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Gallien-Krueger MB2-500

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#462
deekay911 said:
From the manual:
Treble - Boost and Cut at 7kHz +14dB
Hi-Mid - Boost and Cut at 1kHz +6dB
Low-Mid - Boost and Cut at 250Hz +6dB/-10dB
Bass - Boost and Cut at 60Hz +10dB
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And the contour knob?.

62bass said:
You wouldn't believe how fast things can get stolen. I was doing the sound for an outdoor folk festival in drug infested part of town. I had my eyes on the stage almost all the time. At the end when the last act was packing up I went up to unplug the microphones and pack up. I took my eyes off the stage for less than 15 seconds to answer someone's question. When I got to the stage there was a $500 condenser mic gone. There were quite a few seedy looking types hanging around all day...........
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So sad and so true. I've been there.

Washishimi said:
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!

78a10c79.gif
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Link Removed

deekay911 said:
In case anybody still wants to look at the user manual, I scanned mine and put it here
Click to expand...

How cool of you. Now I can answer my own question about the contour knob frequency.
 
#463
I have a MB2 on the way from RMC. I had a decent demo session at GC and had a chance to play thru about 5 different cabs, great sounding, punchy and these are not bass heavy IMO. They have lots of booty, but it can be tamed very easy.


I sure would love to have my 200MB with that power amp section. I love the voicing of the 200MB, a lot more than the MB150.

Robert, any chance of a one off, 200MB >MB2 power amp only upgrade for a loyal customer of 20+ years? :p

I work close by. :)


That little metal box has done me right and it works so well for so many things. And honestly, I mostly run it through the board anyway. It is already the amp I will die with, but it would be soooo nice if it were my only amp.

Seriously, I agree, you should come out with cabs that it can fit in so the current MB2 owners, of which I will be soon, are not left out in the cold on the combo.

And since Christmas is not far off, I can make a wish; if one of those forthcoming MB2 compatible cabs were a little metal box, you would make me and your MicroBass minions VERY happy campers.

Either way, thanks for changing the sound of bass amplification for the better!

DSC03588.jpg
 
#467
rag said:
We are working on the rack ears. They will be die cast and match the front panel in shape and color.
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Alright, I'll hold you to that! Why? Because I just went out to GC on my lunch break to test-drive one and ended up purchasing it!

I'm super excited to try it out in a full band situation, and can't wait until it can properly join the rest of my gear in the rack.
 
#468
Did an A/B comparison of my MB2-500 and my 2001RB last night, purely for the basis of tone. The 2001RB has just over double the power when bridged into a 4 ohm load as compared to the MB2-500 running into a 4 ohm load. That may result in a tonal difference, but regardless of how it affects the tone, I'm certainly not comparing which one has more juice. All of this was done through my Schroeder 410R, and then a second round was done using the DI's of each head and out of a set of Mackie studio monitors (not sure of the model).

My conclusion (and the conclusion of one of my singers and one of my guitarists) was that the 2001RB sounded punchier in the mids (especially the low mids), tighter in the lows (which might have been what caused the added punch), and more musical (i.e. less harsh) in the upper-mids and highs. To us it was an all-around better sounding head. One could be EQ'd to mimic the other's flat settings, but even when they were matched as closely as possible the 2001RB still had something going on that the MB2-500 was lacking.

With that said, I have no plans to get rid of my MB2-500. While the 2001RB is a better sounding head to me, the MB2-500 is close enough that in a live setting it probably wouldn't be a noticeable difference, especially to the crowd. It has performed very well in numerous jam sessions, and will get it's first gig experience on Friday night. My intent is to get a Schroeder 1212L to pair with it for smaller gigs, while my 2001RB/410R rig handles the larger gigs.
 
