Gallien-Krueger MB212-II 2x12" 500-watt Bass Combo Amp Reviews

Have had this long enough for 2 gigs and 2 rehearsals in two different bands. (So....lots of musicians have heard it as well)

I love it! The tone is outstanding. I previously used a couple of different rigs for different venues and was happy with the performance of both of those but, dang, I wish I had not waited so long now that I have real life comparison. (Yay! Tax return refunds.)

An added plus is the portability at just 41 lbs. My previous 500 Watt rig was 90+ lbs. That I can get it into my car easily after a multi hour gig is a big dang plus.

I highly recommend.

I Love This Amp!!! Thanks to Brandon Eden and the folks in the bass dept., I now have a bass amp I can take and play anywhere! When I first started playing bass, I was using a Sunn valve head with a dual 15 inch JBL cabinet; each speaker weighted in at 25lbs, not to mention the cabinet! The rig had great sound but you needed a FORKLIFT to get it from gig to gig! With this combo amp, I can carry the amp in one hand and my bass in the other.
The solid state amp, of which G/K is an innovator, comes with enough punch and definition to satisfy even the most die hard of valve skeptics. The dual 12 inch NEO speakers are fast and responsive and give an amazing low end AND the unit comes with a high performance horn that can be toggled off.
My recommendations are: get a nice cover for this amp, as it does not come with one. Additionally, get yourself a 25ft. XLR cable so you can plug into the DI out in either a pre or post position to the house board; I have yet to turn the gain beyond 12 o'clock!
Lastly, in positioning this rig, GET IT UP OFF THE FLOOR! The difference in sound clarity and definition will amaze you!
Thanks again to Brandon Eden and the "Low End Folks"

Absolutely love this new amp. It has all the firepower I need for volume and the great EQ controls that GK is known for. Having the DI XLR accessible in the front is handy for FOH engineers.

Sounds just perfect with my Jazz bass. You're considering 212 for a reason, do it! More umph than I was expecting, plenty of headroom, and I can carry it in with one hand. Contour toggle is great for those tracks where you want to sound more percussive with a big bass boost. I can't speak much for the EQ as I run it mainly flat and tend to keep the Boost and Master in unison with each other but I will say a treble boost sounded unexpectedly nice. I don't use the Horn because it brings a pretty loud buzz. The EQ is versatile enough for me to dial in whatever tone I'm looking for anyway. Go GK!!!

Been using this thing since they were released and have been loving it. Bought a powered 2x12 extension and never even need it.

I just purchased the GK MB212-II and I LOVE it! What a deep, rich tone! Kyle at Sweetwater helped me decide which amp to buy by providing specs not listed on the website. It got here very quickly and I am super pleased with this product! I love the lightweight too.

I"m not the person who buys the gear and offers a review the next day. I purchased this unit approximately 130 days ago and put it through its" paces for the last few months. Nor am I the person who desperately wants to impress you with my expertise as regards tonal functionality and auditory or electronic mastery. Sure, I know a little. But that"s only because, at age 58, I"ve been around the block a few times.

At the risk of being perceived as "that guy", I will say that I've had many rigs over the years... great big Ampeg setups, compact Hartke configurations, a couple of Fender experiments and several combinations of speakers, amps and effects Frankensteined together in hopes of finding "my sound". I"ve also been through 3 GK rigs, this being the third.

About the MB212-II....

First, the unaltered output is as clear as any I"ve heard. "You gets out what you puts in". Further, you"ll fill most rooms.

Second, the somewhat limited EQ and other controls have a reasonably wide range. But then, you"re not paying $2,000. Lay some quality effects on top of it and you"ll get what you want.

Third, and perhaps more important than you would think (at my age).... 41 pounds, dudes. My guitarists are hauling in the 90 lb amps and I"m carrying this thing with two fingers. HA!! I"ll say it again. HA!!

Overall, for the cost, and the expectation I had upfront, I am pleased with this unit and would offer a full positive endorsement. Go forth and jam, my sisters and brothers.

I am pretty fussy and have had more then enough amps and this is a killer amp on loudness and tone. Light and I am playing it on 4 with my volume on my bass set at 6..Loud and clean or whatever you are trying to get..Great investment...

