Gallien-Krueger 250ML

The 250ML has 2 channels, chorus, echo and a 4 band EQ. It has stereo speaker out to my matching 212 GK cabinet. The feature set on this amp is seemingly everything I need for a practice amp, gigging and believe it or not, even recording. I'll explain that later since it's buzz will drive an engineer nuts.

The 50 Watts per channel has always been adequate even for some open air gigs. The 6 inch speakers are directional though. A small venue can work without a separate speaker cabinet. For really large venues, I've always gone direct out to the board from the balanced line output on the rear. Then the 6 inch speakers become a nice stage monitor reference.

One feature of this amp is it's size. Before I had this, I gigged with a Super Six Reverb, having both the largest and smallest powerful combos made, gives a perspective on how cool the size of this amp really is, given it's potency. I walked into a bar for a battle of the bands once, and two different guitar players, having their stacks already set up in advance, volunteered the use of their amps as I walked by with guitar in one hand, amp in the other. I needed no night-before set-up, just an AC outlet. I think they felt sorry for me. When we opened and those two little 6-inch directional speakers lit the place up, they got the picture. This little amp kicks butt.

I actually have two of these. My ex-wife ran her Les Paul Deluxe through hers and I ran my Modulus Graphite Blackknife (Active EMG single coil pickups) through mine. Her setup was just a bit muddy on this amp but my Modulus is perfect. I still use this in all my edgy recordings as I'm unable to duplicate the sound either through Logic Audio plug-ins or pedals. The buzz level for recording creates a challenge but with digital editing the blank spaces can be cleaned up pretty quickly. I'd hate to say that "noise" in a recording adds an aura, but anything I've done with this amp is better than without. The type of song where this amp excels never suffers from the extra buzz. Let's call it an ambience.

Aside from the buzz, there is nothing bad I can say about the sound beyond the mechanical feel it has. I'd contrast that with the warmth of the Super Six. It's the difference between steel and wood. Oddly, that never deters me from using the 250ML the vast majority of the time I sit down with my guitar. My Super Six hardly gets used even though it's probably in the ranks of the best sounding tube amps ever made. I might feel differently if I'd not tired of old-school sound in the 70s. I can't imagine the 250ML would be right for a Jazz or Blues purist, so my glowing view of this amp really reflects my love of progressive sound. I think this amp was way ahead of it's time.

To get a feel for the sound, listen to novinyl.com/music/thework/GetNaked.wma (just another crappy song from nobody, but the amp sound is there). The opening of the song shows clearly the level of buzz on high volume channel A (distortion) as it's all software instruments with the uncut amp buzz in the background (not sure why I didn't cut it out but it stands as to feature what the 250ML truly sounds like, you will hear this sound on stage). Both rhythm and solo are done with the GK. The only additional effect was to use reverb from software instruments. Echo is on the amp but no chorus. The amplifier sound is textbook GK channel A. What I've noticed is that even with a single coil guitar, the effect is similar to a Led Zeppelin type solo sound. The sustain really is both the graphite neck and the amp, I can't get that with that guitar, pedal and the Super Six. The amp is still good for a raunchy 1-4-5 old-rock/new country sound too even if a tad modern. It's definitely versatile. I will chop that off at blues, I've done a couple of blues songs and the distortion is too hot. Clean blues is nice on Channel B though.

On the other hand, I've never found a use for the channel B distortion. In my opinion, it's target is better handled through pedals and software effects.

One amp (the recessed control knob version) has been bullet-proof, no problems in it's nearly 25 years, the other, one year older with knobs sticking out the front, broke about 10 years ago. It simply ceased to produce anything but a sign wave of noise. I'm working with a local electronics company to repair it.

The fact that many ICs are extinct concerns me about having such an old amp. Because it's not created with fully discrete plentiful components such as the ancient Fenders, it's age does present additional problems. If I were actively gigging now, I would not depend on a single copy of the amp. I'd absolutely have to have two to be comfortable. The fact that larger old solid-state amps were built with more discrete components could make them less reliable but much easier to repair when something does go wrong.

I have just found a company in the Seattle WA area to repair my second 250ML. I did send a message to Kruger themselves but haven't heard back yet. I can't imagine they would effectively be able to support a 25 year old amp, so customer service on an antique isn't really applicable. I'm banking on the local companies to come up with a fix.

I've been playing for 44 years. I have the Fender Super Six and the GKs. I'm not sure there could be a need for anything other than this combination. The Modulus Graphite was made for the GK, my Ovation Balladeer and Steinbergers belong with the Super Six and frankly, the GK and MG are my choice anytime I write. The other combos are for when a song absolutely needs them. Even so, I've used the Balladeer through the channel B compander of the GK to get an interesting bright acoustic sound on a couple of songs.

I chose the GK because I had a particularly stubborn little rockin' wife who wanted to build a new wave/punk/rock band around these unique amps (the Bass player had the single speaker bass version) as sort of a gimmick in stage presence. I was in love so I bought the amp without flinching, though I was totally incredulous and laughing inside at the little thing after years of dragging around my 100 pound monster. Boy, was I wrong. I've had an old Silvertone (sniff), a blackface Princeton (sniff sniff), Band Master, and the Super Six plus played through quite a few amps while in school. At one time, may favorite was the old Acoustic even though I only owned tube amps. None of the others particularly move me, this amp is part of my creative process.

