GK 800rb and 400rb?

Vittu · #1 01-31-2011, 09:26 AM

I've been reading for a while on here how these amps are some of the best you can buy and how people that have them will never sell them, so why doesn't gk still make them if they are the amps that everyone talks about? I love the sound of the new gk gear but if the old style is even better id spend extra money or cary extra weight for that. Just wondering thanks guys.

lbwdog · #2 01-31-2011, 09:30 AM

They still make the 800RB, Great Amp.

allexcosta · #3 01-31-2011, 09:33 AM

The 800RB hasn't been discontinued and probably won't be anytime soon.

The 700RB and 1001RBII have a similar voice to the 400RB with more watts and that's probably what people are buying these days.

RSJ4STRING · #4 01-31-2011, 09:35 AM

will you be pushing more than one cab?

AdamR · #5 01-31-2011, 09:50 AM

Ive read the Backline 600 is basically a 400rb, not sure if its true. 800rbs are still made and used ones are pretty easy to find in the 300 to 400 dollar range.

Greevus · #6 01-31-2011, 02:41 PM

I think the backline is indeed pretty much the same thing as the 400rb's specs. Hard to beat. Used 800rbs on Ebay seem to me to be one of the best values around. I have played 400/800 and now the MB500. I love all three, but I think the MB is the best for me. Now that they have them de-bugged they seem great. I've been cranking two of them for over a year and the growl and punch I get from the wide open boost and 1000 watts through 12--10"s speaks is a religious experience.

Calaverasgrande · #7 01-31-2011, 02:44 PM

Isnt there a 400RB MKIV or something? Or maybe that was what it was called right before they discontinued it. I certainly liked the 800rb/400rb's cleaner design and sturdier buttons. I once was trying out a 700rb at gc and the button flew off as soon as I touched it!

powellmacaque · #8 01-31-2011, 04:01 PM

The 400rb's niche has been filled by the MB series. They dropped the 400rb about a year ago; probably due to people buying less gear in this economy. GK even scrapped the idea for a Fusion 1050, which would have been a monster of an amp.

I'd like to see the 400rb reissued, maybe even in it's "classic" housing. Make the 400rb and the 800rb the "classic" amps, the 700rb, 1001rb, and the 2001 the "modern" amps, and the MB series and the Fusion amps the "cutting edge" amps.

impactwrench · #9 01-31-2011, 07:17 PM

Even as a GK fanboy, I can see the whole RB series disappearing. They aren't generally heavy amps, but if the tone is there in a smaller, lighter, less expensive package, why not go with an MB amp?

The backline 250 had to die because the MB200 was easily a better amp, and it can probably compete with a backline 600. The goldline 500 was just a silly request of GC I think. Who would buy a huge, heavy amp instead of an MB500? Soon the MB800 will be killing the 700RB-II and going toe to toe with the 1001RB-II.

I think GK is killing it with regards to amp heads. I think they need to work on making a little higher quality cabinets. I love the fact that they are featherweight but think the tone could be better.

Vittu · #10 01-31-2011, 08:25 PM

I agree with you on the cabs impactwrench. Thank you guys for the input I got confused cause what I have read sounded like they are hard to find. Is the mb series really that good, what is how different is the tone from the rb series?

WingKL · #11 02-01-2011, 05:47 AM

I don't think the RB series is going anywhere soon. The MB series are SMPS with class D power amp designs and do not have the same growl as the conventional torroidal PS and class H implementations of the RB series. Thats because class D with SMPS do not "hit the rails" like a class H power amp. The class D power section as implemented in the MB500 sounds different from a 700RB. It sounds "quicker and brighter" and lacks that organic warmth of the 700RB . It may not matter to some people but it does matter to those who can appreciate the difference. Listen for yourself. There are(were?) Guitar Centers with GK demo racks that have different amps and speakers you can switch around with and hear the differences. Maybe advances in design will allow a class D amp to growl like the RB series in time. That would also probably be the day they can make a class D amp sound and feel like a tube amp. It might happen in my lifetime too but I ain't holding my breath.

dougjwray · #12 02-01-2011, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by impactwrench

Even as a GK fanboy, I can see the whole RB series disappearing. They aren't generally heavy amps, but if the tone is there in a smaller, lighter, less expensive package, why not go with an MB amp?

The backline 250 had to die because the MB200 was easily a better amp, and it can probably compete with a backline 600. The goldline 500 was just a silly request of GC I think. Who would buy a huge, heavy amp instead of an MB500? Soon the MB800 will be killing the 700RB-II and going toe to toe with the 1001RB-II.

I think GK is killing it with regards to amp heads. I think they need to work on making a little higher quality cabinets. I love the fact that they are featherweight but think the tone could be better.

I agree about the cabinets. A little while ago, I was at Guitar Center and tried an MB500 through a Neo 115, and I was surprised by how tame and anemic it sounded. (I'm used to using a 1001RB-II through a GK 210RBH. Slightly older gear, which much more "heft", IMO.)

impactwrench · #13 02-01-2011, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WingKL

I don't think the RB series is going anywhere soon. The MB series are SMPS with class D power amp designs and do not have the same growl as the conventional torroidal PS and class H implementations of the RB series. Thats because class D with SMPS do not "hit the rails" like a class H power amp. The class D power section as implemented in the MB500 sounds different from a 700RB. It sounds "quicker and brighter" and lacks that organic warmth of the 700RB . It may not matter to some people but it does matter to those who can appreciate the difference. Listen for yourself. There are(were?) Guitar Centers with GK demo racks that have different amps and speakers you can switch around with and hear the differences. Maybe advances in design will allow a class D amp to growl like the RB series in time. That would also probably be the day they can make a class D amp sound and feel like a tube amp. It might happen in my lifetime too but I ain't holding my breath.

Thanks for the input. I have yet to try an MB other than a combo at GC once or twice. But my current arsenal is a BL600, 400RB-III, and 700RB-II. I still have my eye on an MB500 but really for no other reason than size and convenience. Who knows, maybe I won't like the tone as much, but I am the kind of person who needs to buy and try gear for 6 mos before making that judgement.

As for GK cabs, I really want the MBE series to be a home run. I had a 210MBE for about 3 days but it just never sounded right. Too boomy and not defined or punchy, which IMO is due to lack of bracing and lining (can of worms I know). I was hoping maybe the neo series was a bit better, and I haven't tried it so I don't know, but when I heard that they aren't lined with batting, I get a bad feeling. I ended up with my third avatar cab and I'm happy.