Gallien Krueger Legacy series?

[Thegrandwazoo]

So I was looking around on G-K's website earlier, as I do now and again, and for the first time learned about the new Legacy series heads and combos:
Legacy Heads — Gallien-Krueger

Legacy Combos — Gallien-Krueger

They seem to me to be everything everyone's always loved about the 800RB, only brand spankin-ass new and with a bunch of modern stuff but not a bunch of extraneous controls and useless features, which to me seems like the most perfect possible amp.

My old 800RB/Hartke 410XL/115XL rig was the best sounding rig I've ever heard in person, but was huge and weighed eleven million pounds, so I moved on to smaller, lighter, more manageable combos. It's a decision I'm happy with, but to get just a BIT closer to that sound with the convenience I'm now accustomed to would be pretty great.

I think the Legacy 212 combo might just have to replace my beloved MB210 II/CX210 but I just wondered if anyone here has actual experience with the amps and could give their thoughts/opinions.

 

[BrooklynBen]

I'm kind of in a similar boat. I "grew up on GK," and my favorite powerful amp was my GK 800 RB, which I had a long time and loved. I've been eyeing the newer GK's as well and expect to pay about $800 for a new head, to drive two cabinets I already own (two vintage Ampegs, a 1x15 and a 4x10) which I love and don't expect to part with.

Unfortunately, GK has made some strange "electronics decisions" over the past years and I'm not convniced the Legacy 800 is right for me.

And I happened upon a Genzler Magellan 800. I've never touched one, just heard *a lot* of online demos. But I'm pretty convinced that Genzler has made wiser decisions in the "knobs and plugs" tactile arena and I think I'm likely to get the Genzler Magellan 800. But I'm still looking at GK things, which is why i'm here.

Why do you like the Legacy 800? Have you seen the Genzler? What do you play? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

[Gyver]

I recently replaced my 700 RB-II with a Legacy 800. They sound very similar when set up the same, although each has a few options that the other does not have. I have also played through an old 800 RB and the new Legacy is a close replica of it IMO. The link below is to a sound comparison I put together between the 700 RB-II and the Legacy 800 if you are interested.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

I'm kind of in a similar boat. I "grew up on GK," and my favorite powerful amp was my GK 800 RB, which I had a long time and loved. I've been eyeing the newer GK's as well and expect to pay about $800 for a new head, to drive two cabinets I already own (two vintage Ampegs, a 1x15 and a 4x10) which I love and don't expect to part with.

Unfortunately, GK has made some strange "electronics decisions" over the past years and I'm not convniced the Legacy 800 is right for me.

And I happened upon a Genzler Magellan 800. I've never touched one, just heard *a lot* of online demos. But I'm pretty convinced that Genzler has made wiser decisions in the "knobs and plugs" tactile arena and I think I'm likely to get the Genzler Magellan 800. But I'm still looking at GK things, which is why i'm here.

Why do you like the Legacy 800? Have you seen the Genzler? What do you play? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I like the Legacy 800 (more specifically, the Legacy 212 combo) because it's literally a modernized 800RB, from what I can see and gather from their info.

I used to have a 700RB/2x10" combo, which was very close to the OG, but again was way too cumbersome for my purposes.

I love my MB210 II, and it'll get kinda there, but it's also kinda its own very good thing, not really quite like 'THE' G-K sound. I'm not necessarily against having a separate head and cabinet, but they haven't made the old RB in a lot of years and a used amp is a pig in a poke. I feel like (based on what G-K says) this is as close to that old circuit as can be gotten in a new unit, and I already know that I love their lightweight combos. If this is what I think it is, it could very well be the last amp I ever buy.

I've not tried any Genzler stuff, but I'm also not interested. I know they make excellent gear, but I'm just so used to using G-K that other layouts are weird to me, plus I keep waiting for something like what I think this might be to come along.

What do you mean by 'what do you play'? Like, equipment, genre, or something else?

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

I recently replaced my 700 RB-II with a Legacy 800. They sound very similar when set up the same, although each has a few options that the other does not have. I have also played through an old 800 RB and the new Legacy is a close replica of it IMO. The link below is to a sound comparison I put together between the 700 RB-II and the Legacy 800 if you are interested.

Awesome. That's about what I expected, and I agree with you based on those comparisons. It's more like the old RB than the 700/1001/2001RBs (themselves pretty damn similar to the old one), and does a great job of paying homage to the original. Man, I think my decision has gotten easier. Well, aside from the money side of things, haha!

