Advice on my bass rig please!!

Jake Morris · #1 03-05-2011, 09:53 PM

So today I purchased a cab and head because my little 100-watter combo has become not enough power for me. I bought an Ampeg Isovent from my bass teacher, which I thought was a really cool idea with the 210 and out of phase 215. I bought it before reviews because I trust my bass teacher's opinion. At the store I take lessons, they had a couple Gallien Krueger heads, and of all of them, I liked the 800RB. Once I got home with all of this, I read online the specs of the cab, that it has a 600 watt rating and that that was below what the head I will eventually get. The amp I love is the Mesa Boogie M9, but I don't have the money for that right now, so that is why I went with the GK for now. I just wanted to know if I should bring the cab back to my bass teacher because I'm afraid that it won't be able to handle the Mesa later on in the future. He (my bass teacher) told me that the sale is not final of course, and that I should try as many amps as possible so he won't be upset if I take the cab back to him.

Oh and I wanted to know how to properly hook up my head and cab in 2 different ways (at a time). First, I would like to know how to hook everything up to get the "full range" mode, and then how to hook it up so the low's go to the 15's, and the high's go to the 10's. I need advice on that ASAP because I'm going to Guitar Center tomorrow to try my cab with the M6. (they don't have the M9 in stock)

Jake Morris · #2 03-05-2011, 10:00 PM

i am having trouble uploading pics which are very necessary. help!

christw · #3 03-05-2011, 10:41 PM

You can't biamp highs and lows to that cab. The GK will only biamp specific highs via speaking cable to specific capable cabs.

Playing it full range you can either:

Plug a speaker cable from each speaker output into the cab's high/low (10s/15s)
OR plug one cable from amp to a full range input if it has one.

Was thinkin' 700RB.

Jake Morris · #4 03-06-2011, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by christw

You can't biamp highs and lows to that cab. The GK will only biamp specific highs via speaking cable to specific capable cabs.

Playing it full range you can either:

Plug a speaker cable from each speaker output into the cab's high/low (10s/15s)
OR plug one cable from amp to a full range input if it has one.

I'm pretty sure I can. Just how do you upload pictures?

Floyd Eye · #5 03-06-2011, 07:05 AM

Get a ( Free) photobucket account. Upload your pics there. Copy and paste the IMG code here.

Jake Morris · #6 03-06-2011, 07:26 AM

http://s1122.photobucket.com/albums/l534/bassmasta1209/

RickenBoogie · #7 03-06-2011, 08:18 AM

The biamp capability of the GK head is very specific, and only works with certain GK cabs. It's high end is for the tweeter. It will NOT work with the Isovent cab. Also, whether or not the Isovent will work out with the M9 you plan to get, the only way to know is to actually try it. Forget about the cab's rating, that's the point the voice coil melts, and has no bearing on how much power it will actually take from an amp before sounding bad, and then blowing out. My thoughts are that in any case, it will not be an ideal pairing- but that is all about YOU and your ears. Good luck with it.

Zitch · #8 03-06-2011, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

The biamp capability of the GK head is very specific, and only works with certain GK cabs. It's high end is for the tweeter. It will NOT work with the Isovent cab. Also, whether or not the Isovent will work out with the M9 you plan to get, the only way to know is to actually try it. Forget about the cab's rating, that's the point the voice coil melts, and has no bearing on how much power it will actually take from an amp before sounding bad, and then blowing out. My thoughts are that in any case, it will not be an ideal pairing- but that is all about YOU and your ears. Good luck with it.

+1 If your want to biamp the GK head you have to use a Gk cab with speakron cable. I will tell you the GK Neo 4x12 simply sounds amazing with a GK head.

Jake Morris · #9 03-06-2011, 08:36 AM

But I did try the gk with the isovent and it DID biamp. I'll make a vid when I get home and have the right cable

WardEarth · #10 03-06-2011, 09:00 AM

Sounds strange that the gk doesn't bi-amp anything except gk cabs. I used to have the 800rb, and I believe I bi-amped it a few times, never using gk cabs. The back of the amp says use at least 4 ohm cabs, doesn't say use only gk cabs.