Great Bass Amp that doesn't break your back. Thank you Wayne for speaking with me on the phone and suggesting a Great Bass Amp for my needs.

I am blown away by the versatility of this amp. The tone is very clean even at high volumes and speaking of, this amp can get MUCH louder than you might expect. I play in a three piece band (Guitar, Bass, and Drums). At a recent show we played, both of our amps, the drums, and of course the vocals were fed into the Bar's PA system. After the show the sound-guy came up to me to tell me that had to barely put any bass volume into the PA, and that my amp was almost completely capable of keeping up with EVERYTHING ELSE on its own; he only had supplement the amp's volume enough to reach the far back corner of the room. At another show, when I let a fellow bass-player borrow my amp, immediately after picking it up, he was astonished at how light this amp is considering the power and volume it is capable of. It is definitely the perfect amp for gigging locally; it can get plenty loud on its own, it has a clean tone, it is very light and it fits into the trunk of my mid-size sedan without an issue.

worth every penny. full thick tone, think Ricktor Scale performance. no effects loop, don't need it. I plug an Epiphone Thunderbird straight in and it does all the work with "set-it and forget-it" settings. you will soon be told to turn it down, if you care to listen to such negativity.

I"m a lifetime pro player and gave owned just about every mainstream brand of bass amps and cabs ever created.
Started with the big 8x10 Ampeg stuff back in the day and over the years have gone from the big cabs with 15" and 10" speakers to 12"s.
Sold all my Markbass stuff about 10 years ago and switched to GK exclusively.
My first ever experience with 12 inch speakers was the GK Neo212 ll with the GK MB500 head, WOW !!!
I had no idea 12"s could sound so perfect, as others have said 12"s are the best of both worlds between 10"s and 15"s.
For the last few years I"ve been rockin a Fender Rumble 500 as my only combo, and the Rumble is a really good combo but it"s got that baked in old school tone.
I play 5 string and 4 string bass"s (all my 4 string bass"s are set-up as B E A D) and I live on my low B string, I also love a bright more contemporary tone and that"s GK.
I"m a steady working rock player and have been known to play with some fairly loud bands so I just took delivery of my new MB212 and couldn"t be more happy.
The MB212 is now my main go to rig for ALL my gigs, I might keep the Rumble 500 as an emergency back-up amp as I always have a back-up of all my gear just in case something blows up.
The MB212 can get crazy loud and still retains its great GK tone and punch.
I highly recommend the MB212 over any other combo made, in second place would be the GK MB210 combo.
Cheers
Davyo

The G-K MB212 Is incredibly well suited for home practice, to studio, to back yard BBQ, and way beyond! If you are playing in a stadium, then you may need more, but the great thing is you can chain these "MB" series amps together to get all the sound most of us will ever need. Sound is rich and full at lows, mids, and highs. I play a Gold Tone resonator bass, often with a pick; and was especially looking far an amp that that would produce that heavy, but distinct bass sound of old Johnny Cash and other country and bluegrass tunes.
Thanks so much to Sweetwater for taking the time to answer all my questions, which greatly helped me in choosing this G-K amp. Those dual 12" speakers are just so rich. I couldn"t be happier!

I switched from using an Ampeg BA-210 V2 and the difference is amazing to me. I was apprehensive before using it but the construction quality is top notch and the sounds produced are rich in tone quality as well. The 4 band band EQ is a big plus - started out at 12 o"clock and was amazed at what I heard. The EQ is tight and you can easily dial in the tone to the sound you prefer. This baby growls and has truly helped me get "my sound" This sucker will shake the rafters.

I received my new GK MB212-II on Friday and checked it out for about an hour. It was easy to dial in a great sound and really fun to listen to.
It arrived just in time, as I had a gig on Saturday.
Saturday"s gig went great! I even had a bunch of people compliment me on the bass sound! The GK 212MB-II seems to pair nicely with my PRS Kingfisher.
Saturday"s rehearsal also sounded fantastic! At the gig, we plugged into the PA via the direct out and used the amp for stage volume.
On Sunday, I spent about 7 hours practicing with it, mostly with headphones and the Aux in. I really like that this amp has the option. My wife might like it even more. Lol.
In any case, the amp is a keeper. I am very pleased with it.