People don't have opportunity to steal from me, but if I lost it in some manner, I would replace it or look at the newer lines of GK amps. Given that they created this in the early 80s, I can't imagine what the new ones would be like given the tech jump between now and then and how boldly innovative the company showed themselves to be with this little jewel.

Can you tell? I love this noisy little amp.

This amp is simplicity at it's finest, 2 channels, channel 1 is the clean channel but there is an option for very light overdrive. There is also a compressor button that limits dynamic responses so the signal is basically the same level. Channel 2 is the drive channel with 2 stages of gain. The amp has a 4 band parametric eq that works on both channels and two built in effects (chorus and echo). There are 2 50 watt power amps in stereo and the amp features 2 Pyle speakers (I don't use them)

The tone of this amp is phenomonal when using external speaker cabinets. The Pyle speakers in the amp are too tinny and bright for a reasonable tone. I am running through a Marshall 4x12 and a 2x15 with loaded with EV's. The clean sound of the amp is bright and clear. With stereo chorus onboard the sound seems to widen out. With the gain is engaged for channel 1 you get a slightly overdriven tone which sounds great for blues or jazz. Channel 2 is overdriven with the option of additional overdrive with the gain button. The EQ is very responsive and you can pull most of the midrange out for the scooped sound. (I changed the 3 stage limiter settings inside the amp) so my sound is a little more overdriven than the stock drive.

This amp is at least 20 years old with no known breakdowns. It is housed in a steel box that is pretty much indestructable under normal road use. The Pyle speakers in my model are still good, but I have read that they tend to decay with age.. maybe it is because I never use them. Once a friend of mine used a y cord on the stereo power amp into one cabinet (DO NOT DO THIS) I went to check the speaker select switch and noticed the y cord and the amp was literally hot enough to burn my arm.. I shut it down and let it cool. It must be built pretty stout cause it wasn't hurt, that would have sent most stereo amps into the shop for some repair.

I got the schematics at GK's site so I could alter the gain settings for channel 2 and they are great schems.

I have a Randall RG100E head and I love the tone that it makes, but since I got the GK 250ML I haven't used it.. :( The Randall just doesn't compete to the full range tone quality of the GK. I would look for another one if this one ever came up missing, that is for sure.

The GK 250 ML is one of the greatest amps I've ever had. It was given to me by a friend for helping them move, and at the time the foaming on the outer edges of the original PYLE speaker cones were eaten away by time. I also had not been able to get it to work at all, and it ended up sitting out in the rain. After a little while I caught up with an old friend who told me he'd been building, and fixing amps as a hobby; so I asked him to take a look. A day later he told me everything I needed, and in almost 3 days time he had installed brand new 100 watt EMINENCE speakers, re-foadmed the grill-edges, and connected the "partial hum-elimination mod" to it where if you connect two certain parts with wire it quiets it up a little. The replacement speakers were like 30-40 bucks, and now I'm up a free GK 250 ML. Can't Complain.

The sound quality of this little guy is immense. And it is solid state. It's parametric e.q. and cleanliness in the first channel, chorus, and echo are way ahead of their time, and mimic the old guys perfectly. Even when used as a head. I've been playing an Ovation Celeb. through it lately, I seem to find that it's first channel, and compressor can do a mean blues. Kick in the gain, and you're makin ready for anything.
Sometimes I hear a "washy" "ocean" type sound, but it fades out when I adjust better. It doesn't bother me at all.

This thing weighs a ton, and you can bet there's a reason for it.

nada

As a guitarist of 15 years, and musician of 21, I commend Gallien Krueger in this accomplishment. I have owned fenders, and whatnot out the wazoo, but this is one pretty amp. If it were ever stolen or lost, I would be very sad, especially since it was a gift. The ONLY thing I wish about the GK 250 ML, is that it was made with 8in. speakers. I feel it would have been a wise idea. It's compactness is convienient and neat-looking, but I feel like a second version that was bigger, instead of a second version that was just a head would have been cool.

Just traded for this 250ml. Through experimentation found that 2 descreet (left and right) can be input into the "aux in" jack using a stereo 1/4" plug and the 2 descreet lines getting signals left and right from a keyboard. However, the front panel controls have NO effect on this signal..it is instead just passed to the power amp section and two 4" speakers. By running a stereo graphic eq in between the keyboard and this "aux. in" i have tone and voltage level control ( attenuation) Certainly a load little booger inspite of the small speakers..I will use it as my stage monitor..then pass a mono summed signal to the board via the xlr line out. Needs a cutout switch for the internal speakers so outboards with 8ohms can be used.

