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New Gallien Kreuger MB 210 & MB 115 PART 2:

#81
I can sort of attest to the MB115 + P-Bass with flats setup. I brought my Squier Affinity P-Bass with D'Addario Chromes to Guitar Center yesterday to try the MB115. I am seriously considering this amp. I really liked what I heard from the amp with my bass. I tend to run the EQ with everything in the center (technically not FLAT, right? I dunno) Anyway, the bass sounded really sweet through this amp. I can't really give much of the technical sound stuff as it was a 30-minute test and I've been playing a Johnson 15-watt combo for the past 6 months.

I am very seriously considering this 33-pound musical wonder. From my brief experiences with this amp, I'll list some pros and cons.

Good:
Tone
Weight
Looks
Volume
Portability
Features (Aux in, XLR out, defeatable limiter, tweeter on/off)
Simple yet effective EQ (I have a Boss GEB-7 if really needed)
Value

Cons:
Logo on grill vibrates; probably a loose screw
Only one handle on top
No XLR volume
Not tiltback (not really a BIG deal)

Those are all I can find in my total of 2 hours experience with it, in a noisy Guitar Center with little wankers running around all over the place. I will most likely buy this amp around August; don't have the scratch now. I'll give a more detailed review if/when I get it!!
 
#82
Late Boomer said:
If it seems to good to be true, it probably is: I got a nice e-mail from GC telling me the 210 was "backordered". Now, given that I was told it's a scratch-n-dent, that means either a) "We had one, but didn't update our inventory system fast enough to prevent it from also getting 'sold' to you" or b)"We never really had one, but just wanted to get you on the hook". Either way, I was not pleased. It looks like I'll just have to get in line with everyone else for the mid-to-late June arrival of the next batch of 'em.
Click to expand...

Be strong... this seems like it was GC's fault, not GK's.

This amp is not a "too good to be true" sort of deal. It is too good, but it's also very true!

I know it's hard to have to wait, but it'll be worth it. I can guarantee you that. Then if you can get it for a scratch n' dent price, you'll be so set! I have a feeling this will actually work out in your favor. Seems like you might get a brand new MB210 for a discounted price...
 
#83
bassist4dalord said:
I can sort of attest to the MB115 + P-Bass with flats setup. I brought my Squier Affinity P-Bass with D'Addario Chromes to Guitar Center yesterday to try the MB115. I am seriously considering this amp. I really liked what I heard from the amp with my bass. I tend to run the EQ with everything in the center (technically not FLAT, right? I dunno)
Click to expand...

Yes, that is considered flat

I am very seriously considering this 33-pound musical wonder. From my brief experiences with this amp, I'll list some pros and cons.

Good:
Tone
Weight
Looks
Volume
Portability
Features (Aux in, XLR out, defeatable limiter, tweeter on/off)
Simple yet effective EQ (I have a Boss GEB-7 if really needed)
Value

Cons:
Logo on grill vibrates; probably a loose screw
Click to expand...

This should be easily fixable

Cons:
Only one handle on top
Click to expand...

How many handles did you want on this thing? it weighs 30 lbs for cryin out loud

Cons:
No XLR volume
Click to expand...

That's because the point of a DI output is to allow the sound guy at the front of house control your volume and eq at the soundboard controlling the PA system in order to adjust it for what the room needs. All you need to worry about is the volume and sound coming out of your amp. The sound guy deals with the sound coming from your DI as necessary for the PA setup. Really just gives you one less thing to worry about. Think of the DI volume control as being the faders on the mixer that you're plugging into. Pretty simple really...
 
#84
^Well, I guess an XLR volume level knob would be beneficial if it was a post EQ DI. You could then use the XLR volume knob to turn it down post gain and EQ so you arent sending the board a hot signal.

But this DI is PRE-EQ, so its not a negative. Check out the schematic. As soon as you plug in your bass, before it goes through the gain or the EQ stage, the DI tap is taken. So theres no need for an XLR volume knob.

