800rb: Jekyl and Hyde?

[MK1]

When I was amp shopping a while ago I was doing a lot of research on the 800rb. One thing that always surprised me was the stark difference in the way people described the tone of this amp. One group of people would claim the 800rb was clean and sterile, and the other group would claim it to be warm and growly. I have never seen any other amp be described so differently, by different people. Occasionally I'll see someone claim Amp X is always super muddy and someone will come along and say it's always tight and punchy, but I've never seen an amp described as both sterile and warm.
What can account for this vast difference in tone. Is the 800rb very dependent on cab pairing? Does the "boost" dramatically alter the character of the amp? Or is there a clear tone difference between manufacturing dates?

I would like to hear your thoughts on the character of the 800rb, did you find it "clean and sterile" or "warm and growly"? Please also include which cab you were running it through, your amp setting (gain staging and EQ), and also approximate date of manufacture (or version, ie: horizontal or vertical power switch).

For the record I use an early 90's (horizontal switch) 800rb with an Ampeg 810e (2008), and I'm in the warm and growly camp.

[lokikallas]

Clean and growly?

[rpsands]

It sounds different depending on what input signal you send it and where you turn those magic little knobs on the front.

[sowegafly]

Mids are key here. To me when I have the mids scooped its very clean and sterle but start boosting the mids and it starts getting growly and warm. the 800rb is a great head and you can coax alot of different tones out of it with a little eq. I've been using an Avatar 212 with it and have been able to enjoy both sides of the coin with this amp. It doesn't get real tube warm but to me its pretty close.

[will33]

I've never had a problem getting either flavor out of them, one of my favorite amps. A little goes a long way in any of the controls...many sounds in there. And it's biamp system makes sense. 100 watts is plenty to run a real mid/high section instead of just powering a tweeter and having 2x - 3x power for the lows is a good balance......great amp, there's a reason they still make and sell them after all these years. Reliable design too, all kinds of folks gig with 20+ year old 800rb's.

[gustobassman]

I run an 800rb through an ampeg 610 HLF, i used to run it through an older svt 810. I'm in agreement about the mids. bring up the high and low mids and you get the growl more so than running it scooped.

I actually run the EQ mainly flat, but with a slight treble cut and a small boost on the low mid. Input volume around 2 o'clock, master almost maxxed. however i run into a Sansamp Bass Driver before the amp's EQ section. I do most of my tweaking with that as opposed to the amp's EQ.

[B-string]

It can be both and SOOOO many in between. That is why it was my go to amp for so long. As for the sound along the decades, Robert Gallien worked very hard to see that didn't change. That sound is expensive to produce by todays standards but RAG would not allow the sound or durability to be compromised.

Yeah forgot.....ran mine with an Altec 421A loaded Acoustic Control 215 cab and a Fender single Showman 15 also Altec loaded. Two EVM15B TL606 cabs and lastly a G-K NEO 412
I have run high input high, input low, no boost to high boost, full range into low and high amps, Bi-amp and as a slave amp to my Fusion 550. Practice rig now into the TL606 load with Eminence 3015.

[MK1]

Anyone else have opinions on this head? I'm interested to hear what other cabs people are pairing this amp with.

[JGR]

I think compared to other amps, folks might call it clean/sterile. Of the GK SS amps, it is probably the warmest of the bunch. For cabs, I think a pair of Bag End S15s are perfect. There is a video on my YouTube page of this combo. The BEs help wring the volume out of that head with their high sensitivity, and their voicings are very complementary. The GK also sounds great with all the Berg NVs, especially the 610.

[sowegafly]

I've used several cabs with the 800rb and have never had a bad combination. The only thing I would point out is that the 800rb doesn't have the depth or girth of some of the other gk heads. It is a great head and I still use it majority of the time. It can get warm but it stays focused and punchy as opposed to muddy which is one of the things I love most about this amp.

[jeff7bass]

Hook up and 4 ohm 2x12 to the bottom amp and a single 8 ohm 112 to the high amp and you’re crankin with the 800rb!
A 410 on the bottom with a 210 on the top also works nicely. It’s true, the growl is in the mids. Crank up those mids and you got the great rock tone!

[Standalone]

I think some people hear SS punchiness/grind/growl as sterile and some hear it as warm.
Also, I was just reading today where Bob Gallien talks about interharmonic modulation in this article from an old Bass Gear issue: http://www.gallien.com/BGM3GK.pdf this would explain why it can sound warm (overtones in the THD) while remaining clear (less TIM).

[Standalone]

Originally Posted by jeff7bass

A 410 on the bottom with a 210 on the top also works nicely. It’s true, the growl is in the mids. Crank up those mids and you got the great rock tone!

Nah. 4 ohm 810 and 8 ohm 410.

or like this... http://www.gallien.com/manuals/RBS_S...r_s_Manual.pdf

[Datsgor]

In 1988 I ran mine bi amped into a Hartke 15" and a Hartke 2x10". Despite the aluminum speakers, It sounded very clean and warm....I really dug the way the mids came through live. It had alot of punch and very crispy highs, but not harsh.