MESA BOOGIE D800+ vs GK MB FUSION - gig review

[doc40hz]

I recently got a D800+ and I've found it is a fantastic sounding amp. Having upper and lower mids with semi-parametric EQ is really handy. I usually engage the bright switch. The deep switch is bit much most of the time, but it can be used to good effect in parts of songs.

I play with several bands. One has a really loud drummer and the other a really loud guitarist. Playing though 2 BBIIs it is enough for keeping up with drummer with no PA support, but it's almost running flat out. With only one cab, it was struggling to keep up with the loud guitar. It could, and sounded OK, but it was limiting towards the end of the night. (It's so nice when you get a chance to play with people who treat their backline as mointor only - same with drums if they are micd up. It's nice when someone plays the drums like a gent.)

The GK MB800 fusion, however, is an absolute monster. It seems to have limitless power. I've had it about half way up at a gig, before I realised it was a really weird sounding room and it was EQ and not volume that was need to hear my bass. That was rattling teeth and was uncomfortable to stand next to.

GK sounds great too, you have to dial in a fair bit of EQ to have much of an effect. I quite like the aggressiveness of the GK.

Both great sounding amps. The MB800 is waaaaay louder.

[Kev]

The GK is a loud head, for sure. The only Class D that has beat it for volume for me is the Darkglass head, no experience with the Mesa but it had much more heft than the Markbass, Aggy and Tecamp efforts I had before it.

[machinehead]

If you want volume and thickness the Reidmar 750 is a beast of an amp.

Nice comparison. Thanks.

Frank.

[CameronJ]

Wow. You must be in some seriously loud bands if a Mesa D800+ through TWO Big Babys was struggling!!

[Tim1]

One thing to consider is that the volume control in the Mesa D800+ is far more linear than many other amps I have played. It keeps getting louder all the way up, it is possible that the GK has much more of its power in the first 50%. I have played a few amps which fall into this category and seem incredibly loud at a one third turn of the volume knob, but then have little useable clean volume after that.

[CameronJ]

[quote name='Tim1' timestamp='1510181014' post='3404568']
One thing to consider is that the volume control in the Mesa D800+ is far more linear than many other amps I have played. It keeps getting louder all the way up, it is possible that the GK has much more of its power in the first 50%. I have played a few amps which fall into this category and seem incredibly loud at a one third turn of the volume knob, but then have little useable clean volume after that.
[/quote]

I suspect you may be right on the money with this.

[roman_sub]

To the OP: at matched / equal volume, how would you compare the tones of the Mesa and the GK?

thanks

[gioby1]

I had a GK MB Fusion 500 and it kicks...probably all that power reduces the response a little bit: if you play fast, not all notes come out clear...contrary, for standard playing, it works absolutely great.

If they would add a balance output volume control the GK Fusion would be perfect !

[deepbass5]

I have also owned The GK MB fusion 500 along with a Markbass LMK  as my duty standby amps, Markbass always got the Gig then, but loved the GK for jazz and warmth for low volume gigs,  it was easy to get a very nice sound thick warm tone but for pop function covers found the EQ took too much out in the wrong places, the fixed freq's just didn't hit the spot for me.

 the Subway 800 was better for louder pop covers, had the bite a edge but had fewer features still.

Having sold the GK and the Markbass I was now 100% committed to the Mesa, but missed features on both the others. Then an 800+ came up and it is like a different amp. 

So would now vote for the Mesa 800+ over the others with Mark bass next

 

[Mark_Bass]

I recently swapped to a D800+ from my M9 Carbine and tonally its far more articulate than the M9 Carbine and Big Block750 for that matter.

Power wise im having drive the head at a much higher volume to get to a volume i would ordinarily have played with when using the M9 but so far im happy with it. 

[HazBeen]

On 08/11/2017 at 23:43, Tim1 said:

One thing to consider is that the volume control in the Mesa D800+ is far more linear than many other amps I have played. It keeps getting louder all the way up, it is possible that the GK has much more of its power in the first 50%. I have played a few amps which fall into this category and seem incredibly loud at a one third turn of the volume knob, but then have little useable clean volume after that.

This exactly......

[mcnach]

On 07/11/2017 at 21:04, doc40hz said:

I recently got a D800+ and I've found it is a fantastic sounding amp. Having upper and lower mids with semi-parametric EQ is really handy. I usually engage the bright switch. The deep switch is bit much most of the time, but it can be used to good effect in parts of songs.

