GK or Fender??

[devinp17]

I want to buy a new combo and it's either gonna be the GK MB115 or the Fender Rumble 350. I want to know which one would be better for a punk kind of sound. IMO I think the GK will give me more of an 80's rock type sound, where as the Fender will give me a kinda more natural sound. I play a P bass if that helps. I really love the growl/boost of the GK but I don't know much about the Fender. Thanks!

 

[TomB]

I think you're right, though the Fender can get a wide range if you work the EQ.

 

[devinp17]

I've played the Fender briefly before but I'm not very familiar with the tone of it.

 

[McFarlin]

Played older Fender Rumble stuff and wasn't too impressed. Dig the GK stuff enough. I'd use it if I needed a combo. But with a P-bass and a pick you should be set with either. Don't remember the Fender having that growl ("Grind" is what the GK is known for, right?). If that's what you like, then...

 

[devinp17]

But with a P-bass and a pick you should be set with either. Don't remember the Fender having that growl ("Grind" is what the GK is known for, right?).

I'm a fingerstyle player but I play punk so I always pluck pretty hard and I get a really aggressive tone that way. And, yeah that's what I love about the GK, the growl which the Fender doesn't really have. But I wasn't really sure if the GK would be a good tone for punk. Thanks for the help bro!

 

[klejst]

The newer Fender Rumble stuff is actually pretty decent however it seems like you already bend a little more to the GK combo. They are different combos yes but I agree dialed in correctly (and may take some playing around with until you find your desired settings) you should be able to get a variety of tones from each. But really whatever sounds better to what you are wanting is what you should choose in the end.

 

[toddbooster]

My first post, but oddly a question with which I have recent experience. I'm became a GK convert after picking up an old series I 400RB, but in between my self-modernization project of moving from 60's and 70's tube amps all the way into the mid 80's, I bought one of the new Rumble 200 combos. I think I had it for about a week, and my impression of it was that it had very little character, like it's only purpose was to make the bass louder and nothing else. Perhaps I didn't give it enough of a shake, and others here certainly seem to like them, but I must say it didn't do much for me.

 

[Hevy T]

I would say the GK because you can daisy chain if you need more volume. Also get a Sans Amp to control your tone and overdrive

 

[KevInDaBassment]

I'm a fingerstyle player but I play punk so I always pluck pretty hard and I get a really aggressive tone that way. And, yeah that's what I love about the GK, the growl which the Fender doesn't really have. But I wasn't really sure if the GK would be a good tone for punk. Thanks for the help bro!

Honestly Bro, having been in several punk and grunge rock bands as of late...that's what really turned me on to GK's stuff in the first place. They've got juice, aggression, and an ACTUAL EQ instead of just one band or two bands you can semi-boost and another that's cut-only (usually mids). They have a baked in tone, but you can boost cut on all frequencies. That's the boring stuff though...

The MB series are freakin phenomenal and what brought me back to GK in the first place. MB200 won me over, but I have a Fusion 550 and holy crap does it own. However any of the MB 500's or 800's will do all kinds of damage on any stage short of a stadium, provided you have some quality cabs hooked up. I know you're looking at combos, but just know that the GK stuff is definitely geared to people like you and me.

 

[Revolver]

Gallien Krueger . . .

 

[4StringsEnough]

GK all day long over the Fender.

 

[RandalPinkFloyd]

GK every day and twice on Sunday's

 

[David Jayne]

I'm not familiar with the Fender stuff but loooove my GK stuff.

 

[1960jbass]

GK today, GK tomorrow, GK forever!!!

 

[gpx1200]

another vote for gk but get a 212 instead of 115 if you can

 

[Joe Nerve]

Wow. I really feel like someone spiked my coffee with acid when I read these threads . I've owned a nice little collection of GK gear, including an MB210 combo with an added MB15, a Neo 212 combo (discontinued) which had a 1001RB head that I added an additional Neo 212 to, a Backline 600 and yeah... I've mixed and matched a lot of that list. I also owned a Bassman 250 watt 1X15 and I kid you not, it blew away all the above. I'm still not sure what that's all about, and why my experience differs so much for others here, but I imagine it comes down to 1 of 3 things. 1. I play in bands much louder than many of the people who post on talkbass? 2. At the time I owned those amps I was playing mostly a Bongo and a Stingray, and GK has a rough time handling what they can dish out? 3. I have the sheiittiest luck in the world when it comes to purchasing anything GK, or Fender for that matter. I do own 3 Fender basses though that I love.

FWIW, I've played probably over 2000 gigs in my life, and with different backlines and studios played through hundreds of different bass amps. I love the 80s GK stuff. Aside from that, I'd take just about any amp these days over any of the newer things GK puts out. Every GK amp I've owned sounds great, to a certain point in volume, and that certain point has always been way too low for me to cut through in the bands I was playing with. Even when I was using 1001 4X12 setup. As soon as the amps started moving any air, they also started farting and rattling. And I'm not an idiot... I set my basses pretty much flat, sometimes even cutting the highs and lows, and I always start with the EQ flat on my amps. I tweaked endlessly to get a gutsy ballsy sound that cut with all my GK gear, and unless I was in an incredibly low volume situation, it was impossible to do. I always had to settle for the loudest sound I could get that would cut, and that was it. No tone shaping, no getting what I really wanted. At least not without farts and rattles.

What I eventually settled on after going through lots and lots of amps and combos, is a Carvin BX500 (one of the most versatile and tweakable heads I've ever played through), and a Bergantino NV610. I still have a GK Neo 212 that I use with the Carvin head for smaller gigs, and it does sound awesome, but for nothing more than a small bar. Since I love the Carvin head so much I recently picked up an MB110 combo with an extension 15 - and even though that combo has less wattage and speakers than the GK MB setup I had, it destroys it in tone, volume, and versatility. It's lighter and smaller, too.

Not looking to argue with all the GK love here, just sharing my experience. And RE the Rumble. Never played through one of those other than in a store, but the above mentioned Bassman was uncharacteristically loud for an amp it's size, and put out some serious thump without rattling or breaking up. I sold it to a friend cuz I had too many amps in the house, and have since regretted it. My goals in amplification have always been to get as loud as possible with the ability to tweak and dial in the tone I desire at loud volumes - and to get as small and light a setup as possible. The above has been my experience (including the purchase of the NV610 which is amazingly small and light for a 610 cab), and what I've settled on. I have no amp gas whatsoever any longer.

 

[devinp17]

Thanks everyone, I think I'm gonna go with the GK.

 

[Muttleybass]

Good choice! I've had my 800RB for almost 30 years. Never let me down. Can't beat the GK growl imo.

 

[thudfromafar]

Thanks everyone, I think I'm gonna go with the GK.

It was funny to read this post directly after Joe Nerve's essay.

 

[Joe Nerve]

It was funny to read this post directly after Joe Nerve's essay.

I agree .

That's ok. My mother never paid attention to me either. I'm used to it.

Plus I'm happy knowing that my amps are better than all the GK lovers amps in this thread . To each hizzone! All just a matter of taste and opinions anyhow. But I'll put my Carvins and Bergantino up against anyone's GK, any day .