GK MB210 or Acoutic B450..any thoughts??

[rob_d]

Hello all,
I'm looking to get a new combo set-up. I've been dragging out the big stuff for a long time and my back isn't up to it anymore. Besides, for the venues I play, which are all medium sized venues of about 200-400 people, I find it's overkill to have too much stuff. Everywhere I play I get pumped through the PA anyhow, so I think I'm safe going to a combo. My main gig is a classic rock/funk/soul cover band, but I do some other stuff as well. My guitar player loves his Marshall stacks and he can get pretty loud, but he's not too bad. I've certainly played with worse. It's only one guitar, but I've got keys to cut through as well.

With all that said, I've zeroed in on the 2 amps listed in the subject of this message..the GK MB210 and the Acoustic B450. They are both the same price, so that isn't a factor. I also have an old Hartke 4x10 XL that I can sit under either one if need be until I get something better than the Hartke cab to go under them(if I ever actually need a cab to go under them for my uses). I've tried them both extensively, albeit in the sterile environment of a music store, and there are things I like about both of them and things that concern me:

GK MB210

+very lightweight for the sound it gives out. I could actually walk into a gig with this in one hand and my guitar case in another and be ready to set up. Everyone else in the band will be jealous!

+the sound is, for lack of a better word, "crisp." I bet it will sit well in a mix.

+GK is a well respected and trusted name. They are known for making reliable equipment that just lasts and lasts.

-No level out on the DI. I'm not sure if this will be that big of a deal, but since sound guys go out of my DI on the majority of my gigs it could possibly be a concern. So this may not end up being a negative. However, I've read some things about the DI on this amp sending out bad signal as in a very noisy signal?

-The tweeter seems to produce a nasty hiss. I even heard this sort of "clicking" sound that sounded like the tic-toc of a clock. Not sure if this had to do with the store environment or not. In any case it wasn't present when I turned the horn off..and the sound really didn't suffer with the horn off. Speaking of the horn, I don't like that it is either on or off..but again, with it off I still liked the overall sound. I'm just not sure what effect it will have in a mix with other instruments.

-My main bass is a Modulus Quantum and I'm not sure how its sound is going to fit in with the sound on this amp..again, maybe not a negative, but it's something I have to try and I'm not sure about.

-Playing some of the notes on a 5-sting, the low notes below E seemed to have a "farting" tendency. I also heard some rattling, but it could have been from one of the amps nearby. I rarely use these notes on my bass, but I do occasionally.

Acoustic B450

+Holy crap, the output! This thing thunders!

+Love that tubey sound. I'm a sucker for the tube sound.

+Seems to have more tone-shaping options that the GK, although I'm usually a "set it and forget it" guy.

+It looks like you can go out up to 2 ohms with an external speaker should that capability ever arise. GK looks like 8 ohm only. Again, not sure if this will ever apply to me, but its always nice to have more options.

-Holy crap, the weight! It kind of defeats the purpose of lightening the load on my back. Casters would be a must. But that won't help me hauling the thing up and down the stairs of my second floor apartment.

-I know nothing about the Acoustic brand. I've heard of it before but I don't know if they have a good reputation or not in regards to reliability, service, etc.. I've also been able to find relatively little information about them out in cyberspace.

-I heard a lot more hiss and background hum in this amp than in the GK(with the tweeter off on the GK of course). It could have been where it was in the store, but I did hear it so I have to bring it up.


In the end, I'll buy one and be able to return it within a month if it doesn't end up meeting my needs. Where it stands now, I like the sound of the Acoustic better, but the background noise has me worried. Plus, the weight of the thing is a big concern. Like I said, it almost defeats the purpose of trying to decrease what I'm dragging out to gigs. I really like the sound of the GK as well though. Plus the portability can't be beat for what that thing puts out. They both provide different sounds, that's for sure.

I'd be interested to hear what others say, particularly those that have gigged with either of these amps.

Thanks.

[invalidprotocol]

I've only gigged with the GK MB210 which I own. While shopping for the MB210 I tried many including the Acoustic B450.

I liked the tone and the power but the one I played on had a nasty rattle so I moved on. I couldn't bring myself to purchase such a heavy combo either. If I was going to stick myself with that much weight I'd have bought the separate amp and cab, which I had considered.

In the end I bought the MB210 because of the openness of the tone and weight. Plus you can add an extension cab to gain that volume.

[City]

My guitard, who does amp repair says in his experience, he's 50 (been doing repairs for 25 yrs), is that when a GK blow, they blow big, i.e. much repair needed. Always sees major damage $$$ when failure occurs.

[shawshank72]

Well..... do you want to carry your amp in one hand and bass in another(GK) or do you want to have help and make 2 trips(acoustic).
I own the mb212 and have also played the mb210, be advised that they do need a break in period and you will notice the lows coming out in the mix after playing a bit.
Ive also played the acoustic for 2 weeks before it blew and I sent it back to guitar center. It was a great sounding rig but heavy as hell and bulky.
I went with gk and Im glad I did. My $.02