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Got my GK MB Fusion today!!!!
- Thread starter 77jazz
- Start date
Come on, Graham...
Tallboybass, awaiting your impressions!
By the way, now I understand why some people were anxious about the MBE410 (no internal bracing, padding). No worries, this cabinet is not boomy at all and appears to be very strong. Couple of evenings of long practices and wonderful, boom-free tone. Again, I play it LOUD, luckily my home conditions allow me doing that.
Tallboybass, awaiting your impressions!
By the way, now I understand why some people were anxious about the MBE410 (no internal bracing, padding). No worries, this cabinet is not boomy at all and appears to be very strong. Couple of evenings of long practices and wonderful, boom-free tone. Again, I play it LOUD, luckily my home conditions allow me doing that.
crustychef said:
When I worked for Sam Ash, there were some occasional defective GK amps coming out of sealed boxes, and some that went out after they were played on for a brief period. However, there was always more issues with the Hartke and Eden stuff. No company is perfect, and there will always be issues here and there. My Aguilar DB359 and AG500 amps always seemed to shut down on me on a gig (never at home--gotta love their "protection" circuit)...so even a great company like Aguilar doesn't have a flawless record. Take the good with the bad--my MB Fusion sounds great!
Got Mine Back Today!!!
The Repair Guy said he doesn't want to have to work on it again- cuz its TIGHT in there, but i told him i don't want him too either!
One cool thing about the MB Fusion is that he told me he thought i changed out the pre-tubes, cuz it comes with JJ's!
I thought that was very cool of GK to be doing!
The Repair Guy said he doesn't want to have to work on it again- cuz its TIGHT in there, but i told him i don't want him too either!
One cool thing about the MB Fusion is that he told me he thought i changed out the pre-tubes, cuz it comes with JJ's!
I thought that was very cool of GK to be doing!
Received my Fusion MB on the weekend and have had some at @ home practice time. Won't have live band report for another week or two.
Here's the low down...
- First, why I chose the Fusion. Well it fits in my gig bag. Seriously though, that was a key requirement. My rig is an Eden WT550 with D212XLT and D210XST 4ohm cabs. I wanted a lightweight head that would fit in my gig bag. I also wanted a non-Eden head to experiment with and wanted to keep preamp tubes. The Fusion fit the bill on paper to a T. I wanted it as a backup as well to serve duty as the 'number 1' for the smaller, lightweight gigs where I would have the 210 in one hand and the gig bag over the shoulder. Lightweight but with some thunder. (and man does this thing thunder through the 210XST... 212 is at rehearsal space and haven't had a chance to try it on that cab). My style is 98% fingerstyle. The other 2% is sucking at slap as I rose out of the garage band rock days of the 80's after switching to bass because there were 5 million guitar players to every 3 bass players in my neck of the woods.
- Sound. Note that I have never owned a GK product before but had played through a few in the local shops. I find that the fusion has the GK tone but, for lack of a better term, more body or complexities to it. It isn't as sterile. I suspect it is the tubes. (IMO) I find the amp quiet, no hiss background noise etc. Playing with the Gain and master + contour really gives you a mix of sound diversity. clean with headroom or edgy with some bark. Add in the deep and presence switches as well as the second channel and I think there is something in there for everyone. I was able to quickly find a tone I liked and while playing around, I was also able to EQ the amp to have a more Eden-like mid presence but deeper. The live band situation will really sing the tune as to what this little amp will do, but so far I am impressed. Tons of power and is surprising given its size. I need to spend more time with the 2nd channel but that will come in time. It can get aggressive but I can tame that with the tone control on my bass. With some contour, deep switch and my mid control off on the bass I can get a nice heavy low and deep tone with a touch of bite. I can dial up the mids on the bass preamp for additional cut where needed and this will probably be my starting point live.
Cons to date: Minor - fit and finish... when looking at the case you can see that the manufacturing tolerances aren't that precise as they are on my older Eden WT550 (can you say tank, reliable and so toneful) . A bit of a gap here and not there etc. No biggy, you have to really look to notice.
What would I like to see or add to the amp? I know it's a small package but I would really be interested to see if GK could develop another version of this with concentric bass, treble, low and high mid pots so you could adjust for each channel. If you could do that AND allow this thing to drive 2ohms it would be quite the pocket rocket. (love amps that can get down and dirty with 2 ohm loads.. something about 2 4ohm cabs dancing at 2!)
