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GK MB115-II plus.....?

M

miles136

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Jun 6, 2015
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#1
Hi everyone

New rookie here...

I have a GK combo the 115-II...one reason I got it was the ability to add powered cabs

I want to add one, but my question is which?

Can I add another dimension to my sound with a cab with 10 or 12 inch speakers?

I have been reading that if one adds a cab it should be the same as the combo?

I just assumed when I went with the GK that I would get a cab with different speakers ???
 
#3
Thanks, I read that one, but it doesn't really tell me much

I'd like to know some of the technicalities....

If true another cab with speakers won't work, then why? What happens?

Looks mean nothing to me as far as matching them up to make a clean looking rig, especially if some tens would add something to the sound

Like I said, I assumed (knowing very little) that a different arrangement might give me a different dimension, like more punch or ....????

But reading here and there that the exact same set up was recommended prompted me to try to learn from you all what the reason was
 
#4
You can add which ever GK-MBP cabinet you want to your MB115-II and as many of them as you want to. That's because of the chain output that links them all together. I personally use 2x410's (MB and MBP) as my rig. They stack perfectly on top of each other. All MBP cabs have indents in the top of the cab that match up with the 4 rubber feet of the matching MB cab to keep it securely in place. My personal preference is for speaker uniformity. I'm not a fan of mix and match, just old school.

Ultimately you'll have decide how and what type of settings the amp is going to be used in. Then decide what you need and prefer in order to match the tone you're looking for. Which ever MBP cabinet you choose, I'm sure you'll be happy with it.

TD
 
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#5
General rule of thumb is that you don't want to mix speaker sizes because for example a 10 will distort and reach it's thermal and physical limits way before a 15 will (generally) so while you're cranking your 15, you're destroying your 10.

You also (generally) don't want to mix the number of speakers. If you have a 1x15 and a 4x10, then you'll destroy the 15 because it gets the same power as the 410...but each 10 only sees 1/4 of that power so they can handle a lot more than a single 15.

Now, your case is a little different because the cabinets have their own amplifiers so you should probably be fine by adding a 2x10. If it were me I'd just get the matching 115 though.
 
#6
I have the GK MB212 II and a MBP115. It is a good sounding unit. They seem to work well together. My suggestion is to get a MBP115 or the MBP212. One thing to remember is that the MB115 is a 200 watt combo. The MBP115 is also 200 watts and the MBP212 is 500 watts. Either cab will give you good sounding and loud amp. Plus both are the same size so the fit on top of each other correctly.
 
#7
If you like the sound from a MB115, adding a MBP115 will keep the same sound just making it louder. I don't know about the difference in tone with the other speaker sizes, but I can tell you that you can't tell the difference when the MBP115 is turned on sound-wise other that it's louder. I'm super happy with my MB115+MBP115, although I did consider adding a MBP112 to it so that it's right at my ear level.

By the way, the feet on my MB115 don't line up with the holes on the MBP115.

In any event, you can't go wrong with GK :thumbsup:
 
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#12
miles136 said:
Hi everyone. New rookie here...I have a GK combo the 115-II...one reason I got it was the ability to add powered cabs
I want to add one, but my question is which?
Can I add another dimension to my sound with a cab with 10 or 12 inch speakers?
I have been reading that if one adds a cab it should be the same as the combo?
I just assumed when I went with the GK that I would get a cab with different speakers ???
Click to expand...

Yes you can. A poor one.
Yes, match it with an identical cab or one as close as possible.
You know what is said about assumptions?
 
#13
miles136 said:
Thanks, I read that one, but it doesn't really tell me much. I'd like to know some of the technicalities....
If true another cab with speakers won't work, then why? What happens? Looks mean nothing to me as far as matching them up to make a clean looking rig, especially if some tens would add something to the sound

Like I said, I assumed (knowing very little) that a different arrangement might give me a different dimension, like more punch or ....????

But reading here and there that the exact same set up was recommended prompted me to try to learn from you all what the reason was
Click to expand...
Many, many guys think it'll yield a "best of all worlds" result. It doesn't. If anything, it's closer to a "worst" of all worlds recipe.
 
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#15
B-string said:
I know agedhorse stated he engineered the Genz Benz cabs to complement each other regardless of driver size, it is possible Gallien has done the same with the MB series combos/powered extensions. Guess what assuming otherwise gets you. ;)
Click to expand...
With all due respect, & to say it as nicely as I know how to say it anyway, I'm sorry, but that's always been a bit of a hard pill to swallow.
 
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#17
^^^ Yes. I can accept the likelihood that a couple different cabs could be designed/engineered to play very nicely together. Much harder to accept the notion of everything working well in conjunction with one another. That's all I'm sayin'.
 
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#20
iualum said:
With all due respect, & to say it as nicely as I know how to say it anyway, I'm sorry, but that's always been a bit of a hard pill to swallow.
Click to expand...
I believe it. Andy always seemed to have the combination of being a great engineer, who gives a lot of care to his designes, which are then sold by companies that let the engineers do the design work, not the accountants.
 
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