My GK 700 growls like mad through GK cab compared to Ampeg cab

mouthmw · #1 11-01-2011, 12:10 PM

I just wanted to share the experience now that I've played a few gigs through my new GK NEO 412.

I used to have Ampeg 810, and it was a great combo with my GK 700RB II.
I had my Volume around 11:00 - 12:00 o' clock, my EQ settings all close to 12, my Boost around 3, and my Woofer around 11 - 1, depending on volume.
It growled nicely, and had that Ampegy blanket. All this with a jazz bass (Squier CV).

Enter GK 412 NEO.
More clarity, a lot more growl. And I mean a LOT more!
Now I set my volume to 11 max, EQ close to noon, Boost to 12 max and woofer around 1. I was toying with the settings trying to find the cleanest, but not too clean setting, so that I could distinguish my clean tone with my pedal OD tone, but it's pretty hard to tell the difference. My Green Rhino pedal does growl more than my clean tone, but in the band mix it's subtle difference. Maybe getting a new OD would be better than trying to lessen the GK growl!

Anyone else had similar experience?
Any ideas on the EQ? Even less Boost? Less Volume (preamp gain) or less Woofer, which should ease it a bit?

rockstarbassist · #2 11-01-2011, 12:13 PM

And that's why I play 12's!

The ol fridge design has it's place but the breakup and drive of 12's is just too awesome to resist.

chubrocker · #3 11-01-2011, 12:14 PM

AFAIK, GK really creates their cabs to specifically compliment their amps. GK is one of these brands where I definitely feel like you need to match both head and cab(s) to get the best tone. Eden is another I've encountered were Eden heads need to be matched with Eden cabs to get its best tone. I've mix-n-matched other brands with great results, but not GK.

Jeramaya · #4 11-01-2011, 12:35 PM

After seeing a few used cabs I've thought about getting an Ampeg to go with my 1001-RBII, but I haven't heard the combination in person. I go for a different sound perhaps than you, based on your settings. Can't remember them exactly now, but I use a lot of overdrive (an SFT in the loop) and mids are at like 3. I believe bass is at 12. Overdrive...between 12 and 3, I think.

I do like the way the GK head sounds with my NEO410, but I love the way it pairs with my Mesa Powerhouse 1000. GK and Mesa go fine together.

dmusic148 · #5 11-01-2011, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockstarbassist

And that's why I play 12's!

The ol fridge design has it's place but the breakup and drive of 12's is just too awesome to resist.

You DO know, don't you, that speaker size alone has nothing to do with tone, right?

BassmanPaul · #6 11-01-2011, 12:50 PM

You have gone from eight tens to two twelves. To get the same level out of the smaller cabinet you are pushing it more. What you found is only to be expected.

mouthmw · #7 11-01-2011, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

You have gone from eight tens to two twelves. To get the same level out of the smaller cabinet you are pushing it more. What you found is only to be expected.

Four twelves.
I actually EQ less gain and volume than I used to, and get loud enough. But there's a lot more of the GK growl now is what I'm saying.
I used to have boost up to 3 o' clock, and now it's 12 max. Woofer and Volume are also less than I had to crank before.

Wes Whitmore · #8 11-01-2011, 02:09 PM

I never could get their 10's to growl at all...Ampeg SVT210s seem to have it though.
Wes

jerkass9879 · #9 11-01-2011, 04:16 PM

1001rb through an Ampeg 610hlf. Is one of my favorite rigs rights now.

staindbass · #10 11-01-2011, 04:40 PM

i think each player has his own definition of growl. the gk cabinet probably puts out more sound in the frequency range you favor, so its more pleasing to your ears. the magic combination.

afrodude222 · #11 11-01-2011, 04:46 PM

Isn't the boost knob on that amp supposed to control the amount of that GK growl? I'm fairly certain its supposed to, and you have it cranked, so that may be your issue right there.

ljazz · #12 11-02-2011, 03:25 AM

While I love my GK cabs, I've never had a problem getting an ampeg 810 to growl with my 700rbII. But even with 12's, to get all that killer GK grunt goin', I have to have the master/woofer up....... 11-noon won't do it, even with the boost up. Keep the boost up and start pushing the master up to 1:00 and higher so that you're hitting the rails, and that fabulous GK growl really starts to come through. I think part of the problem you're hearing is that the ampeg is very low mid heavy, where the 12's are much more even and wider, so I think you're hearing growl across more frequencies. Question...... how did you have the string filter on the head set with each cabinet? Anymore, I only run the 5 string filter if I'm using a 112. Anything more, and the filter goes to 4 string. I find that pushing up the boost with a larger cabinet makes things very "boomy" and the growl seems to disappear in the "boom". Not a problem with the 112, but there's no way I'd use it with either the 810 or a 412 (or 212 for that matter).

Another observation I've made is that the growl happens much easier when I'm hitting the input as hard as I can without clipping. Enter the EBS MultiComp....... I keep it in tube sim mode, and turn up the gain until the head's clip light starts coming on, then back it off some (make sure the heads vol is all the way down when doing this).

I can't wait to get my hands on a new 400rbIV...... I'll get growl easily, even at lower volumes.

lowendblues · #13 11-02-2011, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afrodude222

Isn't the boost knob on that amp supposed to control the amount of that GK growl? I'm fairly certain its supposed to, and you have it cranked, so that may be your issue right there.

There you go.

Cristo · #14 11-02-2011, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljazz

Another observation I've made is that the growl happens much easier when I'm hitting the input as hard as I can without clipping.

That's the biggest secret I've discovered with my 1001RB-II. Get an input level just below clipping for the best grrrr.

rockstarbassist · #15 11-02-2011, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmusic148

You DO know, don't you, that speaker size alone has nothing to do with tone, right?

You DO know, don't you, that a ported 12"-equipped cabinet and a sealed 10"-driver loaded SVT-style cab, sound nothing alike, right?

I don't know if you're trolling or just plain incompetent, but since we're on TB, I'm gonna go with the latter.

:facepalm:

mouthmw · #16 11-02-2011, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afrodude222

Isn't the boost knob on that amp supposed to control the amount of that GK growl? I'm fairly certain its supposed to, and you have it cranked, so that may be your issue right there.

I don't think noon is considered cranked.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljazz

While I love my GK cabs, I've never had a problem getting an ampeg 810 to growl with my 700rbII.

I never had problem making my Ampeg growl either, it's just a lot more growly with GK, that's all.
And you're right, it's probably the more even response, and overall more clarity and brightness. There's also a thing of me being pretty ruthless on my bass strings, and plucking hard. It's definitely a great sound.

I might post a sound clip of our last gig, a guy recorded us with a cam, it's not perfect audio quality, but the growl is there.

BassmanPaul · #17 11-02-2011, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mouthmw

Four twelves.

I beg your pardon.

zone1 · #18 11-02-2011, 03:14 PM

My GK 1001rb/2 keeps smoking the 15's(EV15-L's or Kappalite 3015's) in my Mesa Boogie Diesel 2x15, so I'm moving up on to the GK NEO 412!! Looking for more growl myself!!

mouthmw · #19 11-02-2011, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zone1

My GK 1001rb/2 keeps smoking the 15's(EV15-L's or Kappalite 3015's) in my Mesa Boogie Diesel 2x15, so I'm moving up on to the GK NEO 412!! Looking for more growl myself!!

You should NOT be disappointed!

**B-string** · #20 11-02-2011, 08:35 PM

Every once and a while a "magic cab" comes along.....I play a G-K NEO 412 as well