Current overall opinion (pending live gig): The amp has some great sounds and has lots of juice but without a live gig it will remain my backup... for now. More to follow...
Here's the low down...
- First, why I chose the Fusion. Well it fits in my gig bag. Seriously though, that was a key requirement. My rig is an Eden WT550 with D212XLT and D210XST 4ohm cabs. I wanted a lightweight head that would fit in my gig bag. I also wanted a non-Eden head to experiment with and wanted to keep preamp tubes. The Fusion fit the bill on paper to a T. I wanted it as a backup as well to serve duty as the 'number 1' for the smaller, lightweight gigs where I would have the 210 in one hand and the gig bag over the shoulder. Lightweight but with some thunder. (and man does this thing thunder through the 210XST... 212 is at rehearsal space and haven't had a chance to try it on that cab). My style is 98% fingerstyle. The other 2% is sucking at slap as I rose out of the garage band rock days of the 80's after switching to bass because there were 5 million guitar players to every 3 bass players in my neck of the woods.
- Sound. Note that I have never owned a GK product before but had played through a few in the local shops. I find that the fusion has the GK tone but, for lack of a better term, more body or complexities to it. It isn't as sterile. I suspect it is the tubes. (IMO) I find the amp quiet, no hiss background noise etc. Playing with the Gain and master + contour really gives you a mix of sound diversity. clean with headroom or edgy with some bark. Add in the deep and presence switches as well as the second channel and I think there is something in there for everyone. I was able to quickly find a tone I liked and while playing around, I was also able to EQ the amp to have a more Eden-like mid presence but deeper. The live band situation will really sing the tune as to what this little amp will do, but so far I am impressed. Tons of power and is surprising given its size. I need to spend more time with the 2nd channel but that will come in time. It can get aggressive but I can tame that with the tone control on my bass. With some contour, deep switch and my mid control off on the bass I can get a nice heavy low and deep tone with a touch of bite. I can dial up the mids on the bass preamp for additional cut where needed and this will probably be my starting point live.
Cons to date: Minor - fit and finish... when looking at the case you can see that the manufacturing tolerances aren't that precise as they are on my older Eden WT550 (can you say tank, reliable and so toneful) . A bit of a gap here and not there etc. No biggy, you have to really look to notice.
What would I like to see or add to the amp? I know it's a small package but I would really be interested to see if GK could develop another version of this with concentric bass, treble, low and high mid pots so you could adjust for each channel. If you could do that AND allow this thing to drive 2ohms it would be quite the pocket rocket. (love amps that can get down and dirty with 2 ohm loads.. something about 2 4ohm cabs dancing at 2!)
Current overall opinion (pending live gig): The amp has some great sounds and has lots of juice but without a live gig it will remain my backup... for now. More to follow...
I'll be using mine through an MBE410 as well....only a 4 ohm model. Mine seems to have a slight boom in the high-bass area (~140hz?) but it may be because of my room. If I ever get a loud gig, I'll get to test it outside of my house!
Could be, could be! My luck is that the practice room of 226 sq. ft is so well dampened that our band could have some rehearsals including loud drummer before we rented a proper place for doing that. And I have no boom, but your experience might be different of course.
I'm also very glad the 4 ohm models hadn't been available so I settled with the 8 ohm model. This is so loud! If I had the 4 ohm version, I might probably not practice at home
Today, I play our band's backing tracks from an MP3 player through my 2 x 30W stereo, and it is set almost to maximum so I can keep decent volume of the MB-F Family tells me it is exactly as if our band had a rehearsal upstairs I just wonder Tallyboybass how big your practice room is
Maritimer, thanks for the review!
Tallboybass, you were right. There must be a resonance hump in the MBE410 around C#/D (138-146 Hz). I have noticed that when playing slow blues with fingers. I could not notice this earlier since I hadn't observed it while playing with a pick. Fingerstyle, and making accents at these notes causes that hump audible.
As the thread says...."Got my GK MB Fusion today!!!!" After a brief trial using my girlfriend as a stunt drummer I can say...."I like it!!" Pretty much ran the EQ 'flat' for most of the time. It seems quite zippy on the high end with the 'presence' switch on. Lots of additional harmonic content. The 'deep' switch really added a solidity on the low end without getting boomy, but I didn't get a chance to try a 5-string with it. I liked channel A gain at about noon for just a tiny amount of wool, then set B to full-tilt for a tubey distortion.
