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GK MB 200: Part Two

#121
blindeddie said:
my 2 cents. i absolutely love mine. favorite amp of all time. could not be happier. mine is dead quiet all the time. i also had a 500 before that i really liked and was totally happy with, but i wanted to try the little one just for comparison. i found that it had plenty of power all by itself, AND was even smaller, so i sold my 500 to a buddy, and bought the 200. i play in several bands and double on upright and slab. there are loud guitars and crazy drummers as well as intimate upright and piano stuff. and this amp is just great for all my gigs. i've got it running into a GK two twelve that is 4 ohms, so i get full power out of the amp. it's got more than enough for any situation that i've been in. and it never breaks a sweat or has to strain. it stays quiet, cool and its so easy to pack. man, i love this thing. can't say enough. i think the 500 is a great amp, but it's overkill in my opinion. maybe i'd use the 500 if i were playing a stadium :D i can't even imagine the 800!
Click to expand...

Glad to hear this! I'm planning on getting an MB200 as a backup and to take to practice instead of lugging my 1001RBII (assuming I get it back from the repair shop in working condition). I was concerned the MB200 may not be loud enough if I had to use it in a gig situation, but it sounds like it will work just fine.
 
#122
gjbassist said:
Glad to hear this! I'm planning on getting an MB200 as a backup and to take to practice instead of lugging my 1001RBII (assuming I get it back from the repair shop in working condition). I was concerned the MB200 may not be loud enough if I had to use it in a gig situation, but it sounds like it will work just fine.
Click to expand...

I was skeptical at first too, but I just picked up an MB200 as a backup to my MB500, and I can't believe how much volume it puts out. I only had the gain up about halfway (through a Neo 210 cab), and it honestly sounded as good as my MB500. Very impressed - you won't be sorry if you get one.
 
#123
jnewmark said:
Just saw something interesting I never noticed before on my 200. On top of the amp, right above where you would plug the iec cable in, it says : " Full Power: 240W. Average power 48.6W ". Anybody else have this on theirs ? Mine is Made in China version.
Click to expand...

These are power consumption ratings required by UL, CSA and 15 other country safety approvals we test to. 240W is power consumption when the amplifier is putting out its full rated power, 48.6W is the power consumed at the standard 1/8 output power. Companies that do not post this information are not UL or CSA certified amplifiers.
Bob
 
#126
DJJazzV said:
I am still so impressed with how good the MB200 sounds, especially just set flat. Do any of the other MB series sound just like it? The 800, 500, Fusion? If not, which one is the closest to the 200?
Click to expand...

So far, the MB500 sounds the closest, though I have not made an A/B comparison with the MB800 yet.

I do think that there is something special about the tone of the MB200, though, and so far, I have not quite been able to dial in the exact same tone on my other MB heads.
 
#127
This is pure guessing, but GK may have set the high pass filter higher, or dialed back the low end response in another way in order to maximize the useful loudness of the limited watts available on this head. This would make it more similar to the old 400RB, 800RB and the old 200MB combo voicing which to me would be a good thing.
I wonder if using an Fdeck hpf in front of an MB500 would help it to sound more like an MB200?
I'd sure like to see some TrueRTA graphs of all these heads.
 
#129
I bought one used just to have as a backup to my larger amps (I have several of those). I carry it in my gigbag and have used it for both rehearsals and gigs. I was quite pleased with it at a rock gig with a very energetic drummer and two 100-watt guitar amps. It was driving two Aguilar GS210 cabs for that one and was quite loud.
 
#130
I've used mine now a couple times for rehearsals. It drives my Avatar TB153 4 ohm cab surprisingly well. At a rehearsal Sat in a large room I used it for a while and then switched to my Markbass LMII. The was running close to half volume and was a little warm but no issues. I switched in part because I was curious to compare the 2 heads under playing conditions. Also, the instrumentation is this band is a bit odd in that it's guitar, drums, bass, horns and vocals. It's an r&b/soul band so parts are pretty sparse and guitar is not loud. Also, drummer plays a very small kit so I'm carry a much bigger "tone load" then would normally be the case. Sort of opposite of cutting through the mix. The LMII was a little beefier as you might expect as it's 500 Watts into 4 ohms compared to 200 for MB200. Still, I would have been happy to use it and would probably be fine for most gigs.

