Park PGB25

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I use a Peavey Foundation...early '90's. I like the sound I get. Maybe it's the Peavey or maybe I just don't expect too much since this is basically a practice amp. I don't play out anywhere, so the volume doesn't mean that much to me.

I've had it for about 7 years and have had no problem

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I'm not a bass player. I just use this to play around with or to learn a song for recording. In this capacity I have to say that this is an excellent amp for the money. I would buy another if needed. However, for playing out, I would want something more powerful and one with a 15" speaker.

Just a very simple bass practice amp-one channel two inputs, EQ.
Sealed box 1x12 inch, transistor amp.

With a bass, it is OK with an active bass- we have used it for some years with my wife's Fender Precision Lyte which has a pre-amp.Plenty of tone variation, reasonable and ample volume for it's size- very little distortion.

With a guitar it gives a great jazz tone with an electric archtop, with asolid body Strat type guitar it's OK, I used it for lead work for some time with just an echo unit- amp on 10- it was OK for country and rockabilly etc.

Has been subject to a lot of hard use and travel for live gigs, practices, home use etc. Never had any trouble, except the pots are very scratchy/noisy due to Australian dust from country travel and gigs, many outdoors!

Never been near a shop since I got it.

For the low price, small size and weight, what do some people expect- an Ampeg SVT??? It's a cheapo practice amp with a lot of heart!!

This was my first bass amp and the guitar store I bought it from (Bentley Music Sdn Bhd) didn't offer much variety on low-end practice bass amps. It was either the Park or some made-in-Indonesia Fender "affordable" model. I guess this was a natural choice because the logo stated "Park by Marshall". Marshall-like quality? Just read on! :-)

This bass amp was manufactured in Korea and I bought it in 1994. Features are as follows:

* 25 watts output, all solid-state electronics
* 12-inch speaker
* Single channel, no send/return effects loop
* Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble and Master Volume controls
* No external speaker output
* Headphone and line out jacks
* No reverb
* Two line inputs; one for Low Gain and the other for High Gain.

I use this amp in my bedroom (it's a practise amp!) and I've never able to get the right sound out of it. Plugged in dry, the sound is very dry and thin. Lacks punch and sounds very muddy. For that reason I invested in a used Korg A5 Bass Effects processor. The A5 helped shaped the tone a little but the problem is in the amp itself. I even connected my BOSS GE-7 Graphics Equalizer to try to improve the sound (yes, I know I should be using a GE-7B instead). Not much improvement there.

I don't think any state-of-the-art bass effects processor will help anyway. Like I mentioned before, the amp's design leaves a lot to be desired.

I'm actually a guitar player and I play bass just for the fun of it. But this amp really discourages me from playing the bass for its poor sound quality!

My sole bass is an Ibanez SoundGear SR-400 (1994) with passive pickups. I don't have any particular music style though my influences are Geddy Lee (Rush), Chris Squire (Yes), Gary Thain (Uriah Heep), Mike Rutherford (Genesis) and just about any good funk/jazz session bassists. Bob Lizik, Ric Fierabracci and Kim Stone comes to mind.

I find that I can approximate Geddy Lee's Fender J-Bass '75 sound in the Rush album "Counterparts" but that's about it. The Park's tonal range is quite narrow and it sounds very nasal. In spite of its 12-inch speaker, it can't handle lows (a Trace Elliot Boxer 30 with a 10-incher will outperform it) that well. I would describe the Park's sound as quite muddy on high frequencies. The amp's box tends to resonate noisily whenever the "A" note is being played. The G string on my guitar sounds too soft on this amp. No definition at all.

My GB25-12 had problems with its control potentiometers (all of them!) just six months of ownership! It appears that dust somehow gets into the controls too easily and this leads to poor electrical contacts. I couldn't open the control panel to service the pots; it was too difficult to access.

Not much I can do about it. In my country, it is normal for business not to refund the purchase or exchange the product once you've bought it. If I were in the U.S., I would have immediately brought this lemon back to the store!

I've been playing bass since 1992 but not seriously. I'm thinking of selling this poor excuse for a bass amp and getting a Trace Elliot Boxer 30 instead (I've tried one lately and it impressed the heck out of me).

For what it's worth, I would not recommend the Park GB25 to anyone at all. It doesn't give justice to just about any bass guitar, more so for those with an extra low B string! I think it's a shame that Marshall lends its name to this amp. The "Park by Marshall" logo had me fooled.

I got this amp for free so I cant really complain, BUT: If I had to choose an amp this wonudnt be it. I play bass and guitar, the amp is fine for guitar, if a little too bassy at times. But for Bass the 12inch speaker and 25 watts really do not cut it. Playing a low "E" at high volumes ditorts a lot, so much so that I blew my speraker. Dont get me wrong, I wanst thrashing it, but I like a nice Bassy sound. The power rating is just enogh to match a drum kit, but start to play at gig volumes, (drummers just get louder and louder), and you will struggle to make a distinctive bass sound. It will just go BEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR , deeply.

Using my Fender precision the output is fine due to the pre amp in my guitar, using a Bass with no battery you will nedd to crank the volume control up even more to make a decent sound. If the speaker is okay and you dont try and imitate an Ampeg stack - The sound is okay. The Bass knob really adds depth, (until the speaker blows).

Well, its not really that bad. True, I did ask more than it could do, but if you stay within the power limits, it should stay troiuble free.
I'v had no natural problems in 2 years.

No experience, but its Marshall isnt it?

I think if this amp had 10 more watts and a 15 inch speaker, it would suit me better. Just b ecause I like to make a really deep sound, the 12 inch just donsn cut it. Other than that, it's great for practice by yourself, but whats the fun in that? The best way to practice is with other musicians and with this amp, its hard.