The amp (& MBE410 cab) in general seemed to sound a bit livelier than my MB212. Power wasn't an issue....my cab is a 4 ohmer so it's getting the whole 500 watts...and those are GK watts! I'm hoping to try it next week at a gig to see how all this translates to the real world.
The amp (& MBE410 cab) in general seemed to sound a bit livelier than my MB212. Power wasn't an issue....my cab is a 4 ohmer so it's getting the whole 500 watts...and those are GK watts! I'm hoping to try it next week at a gig to see how all this translates to the real world.
I'm glad you are happy, Tallboybass!
Indeed, the Presence switch gives extreme detailing of what happens to strings touched, plucked or picked and could be invaluable for soloists. I would rather not use it in a band's setting.
The EQ is very sensitive to knobs' turns (I like it, this gives plenty of tonal options). With Treble at 1:00, I found the G-string very present. Going back to noon position makes this string in my bass behave "as expected", balanced with the rest.
Now my preferred setting is Channel B at low gain, with the Deep switch on, giving me solid low end with tube warmth. This tone is what I've been looking after. Switching to channel A (set to low gain) now gives me feeling of very clean tone that again many may prefer. I will try Channel A with gain at noon as tallboybass suggests to see what happens.
A great amp!
Indeed, the Presence switch gives extreme detailing of what happens to strings touched, plucked or picked and could be invaluable for soloists. I would rather not use it in a band's setting.
The EQ is very sensitive to knobs' turns (I like it, this gives plenty of tonal options). With Treble at 1:00, I found the G-string very present. Going back to noon position makes this string in my bass behave "as expected", balanced with the rest.
Now my preferred setting is Channel B at low gain, with the Deep switch on, giving me solid low end with tube warmth. This tone is what I've been looking after. Switching to channel A (set to low gain) now gives me feeling of very clean tone that again many may prefer. I will try Channel A with gain at noon as tallboybass suggests to see what happens.
A great amp!
Don't pay much attention to my ramblings, I've just got minimal time in with it so far. I wonder if Channel A with gain set higher is similar to Channel B set lower?
Can't wait to try it again in a band setting!
Why? Your observations such as resonance at ~140 Hz are very valuable!
I cannot say anything solid on Channels A and B right now since I cannot turn the amp on at the moment
, but during my tests I found the Channel B far hotter. Although the schematic drawing tells me nothing on this issue, I have a feeling that some solid-state support must be used there for Channel B (The user manual clearly mentions the G.I.V.E. technology) Your feeling?Yesterday, I watched and listened to a vid from our last rehearsal. The MB-F KILLS the band, I will have to play quieter
(Joking, the vocalist had just put the camera too close to my cab). OTOH, when I played two strings in an octave in the intro to one of our songs, the drummer scowled at me and demanded turning the volume down!----
Graham, do not buy before you try! I have never tried the solid-state MB amps so I cannot tell what the tonal difference is! And give us more time, perhaps in a month some of this amp turns defective
I was only joking Antek , I dont have that sort of money to spend on an amp, the kids would have to starve - on second thoughts 
LOL
I will keep the MB210 until it expires then buy a head like yours to replace the MB210 amp, I wonder if I removed the MB210 amp from the cabinet and bolted an MB Fusion into the slot and reconnected my two cabs, I would have the same rig with a better amp ?
, I dont have that sort of money to spend on an amp, the kids would have to starve - on second thoughts LOLI will keep the MB210 until it expires then buy a head like yours to replace the MB210 amp, I wonder if I removed the MB210 amp from the cabinet and bolted an MB Fusion into the slot and reconnected my two cabs, I would have the same rig with a better amp ?
What is the exact size of the MB210 amp? MB-F is 11" wide (sharp) and 9.75" deep (sharp). How do you connect your cabs? By speakon cables? MB-F has 2 output sockets, speakon/jack.
If both your cabs are 8 ohm and both are capable taking 250W each, why not?
---
My guitarist offers lending me his unused rack. Now, I have to buy rack-ears. Vrrrrrr! ;-)
If both your cabs are 8 ohm and both are capable taking 250W each, why not?
---
My guitarist offers lending me his unused rack. Now, I have to buy rack-ears. Vrrrrrr! ;-)
I've tested it out now. No, completely different character!
