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Double Bass Gallien Krueger Options

K

Kitschead

Sep 14, 2008
114
0
Sydney, Australia
#1
Hey guys.
I'm about to bid on a MB150E on ebay. I've heard really great things and I know that their pretty industry standard for double bass players. I'm am, however, still considering other options.
There's an ebay store selling the GK mb200 heads. For me I would be paying $300 AU incl shipping to Australia. I will be using it for predominantly double bass although occasionally electric bass as well. I'm in need of something which will be easy to transport as right now I don't have any amps easy to lug around.

I have two questions.
Firstly, which one would you recommend going for? Combo or investing in a head and cabinet?
Secondly, if I were to go for the MB200 head, what are some options for small cabs which are affordable and easy to lug around but also sound good? How much does a good cab affect the sound which is produced?

Cheers!
 
#2
Your mileage may differ, but I had a MB150E and didn't like it. For interest's sake I bypassed the internal speaker and ran the amp to a Bag End 1x12 wedge I have, and the improvement was great. This led me to conclude that the tin box of the GK was not a good idea. This was over a decade ago, maybe they've improved since then.
 
#3
Kitschead said:
Hey guys.
I'm about to bid on a MB150E on ebay. I've heard really great things and I know that their pretty industry standard for double bass players. I'm am, however, still considering other options.
There's an ebay store selling the GK mb200 heads. For me I would be paying $300 AU incl shipping to Australia. I will be using it for predominantly double bass although occasionally electric bass as well. I'm in need of something which will be easy to transport as right now I don't have any amps easy to lug around.

I have two questions.
Firstly, which one would you recommend going for? Combo or investing in a head and cabinet?
Secondly, if I were to go for the MB200 head, what are some options for small cabs which are affordable and easy to lug around but also sound good? How much does a good cab affect the sound which is produced?

Cheers!
Click to expand...

This is a great little amp. It has tremendous power for it's footprint. I use it with an Eden EX110. Great for practicing or small gigs. I think it would be great for your DB. That whole rig cost me $450.00. There are others out there for that price but I am thoroughly impressed.
 
#4
I have the speaker-only version of this amp (16lb 12" speaker!), and I've had both versions of the separate head part -- the one with the semi-parametric, and the the one with the fixed freq EQ.

While the speaker is in no way "hifi" (no high freq driver or tweeter, for starters), I find it's really musical -- especially for older styles and jazz. Whenever I do a little gig with it, my band mates always comment on its warm, satisfying tone. I'm never selling this thing!

The heads (whether separate, or integrated in the combo) have some good features. But the sound quality is just ok, IMO.

Both of my heads have had problems. One crapped out entirely, the other makes a funny hum. Since I have a great sounding, pristine LittleMark III, I'm not motivated to get the GK heads fixed.

Hope this helps.
 
#5
I have an MB150S, I use it for upright bass and acoustic bass guitar. It does sound better, to my ears, with another speaker (I use an Aguilar GS112) but mostly I use the MB150 by itself, it's easier to carry just one thing! I also found, again for my ears, that the Aguilar Tone Hammer helps "warm up" the sound. Good luck!
 
#6
bassface504 said:
This is a great little amp. It has tremendous power for it's footprint. I use it with an Eden EX110. Great for practicing or small gigs. I think it would be great for your DB. That whole rig cost me $450.00. There are others out there for that price but I am thoroughly impressed.
Click to expand...

The MB200 has a similar midrange EQ to the MBS which I prefer for Double Bass and it's got a little more power. Great EQ can take you a long way.

Ric
 

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