New GK Fusion S heads

[scrumpymike]

38 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

'It...has balls, edge and power...'

Who could ask for anything more? 👍

[dave_bass5]

5 minutes ago, scrumpymike said:

Who could ask for anything more? 👍

Lower price maybe 😂

[Al Krow]

Also:

• Standby switch that works through the headphone send
• Programmable drive
• And above all...metal knobs that don't feel "wiggly" 😁

Awww blow that - actually you're right, a lower price would cover it just fine! 

Edited January 28, 2020 by Al Krow

[scrumpymike]

6 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

• And above all...metal knobs that don't feel "wiggly" 😁

 If they are anything like the plastic knobs on my MB Fusion 800 you can add 'slack' to 'wiggly'.  When you turn them there's no resistance whatsoever to the point of feeling disconnected.  These controls belong on something cheap and nasty - GK stuff certainly ain't cheap and is otherwise not nasty.

[dave_bass5]

52 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Also:

• Standby switch that works through the headphone send
• Programmable drive
• And above all...metal knobs that don't feel "wiggly" 😁

Awww blow that - actually you're right, a lower price would cover it just fine! 

Not sure how a programmable drive would work on a head like this. Most heads with a second gain structure also use the main EQ settings. Its nice that GK have added the Edge knob, so you do have some control over the drive section, unlike the MB series. you still have programmable drive amount, output and a bit of extra tone shaping. I prefer it this was as i woudl get my tone, only with a boost and a bit more dirt.

The MB series has the wobbly knobs as well. Not been a real world issue as far as i can see, but i get that they do feel a bit cheaper than the more solid single  use knobs.

Edited January 28, 2020 by dave_bass5

[karlfer]

I had an MB 800 for a little while. 

A light little fellow that needed holding down on top of cabs, not a biggie.

What drove me nuts was the closeness of the rotaries. My short fat hairy fingers struggled with such narrow gaps between them. Quick little tweaks could end up doing anything 😚

[dave_bass5]

13 minutes ago, karlfer said:

I had an MB 800 for a little while. 

A light little fellow that needed holding down on top of cabs, not a biggie.

What drove me nuts was the closeness of the rotaries. My short fat hairy fingers struggled with such narrow gaps between them. Quick little tweaks could end up doing anything 😚

Just as well i have thin piano player fingers. Cant say ive ever found the knobs to be problematic, but those heads are very small and cramped so i can understand the comments. 

[scrumpymike]

18 minutes ago, karlfer said:

What drove me nuts was the closeness of the rotaries. My short fat hairy fingers struggled with such narrow gaps between them. Quick little tweaks could end up doing anything 😚

Obviously can't judge scale from the pic's but the row of knobs on the Fusion S looks pretty tightly packed in - especially if they're like my MB Fusion 800, which turn if you sneeze in their general direction.

[dave_bass5]

Already one report of this amp dying after very little use. I know its not unique to GK, but even so.....

[deepbass5]

I didn't know these had been launched so thanks for your comments

The MB Fusion 500 was a great amp, I got one to back up my Markbass, but used it for jazz all the time, I installed some NOS british valves and loved the warmth, agree with the cramped knobs and the light amp issue working its way of the cab.  Wish i had kept it, when i went to two single 12 cabs at 4 ohms i used both the mark bass and MB fusion stacked ( same footprint)  and ran a line out to the fusion to run the second cab. But in my eagerness to get a 2 ohm capable amp went to SWR SM500 and now a Mesa D800 +

As I have given up the louder functions outfit and use one cab most of the time, I really fancy a three valve GK again.

[Al Krow]

I'd love to AB the new Fusion S head (£1,139 Kytary) against a Bugera Veyron 1001T (£197 on at Amazon today)

Both have valve preamps / hybrid set ups.

Just wondering what extra the Fusion S is going to be delivering - would I effectively be paying an extra £440 for a not too shabby drive unit and £500 for a GK badge?

[dave_bass5]

20 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

I'd love to AB the new Fusion S head (£1,139 Kytary) against a Bugera Veyron 1001T (£197 on at Amazon today)

Both have valve preamps / hybrid set ups.

Just wondering what extra the Fusion S is going to be delivering - would I effectively be paying an extra £440 for a not too shabby drive unit and £500 for a GK badge?

Dont forget the GK heads have a signature tone, so you cant just go by specs.

[foxyFuze]

That demo video is a cracker, looks like a superb amp and the GK EQ is so versatile. 900 quid though, that is steep.

[dave_bass5]

13 minutes ago, foxyFuze said:

That demo video is a cracker, looks like a superb amp and the GK EQ is so versatile. 900 quid though, that is steep.