Only channel "A" can be used for keyboards..and remains clean up around 7 on a 10 scale before grunge begins. Source is a Roland XP30.
Not noisy at all. Of course lacks low end from 150hz down due to speaker size..and the upper 2 bands of it's EQ must be held down pretty low or the trebel will cut you in half..the 4" speakers act like bullet tweeters with any gain in the upper frequencys..at least with a synth.

too soon to comment on these categorys

can't find an owners manual or specs anywhere

I traded for an old broken Fender Deluxe Reverb amp..and it was to a close friend who really wanted to refurbish the Fender. I actually purchased the Fender for $10.00 at a garage sale !! If I didn't have this GK250Ml..I would buy a Motion Sound KPS200 to replace it..or better yet (less $$) a GL250ml series 2. It has provisions for external 8 ohm speaker hookups and internal speaker cut-outs

I puchased this amp for (get this.....$450.....USED in about 1985)....to the best of my knowledge all of the parts are original, but i use it as a mixer power amp because the sound is so clean. This amp STILL rocks about all of the the sub 60 watt Mesas, Boogies, Marshalls, and Fenders I have heard. The only thing it really lacks is depth, which is one thing that Alex (Lifeson) understood. It is ABSOLUTELY the best tuning amp i have ever heard. Chromatics and all the BS aside; if you can make you guitar sound crisp and clean through this amp, you will sound DIVINE through real tubes.

As far as power goes, i ran a 4x12 marhsall 1960 half-stack top with this thing and sounded better than the guy with the mosfet 100. The effects are good, but only usable if you like a 3-D sound. The other guys are right.....the Echo sounds like a reverb and the chorus like a sophisticated delay. The EQ sounds tight and clean, but you must be careful; the odd-harmonics of a transistor amp can really muddy the sound quickly. You Must be careful about EQ. Most of my settings are around the middle......10:00 to 2:00.

I have personally used this amp in a number of roles; not the least of which is mixer power. Utilizing the stereo out on my mixer and the stereo in on the 250 (rear left), i have found that the amp is very flat but accomodating as a power amp.

This amp is also quite accomodating as far as a surrogate power amp. I have an original Halfler T-2 (Bogner). I have never heard such clean sounds nor such raunchy sounds as this amp is capable of. Make no mistake. IT IS NOT TUBES.

I must admit though, it has truly earned its name, "Toaster" in my circle. It has toasted every amp I can name and sounded good doing it. The only thing I lament is that it doesn't have larger speakers.

M Waggy

2002 Ovation; 1977 Les Paul Custom

Quiet; great variety

Clean = Clean

Distortion = Moderate

It's a toaster.....it toasts......nm

N/A

I
ve been playing over 30 years. I own TC and have trashed Lexicon because their recent products are crap. Lost? Lament.......Stolen =KILL.

If you want the best tuning amp on planet earth and feel like working to get it right, you found the right thing....

M Waggy

I purchased my GK 250ML on eBay in July of 2005. I had wanted one of these back in the 80's but thought it better to buy the kid food and pay the mortgage on time. Things are quite different now. I paid $250 for the used one but it arrived with one bad speaker. I contacted Gallien Krueger. Although the original speakers were made by Pyle, GK offers an Eminence replacement for $54.00. My eBay seller was nice enough to purchase it and send it to my door. I decided to replace the other one which was on it's way out. The 250ML sounds great! The distortion sounds like my old 100 watt Marshall only more focused. The echo is a glorified reverb but sounds good and I leave it on all the time as I do with the chorus. The chorus on this one really sounds more like a doubler than a chorus. I know that a service tech can tweak the amount of chorus and echo but for me they are perfect as is. The clean channel is ideally matched for a Fender Strat Ultra. The pickup combination of middle and bridge is crisp and focused. I found that the settings are critical. Try this: 8.0KHz off, 2.0KHz at 9 to 12 o'clock (depending), 500Hz 3 o'clock, 120Hz full up. I put the clean channel volume at 10 o'clock and the distortion channel at 9 o'clock. Then I took the XLR line out and plugged into my PA. When I played clean, I was full up on the guitar. When I used the distortion channel, I was on 7 for rhythm and full up for solos. The sound was incredible. When I'm not using the PA to carry most of my sound, I bypass the internal speakers and play through a Hartke 4-10" cabinet. This stereo cabinet really keeps the sound of the amp but allows you to crank without fear of blowing out your internal speakers. This amp is a "must have" if you have a recording studio in your house. It sounds good with just about any style playing. If you close your eyes, you'll swear you're playing through a tube amp! Buy one! They are always selling these babies on eBay. I hope this review helped.

First one of these GK250ML amps I saw belonged to one of guys in the the Dinosaurs - it was a dark and smokey night at the HUB ballroom in the mid-'80's and a good friend was mixing and I had built part of the PA and and there was so much weedsmoke in the air that the fire alarm went off and the fire department came. So I can't actually remember who had it. I think it was Barry Melton's amp. Cippolina was in great form, reminding people that he had not gotten that way overnight.

But what I most remember about the show was the sound of the amp. There was this tiny little black box on a mic stand bracket, that was serving as a sort of spot-monitor, except it was covered with knobs and it was spitting out some of the most wicked sounds I had ever heard. I stood at the front of the stage and listened. And went back to the board and asked. Oh that thing, he said, that is the GK-250ML. I though you might notice that. Cool little amp, huh? Santana has one. It's like it's his D-I box, but what he is feeding the board from the XLR on the back is post-eq and post-effects. And on-stage all the effects are true stereo! And it's little, but it's LOUD as shit!! Hmmmm, i thought. I think maybe I am in love ...

