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Gallien-Krueger MB2-500: Part II

#901
DavePlaysBass said:
So here’s the dilemma. This was ordered by GC and arrived at the store with a A00 serial number. Whenever I slap the clip light goes nuts. The same settings on the 700RB did not light up the clip light at all. So what’s up with GC still stocking A00. I have 30 days to return it and most likely will unless I can get some resolution on the serial number.
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IMO - Return it. Spank the slip checking girl on the way out. Order from RMC... get a phone number if she's cute ...:hiding:
 
#902
I used my MB2 with no cab (basically as a pre amp) for a gig on radio last week and it was awesome! I love the tone!!! Also used it cab-less for my last gig at a venue as it was an intimate gig and was easier to mix with no bass cab!

I totally love this amp and still have my 1001RB-II. Should I sell it? Not just yet!!!
 
#904
DavePlaysBass said:
So here’s the dilemma. This was ordered by GC and arrived at the store with a A00 serial number. Whenever I slap the clip light goes nuts. The same settings on the 700RB did not light up the clip light at all. So what’s up with GC still stocking A00. I have 30 days to return it and most likely will unless I can get some resolution on the serial number.
Click to expand...

*The A05 MB2-500 I bought from my local dealer also had an overactive input gain. Even with the -10DB pad engaged mine was clipping even with a passive bass. Bypassed my dealer and went straight to GK for a solution. They took great care of me and had it fixed in no time. Been a happy-camper ever since.
 
#905
I'm skinny and lazy so i wanted to cut the size of my rig

Well... I got one of the micro mofos from Saluki a few weeks ago, I run it with a Schroeder 1212R, sound is crisp clear, low end is massive, it's working flawlessly, couldn't be happier. :bassist:
 
#906
harry manback said:
I'm skinny and lazy so i wanted to cut the size of my rig

Well... I got one of the micro mofos from Saluki a few weeks ago, I run it with a Schroeder 1212R, sound is crisp clear, low end is massive, it's working flawlessly, couldn't be happier. :bassist:
Click to expand...

Awesome man. I love that tone, but I had GAS for another bass. I will probably own another in the future.
 
#909
After playing around with the DI, I am a little disappointed that the DI level is greatly effected by the boost feature. I like the foot switch but if I use it live, my DI signal will change dramatically if I am using appreciable boost. They give you seperate masters to control the output volume but the DI levels change. Theoretically you want the DI level to follow the amps output volume. What they should have done is make the Master B pot a Boost channel level adjust on the output of the boost stage. This would allow one to send the combined Boost and Level Adjusted signal to a single Master and the DI. And when you switch channels, everything going to the DI would follow the same volume levels going to the speakers. And this would not use any more pots than what is already there. I am kinda bummed they did not do this.

What do you guys think of the DI levels. Into my recorder that likes mic levels it overdrives something fearse. I will need to experiment with a PA here soon. I have no idea where I should be putting my pre amp gain and -10dB pad. At church I ran the thing as a DI and the levels I had coming out post EQ were really hot without the -10dB pad. I have a feeling I need to use the preamp gain to set either an optimum DI level or an optimum volume. When GK went adjusting the input gain levels around version A06, did anyone notice the DI levels getting problematic?
 
#910
DavePlaysBass said:
After playing around with the DI, I am a little disappointed that the DI level is greatly effected by the boost feature. I like the foot switch but if I use it live, my DI signal will change dramatically if I am using appreciable boost. They give you seperate masters to control the output volume but the DI levels change. Theoretically you want the DI level to follow the amps output volume. What they should have done is make the Master B pot a Boost channel level adjust on the output of the boost stage. This would allow one to send the combined Boost and Level Adjusted signal to a single Master and the DI. And when you switch channels, everything going to the DI would follow the same volume levels going to the speakers. And this would not use any more pots than what is already there. I am kinda bummed they did not do this.

What do you guys think of the DI levels. Into my recorder that likes mic levels it overdrives something fearse. I will need to experiment with a PA here soon. I have no idea where I should be putting my pre amp gain and -10dB pad. At church I ran the thing as a DI and the levels I had coming out post EQ were really hot without the -10dB pad. I have a feeling I need to use the preamp gain to set either an optimum DI level or an optimum volume. When GK went adjusting the input gain levels around version A06, did anyone notice the DI levels getting problematic?
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ok i sorta got lost somewhere in that ..but are you saying the "Master B" volume doesnt effect the DI output level?
 