Channel A starts crunching at noon with my bass guitar; at 1:00, the distortion becomes audible; at 2:00 - 3:00 it is at strong distortion but... tinny, somewhat like farting, excuse le mot
So I'd say, very good clean tone at Channel A and better not to overdrive that.Matters are quite different with Channel B. The tone is full, rich, and very much solid there. Up to 10:00 no real distortion, only wonderful, saturated tone. If you push Gain B, it gives crunch then distortion, but these are very pleasant to human ear - I could really play grindcore with this tone! I find I'd stay entirely with the Channel B; it's ideal for my music.
Of course, this is for one bass tested (MM-style). I'd like to know the opinion of someone playing a P through this rig.
I moved from the MB500 to the Fusion 3 months ago.
I use the Fusion with a Berg. NV610, I play Hard rock- blues.
I flip flopped back and forth between the Fusion and my Mesa Walkabout for the first month,through the Berg. Although I LOVE the Mesa, the Fusion has more power, and I can get the tones out of it same as the Mesa, at 1/3 of the weight and half the size.
I like the ability to choose between channel switching or a pedal for my overdrive, also LOVE the contour on the GK, the twist of this knob can thicken and civilize your tone in a heartbeat, specially when I'm called to use a pick. The ability to choose the mid frequency for the cut helps out tremendously, because each different bass has a different tone characteristic, I normally use the lower 500Hz setting.
The deep switch I've found very helpful(since I only play 4stringers) with my Octave pedals. Using it I'm able to get the presence of the lower tones or cut them if the room is already booming. The limiter/compressor I use consistantly, same as the MB500, it seems to do a good job without overly effecting
my signal, I'm not a big compressor guy.
I use a Status Stealth II bass primarily with it, and I find the clarity of the graphite bass combined with the warmth of the Fusion is a good match. I'm able to get a good LOUD clean sound without a problem and the overdrive sounds are mild to Over the top, its all there.
Not too tubey and not too clean, Good job GK
I think the only thing you need to change is the speaker cab to get what you need from this head. I use the Berg for most everything since it is an ultra cool sounding cab, but I may add a 3 way audiophile style cab for smaller cleaner gigs, ie: Whappo Jr, TR115, fEARful ect.... just for options you know.
As far as durability..........I've owned almost every major brand and had some type of problem, no one is perfect. But my dealings with GK on warranty issues has always been dealt with quickly and without problems. So I have no issues with dealing with this company at all, and I started using there products in 1986. That shows me committment on there part.
The only thing I would change(and I'm going too) is the knobs are so close my fat fingers bump the others when I'm setting them. I'm going to get the smaller knobs from the RB series and put them on my Fusion. my only gripe, there ya go.
I use the Fusion with a Berg. NV610, I play Hard rock- blues.
I flip flopped back and forth between the Fusion and my Mesa Walkabout for the first month,through the Berg. Although I LOVE the Mesa, the Fusion has more power, and I can get the tones out of it same as the Mesa, at 1/3 of the weight and half the size.
I like the ability to choose between channel switching or a pedal for my overdrive, also LOVE the contour on the GK, the twist of this knob can thicken and civilize your tone in a heartbeat, specially when I'm called to use a pick. The ability to choose the mid frequency for the cut helps out tremendously, because each different bass has a different tone characteristic, I normally use the lower 500Hz setting.
The deep switch I've found very helpful(since I only play 4stringers) with my Octave pedals. Using it I'm able to get the presence of the lower tones or cut them if the room is already booming. The limiter/compressor I use consistantly, same as the MB500, it seems to do a good job without overly effecting
my signal, I'm not a big compressor guy.
I use a Status Stealth II bass primarily with it, and I find the clarity of the graphite bass combined with the warmth of the Fusion is a good match. I'm able to get a good LOUD clean sound without a problem and the overdrive sounds are mild to Over the top, its all there.
Not too tubey and not too clean, Good job GK
I think the only thing you need to change is the speaker cab to get what you need from this head. I use the Berg for most everything since it is an ultra cool sounding cab, but I may add a 3 way audiophile style cab for smaller cleaner gigs, ie: Whappo Jr, TR115, fEARful ect.... just for options you know.
As far as durability..........I've owned almost every major brand and had some type of problem, no one is perfect. But my dealings with GK on warranty issues has always been dealt with quickly and without problems. So I have no issues with dealing with this company at all, and I started using there products in 1986. That shows me committment on there part.
The only thing I would change(and I'm going too) is the knobs are so close my fat fingers bump the others when I'm setting them. I'm going to get the smaller knobs from the RB series and put them on my Fusion. my only gripe, there ya go.
