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Most reliable micro-head?

O

oldcatfish

Jan 8, 2011
1,549
967
#1
Well today my Roland CB 100 died...the power light comes on, but no sound. I had already been considering transitioning to a micro-head and separate cab setup, so I guess now is the time. I have a small 1X12 4 ohm Eden cab already (to use for small gigs and rehearsals), so I need a micro-head...but, it needs to be under $300. I'll pick up a larger cab later, for larger gigs. I actually like the tone on all 3 of my considerations even though they are quite different. Which of the 3 is the most reliable? Which would you choose, and why?

GK MB200--I like the GK tone a lot. It's the one sound that I have had trouble nailing with my past setup.

Ampeg PF 350--I also like the Ampeg tone, but I can get a very similar tone with my Zoom B2 pedal.

Fender Rumble 150--I have never played the head, but have a lot of experience with the combo. I am getting pretty good at working my Zoom to bring out a very decent tone with the combos. I've found the combos to be extremely reliable with a lot of headroom for their rated wattage. Are the heads the same?
 
#3
oldcatfish said:
Well today my Roland CB 100 died...the power light comes on, but no sound. I had already been considering transitioning to a micro-head and separate cab setup, so I guess now is the time. I have a small 1X12 4 ohm Eden cab already (to use for small gigs and rehearsals), so I need a micro-head...but, it needs to be under $300. I'll pick up a larger cab later, for larger gigs. I actually like the tone on all 3 of my considerations even though they are quite different. Which of the 3 is the most reliable? Which would you choose, and why?

GK MB200--I like the GK tone a lot. It's the one sound that I have had trouble nailing with my past setup.

Ampeg PF 350--I also like the Ampeg tone, but I can get a very similar tone with my Zoom B2 pedal.

Fender Rumble 150--I have never played the head, but have a lot of experience with the combo. I am getting pretty good at working my Zoom to bring out a very decent tone with the combos. I've found the combos to be extremely reliable with a lot of headroom for their rated wattage. Are the heads the same?
Click to expand...

I think almost all of the micros have had "teething" problems when they where first released to the public.
A year or so back I had two GK MB2-500 heads die in the store on me till I found the one I have now.
It's been very dependable thus far.

I recently picked-up a Ampeg PF-500 head...I'm on my second one now...the first one smoked the first 15 minutes I played on it.
Ampeg replaced the burnt one and the replacement has been steller thus far.

A friend of mine had a GB 6.0 that he wanted to audition that wouldn't power up in the store.

I've not heard any negatives on the GK MB-200's reliability.
All the manufacturers have great C.S. these days, so run with it...if there's any problems they'll take care of you.
 
#4
Quote: "You are going to start a flame war with statements like that."

Yea, maybe I better clarify the statement. I can get a close enough tone with the Zoom, that the other 2 choices become much more acceptable options.
 
#5
OK, this is strange. My Roland CB100 works fine now. Our guitarist also had his combo amp go out today at the same location. I thought that it was an odd coincidence. Also, a few weeks ago our sub-woofer also did the same. We thought that it was shot--it's old and we bought it used. Other combo amps and speakers seem to be working fine.

I think that I'm still going to get a micro-head anyway, but I'll take my time a bit more and try them all out a few times. I still welcome any replies/suggestions.
 
#6
shoot-r said:
I think almost all of the micros have had "teething" problems when they where first released to the public.
A year or so back I had two GK MB2-500 heads die in the store on me till I found the one I have now.
It's been very dependable thus far.

I recently picked-up a Ampeg PF-500 head...I'm on my second one now...the first one smoked the first 15 minutes I played on it.
Ampeg replaced the burnt one and the replacement has been steller thus far.

A friend of mine had a GB 6.0 that he wanted to audition that wouldn't power up in the store.

I've not heard any negatives on the GK MB-200's reliability.
All the manufacturers have great C.S. these days, so run with it...if there's any problems they'll take care of you.
Click to expand...

+1 If reliability is a concern, just make sure to not buy anything in the first month or two of production.

I'm not aware of any micro on the market right now that seems to have a meaningfully poorer reliability record than any other.
 
#8
oldcatfish said:
Quote:"I'm not aware of any micro on the market right now that seems to have a meaningfully poorer reliability record than any other."

Great. Unfortunately, it doesn't make my decision any easier.
Click to expand...

At least it takes you single criteria posted in the title of your threadd off the table IMO.

Assuming you are in the US, service-wise, if that is important, a brand with headquarters in the US (Carvin, Genz Benz, GK) is probably a safer bet than other companies like Markbass and TecAmp.
 
#9
My experience:

LMII - had one for 4 years > played extensively > not one problem. I have read of others having issues come up from time to time.

Carvin BX500 - almost bought one of these as I am especially interested in the 2 ohm operations. However, if you read thru threads on the bx500 there are way too many reports of amp problems for me to be comfortable relying on this head. I have the bx1500, its bigger brother, and have had zero issues though.

Genz shuttle - not much issue with reliability from what I can see. They have the best CS in the biz in my opinion so if there is an issue you can be sure you will be well looked after. The CS is one of the biggest reasons to buy their gear IMO.

GKMB500 - Been using mine alot over the last year. No issues. I trust it.