#911
Correct. Let me say it a different way. Today I set the Boost at noon to 3 o' clock to get a nice GK Growl, I then turn the Master B down relative to the Clean Master so than when I switch between clean and "dirty", the levels coming out the speakers are close. This takes a bit of messing around with the two Master volumes.

As for the DI, the DI gets a hotter signal when the Boost is engaged. When I go clean the signal drops off a lot. Even though I have the same volume at the speaker cab, the PA has now gotten a much lower signal when going clean.

What they should have done IMO is this. Set up the Boost stage as a two piece gain stage(like an effect pedal with a level control) that allows one to trim the signal level leaving the boost stage. This trimmed signal would be sent to the DI and also to the power amp that is controlled by a single Master Volume. The beauty of this is you can turn the Master Volume up and down at your amp and still have a match between the clean and dirty (instead of having to tweak two Masters every time you change volume which IMO is a pain). And the DI levels could be made to follow the signal levels going into the power stage. So in my case if I had things roughly evened out, the DI level would be the same when going clean or dirty.

Maybe I am being picky, but IMO this is the way I think it should have been done. If I am looking at things correctly, the two channel feature is not very useful if you are using the DI in post setting (and I would want to send my clean and dirty sounds to the PA). I know you can go pre EQ and things will be fine, but then the PA does not get to hear the channel switching so why have it at all.
 
#912
I'm pretty impressed with my MB2-500 at this point. The first gig test will be next weekend, I think I am pairing it up with my GBNeo2x12t cab for this one. I am taking my Markbass 121 CMP combo as a back-up.

Our PA set up is pretty simple, I don't know that I will do that much channel switching on the gig, it's an 11-piece funk band with horns and I keep my tones pretty straight ahead for most of the night. I'll check in with the sound guy about any problems with levels if I engage the boost channel. I have to say I am loving the sound of this amp. If for some reason I decide I want another amp, it will be a 700RBII. GK is such an amazing product.
This is my first excursion into GK other than sitting in with the older 800rb style heads, and I am really liking what I hear so far. The MB2-500 seems to really reproduce the sound of my bass so clear with an amazing amount of versatility in the eq if I want it. It sounds deeper through my GB 2x12 cab than my GK 2x12 cab, but fiddling with the EQ I can get almost the same sound from either cab.
I a/b'd it with my Peavey VB2 through the same GB 2x12 cab. The Peavey is impressive in that it can really cop a modern tone like the GK if you adjust it for that and it sounds as loud at 225w asn the MB2500 at 500w The MB2-500 wins on power/weight ratio obviously, but there is also something there with it I really dig tonally even though at heart I am a tube guy. Somehow I'm thinking this is the better amp for the funk band, even though the Peavey has done a great job in that role too. Hell, the Markbass sounds great too especially if I run the GB Neo 2x12 off of it. I have 3 great amps and have to decide which I will like better for this gig. The Markbass 12 combo has done an incredible job on my jazz and orchestra gigs. The Peavey is a really nice tube head that is efficient, versatile and reliable IME. The MB2-500 is a powerhouse in a small package, and a great sounding head IMO.
 
#913
DavePlaysBass said:
In a short A/B I found the MB2 to sound more punchy and crisp than the 700RB. I wanted to make sure that the 700RB did not sound noticeably better and it did not.

Whenever I slap the clip light goes nuts. The same settings on the 700RB did not light up the clip light at all.
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Picked up a 700RB to compare to the MB today. And after figuring out the input gain levels, I must say that at moderate and low volumes, they sound pretty damn similair (flat EQ on the 700, slightly boosted treble, high mid, low mid on the MB). The MB does low volume better and I suspect that is the consistency of the Class D amp. As volumes get into the moderate level, they sound quite similiar.

As for input gains, the 700RB was breaking up a little at about 9 oclock with my Sadowsky. No clip light, but an unpleaseant fuzz. On the same 9 oclock input gain setting, I get good sound but the clip light comes on when I slap. It seems that the clip threshold is different on the MB while the overall gain structure seems to be the same.

I need to get them to a jam session. For you guys playing the MB loud, what are your Master and Boost settings?

And more complaining about the dual channel feature. When I set the Boost and Master B at 12 oclock, I am already louder than the Master maxed out when I go clean. If one likes a lot of Boost, Master B is going to be set way low if you want the clean volume to be anywhere close. I like the idea of two channels as I like both tones a lot, but they should just take the features out the amp, save the cost of the cable and foot switch, and knock a few dollars off the product. Or make the dual channel thing right. All of course IMHO.
 