After researching Bass amps I settled on the Gallien Krueger MB212 it seemed the best amp for the money and for my needs. Clear clean sound and plenty of low end. This is the amp for me. This is the all in one amp.

Returning to playing after 17 year break, kids grown, time for me. Back in the Stone Age it was back breaking hauling rig to the gigs, practice, etc... Wanted something light enough to move but still have great tone and versatility. The GK MB212 exceeds in every way. Great range of sounds, full fat warm, headroom in excess. Best part is it does it all without breaking the old mans back. Couldn’t be happier with purchase.

500 watts, 2 12" speakers, and a horn. Not to mention just 44 lbs. My band mates describe it as "intense", "amazing", "great time". I couldn't agree more!
If you are looking for a "do-it-all", easy to transport combo, look no further than the MB212mkII.

Short and sweet. I'm new to playing and I've had carvin 15s ampeg 10s a 610 cab and tc electronics head. Thought I had to have big stuff not true. This 212 is nasty and it only weighs like what 46 lbs. oh yeah loves pedal too. Looks nice sounds nice and to my surprise handles my five string and techno soooper nice. Oh yeah Marcus was hella cool even called me twice to make sure I was good with the product. Cant go wrong with it

Great Amp with a lot of power. Tone control and ability to create the "growl" that is distinctive is easy!
Consulting with Matt Fawcett on the right amp really paid off. Everything about this amp is first class!

Seriously impressed by this amp. My first GK. Lightweight (41 lbs?!), powerful (500 Watts?!), stylish.

Very logical, intuitive controls. The boost feature is excellent for adding some snarl.

I use it on the road with a rock band, along with a Ibanez SR 505 and through a SansAmp.

It works wonders, even in large auditoriums. It gets SUPER loud, and never seems to be straining.

The horn is a nice touch, and even makes an acoustic guitar sound alright through it!

I look forward to buying the 500w extension cab some day, to make this rig even more incredible. It's a top-notch amp, in my humble opinion.

Totally impressed. Fills the room inside and out with a full sound. Used it at a outside show with at least 10,000 people and it kicked butt. Thank you.

This rig will handle any venue. I also teamed it with the powered extension cabinet for 1000w. I'll probably never need quite that power, but an old friend once advised me to get the biggest and best that I could afford. I've applied that to most any purchase I've ever made. I've never regretted it. I can haul this amp and my electric upright bass in one of the smallest Toyotas ever made. The amp has a "punch" and a very warm tone. At about 40 pounds there are no issues with weight. With the strength, power, and warm tone, I would call it "THOR'S VELVET HAMMER".

This amp really did blow me away from the very first time I plugged in! It is easily the loudest combo amp I have ever owned. And I have had many since 1969. I needed a light combo amp to take to practice and to handle small gigs. I play 5 string basses and it handled everything below E extremely well and produced clear mids and nice warm highs as well. I used it in practice last night with my band which takes place in a large shop. Everyone could hear me clearly. I couldn't turn it up a lot or I would have been assaulting our ears. This combo is much better than I expected. You won't be disappointed.

When I went to Sweetwater, I took my Stingray 5 with me and tried every amp on display in the bass room. My criteria for choosing an amp were simple. I wanted to be powerful, portable, affordable and have great tone. The GK MB212 II did not disappoint. It was the clear winner an all accounts. Certainly there are more expensive options, and some of them sounded great too, but they fell short in other areas of my search criteria as well (cost/weight). The MB212 is simply thunderous. You don't believe that a combo amp weighing only 40lbs can produce such massive tones. My bandmates couldn't believe it either. We rehearse rather loudly, playing hard rock with two guitarists and a drummer. This amp provided plenty of clear, punchy volume with headroom to spare. Amazing! It's worth noting that this is a new idea in combo amps. The internal 500W power amp is dedicated solely to the speakers within the cab (so you get the full 500 without having to add a cab). Adding a MBP212 extension cab is simple (via a reg mix cable) and doubles the power to 1000W because each extension can has its own internal power supply. A very cool idea! However, I can't see really needing it, because this combo is very loud, and efficient. It's an all around great deal for an American made product. I highly recommend it!

