GK 1001 RB II in rack???

Mongolian Bass · #1 03-23-2010, 10:33 PM

I am wondering if any of you GK 1001 RB II owners that put your amp head in a rack can tell me about it. I know the fan is on the top and I really want to know how it is effected by being in a rack. More specifically in a 2 space rack where there would be barely any room between the top of the head and the top of the rack. If the rack is not the way to go, can anyone tell me about the GK soft cases that they make for this head?

mrwink · #2 03-23-2010, 10:54 PM

Mine is in an SKB 6-space Roller Rack... I have a Rack Rider power thingy in the top, then my Korg tuner... the two middle spaces just have aluminum panels and then the head... lots of breathing room!

coolrunner989 · #3 03-23-2010, 10:55 PM

The biggest concern/complaint I have with GK heads in a rack is the necessary space for other rack units for a cable to run to the input. A lot of other heads have a primary input on the back, makes racking the head with other things like a tuner or something easier.

mrwink · #4 03-24-2010, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolrunner989

The biggest concern/complaint I have with GK heads in a rack is the necessary space for other rack units for a cable to run to the input. A lot of other heads have a primary input on the back, makes racking the head with other things like a tuner or something easier.

I just drilled a hole in the edge of one of my aluminum panels and haven't touched it since. 3 or 4 years and counting.

TBird1958 · #5 03-24-2010, 11:13 AM

I use a 6 space Road Ready case for my 1001RBII, with a Furman AR1215, the top two spaces are open for ventilation and I have wired and mounted a 12 volt fan to the back as well.

Gerhn Blanston · #6 03-24-2010, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mongolian Bass

I am wondering if any of you GK 1001 RB II owners that put your amp head in a rack can tell me about it. I know the fan is on the top and I really want to know how it is effected by being in a rack. More specifically in a 2 space rack where there would be barely any room between the top of the head and the top of the rack. If the rack is not the way to go, can anyone tell me about the GK soft cases that they make for this head?

I've been running mine this way for a year with no problems at all. The tuner is very shallow and this allows for fan ventilation.
The soft cases are alright but if I were you I would go with a hard case (even if it's homemade).

Mongolian Bass · #7 03-24-2010, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerhn Blanston

I've been running mine this way for a year with no problems at all. The tuner is very shallow and this allows for fan ventilation.
The soft cases are alright but if I were you I would go with a hard case (even if it's homemade).

I had my head in a rack once before, but that was so long ago and there was a problem or something weird going on when it was inside the rack. I don't know if it is because there was so much space for the sound to resonate, but when I played an F either the third fret of the D string or eighth fret of the A string, the head would start to make some buzzing noise. Have you encountered this? I am playing in a small apartment sized room if that makes any difference.

Gerhn Blanston · #8 03-24-2010, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mongolian Bass

I had my head in a rack once before, but that was so long ago and there was a problem or something weird going on when it was inside the rack. I don't know if it is because there was so much space for the sound to resonate, but when I played an F either the third fret of the D string or eighth fret of the A string, the head would start to make some buzzing noise. Have you encountered this? I am playing in a small apartment sized room if that makes any difference.

All the components fit super tight in the SKB case so it is buzz-free.
I've had ZERO problems with this rig.

megadan · #9 03-24-2010, 11:51 AM

I used mine in a 3-space rack and never had any problems. Sometimes I used a short preamp on top that only covered a corner of the fan, still no probs.

Wes Whitmore · #10 03-24-2010, 02:10 PM

Air is pulled in from the top and blown out the front. The fan makes a big difference on these amps. When I first got my 400RB, the fan didn't work at all. 30 minutes into my first practice, the amp safely shut down when it got hot. Fixed the fan and it runs cool. When it does run, it doesn't blow much air. Currently, I have it in a 4U shallow SKB rack with a 1U tuner in the top, followed by a $7 perferated plate for added ventilation (and I didn't have anything else to rack), then the 400RB. If I was to put it in a 2U shallow SKB rack, I would probably just drill some small holes into the top of the skb rack for fresh air to come into. You wouldn't even be able to see the holes, and it would be added assurance. You will know quickly if the amp isn't getting enough fresh air because it will shut down. The only problem with the SKB shallow racks is that they have a smaller opening in the back of them, so you should probably look into 90degree speakons and power IEC cables, but I currently am using straight throughs and it works fine for me in a 4U.

georgestrings · #11 03-24-2010, 04:28 PM

Here's my two racked G-K's - haven't had a bit of trouble with either:

Gerhn Blanston · #12 03-24-2010, 04:38 PM

WOW, that's sweeeeeeeet, brother.
I went with the x2 XDS - Plus ONLY because I needed something portable for my acoustic (thru the board) gigs.
Impressive!