What can I tell you about these amps? You probably need one. And you probably can't have mine. Why? Because it fits inside an old Ogio gym bag, so no one breaks into your car to steal it and it bites the heads of most Fender Super Reverbs. My favoite thing to do with it is channel dead rockstars, but i can do newage space music soundtracks on it, too.

Don't try this at home. Take it to the gig. When things get wild near closing time, just lay it on its back and point it at the ceiling and turn it most of the way up. People will go crazy and dance like it's the end of the world. If you do that at home the cops will come. And you will most likely be fired by your family or evicted by your neighbors.

Under the top cover are several white plastic trim-pots. These trim-pots configure the amp to your playing style. They set the gain structure, the depth of the effects, the ratio of the compression, etc. The controls on the outside of the box are really like buttons on a stompbox. These are the settings. Putting them inside was VERY wise. No one can accidentally wreck the sound of your amp. In less than 5 minutes I can change its personality beyond your ability to imagine. It does not have the tremolo of my brownface Super, and it does not really have a Fender style reverb sound, so you can't play Chet Atkins on it.

What else can i tell you?

It buzzes quite a bit worse than a blackface Fender twin when you plug it into a Trace inverter on a powercart, especially when the batteries are getting low. You want to play at events where there is no shore power, and want buzz free sound, get a battery powered amp. Otherwise, this is the ticket.

I regularly use it as a small PA with a Mackie 1202 bypassing the input (it already had the input bypass jack I wanted to install! It's a TRS and it's called AUX out! Just plug in a TRS insert cable and you have left and right inputs) and the 50 wpc stereo poweramp is clean and stong and is quite happy to drive 2 more speakers, if you need a more elaborate PA system. The larger boxes become FOH and the GK becomes stage monitor.

Plug the POD2 into the TRS jack in the back panel, bypassing its preamp entirely and it sounds more like a Hiwatt than most people's stereo systems can deliver.

Final thoughts on sound quality:

If you think your GK250 sounds lame, or that it needs a fancy preamp or a POD2 plugged into the back to make it sound good, you need to take the top off and re-read my comments about the trim-pots above and under Customer Support, below, and get your hands on the adjustment manual, or call G-K and ask for Randy.

I am a tone snob and this amp does not have the syrupy texture or the dynamics of my old '53 Deluxe, but it is a million times more useful and gets played more than a hundred times as often. The thing makes some cool useful unique sounds. Musicians turn their heads and react "that was cool - what was that?" and it was just the sound of the Chorus and the Echo together. It is your job to make these sounds into part of a compelling musical experience for the listeners. Aside from the buzz, it doesn't get in your way.

I have taken it to Burningman, plugged it into battery-powered power-carts at Oregon Country Fair, used it as the PA at Guitar camp and house concerts, played LOUD in bars, played it in dead cover bands in the park. Unless you are recording, why play anything else? Right now the IEC connector is coming loose. Someday it will give me a shock and then i will perhaps get around to fixing it.

Dependability scale goes at least to 11 on these amps. One of the effects buttons got smashed last year at the fair in the dark in a trailer full of big heavy gear towed being by a Gator. So it goes. A message from above that I was supposed to leave the Echo "on" for a while.

So a couple of months or perhaps even a couple of years after that Dinosaurs show I ran into a used one and bought it. It was closing time at the store and i was in a hurry, so I turned it on, plugged a guitar cord into it, buzzed the end of the plug to verify that it worked and bought it, fully confident that it was going to make me happy.

Brought it home, plugged it in and plugged in my '65 Ventures Mosrite and I flat out HATED the sound of it. It sounded harsh and ugly and miserable. I was totally bummed. So bummed that I actually called up G-K to complain.

Woman at the front desk patched me through to the boss, I am pretty sure his name was Randy Kruger. I told him I had called his office to complain and to ask them to send me a schematic so I could put in an insert-like jack and use my Chandler preamp to get around his harsh disgusting gritty sounding preamp.

And he said 'wait a minute - I know what's wrong with your amp - listen to me.' And then he asked for my serial number and then he said 'Carlos Santana plays an amp that was exactly like that and loves it. The controls on your amp are just about 100% adjustable and someone has set them for the sound they want it to make. I will send you the manual that we send to our service people, but if you will get a screwdriver and get the top off the case i can guide you thru the process over the phone. It will take 5 minutes, max. You are going to love this amp.' And he did. And I love it.

I have radically reconfigured it twice now, over the past 20 years as my equipment, my taste and my guitar style have changed - or is it just my ears that have changed?

I have been playing electric guitars for over 45 years now and have owned or borrowed just about every piece of hardware I ever really wanted except the big Hiwatt the Gibson Byrdland and the Maserati Birdcage.

It is not even remotely perfect, and on its own it does not sound like my 5B3 tweed deluxe at all, but it is the real thing, a true vise-grips or swiss-army-knife grade tool, and is probably coolest and most useful amp I have ever owned. Only thing I wish it had that it doesn't sport is a mic-pre with phantom power, and the ability to run both preamp channels at once into separate sides of the poweramp.

My POD2 got stolen a few months ago and I replaced it as soon as i could. A lot of my gear has gotten stolen over the past few years - including both my brown-face Fender amps, the Deluxe and the Super. If this amp got stolen I would have to find another one or decide it was time to stop playing through amps that plug into the wall.

