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Darkglass 200 watt amps...


Bigwan
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4 hours ago, fretmeister said:

Unless these are significantly cheaper than the 500W versions - what is the point?

 

They all have volume controls.

It doesn't look like it competes with the Trace Elliot and the like for size, and presume its still IEC powered, so I don't see any point unless its silly cheap, which I can't imagine it will be.

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I approve of the 200 500 900 watt choices. 
My little GK MB200 was a favourite home practice amp, it could also handle small and mid sized rooms. I was heartbroken when it stopped working and went looking for a replacement, couldn’t find anything at the time that I liked better.

I did get it repaired. But if these had been around I might well have picked one up.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think Darkglass have well and truly jumped the shark. Whilst most of their products are great, the notable decline in concepts has been evident since Doug stepped away. The ADAM and Photon having functionality that "we'll add later." The Evolution being somewhat half baked as well. Now we get to the pointlessness of a 200W amp in this day and age. The TE Elf to me is a joke as you'd red line it all the way unless you were using an 8x10 which kind of defeats the purpose of having an amp the size of a matchbox. 

 

I'm sure the Darkglass faithfull will lap it up, but they're not going to top the AO ultra. The Photon and ADAM should have been the flagship products, but I feel they may have been rushed which is a massive pity as they could have been game changers rather than leaving users wondering when firmware updates will arrive.

 

Whilst I think they'll do well for many years to come, I imagine that these recent misfires are the start of the company losing it's way and drifting from the values it was founded on. Which to me is a tragedy.

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Yes, I’ve got a little Phil Jones C2 under one practice head and an Ampeg 210AV under another. I have a pair of Bergantino cabs by the patio door for gigs , although for many I only need a single cab. And an ancient GK MB150 combo to drag out for rehearsals. I drag stuff out the door for rehearsals or gigs every week and keep the practice rigs completely separate and self contained. That way I don’t forget cables or tuners , or whatever when I head out.

And I do have a cheap little headphone amp I can plug a tablet into as well.

Edited by msb
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8 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

If 200w isn't enough and you aren't wearing earplugs you will be suffering hearing loss before you're done.

it might be enough in a very small pub gig or jazz venue, but just to get clear low end to fill a room you might be pushing it ( and i know valve amps are typically 100-200w but thats a different thing) and at 469 thats a bit to pricey for a practice amp imo where you still need a cab.

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Clearly, 200W is enough, BUT this is 100W into 8R. In my experience, that is just about enough to accompany a couple of acoustic guitars.  I have used my 100W 8R combo (170W into 4R) with a 12" extension cab in a rehearsal, but it was still not up to that task in a relatively modest 5 piece (Drums, Bass two electric guitars). The drummer is not quiet but does know dynamics, the guitarist use Fender and Roland Combos. Of course with a good PA support it can be done but it islimiting.

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After my father-in-law passed away we began caring for my mother-in-law and I decided that I wasn’t lugging amps back and forth , so I was going to need a practice amp there. At the time my usual practice amp at home was an old and battered GK MB150 , a great little combo.

My first reaction was to get something cheap , so I picked up a used Rumble 15. And it sounded like garbage , so I decided to rethink this. I was spending far more time practicing than gigging so I decided to go for something that would sound nice.

Found a little GK MB200 head for a great price on kijiji and was off to the races. Initially paired it with a cheap Traynor cab , that was replaced with an Ampeg 210 AV , and that was replaced with a Phil Jones C2.  I sold the Traynor cab and moved the Ampeg cab home for practice and semi retired the MB150.

Now the MB200 and the C2 sound lovely! But I managed to score an e500 on kijiji and that’s replaced the MB200 for now. At home I’ve been running the 210AV through a SWR Headlite , the little GK might go back there .

I normally do a couple of gigs per week but easily manage to put in several hours a day on a practice amp. It was well worth the money to get something nice that sounds good. I believe that in order to develop a good touch you need to practice amplified.
And I like listening to good tone.

 

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