maintained its dignity while pushing the
envelope at the same time.
But the real secret of the MB800 is
its contour control. This effective feature
decreases mids while boosting high and
low frequencies. It’s a great one-knob
tone-shaper that can take you from thin to
beefy in one turn. The beauty of the contour is that it enables you to, say, smooth
out a bass that’s throaty and midrange
heavy. And when pushed to 2 or 3 o’clock,
it scoops out all the mids in a way that
will make any funketeer rejoice.
roar, you will be amazed. The MB800 packs
the punch of Tyson, the power of a Mack,
and the grit of an asphalt sandwich. So if your
back is tired of carting around a huge amp
head, your search for a lighter alternative may
have ended here.
RATINGS
Gallien-Krueger
MB800
$699 street
gallien-krueger.com
solid—great for slap and fingerstyle playing
alike. Switching to gain B mode (by hitting
the footswitch or pressing the front-panel
knob), yielded higher input gain, which
really brought out the G-K mojo. When
I dug in, the signal would break up just
enough to get gritty and mean, but without fully distorting. This controlled chaos
was, for lack of a better word, perfect—
especially with the StingRays. And the tone
The Verdict
I’ve used G-K amps in backline situations
over many years, and frankly, it wasn’t until
now that I was truly impressed. The MB800
has raised the bar in micro-amp technology,
and has pushed itself into a new classification.
With its impressive features and extremely
compact package, this amp has few equals. If
you read the specs on this amp before you lay
eyes on it, you will be impressed. When you
see its small footprint and hear this monster
Tones
Versatility
Build
Value
Pros
excellent portability, power, and tone.
Cons
no tube warmth.
The next legend is here. Brought to you by amp guru Steve Grindrod.
www.albionus.com | www.albionamps.com
Toll-free US 877-370-7133 info@albionus.com
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