Some months ago I purchased a different bass amp and it took about 2 months before I was able to really put it to work. When I did, I wasn't pleased with the other product. I called my sales engineer Jared Kalish and told him of my situation. The 30 day money back period had already expired but he suggested the MB212-II and told me to send the other amp back to him (free freight). My new amp arrived quickly, the cost of the other amp was put toward the purchase price, and Jared handled everything like clock work as usual. I could tell a difference with the amp right out of the box. It is very light weight, and has performed beautifully in a number of smaller venues. I will try it on a larger venue this weekend but it has done great so far with plenty of head room to spare, its very high quality, and great tonal capability. I have complete confidence that it will work great this weekend. I would recommend this or any other amp in this series to anyone. And, as always, Sweetwater's service was excellent, and Jared's service was excellent. I have made several purchases from Jared / Sweetwater and will continue to do so. Considering the value, selection, and service, there is no reason to go anywhere else.

I've been searching for the right amp for a while. I'm a gigging musician who needs power and portability. I bought this after trying Hartke, Eden, SWR, and Ampeg. I finally found "that sound" i was looking for in this. The bonus is that it is 41lbs!!! I can't believe such a light combo puts out sooo much volume and LOW end. I play a 5 string musicman and this thing handles a low B like no other. My band consist of a LOUD drummer and 2 guitarist and this thing cuts through them with out breaking a sweat. If you're thinking of getting this, do it.

I looked at several bass amps at several locations and decided on the MB212-ll at Sweetwater. The customer service, purchase process and the deliver time was all excellent. Ryan helped me get everything started and finished. He even sent me an e-mail to check that all was good. I recommend the Sweetwater experience for your music equipment needs. They want your business and they work hard to keep it.

Great amp. Have had it on a number of small to medium sized gigs, more than enough power. Tone is GK classic, light and portable. Only criticisms are lack of a mute switch and no place to store the power chord on the chassis, otherwise I'd have given it a 5.

When I started shopping for an amp, I knew I wanted something that wouldn't be outdone in a large venue, but wasn't going to make me take multiple trips to the car to get everything into a gig. When I learned that this 500w monster only weighed 40 lbs, I figured it was worth a shot. I had a great experience with my sales rep from Sweetwater returning a smaller amp that I thought I'd wanted and sending this one out to me. My first impressions were that the tone was amazing. The clarity of the 2 12" speakers, even with my low B string was incredible, and the response is just about perfect. I can carry it with one hand, and my bass in the other and it fits in my tiny hatchback with no problems. I used the XLR out to plug into the PA at my last gig, and it made a great monitor. One of the selling points of the GK vs. some of the competition was the ability to run a powered cabinet off of this one should I need more sound. I had pondered building a stack, but the weight of the cabinet I wanted was more than twice as much as this amp, and it had less power. The best part, after almost a month, my sales engineer called me up to make sure I was happy with the purchase. Sweetwater is top notch. If you're in the market for a good amp, this is your baby. I'd choose this all day over the 2x10 if you can afford it, you're not going to run out of oomph when the volume goes up with the 12's.

I've been playing for about 30 years - I'm a youthful 45yo and I can still lug around the big cabs - but who wants to? As bassists, we often get the D.I. treatment from you FOH engineer. . . and let's be honest: your amp is often just your monitor. BUT, that doesn't mean you don't want your amp to sound good for YOU. This combo sound great and has a ton of headroom. I play in a lot of original projects which play short sets in multi-band lineups. I love getting in and out of the club quick, and with a lightweight combo like this, I'm out the door to my car while my guitarists are still wrapping up their pedalboards.

It packs a wallop. I have a heavy right hand and still haven't hit the limiter light. I played an outdoor show last weekend and I thought that would be my chance to peak it ( the power can really disappear outdoors, right? ). About three songs into the set the singer comes over and says, "can you please come down some, all I can hear is bass". No rattle from such a light cab either. The covering material feels pretty fragile - I opted for the optional cover and recommend you do the same.

I do wish it had a tuner out or effects loop. Also, the horn seems a little harsh to me - I've been running it "off" lately and the tone is much more pleasing to my ear. . . maybe some fresh strings would get rid of the mid-range horn "honk" I was getting. I do love the occasional house 8x10 cab that might be back-lined here and there. . . but for a grab-and-go rig that sounds great, has a small footprint and weighs nothing - this GK can't be beat!

