Gallien-Krueger MB108 1x8" 25-watt Bass Combo Amp Reviews

This is much more than a "practice" amp. Its performance, quality and tonal character put it on a higher level than others of similar specs. The price reflects that though, but you get, in my opinion, a superior product. I feel like I really got what I paid for and if in the future I need something larger, I won't hesitate to get one of its bigger brothers.

This little amp has real GK character and airiness. Think Duff's intro to "You Could be Mine". I use a compressor but this unit can stand on it's own and sound great doing it. Active EQ is very musical and gives your tone multiple personalities. If I ever upgrade, it will be another GK.

This little guy can be a practice amp to a rehearsal and small gigs amp. It has a great tone, easy to use and it have the power to be more than a practice amp.

This little amp sounds amazing. The volume produced is very surprising. The knobs really make a big difference to the sound, so you can dial in just what you want.

Wasn't expecting much, for a low price amp especially for a base and a 12in speaker but boy was I blown away at the value the sound and the quality of workmanship of this amp.

Sounds Fantastic ! If your looking for a practice amp , spend a few more dollars on this GK , its a real amp ! Would also work for small coffee house type gigs ,and great for jams with a few people , tone is great for a small amp .

I bought the MB108 as a practice amp and to use at low volumes while playing along with cds and tapes. All I needed to know about the amp's potential was found on the GK website. The 8" driver has a proportionately large magnet and a 1" voice coil. Coupled with a ported and baffled cabinet, I knew that this amp could be right for me. Twenty-five watts is adequate for acoustic jams with friends and can also mix well with electric guitars. I suspect that it could push enough volume, in a small room, to blend with a modest trap set. The bass response is surprisingly full when using a 4-string bass. Very pleased with this unit and customer service from Sweetwater was excellent, as usual.

Wow ..... WOW very impressed with this amp. Thank you GK.
It is exactly what I wanted/needed for a long time. I have owned many many small combo
amps over the years and none of them did it for me like this has. I have even made my own
cabinets in the past to use for practice and coffee house type gigs.
I wanted a simple one handed grab and go for group practice (trio) and other small events.
I didn't want any extra "crap" added ... no rumblin', contourin' scramblin' etc. I don't
need a DI on a amp for this purpose.
I try to stick with 10 or 12" speakers in a small practice amp but when I found the ones I bought with
those specs , the drivers were junk and the cabs had no damping.
This cab does have a good driver 8", damping, and nicely tuned port.
Great size and weight 15x12x12 17lbs and it can get loud.
Made in the USA.

I just received my Gallien-Krueger MB108 bass amp this afternoon and am very pleased with it, especially the amp's features for the price! This amp produces some great bass tones and its sound is enhanced by its tuned port. The speaker sounds clear and powerful even at lower volumes. I bought it to be a practice amp and it's perfect for that purpose. I often play late at night so the headphone input is a real selling point for me. You could gig with this amp if the venue wasn't very loud. The amp is very light and portable, and its dimensions make it fit in fairly small places easily. All in all, the G-K MB108 bass amp is a real value for the money if you're looking for a great sounding, lightweight, economically priced practice amp with headphone option as well.

My normal rig is a GK 400RB through a 1x12, and I expected a 25-watt 1x8 to sound pretty bad compared to it, just as a Marshall 1x8 doesn't hold a candle to a 1x12 tube amp combo. However, I was surprised at how good this little practice amp sounds. Sitting in the living room by myself, I run the gain at 9:00, and it's loud enough to get a nice sound without having neighbors complain. I've played it using a Stingray and a Ric, and it consistently puts a smile on my face. It could *maybe* do a small gig although I'd be a little concerned about headroom; I'd guess the 1x10 100W MB110 combo would be the better choice for performing. The EQ is active and fairly powerful; I like running the Treble and Mid at 12:00 and the Bass at 10:30. For playing at home alone, I find myself not missing the 400RB and bigger cab and speaker.

For small practice combos, I've had a Marshall MB30 (30W 1x10) and an Ashdown 30W 1x8, and I think this GK is the better amp. With the other two, I was constantly trying to tweak the controls to get a good sound, but with the GK, it's been "set it and forget it".

What surprised me, however, is how good this amp sounds with an electric guitar. For kicks, I plugged in with my PRS, and the sound quality just blows away every solid-state guitar amp I've ever tried, despite it only having an 8" speaker. The cleans almost sound as good as a tube amp. If you want the Vox sound, get Vox; if you want the Marshall sound, get Marshall. However, I'd highly recommend this combo to any guitar player looking for a great sounding solid-state practice amp that's not big or heavy or expensive. Add your favorite overdrive or distortion pedal, along with delay or reverb, and you're all set. Sure, it's $ more than, say, a Marshall MG15, and it doesn't have distortion or reverb, but it's well worth the extra money -- the sound quality is that good.

It even worked nicely to amplify my daughter's Yamaha digital piano and a relative's iPod (for dance music) at a family party.

Another reviewer described this as a "sleeper product." I whole-heartedly agree! This really is the best-kept secret in small practice combos for both bass and guitar.

I just received my new practice amp in the mail. This is a sleeper product--meaning that it is the best kept secret practice tool for the size and money.

After removing it from the GK factory box, I noticed that it was larger than it appears in photos--but still light and easy to carry. I think the extra depth (14.5") made it possible for the little box to sound much deeper and fuller than other similar practice amps. There was an introductory manual and warranty card included in the box.

The amp is covered in a modern looking black Tolex and the cab is made of 1/2" plywood. It feels very sturdy and light. The grill is a subtle black sheen cloth. I could tell quality control was Job One on this amp, it showed in the product as a whole.