I just got a Crate Limo (I traded an excellent vintage Ampeg B-15 portaflex for it) and that Crate is now the amp i am carrying around. The Limo is a very interesting amp and I am learning how to make it sound good. But the GK is smaller and lighter and stereo and a billion times more bulletproof and even though the design of the GK250ML is going on 30 years old, it is more useful than anything I have seen come down the pipe since then.

Bought it new in 82. the first model. I played it untill 86 then went back to marshall. I've recently found it very usefull again.

If you've still got the 250 ml you've just got to try a sansamp gt2 as a preamp on it. The clean channel along with the eq on the 250 ml was made for a sansamp gt2. Run this setup into a stereo 4-12 cab. I swear it destroys my marshall jcm 2000 dsl. Just try it and you'll be wiping the dust off and welcoming an old buddy back. But be carefull not to scratch your guitar as you're BOWING DOWN TO THE MIGHTY GOD OF MASSIVE TONE!

Probably the most indestructable amp of all time with the exeption of the speaker cones. They need re-coned every 15 years or so with proper use. I had never re-coned one before but it wasn't hard at all.

If you need to repair the speakers you'll have to get the goods from someone like NEWFOAM. GK doesn't help much.

I've been jonesing for this amp since the 80's. Back then, this rich kid I knew that had all the latest gadgets and toys had one of these amps. They were going for about $800 new then. Seventeen or so years later, I got it and it was worth the wait.This amp has two channels, 50 watts each (i think they are in stereo), echo, chorus, compression and gain. Their is a useful headphone jack, effect loops, and an available footswitch. While the amp is solid state, I play it with my Pod making the guitar sing real nicely. For an amp that is the size of a shoebox, it is unbelievebly loud. It's built like a tank.

I have a MIJ strat with EMG's installed (the dg-20 system). I also have an Agile lp2500. Both of these guitars sound incredible through this amp. Along with my POD, their is not a sound I can't get. I'veread other reviews and, despite the two 5" speakers, I get enough bottom end for my needs. My gigging days are behind me. I basically use this amp in my den. Given the chance, this amp would be loud enough to gig with by itself. The fact that it could power a full stack (which it is quite capable of) is a bonus. My style runs the gamut from acoustic to heavy distortion.

This amp has to be at least 15 years old. It is the series 1 version, meaning the grill does not extend beyond the knobs. Regardless of this, it sounds new. A couple of the push buttons are missing. This amp should go at least another 15-20 years.

Gallien Krueger, I believe only make bass amps nowadays. I emailed their customer service department to inquire about getting the aforementioned buttons replaced and they responded fairly quickly. However, this amp is no longer in production. Why they stopped producing such a perfect piece of equipment, I'll never understand.

My days of playing loud and pissing off an entire neighborhood are far behind me. Now I just annoy my wife and kids. For that job, this amp is ideal. It's not for everyone. If you feel insecure by the size of your amp, and require something that weighs a couple of tons, stay away from this chihuawa. But if you want something that could fit on your nightstand yet is giggable, this dog bites and what a great growl!!

I purchased my 250ml new no later than 1984.
I don't remember how much it cost.
It was obviously lightweight and easy to move around.
It was my first amp with more than one channel.
I used the built in reverb and chorus at the time.
At the time perhaps you could say this amp had decent features.
I actually bought the optional bracket for it (that mounts on a mic stand), but maybe used that once or twice only. I had the amp modified (soon after purchase) with a switch to turn the small speakers off.

At the time, my friends and I referred to this puppy as a glorified Rockman (you know, Tom Scholz?)... anyway, I'm surprised at all the praise for this amp. It was allright for practice and sounded much better through a cabinet, but c'mon... This is not a tube amplifier and never will fool anyone. However, it was a great practice amp with the headphone option & such... I could play without disturbing the neighbors. The direct out was clean, but only gave you a nice cheezy clean sound, and not a full bodied rich gutsy sound as I would have liked.
Now, playing with a little pedal in front of the amp can give it a little more balls. I recently tried my Boss GT-5 in front of it, and it sounded much better. I did use it live with a band for a bit until I could afford something real (I was in college when I bought it). I used to use this amp for recording songs on my tascam 4-track in my apartment. Not quite a POD, but it helped me put some ideas on tape without setting up my bigger rig. Maybe I'd give it a 6.5 for stock sound quality.

I didn't have the pseudo 'knob-protected' version, but somehow the knobs survived, except for one black plastic cap on the "A/B" selector. The amp still works. My modified on/off switch also works. One of the speaker out connectors is partially broken on mine now, must have happened in the mid 80's.

Can't say.

I've been playing for over 25 years. I've primarily been using a Mesa Boogie Mark III for many years, but have used Dual Rectifiers and other tube amps also.
I got some decent use out of this amp, but i wouldn't recommend it for live performance. It just doesn't have the balls. If lost, I wouldn't replace it with anything similar.

This is from what I was told to be one of the original 250ML flat grill amps. I was told in the mid to late 80s they put a front grill that stuck out about 1 inch so it would protect the knobs from being broken off when you threw in the back of your car! The amp is 100 watts 50 watts per channel with stereo effects Echo and Chorus.

