ThomBassmonkey

I think some people are getting their panties in a knot about some stuff that's actually correct terminology or near enough. The only thing people say to me that really gets my goat is "can you turn down, please?" NO!

They're very similar, the NEO range is built to a slightly higher quality. Things like bracing and bi-amp compatability are missing from the MBEs to cut costs and make them cheaper cabs.

The GK reliability issues are seriously over-played. There was a dodgy batch of MB combos where a few went faulty, GK sorted it out quickly and there's been very few reliability issues since. I've never had a problem with their stuff and I've never heard of anyone else having problems with it first hand.

This vid seems a pretty good representation: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hybjYMBwIeU&feature=related[/media]

If it's a hobby and that's all it's ever gonna be, then just play in bands you like. If you're getting payed, play what they want, it's a job. If you want to do originals professionally, try and find musicians you think you'll work well with then see what happens in the practice room. Try and play a genre you enjoy then be willing to completely compromise how you play it to make sure the band works musically instead of you widdling over the top of good music.

My head and leads are in a laptop case and I once picked up a laptop instead of my head and leads. Was very awkward, especially as I found out when I was telling someone about how brilliant this tiny head with valves was, look it all fits in this laptop case!....oops

This has been mentioned before and IIRC you need about 3" of air to properly de-couple and most wheels don't have that height. Plus the wheels provide some element of coupling too. If you want to de-couple, the best way would be to get a gramma pad. That's all from my poor memory though, so I'm probably wrong. I'm sure someone like Bill or Alex would be more use.

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1333440685' post='1601587']I play EBS amps and that kit is not cheap either, but I do think they are worth every penny. I thought I was mental parting with that amount of cash when I bought my first EBS rig, but it has been the best musical investment I have made thus far.[/quote] I was the same when I got my first GK rig, the 700RB-II and two 210RBHs. At £1500ish it's not the most expensive rig ever but it's a lot of cash. God bless endorsements! I love my two rigs now.

Doesn't any of your gear have a pad button on it? Or if you could find a pedal you liked that you could leave on (subtle compression or chorus for example) you could use that as an in-line volume. Or even make a simple volume dial that you can put before your amp.

I don't see £3000 as a crazy expensive bass rig, at least not to the point of writing home about it. Plenty of people use 4x10s that cost £800+, 2 of them and a head over £1k is near enough £3000. The TC Electronic Blacksmith is £2000, but I'm with the people that said the Hellborg. I've never heard one in the flesh but I'd want it to sound perfect to spend nearly £3000 for the pre and 2x250w power.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1333299466' post='1599716'] yep that's me, everyone seems to have known John for a long time What's your band, are you local? [/quote] haha yeah he's the kinda guy that gets about a bit, I actually live on the same road as him. I'm with the James Warner Prophecies (as per sig ). I put John onto Paddy and Owen for your video. I've not seen you play in a while though, last time was a bit ago at the Greyhound.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1332941605' post='1595196'] latest word is they've sorted things out and it's staying open [/quote] Yep! Really good news. It's staying the same management too so Paul will still be a massive part of the driving force behind the Derby music scene without the hassle of finding a new venue. Paul, are you the bassist in Verbal Warning? If so, I've known John a long time. Edit, Joey, you should've hit us up for gigs. We have them every couple of months, I'm sure you played with us there while you were in PWG?

I've used all 3 RB heads and all 3 MB (current) heads. Main differences: Weight and size: The RB heads are made to sound like GK want them to with little compromise. They're heavy and big. The MB heads are tiny and weigh nothing. I have the MB Fusion (the biggest of the MBs) in a laptop case with all my leads. The MB heads sound naturally less beefy. The beef is still there though in spadeloads, but it needs to be EQd in. The RBs are a lot thicker sounding. Both have have a wide range of sounds depending on what you dial in. GK's Bi-amping. As mentioned, the MB series don't have it, but neither do the MBE cabs anyway I'd try them both out if you can. Neither sound nicer IMO but they do sound quite different. I have the 2001RB-II and the MB Fusion and I use the Fusion more just for ease. Being able to show up to a gig with a cab in one hand (yes, the NEO212s are that light), bass in the other and laptop case over my shoulder is brilliant. But the MB has no way of competing with the raw power of the 2001 with 410RBHs. They fill up a room completely and sound awesome.

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1332784553' post='1593096'] I'm using an MB210 combo with one of these cabs underneath. IMO they are exceptionally good. I can get some seriously trouser flapping, in fact the last cab to do that was my old heavy trace 4x12". [/quote] Yeah, having re-read my post I think it comes across a bit negative about the cabs. To re-phrase, they're budget cabs. Within their price bracket they're untouchable IMO, nothing I've ever seen or heard comes close to them anywhere near that price. IMO the Neos are better (with a similar sound) but you are paying a fair bit extra for them and there's not a huge difference. It's things like bracing etc that have been skipped to keep the budget down, the MBEs are beefy cabs with great tone. If you can try out the rig, that would obviously be best, but if not then if you do take the plunge you can feel confident that you'll have an awesome amp that will last many years, be reliable and sound great.

