Gallien Krueger: Why I can`t get a good definition in the lows-muddy???

[Langueta]

I am running a Gallien Krueger 1001rb2 trough a Hartke XL 410 cab. I play a musicman stingray 5 and the dbx 160A from the effects channel.

The settings are more or less like this
Contour:0
Presence:10 (turning the presence off gave me some more definition)
Imput volume: 10
Low mids: 12
Hi mids: 12
Bass:12
Treble: 1
Boost:12-1
Pad: off
Master volume:12

The compressor is at 4.1 it only compress when I dig hard. I set it at overeasy compression, When I am playing with a normal touch it dont compress if I dig it gets at overeasy compression ( something bethween compressing and not compressing)

The stingray is set flat . The action is low. The problem is that I have to turn on the treble of the bass to get more definition in the low notes. They sound a bit muddy, with not so good definition. I also want to get a more overdriven tone similar than the one flea gets in By the Way.

Why I get a muddy tone when turning the boost knob??why I cant get a overdriven tone??
Don´t misunderstand me. the rig sounds good. However, I want to fix this details.
Thanks!

[metallicafan18]

Try backing off some of your highs a bit. Don't be afraid to bo behind the 12 o'clock. Some people think 12 is the lowest, go a little behind that with your treble and maybe high-mid and see if that helps. try boosting your low-mids as well.

[Sonicfrog]

I have a GK 400PBIII, so I'll go off that: Here is what I think is your problem:

Contour:0
Presence:10 (turning the presence off gave me some more definition)
Imput volume: 10
Low mids: 12
Hi mids: 12
Bass:12
Treble: 1
Boost:12-1
Pad: on

Looks like you have everything turned up to the max. The bass and presence will override everything else (it is a bass amp after all). You're overwhelming your tone controls. Back everything off to at least neutral and work from there. I know my amp is a little different than yours, but the principles are the same. For reference, here is how I have mine set up. I get more of a smooth low end sound, kind of a Paul Denman sound (Sade's wonderful bassist), It's a good place to start.

[will33]

Don't know if it's going to fix it but try turning the boost down a little below noon, forget compression, let your right hand control that. Where's the master volume set? 2 schools of thought on this. 1. Dime the master/adjust input gain for volume. 2. Adjust input gain along with all other front-end tone controls to get desired tone, then turn master up to desired volume. If you're using 1, try 2...if you're using 2, try 1. The bass control on a GK is set at 60hz, probably 1--1-1/3 octave, the lowmid control is at 250. The mud/boom is going to be coming from one of those 2 knobs. Try turning down either but not both to remove what you don't want in the sound first, adding a little but not too much of the knobs on either side of it to get more of what you do want may or may not help things.

[wave rider]

Is the Woofer High-Cut near the Woofer volume knob undepressed (off)? That cuts anything above 6khz if I'm remembering correctly, and you want full range going to your Hartke cabinet.

Would the compressor work differently before the preamp?

I hadn't heard the 1001RB-II described as muddy before.

=wr=

edit>> Try with 4/5 string button set on 4, you may be playing in boomy environments.

[Langueta]

Originally Posted by will33

Don't know if it's going to fix it but try turning the boost down a little below noon, forget compression, let your right hand control that. Where's the master volume set? 2 schools of thought on this. 1. Dime the master/adjust input gain for volume. 2. Adjust input gain along with all other front-end tone controls to get desired tone, then turn master up to desired volume. If you're using 1, try 2...if you're using 2, try 1. The bass control on a GK is set at 60hz, probably 1--1-1/3 octave, the lowmid control is at 250. The mud/boom is going to be coming from one of those 2 knobs. Try turning down either but not both to remove what you don't want in the sound first, adding a little but not too much of the knobs on either side of it to get more of what you do want may or may not help things.

The master volume is set at 12. I want fat lows with definition, so I turn down the low mids??? and adding a bit of the bass??

[will33]

To correct a couple things from my previous post, the bass control is at 60hz but should be a shelving thing at least down to an LPF if there is one, the lowmid control will have an octave or a little more range. Don't use any prevoicing things, in other words, don't have any of the little chiclet buttons pushed in. Even if you're playing a 5 or 6 string, try leaving the little button set to 4 string. Also set the amp to "full-range" and plug your speaker into the low-outs. Forget the biamp thing, in any GK (save for the 800rb) it's just a little 50watt tweeter amp that the passive crossover or HPF + L-pad in most any cab with a tweeter will be handling anyway.