Jake Morris · #11 03-06-2011, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WardEarth

Sounds strange that the gk doesn't bi-amp anything except gk cabs. I used to have the 800rb, and I believe I bi-amped it a few times, never using gk cabs. The back of the amp says use at least 4 ohm cabs, doesn't say use only gk cabs.

+1

Rockmusician · #12 03-06-2011, 09:07 AM

In order to use the bi amp function of the GK you must use GK cabs that are equipped for it. You must also use the GK 4 wire speakon cables. Non GK cables are usually 2 wire.

christw · #13 03-06-2011, 09:09 AM

Read up on your amp: http://www.gallien-krueger.com/manuals/700rb.pdf

Unless you're using speakon to one of their RBH cabinets designed to biamp with the RB's, you're not biamping. Page five, left side.

wrong amp. oops

Jake Morris · #14 03-06-2011, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by christw

Read up on your amp: http://www.gallien-krueger.com/manuals/700rb.pdf

Unless you're using speakon to one of their RBH cabinets designed to biamp with the RB's, you're not biamping. Page five, left side.

Speakon is just a type of connector. And they say to use that GK cab cuz they want you to buy only their stuff.

froghat · #15 03-06-2011, 09:14 AM

From the OP's pictures, it looks like the head has separate 1/4" jacks for high and low outputs, not the 4-conductor speakons that newer GK stuff has. As the Isovent has biampable inputs, I would think a 1/4" cable from each output to each biamped input should work.

Jake Morris · #16 03-06-2011, 09:15 AM

and I have the 800RB

NecroticImbecil · #17 03-06-2011, 09:23 AM

If you plug into the cab's full range input, it will present a 4 Ohm load, and the cab's crossover will route lows to the 15s, highs/mids to the 10s, and super highs to the tweeter. Not sure of the peculiarities of GK heads, but the cab will have additional seperate inputs for the 10s and 15s. If the head supports 1/4 inch speaker cables, it's just a matter of plugging the highs into the 10s, and the lows into the 15s. I don't recall the ISOvent having Speakons, but I haven't looked at one in a while. If the head requires magic cables and GK cabs only, I guess you're out of luck.

As for the specs - there were 2 or 3 actual models of ISOvent cabs. Be sure you have looked up the specs for your cab and not one of the others. 99% of speaker cabinets have the Ohm and wattage ratings listed on the jack plate. Does it say 600 watts there? If so, then a head of more than 600 watts, turned up to full volume will probably be more than the cabinet was designed for. You would know best if you will playing that loud. If not, you could be fine with a cabinet rated lower than the amp. Listen for signs of distress.

Or get rid of it and get a GK setup. However, if the Mesa is really your dream amp and the GK is just something "for now," getting a matching set of gear with proprietary features that the Mesa is not compatible with seems like a bit of a detour and possibly a waste of money.

BillyB_from_LZ · #18 03-06-2011, 09:26 AM

Reading some of these posts, I suspect that some folks have neglected to view the photos... It's a cool looking rig and the photos provide a lot of necessary information!!!

If the amp was a 700RB or a 1001RB (or whatever they're called) I'd agree with the "use only GK cabinet" comment for the most part.

However, you're using the 800RB which has 1/4 in. output jacks for the High amp and the Low amp. Your cabinet has input jacks for the 15s and the 10s (the Biamp jacks, as you already know). Simply run speaker cables from High and Low outputs to respective High and Low inputs.

From the photos, it appears that the Low section of the cabinet is rated 8 ohms. Since the 800RB's low section is rated 300 watts into a 4 ohm load, you'll get less power out of it than that...but don't worry, it should still be loud!!!

Since the 10s can handle a full range signal, I'd recommend that you try the amp with that cabinet in both Biamp and Full range modes (using the Biamp input jacks on the cabinet (and High/Low output jacks on the amp) for the full range mode just as you would in the Biamp mode) and find out what sounds best to your ears!

christw · #19 03-06-2011, 09:32 AM

For some reason I was thinking it was a 700RB. That's my mistake.

Jake Morris · #20 03-06-2011, 11:19 AM

Shall I put up a video of me biamping?