Wow, I currently use the Gallien-Krueger MB212-II - 2x12" 500-watt Bass Combo with my Zoom B1Xon multi effects pedal (3 months). I get complements from the volume and tone of my rig every rehearsal and show. I'm playing in a "drop A" metal band through my 4 string Musicman. At 10:00 if keeps up with a heavy handed drummer and two EVH Tube stacks (4x12 each). I walk in with my 50 lbs combo in one hand, my backpack for effects and cables and my bass case in the other hand in ONE trip! This being my first experience with "GK" I am impressed with it's EQ'ing and TONE. So thus I've lost the desire for a 300 Watt tube what ever! I get that Darkglass BX7 sound (bass unaffected with high Mid and Treble crunch).
I will say as the cool aid wares off, I did have to play with the EQ quite a bit to zero in on "my" sound. A sound that doesn't get wishy washy in the mix. It's metal, you need to be present and focused and PUNCHY. I find that the Low mids on this amp creates some undesirable overtones. But pulling them back a bit allows the bass to take them over by compensating through boosting the bass. Also, I found the amp to be lacking when I put it on a chair or lifting it off the floor, but then realized I was loosing all the girth from the floor, so I do use some foam to tilt it back slightly and that throws the sound superbly! Who needs 8x10's when you got 2x12's?!!! IMHO this competes with "Stacks" I will definitely be purchasing the the self powered Gallien-Krueger 212MBP 2x12" 500-Watt Powered Bass Cabinet for that extra something for large shows and maybe even less volume needing at rehearsals.
Finally, Sweetwater, has bend over backwards rockstar helpful / customer service such as, just making sure I like the product follow up calls post sale etc. P.s. I'm thinking my ultimate fly rig will be the new GK pre-amp/DI and my Zoom pedal or maybe just using the self powered 2/12 and the preamp for an even lighter rig??!!!!!

Blown away with the power this thing produces. If you're a weekend warrior you'll never need anything else! And sooo much easier than hauling cabs around!
My only complaint is when I slide the E string down to the B on the 19th fret it thuds out at lower volumes, that never happened using a 15" cab, but I can live with that. So buy it and rock on \m/

I looked at this amp for a long time before buying, reading reviews and getting opinions. I finally decided to purchase it and I must say it delivered way beyond my expectations. The tone controls on this amp are incredible, giving far more tone control than I expected. Tons of headroom with no problem for the small and mid-size gigs I play. I like the expandability of the chain-out for adding powered cabinets. I would have given it a 5 except it does not have a mute button. I really miss that. But the tone makes it a keeper as my amp of choice. I finally have "that sound"!

I like this combo from the beginning, only concern is if really has 500 watts , however is powerful and easy to carry and my bass sound so good

Just got it yesterday, played through at practice. It is everything they claim it to be!! Great tone, no problem keeping up with Orange guitar amp.

I've been a bass player for 50 years. My first bass amp was an old Silvertone my father purchased from Sears in the mid-60s. I then bought a Fender Bassman that I used for years. I then purchased a huge Peavey 400-watt amp with two 15" speakers in its cabinet, which must've weighed 90 pounds.

As the years went by, I gravitated back to Fender amps. Back in March 2019, I bought a Fender Rumble 800, as it was light and I was interested in its amp and cabinet-modeling capabilities. I used it regularly in gigs since then, but back last fall, it developed a few "hiccups". It would not power on on a few occasions, twice during a gig. I turned it off and back on, and it seemed to work fine, but it did it again during a few practice sessions.

So, not feeling confident about the amp, I decided to look for a new rig. The new amp had to be powerful and portable. I did a lot of research, listened to amps played by other bass players in live settings and decided to purchase a Gallien-Krueger MB212-II. I thought the 12" speakers in the G/K would give me more range and flexibility than the 10" speakers in the Fender.

I've owned the G/K for a few months now, have played several gigs with it and now feel I have enough playing-time with it to render an opinion on it.

First, it's certainly a different tone than the Fender. The Fender is brighter (probably due to the smaller speakers) and the Fender actually sounds louder when the settings on both amps are set to nearly equal levels. The G/K's tone is deeper (probably due to the larger speakers).

