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Gallien-Krueger MB2-500

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#362
deekay911 said:
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 :(
Click to expand...

All depends on the person. I'm the opposite where GK amps work fine for what I want. The Shuttle didn't cut it.

I'm more a metal head and punker stylewise.

Jim
 
#363
My GK800RB is just about 25 years old and has never given me any trouble.

I recently purchased a Little Mark II after all of the good reviews here. Not disappointed with it and I still have my GK.

This new GK sounds like it has a lot going for it. I need to someone do a fairly in depth comparison on the LMII and the GK and I know KJung is the guy for the job :D.

One question I have for Bob Gallien is who services GK in Massachusetts - I would like to have mine given the once over. So I can get another 25 years out of it. Also, are you taking trades - can I trade in the Little Mark for the MB2? :D

Great thread and impressed that the President of the Company is here answering questions about their new Product - says a lot about GK's commitment to Bass Players.
 
#364
basshero1107 said:
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?
Click to expand...

Since this is a thread about the GK MB2-500, I'll add it.

When I had the Shuttle 6.0 eq'd where I wanted it, which
meant adding some lows, there was an audible difference in
the headroom between the Shuttle and the LMII. Less
headroom with the Shuttle.
There seemed to be (in the store) more headroom on the GK
than the LMII. Not much, but a little more. I certainly felt I
could push the GK harder.
Its starting to be clear.... If you believe the findings of the
tech's who frequent this site, the LMII is pretty flat. I think
its safe to assume the Shuttle would be eq'd to favor the
upper mids and highs, while the GK mb-2 seems to favor the
lows and low mids more. The good new is, we have three
very good choices (four counting the Focus) depending on the
type of music you play and the speakers you use.
 
#365
basshero1107 said:
how can i get the most power out of a 6.0?
Click to expand...
The key is to use as many efficient speakers as possible, run a 4 ohm load, and use cabs that are naturally bottom-heavy. You won't use up your headroom by dialing in more lows that way. Also, leave the mids in there, don't go scoopin'.

The MB² feels like it has much more useable headroom to me. So far I can't get the lows under control but will keep working on it. I may even try slaving the MB² from the Shuttle since the little 6.0 has the tone profile I love. Imagine a 7.5 lb. 1100 watt amp with two completely different tone possibilities....or run them stereo!!!
 
#366
Just used my MB2 at band practice this afternoon with an Acme B-2. I'm really loving it. Seemed to have plenty of power (a pleasant experience after a brief but unsatisfying encounter I had with an Eden WTX-260). The bottom end is really in there, that's for sure. I needed to dial down the lows and that worked for me but after reading thru recent posts, I'm going to try turning everything else up a bit instead and see how that sits. I also wanted to mention that it seems to be built very solidly (again a pleasant distinction from the Eden).
 
#367
The MB2-500 sounds like a good match for my uber mid punchy Schroeder 10+R. Even just one cab. (I have 2 but they're 4 ohms each.) 500w into one efficient 1x10 would prolly do most gigs where I am FOH and side files anyway. Or else they're a lot smaller gigs.
 
#368
slombovia said:
The MB2-500 sounds like a good match for my uber mid punchy Schroeder 10+R. Even just one cab. (I have 2 but they're 4 ohms each.) 500w into one efficient 1x10 would prolly do most gigs where I am FOH and side files anyway. Or else they're a lot smaller gigs.
Click to expand...
Yes, it sounds like a good match tonewise. IMO the Schroeder will be crying for mercy if you really crank it though.
 
#369
tallboybass said:
Yes, it sounds like a good match tonewise. IMO the Schroeder will be crying for mercy if you really crank it though.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. Yeah, there is only so much a 1x10 can do though it did pretty well with my ex-AI Clarus' 400w. I'd like to run two cabs but 2 ohm load portable amps are rare. I have a Stewart World 1.2 that I could just get a preamp for. But the 4 lb GK is SO tempting. Two herniated disks don't even like the 25 lb Schro.
 
#370
slombovia said:
Thanks for that. Yeah, there is only so much a 1x10 can do though it did pretty well with my ex-AI Clarus' 400w. I'd like to run two cabs but 2 ohm load portable amps are rare. I have a Stewart World 1.2 that I could just get a preamp for. But the 4 lb GK is SO tempting. Two herniated disks don't even like the 25 lb Schro.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you might like the Genz Shuttle 3.0 combos. The combo with a 10" speaker is only 18 lbs. with an option to add another 10" for louder stuff. I understand back problems. :atoz:
 
#372
any comments on if it is possible to dial down the highs while still retaining some high end clarity? i know that sounds strange, but for my rig i find that tube preamps seem to mask/filter the harsh highs when i run my overdrive pedals through them while letting through the good highs. all my tube pre/ss power rigs did this, along with teh shuttle 6.0 hybrid, and the LM2 only did it when i used the VLE dial, otherwise the LM2 flat sounded terrible with my dirt pedals. it is not the same as turning down my tweeter on my NeoX 212T

i can't seem to be able to carry my pedal board into a local music store, so i was hoping for some feedback in this respect.
 
#377
I'm going to try one of these out today. I've just joined a band that has a pretty heavy gig schedule so I'm looking to shed some weight with my setup. We play small to mid sized bars.

Right now my setup is a Sansamp RBI, Power amp, 4u rack with 1u power conditioner. I'm thinking at least 50 lbs.

I also have an 8 ohm 410 at about 65 lbs. The next step will be to replace the 8 ohm 410 with an Avatar 4ohm 2x10.

So the difference will be a net loss of 67 lbs, 2 drivers and about 100 watts of power.
 
#378
Has anybody heard any word on when rack mounting hardware might be sold for this little amp?

The thought of how much weight and space I could save by having this little guy under an XDR95 in a mini rack is mind blowing.
 
#379
tallboybass said:
Yes, it sounds like a good match tonewise. IMO the Schroeder will be crying for mercy if you really crank it though.
Click to expand...

Prolly right though it would get fairly loud first.

As a test, I ran both 4 ohm Schro 1x10+ from my Stewart World 1.2 - one per side - and it rocked (2x350w). Cutting back to one side/cab at 350w did not cut it.

Bummer. Like many here I thought the MB2-500 would be a good solution but I'd have to sell or modify my cabs to get to a 4 ohm total load.
 
#380
Well, I picked one up at lunch today and I'm very impressed. I can't believe the nice tone and volume I get from this thing.

Now, I just need to decide which one I'm going to lug to my two gigs this weekend? :rolleyes:

gk002.jpg

gk001.jpg
 
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