Sumbabba Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 (edited) Right this is a slightly complicated one! I've recently been offered a swap for my 6 year old Tech 21 Landmark 120 for a GK MB150E + carry bag which was bought in 1998 but has been regularly serviced and apparently looks and sounds "brand new". Obviously I need to even up the balance and the guy wants £300. My main gig is with a gypsy jazz trio with two guitarists going through AER acoustic combos and so a small, lightweight amp like this one would be ideal. However! I had a look on Harmony Central and the GK got really bad reviews and it's reliability score was 5.9 with several posts talking about cheap components destroying the amp. Has anyone had any experience/trouble with these? Edited June 19, 2010 by Sumbabba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 I've had two over the past 12 years or so. Great little amps, although not the best sounding amp ever made. I sold one when I moved onto EA stuff, but I got another a few years later because they are just so light/easy to use for smaller gigs and rehersals. I've never had any problems..and I've not been particularly kind to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 One suggestion - don't use the carry-bag on your shoulder, its too heavy. Just get a simple "slip-on" cover from roqsolid and use the amp's handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 i had one for a few years - and had a few problems... the one i remember best was that the after about 6 months of use the headphone socket twisted somehow and made a connection which cut out the main speaker - a small but critical fault! I also recall a problem with one of the pots... had it for about 5 years before trying a pjb briefcase and part-exchanging it on the spot! just no comparison for sound... though to be fair i do have a problem with the mains connector on the pjb - there's always something isn't there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumbabba Posted June 21, 2010 Author Share Posted June 21, 2010 [quote name='daflewis' post='873138' date='Jun 20 2010, 11:33 PM']i had one for a few years - and had a few problems... the one i remember best was that the after about 6 months of use the headphone socket twisted somehow and made a connection which cut out the main speaker - a small but critical fault! I also recall a problem with one of the pots... had it for about 5 years before trying a pjb briefcase and part-exchanging it on the spot! just no comparison for sound... though to be fair i do have a problem with the mains connector on the pjb - there's always something isn't there![/quote] Ha ha, yep! I heard that the PJBs sound great but they're not very powerful, is that true? Even though I'm playing mainly in an acoustic environment, I'm not sure they would cut the mustard. Especially when these gypsy jazzers start cranking up their AERs and pounding their guitars I've had a bit of rethink and I like the sound of those new fangled Ibanez Prometheans (despite the fact that buying an Ibanez amp goes against every natural instinct I have). Gonna try one out first with my SLB to see what it sounds like but I like the modular aspect to them. For small gigs I can just take the combo or for bigger gigs with a full band I can add an extension cab or even put the head through a larger lightweight cab. The possibilities are endless! Anyway thanks for the feedback guys, I'll let you know what the Promethean sounds like... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 I must admit that the one I had blew something fairly major within only 2 weeks of owning it! Can't remember exactly what it was - just turned it on one day & it went 'bang'. The Bass Centre in Wapping repaired it under warrenty & it was fine for the next year or so before I sold it and, as far as I know, the subsequent owner used it for some time without any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorick Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Owned an MB150E for about four years or so, and gigged it pretty regularly. Never had any probs with it. The only niggle is the fact they get hot as they don't have a fan, and use the fins on top as a heatsink. Also, you need an extension cab to get full whack out of the amp section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nig Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 [quote name='yorick' post='873503' date='Jun 21 2010, 02:31 PM']Owned an MB150E for about four years or so, and gigged it pretty regularly. Never had any probs with it. The only niggle is the fact they get hot as they don't have a fan, and use the fins on top as a heatsink. Also, you need an extension cab to get full whack out of the amp section.[/quote] +1, I have an old one, it had a rattle in the amp for years, took it apart and a big blob of soldier fell out ! However with an ext cab its the nuts and has been indestructible, so much so I now have a mk3 as well, and two gk ext cabs, the sexiest little 4 x 12 in town ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumbabba Posted June 22, 2010 Author Share Posted June 22, 2010 Just put down a deposit on a Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0. That was unexpected! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewart Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 It's my practice amp - it gets turned on and off several times a day - Never had a problem yet (for about 4 years) I've gigged it a few times just to get it warm To me the fact that it isn't massively powerful, and doesn't need fan cooling makes it ideal for the job. Nice EQ too, and though the power stage is a little noisy it's almost silent from the DI out. Expensive though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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