Next, while I find the controls on the G/K to be limited, some of the controls are very useful. I use the gain function a lot. The -10dB cut is useless to me, as I don't think the amp is loud enough anyway. Similarly, I don't use the contour button, as it produces a tone that I would never utilize in a song. The four-band EQ does allow for some good tone-shaping, so that's a positive. I've never played loud enough where the limiter switch would be needed, but the ability to turn on and off the amp's horn is a nice feature. It has an aux-in and an earphone input and an XLR output, with a pre-or post-effects button.

I'd prefer the ability to connect a non-powered speaker to it, rather than rely on a G/K powered cab (and due to post-pandemic supply-chain issues, good luck trying to find a powered G/K cab).

The cabinet is reasonably light, though it feels considerably heavier than the Fender cabinet.

I suppose the tone of this amp is something an old Fender player like me will have to get used to (and incidentally, the Fender amp has operated without a hiccup since its glitches a few months back, so now I may use the G/K as the back-up amp). Don't get me wrong: The G/K is a fine device; it's just that its tone doesn't seem as articulate in the higher range as the Fender's.

Ultimately, it's the combination of the bass, any foot-pedals and the amp that produces the tone you're seeking. I'm giving the G/K 3 1/2 stars. It's a nice amp; but to me, its tone is just a bit "meh". In the old days, I would've driven around to various guitar shops and played several before deciding on one. In this pandemic world, that's difficult to do, so I took a chance with an amp that I'll continue to use on occasion, but I can't give it as whole-hearted an endorsement as some other reviewers have.

worked and sounded ok for a practice amp in bedroom but to keep up with a drummer at rehersal it just started barking. then one day the sound coming out of it was an over tone. out of warrenty. so i sold it to some guys running an accordion thru it. he was happy with it. so that was then, years ago. this review is also about the gear from china. just done with them. bought a another china amp last week and it lasted , i am not kidding , 12 bars of smoking gun by robert cray. just completly stopped working. i cant have that going on, so finnally after dragging a extra amp around with me for years it finnally paided off. returning it.

Right out of the box, I felt I was in trouble. The top handle was not recessed. Which made me think that this is one of the older models that had issues. Also someone had repositioned the feet. Now there are 4 holes. I don't play in a band. I do jam and finally had a chance to push it with drums. It barely kept up. I have a nice bass. It is not my bass. I talked to a GK factory rep before I bought this amp. He said all the bad ones were cycled out. I wish to return this amp, but don't know if I can since it has been 30 days. I need to call.

Sounded great.

Had to take into shop multiple times and even sent back to GK. died on me at 2 shows. Basically everything replaced except cabinet at least once.

I play country rock never had up over 1/2 way. Always miced at shows .
Unfortunately not reliable enough for me as a weekend warrior.

I own a MB 212 II and like it, but…

I intended on upgrading with a MBP 212 powered extension cab. I bought into the extendability of them with the MBPs, but the MBPs are no longer available! Even though they still market the MBs as extendable with the MBPs!

Seems like GK should just come clean and say they discontinued the MBPs and that the MB combos are no longer extendable, and just ignore the XLR chain out on the back of your MB combo!

I thought it was time for an upgrade from my 300 watt Peavey combo amp. So i though this GK would be a big upgrade being that it gives out 500w and it has more features compared to my old Peavey amp. I was disappointed when I tried to hit some low end notes that it couldn't handle them it would get distorted and the sound wasn't really pleasant to hear. I would not recommend this amp to anyone just for the reason that it doesn't thump. My Peavey bass amp thumps harder than this GK and its only 300w.

This would be a 5 out of 5, except that the cooling fan keep kicking on and off every few minutes, and it whines like a jet engine.

I am in the process of getting a replacement in hopes that this is a rare isolated case - however I'm worried as I see some comments on line with similar noisy-fan problems on other GK amps.

The tone is amazing when the fan is not making noise - so maybe someone out there would want this, and then would have to take it apart and upgrade the fan(s) to a quieter one. That is not for me, when I buy something new I should not have to immediately repair it.

I'm giving it a 1, as for this price it should be Professional grade. I cannot show up to a paid gig with a (brand new) amp that sounds like it's dying.

So this is useless, if that's just the way it is with a GK product.