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The CARVIN MB (MICRO BASS) Combo Club!
- Thread starter .BumeStik.
- Start date
While on the subject..... https://www.talkbass.com/threads/carvin-mbe210-cabinet-or-carvin-mb210-combo.1344097/
"Picked up an MB210 back in January for $321. I'm very pleased with it, but have no idea how it compares with other amps, like a Rumble, in a similar price range."
I have a Carvin MB210 (and an MB10). I don't have any 1st-hand Rumble experience, but It's my impression that the Rumbles have somewhat of an old-school fat sound. I have Ampegs (PF500 and PF350 into an Avatar B210), and compared the them the Carvin is a lot brighter and more articulate. I think it is a combination of a more hi-fi voiced amp and the sealed cabinet. The Carvin doesn't get very dirty. It also is not a real deep bass unless the bass EQ is up almost all the way and the high EQ is turned down quite a bit. I think that is also a function of the cabinet. With that radical EQ, you really can't turn the amp up very loud without having the speakers start to fart out.
I bought the Carvins because they were one of the few combos that would fit through the trunk opening of my Mustang. The MB10 is used mostly for basement practice or really low-volume playing with acoustic instruments. I use the MB210 with an 18 piece big band. It keeps up with the unamplified horns and I don't require a really deep, out-front sound. They work well in these applications.
I have a Carvin MB210 (and an MB10). I don't have any 1st-hand Rumble experience, but It's my impression that the Rumbles have somewhat of an old-school fat sound. I have Ampegs (PF500 and PF350 into an Avatar B210), and compared the them the Carvin is a lot brighter and more articulate. I think it is a combination of a more hi-fi voiced amp and the sealed cabinet. The Carvin doesn't get very dirty. It also is not a real deep bass unless the bass EQ is up almost all the way and the high EQ is turned down quite a bit. I think that is also a function of the cabinet. With that radical EQ, you really can't turn the amp up very loud without having the speakers start to fart out.
I bought the Carvins because they were one of the few combos that would fit through the trunk opening of my Mustang. The MB10 is used mostly for basement practice or really low-volume playing with acoustic instruments. I use the MB210 with an 18 piece big band. It keeps up with the unamplified horns and I don't require a really deep, out-front sound. They work well in these applications.
Oops! Thanks for the correction. Still, I find the 210 combo pretty bright. Since I'm not a slapper, I feel the need to mellow it out via EQ. Between the 4 bands of EQ (2 of them semi-parametric mids) and the contour control, there is quite a bit of tone control. I do wish the tweeter could be completely turned off.
Yeah, I also think that the amp is pretty bright. And, I don't think that the drivers go all that low. I used my MB210 and 210MBE at a couple of blues jams and they sounded alright. But, since I got a Fearless F112 and a Mesa Subway D800, I really haven't used the MB210/210MBE.
I did that swap on mine but wired it for 4ohms (I turned the ext spkr jack into an aux in). It's really light but while the tone is better than it was with the stock speakers it's still not all that great. The Ashly BP41 in my big rig and my Ampeg BA115 have probably spoiled me for tone.
I have decided that I really like the upper end harmonics from my MB210 with EQs set at 12 o'clock and volume and tone controls for both pickups all the way up on my jazz bass. But this is playing alone. With others I'd likely lean more toward the lower end.
I purchased an mb10 & mb210. I have run them both a few times through my 4ohm brx 210. Reading through some of these posts, apparently you are not supposed to run these amps through a 4 ohm cab?
No, that would drop the total resistance th below 4 ohms at the amp, and that's not good! The minimum for an extension cabinet is 8 ohms (so you would have 2 - 8 ohm loads which produces 4 ohms at the amp). Don't use that BRX 210 again, or you will fry the amp!
Thanks for the response, I will stop using it. Wish I had bought carvin extension cab when they were still in business, maybe I will look into avatar.
Okay, it's time for me to replace the speaker in my MB10. I won't need to use it with an external speaker as it's solely for grab-and-go usage, so I think I'll swap it to a 4ohm speaker.
Trying to decide between a kappalite 3010lf.4 and a deltalite ii 2510-4. Anyone have experience with either?
Trying to decide between a kappalite 3010lf.4 and a deltalite ii 2510-4. Anyone have experience with either?
If you want to consider a 3rd option, I replaced the speakers in my MB210 with Basslites and like them a lot.
