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GK Neo 410 Cabinet (quick review)

J

jimmeyer176

Guest
Oct 2, 2012
80
5
#1
Heya...just got home from another little tour and used the Neo 410 nearly every night (17 shows) so figured I would write up something about it.

This is a very light cabinet, it's about 68lbs, front ported, and I have the 4ohm model...it also comes with castors. Guitar Center did it for $580 as it arrived brand new with a big dent in the grill, but just cosmetic...as I was going on the road I knew it would getting bashed anyhow, so it was all good.

My main concern with this cabinet was power...it does not lack power. We play fairly loud and I'm up against a drummer who hits like a truck, and 2 guitarists going through a 412 and another with a 410, both pushing 50 tube watts. I used a GK MB500 and the gain never went above 7, and was usually at 6. About half the shows were PA supported, however we don't turn down when we are PA supported so I guess that doesn't matter.

After working out some kinks (the contour knob on my head for one, f'ing useless)...I really like this cabinet and had several people approach me after the shows asking about it, saying how good the sound was. I really can't tell much about sound on stage, to me it always sounds OK/bad up there, but I've never been complimented about my sound before. Most people were psyched to see the little head, and couldn't believe it pushed 500 watts. I also play a Mexican Jazz Bass.

Overall...I'm very happy with this cabinet and will continue to tour with it, as well as the head. You could probably do a deal where you could get a GK MB500 and Neo 410 for about $1100, and it weighs about 72lbs all up. Simply put the head in a laptop bag and add foam pieces and you have a very light, well priced, portable and very loud setup.

The castors are big and go over bumps well, you can stack another cab on top and cut down another trip if there are no stairs, or put a couple merchandise bins on top if you don't have a handtruck.

One last thing, GK sets their cabs to 'bi-amp' mode, make sure you switch it to 'full range' or your cabinet will sound like a muddy mess, as mine did, and you may risk damaging the cabinet unless you have a compatible GK head for 'bi-amp' mode.

Hope this helps!
 
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#3
Jim,
I own an MB500 as well. The contour knob is a scoop - as you 'increase' the knob the middle drops out and the bottom and higher frequencies are accented. The manual states to not use the contour knob at high volumes. If your master is at 3 o'clock (again, based on the manual), I'd say having your gain at 6 or 7 would be considered high volumes.
I don't own a GK Neo 410, but for sure there is a lot of love on this forum for that cab. Good review.
 
#4
I LOVE my Neo 410. I wish I couldve gotten the 4ohm version though. I have the 8. But I run it with a 1001rb to great result. Im very happy with this setup and have been for some time. Its cool to hear that you took it on the road and it did that well for you. So, are you running your amp at full range? Or can the MB heads even go into bi-amp mode? I totally agree with you about the contour though, I keep mine completely off at all times.
 
#7
jimmeyer176 said:
...
After working out some kinks (the contour knob on my head for one, f'ing useless)...I really like this cabinet and had several people approach me after the shows asking about it, saying how good the sound was. I really can't tell much about sound on stage, to me it always sounds OK/bad up there, but I've never been complimented about my sound before. Most people were psyched to see the little head, and couldn't believe it pushed 500 watts. I also play a Mexican Jazz Bass.

Overall...I'm very happy with this cabinet and will continue to tour with it, as well as the head. You could probably do a deal where you could get a GK MB500 and Neo 410 for about $1100, and it weighs about 72lbs all up. Simply put the head in a laptop bag and add foam pieces and you have a very light, well priced, portable and very loud setup.
...
Click to expand...
Thanks for spending the time to write up your review. I wish more people would take the time to do it. :)

If you don't mind me asking, what type of music do you play through it with the J-bass? Also, do you have experience with other cab/cabs to compare & contrast?

This kind of info is also helpful for many people.
 
#9
You could always make a new grill like this.......
 

