Gallien-Krueger MB2-500

[coolrunner989]

awesome!

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

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

Re: the shuttle's cut ability. I know exactly what you mean. I think its partly because the bass eq is set at 80hz which REALLY cuts well, but is still somewhat bass-y. The shuttle is somewhat of a strange beast as you can achieve warmth, and cut with a nice heft to the bass notes. I just wished it was louder and cleaner sounding.

Really like to get my mitts on one of these new GK micro's.

 

[AK Rev]

Well, I just spent an hour reading through the entire thread. Very interesting and kudos to the president of G-K for responding and reading here. I've been pondering the LMII vs. Shuttle thing for awhile and I'm very pleased to have this strong option from G-K.

One thing I am wondering is about which cabs are appropriate for this G-K? The president said, "One thing I notice is that most of you guys are using cabinets that have a huge bottom end."

I haven't seen any mention of pairing the Aguilar GS112 with it. Comments on that? I am playing a Dingwall SJ5 in a contemporary Gospel setting. I run a DI to the PA but use my amp for stage sound/monitoring in venues from 100-500 people.

The other question I have is why is this amp not on many of the dealer websites like Bass NW, Bass Central, Perfect Bass, etc?

 

[fretster]

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.

The EA Micro 300 can go below 2 ohms. I have a 112 and 110, both at 4 ohms, and the head can drive them both at once just fine. Gets a little warm to the touch.

As far as the hernia goes, the EA head is under 3lbs, and the EA Wizzy 110 cab is 17lbs. For the one-cab gigs, this is pretty amazingly light weight. The same head driving an AccuGroove Whappo Jr and an Epifani UL210 is just ridiculous looking, but the ears say it works great!

 

[Johnny Atomic]

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.

I asked this a week ago, and no one answered. Is is one space or two??????

 

[tombowlus]

I asked this a week ago, and no one answered. Is is one space or two??????

It's not even one space. Unless you are talking some kind of micro rack, it would seem kinda odd to try and rackmount thing.

If it has tap on the bottom, though, you may be able to affix it to a rack tray.

Tom.

 

[Johnny Atomic]

It's not even one space. Unless you are talking some kind of micro rack, it would seem kinda odd to try and rackmount thing.

If it has tap on the bottom, though, you may be able to affix it to a rack tray.

Tom.

One space high? not how wide.

I racked my LM2.

I like a lightweight rig, but i also need a preamp, wireless, eq or whatever for my upright. so i want it all in one easy to carry unit that I can leave all hooked up between the different units.

 

[tombowlus]

One space high? not how wide.

I racked my LM2.

I like a lightweight rig, but i also need a preamp, wireless, eq or whatever for my upright. so i want it all in one easy to carry unit that I can leave all hooked up between the different units.

It looks to be a little less that 1U high (not counting the feet), and about 1/2 the width of a typical rack unit. Looks may be deceiving, though. I'll have to measure it. Racking the LMII makes more sense, to me, but yes, I see your point about having everything in one rack.

Tom.

 

[DaveLS]

I don't have it in front of me right now, but I'd have to say without the feet it's 1U.

 

[DaveLS]

It's not even one space. Unless you are talking some kind of micro rack, it would seem kinda odd to try and rackmount thing.

If it has tap on the bottom, though, you may be able to affix it to a rack tray.

Tom.

There are also three holes on each side of the unit which look like typical screw holes for rack ears. Again, it's not in front of me right now, but I'm pretty sure about that.

 

[Kro]

Alright, so I received a response back from GK on this, and apparently even though the thing has those little holes on the side they haven't made any plans to produce rack ears for the thing.

Now, this is a SUPER long shot, but its something that came into my mind not to long ago after checking out the placement of the Invalid Link Removed.

They're in a triangular formation towards the front... which reminded me of the similar placement I've seen before for Invalid Link Removed... which in turn lead me to check out Invalid Link Removed.

Oh yeah, the MB2 and F1 have nearly identical specs. As I said, its a long shot that the holes would match up, but it's food for thought.

 

[DaveLS]

Alright, so I received a response back from GK on this, and apparently even though the thing has those little holes on the side they haven't made any plans to produce rack ears for the thing.

Now, this is a SUPER long shot, but its something that came into my mind not to long ago after checking out the placement of the Invalid Link Removed.

They're in a triangular formation towards the front... which reminded me of the similar placement I've seen before for Invalid Link Removed... which in turn lead me to check out Invalid Link Removed.

Oh yeah, the MB2 and F1 have nearly identical specs. As I said, its a long shot that the holes would match up, but it's food for thought.

That would be great if I could find ears for $30. I had a Backline 600 and I made my own rack ears from a strip of angled aluminum. I couldn't do the same with this since it's too far from the edge of the rack.

The only reason that I would rack this is for protection. Maybe a 2 U Gator rack bag.

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gator-GRB-Rolling-Rack-Bag?sku=546159

 

[Vic]

Another thought on the MB2 500 rack issue is a single space rack tray/shelf and longer feet screws... long enough to go thru the rack tray, the feet, and into the t-nuts in the bottom of the head (just be careful they're not too long of course... cut them to size if need be).

 

[JRB]

Re: the shuttle's cut ability. I know exactly what you mean. I think its partly because the bass eq is set at 80hz which REALLY cuts well, but is still somewhat bass-y. The shuttle is somewhat of a strange beast as you can achieve warmth, and cut with a nice heft to the bass notes. I just wished it was louder and cleaner sounding.

Really like to get my mitts on one of these new GK micro's.

This is a side comment because I have no experience with the 500 yet. Also I have no point and no conclusion, just a thought after reading some of this thread.

