GK MB500 / Still a great little D class ?

A GK MB500 has been my main gigging head for the last two years. We play a mix of acoustic/electric rock, folk, country and blues (even a little surf). I've been very happy with it. Plenty of power for a four piece with drums and very versatile in dialing in a range of tones.

 

If you think it's a great little head, then it's a great little head. All that matters is what you think since you are the one who is going to be buying it. I don't know how many times I have purchased the next latest and greatest amps recommended by many on here only to find that they still don't hold a candle next to my TCE RH750.

Now I have purchased some really fine heads from Genz Benz, GK and Ashdown but I have also purchased some that didn't even last 2 months with me because they just didn't quite have what I was looking for or were more hype than anything else. So in other words, if you like the MB500 go out and buy it. It is a very loud, clear and punchy amplifier and GK is known for their great CS if you happen to need it.

 

I was happy with mine, only put maybe 50 (full four-set) gigs on it, but it performed admirably and sounded great. I went to another (larger) head just for more features.

 

It's a great head! I used one for 3 years with zero problems. I switched to a Traynor tube head and passed the MB500 on to a bass player friend at a great price. I'm sure he will get plenty of use out of it, too.

 

That's my exact progression. I use the GK with 2 12s (Revsound) playing jazz, blues, modern country and rock. Very happy. The eq is very responsive.

 

A kid at my church bought one from a TBer a few months back. That little sucker sounds great and feels so light it's as though there are no guts in there. It's an impressive little head.

 

I bought one used for $300 two years ago.
Sounds great, no issues and use it on rock gigs.

 

I really like it.
Flat response, very clean. Versatile: punchy in GK style, but can also be soft.
Loud enough for most live situations (I use a GK Neo 112), and for 4 years now is my only giggin'amp.
Give it a try, if you like it it's a very good and reliable head.

 

+ infinity for the GK MB500 (purchased within these hallowed halls, I might add, from an awesome TB'er) coupled with 2 GK Neo 212 II's... I'm still replacing shot glasses, after my first test run... `$300 sounds about right, these days...

 

I love my little MB500. I've been using it with a rock/cover band for the last year paired with 2 GK 210 cabs. Always get compliments over my tone.

 

I've had good luck with my MB500 and found it to be both reliable and honestly rated power-wise. I think a new one is around $530 (street price), so $300 for one in good shape seems reasonable to me.

 

One of the things that I admire most about GK is the fact that they don’t have huge product turnover. Sure they’ve had a couple duds in their long history, but overall, they design a product well from the start making use of their extensive experience, support it like crazy, and let it live a long productive life.

If anything, the “danger zone” for a product to prove itself is within the first few years of it being on the market. The fact that the MB-500 has made it out of that stage and is on what could presumably be considered the older side of its product life-cycle is actually a pretty great achievement IMO. I wouldn’t have any worries about it if you like the way it sounded.

 

I owned one of these. Loved it, only sold it because I acquired a rack mounted GK bass head.

If it's in good condition, I personally would snatch it for $300!

 

I've a G.K. MB2-500 that I carry as a back-up amp.

(Bought it used. Gave $250.00 for it and a carrying case.)

It's been a small and light weight "piece of mind", that so far has not been needed.

Only negatives I've encountered with it, and the reason it's been regulated to a back-up head.
I used it once at a large stage, outdoor job with FOH in a LOUD outlaw country band just to see how it'd do.
Running the MB-500 into two, 8 ohm, 210 cabinets stacked as a vertical 410.
It's limiter (?), was constantly kicking in resulting in a unpleasant sound that finally started cutting out for 20 to 30 seconds before coming back up.

I have since tried a G.K. MB-800 and it did not have this limiting going on at VERY loud settings.

I'd suggest your finding a used G.K. MB-800 for a good price.
The 800's extra 300 watts seems to keep the "D" heads much happier when used loud.

 

Hard piece of kit to beat for $300.00

 

Same, though it was also my primary amp for a good number of years. It did need to see a bench once or twice in that time-frame, though GK took very good care of me. The MB-500 is that model's evolution, and has some notable improvements (like a limiter) that would make me even more confident in it.

 

If it is in good shape that is a very good price IMHO.
I owned one a while back. Great little amp.

 

I have owned GK-500, GK-800, and GK-800F. Never had a problem with the GK-500 limiting and I pushed it really hard.
I currently play a Mesa D-800.
For me, the Mesa sounds better and is built better than any of the GK amps at about the same price as a used GK-800F.