Question on Growl GK 1001RB

[bluewine]

Hi,

Can anyone tell me how to dial in the growl or fuller sound from GK1001RB.

Do do someting with the Boost and volumne?

I'm lost.

blue

[basslinejam]

The 1001RBII is a beast. Typically the GK growl/grind tone comes from running the boost knob well past 12 and "hitting the rails" on the power amp, which is another way of saying crank up the power amp to 1 or 2 o'clock at least. This is a tiny problem with the 1001 because when you "hit the rails" on a 1001, paint and glass and all kinds of other stuff goes flying around the room, not to mention voice coils. I love that amp, but IMHO it's designed to get the GK sound on a HUGE stage, in a HUGE room.

Try turning the contour down to 0 with EQ flat and cranking the boost knob. Leave the power amp volume on 12 and bring up the preamp gain last to get your level, then EQ from there. You didn't mention what your cab(s) is/are, but be careful. I'm pretty sure the 1001 can eat many one cab setups...

[crustychef]

+1 on the above
If you play medium size venues the 700rbII is the way to go. That thing just growls and and such awesome amp for the money.

[Montanamike]

Originally Posted by crustychef

+1 on the above
If you play medium size venues the 700rbII is the way to go. That thing just growls and and such awesome amp for the money.

Great advice, I use 700's the 1001's are awesome but it takes a sick amount of volume to get a full growl. You may want to add a 700 to your collection for small to med venues, heck I've played 2000 seat halls with a 700 and it does great. You will never go wrong with GK though.

[Cristo]

Use something between your bass and the amp input jack to boost your bass level as high as possible, until the clip light flashes on the amp. I use the output gain knob on a compressor to do this.

Next, have the "boost" control set at least at 12 o'clock, more=more dirt.

Set the "volume" in the 10 to 11 o'clock range, depending on how much overdriven sound you want.

Adjust the "woofer" level to the volume you need.

I found the whole key was getting the signal level as high as possible going into the amp, just below where the clip light flashes. The volume knob does not control this level -it controls the level AFTER the clip light.

[joeydavidson]

+1 to Cristo's comment

I used a compressor as well.

[JGR]

I dunno, I could get plenty of growl out of my Gk2001RB. What kind of bass are you playing?

[canadian*eh]

The more you turn up you boost the more growl you get. The boost nob is what the G.I.V.E (Gate Induced Valve Effect) is run through.the best way to do it with out being to loud.... is to Raising the Boost while lowering the Master will add more growl while keeping the sound level relatively consistent. The ‘growl’ is actually a small amount of even order harmonic distortion. For most playing situations, start with the Boost at 12 o’clock. Reduce for a cleaner sound or increase for more growl.

[WingKL]

Dejavu?

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by bluewine

Hi,

Can anyone tell me how to dial in the growl or fuller sound from GK1001RB.

Do do someting with the Boost and volumne?

I'm lost.

blue

One option - tho I'd call GK first and confirm whether or not you can do this - is to go with a 16 ohm load (i.e. wire a pair of 8ohm cabs in series). That would reduce its power output and cause it to clip at lower power.

I looked through the manual, tho, and only saw power ratings at 4 and 8 ohms, so this might not be supported and could damage the amp if so.

The other alternative is a power soak - i.e. a gigantic 8 ohm resistor in parallel with your 8 ohm cab.

I have 2 1001RBII heads and an older SBX 4-10 GK 8 ohm cab and I too have only been able to drive them to clipping using hearing protection. Can't do it in a residence at all because I'd be instantly carted off to jail.

I have no idea what the GK "growl" is as I've never heard anything like a growl ever come out of mine. They're the cleanest amps I've ever used (tho with a slightly pinched high frequency voicing that makes them sound a little bright). The tube overdrive simulation from the Boost doesn't sound growly to me at all, just more a slightly passing-gas sound that I've never found to be pleasant or useful.

The one or two times I was able to drive them to clipping yeilded the same kind of sound, more of a rasp than a growl to me and nothing I'd want to have in my tone.

Ironically, I like my GK's because they have so much power and will stay clean at absolutely spectacular sound levels. My only complaint is it's a very bright sound. So I keep the tweeter amp off at all times and the treble turned all the way down.

Other than that, there's just no better than the 1001RBII....

LS

[LJ Michaaels]

Don't fix it if it ain't borke, just use the boost and you'll be good no real need for anything else

[Wes Whitmore]

I didn't get much growl out of my 1001 or 700, but I do out of my 400. I couldn't even get it to do it at 16 ohm. The preamp was totally different on those as well. A bass that clipped the 1001RBII without the pad in wouldn't clip the 700 or 400III. I do wish that all GK amps had a preamp knob and clip light so you could dial in the perfect amount of input gain.
Wes

[tocs100]

The growl/boost on my GK Backline 600 is eh--too distorted really. Ya know what gets FAR better growl for cheap tho? A $15 Danelectro Fab Distortion pedal. I s#$t you not. Growl-heaven.