Where did you see that price? 

[foxyFuze]

https://kytary.co.uk/gallien-krueger-fusion-s-500/HN191605/

£909 for the 500W version.

[dave_bass5]

3 minutes ago, foxyFuze said:

https://kytary.co.uk/gallien-krueger-fusion-s-500/HN191605/

£909 for the 500W version.

Bloody hell. I’m still struggling with getting a good Legacy800. Thats only £50 more and i dont need 800watts. 

Cheers for that. 

[dave_bass5]

On second thoughts, i’d steer clear of that website.  Call me paranoid but none of the big online stores seem to have it yet, so I’d question how they do. They have a bad rating on Trustpilot. 

Ah, not based in the  UK, or stock not in the UK. 3 days delivery. 

Edited February 6, 2020 by dave_bass5

[deepbass5]

mmmmm

well drop me a PM when you guys are ready to pass on your old MB fusion 500

[Al Krow]

@Skinnyman - just seen your NAD post, congrats on the new purchase! I think you're first out the blocks with one of these. If you could post your thoughts on what you're liking about it and how it compares to your previous heads, when you've had a chance to spend a bit of time with it, that would be much appreciated!

[Skinnyman]

22 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

@Skinnyman - just seen your NAD post, congrats on the new purchase! I think you're first out the blocks with one of these. If you could post your thoughts on what you're liking about it and how it compares to your previous heads, when you've had a chance to spend a bit of time with it, that would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

I’ve spent a happy afternoon playing with this and I’m very impressed. I’ll have a better impression when I’ve gigged it but that may not be for a while if we end up having to cancel gigs because of, well, y’know.....

First impressions can be summed up in two words; depth and clarity. I had a GK MB800 briefly (used model returned because of a faulty fan) but I was impressed then with the sound it made and have hankered for another ever since. 

I toyed with the idea of the Legacy 500 but decided to go with the Fusion as it’s basically the same amp but with slightly more flexibility and, of course, the tubes in the preamp. 

Build quality seems good. All the knobs have a push/pull function as well as normal range of adjustment and I can’t feel any ‘wobble’ or insecurity in them. They’re nicely weighted - maybe not quite in the same milled-from-billet feeling that you get from a Genzler or Mesa but they’re certainly on a par - if a little easier to adjust - with my Tone Hammer. 

A big appeal for me was the flexibility to run a number of cabinets down to 2ohm. I mainly use a single BF One10 as a stage monitor and DI through the PA system but I wanted the option of adding another One10 or even a Two10 if I needed to go standalone. 

Soundwise? As I say, depth and clarity. It’s very similar to the MB I had briefly so I guess that’s the GK ‘sound’ everyone talks about. Paired with a One10 which has no tweeter and is very “vintage sounding” it seems like a brilliant match. With all controls at twelve o’clock the natural brightness of the GK is tempered by the natural depth of the One10 and makes for that ‘just right’ tone. I find my Aggie a little “muddy” with the One10 and even my Genzler 800 is a little boomy through it - nothing that can’t be EQ’d and it’s probably my ears as much as anything - but by comparison the Fusion sounds clear, deep and authoritative (not using the H word!) on standard settings. 

The overdrive channel is nice - it can go to silly levels just like the Tone Hammer but it seems that I can wind it back to give a nice subtle boost with just a bit of added thickness. Looking forward to playing with that some more  

I’ll get a better idea when I’ve rehearsed and gigged with it but so far I’m really pleased. 

😁

[dave_bass5]

I’d love one of these. I had the Legacy 800 for a while and really liked it, but found it was more or less duplicating my MB800 so returned it (3 actually). It a shame the 500Watt models would only give me 300watts in to my one 4ohm cab. If it was a full 500watt I’d re think about getting one of these or the Legacy again. 

[Skinnyman]

PS Forgot to say - haven’t heard a peep from the fans yet. 

[Osiris]

23 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

PS Forgot to say - haven’t heard a peep from the fans yet. 

Much like one of your gigs then.

[Skinnyman]

7 minutes ago, Osiris said:

Much like one of your gigs then.

Ooh, harsh. 
 

 

 

True, sadly - but still harsh. 
(*sniff* fort you was my friend an’ then you come out wiv somefink hurtful like that.....*sniff*)

Edited March 11, 2020 by Skinnyman

[nige1968]

17 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

It a shame the 500Watt models would only give me 300watts in to my one 4ohm cab. If it was a full 500watt I’d re think about getting one of these or the Legacy again. 

Thought they were the full 500w into 4 ohm?