I always think it is interesting that a lot of people on this board talk about cutting through. I do it myself. I played a Thunderfunk for about 3 years and it cut through very well. I then switched to an Epifani 502 which was reviewed a number of times here to sound very good but can get lost in the mix. After owning it I found that that was exactly the case, and while I missed the clarity of the Thunderfunk for a lot of my gig's getting a little lost (or sounding bigger and less defined) was was better for the bands overall tone. If you where to go see John Mayer for example, Pino's tone would be anything but cutting through. So no real conclusion but I end up wondering if the head is to big sounding, or if it might be a great head for a good supportive sound.

 

[jnewmark]

The EA Micro 300 can go below 2 ohms. I have a 112 and 110, both at 4 ohms, and the head can drive them both at once just fine. Gets a little warm to the touch.

As far as the hernia goes, the EA head is under 3lbs, and the EA Wizzy 110 cab is 17lbs. For the one-cab gigs, this is pretty amazingly light weight. The same head driving an AccuGroove Whappo Jr and an Epifani UL210 is just ridiculous looking, but the ears say it works great!

Can you post a photo of this head?

 

[Kro]

I end up wondering if the head is to big sounding, or if it might be a great head for a good supportive sound.

I wouldn't disagree with your comment... different rigs, for different sounds, for different circumstances.

I know what sound I like to have; what fits the style that I provide my bands with... and it just so happens to be that of a Stingray through GK.

Given, between my bass and amp I've found that I've been able to get a ton of different usable sounds for different situations, it's not exactly what that combination is known for. It is known for a very nice "in your face" type of sound that I, and my band mates prefer.

Variety is the spice of life, so they say.

 

[zac2944]

This is a side comment because I have no experience with the 500 yet. Also I have no point and no conclusion, just a thought after reading some of this thread.

I always think it is interesting that a lot of people on this board talk about cutting through. I do it myself. I played a Thunderfunk for about 3 years and it cut through very well. I then switched to an Epifani 502 which was reviewed a number of times here to sound very good but can get lost in the mix. After owning it I found that that was exactly the case, and while I missed the clarity of the Thunderfunk for a lot of my gig's getting a little lost (or sounding bigger and less defined) was was better for the bands overall tone. If you where to go see John Mayer for example, Pino's tone would be anything but cutting through. So no real conclusion but I end up wondering if the head is to big sounding, or if it might be a great head for a good supportive sound.

+1 You make a great point. On some gigs you want a cutting tone, and on others you don't. I find this aspect of tone resides in cabs more than heads, but I'm sure it can go either way. I've played the 502 and would agree that it has a deep pillow low end; very supportive, but not very cutting.

My main gig is with a 14 piece disco/funk cover band. The material we do is very loud and in-your-face dance music. Cutting through gives the live performance the driving bass that it requires. The Schroeder 1212R and GK MB2-500 (or 1001RB) are a great fit for this gig and give me the cut I need. For other gigs; not so much.

I do a blues gig about once a month. I tried the 1212R/GK combo for this gig and felt that it was just too much. The blues combo is only a 4 piece with a sax, and the venues are typically small intimate clubs. The 1212R/GK combo was just overkill volume wise, and not supportive enough. All that low-mid is fatiguing on the ears in a sparse mix. I did the best I could to EQ it out, but much of it was still there.

For a softer more open and supportive tone I built myself a 210 tuned for deep pillow bass without any mid-bass hump. This cab with the GK was a much better combo for the blues gig.

I'm one who doesn't hear excessive low end in the MB2-500 that some report. I've A/B'd it with my 1001RB-II, and don't notice any major differences. Maybe it is a GK thing?The EQ on the 500 works well and I find that I can get deep and pillow with some bass EQ or Contour, and get a more cutting tone by backing off the bass a bit and EQing in some low mid.

 

[slombovia]

+1 You make a great point... ...backing off the bass a bit and EQing in some low mid.

Shortened the quote... Sounds like the MB2 and my Schroeder 10+R would be great. I tried one side of my Stewart into one cab again (350w) BUT this time used a compressor and it cranked. So add a compressor and/or high pass filter and the GK w/one cab can get loud.

 

[CH Design]

Shortened the quote... Sounds like the MB2 and my Schroeder 10+R would be great. I tried one side of my Stewart into one cab again (350w) BUT this time used a compressor and it cranked. So add a compressor and/or high pass filter and the GK w/one cab can get loud.

I bet it does. I'm using an F1 with a Mini 12+R stack and it gets plenty loud (with good tone I might add). Even with only one cab, I find it is almost as loud, just not quite as full sounding. I am going to be changing the speaker in one of the cabs (with Jorgs blessing) from 8 ohm to 4 ohm to get the full 500W from the F1 into a single cab. Based on what I have read, the MB²-500 is very similar to the F1, except that it's "flat" setting has some color designed into it where as the F1 was designed to be very neutral sounding. If the MB²-500 has more low end than the F1, it should really help your Mini 10+R sound huge.

 

[slombovia]

I bet it does. I'm using an F1 with a Mini 12+R stack and it gets plenty loud (with good tone I might add). Even with only one cab, I find it is almost as loud, just not quite as full sounding. I am going to be changing the speaker in one of the cabs (with Jorgs blessing) from 8 ohm to 4 ohm to get the full 500W from the F1 into a single cab. Based on what I have read, the MB²-500 is very similar to the F1, except that it's "flat" setting has some color designed into it where as the F1 was designed to be very neutral sounding. If the MB²-500 has more low end than the F1, it should really help your Mini 10+R sound huge.

Funny, I might be changing (with Jorg's blessing) each of my two 10s to 8 ohms so I can use both when needed - ha ha.

And I think you right are that the GK's fuller low/low-mid would benefit me.