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Double Bass GK Backline 210-is it good for bowed and jazz?

S

simandlesque

Sep 23, 2007
38
0
39
East Lansing, MI
#1
I'm looking at buying my own rig, and I need something smaller than the 4-10'' Hartke I'm using right now. I gig a lot, most frequently on upright, and I need something that's faithful to the bow and can push a band. My roommate loves GK, and recommended the 210. I'm looking to spend no more than $600. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
RJ
 
#2
Well i have had my BL210 for 5 or so years and have gigged with it alone and with it going thru a 4x10 cab with no problems. I played in classic rock and hard rock bands pretty high volume and always had headroom to boot. I got alot of good comments on my tone and she still is kickin today...if that helps at all.
 
#3
I believe Fdeck has a review on the head-only version of the Backline series. I personally owned one for about a year to do a lot of my rock stuff and used it during my transition to upright and I must say you're getting a lot of bang for your buck. The Backline series is relatively clean compared to a lot of the other cheaper options out there and its EQ allows for you to get a nice clean tone out of everything.

I owned the Backline 600 and plugged it into a variety of speakers, mostly the SWR Goliath III 4x10. I didn't fail to get a workable tone in any situation.

Of course there are other options:
I believe Bribass personally endorses the Yorkville amps as a small and cheap travel solution for the DB. I sold my old rig (GK into SWR) for a GKMB150S used that I got from Clink for less than 600. And there are also the Hartke Kickback 12s (or 15s not quite sure) that are relatively easy to carry in comparison to a 4x10 cab. My school has a couple of those that we use for rehearsal and I plug right in and with a little EQ, i get a decent tone.

Best wishes on your search, hope i helped
 
#5
The GK Backline 210 is a very mediocre amp to say the least and is also a heavy pig at 67 lbs that's incredibly awkward to move. If you really want the GK sound, get a used 400RB from the early to mid 90's. They sound much better for DB than any of GK's current amps, and they turn up for sale all the time for around $200. With the rest of your $600 budget, get a Euphonic Audio Wizzy 110 cab (~$400 new), and you'll have a great rig that's reasonably lightweight and easy to move. Anyway, that's my 2 cents.
 
#6
robgrow said:
The GK Backline 210 is a very mediocre amp to say the least and is also a heavy pig at 67 lbs that's incredibly awkward to move. If you really want the GK sound, get a used 400RB from the early to mid 90's. They sound much better for DB than any of GK's current amps, and they turn up for sale all the time for around $200. With the rest of your $600 budget, get a Euphonic Audio Wizzy 110 cab (~$400 new), and you'll have a great rig that's reasonably lightweight and easy to move. Anyway, that's my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

The GK 200 MB and 400 RB's were much warmer sounding amplifiers for Double Bass. For some reason when they revised the line and built the MBE and MBS they changed the mid range voicing, it's a more modern sounding amplifier and works well for Electric Bass. but IMHO not as well for the Double Bass. They have never discontinued the 800 RB because it still sells well and has that original pre amp.

Unfortunately, it's a rather large unit for Double Bass and pretty expensive. So Rob is right on the money. The MarkBass Little Mark II is also a very nice amp. but alas it's @ $600.00 new and you would need F Deck's buffer pre amp because the input impedance is 500 k ohms. All of GK's amps have a 1 megohm input impedance that makes them piezo friendly.
 

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