GK700rb and Ampeg svt-pro/svp pro

[guidedbyechoes]

I currently just picked up a used gkrb700 mk1 at guitar center for 230. I think I could do a lot worse for my first ever bass amp. At the same time I brought my douglas bass its not the best bass in the world but it was one of the best sounding basses I heard in that room. Anyway I've tried the amp through a couple couple different cabs a hartke xt and one of the lighter gk cabs, both were on the bright side. I'm hoping to get a slightly warmer tone out of it.

The svt pro-4 I played in now my dream amp. It just sounded pretty much perfect. Except I don't have the 1200 for the head and another 800 or similar for a 8x10 I played it through. Or the massive wattage and weight So I'm wondering should I get an eq and dial the GK to sound warmer or should I get the svp pro which seems to be quite similar to what I want tonally. The sag option is not important to me.

Ideally I would like to have both as this amp has a nice old school meets modern vibe going that I like. But the pro has that warm thick bottom heavy sound I loved. I also tried a classic and at reasonable levels I wasn't as impressed.

[B-string]

The "bright side" is due more to the cabs than the amp head. That said the G-K has a lot of tone and feel variations in the controls. Go here http://www.gallien.com/manuals/1001RB-II_700RB-II.pdf you can use the 700RB II's basic tone settings to start with in your quest. I suspect you'll be looking for less treble, maybe the string switch in and boost added for some hair ("tube" like compression).

[guidedbyechoes]

Originally Posted by B-string

The "bright side" is due more to the cabs than the amp head. That said the G-K has a lot of tone and feel variations in the controls. Go here http://www.gallien.com/manuals/1001RB-II_700RB-II.pdf you can use the 700RB II's basic tone settings to start with in your quest. I suspect you'll be looking for less treble, maybe the string switch in and boost added for some hair ("tube" like compression).

Thats for the mk2 though I have the 1. I have to look into cabs as for right now I'm using the amp through a guitar cab for bedroom practicing keeping the volume low but I have the boost maxed because it gives me a livelier tone. With it down it sounds sort of sterile. I plan on keeping it for a while regardless, I just would like a little additional low end from it as it seems a little more compressed than what I want.

[B-string]

Max boost will over-compress, the MK II settings will work fine as the preamp didn't change that much. You will not get low end with a guitar cab, they are not designed for it! Get a bass cab and you'll hear the difference. That is one heck of a starter amp! Many have to work their way up to the 700RB series (and usually hang-on to/gig them).

[guidedbyechoes]

Originally Posted by B-string

Max boost will over-compress, the MK II settings will work fine as the preamp didn't change that much. You will not get low end with a guitar cab, they are not designed for it! Get a bass cab and you'll hear the difference. That is one heck of a starter amp! Many have to work their way up to the 700RB series (and usually hang-on to/gig them).

Yeah I know I have to sell some stuff and pick up a 4x10. I was able to get a much better sound after I learned what all the controls do. My buddy's dad has a pretty nice setup the hartke I was talking about. He wants me to bring it back so I can try biamping with his 4x10 and 1x18 . Just don't know which cab I should be picking up.

[B-string]

The 410 will get you more sound, better power handling and smoother response overall. 118's are great for PA subs, for a solo bass cab not so much.

[guidedbyechoes]

Originally Posted by B-string

The 410 will get you more sound, better power handling and smoother response overall. 118's are great for PA subs, for a solo bass cab not so much.

I think he might use the 18 in the tweeter spot and have a little extra bass instead of highs.

[ljazz]

Choosing the right cab, along with understanding the gain structure and eq of the amp is key towards dialing in a nice warm tone out of the 700rb. I play the 700rbII, but what I do to warm my tone up would be the same things you should do.

1. Max your input gain to just below clipping the input stage of the amp. The "input volume" on the head is actually preamp gain, not input gain. I play with either a EBS MultiComp (set to tube sim mode) in front, or a VT pedal. I use the gain on those to max the amount of input I'm putting into the head. Turn down the volume on the head, crank up the gain on the comp pedal (and/or VT) to where the clip light on the head comes on, and then back it off a touch. If your pups are hot enough, then you can do this with your bass instead of a pedal.
2. Understand when to use, and not to use the 4/5 string filter. Things can get boomy if you're not careful. I have a hard time using the 5 string setting if I'm using my 212 cabinet, but it sounds great when I'm using the 112.
3. I love the boost, but find I need to back off on the lows as I come up on the boost. Again, I find things can get a tad muddy/boomy. I try to use as much boost as I can get away with. Usually, it's set somewhere between 1 and 3:00.
4. I try to get my tone without the tweeter on..... and then dial up just enough for a touch of presence in the mix.
5. Typically, if I'm just using one bass, then I'll leave the contour and presence controls off.
6. Make sure you keep the vol knob (not the master) under noon. I find things to get a bit brittle and shrill sounding much past noon.
7. I tend to keep my eq controls right around noon. Nothing is much past 1:00 going up, or 11:00 going down. If the room is really bad, then I might bring down the lows a touch more.
8. And the biggest key for me in keeping things warm is to use as small a cabinet as I can get away with. I love when I can just lug in my GK Neo112, because I can keep the master dialed up well over noon, and not blow everyone off the stage. While I love the sound of a good 410 cabinet, I'd have a hard time getting my tone while keeping a reasonable volume level.

