GK MB Fusion 500 - tubes choice

[joel406]

Wow! Sorry to hear your having issues with an amp that "should" be better than just about any other amp out there.

What kind of cabs are you using?

I run an mb800(not fusion) and 1 or 2 410 cabs depending on the situation I'm in. Never have I had a flatulence problem.

Well I did once at a practice when I borrowed a 410 Peavey cab. It claimed to be an 800 watt cab and at 8 ohms I was only able to put 500 into it. Of course this was a practice so I didn't feel like I was pushing it. But it farted all night long.

My regular GK cabs sail smoothly along with zero problems. I even gig with just a single cab most of the time and never have an issue.

A fusion 500 should rock. So the first Thing I would look at are your cabs.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

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It's less farty with the tweeter off.

 

[Al Kraft]

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It's less farty with the tweeter off.

Not a big surprise for a couple reasons, not the least of which is the very present/abundant top end available on GK heads and the fact that tweeters don't usually like dirt.

 

[Handyman]

MB Fusion user here.

I don't think you'll find an amp that sounds LESS like a Tonehammer than the GK MB series - the things are polar opposites. If you want to sound like a tonehammer, stick a TH pedal straight into the effect loop return jack bypassing the GK preamp.

I personally love the overdriven sounds from the "B" channel of the my MB Fusion 800, but man, it sounds nothing at all like a Tonehammer. Trying to coax that sound from the MB preamp isn't going to be an easy thing.

 

[Al Kraft]

MB Fusion user here.

I don't think you'll find an amp that sounds LESS like a Tonehammer than the GK MB series - the things are polar opposites. If you want to sound like a tonehammer, stick a TH pedal straight into the effect loop return jack bypassing the GK preamp.

I personally love the overdriven sounds from the "B" channel of the my MB Fusion 800, but man, it sounds nothing at all like a Tonehammer. Trying to coax that sound from the MB preamp isn't going to be an easy thing.

+1.

 

[KickingBass]

I discovered that I dont actually like the sound of preamp tubes in my amp (I have limited experience with them though). I found that tubes, as much as others may like them, aren't really my thing. And that's okay! I thought I was weird at one point because I thought, "Well everyone loves tubes, right??" While I like the sound of an all-tube amp, I find that solid state amps sound great to my ears. I presume other owners of GK RB heads feel similarly.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

I've owned both amps. The GK will never sound like TH. They're just two very differently voices amps. Both are great at what they do, though.

 

[bolophonic]

I think it's time for the OP to do another amp shootout thread with the two heads.

 

[Al Kraft]

I've owned both amps. The GK will never sound like TH. They're just two very differently voices amps. Both are great at what they do, though.

I agree 100%. However, different as it will be tonally, the GK shouldn't sound terrible or in immediate need of Gas-X. If I were asked for my first choice in warm break-up though, the TH pedal/ preamp is hard to beat for a non tube device.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I wish there was a happy medium between the two. The TH lacks the high end that I'd like to have available, but the GK doesn't have the tube-like breakup that I crave.
It's time to keep my eyes open for another MB200 to pair with the TH pedal, which would put me right back at square one, LOL

If I had known then that a TH pedal would appear in the local pawn shop for only $100 that's what I would have done, but I had already bought & received a TH-350 by that time.

or maybe I will get a tone block from Quilter

 

[Al Kraft]

I wish there was a happy medium between the two. The TH lacks the high end that I'd like to have available, but the GK doesn't have the tube-like breakup that I crave.
It's time to keep my eyes open for another MB200 to pair with the TH pedal, which would put me right back at square one, LOL

If I had known then that a TH pedal would appear in the local pawn shop for only $100 that's what I would have done, but I had already bought & received a TH-350 by that time.

or maybe I will get a tone block from Quilter

I actually find the MB200 to be a little smoother voiced without compromising top end than it's bigger siblings. I also think the MB 800 is a tad smoother sounding than the 500, not sure why though unless it's the FET vs Op Amp front end.

The TH pedal and preamp sections do have some nice magic going on. I would guess with a Quilter BB (or maybe TB) and a TH pedal though you could have the very best of all worlds.

 

[Dominic D]

I'm having trouble finding the quote, but I vaguely remember reading that the Fusions were designed in such a way that you wouldn't hear much if any differences between different tubes.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Here is GK's diagram for the MB Fusion 800, which I assume would be identical to that of the MB Fusion 500:

 

[snarebear]

Sell/trade it and get what you need to get the sound you want.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

It makes absolutely no sense to me, because if I fire up my all tube amp & feed the Send from that to the Return on the Fusion, everything is fabulous.
Why on Earth would they put a tube preamp in there that stinks is beyond me.

 

[snarebear]

The bottom line for most all companies is sales and profit. They would put a cupholder on a amp if it would improve sales.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Would there be any cost saving in designing it in such a way that it doesn't sound at all like tubes?

 

[RoadRanger]

The TH lacks the high end that I'd like to have available,

With the badly misnamed "drive" knob off my TH-350 has as much high end as any amp IMO.

My biggest beef with amp designers is they start with a nice flat amp with good EQ and can't resist adding a dumbarse carp sound knob/switch or three. Anything labeled as "contour", "boost", or "presence" is BS IME.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I don't think I ever got the hang of what the Drive knob is supposed to do on the TH-350. I guess it's supposed to sound vintage, but I don't like it.
I also don't like the extra knobs & switches for scooping the mids. If you want scooped mids, just adjust the EQ according, IMHO.

What precisely is "farty" anyway?

It sounds like a rapid fire release of methane (in very short bursts) from, well you know...
Was your gain anywhere past noon?

 

[RoadRanger]

I don't think I ever got the hang of what the Drive knob is supposed to do on the TH-350.

Someone on the TH-500 superthread actually did measurements on it and basically as you turn it up it does increase the gain as you would expect from its name. But it also starts rolling off the highs and as you pass noon it starts to roll off the lows. Makes you wonder what they were smoking when they came up with that bright idea . OTOH if they ever release a TH-350+ with a separate true drive knob and separate variable HPF and LPF knobs I'm in .