Gallien Krueger MBE 212 8ohm failure(smoke)

[KingMacca]

Hello folks -

I've had an MBE 212 for a few months, only rehearsed with it a handful of times. I bought a new GK MB800 head to pair with it I was using the dire ashdown little giant(orange).
Both GK items are fantastic. My entire rig including Yamaha bass is a one trip to the car carry and sounds great for my needs.

However - rehearsing the other night my cab started smoking about 10 minutes in to using it and it literally filled the entire rehearsal room with acrid burning smoke. We stopped playing, I flicked everything off and cleared the smoke, then had a sniff around the cab, the backplate appears to have had some sort of fire! The cab worked fine when I tested it, but that was the end of rehearsal.
Emailed Thomann and I've got to package it up, take it to the post office and they are sending it back to GK to get fixed.

I am gutted. The cab sounds quite boomy at volume, even with the great EQ on the MB800 dialled out most of the mid/bottom. The cab is still very new but as I am so happy with it in every other regard I didn't want to add the padding as others have done in other threads. I think it was a wise decision not to mod it anyway, as it would have burned the building down had the padding material caught fire!

I suspect that there is a poor quality component behind the jack plate that has let go which doesn't inspire me as I've spent almost £1k on Gallien Krueger kit in the past few months :S
The cab is the 8ohm version rated at 600w and I was using my brand new GK MB800 head with it(one cab) for the first time in rehearsal.

gutted. Anyone else had any problems with this cab? I was going to buy the GK 210 to stack with the 212 but Thomann no longer sell it, then this happened and I'm now not sure if I'm going to keep any of my GK kit, even though I love the tone, weight, price, power - everything about the GK kit.

Chris

[Musicman20]

I'd get a refund if you can or swap as I think they have new MB cabs coming out

Hope you get it sorted.

[Lord Sausage]

[quote name='KingMacca' timestamp='1351860129' post='1856256']
Hello folks -

I've had an MBE 212 for a few months, only rehearsed with it a handful of times. I bought a new GK MB800 head to pair with it I was using the dire ashdown little giant(orange).
Both GK items are fantastic. My entire rig including Yamaha bass is a one trip to the car carry and sounds great for my needs.

However - rehearsing the other night my cab started smoking about 10 minutes in to using it and it literally filled the entire rehearsal room with acrid burning smoke. We stopped playing, I flicked everything off and cleared the smoke, then had a sniff around the cab, the backplate appears to have had some sort of fire! The cab worked fine when I tested it, but that was the end of rehearsal.
Emailed Thomann and I've got to package it up, take it to the post office and they are sending it back to GK to get fixed.

I am gutted. The cab sounds quite boomy at volume, even with the great EQ on the MB800 dialled out most of the mid/bottom. The cab is still very new but as I am so happy with it in every other regard I didn't want to add the padding as others have done in other threads. I think it was a wise decision not to mod it anyway, as it would have burned the building down had the padding material caught fire!

I suspect that there is a poor quality component behind the jack plate that has let go which doesn't inspire me as I've spent almost £1k on Gallien Krueger kit in the past few months :S
The cab is the 8ohm version rated at 600w and I was using my brand new GK MB800 head with it(one cab) for the first time in rehearsal.

gutted. Anyone else had any problems with this cab? I was going to buy the GK 210 to stack with the 212 but Thomann no longer sell it, then this happened and I'm now not sure if I'm going to keep any of my GK kit, even though I love the tone, weight, price, power - everything about the GK kit.

Chris
[/quote]
Blimey, that don't fill me with confidence. I got one the other day. Only used it once!

[Mudpup]

Thats a worry
Ive just bought 2 of them from Thomann!
Better add a fire extinguisher to my gig bag.

[ben604]

Mine arrived on Tuesday and I plan to gig it on Saturday! Eek. Luckily I've got a 15 underneath it, so I've got a back up plan, I'm sure it'll be fine and you were just a bit unlucky.