#469
silky smoove said:
Did an A/B comparison of my MB2-500 and my 2001RB last night, purely for the basis of tone. The 2001RB has just over double the power when bridged into a 4 ohm load as compared to the MB2-500 running into a 4 ohm load. That may result in a tonal difference, but regardless of how it affects the tone, I'm certainly not comparing which one has more juice. All of this was done through my Schroeder 410R, and then a second round was done using the DI's of each head and out of a set of Mackie studio monitors (not sure of the model).

My conclusion (and the conclusion of one of my singers and one of my guitarists) was that the 2001RB sounded punchier in the mids (especially the low mids), tighter in the lows (which might have been what caused the added punch), and more musical (i.e. less harsh) in the upper-mids and highs. To us it was an all-around better sounding head. One could be EQ'd to mimic the other's flat settings, but even when they were matched as closely as possible the 2001RB still had something going on that the MB2-500 was lacking.

With that said, I have no plans to get rid of my MB2-500. While the 2001RB is a better sounding head to me, the MB2-500 is close enough that in a live setting it probably wouldn't be a noticeable difference, especially to the crowd. It has performed very well in numerous jam sessions, and will get it's first gig experience on Friday night. My intent is to get a Schroeder 1212L to pair with it for smaller gigs, while my 2001RB/410R rig handles the larger gigs.
Click to expand...

I'd guess what you are hearing is the effect of more headroom. Whenever I've had total wattage overkill (like a bridged power amp or something), I've experienced what you're describing -- tighter lows, punchier low mids. Interesting comparison though!
 
#470
Aha, yes. I didn't give a review.

I was actually able to A/B it with a 700RB-II, which is my current amp of choice (I actually have the old version, but I figured they'd be similar enough).

The first thing that I made note of, was that it is indeed a bit boomier with a completely neutral EQ. However, with a few tweaks it was easily tamed - that is if you wanted it tamed. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't out of control or anything.

The second thing I noticed, was that it just didn't have the GK growl or bark or whatever you want to call it, which really disappointed me. It did, that is, until I found out that you have to press a button to enable the GIVE thingy (on by default on my 700RB). Once I found that out I realized that this thing is in fact a proper GK, and I was probably smiling ear to ear. Very well done guys.

Now I just need to put it through it's places in a full band situation, though I don't really have any doubts about it.
 
#473
These look to be really nice amps. I have a Fusion 550 on order (based upon positive comments and reviews here on Talkbass), and am interested also in this unit. Out of curiosity, is this amp designed and manufactured in the USA, or designed domestically and manufactured abroad? Does anyone know? Thanks for any clarification!
 
#474
It says on the case 'Designed and Assembled in USA'. This implies the parts are manufactured elsewhere, shipped in and final assembly and testing are done in the USA. The Power amp board is bought in from Bang & Olufsen anyway, so it is almost certainly built in the far east.
 
#478
I've used mine with a Goliath 6x10 and an Avatar B212 neo cab. Both cabs held up against a Mesa Triple Rec with matching 4x12 cab. Due to the purchase of the MB2-500 and B212 neo cab I now have a SWR Black Beauty, SVT 4-PRO, and Goliath 6x10 cabinet for sale. I think I found the rig I will be using for the rest of my bass playing days. So far my GK has played about 10 four gigs without any problems, and it fits in a laptop case or backpack perfectly.
 
#480
AK Rev said:
Can someone sum up what cabs are working well with the MB2?
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What does "well" mean specifically?

Not to be an a$$, but what you are asking is kind of silly. The head will physically work with any cab. How it sounds is a matter of pure, 100%, opinion.

For example, some claim the MB2 to have tons of low end, others don't hear that at all. Since it can go either way, opinions are kind of pointless.

That said, there are a few exceptions. If you can compare the MB2 through two specific cabs and you are failure with one of the cabs with the MB2 then you have a bit of a baseline. For example: "If you like the MB2 with a SVT 810, then you'll probably like the ClarkBass XYZ cab better than the FrankBass PRQ cab, I find that they have a similar tone. Even then it is still way too subjective.

Know what I'm say'n? :)
 
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