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Looking for new mini amp head to replace GK800RB

mrkrinkledude

mrkrinkledude

Jan 28, 2009
43
22
#1
My band is about to go on a 10 day tour and I would like to buy a mini amp head to lighten the load. I have an Ampeg SVT 212AV that I currently use a GK800RB with. The GK is in a hard shell case and heavy and I'm currently shopping around for something new. I play in a death metal band with a distortion pedal so I like the grind and output the GK has. I will be using my ESP LTD B206SM.

Is there anything out there that anyone would recommend? I know I won't find something that sounds identical but I don't care about that. I was told some nights I can play through DI and some nights that isn't an option. I noticed the Aguilar TH500 that might be a good fit but not completely sure. TIA!
 
#3
mrkrinkledude said:
My band is about to go on a 10 day tour and I would like to buy a mini amp head to lighten the load. I have an Ampeg SVT 212AV that I currently use a GK800RB with. The GK is in a hard shell case and heavy and I'm currently shopping around for something new. I play in a death metal band with a distortion pedal so I like the grind and output the GK has. I will be using my ESP LTD B206SM.

Is there anything out there that anyone would recommend? I know I won't find something that sounds identical but I don't care about that. I was told some nights I can play through DI and some nights that isn't an option. I noticed the Aguilar TH500 that might be a good fit but not completely sure. TIA!
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I would suggest you listen to one of the new GK heads or the Mesa D-800+. I own a TH500 and am not sure that would be to your liking. For me the TH voicing is on the opposite end of the spectrum from my GK MB (and older RB) heads. YMMV though.
 
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#7
paskisti said:
Why not new Legacy 800?
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That’s what GK would say. The Legacy was designed to carry the 800RB voicing into the future. It has a separate overdrive section that allows you to “voice your grind”. I also agree with earlier posters that the MB’s get you the GK “family voice”. The Mesa 800+ is more of a chameleon, but you can definitely get in the GK ball park with its extensive controls and it takes dirt pedals well if you want more “grind”.
 
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#11
ctmullins said:
Also a good choice, but more expensive, and (I think) physically larger. If that matters to the OP.
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Physically larger than what? …not an 800RB, that’s for sure!
I’ve owned both the Legacy and the MB800. …both great amps. There’s not a lot of difference in footprint or weight - they’re both under 6 lbs, the Legacy is a tad taller and a bit narrower. The MB series isn’t made any longer so what’s out there used is likely to be lower cost than a new Legacy. When new, both amps were priced similarly. I’d take either on the road with confidence.
 
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#13
mrkrinkledude said:
Wouldn't that be too powerful for my SVT212AV? The 212AV is 600W and my 800RB is pushing 300W at 4ohms. I'm slowly learning about amps and stuff so I could be wrong.
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It’s not so much the rating as how hard you push it. If you’re going to be in a very loud situation then you might want more speaker, but I’m not familiar with the AV. Is it 600watts at 4 ohms? If so, I’d expect it to handle those heads if you remain at “800RB” volume.
 
#14
TomB said:
It’s not so much the rating as how hard you push it. If you’re going to be in a very loud situation then you might want more speaker, but I’m not familiar with the AV. Is it 600watts at 4 ohms? If so, I’d expect it to handle those heads if you remain at “800RB” volume.
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Yep its 600watts at 4ohms. I usually keep my 800RB at around 10-11 on the volume knob.
 
#17
mrkrinkledude said:
Wouldn't that be too powerful for my SVT212AV? The 212AV is 600W and my 800RB is pushing 300W at 4ohms. I'm slowly learning about amps and stuff so I could be wrong.
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On paper, yes. In the same way that a Honda Accord, with its top speed of around 120mph, is “too powerful” for current Interstate travel.

Of course this is absurd, since the Honda has an accelerator pedal that lets the driver govern how much power is actually being generated by the drivetrain.

Similarly, all modern amps have at least one attenuator knob (gain, master volume, etc.) that lets the player govern how much power the amp is actually sending to the cabinet.

It’s not a perfect analogy though, as aggressive playing can produce transients that exceed our intended power level.

Also, cabinet power ratings are very nominal, with actual power capacity highly dependent on EQ, compression, and other factors upstream. You can easily destroy your 600 Watt cabinet by pushing 200 Watts of 30Hz through it. If you like the low frequencies, the mechanical limits are usually what matters more than the published limits, which are usually thermal limits.
 
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#18
mrkrinkledude said:
Wouldn't that be too powerful for my SVT212AV? The 212AV is 600W and my 800RB is pushing 300W at 4ohms. I'm slowly learning about amps and stuff so I could be wrong.
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I was already going to suggest that you look for an MB500 or MB500 Fusion. Even more portable than the MB800.

As @ctmullins pointed out, you don't have to use all the amp's got. But the MB800 has beeen bench-tested at over 1000W true RMS, and with so much headroom, it can be easy to get carried away in the heat of the moment.

The 500's still hit like a hammer, and there's less risk of damaging a cab if you overdo it. They both exceed 500W into 4 ohms in bench testing.

The Fusion has a nicer grind if you're deliberately going for amp distortion.
 
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#19
steve_rolfeca said:
I was already going to suggest that you look for an MB500 or MB500 Fusion. Even more portable than the MB800.

As @ctmullins pointed out, you don't have to use all the amp's got. But the MB800 has bench-tested at over 1000W true RMS, and with so much headroom, it can be easy to get carried away in the heat of the moment.

The 500's still hit like a hammer, and there's less risk of damaging a cab if you overdo it. They both exceed 500W into 4 ohms in bench testing.

The Fusion has a nicer grind if you're deliberately going for amp distortion.
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All true from my experience. And the MBFusion 500 has a similar footprint to the Legacy, just shorter in height, slightly smaller than the MB800. You can set up a beautiful o’drive on its B channel using a high gain setting and a separate master, and foot switch between channels. I never found the MBF500 wanting for power. To this day I carry a MB500 (non-Fusion, no tubes) in my truck to back up whatever I’m using. It always starts, and it kicks like a mule! MB500’s are also very reasonable on the used market.
 
#20
GK Legacy heads have that GK tone in spades, the Fusion s has a knob to specially get that 800rb sound. Though one deal breaker for me was the push knob controls. I much prefer the knobs and the switches to be separate. Which is why I went with a Legacy.
Just to mention, the trim knob on these amps is cut only so, you start with the knob all the way up and back it off as needed. You lose a lot of character if you treat it like a gain knob and start from the bottom up. It’s a variable pad, so you turn it down until you stop clipping, it varies slightly from bass to bass, but only takes a few seconds to dial it in.
 

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