A lot of boom comes from frequencies an octave or 2 higher that a lot of people think it does with a bass guitar. 40/60hz bass in a lot of weird rooms either sounds clean or doesn't get heard at all. It's the 80-320ish stuff that's going to either make you sound present/full and good or boomy/muddy and not so good. Play with the relationship between the lowmid/boost/input gain and master. If thinking about how knobs work and twisting them different ways still comes up with different variations of some sound you don't like then the cab is probably putting some "tone stamp" on the sound that isn't that great. In that case, try playing the same bass/amp through some different cabs.

A Stingray can be be a growly bass if you want it to be and GK's can be growly amps if you want them to be. An overdoing of both could lead to a ratty/hollow sound that isn't the fault of any one component.

[will33]

Originally Posted by Langueta

The master volume is set at 12. I want fat lows with definition, so I turn down the low mids??? and adding a bit of the bass??

"Fat lows with defintion" up close by the rig could mean one thing, the same sound out front could mean a totally opposite knob setting. Think of the low knob as "really deep" like big bass cab/subwoofer type stuff. The lowmid knob as being the "body or meat" of the sound. The highmid knob as being definition/clarity or twang/clank depending on playing style/sound desired, etc. The treble knob as being anywhere from hearing the actual windings on the strings vibrating to click and fret noise/fingers sliding on strings up and down the neck depending on style.

Maybe the rig isn't going to bring what you want to hear, that's cool too, just some ideas to try and get what you want out of it. GK's have a rep as being clean/sparkly or whatever, just saying I haven't had a problem getting a warm/full sound out of them. EQ adjustments are sensitive, I wouldn't have any knob turned way up or way down. They seem to have a good balance of warmth+clarity with the boost knob turned up somewhere between 9:00 and noon/1:00. Whatever gain that loses, if any, apply power as needed, you have plenty.

[jg919]

Hi!

I agree with Sonicfrog. Ive been playing GK forever, and he's got it right.

A great place to start is:

Set volume at 0
Set eq flat (ie 12 o'clock)
turn boost all the way up
turn master to 12 oclock
turn contour and presence all the way down.

NOW...turn up volume to suit your adible level (how loud you like it)
now adjust eq and presence to taste.

I suggest leaving contour at 0, as a flat setting like this leaves important mid-lows (suitable for TIGHT low-end) intact - like 250hZ.

How does this work for you? it's the method I use to configure all my GK amps
at EVERY venue (800rb, 1001rb II, 2001rbII).

All the best!
JOHN.

[MIJ-VI]

Originally Posted by Langueta

I am running a Gallien Krueger 1001rb2 trough a Hartke XL 410 cab. I play a musicman stingray 5 and the dbx 160A from the effects channel.

The settings are more or less like this
Contour:0
Presence:10 o'clock (turning the presence off gave me some more definition)
Imput volume: 10 o'clock
Low mids: 12 o'clock
Hi mids: 12 o'clock
Bass:12 o'clock
Treble: 1 o'clock
Boost:12-1 o'clock
Pad: off
Master volume:12 o'clock

The compressor is at 4.1 it only compress when I dig hard. I set it at overeasy compression, When I am playing with a normal touch it dont compress if I dig it gets at overeasy compression ( something bethween compressing and not compressing)

The stingray is set flat . The action is low. The problem is that I have to turn on the treble of the bass to get more definition in the low notes. They sound a bit muddy, with not so good definition. I also want to get a more overdriven tone similar than the one flea gets in By the Way.

Why I get a muddy tone when turning the boost knob??why I cant get a overdriven tone??
Don´t misunderstand me. the rig sounds good. However, I want to fix this details.
Thanks!

Yes?

Have you tried tilting the cab back a bit (you may have to place the amp on the floor or on a chair beside the cab) so that you can better hear its mids and highs as well as its lows?

BTW. You're not using a guitar cord for a speaker cable, are you?

[georgestrings]

I think you're blaming your G-K head when the problem likely lies with the Hartke cab... I've heard G-K called a few things, but generally they're not called "muddy"...



- georgestrings

[ljazz]

Originally Posted by georgestrings

I think you're blaming your G-K head when the problem likely lies with the Hartke cab... I've heard G-K called a few things, but generally they're not called "muddy"...



- georgestrings

I agree.... that cabinet rolls off pretty quickly. But that can be an advantage..... the key is in the mids, and that's what gets all growly with the gk heads. Make sure you run with the string filter set to 4 string..... Keep the contour down, presence to taste, eq at noon. It will sound a lot better out in the crowd when the whole band is playing ..... guaranteed.

[somegeezer]

I have the same head. My treble, low-mid and high-mid on 1, bass on 12. Contour and presence completely off. My boost is then about 10, but more is cool if you like it. Make sure your 4/5 string button is on 4 string too. The 5 string seems to just boost lows which you don't need and I find it sounding muddy. If that doesn't work for you, try upping mids slightly more.