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

Anyone else have any experience with these units?

 

[BrentSimons]

I recently replaced my 700 RB-II with a Legacy 800. They sound very similar when set up the same, although each has a few options that the other does not have. I have also played through an old 800 RB and the new Legacy is a close replica of it IMO. The link below is to a sound comparison I put together between the 700 RB-II and the Legacy 800 if you are interested.

Great comparison!
Nice playing and I like your song selection!
Best wishes,
Brent

 

[rojo412]

The Legacy 212 combo recently caught my eye and I'm definitely wondering how people who have them are feeling about them in general.

Just started thinking about these because I decided to part with my "big rig", an MB2-500 head into an Aggie GS212. It's been dormant in the practice space since March and with no big gigs in sight, I figured cash out and see what happens. The MB210-II combo has been my gig combo for years anyway, assuming it wasn't an outdoor gig, so I figure that would tide me over for the near future. And my plan was to eventually get the MB212 combo to replace the half stack...

Then I see the Legacy and it's like "HOLY CRAP!" The spec sheet has me salivating, for sure.
So actually, another thing I'm wondering is, has anyone A/B'd the MB212 vs. the Legacy 212 and if so, what were the biggest noticeable differences at moderate (practice room, not arena) volume levels?

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

The Legacy 212 combo recently caught my eye and I'm definitely wondering how people who have them are feeling about them in general.

Just started thinking about these because I decided to part with my "big rig", an MB2-500 head into an Aggie GS212. It's been dormant in the practice space since March and with no big gigs in sight, I figured cash out and see what happens. The MB210-II combo has been my gig combo for years anyway, assuming it wasn't an outdoor gig, so I figure that would tide me over for the near future. And my plan was to eventually get the MB212 combo to replace the half stack...

Then I see the Legacy and it's like "HOLY CRAP!" The spec sheet has me salivating, for sure.
So actually, another thing I'm wondering is, has anyone A/B'd the MB212 vs. the Legacy 212 and if so, what were the biggest noticeable differences at moderate (practice room, not arena) volume levels?

Exactly my thoughts, and essentially exactly my situation. I love my MB210-II, but it doesn't quite get the same gnarliness my old RB800 did (plus, let's be honest, I'm always wanting something new) plus more available volume (which I would never use, see previous note) isn't a bad thing in a solid state amp. Just seems like the most perfect currently-available amp for me, though I really do like my MB.

 

[ToneMonkey]

I thought I would goose this thread back to life. I'm currently amp-less. But with no gigs on the horizon, I'm not inclined to rush into anything.

Fender Rumble 500 seems like an obvious choice for my needs (meat and potatoes P bass tones for the most part, but I do very occasionally find myself in more modern waters). I know GK can put out the zingy modern tones. I imagine dialing that back probably isn't a problem. That's why amps and basses offer tone controls.

I just parted company with a Phil Jones rig. I just didn't bond with it and no matter what I did, it felt underpowered to be. So an 800w combo seems attractive.

I owned a 400RB in the 80s. I haven't owned GK since. But I'm strongly considering a Legacy 210 combo.

 

[Gyver]

I thought I would goose this thread back to life. I'm currently amp-less. But with no gigs on the horizon, I'm not inclined to rush into anything.

Fender Rumble 500 seems like an obvious choice for my needs (meat and potatoes P bass tones for the most part, but I do very occasionally find myself in more modern waters). I know GK can put out the zingy modern tones. I imagine dialing that back probably isn't a problem. That's why amps and basses offer tone controls.

I just parted company with a Phil Jones rig. I just didn't bond with it and no matter what I did, it felt underpowered to be. So an 800w combo seems attractive.

I owned a 400RB in the 80s. I haven't owned GK since. But I'm strongly considering a Legacy 210 combo.

I like the Legacy 800. Concerning its "zinginess" I do find myself turning the treble down to 9:00 quite often to tame it. Either that or turning off the presence control.

 

[ToneMonkey]

I just pulled the trigger on an open box Legacy 112 combo from GC. Nice price plus I get some time to evaluate it. If it's not for me, I can just drive it back. The demos sound great. Plus my biggest complaint with most combos is lack of power. I'm guessing 800w is gonna be enough. Even half that (without an extension cab) figures to more than do the job.