That should do you fine. I've not used the exact model but knowing GK gear it'll have plenty of oomph, especially as a 15.

IIRC it's 320w at 8Ohm and 480 at 4Ohm. The +50 is because there's actually two amps inside the head, one for the woofers and one for the tweeters. That cab doesn't have bi-amp compatability anyway though so you'll just be using the 320w with the one cab. Mog, those are the stats for the 700RB (the older version), the 700RB-II has more beef. That deal is brilliant value for money. Even Thomman has just the head for £500. The cab isn't brilliant but it's good enough and with a great head, you'll be able to upgrade the cab when you want. Don't get me wrong, they're very good cabs for the money, they're just cheap. I doubt you'll be able to find a better setup to get you started. If you have any more questions, just ask. I'm no expert on amps but I've used most of GK's stuff and owned that head.

...shut down today. I still don't know the whole story but anyone that knows the Bell and Paul, the landlord, knows that it was without a doubt Derby's best music venue. This is gutting, my band played there a lot, we actually had a gig booked there on Friday (which we've obviously had to cancel) and it's a crying shame to see it gone. I don't know what's in store for it, but without Paul managing with his passion for music, I doubt it'll be the same again.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1332095947' post='1583188'] Hmm, considering I can`t get the volume above 9 o`clock on my 500, in a punk band, maybe the 200 and run it hard. These GK MB amps are amazingly loud. [/quote] All the GK amps have some serious beef behind them.. With the MB range, most of the grit is from the pre and with the 500/800/Fusion you can dial it to taste. In the RB range it's the power, but they have the boost knob that acts like a power amp gain (if that makes sense).

Yep, the RBs are the Artist range (the 700 is still in production). The MBs are the compact range with the 800 coming soon. They both have similar characteristics, the MBs are a bit more toppy with that sparkle whilst the RBs are thicker and beefier, both have the same growl though if that makes sense (and you dial it in, the MBs can do spanky clean very well, the RBs can do it but they wouldn't be my first choice if that was the tone I was after). The MB500 and Fusion have two gain channels (both the same but it's easy to set up one for distortion and one for clean or as needed) which are footswitchable, the only RB head that has footswitchable channels is the 2001RB-II, though they're proper channels (individual EQs, unlike the MB heads). The RB series has the bi-amping too so as well as the 480w in the 700RB-II, it also has an extra 50w tweeter preamp so you can control the tweeter from the front of the heads. The most obvious difference is the size, the MBs are tiny and weigh nothing, the RBs are huge and weigh as much as a small planet. I have an MB Fusion and a 2001RB-II and love them both, the MB sees more use though just because I'm lazy. I see from your other thread you are looking for an 800RB, I've never used one personally but the current RB range is based on the design of the 800. You can actually still buy 800RBs too but due to some construction materials not being allowed in the EU, they're not available over here (at least last time I checked they were available in the US). If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Fair enough if you want loads of headroom, I like the grindey tones from GKs anyway (coupled with my Ray it sounds beautiful). I hope you pull the trigger MM20, I know you've been looking at GK's a long time, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

IMO unless you're desperate for illuminated controls, the MB Fusion would be a better deal. You'll never run out of volume with it and it has a few more controls. To be honest, if I was buying for retail price, I'd probably just get the 500. The Fusion is amazing but I don't think I'd be able to justify the extra money for the valves when the 500 is so good. It always amazes me how much GK can fit into a tiny box though.

I don't really get stage fright, I've gigged a lot and am VERY critical of my own playing (to the point where I wince if I make a mistake) but I know that the audience doesn't even notice 99% of the time. The best thing I can suggest is that the audience is there on a night out, not to analyse and review you. If you (or more importantly your front man/woman) can make sure they're having a good time, you can play like trash and no one will care and trust me, I know that from experience.

Ashdown cabs aren't anything that will blow your mind but if you want an 8x10 and you're on a tight budget you don't really have any options. They do ok, I paired up a 410T with my GK 700RB a while back and they sounded alright (not as good as the 210RBH I had, but then that cost twice as much).

If I can ask, what made you go for the 4Ohm cab? The percievable volume difference between 4 and 8 ohm cabs is very little and if you go for a 4 ohm, you won't be able to add another cab if the volume isn't there. The only reason to go 4 ohm IMO is if your head runs at 2 Ohm. All just my opinion, of course