Really, every bass player should own one of these. Given that it cost about the same as some better pedals, fits in your gig bag and sounds great it's really a no brainer.
 
#131
I bought the combo soon after they were released mainly as a backup to my SWR heads and various cabs - as a "back saver" when my degenerating discs were killing me.

Ended up selling most of the other gear - now what's left are backups for the little 1x12 GK. It's perfect for club use, and if the drummer happens to lack control I kick up the signal into the mains.

It's great going to gigs and jams with a two-bass bag in one hand and an amp in the other. Reminds me of the old joke about the beginning bassist using a small combo and P Bass, going through progressively larger rigs, and ending up in his golden years with a small combo and P Bass. I *am* that guy!
 
#134
I just purchased a new MB200 from Sweetwater, to my surprise I could not use a 1/4" connector. Sweetwater said it was a design change so it will only use the Speakon connector to the head. Anyone else experience this? I've read conflicting things online but my unit only uses the speakon plug. The 1/4" will not seat all the way. It hits a dead stop (see image). The GK web site says both should work.

Oh, I do love the sound and power of this tiny head. I play it through a Fender Bandmaster 2x12 cabinet (8 ohm).

Regards,

Joe

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#136
Yesterday, I submitted to G.A.S. and TB peer pressure/mind control and picked up one of these. I had a $30 off coupon from Guitar Center, so it was $219 plus tax.

I'll use it at a band rehearsal Thursday night, and will be able to report back after that...

But, I did turn it on at 5:00 this morning (when the house was quiet), plugged in headphones and cranked the gain and the highs up all the way, and heard NO hiss. (Of course, it's very possible that my ears are no longer able to hear that frequency. :hmm:) Anyway, it does seem to be dead quiet.

It has the "combo" speaker jack (a 1/4" plug works fine) and, best of all, it's one of the soon-to-be-sought-after, discontinued, prized-by-collectors "made in China" specimens! :hyper: ;)

This amp joins my beloved 400RB (bought new in 1985) and my 1001RBII (bought used at Guitar Center 3 years ago for $250). It's funny-- when I bought the older amps, both times I thought "How can they put such a big sound in such a little package?" :D Yesterday, I left the store with the MB200 and its power cord in one of those plastic shopping bags that would normally hold a couple of apples, or a magazine. It's kind of surreal, and I love it. It also makes me wonder how much smaller bass heads can possibly go? (The size of a credit card, and you can slip it in your shirt pocket??) Pretty soon the power cord will be heavier than the amp.
 
#137
On the speaker jacks...

First, unless it's CLEARLY marked as a combo jack (which usually also means it's green), it's definitely not designed to accept a 1/4" plug, and don't try to put one in there. You could be damaging the Speakon contacts.

Secondly, these Class D amps are not like other amps. You don't have a negative that's the same as chassis ground, which means if you have a metal 1/4" plug housing, and something metal touched that and any exposed/unfinished metal on the amp casing, you could see sparks when the output is being driven.

Finally, Speakon connectors are far superior to 1/4", not expensive at all, and converting an existing 1/4" cable to 1/4"-Speakon (or even Speakon-Speakon) is simple... it doesn't even require soldering.

Bottom line - go Speakon and never look back. It's better.

:)
 
#138
Vic said:
On the speaker jacks...

First, unless it's CLEARLY marked as a combo jack (which usually also means it's green), it's definitely not designed to accept a 1/4" plug, and don't try to put one in there. You could be damaging the Speakon contacts.

Secondly, these Class D amps are not like other amps. You don't have a negative that's the same as chassis ground, which means if you have a metal 1/4" plug housing, and something metal touched that and any exposed/unfinished metal on the amp casing, you could see sparks when the output is being driven.

Finally, Speakon connectors are far superior to 1/4", not expensive at all, and converting an existing 1/4" cable to 1/4"-Speakon (or even Speakon-Speakon) is simple... it doesn't even require soldering.

Bottom line - go Speakon and never look back. It's better.

:)
Click to expand...

1) Were any of the MB200 combo jacks ever green?
2) And is it safe to assume that if a 1/4" plugs in easily (no forcing, etc.), I'm in the clear?
(I'd rather stick with 1/4" for the sake of simplicity.)
 

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