Gallien Krueger Club. GK Rules !

[groovaholic]

Here's a used version II at Guitar Center for under $500:
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I took my own advice and bought one of the used MB210-II that Guitar Center was selling.

Had my first rehearsal with it tonight and it easily kept up with the band.

Ended up cutting lows & treble, then boosting both mid bands - which resulted in a bright, balanced tone that articulated what I was playing while slotting into the mix really well.

I'll be selling some other (bulkier) gear - this amp is a great tool to have!

 

[TonyP-]

I admit that I'm more than alittle biased towards GK's cut through the band mix, clear, clean, slam, with the feel of a fast transient.

I cannot agree more with this statement.

I feel like I have become dependent on them

 

[Lammchop93]

Last night I played a GK 200RB into a 2-way 8 ohm cab- a 15 and a mid driver. P bass w/a Benson 5% overwound pup.
Outstanding.
I get a buzz that the 200 is "sweeter/warmer" sounding than the 400 or other models. I suspected this may be popular legend until my amp tech told me it's got some of the same transistors as some earlier Crown amps, and that is got a hefty transformer for it's pretty low power rating.
He also said it's unusual for an amp that is rated only down to 8 ohms to have two output jacks. We are wondering if this little head can run at 4 ohms? I haven't tried it, and have also written GK about it.
I got it for pretty cheap, it had been poorly repaired and was in fact a fire hazard when I got it... It's running fine now. If it had more wattage I'd start selling off a few other amps... I've got too many anyway.
I wonder how actually different the 200 RB is from say an 800RB?...

my guess is it's only 8 ohms and there's 2 jack so you can use 2x 16 ohm cabs. But honestly not sure I've ever seen a 16 ohm bass cab before…

 

[groovaholic]

I took my own advice and bought one of the used MB210-II that Guitar Center was selling.

Had my first rehearsal with it tonight and it easily kept up with the band.

Playing through my MB210-II today, I noticed a slight rattle coming from the upper 10" speaker - I suspect that the dust cap has come loose in a small section; I don't feel any rubbing when I gently push on the cone and there are a couple sections where I can't see any glue between the dust cap and the cone - I'll run a small bead of flexible PVA glue in those areas.

But here's the odd thing:
The MB210-II product info page definitely states that it should have come with ceramic drivers - but the speakers in this amp are GK-stamped Neo drivers.
Did the MB210-II ever come with Neo drivers?

If not, I wonder if the prior owner installed these?
I can easily see someone doing so to further reduce weight, or possibly to swap-in 8-ohm drivers so that they get a 4-ohm internal load and maximize wattage.
If that's the case, I can't use the extension speaker jack.
I'd better check driver impedance...

 

[Queue]

@rag could shed some light, or a quick email to support, or check on the FB group (Gallien-Krueger Owners | Facebook), Forrest Gallien is pretty active there. The website sure says Ceramic, and there's no little "NEO" emblem on the cab (as there is on the MB212ii), but check this out (from the manual on the GK site):

 

[IAMPK]

Recently picked up an MB 212-II combo from GC used for under $500. Sounds crisp and loud. I'd say I caught a pretty good deal.

 

[Queue]

Recently picked up an MB 212-II combo from GC used for under $500. Sounds crisp and loud. I'd say I caught a pretty good deal.

Under $500? Hell yeah, you did! That combo is a workhorse!

 

[groovaholic]

I'd better check driver impedance

The Neo 10s measure 14.8 ohms DCR, so that lines up pretty well with a nominal 16-ohm impedance.

Between that and the screen shot that @Queue provided, I'm more reassured that the amp hasn't been "fiddled" with.

 

[RVRSCO]

Hey all. So, I have an older GK Neo 410. Great cab, but would really like to pain the grill black. I just think it would look cool.

Has anyone done this, and if so, what would be the best way to go about getting it done?

I was thinking of using a Krylon Black Primer, the. Going over the primer with a flat back, but I also see they make a hammered black that might adhere better?

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Count Bassie]

Hey all. So, I have an older GK Neo 410. Great cab, but would really like to pain the grill black. I just think it would look cool.

Has anyone done this, and if so, what would be the best way to go about getting it done?

