• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

New competition for GK's MB200??? Traynor Small Block!

#41
Just got the latest PDF Manual from L&M after emailing about the Send/Return.......there is no effects S&R........the new manual has pics that are my exact layout.....sorry no S&R ...."can't fit it in"........I don't have any pedals at this time so no issue for me......

yes you can use a single 8ohm, or 2x 8 ohms or 1x 4 ohm cab....
I can confirm plenty o' loud with 2x8ohm 15" cabs attached.....

price has gone up & L&M......still less than their latest G&K MB200 price ...still tempted to try an Ampeg PF350....it has S&R & 350 watts into 4ohms and (on the label 250 w into 8ohms)

no volume , but with gain about 1 or 3 o'clock and I used my bass volume for "volume"...up around 7 thru 10 on a passive yamaha ...
 
#42
thanks.....will have to see what it's like when I get it.....I'd also been considering just getting a 3Leaf The Enabler preamp cause I'm particularly interested in using it mostly for practice with my PC in my den but maybe the 3Leaf would be more what I need.....at least I can bring it back to L&M if it doesn't work out.....

L&M sells the MB200 for $340 now....it used to be $275 last year
 
#43
edencab said:
Just got the latest PDF Manual from L&M after emailing about the Send/Return.......there is no effects S&R........the new manual has pics that are my exact layout.....sorry no S&R ...."can't fit it in"........I don't have any pedals at this time so no issue for me......

yes you can use a single 8ohm, or 2x 8 ohms or 1x 4 ohm cab....
I can confirm plenty o' loud with 2x8ohm 15" cabs attached.....

price has gone up & L&M......still less than their latest G&K MB200 price ...still tempted to try an Ampeg PF350....it has S&R & 350 watts into 4ohms and (on the label 250 w into 8ohms)

no volume , but with gain about 1 or 3 o'clock and I used my bass volume for "volume"...up around 7 thru 10 on a passive yamaha ...
Click to expand...

...that last note about settings was in a jam situation.....my house would rattle & hum if playing alone ! :D
 
#44
I played through a bunch of these again today at L&M. I like the head, the combos not as much. The head is pretty powerful for its size. Different flavor than the MB200(although I prefer the GK tonally). The combos are a bit boxy sounding with that upper mid range honk you get sometimes with the smaller cabinet. They do however pack a big time punch and are probably the loudest combos I have had the chance to play through outside of the MiniCMD 121P. They would be good for rehearsals or small gigs.
 
#48
It looks like the AUX input goes straight to the power amp section if the headphones aren't in. It might be useful for an external preamp.

From the Manual:

7. AUX Input
The 1/4-inch jack can be used an input for an external sound source such as a digital audio player or smart phones etc. A stereo source will be summed electronically when fed into the AUX Input jack using a TRS (stereo jack). The AUX Input is fed to the signal flow after the tone controls, which does not affect its tonality.
 
#51
I just tried this SB200 out a few days ago and couldn't leave the store without it! It's certainly voiced different from the MB200. I find its a little more versatile tone wise and seemingly quite a bit louder even though they share the same power amp ICE module. It's actually a bit bigger than the MB200 but lighter. I plan on changing the huge feet to smaller ones to reduce SB200's size and even weight further.

The SB200 has an elegant feel and appearance to it. The power light is a nice soft blue and changes to a dim red when the mute function is engaged. The knobs have great visibility and feel real smooth with a good resistance to them when turned. I especially like the real Neutrik combi speaker output. Why GK eliminated this from the MB200 is beyond me. Would it have killed the profit margin on the MB200 to keep the 1/4" speaker out functionality? For a 200 Watt 1.5 lb "backup" amp, you never know when you're going to need it, and when you do, it's piece of mind that it can be plugged into any cab even if its 1/4" only. The MB200 would need a Speakon to 1/4" adapter which are kinda big compared to the amp and a little pricey.

The 1/4" aux in is another thing Traynor was thinking hard about and it works really well on the Traynor. I was using my VTBass straight in and it goes right to the power amp of the SB200. The sound was great! I switched to my Eden WTDI an ran it direct in, BEAUTIFUL! What a handy feature with today's great preamp pedals. The MB200 has a 1/8" mini jack that would need yet another adapter and its Pre GK's limiter which IMHO would alter the sound of the preamp pedals in an adverse way.

I believe the treble center on the SB200 is a little lower than I'm used to, perhaps around 3-3.5 KHz. It's good for meaty classic rock tones but a modern SWR type thing it's NOT. The Expander does boost higher treble tones but much like all Yorkvilles contour circuits it seems to pull too much of the mids out the mix when dialed in past 12:00. I'll post up a little more once I've spent some more time with it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pudgychef
#52
I just have to say, due to rented backline I always carry some speaker cables with me.

1.) -Speakon - 1/4''
2.) -Speakon - XLR (yes, you find these on elder cabs sometimes.)
3.) -Speakon - Speakon
4.) -1/4'' - 1/4''

Prepared with these cables, no cab-in or amp-out is able to surprise me. Costs: about €30,-- total, footprint: how much room needs a 4'-cable? Take this times four.

This four pieces of gear will not burst anybodys budget, are not that heavy, and help a lot.
 
#55
Did they say anything about the input impedance?

I guess my ears are a little off! I thought the treble frequency sounded lower to my ear but that could have just been because it was late night and in my basement set pretty quiet.

It's interesting that the low mid is centered at 400 Hz as the low enhance knob does it's cutting at 400 Hz as well. Again, to my ear the Q bandwidth of the low enhance is really wide grabbing too much around the 400 Hz . I'll have to try dialing in the low enhance and bringing up the low mid to compensate and see how it sounds.
 
#57
MuthaFunk said:
Did they say anything about the input impedance?

I guess my ears are a little off! I thought the treble frequency sounded lower to my ear but that could have just been because it was late night and in my basement set pretty quiet.

It's interesting that the low mid is centered at 400 Hz as the low enhance knob does it's cutting at 400 Hz as well. Again, to my ear the Q bandwidth of the low enhance is really wide grabbing too much around the 400 Hz . I'll have to try dialing in the low enhance and bringing up the low mid to compensate and see how it sounds.
Click to expand...

waaaay over this guys head...:)
...I just like how it sounds.......:bassist:
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back