Another con IMO is a tweeter level control. I think thats more appropriate than an XLR level control. The tweeter on these is a little noisy, so I wish I could turn it down a little bit without having to turn it off. Its just another way to dial in your tone.
 
#85
Hey bassist4dalord....Your impression sounds about right. And for a fraction of the price of a Markbass, I think it actually has a better, warmer tone. I A/B'd the MB115 with a Markbass 210 at GC and although not as loud, I thought the GK had a better tone (to my ears), along with that awesome growl.

If one gets all the way down to "only has one handle on the top" to find problems with an amp, it's a good amp, huh?? I'm dying to get one of the MB115s myself, but I'm committed to paying off some more debt before dropping the cash. Til then I'll just continue to salivate over everyone's glowing reviews of this line...........

-mark
 
#87
Have you tried these cabs with a separate amp or as stand alones? How do they compare to the NEO cabs?

The weight's definitely piqued my interest, and while I'm glad a lot of you like the MB combos, which also bodes well for the cabs, I'd like to know more about the MBEs as well.
 
#88
TylerlovesAva said:
Have you tried these cabs with a separate amp or as stand alones? How do they compare to the NEO cabs?

The weight's definitely piqued my interest, and while I'm glad a lot of you like the MB combos, which also bodes well for the cabs, I'd like to know more about the MBEs as well.
Click to expand...
They're not out yet so all we have are the combos...and they sound mighty fine!
 
#89
So while I'm waiting for my MB210 to arrive (c'mon, June!) I'm debating: get the MBE210 or the MBE212 to use as an extension cab. Yes, I know neither of them is available yet, though I think it's not unreasonable to assume that the MBEs will sound just like their MB combo brothers.

I'm leaning towards the MBE212 because of:

- larger cones = move more air
- 600w RMS v 400w RMS gives more options in the future if I want to buy a head (1000w head + 2 MBE212s = all I might ever need)
- the sheer coolness of stacking a 2x10 on a 2x12.

The tradeoffs look like this to me:

- slightly heavier than the MBE210
- $100 more expensive
- a few inches taller
- sensitivity is 1db higher (not a big deal, right?)

It seems to me that for $100 I get a more flexible, more capable extension cab. Am I missing any downsides here?
 
#90
Just got back from my first gig with the MB212. WOW! Pushed it pretty hard with bass and keys. It did get a little warm to the touch but at the volume it was producing other amps would have shut down. Stayed tight all night. I had been running an I pod through it to break in the speakers but pushing it at the gig really broke them in right. EQ wise this reminds me more of my old 200RB than my 1001RBll.
 
#91
rovito said:
Just got back from my first gig with the MB212. WOW! Pushed it pretty hard with bass and keys. It did get a little warm to the touch but at the volume it was producing other amps would have shut down. Stayed tight all night. I had been running an I pod through it to break in the speakers but pushing it at the gig really broke them in right. EQ wise this reminds me more of my old 200RB than my 1001RBll.
Click to expand...
Glad it worked for you! I'll bet the speakers will continue to break in with real live bass guitar pumping through there. I swear mine is STILL changing a little after about 10 gigs! Just keep dialing back the lows and nudging up the low and high mids and it sounds great!!
 
#92
At the beginning of the night I was thinking I could use a bit more lows but by the end of the night I had it dialed back a bit. This should turn out to be a benefit. If the cabinet produces a great deal of lows naturally, then the amp will not have to produce them leaving more power for the upper frequencies that are easier for the amp to push.(Four hours sleep. This makes sense in my head. Not sure its coming out right in type.)
 
#93
tallboybass said:
They're not out yet so all we have are the combos...and they sound mighty fine!
Click to expand...

Just in case anyone would be interested, I wrote to the guys at GK, and asked about the main differences between the MBE cabs and the NEOs. Brian's answer was brief, but he says the MBEs are lighter and have smaller dimensions, and do not have the horn biamp system of the NEOs (a non-issue for me because my amp's not a GK). If these are indeed the only differences and these cabs perform like the NEOs, which have impressed me, my wallet and I would be very happy.
 