This amp flat out kicks ass!! Plug it into a 4x12 cabinet and watch the paint come off your walls! I really can't believe the sound that come's out of this small amp.

The only problem I had with this amp and a $100.00 bucks later was I had to have the speakers re edged. Be careful when buying one online look at a picture of the speakers with the front grill off! I had no idea my speakers were bad until I took of the grill. Think about it... the amp is over 20 years old, speakers are just 6ins. and the amp puts out 100 watts!

Never had to contact them

Like I said this amp flat out kicks ass! But I am selling it at this time on Ebay. If you are interested look under search then by seller than type in davidsd39. I did not write this review to sell my amp and what I said about the GK 250ML is true. I am only selling it because I bought a 50 watt 2x12 combo for the bigger speakers.

I don't know what year this amp is. I bought it off a guy on Ebay. It has two channels, effects loop, distortion, compression, stereo echo, stereo chorus & paramtric EQ. I pretty much play hard metal. I like tones like Zakk Wylde, Tool, etc... It's ok for this but I play through a Boss GT5 processor. The distortion is too weak for me. It's a practice amp, but you can gig w/ it. It sounds good through my Hughes & Kettner 4X12 too. I used to have a 250RL, which is the same thing but it's just a head. I had to sell it for food, but now that I'm so incredibly successful I decided to buy the 250ML.

For a very small, portable, solid state amp it kicks ass. Definitely an 80's tone but you can fix that w/ a good processor or pre-amp.

Only problem I had was the volume pot broke due to the knob getting smashed during transit. I took it apart and re-soldered it myself. Works fine now.

Never used them. My brother has the same amp and he can't get it repaired. His is a modified 250ML he bought off a former GK employee.

I've been playing for about 23 years now. I own a 79 Marshall Mark2 100w Super Lead, a Hughes & Kettner 4X12, a 2000 Gibson LP Standard Raw Power, A 1998 Gibson Exlporer w/a Zakk Wylde EMG kit, a 86 or 87 Charvel Model 3 and Kramer Voyager series Flying V.

Bought new for approx $600 in 1990. With 5 tube amps I usually do not gig with it but love the portability. Usere below have adequately commented on the somewhat dated tone and the lack of flexibilty of the on-off gain, delay, chorus and "compander"

I give the tone a 7 without the following "essential trick":
Get a Tech 21 Tri-AC, plug it into either the effects loop, effects return only(to bypass the preamp but keep the echo and chorus effects, or (best yet) into the stereo aux input on the back. The last option bypasses preamp, eq, and internal effects, giving you a lunchbox sized 50 watt x2 power amp monster you can carry in one hand with your 2 x 12 Marshall 1936 cab in the other. With the Tria- AC this will sound like a Fender twin, Marshall plexi, or Boogie!!!

Needless to say you should not go out and buy this entire rig- there are lots of alternatives nowadays. But price a Tri-AC AND TWO Tech 21 power engine 60s and you can see the beauty of this cool experiment.

Current GK owners- Keep this bastard! Add a TRI AC or other Sansamp> (Not a Digitech line 6, Boss Digital unit!!!!) For a bit of Analog heaven. For little gigs, My JCM 800s and original 1965 Fenders stay home. Yeeaaaah Baby!!!

Built well. No problems

E mails to GK x 3 were ignored. They do not sell it anymore so apparently do not G-A-S....

I am 47 played since age 8. Had a lot a gear, sold a lotta gear. Thought about E Bay for this one but now it is an indispensable part of the arsenal WITH the TRI AC.

I think this was made in either 89 or 90
This amp is very versatile and can create many differing sounds.
2 channels clean and overdrive, channel switching with footpedal. Effects loops and headphone jack as well as line out. Also Stereo.

ultra-quiet, closest thing to a tube amp that you can get without glass, cam push a 4/12 cabinet even it is about as big as your Archies lunch box.(heavier than a cinder block though)
I'm a headbanger, this amp works well for most of what I do. It is a not a dual rectifier though. Think practice amp.

I've had this thing since the last millenium, NEVER let me down. If you Tweak the pots it gets a lot meaner and a lot less reliable. This thing is built like a fortress. We had a hurricane here and I put this amp on the roof of my car to keep the car from blowing away....

this customer has never needed support.

If this amp were stolen it would mighty hard to replace since they don't make them anymore. This is a mighty little fucker for an amp about the size of shine box. as far as anything I wish it had, yea a twin brother.

Same as the other 250MLs listed here. They really screwed up by not making the gain more easily adjustable.

After buying it used in 1985 and letting it sit in my garage for years I tried to sell this amp on comission at my local music store. 6 months later I returned to the store to find it still there. Interestingly enough I found out that the store owner usually spent the hour after closing playing thru my little 250 ML and into a 4-12 cabinet. He said he just loved the amp. I grabbed a guitar and played thru it the way he had it set up and was blown away by the tone. Very warm and sweet with tons of sensitivity and sustain. Very playable. I always hated the head because it was solid state. Guess I'm a bigot. It must be twenty years old. 50 watts per channel the thing is loud and has a great stereo clean chourus sound as well as a overdriven Rush or even maybe Boston sound. Glad I didn't sell it. I only wanted 280 US dollars for it. I can't say I would use it for everything, after all I paid so much for all those vintage Marshalls, but definitely can be added to my arsonal. It sure does inspire me to create new tunes. Nothing like a new toy to inspire creativity. Small, powerful, reliable, ugly, stereo, just not cool like an old tube amp. A great amp for a nonsuperficial musician on a budget.

