GK CX210 vs Fender Rumble 210

[Albino RyNo]

I'm looking for a couple of fairly inexpensive, lightweight 8ohm cabs to add to my rig to replace my current single 4ohm cabinet setup. My total budget for two cabs is between $800-$1000. I'm currently using a Warwick LWA 500 head and a 4ohm Eden 210XST. I chose the Warwick head because it has a very "neutral" sound and doesn't seem to have too much of a baked in tone, however it doesn't seem to get along well with the Eden 210XST (the Eden cab has a midrange honk that the Warkwick's odd EQ points can't quite dial out).

The new cabs will predominantly be used at home or band practice and maybe some small gigs. I'd like the ability to use a single cab for practice and small gigs and add the second cab when needed. These cabs will essentially just be a monitor for me since I will be using a DI out of my pedalboard from my Omnicabsim when recording or going to the front of house.

I've mostly narrowed it down to either a couple of Gallien-Krueger CX210's or two Fender Rumble 210's (although I'm still open to other suggestions). I would like to know from people that have played these cabinets about any pros or cons experienced while using them and generally how they sound. I've played a Fender Rumble 210 combo at a music store but the Rumble head itself seems to impart quite a bit of coloration to the sound so it's hard to tell what a Rumble 210 cab would sound like with a different head.

As a side note, I'm definitely not in love with the Warwick LWA head either (seems a bit quiet for a 500 watt head) so I might eventually be getting a different small class D head to run with these cabs sometime in the future.

 

[Jim Carr]

I'd go with the GK cabinets because I like their quality better than Fender. That's just my own prejudice, as I'm not a big rumble fan.

However, about 10 years ago, I found two used 8 ohm Epifani 210 cabs (an NYC t210 and a UL1210) for about $900 total. Those were truly great 210s! I used them in a variety of ways. They worked well together, separately, or while using just one with a 4 ohm 410 for a modular 610 (2.67 ohm load).

Vertical 410 is great on a tight stage. Gratuitous and redundant array pic:

 

[Albino RyNo]

@Jim Carr Those Epifani cabs look great! I'll be on the lookout to see if any are available used. Out of curiosity, what is it about the quality of Fender cabs that you didn't like?

 

[Jim Carr]

@Jim Carr Those Epifani cabs look great! I'll be on the lookout to see if any are available used. Out of curiosity, what is it about the quality of Fender cabs that you didn't like?

I think they should use better drivers that have better low end and more power handling. The point of the rumble line is to be affordable yet sound OK. They do that, but only that, IMHO.

I realize that I am in a rumble-centric universe here at Talkbass, which is fine, but I have used the v2. and v3. rumble gear, and find it just OK. The old GK stuff, IME and IMHO, is a cut above that in terms of performance. Now?

That said, I see the power ratings of the Fender 210 vs GK 210 show a big difference. I'm not sure if it's marketing or facts.

If you can do a side by side comparison, I'd push each one very hard to find their limits.

 

[Albino RyNo]

I think they should use better drivers that have better low end and more power handling. The point of the rumble line is to be affordable yet sound OK. They do that, but only that, IMHO.

I realize that I am in a rumble-centric universe here at Talkbass, which is fine, but I have used the v2. and v3. rumble gear, and find it just OK. The old GK stuff, IME and IMHO, is a cut above that in terms of performance. Now?

That said, I see the power ratings of the Fender 210 vs GK 210 show a big difference. I'm not sure if it's marketing or facts.

If you can do a side by side comparison, I'd push each one very hard to find their limits.

The 700 watt power handling in the title is misleading on the Fender cabs because they actually only handle 350W Continuous, 700W Program. So they're 350W cabs. Makes me wonder how many people have blown those cabinets by throwing too much power at them thinking they could handle 700 watts continuous.

 

[Jim Carr]

The 700 watt power handling in the title is misleading on the Fender cabs because they actually only handle 350W Continuous, 700W Program. So they're 350W cabs. Makes me wonder how many people have blown those cabinets by throwing too much power at them thinking they could handle 700 watts continuous.