Mine did arrive with some slight tearing on the tolex, the cab had been knocked in transit and the stables on the cardboard had scraped a corner, shame, but Thomann have done the honourable thing and refunded me a small discount. Ace company, I'm sure they'll get it sorted for you with little fuss.

[Taria]

I am just hovering over the checkout page on Thomann myself to buy 2 x 212 MBE cabs. Just though I would do a little search on here first and now I am slightly concerned as to whether to purchase. TBH the main things that attract me are the price (£207 per cab currently)! And also the handling of 600w per cab....however I am not sure I want to buy that cabs that have a propensity to burst into flames!

Anyone else had negative experience with these cabs?

[Mudpup]

[quote name='Taria' timestamp='1351867535' post='1856393']
I am just hovering over the checkout page on Thomann myself to buy 2 x 212 MBE cabs. Just though I would do a little search on here first and now I am slightly concerned as to whether to purchase. TBH the main things that attract me are the price (£207 per cab currently)! And also the handling of 600w per cab....however I am not sure I want to buy that cabs that have a propensity to burst into flames!

Anyone else had negative experience with these cabs?
[/quote]

I have the same pair running thru a GK MB Fusion head and its all good so far.

[Taria]

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1351868091' post='1856403']
I have the same pair running thru a GK MB Fusion head and its all good so far.
[/quote]

Excellent that's good news - I am looking at the GK MB Fusion too as it happens. Thought I would get the cabs first as I have an Ashdown head I can use currently, then when I have some more cash to play with the Fusion is definitely on the list to check out.

[Mudpup]

[quote name='Taria' timestamp='1351871140' post='1856455']


Excellent that's good news - I am looking at the GK MB Fusion too as it happens. Thought I would get the cabs first as I have an Ashdown head I can use currently, then when I have some more cash to play with the Fusion is definitely on the list to check out.
[/quote]

The Fusion head is WAY different from an Ashdown. Make sure you check one out first. In conjunction with the 12's in the cabs its a lot more bitey and less whumpy than the Ashdown. I made the same switch from an ABM500 evo3 as i couldnt get on with the pillowy sound and couldnt dial it out enough for my taste. The GK is more me.

[Guest]

I bought one of the forum this week and it works fine, however,
I just got a second one yesterday to pair it with from Thomann and there's a rather nasty buzz coming from the tweeter area.
It's no different with it switched on or off so It's going back on Monday.
They're decent sounding cabs tho', two should be nice.

[Taria]

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1351874758' post='1856518']


The Fusion head is WAY different from an Ashdown. Make sure you check one out first. In conjunction with the 12's in the cabs its a lot more bitey and less whumpy than the Ashdown. I made the same switch from an ABM500 evo3 as i couldnt get on with the pillowy sound and couldnt dial it out enough for my taste. The GK is more me.
[/quote]

Thanks for the heads up, I actually played through one at a gig a couple of weeks ago and I loved the tone I could get from it, way better than anything I have managed with my ashdown. However I am still open to options. I just need lighter stuff (I currently own a massive 2x15 trace Elliot cab which is impossible for me to move solo). I need to get stuff that I don't have to rely on the boys in my band to help me shift!!

[Mudpup]

[quote name='Taria' timestamp='1351963393' post='1857382']


Thanks for the heads up, I actually played through one at a gig a couple of weeks ago and I loved the tone I could get from it, way better than anything I have managed with my ashdown. However I am still open to options. I just need lighter stuff (I currently own a massive 2x15 trace Elliot cab which is impossible for me to move solo). I need to get stuff that I don't have to rely on the boys in my band to help me shift!!
[/quote]

You're looking in the right direction. The cabs are an easy one handed lift.

[KingMacca]

I took the back plate off and there is a long white component that links the snapon to the jack inputs, the right hand leg of that component has basically melted the board - looks like it has gotten way too hot.
I'm slightly worried now as to why this has happened - I tried the head through an ashdown 515 passive cab I had lying around and basically drove it very hard for a long time, but it doesn't appear to have had any similar problems with overheating etc
So I hope its just the cab being faulty and not the head pushing out too much power.

