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Crazy idea: using Powered GK MB 115's for PA!

alaskaleftybass

alaskaleftybass

Will Hanbury, Jr.
In Memoriam
Mar 21, 2012
9,920
22,352
Sitka, Alaska
#1
Hi all, so here's my latest crazy idea. As far as I can tell, the PA industry hasn't kept up with the light high powered cabs that the bass industry is using. I have a couple powered speakers that weigh a ton, with 15" drivers, bi-amped. They sound great, BUT, I was wondering:

Could I use a couple Gallien Krueger MBE 115 400 watt powered cabinets for speakers with my non powered mixer? Instead of packing around 100 pounds of speakers I would be packing 66 pounds for two powered speakers. WOW that would be easy. And 400 watts each, with built in tweeters. I'ved tried the MB115 with the line in playing music tracks and it sounds as good as a stereo.

I don't play super loud gigs mostly coffee houses and small lounges that require a good quality sound with good bottom end, but not necessarily very loud.

So please feel free to give your honest opinions.Thanks:bassist:
 
#2
There are a lot of lightweight powered PA cabinets available. One problem I can see is the GKs are not designed to sit on a speaker stand so unless you can figure out a way to get them up to ear level you are screwed.
 
#4
I'm talking about the powered speakers, Gallien-Krueger 115MBP 1x15 Bass Powered Speaker Cabinets 200W. Yes they are 200 watts, but two cabinets at 400 watts I think would probably be sufficient for small venues.

As far as speaker stands, you CAN buy small pole mounts that recess into the bottom of the cabinet and allow the cabinet to pole mount.

I'm wondering would they perform fine for most DJ music and small band use?

Feel like I'm trying to pull teeth here lol :confused:
 
#5
What are you currently running? And have you ever tried using vocals into one before? I tried it in a pinch at a rehearsal and wasn't a fan...

DJ music perhaps, though you'll have to leave the horn on at all times or else you'll get no vocal definition...but beware I felt and know others who thought that the horn isn't dead quiet, especially if you want to turn the volume up.
 
#6
alaskaleftybass said:
Hi all, so here's my latest crazy idea. As far as I can tell, the PA industry hasn't kept up with the light high powered cabs that the bass industry is using. I have a couple powered speakers that weigh a ton, with 15" drivers, bi-amped. They sound great, BUT, I was wondering:

Could I use a couple Gallien Krueger MBE 115 400 watt powered cabinets for speakers with my non powered mixer? Instead of packing around 100 pounds of speakers I would be packing 66 pounds for two powered speakers. WOW that would be easy. And 400 watts each, with built in tweeters. I'ved tried the MB115 with the line in playing music tracks and it sounds as good as a stereo.

I don't play super loud gigs mostly coffee houses and small lounges that require a good quality sound with good bottom end, but not necessarily very loud.

So please feel free to give your honest opinions.Thanks:bassist:
Click to expand...

Huh? There are tons.....literally tons......of powerful, lightweight PA cabinets on the market today. Any 5 minute walk through Guitar Center is all it would take to confirm. And most, if not all of them will perform dramatically better for PA use than a cabinet designed specifically for bass.
 
#7
alaskaleftybass said:
I'm talking about the powered speakers, Gallien-Krueger 115MBP 1x15 Bass Powered Speaker Cabinets 200W. Yes they are 200 watts, but two cabinets at 400 watts I think would probably be sufficient for small venues.

As far as speaker stands, you CAN buy small pole mounts that recess into the bottom of the cabinet and allow the cabinet to pole mount.

I'm wondering would they perform fine for most DJ music and small band use?

Feel like I'm trying to pull teeth here lol :confused:
Click to expand...

Don't get discouraged...no one is going to say you can't do it or that it won't work for you...it's your gig and your $$$ You're just gonna have a lot of replies that it may not be the best option out there :)
 
#10
modulusman said:
It will probably sound like crap but maybe the OP doesn't care since it sounds like he is too lazy to bring his real PA to the gig.
Click to expand...

It's ignorant of you to make a judgement of my work ethic based on a general question about using powered bass speakers. Having a bad day??? Go somewhere else and keep your attitude to yourself please. I don't need or wnat visits like this.
 