I know you can blow a speaker. This amp has been misused for 20 years and still sounds great. Time to stop using it for a jackstand.

Never tried to contact them.

I'm a tone freak. Being searching for the ultimate tone for 21 years. Right now my favorite toys are a 1973ish Big Muff and some old Fender Champs. A 64 strat, 76 Les Paul Deluxe goldtop, 1984 Custom shop Jackson Dinky. 4 early 70s Marshall half stacks.

Bought this amp and the GK 4x12 cabinet back in '88 new. Features on this 250ML will be much like the features on other 250MLs - check the other reviews or the GK site. The small footprint and stereo 2x6in speakers work great for practice, external 4x12 cab(s) allows it to kick with the best of the rest. Not a whole lot of features, but good in what it does with the basics.

The stereo reverb & chorus give it a cool tone, for a solid state amp. With 2 channels, 1 clean with compression, the 2nd with distortion, the sound goes from ultra clean to shred-dirty. Unfortunately, the effects & gain are on/off, not variable. Never a problem with noise. The clean channel stayed clean even at high leves. Also, the effect loop return volume is fixed at a low volume (perhaps 1/2 vol.) which doesn't work so well for live playing (unless when playing in a library).

For a small combo amp, it throws a punch and is built like a tank! I've owned it for 12+ years, had it in many a hostile environments across the country, indoors & out, drops, kicks, liquids, etc., and never missed a session! Reliability ROCKS a solid 10!!!

Never had to use them!

I've been playing 20 years, I currently play a custom Strat and an Ibanez RG450, Digitech GSP21 & Boss GT3 processors (via effects return, or using the clean channel w/compression ON). If it were stolen 10 years ago, I would have replaced it, although now... I can't as GK deals mainly with bass equipment and technology has improved in the solid state arena considerably. At the time I purchased this setup, I compared it to Marshall and Randall 100W 1/2 stacks the 250ML w/4x12 had both in versatility and price. It was a great '80s amp!

A (clean) and B (dirty) channels, echo (really a very slight reverb)and chorus are factory preset. Headphone jack. LoZ out, L/R speaker cab outputs, effects loop. The clean channel rivals the Roland JC series amps (I own a JC-55, used to have a 120, also) with the exception that you can't futz with the chorus. I find it's depth a little, well, deep. I'd give it a 10 if I could adjust the echo and chorus.

I have 3 mid-low end Jacksons that I use with it. I play it through a Marshall 1960A when gigging, and it sounds awesome through that bigger cab (it has only 2-6" Pyles). With the aid of the EQ in my RP-3, I can get a pretty darn big sound even without the Marshall cab. I find that the B/Distortion channel looses a good bit of high end from the A channel, it's hard to find that happy medium so I rely soley on my RP-3 until I can afford better effects/preamp equipment. I rarely use the B channel anymore. They made an attempt at a compressor/limiter type deal with it's built in "compander" on channel A. Useless is the only way to describe this 'feature'. You stroke a chord and it's like backing the volume pedal off halfway, then slowly pushing it back down. That's pretty irritating, so I don't use it at all. Also, I haven't found much use for the gain button for either channel. Perhaps my unit is defective thanks to the previous owner(s), but I have not been able to adjust the gain or effects with the internal trim pots as suggested by hints I've picked up on here and there.

Bought it used, dropped it 3 feet once, not a bit of trouble out of it. When I bought the amp, it was missing the handle, and one of the handle clasps was missing also. I opened it up, found the nut from the clasp screw wedged between a couple of resistors, and it seemed to work just fine. Before that, the B channel sounded really funky. I gotta give it a 10 here, it's a freaking tank. Would I use it on a gig without a backup? I DO!!!

Only a couple of calls for the replacement handle which they didn't carry anymore, and something else that I forget. They were always friendly, tried to be helpful but that was hard given that they quit making this amp some years ago. Only a 9 here because they weren't up on the old equipment.

I had been looking for one of these since I saw the first one back in 85. My guitar instructor at UT Martin had one and I thought it was just the coolest damn amp I'd ever seen! Well, now I have one and am glad I bought it. I'd buy another if it was ever stolen or lost, even if it exploded! Except for no echo/chorus control, I freaking love this little amp. I also have a Spider 2x10 and a JC-55, but I still prefer this amp for gigging (only when used with the Marshall cab, though). My only real gripe (reiterated here) is the fact that you cannot adjust the effects.

I traded in a big Marshall head for this thing when I went into semi-retirement back in the 80's. What the hell was I thinking.....oh yeah...it was marriage. Anyway, I got tired of lugging the half-stack around so I bought this one. It's got some cool tonal variety in a weird kind of way. I was into the Rush sound and also The Fixx (compressed and rotating). The 250ml works great for these styles. One of the cool things I used to do is connect it to another friend's 250ml through the in/out stereo jack and then rehearse together with headphones. It was wild to be able to do this. When you hook these up to a big 4X12 cabinet they really crank. No, really!

