LMIII or GK 800RB?

[dr. blade]

I'm sick of lugging around my Ampeg SVT 350 and looking to getter a lighter head.

Narrowed it down to Mark Bass LMIII or GK 800RB (both light and under $1000 with great sound).

I play mostly punk/rock, currently using an Ampeg SVT 410HLF (which I'll probably keep) and my American P-bass with SD quarter pounders.

Any opinions on which is best for straight up rock and roll sound and tone?

[Crabby]

The GK 800RB is legendary for its aggressive snarly tone and amazing punch and ability to be very loud. However, its not a particularly warm sounding amp and it doesn't have as much low end many other amps. Its very loud and in your face and the tone may be exactly what you are looking for but I find them expensive for what they are if buying new. They are not lightweight at 20 something pounds but its not bad. I owned one for almost 10 years and quite liked it but once I moved to a five string bass I realized fast that I needed an amp voiced lower and with more power.

The LMIII is a really popular amp. I have one and quite like it but it sure doesn't have the warmth or sweet tone of any of my Mesa amps. Its a great workhorse amp in my opinion. The LMIII is 6 pounds, 500 loud watts (at 4 ohms) and very easy to dial in your tone.

The LMIII would be sweet with a VT bass pedal in front of it for old school punk tone. Otherwise, consider a Genz Benz Shuttle. They are fantastic as well.

[jmattbassplaya]

I agree with Crabby in almost every aspect except for the LMIII. They actually are quite warm sounding heads. Of course they wouldn`t beat the warmth of a tube head, but they are warm.

[ljazz]

...... or you could look at a GK700rbII..... under 20 lbs..... extended low end roll off, which I believe gives it bit more warmth, especially with judicious use of the boost. That and it can be had new for just a tad over 500 bucks.

I've had mine for just about three years now, and it has been rock solid.

[JimmyM]

gk and markbass both have a great straight up rock and roll tone. but the lmiii is warmer and suits my thing way more than the gk heads. but if you want any sort of dirt or grind, you would need to get either a lm tube or the upcoming lm rocker.

[shoot-r]

I just retired my 26 year old G.K. 800 head to the rehearsal room and went to a new G.K. MB2-500 head.
Couldn't be happier!
3.8 lbs.
350 watts at 8 ohms.
500 watts at 4 ohms.
580 watts full power.
$499.00 new.

[dubstylee]

I have an HLF cab and usually use tube heads, but I just recently picked up a LMIII, great sounding head. It's the warmest Solid-State head I've ever heard. I like it so much that I don't see myself letting it go.

[T. Alan Smith]

Personally, I've felt the 800RB & MB LM have been the best bang-for-buck heads under $800 for more than a few years now. Both are quite versatile with their inherent clean sound. I feel the LM to be a bit more versatile, however, because of the additional clarity it offers. Also, those 2 filter knobs make tweaking a cinch. For purely punk situations tho, I might go with the 800RB, with it's more lean-n-mean sound. Because of the reduced headroom with the 800RB, you'll want to make sure your pushing plenty of air; especially in a loud punk context.