700RB vs 800RB

[JoshuaTSP]

I picked up an old 800RB recently and fell in love with it.
Great tight, focused, punch tone....with plenty of flexibility.

For a backup, I purchased a 700RB. The first version.


People debate back and forth about whether or not a 700RB can sound like an 800.....

I can tell you first hand that it can....

....but not with the same settings.

IMO, the 700 is just slightly brighter in the upper mids.
(or the 800 is slightly warmer in the upper mids.)

You just have to dial back some of the high end on the 700, and BAM instant 800.

The 700 is nice, since it's smaller and has more tonal variation.
the 4/5 string button was a nice touch.

Both have great tone.

Your thoughts?

[christw]

I have a 1001RB-II and I love it. I never got to compare against the 800, but I bought mine after using several 700RB and dug the tone. I just wanted more oomph incase I needed it.

[JoshuaTSP]

Oomph as in low end or Oomph as in volume?

Either the 800 or 700 and I couldn't imagine needing more than that?

[christw]

Originally Posted by JoshuaTSP

Oomph as in low end or Oomph as in volume?

Either the 800 or 700 and I couldn't imagine needing more than that?

Potential headroom (volume). I've dimed an SVT-II before while in a very loud band. I wanted something lighter with nice growl and potential to put out enough power to just about reach the limits of my cabs. The bassist in my band uses my 1001RB + 810E and despite playing for only one month, he is fully confident my bass rig could drown out my 100w tube half stack I use in that band. I kind of believe it too and I like that.

[larrison]

I have been thinking about picking an 800 up again..it's been quite a few years but I remember the 300 watts of the 800RB being a very loud 300 watts. Is that accurate or I am "mis-remembering" like Roger Clemens?

[christw]

Originally Posted by larrison

I have been thinking about picking an 800 up again..it's been quite a few years but I remember the 300 watts of the 800RB being a very loud 300 watts. Is that accurate or I am "mis-remembering" like Roger Clemens?

Could be both. What tone do (or did) you use and through what? 300 mid-heavy watts will go very very far, especially if through some sensitive speakers.

[JoshuaTSP]

Originally Posted by christw

Potential headroom (volume). I've dimed an SVT-II before while in a very loud band. I wanted something lighter with nice growl and potential to put out enough power to just about reach the limits of my cabs. The bassist in my band uses my 1001RB + 810E and despite playing for only one month, he is fully confident my bass rig could drown out my 100w tube half stack I use in that band. I kind of believe it too and I like that.

I was going to say......

I play in a loud stoner rock band and I've got A LOT more volume to go before I would either explode venue windows, get punched by my guitarist or blow speakers.

Originally Posted by larrison

I have been thinking about picking an 800 up again..it's been quite a few years but I remember the 300 watts of the 800RB being a very loud 300 watts. Is that accurate or I am "mis-remembering" like Roger Clemens?

The 800RB is easily loud enough for any band, IMO.

[larrison]

If I remember right, my first go round was through a Crate 410 (of all things). This was early 90's...It had to have been an 8 ohm cab so I wasn't even using 300 watts and simply loved that amp. I had another one a few years later- ran it into a 210/115 config and these were really cheap cabs. Seismic audio cheap and the amp still sounded great. It was always a grindy rock tone I was after and it never failed to deliver.

[christw]

Originally Posted by larrison

If I remember right, my first go round was through a Crate 410 (of all things). This was early 90's...It had to have been an 8 ohm cab so I wasn't even using 300 watts and simply loved that amp. I had another one a few years later- ran it into a 210/115 config and these were really cheap cabs. Seismic audio cheap and the amp still sounded great. It was always a grindy rock tone I was after and it never failed to deliver.

I can't speak for those cabs, but try one again and see what happens. If you need more juice, run it's preamp into a power amp and get GK tone and a whole lotta extra power.

[larrison]

Originally Posted by christw

I can't speak for those cabs, but try one again and see what happens. If you need more juice, run it's preamp into a power amp and get GK tone and a whole lotta extra power.

I was thinking of doing just that..

[JordanUK]

I've used nothing but an 800RB for the last eight years or so. Love the tone. First through a 2x15/2 x10 cab and then I downsized to a 1x18/2x10 cab. I play with two fairly loud guitarists both on Marshall half stacks and can easilly keep up at just over half on the voume pots. If you crank it it gets insanely loud and thats before you touch the boost pot.

[JoshuaTSP]

It's kind of a wash.....really.....

I think both 800RBs and 700RBs are running around the same priced used.

The 800s have a little better reliability track record I think....but the 700 is no slouch either.

[georgestrings]

I agree that one can cop the 800rb tone with a 700rb, yet get some others besides - and IME, the 700rb-II takes that versatility a step further: it has an even more versatile preamp section, and will get significantly louder than either the 800rb or the 700rb...



- georgestrings

[JoshuaTSP]

EXACTLY!

I just had to start this......since a lot of people seem to think the 700 can't do the 800 sound...

[ljazz]

I had mentioned this in another thread....... I have an 800rb at the rehearsal space, and spent a bunch of time a/b'ing the 800 with my 700rbII. My findings were similar, except that it wasn't so much the highs or high mids that had to roll off, but the presence control had to be off. The 800 also growls a bit sooner, surely due to the lower wattage. But into an 8 ohm load, compared to the 800 into 4 ohms, the 700 growl got going at a similar volume. Set flat, boost off, and into the same cabs, I know that I can not tell the difference. But that cab caveat is really the difference I think everyone hears...... because you can get the growl happening a bit sooner with the 800 at lower volumes. Depending on your perspective, one could be better than the other...... I find that when I play out my 700rbII, I try to take as little cone area as I can get away with so that I can get the growl going sooner without my volume killin' everyone on stage.

In addition to the string filter, a couple of other "points" for the the 700rbII is the variable contour and HMS.

The 700rbII really is the best value (tone/price) out there. But either head is a winner!