.

Going the other way, you should also look at the G-K 1001RB, because if it's loud enough for your needs (and it is a loud amp) it'd save you carrying the weight of the 2001RB. I recently demo'ed both the 2001RB and the 1001RB and preferred the 1001RB. If you look around on here, Bob Gallien posted that if you want the G-K growl you should use a G-K amp you can push a bit, and you will never push the 2001RB.

[kosmicwizard]

Originally Posted by andrew

You should also look at the G-K 1001RB, because if it's loud enough for your needs (and it is a loud amp) it'd save you carrying the weight of the 2001RB. I recently demo'ed both the 2001RB and the 1001RB and preferred the 1001RB. If you look around on here, Bob Gallien posted that if you want the G-K growl you should use a G-K amp you can push a bit, and you will never push the 2001RB.

I agree, that's why I own one. If the 2001 were a mono head I would completely agree. But it is a stereo head, it is 2 1001RBII's in the same head and the Diesel Dawg pedal for the OD channel. Cheers.

[georgestrings]

Originally Posted by CrUiSeR

I like GK amps but not their cabs.

Same here - I also like SWR cabs, but not their amps... I've yet to play a Mesa product that I didn't like something about...


- georgestrings

[andrew]

Originally Posted by kosmicwizard

I agree, that's why I own one. If the 2001 were a mono head I would completely agree. But it is a stereo head, it is 2 1001RBII's

I prefer mono amps. I find the amps that use dual mono power sections can sometimes not have the oomph of the mono version, despite obviously having more power. I found this with the Ashdown amps too, I liked the sound of the ABM500 more than the ABM900, even though the 900 was just two 500 power sections.

[ljazz]

Originally Posted by andrew

Going the other way, you should also look at the G-K 1001RB, because if it's loud enough for your needs (and it is a loud amp) it'd save you carrying the weight of the 2001RB. I recently demo'ed both the 2001RB and the 1001RB and preferred the 1001RB. If you look around on here, Bob Gallien posted that if you want the G-K growl you should use a G-K amp you can push a bit, and you will never push the 2001RB.

Don't forget, you can run just one of the amps in the 2001, and it's only pushing like 240 watts into an 8 ohm load. That's even less than the 700rbii....... Low volume growl for days.......

I'd say from a power standpoint, the 2001 is pretty versatile...... at least more verstile than the 1001. I love the tone of the2001, but could never deal with the weight, especially when I'd spend most evenings only playing one of the poweramps.

[Keg 16]

ok well thats helped a fair bit so far but another quetion. where would an orange terror 1000 come into this?? just think that may be a good way to go but not sure. any coments will help cheers

[rockstarbassist]

Total opposite end of the spectrum. Most classic, all-tube based companies are "meh" at best with their hybrid models... See Ampeg.
If you want an Orange get an ADB200.