Hi Folks,
I want to pick your collective brains again. I have now saved my cash and I'm in the position to spend approx $500 on a new amp. I've been looking at many combo's to replace my current GK Backline 112, but I'd really like to get a separate head and cabinet. This is a little tricky on my budget, however. Used gear is an obvious possibility, but I have a crazy job and two little kids, so no time to tinker with the soldering iron when things aren't quite right - my gear just needs to work (or get fixed under warranty).
For the new stuff, I've seen the following budget-priced heads:
Acoustic B200H ($250)
GK MB 200 ($250)
Hartke HA2500 ($250)
The Hartke looks old-school, but gets OK reviews. There are many good reviews for the B200 and the GK MB's older brothers (the 500 and the fusion), but I'm curious if the MB 200 is a significant step up from the old Backline combo's, or not.
For cabs, it seems to be a lot trickier. I've seen the GK 210 MBX (2x10") for $249 (along with a 1x15" for the same price). I'm also looking for it to be reasonably portable, so the heavyweight Acoustic cab (1x15) that comes with the B200H stack package is a little chunky. I do like the Acoustic 260 mini stack that Matt has - I've asked him for an update, so who knows, it may be the easy answer. I'm still learning, so I'm looking for something that will work at home and at a practice. I do not think I will need a giging rig for a while
If you fine folks have any opinions, I'd love to hear 'em. Also, if you can recommend any used gear that is either built like a tank, or is easy to get parts for/easy for a local shop to service, that would be cool.
Thanks folks!