#914
I just used a MB2 this past Saturday at a fund raiser event we performed
and let me tell you I need to buy one of these units ASAP.

TO ME, this is a D class 800RB
It sounds phenomenal and my 69' Jazz never sounded so good.

I'm in love with this little marvel of a bass amp.
As soon as the funds permit I'm there getting one for sure.

cheers,
Funky
 
#915
My MB2-500 that I ordered from the GC website arrived today and the serial number reads exactly as: RB0835A00101325. Does this mean that it's from the infamous A00 batch? Am I reading the numbers correctly? It didn't seem to have boomy lows (maybe ever so slightly compared to my LMII?) and no radio interference issues. It sounds great to me, but I just don't want to pay full price for a refurbished unit, if that is what it is.

Anyhow, I'll be giving it a good workout tomorrow at practice so we'll see how it performs. Please let me know if I'm reading from the wrong set of numbers.
 
#916
john nam said:
My MB2-500 that I ordered from the GC website arrived today and the serial number reads exactly as: RB0835A00101325. Does this mean that it's from the infamous A00 batch? Am I reading the numbers correctly? It didn't seem to have boomy lows (maybe ever so slightly compared to my LMII?) and no radio interference issues. It sounds great to me, but I just don't want to pay full price for a refurbished unit, if that is what it is.

Anyhow, I'll be giving it a good workout tomorrow at practice so we'll see how it performs. Please let me know if I'm reading from the wrong set of numbers.
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You are the third one in this thread to get an A00 from GC in the last two weeks. I am riding my 30 day return window with a new A00 and will have arrangements for the latest revison if I decide to keep or return the unit before the 30 days is up.

I have been A/Bing the 700RB and MB2-500 for the last couple of days. They are nearly the same EQ wise with the 700RB 5 string switch engaged. I read that if you want to tweak an A00 to follow the latest MB flat EQ (which is also flat on a 700RB), you should set the treble, high mid, and low mid at about 1 oclock with the bass at 12 oclock. To my ears this nails the flats setting on the 700RB. And like you I think the A00 set flat is pretty darn good.

I think the power stages of the 700RB and MB2-500 sound a little different. I have not had a chance to open things up really loud, but initial impression is that the 700RB may be just a smidge more full while the MB2-500 may be a smidge more clear in a hi fi way. Its almost like the 700RB has a hint of tubiness where as the MB is more modern. But at moderate volumes thru my GS112 with Deltalite 2512 speaker, the two are much more alike than they are different. The MB input gains appear to be a little jacked around but I beleive they made this more like the 700RB in some of the later revisions. The 700RB has the advantage of a presence control, a variable DI level, 4string / 5 string switch, and biamping which I am not sure warrant the extra cost and weight (about 12 lbs and $100). Having said that, I need to crank it up with the band this weekend but from what I hear on TB, the MB should hang just fine.

On a different note, anyone ever use a XLR attenuation pad. I am looking at one that has a switchable -20, -30, -40 dB switch in a handy XLR insert form. This would be a cheap and easy way to knock down the hot level coming off the MB2-500 DI that my recorder does not like. I wonder if they are tone suckers?

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#917
john nam said:
My MB2-500 that I ordered from the GC website arrived today and the serial number reads exactly as: RB0835A00101325. Does this mean that it's from the infamous A00 batch? Am I reading the numbers correctly? It didn't seem to have boomy lows (maybe ever so slightly compared to my LMII?) and no radio interference issues. It sounds great to me, but I just don't want to pay full price for a refurbished unit, if that is what it is.

Anyhow, I'll be giving it a good workout tomorrow at practice so we'll see how it performs. Please let me know if I'm reading from the wrong set of numbers.
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Yep - that's an A00 - wow.....worth something for its vintage appeal now..

Watch out for boomy bass EQ, RF interference, thermal cutout etc etc - Good Luck.
 
#919
tombowlus said:
I wonder if GK refurbished a bunch of the A00 models and/or updated them prior to initially shipping them out?

I'm sure that Bob or Brian can give us the skinny.
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I was told GC ordered a lot of product when they first came out and probably just has inventory. I am still in the middle of conversations with GK on whether to send my A00 to them for replacement or just take it back and order from RMC Audio. Its not clear to me if I will have to fork out cash for shipping and if i will get a new unit or have a bunch of soldering done to the one I have now. Obviously I would prefer a new unit and I have that option availabe if I return it. RMC Audio is out of stock though last I talked to them.
 

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