Poweramp with pedal type pre - (SABDDI, VT Bass, Tonehammer) I think this is probably the most reliable rig. Pedals rarely have issues. In fact I have never read or experienced any issues... ever. Poweramps are also quite reliable. Together I would say they are very formidable, and reliable. Simplicity is the key. You can also meet your budget of $300 as its very feasible to find an older power amp on CL for $200 and a VT is about $100 used. I have used that setup and was really impressed with the tone.

My .02
 
#10
Re: GK MB 200 head. If 200 watts is enough, this head is amazingly loud, versatile, light as a feather, and a bargain at $238 ! It can also be used as a headphone amp and bass pre. Well worth the benjamins, imho, and , after a year, no issues whatsoever.
 
#12
Quote:"Poweramp with pedal type pre - (SABDDI, VT Bass, Tonehammer) I think this is probably the most reliable rig."

--I thought about this option.

Quote:"Re: GK MB 200 head. If 200 watts is enough, this head is amazingly loud, versatile, light as a feather, and a bargain at $238 ! It can also be used as a headphone amp and bass pre. "

--200 watts is plenty for me. I play mostly at churches. Most of the time I use a provided amp, which are usually 75 to 150 watt combos. The times that I don't, I use my Roland, which is only 100 watts. There is only one church that I even need the 12 inch extension cab. When I get a micro-head, I will probably get a 2 x 12 cab for larger venues. Right now I'm leaning toward the GK MB-200. Does it take pedals well? Something like my Zoom B2 or even a VT bass.
 
#13
oldcatfish said:
Quote:"Poweramp with pedal type pre - (SABDDI, VT Bass, Tonehammer) I think this is probably the most reliable rig."

--I thought about this option.

Quote:"Re: GK MB 200 head. If 200 watts is enough, this head is amazingly loud, versatile, light as a feather, and a bargain at $238 ! It can also be used as a headphone amp and bass pre. "

--200 watts is plenty for me. I play mostly at churches. Most of the time I use a provided amp, which are usually 75 to 150 watt combos. The times that I don't, I use my Roland, which is only 100 watts. There is only one church that I even need the 12 inch extension cab. When I get a micro-head, I will probably get a 2 x 12 cab for larger venues. Right now I'm leaning toward the GK MB-200. Does it take pedals well? Something like my Zoom B2 or even a VT bass.
Click to expand...

I don't use pedals, except for a Pitchblack tuner, so I could'nt say. I'm gonna use it tonite with my GB Neox 212T cab. Very easy schlepp.
 
#15
I've had my Markbass Little Mark II for over 5 years.
Not a single problem.

I've had an Eden Nemesis ENX-264 for about a year and I gave one to my nephew in Rio de Janeiro. No problems whatsoever.
Considerably louder than you might expect into a 4 ohm load.
Tons of low end.
He is using an Avatar B210 Neo 4 ohm.
I am using (2) Mesa Boogie Powerhouse 112.
 
#16
I've had no trouble at all with my Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0. I don't think you have to worry too much about getting early production run lemons at this point. If you do run into an issue with one though, the email address for Genz Benz customer support actually gets you Jeff Genzler himself. I emailed once to ask a technical question, and he responded within 24 hours. 10 out of 10 for customer support IMO.
 
#17
I am a happy Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 user. Either the 6.0 or 9.0 will make you think you died and have gone to heaven, but unfortunately you won't find either for $300 used. The 9.0 is voiced a bit differently and has more power, but the 6.0 can get stupid loud.

Not only are the Shuttles reliable, but the Genz engineers hang out on TB and address problems quickly. I recall one thread where they solved a user's problem within 4 hours from the first post. Beat THAT with any other brand!
 
#18
Even though my MB200 has a defective IcePower module (which I jury-rigged to run properly), I'll give a vote for this amp because I've heard of no one else having problems in the field with these things.

The IcePower board [1] used in the MB200 has become a commodity and can be found for $100. In a couple more years they'll be $75. These things swap out of an MB200 in less than ten minutes. I mention this in the context of post-warranty (or non-warranty) ownership; if your IcePower board dies, it'll be cheaper to swap it out yourself rather than have a tech do it. Six cover screws, then unplug a few plugs from the board, then remove the four screws that hold the board to its standoffs. A monkey could do it.

I'd also vote for the Carvin BX250. I think there's one forum member here whose sample gave out, but that's the only one I know of. I couldn't find any mention of bad ones in the Carvin bass amp forum. Mine's been solid as a rock since I bought it. And FWIW, my MB15, which is the MB250's guts installed in a tiny box with a 15" speaker, has been dead reliable even after having been run to its limit many times into 4 ohm loads.

Note 1: The IcePower board isn't just the power amp; it's a dual-function board that also provides the power source for itself and for the MB200's preamp section. So, when you replace the IcePower board in an MB200, in effect you're replacing both the power amp and the MB200's power supply. It's a slick, highly maintainable design.
 
#20
Pilgrim said:
I am a happy Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 user. Either the 6.0 or 9.0 will make you think you died and have gone to heaven, but unfortunately you won't find either for $300 used. The 9.0 is voiced a bit differently and has more power, but the 6.0 can get stupid loud.

Not only are the Shuttles reliable, but the Genz engineers hang out on TB and address problems quickly. I recall one thread where they solved a user's problem within 4 hours from the first post. Beat THAT with any other brand!
Click to expand...

+1 for Genz Benz. Great product and best customer service for any gear you'll ever buy.
 

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