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What Is The Best Amp You Ever Owned?

#104
rojo412 said:
I've loved every GK amp I've ever had (400RB, 800RB, 700RB, 1001RB, BL600, MB210, MB112), but the winner of all of of them would most certainly be the MB500 (technically the MB2-500, but same idea).
It was massively powerful and small enough to fit in the pocket of a gig bag. Despite that, I still mounted it in a rack case:

View attachment 5285346

This, paired with an Aguilar GS212 was the best amp setup I've ever enjoyed.

It was in our practice space and being neglected when COVID came to town and I pretty much decided that it was superfluous to have such a rig that I'd never use again for gigs. And the new practice space became a barn where an entire other amp setup was being employed, as well as was less dangerous to leave in the environment year round. So I sold the head to my good buddy @rogerbmiller and moved the cab locally and thought I'd be happy with life from that point on.

If I had the opportunity to buy another rig like this, I wouldn't hesitate. And I'm doing what I can to rebuild something similar sounding as I move along. But this was the hands-down winner.

The MB210 combo is a close second, as it's essentially the same head guts in a portable package that I've used for many gigs that didn't require the girth this had (and some that did).
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That's my exact setup right now - GK MB500 through an Aguilar GS212. IMHO that's one of the most underrated cabs out there
 
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#105
conttador said:
I still own them all. I'm somewhat of a hoarder…

I don't even know where to begin…

Sadowsky SA200 (w matching cabs)
Aguilar DB728 w DB680 or DB659
Aguilar DB750
Aguilar DB359
Trace Elliott V4
Warwick Sp250
Euphonic Audio iAmp combo (UK)
Euphonic Audio iAmp 350 combo
Euphonic Audio iAmp Micro 300
GK MB Fusion 800

pics of some…

View attachment 5285685 View attachment 5285690 View attachment 5285692 View attachment 5285698 View attachment 5285699
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The V4 looks fun!
 
#106
VeryTallBassist said:
That's my exact setup right now - GK MB500 through an Aguilar GS212. IMHO that's one of the most underrated cabs out there
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It really is. That cab didn't sweat any size gig, any type of tonality, and it was oddly "compact" in the sense that I never struggled to get it in or out of the car. Not ungodly heavy either.

If I see another one, I'm gonna probably buy it to relive those glory days.
 
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#108
IMHO impossible to answer. Probably the rig that I could hear best on stage was a GK800RB that I biamped into a Bag End S15D and Ramsa WS-A200. That rig really cut through, but did not have any fat or cushion down low.

One time one of my peers asked to used my rig when his group played the opening set. I told him yes, as long as he did not adjust the amp. My group did sound check and I went to eat. When I came back, his group was playing and he had changed everything about my rig's setup. He turned the Ramsa off, moved the S15D from the top of my rolling rack to the floor and completely changed the tone controls on the amp. So he pretty much hated the way this rig sounded. I told him to bring his own rig next time.

Since retiring I went nuts and have bought a bunch of amps. I have lost track but I am pretty sure it's over 50. My favorite is the one I am playing...at least for awhile. When I get bored I go pick out another amp from my collection, and it becomes my new favorite for awhile.

I tend to like different things about different amps. I think I have more Mesa's than any other brand. Here is the purchase order: M9 Carbine, Titan, D180, Strategy Eight:88, 400, 400+, Buster.

They all have a different personality. There is a clear evolution in the sound from the D180 to the 400 to the 400+, but I think each is exceptional in it's own way. My favorite is probably the 400 and I would put the Strategy and Buster at the bottom of my list. To my ears the Strategy and Buster seem to sound similar to each other

I think the M9 sounds great, but I have found it challenging to dial in. It typically feels like I can almost get the sound I want, but not quite. So it's sort of like having an itch you can't reach.

Probably my favorite hybrid is my Genz Benz GBE1200. The basic voicing is very close to what I like and the tone controls seem very intuitive to me. The M9 may sound slightly better as I currently have it dialed in, but I never have to fuss with the GBE1200.

Last two additions to the collection were a Marshall VBA 400 and Aguilar DB751. Both are awesome of course...and they share some really desirable qualities. Both produce huge amounts of heft and make massive power.
 
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#110
Az Bass said:
I am interested in both of these! What do you like about each?
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I really like the way both amps are voiced. Punchy and authoritative. Sound great for both pizz and slap. I find the EQ to be very "musical" and the "voicing" knob on the 800+ is fantastic for my tastes. Both amps have HPF knobs (which saves me using an HPF pedal). They're both really well designed amps and every function on them is useful and sounds good to me. When I want an amp that hits hard (in more of a GK way) I'll use the 800+. When I want a more pillowy (or "chewy" as I've heard it described) attack (that maintains punch) I'll use the WD-800.
 
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#111
Unoriginal, but I love my v-4b.
20230921_162828.jpg
 
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#112
Arthur U. Poon said:
The CA9 is a beast!!!

My Yamaha PX5 is the first Class D stereo power amp that I've owned. When I get time to hook up my pair of PH212's, I plan on plugging my GED-2112 into my CA9, then into my PX5 and do a "Lead Sled vs Class D Shootout."

The PX5 has built in variable HPF's and LPF's, so I need to figure out just how to set them before I do my shootout. I figure setting these will assist the PX5 to work optimally.
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Yes, you will need to level match and filter match the amps to achieve a fair test. Increase the gain on one amp over the other and that amp will appear to have an advantage. This is a standard trick in skewing comparison conclusions.

Arthur U. Poon said:
I've read statements here from @agedhorse that the CA9 has some design anomaly that gives it an unfair advantage to some other stereo power amps. Hopefully setting the LPF and HPF on the PX5 will level the playing level.
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It won't level the playing field because the perceived "advantage" is inherent in the CA6/9 architecture. It was a fortuitous outcome of the CA series architecture that was not deemed desireable to pro audio users and wasn't repeated (that I am aware of). I actually have used a similar architectural model in some products I have designed over the years, but it's embedded. The Streamliners use this concept, as does the ShuttleMax but for slightly different reasons and effect.
 
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#120
GK 700rbii and 1001rbii amps followed closely by a Carvin BX1500. I haven't owned a huge amount of amps like some but those two definitely sit atop my list. I've sold the Carvin but have backups of 700rbii and 1001rbii's because I love them so much.

After feeling the Bergantino bug with the NV412 I am saving and see what the Forte HP2 has to offer. Who knows? It might end up as a favorite lol.
 

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