Anyone know if I can order a replacement back plate for the 212 cab from GK? I can see the fault and I don't fancy shipping the whole unit back to Germany this week when it's just a 3 minute job to replace the whole back plate.

[KingMacca]

For people just buying these units, don't be put off! They are fantastic in every way, I just think I got a problematic one.

[The fasting showman]

[quote name='KingMacca' timestamp='1352104649' post='1858608']
I

Anyone know if I can order a replacement back plate for the 212 cab from GK? I can see the fault and I don't fancy shipping the whole unit back to Germany this week when it's just a 3 minute job to replace the whole back plate.
[/quote]I'd get in contact with Polar Audio, they handle GK over here, they helped me out with a new UK power transformer for an old US voltage 400RB. If they can sort that out then your item, being current should be a doddle.

[KingMacca]

I spoke to them yesterday - their GK guy was on his lunch but it was a good chat and they're looking in to it. He was as confused as I was about how the board can melt though - very strange. Going to ring them back today.

[Taria]

[quote name='KingMacca' timestamp='1352104704' post='1858609']
For people just buying these units, don't be put off! They are fantastic in every way, I just think I got a problematic one.
[/quote]

Thanks for the reassurance!! (these are still on my list of contenders along with some compact ABM cabs being sold 2nd hand on BC...)
Hope your cab gets sorted ok...

[Guest]

Mine's going back to Germany today too.
I'll report back on the replacement.

[KingMacca]

update for anyone watching this thread. I never sent this back in the end. I took the back plate off the cab and noticed that the problem was the massive capacitor on the horn channel when the horn switch was enabled - it basically melted the capacitor leg in to the board (although still works).
So I cut a leg on the horn switch to permanently disable it regardless of the switch position. I've since used the cab 3-4 times for long periods and it's absolutely fine. The horn was too harsh sounding imo anyway so no loss really.

I have mailed GK on all the email addresses I could find to ask about purchasing a replacement board direct but I've gotten no reply in days so have given up. I don't think they have a UK site and I can't find anyway to get in touch with a UK contact for them.

Bit of a mixed bag then - good value but poor quality GK kit. Useless trying to get hold of GK direct (I'm UK based, might be different if you're in the states).
I hope nothing else goes wrong with my other GK kit!

[Musicman20]

GK is great. Lightweight and a good tone, BUTTTT, I do worry about how they manage to make amps and cabs so cheap.

[Evil Undead]

I doubt this is going to help, but I had one of their 212 combos and it started losing volume after one rehearsal. Sent it straight back and I doubt I'd ever buy anything else from GK.

[The fasting showman]

When I got the UK power transformer for my old US 400RB it was after many an email to GK in the US had not been answered. I don't know whether Polar Audio fulfil this role as far as they (GK in the US) are concerned regarding any technical issues with GKs over here.
Anyway, after contacting Polar they managed to sort what I needed, very helpful throughout I found.

[Guest]

I got my replacement 212MBE from Thomann today.
It took a week and a day from sending it back to getting the new one.
A quick test at home this morning and it seems fine. I'm gigging the pair with the H&K Quantum this weekend so we'll see how we go.
Happy Days.

[pikeman]

I pulled the trigger on one of these this morning from Thomann. At just over £200 it seems silly not to. I'm wondering how it will match up with a Barefaced compact to give me a little more ear level monitoring. If it sounds bad together I'll just leave it in our rehearsal room.
Anyone know how long these take to arrive from Thomann?

[RandomBass]

[quote name='pikeman' timestamp='1353496306' post='1875133']
I pulled the trigger on one of these this morning from Thomann. At just over £200 it seems silly not to. I'm wondering how it will match up with a Barefaced compact to give me a little more ear level monitoring. If it sounds bad together I'll just leave it in our rehearsal room.
Anyone know how long these take to arrive from Thomann?
[/quote]

I'd be interested to hear your findings. As for Thomann delivery, stuff I've ordered from them has normally taken about 4 working days to arrive, including a cheapo bass cab just last week lol.

Cheers

Geoff