PSA: New Harley Benton GPA-100

gearaddict

Any more experience with these power amps? I was thinking of getting one and then I read the negative comments on here so I'm not sure now. 

JohnCordy

Need to do a review on mine, but I did a couple gigs with one at the weekend.
If you're also going to FOH it'll do a good job.

If you're just using it traditional guitar amp style, with nothing out of front of house, it might be tricky to keep up with a loud drummer?

gearaddict

Yeah, I have a EHX Magnum 44 which is plenty loud and sounds good but any given patch sounds very different compared to the IR version via headphones or PA. I liked that the GPA had a 3 band eq so I thought it could maybe be tweaked to sound more similar. At the moment I have to have 2 different versions of each patch. Well, I don't have  to but I like them to sound similar. Also, I live in perpetual fear of the Magnum going *bang*! having owned a fair bit of EHX gear in the past...I know they are designed to live on a knife edge between existence and destruction and 1mA either way could be the end! 

digitalscream

JohnCordy said:

Need to do a review on mine, but I did a couple gigs with one at the weekend.
If you're also going to FOH it'll do a good job.

If you're just using it traditional guitar amp style, with nothing out of front of house, it might be tricky to keep up with a loud drummer?

I found it great in terms of volume - easily enough to keep up with an energetic drummer. The problem, really, was the sound.

Now that I've got a Powerstage 170 again, the difference is very very obvious.

Daiganzen

I have been using mine to rehearse through an FRFR.
I like it its small enough to fin in my guitar case. and sounds ok to me. And yes loud enough to keep up with a loud drummer. (Full size rock KIT)

gearaddict

digitalscream said:

JohnCordy said:

Need to do a review on mine, but I did a couple gigs with one at the weekend.
If you're also going to FOH it'll do a good job.

If you're just using it traditional guitar amp style, with nothing out of front of house, it might be tricky to keep up with a loud drummer?

I found it great in terms of volume - easily enough to keep up with an energetic drummer. The problem, really, was the sound.

Now that I've got a Powerstage 170 again, the difference is very very obvious.

I watched the That Pedal Show review of stompbox power amps and their comments about the SD Powerstage made me think...they were saying that one reason the powerstage is in a different league is that it's kind of more like a clean amp with pre and power amp sections. So it reacts more like an amp. So I thought of trying to plug my Headrush straight into the clean channel of my Orange TH-30. I literally never use that channel because it is crystal clean up to eyeball-bursting levels and I never play clean. Also, it's incredibly loud. So - the Headrush sounds great though it! And it gives me some eq control too! 

gearaddict

Although…this has made me realise that the headrush seems to drastically affect the tone of the guitar. A lot of this is output. Which is a lot lower. It may be that unity on the master volume on the headrush is 100% or something. I seem to remember something similar on the Helix…I had to have the big volume knob a lot higher than I expected to get ‘normal’ tones through the amp in 4CM. 

PolarityMan

digitalscream said:

JohnCordy said:

Need to do a review on mine, but I did a couple gigs with one at the weekend.
If you're also going to FOH it'll do a good job.

If you're just using it traditional guitar amp style, with nothing out of front of house, it might be tricky to keep up with a loud drummer?

I found it great in terms of volume - easily enough to keep up with an energetic drummer. The problem, really, was the sound.

Now that I've got a Powerstage 170 again, the difference is very very obvious.

I found it fine volume wise too ran it at about 7 and was fine. Sound wise it was also ok, much better than taking a feed from the helix straight into the PA and only using IEMs. I did find it a bit more compressed and less responsive than a real amp but not sure how much if that is the helix preamps and how much the power amp. Personally I would t use it as a main but given it fits under my board it makes a great backup.

paulphoenix

So a year on from starting this thread I still do not own a GPA-100! 

I pre-ordered one last year when they were announced. My item was eventually despatched from Germany after a 6 week wait, but was then mysteriously returned to Thomann by DHL on Christmas eve. Fed up - I asked for my money back.

