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Double Bass GK MB200 problem

P

potato4931

Nov 12, 2004
24
0
Piscataway, N.J. 08854
#1
I have a 15 year old GK MB200 that recently has started to have a frustrating problem. In the middle of playing the amp will just cut out. It still has power but no sound. Sometimes if I giggle the the cord the sound may come back or if I turn the amp off for a few minutes and then back on the sound may come back. I may not have the problem again for a few weeks or I may have the problem the next time I use the amp. I've taken the amp to a shop but they could not find anything wrong. Is anyone familiar with this problem. Thanks.
 
#2
This started happening to an old GK combo at my high school last year. I found that by turning it off and then on again, the sound would usually return but it was always a frightening gamble.

Ultimately the speaker had to be replaced. I know nothing about the inner workings of amps or speakers, but I can tell you that was the problem with my school's GK. Everything went back to normal afterward.
 
#5
The old problem with GKs was that the input socket was wired onto the board, so that if you dropped it, or yanked the chord from the front, it would crack the board. I was told the only thing I could do was to replace the board, which is not cheap, although better than ditching the amp. Switching the amp on and off to cure the problem is probably why the speaker blew,rather the than the cause of the problem.
 
#7
I don't want to be responsible for starting a rumour or anything, but I've heard (personally, not here on the board) from a few folks about GK "durability" problems, not being able to stand up too long to normal handling. Cracked circuit boards, busted-up solder connections on the board, easy-to-break parts: all this I've heard about. Is there any credibility to this or have I just heard from a few unhappy customers? Are there a bunch of you out there with road-tested GK gear that keeps on ticking despite the licking?
 
#8
I played a 200MB for aobut 15 years, no problems at all once we found the hairline crack and I used about a pound of gasket sealer to get rid of all the rattles (ask about this if you're having this problem). I blew the thing up 3 or 4 times and had it repaired (gigs that were waaay over its little 'head', so to speak), and then, finally, at about the 15 year mark it was just getting old and tired, and after a gig on the Upper East Side I simply dropped the thing (gig bag and all) into a corner trash bin on the way to the car.
 
#9
Damon Rondeau said:
I don't want to be responsible for starting a rumour or anything, but I've heard (personally, not here on the board) from a few folks about GK "durability" problems, not being able to stand up too long to normal handling. Cracked circuit boards, busted-up solder connections on the board, easy-to-break parts: all this I've heard about. Is there any credibility to this or have I just heard from a few unhappy customers? Are there a bunch of you out there with road-tested GK gear that keeps on ticking despite the licking?
Click to expand...

My 200mb is older than squat and still works great. I think
the durability problem you speak of is limited to a very few
production problems spread over 25 years. Not to cheerlead
for GK, but if you look over 25 years, they are a very
reliable company.
 
#11
I bought a 200MB new in '90. Worked great until I idiotically checked it as airline baggage in its padded case. Never worked right after that, even after getting fixed. After speaker and board went up in smoke I also threw mine in a dumpster.

I recently got an '88 200MB on TB. Had to get the speaker refoamed, at which time I cleaned out the innards and replaced all the rubber gaskets with new weatherstripping. I've used it at probably 30 gigs/rehearsals since I got it and it works great. The key to getting it to sound good is to point the speaker at your ear and to not push it past its limits.

I have an '87 400RB that I bought new. It had some problems but the GK factory fixed them quickly and inexpensively. Since its factory visit it's worked flawlessly at ~150 gigs/rehearsals. You may want to contact the factory to see if they can fix the problem.

Potato 4931--I also play a Cleveland ply. It came with a Realist but I felt it was too dark for such a big-sounding bass. I'm using a BassMax and a Schertler Stat-B, both of which have more clarity. I also have an EA iAmp 800 and Eden WT-400, plus Bergantino HT-112 and EA Wizzy 112 cabs. My 2 favorite rigs for upright are the 200MB and the GK 400RB powering the Wizzy. There's something about the GK's midrange and quick, clear sound that I like for DB.

If I was looking for a small combo I'd check out the new Fender 100 watt Bassman with 1x10 speaker. Haven't tried it but it looks like it could work for DB. If I had more money to spend I'd check out the Eden Time Traveler, AI Contra, and the new GK MB150. A guitar player friend of mine has a Polytone 1x15 combo that works well for bass and is small/light.
 
#19
winston said:
The new Ampeg 2x8 combo looks interesting. 200 watts, 35 pounds, $600, dual channels with separate controls.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...
This thing has been out for a while, and nobody seems to have tried it. Including Porkchoppers. I got Ampeg to email me a pdf of the owner's manual, but I was unable to open it. Anybody else care to try? Just email [email protected] and tell us what you find. There is not much info on the website, and I am curious to know more about this little box.

From the looks of it, it's 16 wide and high, and 10" deep.

There is also an Eden 2x8 combo, but the only other newish thing that's really earned any widespread acceptance for a very portable combo for DB is the AI Contra and Coda.
 

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