GK MB 200: Part Two

[tombowlus]

Originally Posted by davidjbass

One of the MB200's I tried at a G.C. here had that high pitched noise and I thought there was something wrong with it. Then when I played the one I bought at another G.C. it had no problems at all. So far so good with mine. But there obivious problems that GK needs to address from what I have read here on this thread. If something goes wrong with mine you can bet that it will be going back to G.C.

Keep in mind, Bob Gallien has recently moved production back to the USA. These types of issues may have played a role (I'm have not talked with Bob about any specific problems with the MB200, though).

[daveman50]

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

I picked one up just last week. I use it with a Genz-Benz STL-8T cab. The whole bass rig, with cabling, comes in at 13 lbs. Nice to do an acoustic bass gig and only have 1 trip to/from the car!

Ha! I have the same mini-rig. Excellent. With an electric bass, it can stand up to drums, guitar and keys in a basement rehearsal with my rock band, and it's perfect with the upright in a club/restaurant setting.

[matti777]

I just bought a used MB200 from a fellow TB'er. I'm impressed! What will this mean for all of the 40lb+ amps out there?

[4Mal]

Greetings shoppers, Blue light special on led sled amps Aisle 5, cleanup on aisle 3!

[Turock]

Originally Posted by matti777

I just bought a used MB200 from a fellow TB'er. I'm impressed! What will this mean for all of the 40lb+ amps out there?

I like the MB200, but not as well as I like my tube Ampegs, or my B100R.

[4Mal]

I am dragging my MM tube amp to rock dates but the MB200 and MB500 go everywhere else.

[tomersg]

its sound very good but the the best part is how small it is.
it really go into the gig bag.

[davidjbass]

Originally Posted by tombowlus

Keep in mind, Bob Gallien has recently moved production back to the USA. These types of issues may have played a role (I'm have not talked with Bob about any specific problems with the MB200, though).

Wow that IMO is the best thing he could ever have done. Bring it back to the good ole USA. Being a long time GK user I was really unhappy with the quality of GK's China produced products. So much that I just stop buying and using them.
With this in mind I will gladly go back to GK. Good job Bob Gallien.

[joe vegas]

A number of my regular divebar/latenight gig spots in NYC have a decent house cab but no head, instead of a full bass rig.
Rather than lug my combo around, i invested in the MB200 and had the chance to check it out tonight with a house Ampeg 4X10 and my trusty 6.
It was all there- fat juicy lows that bloom like upright tones.. guitar highs.. articulate chords.. solid fundamentals.. it felt like the more i pushed it, the better it responded.

More than a few TBers have posted bad news about hiss and hum, which had me doing some worrying as i hooked up the Speakon cable. But so far so good. A breakthrough in size, weight and power, it's a truly amazing, elegant little machine.

[craig.p]

On the move back to the U.S., QC problems may have played a role, but my guess is that the spreadsheets were the stronger driving force. Labor costs and competition for talent are rising over there. The USD is in the toilet because of the debt situation. The logistics of far east manufacturing are burdensome. The wholesale product pipeline is long and slow, and therefore slow to react to manufacturing improvements. The culture is different over there, and may not respond well or effectively to direction from U.S. headquarters.

Moving back to the U.S. creates a brand new set of problems, though, not to mention costing a (one-time) whopping amount of cash and several logistical nightmares. But the net, long-term effect of the move was probably seen as positive. Like I said, I think the spreadsheets were screaming louder and louder for it, until they could no longer be ignored.

[Lukejt]

Plugged my mb200 into a 2x15 4 ohm PA cab last night and it ROCKED!

[StereoPlayer]

Originally Posted by Lukejt

Plugged my mb200 into a 2x15 4 ohm PA cab last night and it ROCKED!

Well...ya!

[AcridSaint]

Hi - I received an MB200 last week, along with a GK NEO 112-II. I also get a hiss from my MB

I contacted GK about it this week and spoke with Jason. I explained to him that with the speakon cable connected and the cab turned to "full-range" that there was a very notable hiss, but when switched to "bi-amp" the hiss was very mild and could be easily eq'd out. Obviously, I don't think I should have to run the cab in "bi-amp" when it's not being bi-amped.

I was first told that it was probably due the the NEO cab being biased towards highs and was asked where the crossover position as well as amp eq were set. I had the cab set to "normal" which is noon on the xover and gain and eq dials all set to noon on the amp. Jason said that was fairly high and asked me to dial down the cab until the hiss went away. With gain and eq still at noon, I was able to remove the hiss about halfway between "-2db/3o'clock" and "off" or as near to off as you can make it.

Now, I eq treble and bass both backed off a bit and boost mids, so dialing just below -2db seems to mostly get rid of the hiss for me as long as I keep the gain below noon. I haven't tried it in practice yet, but I guess it'll have to be above noon to cut through the mix. Thing is, with my HA2500 and a 1/4" cable on "full-range", I get no hiss out of the cab even in "normal" crossover setting at max volume and flat eq.

