Sorry for the OT banter
It wouldn't be a true megathread without some BS thrown in
So it's now officially MEGA!
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Gallien-Krueger MB2-500
- Thread starter deekay911
- Start date
- Status
Sorry for the OT banter
It wouldn't be a true megathread without some BS thrown in
So it's now officially MEGA!
Sorry for the OT banter
It wouldn't be a true megathread without some BS thrown in
So it's now officially MEGA!
Hey, it's cool, Basss!
No harm, no foul... back to our regularly scheduled Megathread....
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,516
- 19,950
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
I played it at GC, the top end is all there. It does have a "badonkadonk" factor of about 8.5 in the low end. TomBowlus, feel free to use that in the review in issue #3.
Duly noted.
I plugged the MB² into my NeoX212 and had to roll back the lows even more than my previous test with a 210 - 115 stack. I've always enjoyed the GK sound which IMO = tight lows, grindy mids and 'wirey' highs....very punchy. The new amp sounds very un-GK-like to me. So far I can't get it to sound anything like the GKs of old. I'm just curious about the voicing...seems heavily influenced by the MarkBass approach or even....Ampeg! 
Has anyone played this thing on a gig and obtained a nice tight, well-defined GK grind with it?
Thanks, Alan
Has anyone played this thing on a gig and obtained a nice tight, well-defined GK grind with it?
Thanks, Alan
- Mar 24, 2003
- 809
- 2,523
- Disclosures
- Robert A. Gallien, President Gallien-Krueger
I plugged the MB² into my NeoX212 and had to roll back the lows even more than my previous test with a 210 - 115 stack. I've always enjoyed the GK sound which IMO = tight lows, grindy mids and 'wirey' highs....very punchy. The new amp sounds very un-GK-like to me. So far I can't get it to sound anything like the GKs of old. I'm just curious about the voicing...seems heavily influenced by the MarkBass approach or even....Ampeg!
Has anyone played this thing on a gig and obtained a nice tight, well-defined GK grind with it?
Thanks, Alan
The MB2 is voiced exactly like the 700RB with out the presence control. Removing the presence control eliminated a slight high mid boost that remained even when the presence was on zero. Setting the Low Mid, High Mid and Treble to about 1:00 duplicates the 700RB with the EQ flat and the Presence on zero. It is a simple matter to put the slight presence boost into any unit and we will do it for free for anyone who wants it, but frankly these tone settings bring it very close. The issue isn't extra Bass it is less high mid.
Bob Gallien
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,516
- 19,950
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
nice,
didnt know GK was soo full service.
+1 That is very impressive.
Kudos to Bob on multiple fronts.
Thanks again Bob, really appreciate the responses. I've never owned a 700RB, just the 800RB (for 20+ years) and 1001RB-II. There seems to be a low-end presence in the MB² that I don't remember from either of these amps...but I'm using different cabs than before too. That's really cool that you can put the high-mid boost back, I might send it in for that if I can't find what I need with EQ. I'm anxious to get it out on a gig to see how it responds in the environment it was made for.
Alan
- Mar 24, 2003
- 809
- 2,523
- Disclosures
- Robert A. Gallien, President Gallien-Krueger
Just thought I'd note that your earlier suggested settings for the MB2-500 used with my Schroeder 1212L and Dingwall SuperJ worked wonderfully. It was great starting point that gave me the depth, fullness, and cut I was hoping for. Very nice stuff!
The best part is being able to carry all of my gear - a nice powerfull rig - in two hands with one trip!
Well I did give the MB2 one last chance last night at a medium sized gig. I sooo want to like this amp. Like in practice, it didn't sit well in the mix like the Shuttle. I had a couple of 'ears' in the audience and they confirmed that the bass was sounding less distinct than usual. I can only imagine that it is the lack of mid/high as rag suggested, but he says it is only a small amount missing? I played the shuttle for the last set, and it sang as usual. I usually don't have the hi-fi hearing that some of you guys have, and in my small practice space, apart from the boomy low end the MB22 sounded good, but this was a real test for me and the MB2 came second. Sorry to all you GK afficionados, because it seems that the MB2 sounds just like the other GK heads in many respects, so you will all be loving it. I guess I just never got into that GK sound yet 
deekay - what style of music were you playing, and in how large of a venue?
And which cab did you pair it up with?
I'm also wondering if you play the Shuttle with the low-end boost, or otherwise tweak some more bass via the eq.
-Mike
And which cab did you pair it up with?
I'm also wondering if you play the Shuttle with the low-end boost, or otherwise tweak some more bass via the eq.
-Mike
Mike - classic rock, largish bar, maybe 100 people, Ric 4003, Neox212T. I don't use the bass boost on the Shuttle, bass EQ is at 1 o'clock.
This has been an interesting read.
I'm running a WT-550 into a pair of Bag S15-Ds, and I like it - but there are many times I miss the tone I used to get from my old 400RB.
I may need to get one of these.
I'm running a WT-550 into a pair of Bag S15-Ds, and I like it - but there are many times I miss the tone I used to get from my old 400RB.
I may need to get one of these.
i am looking at buying a shuttle 6.0 from genz benz. but i dont know if it has enough power for medium sized, very very loud gigs. should i get another cab with it or what? how can i get the most power out of a 6.0?
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