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#10
Troph said:
Thanks for spending the time to write up your review. I wish more people would take the time to do it. :)

If you don't mind me asking, what type of music do you play through it with the J-bass? Also, do you have experience with other cab/cabs to compare & contrast?

This kind of info is also helpful for many people.
Click to expand...

Yeah...no worries.

I used to play a Ampeg B2 (350 watts) and Classic 115 and Classic 210 cabs (8 ohms) back in the 90's, was relatively happy with them but was never in love with that setup. Personally I've always felt Ampeg has been overrated, especially for punk or straight up rock n roll.

Then I didn't play for a while...eventually going to the GK MB500 head with a GK Neo 212 (8ohms), which I was happy with but lacked power with just one cabinet.

I also used a Markbass Little Mark 500 with a Markbass 410 which I didn't love, I'm not sure of the exact cab, but it wasn't the 104 model, I think it was the classic look, couldn't see the cones. That was an 8 ohm cabinet.

Then I used the MB500 with a SWR Goliath 610 which was amazing, but too heavy, way too heavy!!! But for tone and power, this setup was my favorite, the gain on 3 would rattle the windows! I think the cab was 118lbs!

I then used the MB500 with an Eden 410XLT (4 ohms) which was amazing, one of the best sounds I've ever used, I also would use a original Acoustic 370 head with the Eden which I didn't think sounded as good.

Again, I play loud punk rock n roll, and blew a disc in my back, so I WILL GLADLY sacrifice some tone here and there for weight, I think most touring players would agree. But with the MB500 and Neo410, it's light, sounds good and has plenty of power to dish out, I'm sure there are better options but this worked well for me.
 
#11
eriky4003 said:
Jim,
I own an MB500 as well. The contour knob is a scoop - as you 'increase' the knob the middle drops out and the bottom and higher frequencies are accented. The manual states to not use the contour knob at high volumes. If your master is at 3 o'clock (again, based on the manual), I'd say having your gain at 6 or 7 would be considered high volumes.
I don't own a GK Neo 410, but for sure there is a lot of love on this forum for that cab. Good review.
Click to expand...

Yeah I figured that out eventually haha, I'm not really big on gear and all the details, the Contour was at 12noon and everything sounded terrible. I couldn't understand why I had high end and then this muffled, pillow type sound bottom...was bizarre! Guess it helps to read instructions!
 
#12
gregmon79 said:
I LOVE my Neo 410. I wish I couldve gotten the 4ohm version though. I have the 8. But I run it with a 1001rb to great result. Im very happy with this setup and have been for some time. Its cool to hear that you took it on the road and it did that well for you. So, are you running your amp at full range? Or can the MB heads even go into bi-amp mode? I totally agree with you about the contour though, I keep mine completely off at all times.
Click to expand...

I didn't realize and ran it on bi-amp for 2 shows, so hopefully I didn't do any permanent damage to the cabinet or head. Guess time will tell
 
#13
jimmeyer176 said:
I didn't realize and ran it on bi-amp for 2 shows, so hopefully I didn't do any permanent damage to the cabinet or head. Guess time will tell
Click to expand...
It shouldn't do any damage in your scenario... Enabling the "bi-amp" switch just disconnects the HF horn from the standard speakon lugs and connects it instead to the remaining 2 speakon lugs. Since your amp doesn't use those other 2 speakon lugs (speakon connectors have 4 poles/lugs, but most amps only use 2 of them), the HF horn would simply go unused.
 
#15
Troph said:
Thanks for spending the time to write up your review. I wish more people would take the time to do it. :)

If you don't mind me asking, what type of music do you play through it with the J-bass? Also, do you have experience with other cab/cabs to compare & contrast?

This kind of info is also helpful for many people.
Click to expand...
I use a DNA-1350 with the neo4x10 and with a Hartke HD 2x10...I play 2 5string mayones and a maruszczyk "frog" 5 string...very happy with the setup volume,tonality dependable.all good! I mostly play rock/fusion funk.
 

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