2x10 Combo Wars: Ampeg vs GK vs Fender

Rickter

Rickter

Nov 30, 2006
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Nashville, TN
#1
At the suggestion of a friend and fellow bassist, as well as a need for a modular approach, I am considering 2x10 combos which can push an additional 8ohm cabinet. The three contenders are the Ampeg BA210, the GK MB210 and the Fender Rumble 500 210.

I mainly play rock and metal, but I would like to keep some versatility of tone. My main bass is a Precision five string. Have always been told that it's hard to go wrong with an Ampeg. I didn't really dig the PF series, but the BA210 to my ears gets really close to that classic SVT tone. I've been a GK fan for a long time. Have always liked their tone and the "immediacy" of attack in their sound. The Fender stuff is loved by many, but I still haven't been able to get a tone that I'm happy with from them when demo'ing them. That may just be a time/exposure thing.

As mentioned I plan to use an additional cab for bigger venues when needed. I have a 2x12 currently, but plan to get rid of it and go to a 4x10.

So in the community's experience, what are the positives/negatives of the 3 combos listed? The feature sets are fairly similar, but they vary greatly in their overall tones. I'm sure that there are plenty here that have owned the amps in question. Some may have owned more than one or all of the above. What were your long term impressions of the amps? What were the pros/cons? What was the reliability like? Did you experience any particular downsides to any of the combos?
 
#4
Rickter said:
Well I have considered head and cab combinations, but right now a combo + cab approach seems like it will work best for my purposes at this time.
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Nothing wrong with that. I love combos. They're convenient, usually not too expensive, and while you might take a little hit on sound quality, it's often not too much of one. Unfortunately, I can't help you because while I've played through the GK and Fender, I haven't got to try the BA210 v2, as the local stores never have them when I'm there. The GK and Fender are decent but I had a hard time getting sounds I like out of them...felt like the low and high end were overhyped and the mids weren't hyped enough. Some of that you can fix with EQ but I had a bit of difficulty doing it.
 
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#5
I'm dead in the middle of making this transition myself.

I currently play in a rock band that gigs pretty much every week and/or weekend. Sometimes two or three times a week.

For a few years, I played a GK MB115 combo as my main rig. Played through a friends 2x10 GK combo at an open mic and loved it. Clear, punchy and commanding.

Looked at the same suspects you listed and went with the BA210v2. Don't regret it for a second. Love the amp, just SLIGHTLY on the heavy side compared to the GK but, manageable. The GK became my backup rig and I've been gigging with the Ampeg for a year now.

Recently, I came across a used Acoustic BN210 Neo cabinet at such a good price, I couldn't pass it up. Connected it to the BA210. Sounds great and unleashes the full 450 watts.

The 2x10 extension cab gives the Ampeg a whole lot more flexibility so I started thinking, why the need for two combos?

So, I sold the GK with the intention of replacing it with an Ampeg PF350 head. Lo and behold, when I walked into Guitar Center to order it, I saw the Acoustic B300HD head on sale. Great price so, I ordered one. I didn't want the floor model so I'll have to wait a week but that's OK because, the $100 that I saved was used to order an Acoustic BN112 Neo cab that seems to get a lot of love around here. Should make for a nice, flexible, little mini-stack

All in all, in my case, I'm VERY happy with my Ampeg BA210 and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anybody.

Hope this helps!
 
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#6
Yeah, at this point the BA210 is in the lead with the MB210 only slightly behind.

The BA210, while not an SVT, gets close enough to be usable for me and weighs much less. A friend is using one of these to gig regularly with a 410 extension when the situation demands it and he has nothing but love and positive things to say about it.

The MB210, unfortunately I have not been able to play in person and am having to go on faith. I've played and demo'd lots of GK of the years and I really liked the MB212 combo, but but it does not have the extension out capacity that the 210 does. My only reservation with the MB is that obviously the MB combos seem to sound a little different than the MB head and CX cabinet combination. The difference feels like it is a difference in the power section. The combos just dont seem to have the "authority" that the MB heads, and certainly not the RB heads, seem to have.

I really want to like the fender, but just haven't found enough usability in it. It can get close to the sounds I hear in my head, but it always seems to come up just shy of where I am trying to go. Fender has never done me wrong, but I'm just a bit hesitant on this one.
 
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#8
I've recently purchased the MB210 II, and really like it, and I also play a Fender P5. I have several other amps/speaker cabs to choose from, but I almost always have PA support, and everyone uses IEM's. Basically, I just wanted something compact that is light and fits in the cab of my truck. The only thing i could complain about is that the highs are a bit difficult to tame. I usually keep the tweeter off, and the highs set at about 9:00. When I need to get the big guns out, I'll bring my Mesa Subway rig.
 
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#9
I don't care for the recent Ampeg combos. IMHO they don't sound right. The new Fender Rumbles sound good but are on the fragile side. The push button switches they use belong in toys.

My vote goes for GK. I've been using their MB210 since late 2009 without issue and a little later on I picked up a matching 210MBE cab. It's light, punchy, loud and reliable. 350w 2x10 and 500w in 4x10 configuration. Great tone on its own but augmentation with a pedal solves any SVT sound desires.
 
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#10
invalidprotocol said:
I don't care for the recent Ampeg combos. IMHO they don't sound right. The new Fender Rumbles sound good but are on the fragile side. The push button switches they use belong in toys.

My vote goes for GK. I've been using their MB210 since late 2009 without issue and a little later on I picked up a matching 210MBE cab. It's light, punchy, loud and reliable. 350w 2x10 and 500w in 4x10 configuration. Great tone on its own but augmentation with a pedal solves any SVT sound desires.
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I was wondering how can I put pedals in a mb210 because I didn't see any input or output for that
Sorry if it's a stupid question, I am kinda new in the bass combo world
 
#11
Memoooo said:
I was wondering how can I put pedals in a mb210 because I didn't see any input or output for that
Sorry if it's a stupid question, I am kinda new in the bass combo world
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Just go bass > pedals > bass input jack. Effects loops to me are useless for pedals except on very rare occasions.
 
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#12
I tried all 3 and went with the Ampeg. I do have a Fender Rumble 150 v2 which IMO blows away the current Rumble v3 versions. That said, the Ampeg for me is just a better all around amp. It is used for smaller gigs. When I’ve added an Ampeg PF15LF cabinet it sounds absolutely huge! All 3 are good quality amps, so go with what your ears tell you.
 
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