GK 800RB Users: Biamped or Full Range

Ben Esparza · #1 10-29-2009, 04:21 PM

Those of you that use a Gallien Krueger 800RB: Do you run the amp if Full Range mode or Biamp Mode? The jury is still out for me and I want to know what other players do and please give me your opinions. If you run it in Biamp mode, where do you set the crossover?

dmusic148 · #2 10-29-2009, 04:29 PM

The biamp feature is only useful if you have cabs meant for it(GK does make them). Otherwise, meh.

**IvanMike** · #3 10-29-2009, 04:47 PM

no commercially available bass cabs are really suitable for bi-amping. most companies started to offer biamping on their heads in the 80's as it became a craze. personal communications with many of the engineers at these companies revealed that they preferred the sound of the heads full range and that the cabs worked better that way.

Ben Esparza · #4 10-29-2009, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmusic148

The biamp feature is only useful if you have cabs meant for it(GK does make them). Otherwise, meh.

The 800RB is not like the 700RB or 1001RB where you need a special 4 conductor Speakon. It has 2 separate outputs for two separate speakers if you want to biamp. Here's a pic.

jjk2007 · #5 10-29-2009, 05:42 PM

When I had one: Full Range.

BigOldHarry · #6 10-29-2009, 05:47 PM

Like he said: When I had one (many years ago), I ran it full range.

lbwdog · #7 10-29-2009, 05:58 PM

One of the best bass amps ever, IMO!! I've used mine both ways.

When I first got mine in '88, I had a large, heavy duty 1x15 (no tweeter) cab made by a company called Dynamite. Loaded with a JBL K-140, it produced an awesome low end, as well as a great full range tone. When bi-amping, I would sometimes run a 2x12" cab on top, and set the crossover at around 200-400 Hz. The method of selecting the crossover point wasn't scientific, but I would turn the freq. control up and down till it sounded well balanced. I also bi-amped it with a Peavey 1516 (1x15"/2x8") with good results.
Other times, I would run it full range into 2 1x15" JBL cabs, and it sounded great as well.

With today's quality bass cabs, there's not a real necessity to bi-amp, as most have some type of multiple driver configuration, and sound fine with their passive crossovers. Also, most of the common two-way cabs (with woofer/tweeter) don't have a way to defeat their internal crossover. That said, there are some cabs which might benefit from bi-amping, such as greenboy's fEarful 15/6. I have a Carvin LS 1503, 3-way SR cab that sounds good when crossing over to the midrange at 500-750 Hz.
The key is using the right type of cabs, but this amp sounds great to me whatever I've plugged it into!

mpm32 · #8 10-30-2009, 08:17 AM

Bi-amped when I am in a room big enough to run my 2 2x15's, full when I just run one in the smaller rooms.

maxbass · #9 10-30-2009, 10:16 AM

Always Full Range

dmusic148 · #10 10-30-2009, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Esparza

The 800RB is not like the 700RB or 1001RB where you need a special 4 conductor Speakon. It has 2 separate outputs for two separate speakers if you want to biamp.

Yes, I know- I have an 800RB. My point was that almost no commercially available cabs today are meant for it. They all perform best full range, with the possible exception of the GK RBX series.

4001 · #11 10-30-2009, 10:28 AM

I run my Moog Taurus pedals into my GK 800RB.
It is bi-amped into a Peavey 1810 (1X18 and 2X10) cabinet.

Sounds pretty good.

Greevus · #12 10-30-2009, 10:29 AM

full range. tried bi-amping in mid-90s with it and hated it. sounds great full range in my SVT 810 Fridge cab. my SVT head is in the shop and digging the 800RB in its place. it is a mighty amp!

shoot-r · #13 10-31-2009, 10:02 AM

Always full range.

Crabby · #14 10-31-2009, 11:19 AM

Even if I had a 4 ohm 215 cab on the bottom and a 210 on top, I would still end up runnning full range as my tone just cut through better. Bi amped was a great idea but in the end, I lost mids and had a more scooped tone that was harder to hear in the band mix. That little 100w channel does a pretty good job of pushing an efficient 210 cab so don't be afraid to use it.

having said that, for years I ran this amp with an 8 ohm 115 and 210 cab together and always had the best tone when plugging them both into the 300w channel to get a 4 ohm load.

I love this amp and will always have fond memories of it.

**BLDavis** · #15 10-31-2009, 01:00 PM

I always ran mine full range. I tried the bi-amped 115 bottom and 210 top setup a few times but it didn't work for me.

billfitzmaurice · #16 10-31-2009, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmusic148

Yes, I know- I have an 800RB. My point was that almost no commercially available cabs today are meant for it. They all perform best full range, with the possible exception of the GK RBX series.

+1. If you had one cab specifically engineered to work only in the lows and one specifically engineered to work only in the mids and highs then bi-amping would work best. But there aren't any.

Grooveman1961 · #17 10-31-2009, 04:53 PM

I've used omni 10 and t 39 with great sucess. I,ve used guitar 4x10 or 4x12, over a sub with great success.

remember, this guy crosses from 100 to 1k hz, works great with subs and appropriate tops.

all the newer gk stuff crosses at 5k, better suited to "modern cabs" with a tweeter.

68Goldfish · #18 10-31-2009, 04:59 PM

Full range with a peavey 215dbw all the way. Awesome clarity and punch.

megadan · #19 06-10-2010, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grooveman1961

I've used omni 10 and t 39 with great sucess. I,ve used guitar 4x10 or 4x12, over a sub with great success.

remember, this guy crosses from 100 to 1k hz, works great with subs and appropriate tops.

all the newer gk stuff crosses at 5k, better suited to "modern cabs" with a tweeter.

I'm curious about this, this was the closest thing I could find in a quick search.

Has anyone else had success biamping the 800 with a guitar cab? Thinking about doing this with my Marshall 4x10 guitar cab and a 15" 3015 bottom. Hmm...

BrickBatMansion · #20 06-10-2010, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by megadan

I'm curious about this, this was the closest thing I could find in a quick search.

Has anyone else had success biamping the 800 with a guitar cab? Thinking about doing this with my Marshall 4x10 guitar cab and a 15" 3015 bottom. Hmm...

I used GK rb800 exclusively from 1990 till 2005. Mostly it was full range with one 8x10 but I did bi-amp many times in larger rooms.

I love the bi-amp. I ran the low end thru an Ampeg SVT 8x10 cab and the high end thru an Ampeg V-4 guitar cab. The V-4 is a 4x12 rated at 100 watt@8ohm, is ported, and looks like a shorter, wider version of the SVT.

I dont know the actual frquency I crossed at but the x-over knob was anywhere between 8 and 10 o'clock depending on the room.

I'd lay the SVT on its side and then stack the V-4 on its side on top of the SVT. It looked and sounded awesome.

I dialed in my tone by eq'ing the V4 first (with the SVT off), getting the absolute perfect clean tone. Since this was crossed over at 100-200-300?, it was an excellent signal frequency-wise to mic into a p.a.

Then I would turn up the SVT cab and "oh my............."

It could get really loud if needed, and stay super clean.
Also, using these 2 cabs with this one small GK head
is about as close to the full SVT rig look and sound you you can get without actually hauling a 90# SVT tube head and 2 8x10's. IMO.