I suspected as much. Nonetheless, if you can compare one of each side by side, it would give you an idea of baked in tone and power handling. If you are in North America, there is a huge used gear market you can tap into.

Have you considered getting a pair of 112s or a pair of 115s?

 

[Albino RyNo]

I suspected as much. Nonetheless, if you can compare one of each side by side, it would give you an idea of baked in tone and power handling. If you are in North America, there is a huge used gear market you can tap into.

Have you considered getting a pair of 112s or a pair of 115s?

I've thought about going with a pair of 112s or 115s. My main hesitation with 115s has been that in this price bracket it's difficult to find 115s that are punchy and defined and don't make your low end mushy. With 112s it seems harder to find good reviews on cabs that are in my price bracket (the Ashdown rootmaster 112 and Hartke HyDrive 112 both have mixed reviews and I can't afford Markbass or Aguilar). Also I'm not sure that a pair of 112 cabs would get the sound up to my ears. Two of the Fender Rumble 210 cabs stacked on top of each other is 46 inches high. Two Hartke HyDrive 112s stacked on top of each other would only be 32 inches high, 38 if you stacked them on their side. The height thing might not be a huge concern, just something I've wondered about.

 

[Proton90]

I’ve been using 2 GK CX210 cabs with a Markbass Little Mark 250 for about 3 years. I play with a wedding band, gigs are usually 8-10 hours long (that’s with all the protocols included), so they are in use for about 7 hours. They do their job well, and on some occasions even superbly, they are loud and sturdy. At higher volumes tuey can be felt if you stand close enough, and they are really good with transient-heavy playing, like Geddy Lee or Geezer Butler, and I also find these cabs are suited for heavier styles, ‘cause the are proper dynamic, sometimes I hear a slight overdrive-like tone beneath my playing but I attribute it to the GK sound, and it serves the overall soundscape well. Then again, I could coax many sounds and tones from it just by adjusting my hand technique, as they translate the nuancesnin your touch really well (that might be due to the Markbass thing as well).

Since I use them combined I get a fair amount of low end from them, but on their own they sound a bit tight. That’s no problem though because you can compensate with some EQ, you can even make them sound like a 115, if you find the correct settings.

Their top end is really ample, the tweeters work astoundingly well, slap tones have a lot of sizzle on the top, but you can reduce it with the 3-way switch on the back if high end gets out of hand.

If you buy them make sure to have some kind of cover for them, as the tolex on them is a bit thin, but even a basic cover will do the job. The ears are really good, their spring system has been holding up for all these years real good, and they stack real snug once they are aligned properly.

Overall I think they are a bargain even new, there isn’t much to choose from in this price range with the same power and connectivity.

 

[musicman556]

I haven't played the GK CX210, but I had a V3 Rumble 210 cab for a few weeks. I voted GK. That Rumble 210 was a boxy sounding, mid-rangey mess imho.

The Rumbles get a lot of love here, yes... but not from me.

To interject... I think I saw on the classifieds yesterday that someone was selling a pair of Mesa Subway 112 cabs for about your target price. The Mesa cabs are a whole other ballpark, imho. I swapped that Rumble 210 out towards a SW115 and it was the best decision I could have made! Yes, it was twice as much money... but worth every penny! Read up on them in the tons of reviews and discussions here on TB... your worries about articulation and clarity from a 112 or 115 will be laid to rest! Also, those single driver cabs can handle more power than most lower-cost multi-driver options.

Edited to add link to pair of SW112s: For Sale - 2 Mesa Subway SW112 cabs (sold as pair) +Now Shipping !

 

[JakobT]

I haven't played the GK CX210, but I had a V3 Rumble 210 cab for a few weeks. I voted GK. That Rumble 210 was a boxy sounding, mid-rangey mess imho.

The Rumbles get a lot of love here, yes... but not from me.

