markyd
Inspired
So, I have an AXE-FX II and a Matrix Power amp. I love the Matrix. I play a lot of gigs where a cabinet is provided however, so I wanted a power amp with some tone controls to compensate for different cabinets on the fly as I don't have time to adjust presets. I came across the Harley Benton GPA-400 power amp from Thomann for only $166.
https://m.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_gpa_400.htm
I figure for that price, what the hell.
When I received it, I was dismayed to find that It would only work on 230 volts. Bummer. I considered getting a transformer, but that would defeat the whole purpose of having a lightweight power amp. So, it sat for a while. On a whim I opened it up and discovered that there seemed to be a way to shunt a spot on the board to convert it to 120 volts. I soldered a bit of solid copper wire on the spot, and fired it up connected to 120 volts and it worked great!
![[IMG]](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2FxSZU9RpMfW6607Pb3eTxmPzfzxbHs3Qzbp6L1tyhxX21veWzbOL2gt7PXzX0GReUGd0AN5xwB-qYbdWKerTHML8teV6OPAyOUHO2jN1NLlSLLtpq6E5eXGqPyONqR_YT97nqxKTVWHLAdR9T963t-U-qxM1lbMi0BSI4GwUZ6NA507mS9Vt5ymh_lzDhFWkUAR5mJ0YNn48zQegOH_K_noC9oA3kjFKetx-yBKR78ZkMS1g6NRmpQH9XHt1wYr6kDbafOx5rlMvthBbCYx0GswEa-lr8_egSbn9JIGSHXXwKPS9wrXidydR6DM4OODqwLu-44JSH5P6RG14lt28hPCulnEZxxGCByr3Z98mG44HdA6iHAD7aEFBXz_Wl0UGc01-fzJ5-09Jutm2Zf1jrmIg9BWNFZ5xePxCW8Qj8c4hder7ElUGojJEmsuc4lUvxXg0YPnCpmb7hi4ySNegBeHOMLkSu0M1FnuIvK2Hm1igNZMdQXFQeiyOfpibGR7L-mPn6gPm8zStuG6P4F-M3P3A7ahW8cWCELJ3A99oY-0bj8YtAQ5ibk7lpUDNLkAmLiBJrLnMOsM-T_-ftbr8LIt5_Oy9koUmGgIvjHXV0ndT806tCJq4FH19QmeHzjX760SE_hro4sd9Bf_f6tVJXOlDKz_m3XqxB9E4JN-9-z6iFGndYRcZ-CNAr2zYF46EbitALtC7TGT5qVUswtpz9cbD7ci_aYlw0W8MUHWPB5MfAkhk%3Dw690-h920-no&hash=18a4434ea55a1c8f0efa2f7e1290e66b "[IMG]")
![[IMG]](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2F8wTUS2iVvNNEPq09VR3aHYDjEco3JQK7F7GDEnZqSdpN_Yp3ZNTfMlBvMxVXnLROLH6e-KA19OWnukFcmmJg_YoaK3s1-_cuGj4jY3jQwqMj4dLgpx9TwsSadhVYZ4KrObHOjVtTMMboGELfanHhy-ruXc3liWn7NCcz6mn6TSO60-yQTprTE7YxiLG9_QmzuTdIqyUpZu1KSzuIwJWjs1H8nEYwaBf1Y0FMZHZUgSPdvh4e5QblNqrY7LyVAtLWuEFtJO6bWtvDg6E_9w6yP6xANsfPDEpyo6QzhserGZ2sszmnk1jfGNasXBS82wlEZjd81PUaNF3ClVB0CK_yST-Go1cY3uncEWQAkGuS7qhBZmwirNLuIkh2wmBeIuBfoOlc-vFYWbOwyEyWeHaN5qcfvQKWyZOKAsCVsmRwiwQ7JK8q1a_VKJGAiGKgusSvzQDpCkHuXbcMTExAOmgnyEpkEpExrkziDUAck01y03ooKoBpj-ahVPdklfwBuvckaMBy31trbp_jk3oZsqYWIDDq-KfIf3Xu83nGbOiLQy__r5IIH2iOTfqTXD1FhPPrhrzIcTjMAujb6CRRBBw6aITHRCKFxeQopnrXt_USE858QXxX774PaexEV0npX8zl3QsPQxoP2ao4GwlN4cWpyXXRXvQLPa5jhEMoO0c3nxWZLkCijgEG9cIKjTmQwzYNN4GBRUTwNxs6H4axMewFiX2b2eqTkatXTXvqoteS8yRhkNc%3Dw690-h920-no&hash=d2f5281dd3c252ab693ed489ab8b6386 "[IMG]")
It sounds pretty good! My Matrix sounds only a little bit "sweeter", but overall it sounds really good. Especially for only $166! The tone controls really help when I have to use different cabinets. It is plenty loud.
https://m.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_gpa_400.htm
I figure for that price, what the hell.
When I received it, I was dismayed to find that It would only work on 230 volts. Bummer. I considered getting a transformer, but that would defeat the whole purpose of having a lightweight power amp. So, it sat for a while. On a whim I opened it up and discovered that there seemed to be a way to shunt a spot on the board to convert it to 120 volts. I soldered a bit of solid copper wire on the spot, and fired it up connected to 120 volts and it worked great!
It sounds pretty good! My Matrix sounds only a little bit "sweeter", but overall it sounds really good. Especially for only $166! The tone controls really help when I have to use different cabinets. It is plenty loud.
