Gallien Krueger RB1001 or MB800

[GRAHAM SG1]

These amps are in the same price range give or take a few quid, which is the best in terms of sheer volume, which has more heft, tone adjustment and will have the most headroom, I use a pair of Barefaced Super Compacts so will have a 4 ohm rig with easily enough handling for either of these amps.

Thanks

[hamfist]

I owned and gigged the MB500 and a 1001RB. I strongly preferred the tone of the RB. I didn't find them particularly similar. The RB was more musical, less mid-scooped, and had a load more tones to offer than the MB. The boost was far more musical on the RB too, to my ears.
Sorry, not tried the MB800.
Either amp will have ample volume for just about anything, with ample cabbage.

Edited January 30, 2015 by hamfist

[GRAHAM SG1]

I think the RB is possibly the best out of the two,I thought the MB range of being a budget range, I had the MB210 and MB212 which failed with 20 minutes of playing from new !

[Delberthot]

I didn't like the 1001RB as much as the 700RB. I found I couldn't get the 1001 loud enough without overpowering everything else to get the proper GK growl that I could with the 700

[Jack]

I swapped a RB1001ii for a Fusion 500, not quite the MB500 but very similar. Sometimes I still miss the big old 1001 but the Fusion is so, so good that most of the time I'm happy I swapped. The 1001 was a little bigger and hefiter, it always sounded effortless, headroom for days. The lightweights are just as loud but IME this particular amp is not quite as full sounding and not quite as big in lows. Many people reckon this is a fault of lightweights generally but I'm not so sure, I've played plenty of full size amps that are nowhere near as full as the fusion.

Edited February 7, 2015 by Jack