And a lot has to do with things other than the amp/cab rig. I tend to play with flatwounds, and / or really worn in nickel rounds. If I'm playing my 5 string jazz, I'll usually have lows and mids bumped up a bit, and the treble dialed back just a touch.

[mouthmw]

Nice advice ljazz! I'll try this to perhaps remedy my distorted tone. I have a tc electronic vintage bass distortion pedal that has a blend knob. Perhaps I'll set it up to an always on state, like a preamp to add more input gain so my 700rb's preamp won't have to work as much and hopefully the power amp too. Just wondering, how do you set the woofer level? I always had my vol to 12, boost up to 3 and woofer up to 3. That way the amp works too hard and distorts my low notes.

[ljazz]

Originally Posted by mouthmw

Nice advice ljazz! I'll try this to perhaps remedy my distorted tone. I have a tc electronic vintage bass distortion pedal that has a blend knob. Perhaps I'll set it up to an always on state, like a preamp to add more input gain so my 700rb's preamp won't have to work as much and hopefully the power amp too. Just wondering, how do you set the woofer level? I always had my vol to 12, boost up to 3 and woofer up to 3. That way the amp works too hard and distorts my low notes.

I run my master as high as I can, which is anywhere from noon to 3:00. If I ran the master at 3, the boost at 3, the vol at noon, all while running through a 412, I'd be asked to excuse myself from my gigs. I've run with those settings with both of my cabs connected before (112 and a 212), and it is ridiculously loud.

I like getting that grunt down low. I think it helps things to sit down in the mix a bit better, and it allows me to be heard without blowing everyone away with more volume. The trick is to get that tone without more volume. In most cases, I could probably get by with just a 400rb. If that tone is not what you're looking for while running with that kind of volume, then I think you need to go the other way, and be looking at a more powerful head, like the 1001rbII.

[mouthmw]

Originally Posted by ljazz

I run my master as high as I can, which is anywhere from noon to 3:00. If I ran the master at 3, the boost at 3, the vol at noon, all while running through a 412, I'd be asked to excuse myself from my gigs. I've run with those settings with both of my cabs connected before (112 and a 212), and it is ridiculously loud.

I ran those settings through my 412, and it just doesn't sound right. It farts out. Hmm, that can't be right. It's extremely aggressive and growly, but it totally distorts the E string notes when I really dig in. I often play very aggressivly. But if you tried it this way, and it doesn't fart out, then I'm worried something's wrong with my amp. Or my cab! Or my bass! :O
And here I was, planning to sell my amp, putting it in the classifieds, to get a more powerful one.

A crazy idea, perhaps I should clean pots and input jacks on my 700RB II! Maybe that's the reason it distorts?

[NKUSigEp]

Originally Posted by guidedbyechoes

I currently just picked up a used gkrb700 mk1 at guitar center for 230. I think I could do a lot worse for my first ever bass amp. At the same time I brought my douglas bass its not the best bass in the world but it was one of the best sounding basses I heard in that room. Anyway I've tried the amp through a couple couple different cabs a hartke xt and one of the lighter gk cabs, both were on the bright side. I'm hoping to get a slightly warmer tone out of it.

The svt pro-4 I played in now my dream amp. It just sounded pretty much perfect. Except I don't have the 1200 for the head and another 800 or similar for a 8x10 I played it through. Or the massive wattage and weight So I'm wondering should I get an eq and dial the GK to sound warmer or should I get the svp pro which seems to be quite similar to what I want tonally. The sag option is not important to me.

Ideally I would like to have both as this amp has a nice old school meets modern vibe going that I like. But the pro has that warm thick bottom heavy sound I loved. I also tried a classic and at reasonable levels I wasn't as impressed.

Excellent choice! Feel free to turn the tweeter off and roll back the treble and presence a bit. The first couple of weeks with mine I found that I had to force myself to do that because I was used to other amps. Turning down anything but the mids is generally not the norm and so I thought this was strange at first. But I came across some info that I'm now passing on to you and that made a world of difference!

[guidedbyechoes]

It's amazing what turning the input does to the tone. I'm used to guitar amps that act much differently and the only thing I've ever ran below noon is the bass. So this is pretty backwards to me in general.

Also another thing I don't really understand is why did they add a contour knob instead of just giving the mid controls a larger area of sweep?

[NKUSigEp]

Originally Posted by guidedbyechoes

It's amazing what turning the input does to the tone. I'm used to guitar amps that act much differently and the only thing I've ever ran below noon is the bass. So this is pretty backwards to me in general.

Also another thing I don't really understand is why did they add a contour knob instead of just giving the mid controls a larger area of sweep?

Different companies have different approaches - Eden's "enhance", SWR's "aural enhancer", Mesa's "voice" knob, Aguilar and Ampeg use bass and treble boost buttons.