#94
rovito said:
Just got back from my first gig with the MB212. WOW! Pushed it pretty hard with bass and keys. It did get a little warm to the touch but at the volume it was producing other amps would have shut down. Stayed tight all night. I had been running an I pod through it to break in the speakers but pushing it at the gig really broke them in right. EQ wise this reminds me more of my old 200RB than my 1001RBll.
Click to expand...

Does your MB212 distort when you dont attack the strings hard?
 
#96
Late Boomer said:
For those of you waiting on MBE210s on backorder: I got an e-mail yesterday informing me that my order (for an MB210) has shipped. Judging from shipping times for other orders from this same location, I ought to have my MB210 by this Friday.
Click to expand...

the 210MBE and MB210 are different.

the 210MBE extension cabs haven't been released yet at all so they're going to be coming out late june regardless.

new shipment of MB210s may go out before that from what i've heard.
 
#97
GroovinOnFunk said:
the 210MBE and MB210 are different.

the 210MBE extension cabs haven't been released yet at all so they're going to be coming out late june regardless.

new shipment of MB210s may go out before that from what i've heard.
Click to expand...

Drat, good catch: I meant to type "MB" rather than "MBE", so, yes, you're absolutely right. Those of us waiting for the MB series to come off backorder may not have to wait much longer. The MBE series, however, is still an open question.
 
#98
I just wanted to share the deal I got this past weekend, which I feel pretty good about: I took my old rig in to GC for a trade in. I wanted to buy an MB115, but the last one they had (at any store in Dallas, apparently) was the floor model which was marked down 15%. I played the thing for about 10 minutes and it sounded great and seemed in fine condition. But still I expressed my hesitation about buying a floor model to the salesman. Then I shut up letting him consider losing a sale, utilizing the negotiating tactic of 'Whoever talks first loses'. Well, it worked and he doubled the discount--30% off!

Then the manager came back with an offer on my trade-in, which was fair to me so I took it. So, combining the old rig trade-in with the 30% discount, I walked out with a new GK115 having only paid $67 cash out of my pocket. And since I had to pay so little for it, I'm gonna roust up the money and buy a second one soon, giving me a 2x15 stack which I can EQ separately, 400 watts, weighing in at 66lbs, that only cost me $467...Dig it!!

-mark
 
#99
Markb said:
I just wanted to share the deal I got this past weekend, which I feel pretty good about: I took my old rig in to GC for a trade in. I wanted to buy an MB115, but the last one they had (at any store in Dallas, apparently) was the floor model which was marked down 15%. I played the thing for about 10 minutes and it sounded great and seemed in fine condition. But still I expressed my hesitation about buying a floor model to the salesman. Then I shut up letting him consider losing a sale, utilizing the negotiating tactic of 'Whoever talks first loses'. Well, it worked and he doubled the discount--30% off!

Then the manager came back with an offer on my trade-in, which was fair to me so I took it. So, combining the old rig trade-in with the 30% discount, I walked out with a new GK115 having only paid $67 cash out of my pocket. And since I had to pay so little for it, I'm gonna roust up the money and buy a second one soon, giving me a 2x15 stack which I can EQ separately, 400 watts, weighing in at 66lbs, that only cost me $467...Dig it!!

-mark
Click to expand...

DUG!!! I had a similar deal

I only paid $100 out of pocket and had similar negotiating miracles.

I got Daddy's Junky Music to match the 20% sale that GC was having a few months back even after the sale expired on GC 3 days before I bought the amp (it's a long story but you can imagine it took some bad a$$ negotiating skillz)

Then I traded in my amp and cab (which had a blown horn) for $50 more than I paid for it (when it was all functioning perfectly). I may have "forgotten" to tell them that the horn was busted on the cab. Does that make me a bad guy or just clever? Well, one thing I am (and was then) is broke so I needed all the help I could get.

Also I got the MB210 which is more expensive to begin with :bassist:

big ups to awesome deals!!!!!
 

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