is there life after GK400RB??

twaine · #1 03-17-2010, 02:19 AM

Been playing over 30 years, LOVIN IT, and have a beautiful 1985 Fender Japan P bass. My prayers have been answered and I am rocking out with a great loud rocknroll band - problem is my gear gets loud, but it doesnt have that warm power feeling when its loud. I have:

1990s GK400RB, running 4 ohms into..
EV TL - 200 watts 15"
Ampeg SVT 210HE - 2x10s

Amazing sound really. I could get a whole new rig, buy an 800RB, or another more powerful amp. I do like the portability of these speakers vs a heavy 4x10 cab. I'm old school - is it a new rig, or a new amp??

johnk_10 · #2 03-17-2010, 02:33 AM

hard to say, but if it feels like you're running 400RB's running out of clean headroom and your speakers can handle it, you could get an 800RB. either that, or increase the amount speaker cone area that you're playing thru (i.e. add cabs).

Son of Bovril · #3 03-17-2010, 02:49 AM

that depends, do you think it is the head running out of headroom or the cabs that are not holding their own at high volume? I think it is probably the head, in which case you can just look at the next model or two up from yours in the GK lineup and hopefully keep the same sound but louder, otherwise you'll have to look at adding more speakers to the rig by either adding another cab or replacing one of them with a bigger one...

twaine · #4 03-17-2010, 06:29 PM

Thanks for your thoughts - will try some more powerful heads, and could even look at replacing the 200 watt TL, with a 400 watt model..

**butchblack** · #5 03-17-2010, 06:38 PM

Are you originally a tube head person? Some people like tube heads, some SS. Usually if you really like one type, you don't like the other. I finally realized that at a jam on Mon. The backline was a Mesa Walkabout. I didn't really care for the tone I was getting then I realized it's usually when I play through a tube amp that I have a problem getting a tone I like. If that's the case, as much as I like GK's you might be happier with a tube head

shoot-r · #6 03-17-2010, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twaine

Been playing over 30 years, LOVIN IT, and have a beautiful 1985 Jap Fender P bass. My prayers have been answered and I am rocking out with a great loud rocknroll band - problem is my gear gets loud, but it doesnt have that warm power feeling when its loud. I have:

1990s GK400RB, running 4 ohms into..
EV TL - 200 watts 15"
Ampeg SVT 210HE - 2x10s

Amazing sound really. I could get a whole new rig, buy an 800RB, or another more powerful amp. I do like the portability of these speakers vs a heavy 4x10 cab. I'm old school - is it a new rig, or a new amp??

I just replaced my 26 year old G.K. 800 head with a new G.K. MB-500 head.
LOVE it!
350 watts at 8 ohms.
500 watts at 4 ohms.
580 watts full power.
3.8 lbs.
$499.00 new.
It has that HUGE and powerful sound G.K. is known for with "plenty" of head room.

Govier966 · #7 03-17-2010, 07:10 PM

I have a seccond gen 400rb each cab is currently getting a little over 100 watts, I am certain those speakers can take more power than that, i say new amp. I really wish gk made an amp that put out 400 watts at 4 ohms.

Wes Whitmore · #8 03-17-2010, 07:41 PM

I know the old GK 400 is different than the 400RBIII, but my amp works really well for rock. I would buy another one. It's all I need. I haven't touched the 700 or 1001 since I got this one a couple of weeks ago. I use it with a Ampeg 410HLF. It's a growly beast, but honestly, that tone has as much to do with the bass as anything. My warwick $$ needs new strings to get growly. A cheap Ibanez SRX300 just sounds fantastic. I was digging the growl and didn't even pull the warwick out of the case today. To get warm, you might have to follow some of the opinions given before me...
Wes

Grooveman1961 · #9 03-17-2010, 08:34 PM

get another 400rb, and split the cabs.

basslinejam · #10 03-17-2010, 08:47 PM

I'll say it: My Sansamp VT Bass pedal has warmed up my old 400RB a lot, without losing the immediacy I love. A pedal is a really low cost option, it has a ton of sounds in it and there is good support in here in terms of finding cool settings (tip#1 is turn down the highs to 10 o'clock)

Another lower cost suggestion is to buy an Eminence 3015 Neo (non-LF) for that old TL. That will wake her RIGHT UP!