I play with several bands. One has a really loud drummer and the other a really loud guitarist. Playing though 2 BBIIs it is enough for keeping up with drummer with no PA support, but it's almost running flat out. With only one cab, it was struggling to keep up with the loud guitar. It could, and sounded OK, but it was limiting towards the end of the night. (It's so nice when you get a chance to play with people who treat their backline as mointor only - same with drums if they are micd up. It's nice when someone plays the drums like a gent.)

The GK MB800 fusion, however, is an absolute monster. It seems to have limitless power. I've had it about half way up at a gig, before I realised it was a really weird sounding room and it was EQ and not volume that was need to hear my bass. That was rattling teeth and was uncomfortable to stand next to.

GK sounds great too, you have to dial in a fair bit of EQ to have much of an effect. I quite like the aggressiveness of the GK.

Both great sounding amps. The MB800 is waaaaay louder.

 

I'm very surprised to hear that... 

I mean, it's possible that the MB800 is louder all other things being equal, I don't know... but I'm surprised it can be that much louder that you'd notice a big difference.

Unlike a lot of amps out there... the Mesa keeps on giving, the volume knob continues to work. You may need to use it at 1 o'clock as opposed to 11 o'clock on another amp... but that means nothing: you can still turn it and get louder while the second amp will probably have nothing left once you reach the 1 o'clock position. The operation of the master volume on the Mesa is a lot more sensible than in many others out there, and clearly designed to be useful, not to impress people in the shop "look, I barely moved the knob and it's so loud, imagine how much louder it'll get when I turn it all the way!"

Another thing is, it depends a lot how you use the adjustable HPF / voicing / bass controls. They have the ability together to make your bass go from Woody Allen to Dwayne Johnson... and everything in between.

I used to use a pair of BB2 in the past too. They're good but they're not magic. If you think you're running flat out with a single one, I think you are simply reaching the limits of what a single BB2 can achieve (and be damn loud too), and you're probably treading dangerous territory where you must be close to damaging the speaker... the Mesa has enough power in store to obliterate a BB2 if the controls are not use carefully.

[Al Krow]

21 minutes ago, mcnach said:

...the Mesa has enough power in store to obliterate a BB2 if the controls are not use carefully.

A single VK210 LNT 4ohms (1200W RMS) on the other hand... 

[mcnach]

8 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

A single VK210 LNT 4ohms (1200W RMS) on the other hand... 

 

Even if a cab is rated thermally for X, there are limits as to how much air a cab is going to move, and people will have the tendency to try to push harder just because they can. Boosting the low end is one way people try to push the limits you find when not having enough speakers. The cab may not get much louder after a certain point even if you put another 100-200W into it... and you keep pushing until...

You're clearly safer with a higher rated cab, but not immune.

 

[doc40hz]

1 hour ago, mcnach said:

 

I'm very surprised to hear that... 

I mean, it's possible that the MB800 is louder all other things being equal, I don't know... but I'm surprised it can be that much louder that you'd notice a big difference.

 Unlike a lot of amps out there... the Mesa keeps on giving, the volume knob continues to work. You may need to use it at 1 o'clock as opposed to 11 o'clock on another amp... but that means nothing: you can still turn it and get louder while the second amp will probably have nothing left once you reach the 1 o'clock position. The operation of the master volume on the Mesa is a lot more sensible than in many others out there, and clearly designed to be useful, not to impress people in the shop "look, I barely moved the knob and it's so loud, imagine how much louder it'll get when I turn it all the way!"

Another thing is, it depends a lot how you use the adjustable HPF / voicing / bass controls. They have the ability together to make your bass go from Woody Allen to Dwayne Johnson... and everything in between.

I used to use a pair of BB2 in the past too. They're good but they're not magic. If you think you're running flat out with a single one, I think you are simply reaching the limits of what a single BB2 can achieve (and be damn loud too), and you're probably treading dangerous territory where you must be close to damaging the speaker... the Mesa has enough power in store to obliterate a BB2 if the controls are not use carefully.

I can only speak from experience. The MB800 appears to be louder. It appears to not hit its limit, which I can hear when I play (I dont use a compressor. I can hear when my amp hits its limit).  I'm aware that the master out knob is different from amp to amp. 

The boogie limit light was coming on a lot with a single cab and a large guitarist - it was running flat out. I don't use stupid amounts of EQ either. It was just running out of juice. I think the "800 watt" RMS rating is more than a little optimistic. The sound from the boogie is great. 

