GK 2001RB II Smoke Smell (did I fry my head)

Millertime63 · #1 06-16-2011, 11:41 AM

I just repaired a speaker on my Ampeg 410hlf 4 ohm cab and believe my guitar player wired the speaker back in wrong. (He is usually very knowledgeable with speaker wiring) After I turned my amp on (GK 2001RB II) and played about a minute into a song I started to smell a smoke/burn smell. Turned off the amp right away and changed to another 4ohm cab I have that is wired correctly to finish rehearsal.

When I turned the amp connected to the other cab, on all seems ok but as soon as I start to play the blue power light turns to red and no sound. When I mute the amp or no signal from the bass the power light is blue again.

Any ideas...? Did I fry my head...?

bassgod0dmw · #2 06-16-2011, 11:56 AM

2001RB II?

If it plays totally fine into another cab, no, you didn't fry it. It sounds like it went into some sort of protection mode though, so maybe it didn't like something about the other cab.

Personally, I wouldn't play it until I got it checked out...and I'd get the cab checked out too.

Are you sure the cab is now wired correctly? Did you replace it with the correct speaker?

Millertime63 · #3 06-16-2011, 03:41 PM

My bad it is the 1001RB II head, the other cab is correctly wired and have used it many times. It is an Ampeg cab factory wired @ 4 Ohms. The speaker was not replaced just repaired in the 410HLF so it is the same factory speaker from Ampeg in the cabinet. We took the speaker out and did not note the wire connections as there are 2 blacks and one red.

singlemalt · #4 06-16-2011, 03:56 PM

The GK is supposed to detect unsafe conditions from things like improperly wired speakers or short circuits.

Output is muted and the light turns from blue to red.

That is paraphrased from the manual.

Basically the red light, mute thing means, "stop, I don't like what ever it is you are doing to me."

Unhook everything and start over with a cab you know works.
The GK 1001 rb-2 is safe with no cab hooked up, 8ohm or 4ohm loads. They do not like mixed loads or less than 4 ohms.

Longhair · #5 06-16-2011, 03:58 PM

How good are you with a multimeter?

Years ago I had a GK head turn into a $750 cigarette lighter the first time I plugged it in. Took it back and was given a new one on the spot. Not even 5 hours on the new one, it completely died and I was told to take it into a service center this time around since there were no more replacements.

A couple of weeks later I pick the head up and asked what was wrong - internal fuse blown out.

craig.p · #6 06-16-2011, 04:01 PM

Also try another speaker cable, even though the probability of its having gone bad during this "event" is ~0.001.

Millertime63 · #7 06-17-2011, 03:08 AM

Thanks to all for the comments, craig.p believe it or not, I changed out the speaker cable and no more problem....sounded great. Rewired my speaker in my 410HLF to the schematic and will test with multi meter next rehearsal before reconnecting. So glad I did not fry the head...YEA!

manghu67 · #8 06-17-2011, 02:49 PM

I had something similar happen to me.

Your 410hlf has a capacitor in the crossover circuit. That cap may be what you're smelling.

My cab was woofing smoke out the ports, and when I took the jack plate off the back, my cap looked like a cigar ash.

Take the jack plate off the back and inspect that cap.