BTW, If you get a new amp, DO NOT sell the 400RB - you'll just end up buying another one later.

FooHead · #11 03-17-2010, 09:52 PM

You could just add a power amp if your speakers can handle it.

twaine · #12 03-18-2010, 01:54 PM

Thanks bass buddies. Dont really want to sell the 400RB, but maybe I will look at trying a few different heads out, more power. Did also think of running the 400RB through a 4x10 - mesa, swr..never done that before, just used the 210 & TL Bin, be good if it was a 4 ohm 4x10..

MohawkHarry · #13 03-20-2010, 10:24 PM

I went from a 400rb classic to a 400rb III then to 800rb the Markbass LM2 to a Peavey Combo 300 and ended up buying another 400rb III today actually. I really missed it when it was gone.
The old Peavey was the loudest amp of the bunch but I was always fiddling with the EQ for me the 400rb is the ultamate keep it simple stupid amp.

playerunk · #14 03-21-2010, 01:31 AM

+1 on the kappalite.

it's more efficient to get better speakers/cabs
to get +3db from an amp you need double the power..but a speaker that has a higher sensitivity is easier to find (and usually cheaper)

so go look at the fearfuls at the wiki page before anything..if you get one of those you can keep your amp and not risk losing your tone

::::BASSIST:::: · #15 03-21-2010, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basslinejam

I'll say it: My Sansamp VT Bass pedal has warmed up my old 400RB a lot, without losing the immediacy I love. A pedal is a really low cost option, it has a ton of sounds in it and there is good support in here in terms of finding cool settings (tip#1 is turn down the highs to 10 o'clock)

Another lower cost suggestion is to buy an Eminence 3015 Neo (non-LF) for that old TL. That will wake her RIGHT UP!

BTW, If you get a new amp, DO NOT sell the 400RB - you'll just end up buying another one later.

+1

groove pump · #16 03-21-2010, 06:57 AM

I've found that once I cozy up with some certain cabs, I get sort of stuck on them for a while, so I'm not suggesting that you dump the ones that you have now. What I am thinking is that you try out some other setups when you can to hold an informal sort of "Pepsi Challenge" for your ears.

After unloading my 4x10 for a pair of 2x10's that could fit in my car, I haven't missed that larger cab at all. I'm pretty confident that the performance I've seen with this pair has been a step up. If you get the opportunity to try your head through a pair of those Ampeg 2x10's or something like them, you might gain a fresh perspective.

I also like the idea of just grabbing a power amp if you decide that you only need more wattage to get 'er done. I have a preamp/power amp setup that I enjoy, but I'd love to get a small head with good tone for when I want to travel light and maybe just run one cab - sort of the flipside of your situation. Then when I need the extra juice, I could run the pre signal on the head (I think via the send on the effects loop) into my power amp.

Emmaporkchop · #17 03-21-2010, 07:30 AM

One of the set ups I'm using is a Backline 600 and I'm extremely happy with it. I just run it through a 2x10 cab (eminence speakers) and get a great warm, punchy sound. I can pretty much use it anywhere and cut trhough just fine.

georgestrings · #18 03-21-2010, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by groove pump

I also like the idea of just grabbing a power amp if you decide that you only need more wattage to get 'er done.

Not a bad suggestion, IMO - a used power amp can be had fairly cheap, and isn't a bad thing for any musician to own...

- georgestrings

DERECOLA · #19 03-21-2010, 10:15 AM

I have a 700rb and like it a lot...

derridiandrift · #20 03-21-2010, 10:37 AM

Not sure, but I think your RB400 is around 250 watts into 4 ohms. That's not really enough SS power in a rock band setting in my experience, but YMMV. Getting a second amp at 250 watts is only going to increase your total sound output by 3dB. If you really like GK gear, I would suggest that its time to move up to a 1001 RB-II. You need to get yourself into the 600 to 750 watt range to make a significant difference in the volume of sound coming out of your rig. The 1001 will retain the signature GK sound that you like and give gobs of power to work with.