To interject... I think I saw on the classifieds yesterday that someone was selling a pair of Mesa Subway 112 cabs for about your target price. The Mesa cabs are a whole other ballpark, imho. I swapped that Rumble 210 out towards a SW115 and it was the best decision I could have made! Yes, it was twice as much money... but worth every penny! Read up on them in the tons of reviews and discussions here on TB... your worries about articulation and clarity from a 112 or 115 will be laid to rest! Also, those single driver cabs can handle more power than most lower-cost multi-driver options.

Edited to add link to pair of SW112s: For Sale - 2 Mesa Subway SW112 cabs (sold as pair) +Now Shipping !

On the other hand, I use a Rumble 210 all the time for rehearsals and gigs, and am very happy. Personal preferences are just that - personal.

 

[pie_man_25]

I've seen rumbles here and there, but I've never seen the GK CX stuff in person. In this regard, I'd opt for a rumble out of pure familiarity. I've played the combos, but tbh the EQs even on the bigger units just weren't my thing - but they weren't so outside of my preferences that I couldn't stand to use them enough to get my ears in tune with them. Wouldn't hesitate to use a cab though, since my pf-500 already has an EQ I can get used to, so that's a win. The GK's have a solid brand reputation behind them as well. I really don't think you'd go wrong with one given the rep that GK has, but I'd be uncomfortable buying something I haven't seen in person at all.

 

[groove pump]

I'm looking for a couple of fairly inexpensive, lightweight 8ohm cabs to add to my rig to replace my current single 4ohm cabinet setup. My total budget for two cabs is between $800-$1000. I'm currently using a Warwick LWA 500 head and a 4ohm Eden 210XST. I chose the Warwick head because it has a very "neutral" sound and doesn't seem to have too much of a baked in tone, however it doesn't seem to get along well with the Eden 210XST (the Eden cab has a midrange honk that the Warkwick's odd EQ points can't quite dial out).

The new cabs will predominantly be used at home or band practice and maybe some small gigs. I'd like the ability to use a single cab for practice and small gigs and add the second cab when needed. These cabs will essentially just be a monitor for me since I will be using a DI out of my pedalboard from my Omnicabsim when recording or going to the front of house.

I've mostly narrowed it down to either a couple of Gallien-Krueger CX210's or two Fender Rumble 210's (although I'm still open to other suggestions). I would like to know from people that have played these cabinets about any pros or cons experienced while using them and generally how they sound. I've played a Fender Rumble 210 combo at a music store but the Rumble head itself seems to impart quite a bit of coloration to the sound so it's hard to tell what a Rumble 210 cab would sound like with a different head.

As a side note, I'm definitely not in love with the Warwick LWA head either (seems a bit quiet for a 500 watt head) so I might eventually be getting a different small class D head to run with these cabs sometime in the future.

Also a fan of playing through a pair of 2x10's and the options of the smaller or larger rigs that I get with that. I picked up a GK MB-500 from my favorite shop last winter and it was sitting on a pair of spiffy CX210's when I sampled it.

Context: A little while back (let's say two years?) I decided to upgrade to better-than-mediocre cabs and I found both an Acme Low B2 and an SWR Goliath Jr for great deals that turned up only a couple days apart. Although they're from different builders, they're both rated at 350 watts RMS and 8 ohms. I've used them at a few gigs now and they're apparently getting along together just fine. I actually did an outdoor (tent) gig last weekend and these sounded plenty big without any PA support.

I can say that for a while, I was considering grabbing that pair of GK 2x10's from the shop. Not crazy expensive - even brand new - and they seemed more than eager to put out a boatload of healthy sound when I tried out the MB-500 that I brought home. But I've turned in a few really decent gigs with my Acme/SWR mini tower (jumbo shrimp?) and my cab situation is currently great. I haven't played every 2x10 under the sun by a long shot, but if I needed to get new cabs tomorrow, I'd get a pair of these GK's.