There are four controls-- volume, treble, mid, and bass. The controls are active so the tone can have wide variations for your bass. The knobs moved very deliberately and felt high quality. It has a 1/8" input and a 1/8" output if you want to practice with headphones. There is no line out but that's probably not an issue because this amp is designed for small practice use, which is does very well.

At first play, I flat-lined all tone controls on my active bass and the amp (bass controls: center detente is flat, on the amp: all tone controls on 5). It had great tone and there was a surprising bit of thump and presence for a little guy. I actually pushed the amp to about 3:00 volume and it got pretty loud in the living room. I could imagine it could be used in a quiet practice or small church situation, but the MB110 would be better suited.

This amp is a bit more expensive for a small practice amp at $150-- but to my eyes and ears it's well worth the money. I played for three hours tonight-- amazed at how quickly the time flew by while enjoying the full punchy tone.

I'm very happy with my purchase. This amp is highly recommended. This would be easy to take on the road for hotel room band practices.

In order to become a good and accurate bass player, you must be able to hear every possible sound coming out of your bass guitar, including any accidental vibration or imperfection. Also, you must be able to make repetitive musical notes sound all the same. The sound and tone coming out of this amp is simply outstanding, crisp and clear. You can almost hear yourself breathing and this forces you to learn to be more accurate and technically correct. I originally bought a different amp, did not listen to the advice of my Sweetwater representative, who is also a bass player, and ended up selling it a couple of months later. I listened to him the second time around and could not be any happier with this amp. If you are looking for an excellent practice amp, this is the one to get. If I ever need another amp with more wattage, it will be another GK.

I bought this for home use in the living room and bedroom to practice at lower volumes. I didn't expect much but wanted to get away from using headphones all the time. I toyed with the idea of getting one of the larger models MB112 etc. but decided that it would be overkill and not useable (for me) to gig with anyway. This is an exceptionally well constructed little amp, its heavier than it looks and seems very sturdy. It looks nice just sitting in the corner, and is small enough for my wife to not complain. It is more than loud enough for me. I run the gain at 10:00 and it can get a lot louder. I could see this as a great option for acoustic coffee house type gigs. Maybe even supporting a double bass? The EQ is simple and responsive. Nice clean tones from this. I run my BDDI into it as well and it gets even better. Im very happy with this purchase! Thanks Sweetwater!

i bought this with only the intention of using in my bedroom or maybe on small acoustic gigs. so far i've only used it in my bedroom, but i am pretty blown away by the clarity on this amp! i highly recommend it if you want a solid bedroom amp.

This is a great sounding amp, compared to some others I've heard. The price was right, and the customer service was excellent!

I recently joined a band which consisted of 2 acoustic guitar players, I didn't want to have to play my big rig when we were jamming, so loving GK amps, I bought this little beast. She is a beast! I am playing a Squier VM Jaguar Special SS w/ Dimarzio pups, and D'addario Tapes, straight into the amp it sounds fantastic. Took me maybe 2 minutes to dial in a tone that, solo, I fell in love with.
Another 2 minutes of tone dialing with the whole group and I was still extremely happy. This has been one of the best little purchases I've made in a while!

Sounds great for bass. My kid and both like it.
BTW I've it good guitar amp IMO not some much.

I originally picked one of these up as a practice rig for the office. The small footprint is perfect to stow away, even in the coziest of arrangements. For the price and size, this amp has no right to sound as good as it does. Sure, you're not going to get the floor-shaking low end, but it gets close enough without breaking the laws of physics. The headphone amp is relatively good quality, which makes this amp perfect for the occasional 2am jam.

I like this little combo so much, I have recently ordered another so I can have one at home and at work.

Good amp if you just want a great sounding practice amp. Very lightweight.

It's a nice solid, lightweight bass speaker. Great tone, handles everything you throw at it with ease. But, it's a little underpowered.

It's good, not great for the price. If you don't mind hauling around twice the weight, I would suggest a Peavey 110 for $200. Lots more power, but it weighs a ton.

If you get tired of hauling practice equipment around, this is a good choice.

My main two amps are GK's. I bought the MB108 in the hopes that the deeper cab and and 25 watts would be sufficient for living room practice. Initially, I was very happy with the combo. Simple Volume, high, mid, mid-low, and low. Nice tone. The amp is built well and it exudes quality. I always enjoyed the monolith black look in my corner of the living room. very modern looking.

Second year in, I noticed that the speaker started farting out even at lower volumes. Mind you, this amp has never been turned past 12:00. Just sits by my chair. I called SW and asked how to get in touch with GK to buy a replacement speaker. Next day I got a call from my sales rep, Dave Hoffman, and he offered to have it repaired! Super service, Dave and SW. Upon receiving it back, the amp sounded like its old growly toneful self. About three months later, guess what-- that very low level distortion is back in the speaker and clipping off the sustain of the bass. Given that I'm going into the second year of owning this product, I can't complain. But I guess I can because I have a Peavey combo from 1986 and it still works and the speaker is fine. I need to mention that I have confidence in GK as I've owned their products for years.

I'm at the point where I'm going to buy an Eminence 8" bass speaker or donate the amp to the Salvation Army and buy something else... I'm torn-- not sure what to do but I know my next amp will come from Sweetwater. The staff are super and Dave has called me twice asking if I had any questions. Thanks Sweetwater for the great service after sales.

The power amp inside these units burn up pretty fast. they are very low quality components. Ive had this model and the 12inch both fail. the 12inch burned up twice. the power amp will set you back a few hundred too. Dont waste your time