Why didnt they make the GK MB212 with Ext. speaker out?

[shawshank72]

Aaaaaarrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhh
Why wasnt it made like the MB210?
I need to add more speakers and now if I want to do that, Ill have to purchase two 212MBE's for $800 and thats not including the head. If all I had to do was add a single 2x12 this would be incredible!
This is still the best amp I have ever owned, but man I am bumming.

[JimmyM]

it's because they made it to operate as it is at 4 ohms. that way they can use a less expensive amp and make it deliver all its available wattage to the combo. personally, i think it's bogus to do that, but i didn't design it.

[shawshank72]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

it's because they made it to operate as it is at 4 ohms. that way they can use a less expensive amp and make it deliver all its available wattage to the combo. personally, i think it's bogus to do that, but i didn't design it.

I agree that it was bogus, because this is one hell of an amp and adding a cab would only improve it.
May I add....
its an honor to have JimmyM respond on my thread.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by shawshank72

I agree that it was bogus, because this is one hell of an amp and adding a cab would only improve it.
May I add....
its an honor to have JimmyM respond on my thread.

it's an honor for you to consider it an honor

[RickenBoogie]

This is exactly the reason I always chime in on any thread discussing the merits of a combo amp in general. There are 2 things it MUST have, in order to be useful. a DI, and an ext spkr out. Any combo without these features are good for solo practice mostly, or low level gigs, if they have the power and speakers to do so. Not counting the sub 100 watt 12" or less combo's, which are good ONLY for solo practice.

[4-string]

It was probably designed that way because so many bassplayers are obsessed by the thought of squeezing every available watt out of their amps.

[Rich L]

I almost didn't catch that little tidbit of info before ordering my new amp....glad I did though and am taking delivery of my new MB210 on Wednesday.

[Daniel Piper]

Did you realise it was 4 ohm before you bought it? I was gonna get one, but didn't because of this exact lack.

I may be completely wrong - but are the MBE powered enclosures meant to fill the gap in combos like these by running through the direct out?

Dan

[synterx]

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

This is exactly the reason I always chime in on any thread discussing the merits of a combo amp in general. There are 2 things it MUST have, in order to be useful. a DI, and an ext spkr out. Any combo without these features are good for solo practice mostly, or low level gigs, if they have the power and speakers to do so. Not counting the sub 100 watt 12" or less combo's, which are good ONLY for solo practice.

This is all good, but the mb212 is not your typical combo. For 210 combos or less, I agree.

The mb212 however is way louder and more powerful than mist any combo.

If you need more than the mb212, you don't need an extension cabinet.

You need a head and bigger cabs.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by 4-string

It was probably designed that way because so many bassplayers are obsessed by the thought of squeezing every available watt out of their amps.

tru dat. if i had a dollar for every time i saw a post on here like "anyone make a 4 ohm 112 so i can get full use out of my 1000 watt head?" i'd have a couple thousand dollars.

[butchblack]

You should be able to use one of the new powered extension cabs, how well they work and how much less $ then another MB212 I don't know. I almost made the same mistake when I bought mine last year. I went with the 210 for just that reason. Given that it's a common complaint I'm a bit surprised that GK hasn't come out with an 8Ω 212 as well as the 4Ω version.

[philter25]

Wait for the powered MBE enclosures. That way you can add another 212 cab with 500 watts for a 1000 watt 4x12 rig.

The reason being is the MB500 head is 500 @ 4 ohms and 350@ 8 ohms. This allowed GK to use the same head in the 212 and 210 combos. The 212 has 500 watts, and the 210 has 350 watts.

If you really needed something bigger, then you arent in combo territory and would be better served with a larger amp and 2 212 cabs.

OR if you are fine with the 500 watts and just want it to be louder, you could find someone with the MB210 and try to trade combos and then pick up the 210 extension cab. That way youd have a 500 watt amp powering 4-10 speakers vs 2-12 speakers.

Just an idea.

[lbwdog]

Yeah, it perplexed me too. The MB210 does have an ext. speaker out, but the 212 doesn't.

I'm usually aboard with Bob Gallien's designs, but this would keep me from buying one if I were in the market.

[nutdog]

I would own the 112 if it would power another cab. I don't understand.

I also don't understand why the Carvin micros use a 250 watt head when they could use the bx500. I would have bought that 112 as well.

It seems so obvious.

Sorry to rant.

[johnnybass01]

It is all part of their master plan ,they are coming out with powered mb cabs that will mate with the GK combos ,they will be offering to upgrade your combo with another DI to run to the powered extention cab so you can have a 412 1000 watt stack , pretty cool in my opinion ,I heard they tried the mb212 with the speakers at 8 ohms and it just wasn't strong enough so they went to 4 ohms so it is powerfull enough to stand alone for almost any gig . The 210 they needed to keep it a 8 to keep from over pushing the 10's as most 210 cabs don't cut it on there own , but add another 210 different story all together , they are coming out with the MB410 combo

[Jerry Ziarko]

Originally Posted by shawshank72

Aaaaaarrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhh
Why wasnt it made like the MB210?
I need to add more speakers and now if I want to do that, Ill have to purchase two 212MBE's for $800 and thats not including the head. If all I had to do was add a single 2x12 this would be incredible!
This is still the best amp I have ever owned, but man I am bumming.

If it's that bad, why not flip it and get a 210? IMO it will go quick here on TB. Hell, I might even consider it.

Also GK said they are doing a FREE upgrade for the line out to use one of their powered extension cabs. Personally, I thought they got it right at 4 ohms.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by shawshank72

Aaaaaarrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhh
Why wasnt it made like the MB210?
I need to add more speakers and now if I want to do that, Ill have to purchase two 212MBE's for $800 and thats not including the head. If all I had to do was add a single 2x12 this would be incredible!
This is still the best amp I have ever owned, but man I am bumming.

I actually think it is a good design, since most who buy combo's are looking for the maximum wump in a single box, and the 2 x 12 format can easily make use of the additional power. The 10's probably would not benefit from the additional power, so the 8 ohm configuration makes sense for that combo. For the 12's, my guess is they were attempting to provide the best, most powerful 'single unit' solution they could.

And, per the above, there are powered extension modules that will allow you to add more speakers and power without having to buy another full combo.

[nanookofnj]

I actually went with the 212 beacuse it was a full 500W out of the box where as the 210 was only three and change...only got the full 500 with an extension cab which defeated the purpose of a combo (for me). At the two dozen gigs I've played with the MB212, I've never had to turn it to 1/2 volume and I've loved the tone with my passive 4 string. All but one of those gigs was with no PA support to boot.

[armybass]

Originally Posted by shawshank72

Aaaaaarrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhh
Why wasnt it made like the MB210?
I need to add more speakers and now if I want to do that, Ill have to purchase two 212MBE's for $800 and thats not including the head. If all I had to do was add a single 2x12 this would be incredible!
This is still the best amp I have ever owned, but man I am bumming.

I am the opposite. I just got the MB210 thinking that you had to add an extension cab to get the full wattage out of bothe the 210 and the 212 combos. If I had read more closely and had seen that the MB212 was a 4ohm cab and gave you the full 500 w/out the ext....I would have gotten the MB212.... anyone wanna trade

[Downunderwonder]

Horses for courses. A combo that makes full use of 500 W with a 2 driver price point is a damn good combo. If that isn't loud enough you don't have enough PA.