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GK MB115 - opinions?

pnchad

pnchad

Nov 3, 2005
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#1
well I drank too many beers the other night and ordered one of these sound unheard.

I lived off a GK RB400 for years & it never let me down gigging 5-6 nights/week so...

I've got a Glock for bigger stuff and a SWR California Blonde for laid back & DB both of which I love but I wanted something in between for smaller clubs & jazz.

Impressions? Is it under powered as is?
 
#3
GK MB115 is my only amplification at the moment. I play either small club/pub gigs where I need monitoring, or larger venues where backline is provided.
I would say, on its own, it is loud enough for a small gig (i.e. 50-80 people), or even more than that - depending on how you set your EQ. I run it mostly flat, making it very efficient.
 
#4
I own the MB115II combo, love it. Sounds great. But it can get drowned out and struggle to keep up. I use it now for my more quiet gigs, low volume stuff. Restaurant gigs where drums are not a factor or are used very sparingly. the line out works great if you have FOH support .

IF you are in a loud band or have a heavy hitting drummer like I do, I recommend the MB212II. I got one of those for my louder gigs. But I like the tone of the MB115II more, it is warmer and more rounded.

But for small Jazz gigs like you mentioned, I think it will do great. might even become new favorite .
 
#5
The GK MB115 (first version) gets plenty loud, but can get drowned out due to a lack of upper mids (a characteristic of the 15 inch driver). The piezo horn can help cut through, but can sound harsh and peaky, and emphasize hiss. EQ can help, but is really (IMO) unable to address this. An Empress Para EQ set to med Q, 2.5 kHz, +5db helps a lot, but the driver sounds like it is struggling.
 
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#6
You just made a huge mistake! Now, you're going to want more and more GK products until your home is overflowing with amps.

Seriously though, the MB115 is a fantastic combo. Good choice and I'm sure you'll be thanking the drunk you when it arrives.
 
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#9
Does adding the MBP extension cab make a world of difference, good for all but the biggest shows where you're in FOH anyway?

I'm highly interested in either these or the two 12" combo/powered extension cabs as a super modular GAS-killing rig. The 15" appears to have more options, though. I also learned on 15" speeks so I'm a little biased toward them.
 
#11
I’ve had GK MB115 II for a couple of years now also to the MBP extension cabinet. Sounds awesome but it does get lost sometimes when my guitarist get a little loud. And this what great about this forum, is that got some good tweak related advice.
Thanks
 
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#12
I eventually replaced the stock 15 inch (actually a decent driver) with a Basslite S2012, and the piezo horn with a Apt 80 horn crossed at 3.5 kHz 3rd order. Power is reduced to about 140w (8 ohm vs 4 ohm driver), but it sounds significantly louder. It sounds both deeper and more articulate. Loved it. Then built a 112 with an S2012 sized to fit under the MB115. Back to a nominal 4 ohm load and 200w. Seriously loud and builds on the improvements made by the first S2012. No problem cutting through a mix. Also, the two 112's can be driven by an external amp. Simply awesome.
 
#13
AstroSonic said:
I eventually replaced the stock 15 inch (actually a decent driver) with a Basslite S2012, and the piezo horn with a Apt 80 horn crossed at 3.5 kHz 3rd order. Power is reduced to about 140w (8 ohm vs 4 ohm driver), but it sounds significantly louder. It sounds both deeper and more articulate. Loved it. Then built a 112 with an S2012 sized to fit under the MB115. Back to a nominal 4 ohm load and 200w. Seriously loud and builds on the improvements made by the first S2012. No problem cutting through a mix. Also, the two 112's can be driven by an external amp. Simply awesome.
Click to expand...
 
#14
Hi all, I got the MB115II and the MBP extension cab. Not bad, but it did get drowned out when my group exceeded its self imposed volume limits. I just bought a Little Marcus 310. It’s like a knife, cuts thru cuts through like soft butter. I still like my GK but it’s for sale both cabinets.
 
#15
AstroSonic said:
I eventually replaced (...) piezo horn with a Apt 80 horn crossed at 3.5 kHz 3rd order. (...)
Click to expand...
Hi AstroSonic, I am considering quoted mod, could you describe the change it made to highmids/treble?
I play with tweeter on or off, depending on the band/material. Did the mod influence sound just with tweet on, or did crossover do something to 15" top end?
 
#16
AstroSonic said:
I eventually replaced the stock 15 inch (actually a decent driver) with a Basslite S2012, and the piezo horn with a Apt 80 horn crossed at 3.5 kHz 3rd order. Power is reduced to about 140w (8 ohm vs 4 ohm driver), but it sounds significantly louder. It sounds both deeper and more articulate. Loved it. Then built a 112 with an S2012 sized to fit under the MB115. Back to a nominal 4 ohm load and 200w. Seriously loud and builds on the improvements made by the first S2012. No problem cutting through a mix. Also, the two 112's can be driven by an external amp. Simply awesome.
Click to expand...

Interesting! How did the 12” Basslite fit into the hole for the 15” stock driver? I’m having the same issue of getting drowned out by my band mates. Also, how did you wire everything up, with the added cabinet?
 

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