I was thinking of using a Krylon Black Primer, the. Going over the primer with a flat back, but I also see they make a hammered black that might adhere better?

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
View attachment 5160161

Give it an even scuffing with some 200 or 300 grit sandpaper, then use a Rustoleum primer, I think they make a grey or black. Then whatever color, do a couple/ few coats, and keep them thin, don't go heavy or you'll surely get drips. Do a bunch of light coats and you'll get a good finish.
Give it a couple days to cure before you reinstall the grille.

 

[2saddleslab]

Hey all. So, I have an older GK Neo 410. Great cab, but would really like to pain the grill black. I just think it would look cool.

Has anyone done this, and if so, what would be the best way to go about getting it done?

I was thinking of using a Krylon Black Primer, the. Going over the primer with a flat back, but I also see they make a hammered black that might adhere better?

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
View attachment 5160161

Pretty sure @DaveDeVille painted his GK cab grille. Hope I have that right and if so, he chimes in to either give advice, or correct my memory.

 

[DaveDeVille]

Pretty sure @DaveDeVille painted his GK cab grille.
Hope I have that right and if so, he chimes in to either give advice, or correct my memory.

... i only painted the nameplates , not the entire grille , which was already black .

 

[Count Bassie]

... i only painted the nameplates , not the entire grille , which was already black .

View attachment 5160331

These do look better in black.

 

[2saddleslab]

... i only painted the nameplates , not the entire grille , which was already black .

View attachment 5160331

Gotcha.

 

[groovaholic]

I don't feel any rubbing when I gently push on the cone

Had another rehearsal last night and the MB210-II sounded great again - but as Macbeth said; "Ah...there's the rub..."

This morning, I removed the speaker grille, swapped driver locations, then looped test tones through the amp until I could clearly locate the source of the noise. The noise moved with the driver, and when I compared cone press to the other driver, the buzzy driver definitely has a slightly gritty feel to the voice-coil.

When I pulled that speaker yesterday, I noticed there was a second set of screw holes - suggesting the speaker had been pulled and reinstalled before.
On these amps, the speaker cutout is beveled and the speaker has to be rotated into the correct location before it will sit flat and flush.
I suspect that when the speaker was previously reinstalled, the speaker wasn't oriented correctly in the hole, and the frame got tweaked when the mounting screws were tightened down.

Stuff happens - and I remain impressed by the features and sound of the amp, so I've ordered another used MB210-II.

Assuming it doesn't have issues, I'll return this one.

 

[UntitledProject]

I've painted my silver neo grille black. I sandblasted the grille then used flat black high temp grill paint.

 

[biguglyman]

Recently picked up an MB 212-II combo from GC used for under $500. Sounds crisp and loud. I'd say I caught a pretty good deal.

Got mine off CL a few years ago for $400. Best deal I ever got. Guy was a poser who didn't need the money and probably had no idea what he had. Great for my aging back!

 

[kobass]

Hey all. So, I have an older GK Neo 410. Great cab, but would really like to pain the grill black. I just think it would look cool.

Has anyone done this, and if so, what would be the best way to go about getting it done?

I was thinking of using a Krylon Black Primer, the. Going over the primer with a flat back, but I also see they make a hammered black that might adhere better?

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
View attachment 5160161

Check out post #17 in this thread...
Painted Gallien-Krueger Grill Photos.

Also, I seem to remember TBer @Chef (Alan-RIP) painted his GK Neo 112 cab grills black. You may want to do a search.

 

[kleinenenten]

Check out post #17 in this thread...
Painted Gallien-Krueger Grill Photos.

Also, I seem to remember TBer @Chef (Alan-RIP) painted his GK Neo 112 cab grills black. You may want to do a search.

I'm still proudly rocking out his old 700RB-II and Neo 410! I bought them from him over a decade ago, took a day and drove to his place to grab them, and have had tonal bliss since. He was a great resource to TB, and a good guy. He is missed.

 

[5StringPocket]

The Neo IV 212 cab rocks. I run my tweeter flat or at -2dB with no hiss from my Ashdown EVO, Mesa D800+, or Berg HP amps.