#12
alaskaleftybass said:
It's ignorant of you to make a judgement of my work ethic based on a general question about using powered bass speakers. Having a bad day??? Go somewhere else and keep your attitude to yourself please. I don't need or wnat visits like this.
Click to expand...

I can drive a screw with a hammer but it isn't the right tool for the job. Why don't void whatever warranty is left on your bass amps by cutting holes in the bottom to add your pole stands. :D
 
#13
This is not such a crazy idea.

Keyboard amps are often used this way... and a good keyboard amp and a flat-response bass amp are not that far apart. In fact, I think you can get better full-range (low end) response from these types of amps than from comparably priced powered mains. I've heard of bands using Acme B2's as mains to good effect. I do acoustic guitar solo work, and often use a coaxial powered 10" (happens to be a Roland CB-30 bass amp) getting signal from a Bose T1 mixer. Without a good mixer it wouldn't work. I place it on an amp stand to my side, and it's main/monitor for small gigs. It sounds really great to sing through- but only if I use the aux in and bypass the preamp. The stand uncouples it from the floor, which helps eliminate excess bass.


What you need to make it work:
  • Use a relatively flat response speaker - consider keyboard amps too, since more of them will be flat
  • if possible, find one with an aux in that bypasses bass preamp tone shaping
  • a mixer with good eq to overcome any bass-specific cab freqs

I'm interested in the Carvin MB12 for this purpose... you can't find a compact, powered, 3-way powered speaker like that, even for twice the price. I don't know how flat the response is on them, but I might give one a try.

As bass cabs move toward full-range flat response speakers, they will be useful for pretty much any application.
 
#16
HUnt49 said:
This is not such a crazy idea.

Keyboard amps are often used this way... and a good keyboard amp and a flat-response bass amp are not that far apart. In fact, I think you can get better full-range (low end) response from these types of amps than from comparably priced powered mains. I've heard of bands using Acme B2's as mains to good effect. I do acoustic guitar solo work, and often use a coaxial powered 10" (happens to be a Roland CB-30 bass amp) getting signal from a Bose T1 mixer. Without a good mixer it wouldn't work. I place it on an amp stand to my side, and it's main/monitor for small gigs. It sounds really great to sing through- but only if I use the aux in and bypass the preamp. The stand uncouples it from the floor, which helps eliminate excess bass.


What you need to make it work:
  • Use a relatively flat response speaker - consider keyboard amps too, since more of them will be flat
  • if possible, find one with an aux in that bypasses bass preamp tone shaping
    [*]a mixer with good eq to overcome any bass-specific cab freqs

I'm interested in the Carvin MB12 for this purpose... you can't find a compact, powered, 3-way powered speaker like that, even for twice the price. I don't know how flat the response is on them, but I might give one a try.

As bass cabs move toward full-range flat response speakers, they will be useful for pretty much any application.
Click to expand...

Or an outboard eq....maybe a 31 band so you can use the lowest freqs as low-cut filters.

Hey, all's you can do is try it...no downside to that.

Good luck.
 
#17
Hi.

If You do try it, don't blow up your MBE 115's.

The EQ idea is good, running them through a loudspeaker processor even better.

alaskaleftybass said:
As far as I can tell, the PA industry hasn't kept up with the light high powered cabs that the bass industry is using.
Click to expand...

Actually, it's the opposite, but since quality costs in PA circles we don't see or get to work with those cabs very often.

alaskaleftybass said:
As far as speaker stands, you CAN buy small pole mounts that recess into the bottom of the cabinet and allow the cabinet to pole mount.
Click to expand...

If You do that, make sure that the bottoms of the cabs are sturdy enough to have the pole mount securely attached.


alaskaleftybass said:
Feel like I'm trying to pull teeth here lol :confused:
Click to expand...

I'd assume the basis for the confusion You're experiencing is that you're not the first who have had a similar idea, and you're definitely not going to be the last.

Some have tried, and noticed it doesn't quite offer the advantages we thought, some have just done the feasibility study and discovered that there's a "better" way.

Hey, at least You didn't want to use a MI bass cab as a "sub" ;).


modulusman said:
I can drive a screw with a hammer but it isn't the right tool for the job.
Click to expand...

Over here a hammer is often called a Russian Screwdriver.
The slot in the screw is for taking it off, much faster to hammer it in :).

Regards
Sam
 

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