I was told that mine was the first he'd heard of any noise from these amps >< and that it was likely just the normal noise level of the product combined with the brightness of the NEO cab. I'm very surprised to hear that I'm the first to call with this problem considering how many posts have been made here!

It was suggested that I go find another at GC and try it out to compare hiss before exchanging or sending it off for repair. He did tell me that GK would be glad to look at it, but that it might come back to me with no repairs.

I'm on the fence about what I should do, because even though I can EQ out the sound, I'll have a hissy amp that I won't be comfortable selling later without mentioning it... I think it's going back to GC for an exchange after band practice tomorrow.

Oh, the hiss is present with or without a bass plugged in.

[Vic]

Originally Posted by AcridSaint

Hi - I received an MB200 last week, along with a GK NEO 112-II. I also get a hiss from my MB ...

Just a sanity check here...

What amp(s) are you comparing it to, and using the same cab(s) I assume?

[drpepper]

Originally Posted by AcridSaint

Hi - I received an MB200 last week, along with a GK NEO 112-II. I also get a hiss from my MB

I was told that mine was the first he'd heard of any noise from these amps >< and that it was likely just the normal noise level of the product combined with the brightness of the NEO cab.

Is this approximately the same thing you're getting (of course, to the degree that you can tell from a video)?

GK MB200 Hiss - YouTube

I returned mine and got the replacement Friday. It also has an unacceptably loud hiss. I emailed GK, and haven't heard anything back yet.

I could almost see just turning the HF driver off when using it, but I can't turn the tweeter off in my headphone if I want to use those.

[AcridSaint]

Vic - I have run it as an extension on a backline 115 and I have run a Hartke HA2500 directly into the cab. Both with 1/4" cable as neither has a Speakon out. Neither produces this hiss with "normal" setting on the xover. The Hartke I've had all the way up and didn't notice any hiss, I haven't had the backline that high, just plugged it up out of the box since it was nearby and plugged in. Both of the amps I tried before the MB came in (a day later).

The NEO 112 only has full-range for 1/4" inputs, so if it were strictly because of the horn, I would guess I'd get it (to some degree) from the other amps as well.

Drpepper - same or similar hiss, hard to tell here at the office. I'll try to get some photos of settings and maybe a short video of the sound this evening. Haven't tried it over a set of headphones yet.

[drpepper]

Originally Posted by AcridSaint

same or similar hiss, hard to tell here at the office. I'll try to get some photos of settings and maybe a short video of the sound this evening. Haven't tried it over a set of headphones yet.

Yeah. I'd say it calls for headphones.

I re-read your post, and while I've been vacillating some because I really do like the sound of the bass through the amp, I really feel discouraged in my situation by the comments about never having heard of the problem before and being "glad to look at it, but that it might come back to me with no repairs."

From my experience and what I've seen on this forum, I'm coming to the personal belief that this problem is at minimum common but remains latent because of the accidental mix of circumstances and expectations of various buyers who might have the same issue.

I hardly believe myself to have remarkably sensitive hearing, but relative to TCE, Fender, Hartke and a Rocktron practice amp that have all been in the same position...

[AcridSaint]

Well, I'm really happy with my other GK stuff and most of the bassists I know use GK products, so I'm willing to give it a chance and get sorted. I -want- to love the amp. I've had two other people listen to this (one at his practice area, not my living room) and neither thinks it's "normal" amp sound. I'll have my experienced bassist friend listen to it tomorrow as well, but considering my other amps, I also don't think it should be expected behavior, even for a cheap amp. I've not heard this from their backline stuff and that's the cheapest line GK makes.

[Vic]

Originally Posted by AcridSaint

Vic - I have run it as an extension on a backline 115 and I have run a Hartke HA2500 directly into the cab. Both with 1/4" cable as neither has a Speakon out. Neither produces this hiss with "normal" setting on the xover. The Hartke I've had all the way up and didn't notice any hiss, I haven't had the backline that high, just plugged it up out of the box since it was nearby and plugged in. Both of the amps I tried before the MB came in (a day later).

The NEO 112 only has full-range for 1/4" inputs, so if it were strictly because of the horn, I would guess I'd get it (to some degree) from the other amps as well.

Yep, just like with drpepper's vid, it'd have to be the same cab(s), and just switch heads.

I have mine connected to an Epifani UL110 most of the time, and if I kneel down right in front of the cab, I hear hiss, but it's definitely not intrusive or oppressive. Never really noticed it before this thread. And while "duller" sounding heads like my TC RH750 don't have the same hiss, my brighter stuff like my Mesa M9 does. So I wonder if it's really more just about the range of the amp than this specific model.

[drpepper]

Originally Posted by Vic

...Epifani UL110 most of the time, and if I kneel down right in front of the cab, I hear hiss, but it's definitely not intrusive or oppressive.

Excuse my ignorance, but does the UL110 have a tweeter? What about if you use headphones?

If I turn the HF down all the way, the hiss is minimal, but I don't want to do that.

Also, it seems the oddest thing that it does it with the gain at 0.