Before I had this amp, I only owned a small Peavy practice amp but had used some other larger ones w/ my band. I have to say, this amp is a good all-rounder. Its volume range is great, you can use it for practice alone or with a band. It has a good selection of Compression/EQ etc. It has overdrive, though the soun is a little muddy.

One of the coolest parts, however, is the rings you see on the top, bottom and sides of this amp. Identical models will sort of 'snap' in to the other amps, creating various stacks. I hope to get 1 or 2 more of these because it would be much more convinient to move, and still have the power of a large amp.

If you have the money, buy it! It can be used for any purpose.

I've had this amp for about 6 months now and so far it has been great to me. The tone which I have been getting from it is great and rarely do I have to go past the 5's area to be heard in my band. However there are a few pitfalls to this amp, such as the fact that the distortion on it is pretty much useless becuase its so quiet. I am sometimes afraid to turn it up at shows for fear of blowing out the speaker. That being siad I actually enjoy haivng this amp. IF you do turn it up too high there is a slight distortion, but I personally like the growl that you get from it when this happens.

I grew up on Ampeg amps, but this amp is a powerful little monster that gives an Ampeg a run for the money (but if you have the bucks get the Ampeg). It's got good tone and punch for a small club or bar. I have no problem be heard over my guitar players (both using 100 watt Marshall combos). Add on top the DI lets you use it as a monitor and go straight the sound board. Overdrive feature is nice, but I don't use it.

The Gallien-Krueger (GK) Backline 115 Combo is an absolutely great sounding amp! I purchased it as a portable version for my Gallien-Krueger 1001RB/410RBH bass setup. No exaggeration – the GK Backline 115 Combo sounds nearly identical to it (GK Growl and Awesome EQ section).

The Gallien-Krueger Backline 115 Combo is based off of the Gallien-Krueger 400RB Bass Head. The GK 400RB is based off of the legendary GK 800RB. The industry standard of sound/backline companies is the Ampeg® SVT and the Gallien-Krueger 800RB bass amps. While both are great amps, the Ampeg SVT favors a more overdriven sound with a low rumble and less clarity where as the GK 800RB favors a more punchy sound, highly scooped mids, more clarity and the GK growl. Again - both are great amps and it comes down personal preference.

The GK Backline 115 Combo is a 120 watt amp with a 15” speaker mounted into a Tilt-Back Cabinet. Some of the features are (2) Channels (High/Low Gain), -10db Pad Switch, Mute Switch, (4) Band Active EQ, Contour Knob, Boost Knob, Master (Volume) Knob, Effects Loop, Tuner Output and XLR Output.

The ‘High Gain’ channel on the amp is uninspiring and not very useful. It adds a heavy amount of distortion that just isn’t very musical in my opinion. The ‘Low Gain’ channel however is wonderful. Even with the EQ ‘Flat’, it is voiced almost perfectly. There is more than enough headroom in the preamp section to handle all but the hottest active pickups. So much so, that I do not need to use -10db switch even with my American Jazz Deluxe with its 18volts preamp. The Contour Knob works by scooping out the mid frequencies. The Active EQ consist of (4) knobs and voiced extremely well. The Boost Knob is also known for providing the ‘GK Growl’. This is the hallmark of the Gallien-Krueger tone. It adds a very tasteful amount of overdrive/growl. As you might expect, the Master Volume Knob adjust the overall volume. The XLR Output offers a Ground Lift and Pre/Post EQ Switches. The Post EQ Switch sends all of the wonderful ‘GK Tone’ and EQ adjustments to sound system. This also allows you to adjust the Master Volume of the amp on stage without effecting the overall mix. Your Sound Engineer will love you!

Compared to the Gallien-Krueger Artist-Series which includes 400RB, 700RB and 1001RB; the Gallien Krueger Backline 115 Combo sounds nearly identical. I do however want to point out some functional differences. Obliviously power – the GK 115 Combo is only rated at 120 watts where as the Artist series range in the 280 to 750 watt range. The GK Backline 115 is only rated for an 8ohm load which will not permit you to connect another cabinet to it. Passive Cooling – there is no cooling fan. No DI Output Level – it is a set/predefined level. No Presence Knob on the Backline. Lastly there is no 4/5 string button. This button on the Artist Series re-voices the EQ and gives a little EQ boost @ 20db. I can’t say for certain – but seems the GK Backline 115 might already be voiced with this switch ‘engaged’. I can’t emphasize enough – the Gallien-Krueger Backline 115 Combo sounds nearly identical to the GK Artist Series amps.

The Tilt-Back cabinet is very well built but made from MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard). MDF is heavy compared to traditional plywood and the Gallien-Krueger Backline 115 Combo weighs in at 65lbs due to this. Due to the relatively deep 18” depth, it is somewhat hard (heavy) to carry. The Tilt-Back design is great for directing the sound towards but may have some drawbacks depending on your application. In order to achieve the tilt-back design, GK essentially has to chop of the back/bottom corner. This reduces the internal volume of the cabinet which reduces the amount of bass volume produced. Secondly you are reducing the coupling effect of the speaker bouncing sound/volume off of the floor which reduces the overall efficiency. The amp does not have a HF Driver which I wish it did. This is a 120 watt combo amp – I would not expect to it to compete against a loud drummer or guitarist in an extremely loud rock band setting. I use it in a Church/Praise Worship setting and it more enough on its own with just the slightest amount of reinforcement from the PA system.

This amp has more than enough volume (for a combo) and sounds absolutely wonderful. It is punchy with good depth and extreme clarity. This ‘Backline Series’ is Gallien-Krueger’s entry level line of amps and I suspect many of these reviews are from younger player and individuals with unrealistic expectations from a combo amp. Combo Amps are meant to be portable and works best for practices or small venues. Don’t expect them to perform at loud rock concert levels. I also think that some of the reviewers may have been abusing their amps by running their active bass guitars/pickups wide-open and cranking the EQ all the way. Let’s be realistic – would any amp hold up under these circumstances? I have owned my GK Backline 115 Combo for a couple of years and have had no problems with it at all. I can also say the same for GK 1001RB/410RBH setup which has been problem free as well.

GK Backline 115 Combo Strengths: Awesome Sound/Tone Post EQ XLR Output Tilt-Back Design functions as monitor

GK Backline 115 Combo Concerns: Heavy for Size No Active Cooling No HF Driver High Gain (Distortion) Channel is Deplorable

Summary: The Gallien-Krueger Backline 115 Combo is an absolutely wonderful sounding Bass Combo Amp. It is a bit heavy for the size but performs great. The ‘High Gain’ (distortion) Channel is not very musical and most will not use it. The rest however amp however is very easy to operate, fairly affordable and reliable. I can honestly recommend this Gallien-Krueger Backline 115 Combo amp to anyone. Groove On!

I played this amp at a small house party recently. While impressed with the features of the amp (distortion, equalizer, etc.) the sound was very muddy. I had to turn it way up to be heard with drums and guitar and anything passed "5" was too distorted. It ruined the party.