discreet Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 (edited) [b]NAD - GK MB500 Fusion[/b] Delivered today, despatched by the excellent Merton. I thank you, sir. I love my hand-wired 1972 Burman MPA and SL100 combination, and that's not going anywhere. But I also wanted a second amp, one that doesn't weigh 35kg (77lbs) for back-up duty. Enter the GK MB500 Fusion: [size=4]Lots of reviews and YouTube videos for this amp are available on t'internet, so I'm not going to attempt an in-depth analysis of it here. The question is this: Can it reasonably be used instead of my Burman kit if necessary?[/size] The short answer is 'no'. Obviously a GK isn't going to sound like a Burman, which is very clean indeed and needs its 70s preamp Mullards pushing a little to bring forth some very lovely warmth and depth - but you don't get the sort of grind that Ampeg (for example) is famous for, from either amp. And that's fine (for me). So does the GK sound like a GK? Yes, it'll do The GK Grind if you want it to. In fact, it'll do The Lambeth Walk if you want it to... it has a vast range of tonal variation available and is extremely versatile, much more so than the Markbass LM I once owned. The GK is a seriously great-sounding amp in its own right. Admittedly the preamp valves do sound pretty terrible when pushed hard into the grit, BUT when coaxed gently they offer a nice warm break-up, which is what I like so much about the Burman kit. BUT, the GK doesn't have quite the heft that the Burman does. BUT, it does get surprisingly close. It's a huge-sounding amp. Do I care? Yes. Will the band care? No. Will anyone listening to our recordings or gigs care? No. It's a very good amp and is a keeper. So I now have two great amps and I'm pleased about that - and one of them won't try to burst my guts when I pick it up. Another thing I like about both amps is that they are 'plug and play' - the only micro amp I've used previously was the Markbass LM I mentioned earlier, and that (in my opinion) needed a VT Bass in front of it to make it sound how I wanted it to. Neither the GK nor Burman need ancilliary gear - they both sound excellent as they are. I thank you! [size=4]PS: The GK fan is a [/size][size=4]little bit noisy. Not an issue for me.[/size] [size=4]PPS: The GK has the advantage of dual channels, toggled by a footswitch.[/size] Edited March 12, 2014 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Glad you like! I never noticed the fan so apologies for that - in a gig situation it'll not be a problem of course but that's by the by It really is a good amp, not a perfect valve amp copy but good enough, I think you summed it up well Can I have it back now, I miss it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 [quote name='Merton' timestamp='1394575651' post='2393010'] Can I have it back now, I miss it? [/quote] No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Congrats Mark, they`re great amps, and surprisingly warm sounding for GKs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Always been tempted to try one of these, will probably pick one up at some point when GAS for other pedals and basses settles down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1394641794' post='2393633'] Congrats Mark, they`re great amps, and surprisingly warm sounding for GKs. [/quote] Thanks Lozz, yes it is warm! Can be very 'GK' if you want... but I don't want. [quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1394643213' post='2393659'] Always been tempted... ...will probably pick one up... [/quote] If you do, I'm quite sure you won't put it down. Edited March 12, 2014 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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