Back in the present - I'm rehearsing with a new band using my Stomp through the return of an old SS amp the size of HMS Belfast. I want/need a compact rig. So I've ordered a BAM200 and a GPA-100. The GPA is in stock (yay!) but the BAM is on 8 week back order - so I'll have to wait. Again! 

When it does eventually arrive my plan is to use the GPA mainly as a back up solution, but if it's good enough then I don't see any reason why I wouldn't use it as my main racket-making device.

Hey, if it's good enough that John Cordy would gig with it, then I'm sure my tinnitus-ridden cloth ears will find it more than adequate. 

Beexter

I've mentioned it earlier in the thread but just remember the GPA100 needs a line level input. If you feed it an instrument level signal,  you'll struggle with volume.
The Seymour Duncan will take both so you could plug your guitar straight into it if needed and still get a decent volume. 

PolarityMan

Beexter said:

 you could plug your guitar straight into it if needed and still get a decent volume. 

yeah but it would sound all clean and wimpy and each note will only happen once. 

paulphoenix

NGPA-100 

I finally received my GPA-100, and so far I'm really happy with it.

It's plenty loud enough through my 4ohm 1x12 cab. I haven't been able to wind it right up yet - but I have a full band rehearsal next week. 

And just for good measure/back up I ordered a (TGP special) BAM200 from TC Electronics. 

This lot + HX Stomp = compact modelling rig. 

digitalscream

paulphoenix said:

And just for good measure/back up I ordered a (TGP special) BAM200 from TC Electronics. 

I'm guessing that's 200W at 4 ohms? What's it like compared with the GPA-100?

TTBZ

I'd be really interested to hear how the BAM 200 gets on in a loud band mix. Last night I was using my Stomp into the rehearsal amp FX return, but some of the amps we get given don't have a loop and I'd rather take my own stuff so it's consistent and will translate live. A lot of people over on TGP are saying this seems to have a better feel than some other power amps (including the PS170) due to the input stage or something. I want big amp thump through a 4x12 without a big amp haha.

paulphoenix

digitalscream said:

paulphoenix said:

And just for good measure/back up I ordered a (TGP special) BAM200 from TC Electronics. 

I'm guessing that's 200W at 4 ohms? What's it like compared with the GPA-100?

I haven't had an opportunity to do any extensive A/B testing at higher volumes yet, but my first impression of the BAM is that it is definitely a guitar amp - and as such it is a little warmer and rounder at the edges than the (power amp) GPA.

I have been using the suggested tone stack settings to make the BAM as flat as possible compared to everything at noon (barring the wonky detent) on the GPA-100.  

Both are helluva loud (at circa 200w each) through my 4ohm cab.

My current patches were set up using the FX return of a 100W solid state combo with the same 4ohm speaker and so have translated very well to both new amps. I should only have to make minor tweaks in the Stomp and/or EQ on either unit next week at practise. 

JohnCordy

@paulphoenix so have you got on with the GPA 100 ok?

paulphoenix

JohnCordy said:

@paulphoenix so have you got on with the GPA 100 ok?

Yep so far so good. But I have only owned it for a very short time so far with only a few hours playing time on it if that.

I'll know more after a few rehearsals. 

Ben

Has anyone A/B'd the GPA-100 and the Powerstage 170 at all? Curious to see if there's that much (if any) difference in volumes for rehearsing / live shows seeing the similarities between them.

digitalscream

Ben said:

Has anyone A/B'd the GPA-100 and the Powerstage 170 at all? Curious to see if there's that much (if any) difference in volumes for rehearsing / live shows seeing the similarities between them.

No, but I've used both. They're comparably loud, but the PS170 is much less muddy and the EQ is actually useful rather than just varying the amount of mud. I was wrong about the GPA-100, it's just not that great for guitars.

Beexter

I've got both - an important difference is the Harley Benton needs a line level signal whereas the Seymour Duncan can work with instrument level and still get effin loud.