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GK mb200 ultra light head?

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Has anyone tried playing either amp through a single 4 ohm cab such as a svt 410 or 610? I played the micro vr through a pair of 210's at guitar center but they didnt have the gk mb200 and didnt have an ampeg 410 cab. I asked to try the vr on a 610 or 810 but they just laughed and some lady tried to convince me you need at least 350 watts for a gig worthy rig. I would have gladly bought a svt cl and had the watts to spare but im looking for a head in the vr's price range not the cl's.

I have an Ampeg 610hlf and use it with a GK 1001RB. Sounds amazing. I also have the MB200 for a practice amp with a single 10 inch Eden. That sounds pretty darn good as well. Naturally I tried the MB200 with the 610hlf and man was I surprised. That little GK can put out some power. Good tone on top of that as well. Not too sure if I was working it too hard but it was cool to the touch for the whole practice session and we tend to practice with some volume. (Clip light would be nice.) I'd say it's gig worthy to a certain extent. Good luck with your purchase.
 
I just got an MB200. I played it through an Avatar 1x15 cab, for small, jazzy gigs...amazing sound...Already found a place in my gig bag for it. However, I attempted to use the DI through our church PA yesterday, and it buzzed, LOUDLY..since it doesn't have a ground lift, I attached a VTG ground lift barrel to the XLR cable..no change. I even tried putting a 3 to 2 plug on the electrical plug (a no-no, but I tried it), still loud buzz. Next , I used the line out to a country man DI, with same XLR cable, and super quiet...no buzz. I'm not convinced though that the buzz was the fault of the mb200 because our sound system needs lots of sprucing up. My SWR Redhead does the same thing. This thing is a keeper...gonna be nice for little intimate gigs my group does.
 
I just got an MB200. I played it through an Avatar 1x15 cab, for small, jazzy gigs...amazing sound...Already found a place in my gig bag for it. However, I attempted to use the DI through our church PA yesterday, and it buzzed, LOUDLY..since it doesn't have a ground lift, I attached a VTG ground lift barrel to the XLR cable..no change. I even tried putting a 3 to 2 plug on the electrical plug (a no-no, but I tried it), still loud buzz. Next , I used the line out to a country man DI, with same XLR cable, and super quiet...no buzz. I'm not convinced though that the buzz was the fault of the mb200 because our sound system needs lots of sprucing up. My SWR Redhead does the same thing. This thing is a keeper...gonna be nice for little intimate gigs my group does.

Is it quiet out of the speaker lead and headphones? If you can't test the DI at home or practice, send it back for a replacement.
Wes
 
Is it quiet out of the speaker lead and headphones? If you can't test the DI at home or practice, send it back for a replacement.
Wes

It's quiet at the speaker lead. Don't know about the 'headphone' out, but the line out (same plug as 'headphone' , but switched to line out), is also quiet.
I more suspect it's our sound system at the church. Hoping to
do some troubleshooting with it there tonight during practice.
 
can anyone offer a personal experience comparison between the GK Fusion and the MB200 ? I know there are total output differences (500w@4ohms vs 200w@40hms) and the Fusion has a 12AX7 pre, as opposed to the SS MB200. Fusion weighs 4 lbs, and the MB200 is 2lbs (yikes, thats freaky!)

anyone ?
 
Just for grins I connected mine to my pair of Avatar B212s.

All I can say is... YIKES!

Definitely an option when I need the stacked cabs but need only moderate volume.

It does, though, look sort of strange up there. A little metal spec. Sort of like a tiny alien space ship with a bright blue floodlight that chose the top cab as a convenient invasion site.
 
We tried different things on our church PA last night with this little MB200. Could never get the direct out to be quiet but, again, using the line out with a country man DI, it was quiet as a mouse. We got a great sound, running the PA channel flat, about a 2:1 compression level. I ran the MB200 with Treble flat, low and high mids ever slight cut, and the bass at about 1:00. The bass I used is a custom made bass, with an 18VOLT bart. electronics. On the bass, I set treble flat, slight increase in bass, selected 250z on the mid switch, and rolled it up ever so slightly. Great, punchy, no boom, sound. Other than the fact that you expect every device on the amp to work, I don't care if I use the line out or direct out...it sounded great. Plus, I have yet to try the direct out on another PA system in some other building. Not convinced it's not our system, since, as I posted earlier, I have an SWR redhead that also buzzes at the direct out, even with ground lifting. This amp is nice......isn't it great it fits in your gig bag !! One less case to carry around. Just wish it had a tuner out. BUT...with the country man DI, I take the amp out and plug in a stomp tuner and it works !! he he...
 
Currently, I am in the process of waiting for my MB200 to be replaced under warranty. I did not have any issues with the DI, but mine did have a constant hum through the speaker, with and without a tweeter no matter where the gain or treble was set. I called GK and they said that it ought to be completely quiet and that they would send me one that was as soon as they received mine.

Yeah, it sucks a little. However, as great as this little amp is for so many reasons I feel that in the long run it is a small price to pay and GK has been great about it.

I guess that this is another case in point that has been said on TB so many times, wait a while before you buy. These little gems were just released/shown at the summer NAMM show, so this may be the guinea pig batch. However, I have no regrets.

If yours is making noises other than the ones that originate from your instrument, give GK a call or an e-mail. See what they say. I will say that I had to call to be given an e-mail account that was responded to, though.
 
200w @ 4 ohms,under 3lbs, and under $300!, has anyone used these? is it any good? or do you get what you pay for when talking about amp heads?

It seems to be the lower-wattage, less-expensive Mark Bass head that was never built. Will read the reviews, but been looking for something this size, weight, wattage and most importantly, price. Thank you, GK.
 
Read all the responses. I'll keep my ears attuned to the hum issue but...

...I so rarely get worked up about amps and cabs. The first time in about 15 years was the Mark Bass stuff for it's size, weight, sound, but unfortunately, not the price. Now, I have another reason to get all whipped up and foaming at the mouth over an amp. The GK MB200 seems to be a great little unit, and would be a godsend for me. I've larger and more powerful setups, but I've a Hartke Cab just waiting for a lower-powered, affordable lightweight head which would be perfect for practice amp use, coffeehouse gigs, some jazz gigs, and even some full-band gigs with DI support. For the first time in a long time an amp has hit my "gotta buy it" button. Again, thank you GK.
 
My MB200 is perfectly quiet, with none of the issues mentioned. The MB500 gives many more tone options, but the MB200 really does well for the majority of my gigs. The bandmates really get a charge of the big sound from the little box on top of the Aggies.
 
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