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Gallien-Krueger MB2-500: Part II
- Thread starter Kelly Lee
- Start date
I understand your concern for sure...
But way more MB2 users have NOT had issues
So to 'revise' or fix an amp that doesn't have an issue seems pointless
I would think, They're ready to 'revise' any amps out there with confidence
knowing that the issue(s) have been sussed out
Maybe GK is waiting for some more confirmation from some more
amps out there with the latest revision before they speak up...
Just bought an A05 series yesterday and although I haven't put it through the paces to check reliability I can say I am most impressed with he tone and sheer volume. Coming from a Wt-550 (one of the lighter, smaller heads on the market when I bought it) this little GK kicks butt! I have always been a hybrid snob and thought it had to have a tube preamp to sound good but I think this little amp might be converting me. That is maybe until the MD Fusion finally comes out. Will be keeping the Eden around at least until I feel confident enough in the GK.
By the way, everyone was saying the same thing about Eden when I bought my WT-550 but it has never even come close to letting me down.
By the way, everyone was saying the same thing about Eden when I bought my WT-550 but it has never even come close to letting me down.
Physical abuse...whatever dude, I'll bet, of the reported issues, maybe .001%, if that, is physical abuse - c'mon man
Anyway, last night my A06 kicked A$$! flawless...Not one issue (as it should be)
the input stage is not as hot as my A05 was, which allowed me to keep the -10db off
The A06 seems to be "wider" and more 'open' than the A05 I had
I love this amp! & a huge kudos to GK for treating me so good
*Reading this post made me test the input on my own A05. Low and behold I appear to have the same problem. Was playing it with the -10db switch ion regardless of type of bass active or passive. Turned the switch off while playing my P-Bass and the red LED clip light started flashing to beat the band. Tried turning the preamp gain down but even with it turned all the way off the clip LED still lights up every time I play a note. Looks like I too will be cashing in on some of that great GK customer service everyone has been talking about. Explains why this little bugger is so much louder that my WT-550.
This is my only beef with this amp. As strange as it seems to me, it is possible to make the CLIP LED light up with the GAIN at zero. I think this design is "normal" for GK, but I find it flawed. The 10dB input pad is the ONLY tool for avoiding clip at the input stage. Take a look at the block diagram from the manual:
If I understand this diargram correctly, the GAIN knob has absolutely no bearing on the CLIP light, because the GAIN knob is AFTER the CLIP light.. The clip light only serves to notify you if you are clipping the input stage. The GAIN knob pads the fully GAINed signal before it hits the EQ sections. Carrying this thought forward, there is no CLIP light to tell you if you are clipping the EQ section.
This is bizarre to me. It seems like this design is backwards - the GAIN knob should work in conjunction with the input pad to control clipping. In this design, I'm not exactly sure of what use the GAIN knob is. This is the only amplifier I have ever owned where the GAIN knob is not used to control clipping.
Below is a design what I would consider a more "normal" design. In this design (an Ampeg SVT III-Pro) both the input pad and the GAIN knob are before the clip indicator.
Because of this (IMO) flawed design, I have passive basses that will clip the input of the MB2-500 even with the 10dB pad engaged - audible clipping. The only recourse is to turn the bass down a little. In fact, that's what the manual says to do: "If the -10dB is pressed and the clip indicator still flashes frequently, reduce the volume on your bass." I translate this to mean that there are basses that will not work very well with this amp, which, (again IMO) is just silly.
Aside from this, the MB2-500 is a very good amp. It is small, light, loud, and low-noise. I have no reason to believe the past problems have not been fixed, and the thing sounds great. Still, this can be a big "gotcha," depending on the bass you are trying to use with this amp.
- Feb 3, 2005
- 7,331
- 10,198
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Bergantino Audio Systems and GHS Strings
- Jun 16, 2005
- 3,584
- 31
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Spector, Aguilar, Darkglass
I actually tried this out today... I currently have a A06.
I normally have my demeter comp between my bass and mb2500.
I went straight in and I didnt need to use the -10db.
I remember I would need to use the -10bd OR the demeter with the volume adjusted accordingly when I had previous A0*.
This has been a pleasant surprise... I used my ESP ltd F-104 and Modulus Flea 4. Both active.. the ESP is 9v and the 18v..
- Jun 16, 2005
- 3,584
- 31
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Spector, Aguilar, Darkglass
I ran my A06 tonite with Gain @ noon, Boost @ 3 o'clock, Master-B @ 9:30.
Ran it with my 4ohm schroeder for a 2 hour rehearsal. No hiccups or problems what so ever.
Have a gig tomorrow nite and I'll see how it runs like that with DI.
Ran it with my 4ohm schroeder for a 2 hour rehearsal. No hiccups or problems what so ever.
Have a gig tomorrow nite and I'll see how it runs like that with DI.
I ran mine (A06 version) with DI, 8 ohm berg HT112ER, boost on and off depending, volume a/b about 4, gain about 11:00, 10db switch not engaged, my active skjold with slight compression from my maxon pedal and it worked great. I did notice the clip light coming on once in a while when I did have my compressor on. On other amps, I understand how to set the gain/volume, but this amp I am still a bit confused.
I just set it so I get a nice tone, which this amp can produce.
I just set it so I get a nice tone, which this amp can produce.