I used all types of guitars through it....the dirty channel rips and the clean channel is angelic when you put on the compressor. I opened the thing up and tweaked the micropots to get the sounds the way I like them.

I've had the 250ml for a lot of years, 10+ for sure and it just now developed a problem with the volume cutting out. Pushing the lowest eq pot in will re-store the volume. It's screwed so I'm taking it to the shop. I use this as a back up amp for live gigs (Mesa DC-5 is #1 amp for me).

I haven't tried GK's CS but will if no one local can fix the volume deal.

I don't remember what I paid for it but I was young and probably got screwed when I bought it. On the other hand, it's been a good friend and survived many falls off the 4X12 cab (user error). I think I'll keep it around for a while. I had a guy offer me a bunch of cash for the 250ml when I bought my DC-5 so I figure it must be worth something.

This amp is smaller than my lunch box;however, it really packs a punch. This amp has 2 small drivers, 2 channels and a chorus. A four band EQ,gain boost, an echo,and a lot of watts. I wish the 250ml had an ajustable gain I could get to outside the amp but unfortunatly you have to open it up to tweek it.It can be run through practically anything to build a fatter sound, 4x12, or just PA. It is very vercitle

I have all sorts of guitars I run through the GK. single coils, doubles, soapbar, and even accoustic and it does well with all. The sigle coil strats are a little tiny if you don't turn down the guitar itself but with a little fooling around, it can happen. The bass can get just a tad flabby sometimes,although I could use some new speakers in mine

The only problems I have encounterd with It was my fault. It fell with a cord in it and the input jack had to be replaced. The jack is in the board so I had it put in for me. The speaker surrounds are wooped andand need to be replaced, I haven't looked them up yet but the have to be replaced soon. basides that it sounds the same as it did ten yrs. ago when I bought it

Hopfuuly I can get speakers for it

I have been playing 20 years this year. Right now I have 2 strats,ESP MH 200, Jackson Kelly pro,Gibson SG, Dean V, Early 70's Gibson Exlporer, and an Ovation accoustic. Right now I have an old Legend Rock-n-Roll 50 I run the GK through. It is not a Blackface or a Triple Rectifier but it is somewhere in between

The main feature this amp has going for it (besides great sound) is it's incredibly small footprint: this thing is TINY. At the same time, it weights a ton. It's a 100 watt amp (50 watts into each of it's two speakers), and can really deliver a punch. Indeed, in college I used my 250ML to drive a quad 12" stack, and drove it hard and loud.

The amp has two channels: clean, with compression on/off and gain on/off. The second channel is heavy distortion, again with compression on/off and a gain boost (on/off).

Next are the equalizer controls (4 knobs), which have a high amount of shaping abilities.

Last are the echo and chorus effects on/off switches.

In the back is an effects send return loop.

This amp will make you sound like Alex Lifeson of Rush, circa Moving Pictures. The chorus is one of the best, a dreamy wonderful sound.

On the down side: you can't easily adjust the gain amount (other than the boost on/off switches) without opening up the unit and adjusting little pots inside. Amazingly, I never had a problem with this. I always found that they unit sounded great, and varying my playing style or rolling the volume knob on the guitar back a tad got me the tone I wanted. The 6 basic sounds (clean, clean compressed, clean gain, clean gain compressed, distorted, distorted compressed) were always more than enough.

The amp definitely has an early 80's sound to it. If that's the sound you like/want, this is one easy way to get it.

Very reliable. Never had a problem with it in the 12 years I've owned it.

The only dealing that I've had with GK is that I called them last week (12/15/1999) to ask them if they still make the 250ML. In all honesty, I know they didn't but I was secretly hoping they were going to say that they had a few stached away in back. To my dismay, the woman I talked to said that they are in the process of starting back up production on it, to commence in March 2000.

I've been playing since 1985, bought the amp in 1986 or '87. I don't know if I could live without this amp -- it's part of me. I've always used humbuckers through it -- I suspect that a Strat may sound a bit thin used with it. Current guitar is a '93 PRS standard, and the combination is great.

The 250 has a wide variety of sounds available, although it can sound a bit "nasal" and transistor like, but there again it is a Tranny amp. The variety of clean tones available should provide something for everyone.

I play mostly Rock/Metal and have a leaning towards the 80's and early 90's. I bought this amp on the strength of hearing the albums Iron Maiden cut using them and if you want that Chorus/Delay sound this is for you. The distortiuons available can be a bit limiting although dont forget that it is possible to completely change the characteristic of the amp by tweaking the pots inside the 250. Overall it is a very versatile sounding amp and for the home performer or session man could be a valuable tool. Its probably better for clean than dirty, and when used clean the chorus and delay come into their own.

My 250 has been gigged for years and so far shows no sign of giving up the ghost. It can sound "noisy" at times depending on whether the club/venue has a decent earth etc. This is only a small concern when you consider the size of the unit in question.

Never neede to, although i gather that GK are only making bass amps now anyway.

This is a cool amp to own. It might not be everyones cup of tea but for sheer versatility and simplicity of operation it must score highly. Its overall plus point is its versatility and portability. The amp is tiny withy a BIG sound. Stick it through a 4x12 and let it rip!!!!!! If you can pick one up second hand, the chances are that you are always gonna get a bargain.