I'm an experienced bassist, and have used a ton of gear. I can only say what I experienced, and that was the MB800 was way louder and also seemed to have power to spare. The Boogie, though sounding great, did not compete. I would say that the bands I was playing the Boogie with were extreme - the guitarist in one is stupidly loud and the drummer in the other is stupidly loud also. I played a funk gig with a tremendous drummer and the Boogie was great; Two cabs, and didnt break a sweat. 

On a side note, I recently acquired a Trace AH350 SMX which is teeth shakingly loud.

Bottom line - I would think think of a D800+ as an 800 watt amp - despite what its advertised as. It is, though, a great sounding amp and would do most people formost situations. 

 

[Al Krow]

@doc40hz just checking the gist of what you're saying (which btw is very interesting) and I suspect there may be a crucial NOT missing from your last but one sentence? ie should read "NOT think" rather than "think think"? 

[mcnach]

1 hour ago, doc40hz said:

I can only speak from experience. The MB800 appears to be louder. It appears to not hit its limit, which I can hear when I play (I dont use a compressor. I can hear when my amp hits its limit).  I'm aware that the master out knob is different from amp to amp. 

The boogie limit light was coming on a lot with a single cab and a large guitarist - it was running flat out. I don't use stupid amounts of EQ either. It was just running out of juice. I think the "800 watt" RMS rating is more than a little optimistic. The sound from the boogie is great. 

I'm an experienced bassist, and have used a ton of gear. I can only say what I experienced, and that was the MB800 was way louder and also seemed to have power to spare. The Boogie, though sounding great, did not compete. I would say that the bands I was playing the Boogie with were extreme - the guitarist in one is stupidly loud and the drummer in the other is stupidly loud also. I played a funk gig with a tremendous drummer and the Boogie was great; Two cabs, and didnt break a sweat. 

On a side note, I recently acquired a Trace AH350 SMX which is teeth shakingly loud.

Bottom line - I would think think of a D800+ as an 800 watt amp - despite what its advertised as. It is, though, a great sounding amp and would do most people formost situations. 

 

 

Having the limit light come on does not seem to indicate what it seems to indicate... if I got it right when reading about it on "the other" forum. There's a gigantic thread about all things Subway and the thing about the limit light comes on often. The designer of the amp is there so he tends to answer those questions. I'm afraid I have not listened well enough to give that answer here

The MB800 was an amp I wanted to try before I got the D800+. I've heard nothing but good things... but I'm very happy with the D800+ plus Two10 cabs. It's certainly done every gig I needed without PA support without pushing it a little bit. But I don't play with Motorhead

Re: loudness... before I had this, I borrowed a D800 for a bit and tested it side by side with a Streamliner 900 and a MarkBass LMIII (rated at 900 and 500W respectively), using up to 4 TKS S112 cabs together (I had a little series/parallel box to allow certain combinations). The Markbass did not seem a lot quieter than the D800... although the D800 seemed "bigger" somehow. I think that whether we see 500, 700 or 900... the differences are not going to be enormous, but the voicing probably has the largest effect.

[dmccombe7]

I've been following the other thread on the other forum too. From what i can gather and i don't have Mesa gear .....YET :- 

The standard clip LED on the input is the same as most other amps but the output has a limit LED that takes the amp into output tube simulation. According to the designer i think he said you ideally want that running at 25% on to get a tube ouput tone. Problem is the amp has to be very loud to get there. Think some guys have answered that issue by doing something with the 2 ohm switch in some way.

[gjones]

I own a GK MB500 which is extremely loud through my barefaced compact. I own a Ashdown ABM 500 and an Ashdown MiBass 550 and the GK is significantly louder than both.

I recently bought a GK MB800 which is significantly louder than the 500 watt version.

GK appear to make very, very loud amps.

[BassManGraham]

The GK MB amps are very loud. An MB500 certainly seems to hold its own against other more powerful rated heads. They seem to have a lot more gain than most of their contemporaries which means too much treble and high mid EQ can produce audible hissing! Not noticeable when playing, but mildly irritatingly at idle or quiet passages in studio. 

The D800+ has wonderful tone and plenty of volume for my needs, but on balance probably not as loud as a GK MB800, or the Markbass Little Marcus 800 either. No front of house engineer ever likes me playing anywhere near that loud on stage anyway!