Gallien Krueger MB Fusion 500

[Lozz196]

Well below is the review I made of the regular MB500, and much of it is the same for the MB Fusion. The only real differences being a few extra features, such as Deep Control, Presence Control (for added high end) and a selectable Contour Frequency, so you mid-scoop at one of two pre-set frequencies. Plus of course, the All Tube Preamp (3x 12AX7). Also, the Boost is replaced by simply having two channels, so to get louder, say for solos, switch from one channel to the other.

In usage the MB Fusion is much thicker than the regular MB500, although on it`s own it isn`t so noticeable, and sounds exactly like a GK. However, in the band-mix, the depth and thickness of the sound (most likely due to the valves) is much more evident, kind-of being a cross between the crispness of a GK, and the girth of an Ampeg. It`s been described on Talkbass as being the least GK sounding amp GK make, and that may be correct, however having owned only the two MB amps, I can`t really comment. What I can say is, if you like GK sound, but just a bit beefier, this amp would be a good choice.

[i]A short review of the Gallien Krueger MB500.[/i]

[i]500 watts (and believeable 500 watts at that) at 4 Ohms, 375 at 8 Ohms. The amp has two speakon sockets, which can apparently be used with a 1/4 inch jackplug too. Not tried it, but that`s what the manual says. Has an on-board limiter, and tuner out - always helpful, that. Selectable boost by either control on the amp, or included footswitch. Gain, Contour (scoops mids) Bass, Low-Mid, High-Mid, Treble, Master Volume.

I`ve now used this amp with cabs from Eden, Hartke, Peavey, and Schroeder. I`ve found it to work best with the Peavey and Schroeder, but that`s not to say it was bad with the others.

I can go from the typical GK sound, think Duff McKagan, to a far more old-school thumping sound, so the amp has a great deal of versatility. The eq really does work well, and, as I usually find with good amps, it`s cutting the frequencies that seems to yield the best results.

Perfromance wise, it is a loud little amp, very GK in sound (durr, well it should be).

And one of the best things - it`s about the same size, and weight, as half a laptop, so it fits into my leads box.

If you want that famed GK sound, in a lightweight amp, but don`t want lightweight performance, this amp is worth checking out.[/i]

[deepbass5]

Got mine from Markorbit and him from Owen. I was concerned that they both said the sound was not for them, two quick pass on's is enough to make you doubt the reviews. But I love it. Very warm old school. I use it with my EA 12” M lines
This is now my main amp for swing band jazz gigs, I have used it for function band work but think I still prefer the flexibility and cut my Markbass LMK gives me, due to constant style changes, Funk, Ballard to Rock.
Just worth noting here, I changed out the valves for some 40 year old as new boxed NOS British 12AX7's There is a difference in the warmth and bass and low mid, but not as much as I had been led to believe from valve buff web chat. So anyone thinking the same the selected valves by GK are pretty damn good. I got the AX7's from a radio buff friends shed, not yet negotiated a price but you can pay £80-£100 each. £50 the lot sounds about right for the improvement gained. If you do change valves best undo the bridge rectifier board cables then un screw this and the transformer, lift them out the chassis, to be able to undo the valve caps. You can't get a BA spinner to the nuts between the valves to lift these out three in a line. So has to be the incoming power supply that gets moved.

Great Amp, would not part with it,

[LawrenceH]

Useful info, cheers guys - especially that it's working well in a jazz context. I like the clarity of my Markbass F1 but it just lacks a little of that valve magic. I'm interested in the MB Fusion because, unusually, it is running the valves at high voltage. I love the clean sound of a nice SWR or classic Fender valve preamp, and wondered whether the GK can do that 'shimmery' thing with the high end where it just sounds essentially clean but somehow sweeter?
When people talk about 'valve sound' here they seem to mostly focus on more distorted tones, whereas what I like is I think more what you'd get from a high-end valve mic pre: smooth, creamy and with plenty of sizzle. BTW I tried the Orange Terror bass and thought it was pretty much the worst sounding amp I'd ever heard, right through the gain range, if that helps with my tonal preferences!

[Lozz196]

Well having had an OTB, for the same amount of gain that I like in my sound, the OTB was on 9 o`clock, the MB Fusion is on 3 o`clock. So that tells a fair bit about the gain stages of the Fusion. I think if you put it on full, and hit hard, especially with new roundwounds, a lot of gain will be there, but it will be more due to the dynamics of the playing, ease off a bit, and I`m sure it will clean up (though have never tried this out). Whereas I found with the OTB, it was just as gainy, but quieter.

[deepbass5]

[size=3]Hi Lawrence, seems I was wondering all the same things you were, as the amp seems geared toward an overdriven channel stomp facility. But it is better than that single market application. It can get a dirty if you crank the gain up to 3-4 o’clock; I only tried it to see. It is not noticeable at any normal gain setting, in fact the grit lovers may actually be disappointed in the amount of distortion available, and it’s subtle. That is not my bag at all, I just love the valve warmth which to be honest I did not think possible from just a preamp. I have previously owned an Ampeg B1, also with three valves and preset buttons; it was very nice but not as flexible as this or as warm. You do need to go easy on the settings at loud volumes and come back a tad on the contour to get some life and high mids back in your sound, basically what is a great finger style setting needs a tweak for pop or funk, sometimes I find I have no bass left anywhere to turn down. So I am obviously starting out too far that way. My only suggestion to GK is that it was a shame to have a channel footswitch for dirt lovers, when a footswitch for mid freq shift would have been for more useful. [/size]
[size=3]Gig wise I set up both my amps on top of each other as a ready to go spare, and swap speaker and mains cables over, during sound check to see which suits the hall best, then end up swapping over in the interval.[/size]
[size=3]It’s a keeper. [/size]

[LawrenceH]

Thanks guys, from what you're saying this might be much closer to what I'm after than the other 'valve' micros. It's pretty much the same size and weighs a shade less than my F1, so I'm sorely tempted to try one out. Looking at the MB200, if you had one of each the MB fusion would be the 'big rig'. Insane!