NAD - Gallien-Krueger MB200

[discreet]

[b]NAD - Gallien-Krueger MB200[/b]

[b]Specifications:[/b]
[url="http://www.gallien-krueger.com/mb-200-specs"][b]http://www.gallien-krueger.com/mb-200-specs[/b][/url]
Price paid: £150 Used.

This is my [i]third [/i]MB200. I'm really going to make an effort to hang on to this one. The problem is, I keep seeing these as a spare/backup amp and therefore expendable, so it's the first thing to go when I get GAS for something else. BUT this is a total misconception. It could easily be your main rig amp. It's light, easy to use and its core tone is excellent. Now read on.




It's [i]really [/i]tiny - 7.75" wide, 1.75" high (without rubber feet) and 8" deep. If you're viewing this on a desktop monitor, the pic of the front is slightly larger than actual size. It'll fit into any gig bag, no problem. It's light, too - less than 1kg. 200W RMS @ 4ohms and 140W RMS @ 8ohms. Front panel: One 1/4" (6.3mm) Jack input, -10db pad for active basses, a single Gain control, Contour switch - this cuts the mids for a scooped sound - it's either on or off (I doubt you would want to have this switched in live, as I suspect you'd lose definition, but it does make the amp sound nice and lush for playing at home or for quiet rehearsal) Treble, Hi-Mid, Lo-Mid, Bass EQ controls. And a power switch with a ring LED which changes from red to blue when it's ready to rock, just like its big brothers the G-K MB500/MB800 and Fusions. The controls have a grippy rubber texture and are weighted to give a feeling of quality.

On the rear we have an AC mains socket, XLR Direct Out with Pre or Post toggle, Aux in for playing your tunes through the amp (good for late-night headphone noodling), and a switched output that doubles as a headphone out or a line out depending on how it's toggled. And the ubiquitous Neutrik Speakon output - of which there is only one, so if you want to use two 8ohm cabs for maximum 4ohm beans, you will need to daisy chain your cabs. Or use a single 4ohm cab. However I found it more than loud enough at last night's gig through a BFM Jack12 cab (8ohms) - gain at 10 o'clock. I'm picking up a One10 from Alex on Friday - that and this little amp will be my main gigging rig - total weight; less than 8kg and both will fit snugly into a padded cajon bag. Jealous, much?

Once again we realise that rated output means little, and the amount of 'volume' one perceives is largely due to the number and sensitivity of the cabs one uses, among other things. When I used an MB200 in a rock band running 200W @ 4ohms into two 8ohm BFM Jack 12 cabs, there was more than enough power to keep up with a drummer and egocentric guitarist using a 50W Marshall Valve combo - which is an arse-shatteringly loud guitar amp, by the way.

How does it sound? Well, it's very good and is something of a giant-killer given its size. It does share some tone with its big brothers - albeit with slightly less headroom and fewer EQ options - but the MB200 has its own sound too, and you will start to hear a bit of gain break-up at higher levels. It's SS break-up of course, but it's musical and usable - however in 'normal' use I've never even got close to running it at those kind of levels. Within the parameters of the EQ it's possible to get modern rock, jazz and fusion tones but if (like me) you're looking for a warmer vintage vibe to go with your P bass strung with flats, it'll do that very nicely too.

So... it's very simple, very small, very light and it sounds very good. It's also very affordable. You could consider this a back-up amp, a purpose for which it is well-suited due to its size, but it's really very much better than that - if you're on a budget, or you just don't need a massively loud amp (and really, no-one needs a massively loud amp - that's just marketing) then this is for you. Like the rest of the G-K MB range, you don't need a preamp or sound-shaper in front of this little beast - it sounds just great straight out of the box, it's totally plug and play. And its convenience, portability, simplicity, power and tone make it almost irresistible.

Edited May 1, 2016 by discreet

[gary mac]

As always a splendid and informative review, good work that man

Pics are not showing for me though.

[Defo]

Thanks Discreet, sounds like this is an amp with character, I'm sure its transparent and all but I always think an amp should add its signature, thats why i (reluctantly) switched from Aquilar to Tecamp.

[discreet]

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1462105375' post='3040269']
As always a splendid and informative review, good work that man Pics are not showing for me though.
[/quote]

Thanks Gary! Pics are definitely there for me... anyone else not seeing them?

[Lozz196]

Pics are there for me Mark. Nice review, was considering one of these myself as a backup, but a TC BH250 came up first.

[Paul S]

Pics are fine for me, too.

That is really small. A complete 8kg rig is just mental - awaiting your review once you have the BF 110.

[gary mac]

Pics working loud and clear now, may be a glitch with my lappie.