Hey Saluki - If you want to stop the clip light without engaging -10db
turn down the compressor output level or your bass
With GK's you can't adjust the amount of input with the Pre knob
turn down the compressor output level or your bass
With GK's you can't adjust the amount of input with the Pre knob
*Here is the email I sent GK regarding the constant clipping with the -10db switch off:
Just purchased a MB2-500 head this weekend. My first introduction to the GK sound (my Neo 212 arrives tomorrow). Absolutely love it but noticed that even with a passive bass the clipping LED lights up with the -10db switch off. Both active and passive basses seem to work fine with the -10 db on. Doesn't seem to be a big issue but I would like to be able to use this feature as I run both active and passive basses. Was reading about this amp on Talkbass.com and saw in a couple of posts that a few other people are having the same problem. Any thoughts? Am I putting anything at risk as long as I leave the -10db switch on? The serial # on my unit is RB0916A05101195.
*And here is the response I received this morning
"Hi Simon,
Thank you for letting us know about your concern. There is nothing wrong with your MB2-500 head, it just happen that the output signal of your passive bass is higher than where we set the threshold on the clip light circuit. You can engage the -10dB pad or roll off the gain from the bass guitar to address this concern. Not all passive bass guitar has low output, as commonly perceived , we have here a Fender Bass Guitar, Its a passive guitar and the output is higher than some of the active bass guitar that we have, and it does clip the input of the MB2-500 if the -10dB pad is not engaged.
Hope this help,
Regards,
Noli"
*So, what do you guys think. Should I worry about it? Is it worth pursuing further? According to the one post here apparently the 06 update addresses this issue. Why would there be a fix if it isn't a problem?
Just purchased a MB2-500 head this weekend. My first introduction to the GK sound (my Neo 212 arrives tomorrow). Absolutely love it but noticed that even with a passive bass the clipping LED lights up with the -10db switch off. Both active and passive basses seem to work fine with the -10 db on. Doesn't seem to be a big issue but I would like to be able to use this feature as I run both active and passive basses. Was reading about this amp on Talkbass.com and saw in a couple of posts that a few other people are having the same problem. Any thoughts? Am I putting anything at risk as long as I leave the -10db switch on? The serial # on my unit is RB0916A05101195.
*And here is the response I received this morning
"Hi Simon,
Thank you for letting us know about your concern. There is nothing wrong with your MB2-500 head, it just happen that the output signal of your passive bass is higher than where we set the threshold on the clip light circuit. You can engage the -10dB pad or roll off the gain from the bass guitar to address this concern. Not all passive bass guitar has low output, as commonly perceived , we have here a Fender Bass Guitar, Its a passive guitar and the output is higher than some of the active bass guitar that we have, and it does clip the input of the MB2-500 if the -10dB pad is not engaged.
Hope this help,
Regards,
Noli"
*So, what do you guys think. Should I worry about it? Is it worth pursuing further? According to the one post here apparently the 06 update addresses this issue. Why would there be a fix if it isn't a problem?
Hey Simon,
I just picked up a Spector Euro with a "Super Hot" preamp and it was constantly overloading the preamp on my 400RBIV. Even with the volume (gain) at almost zero in the end I reduced the Boost and opened up the master volume a bit more and you know what? No clip light, even when playing hard. My eq settings were, contour @ 9 oclock,presence at 7 oclock, treble at 12, high mid 12, low mid 11, bass 12:30. Hope this helps.
Brent
*I guess that is what you get when you email the tech support people at GK.
Anyway, it doesn't seem to be a big deal. All of my basses seem to work fine and sound great with the pad switch on.
Maybe it's designed so that you can use a bass with a pickup with a broken coil wire. 
*My Neo 212 arrived today and had a few minutes to try it out at lunch. What a great combination!
Sounded huge!
Much better than the Eden D112XLT cabs I was using. Can't wait to try it out in a band context.
The pad is there for a reason. Use it if you need it.
exactly....I've been using the MB2 for a year and I've had a few of these due to changes. Way too much drama about a -10db switch that works exactly like it's supposed to. If your bass is cranking, engage it. I set the bass, treble and mids flat with My 18v Bartolini and just slightly ease off the volume and slap till I'm tired with no light. I like to use my Bartolini pre, so I use the -10 cut. I've had several MB2's simply due to revisions and its been the same with each.....not an issue. Keep jammin man.....after a year with my Roscoe and MB2 paired, I don't even care about all this drama any more....I have sweet, reliable, inspiring tone....isn't that whats it's all about man....
exactly....I've been using the MB2 for a year and I've had a few of these due to changes. Way too much drama about a -10db switch that works exactly like it's supposed to. If your bass is cranking, engage it. I set the bass, treble and mids flat with My 18v Bartolini and just slightly ease off the volume and slap till I'm tired with no light. I like to use my Bartolini pre, so I use the -10 cut. I've had several MB2's simply due to revisions and its been the same with each.....not an issue. Keep jammin man.....after a year with my Roscoe and MB2 paired, I don't even care about all this drama any more....I have sweet, reliable, inspiring tone....isn't that whats it's all about man....
*Yeah, guess I'm just not used to the GK way. Just have to think of it like my input goes to 11 instead of why not make 10 louder and make 10 the top number. This one goes to 11.
*I have been used to amps where you only have to pad the active basses with really hot outputs. Never had to pad my P-Bass before. I can see from the block diagram that the pad comes before anything else so it doesn't affect overall tone.
*Please note that with both pre and master volumes at zero and the boost off the input clip lights up with every note. Even with absolutely no sound coming out of the amp.
