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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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67% of reviewers
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$1,033.33
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6.0
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Description:
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From the GK web site (www.gallien.com):
The 2001RB gets the deep, floor-shaking, warm sound that powers a reggae band. For rock players, it features a special design distortion circuit that lets you quickly dial in the perfect growl and drive. For funk players, its voicing filters and bi-amp controls let you scoop the mids and add the perfect high-end edge needed for popping. For any style of music performed on arena stages, the 2001RB is destined to be the premier amp of choice.
2001RB Distortion Circuit
The secret to the 2001RB's smooth natural distortion is that the horn amp is automatically muted when the high gain channel is activated, thus preventing and raspy distortion from the horns. The horn amps can also be muted on the low gain channel as needed for certain blues sounds. Such horn muting is only possible with a bi-amp system, and only the 2001RB has the circuitry design. Easy on-stage control is provided by a three button footswitch, which mutes the horns, selects channel A or B, and also activates the tuning mute.
2001RB Microprocessor System Manager
An 8-bit microprocessor constantly monitors the 2001RB system, making sure everything is running correctly. It waits patiently for you to push the power switch, and then sends a signal to your other GK power amps to turn them on in proper order. Artist such as Flea and Tom Hamilton use up to five heads, and with the 2001RB, they only push one switch to fire up their entire system.
Specifications:
POWER 90dB, Clip LED, -14dB Pad, Mute Switch, Mute LED and A/B Switch
HIGH GAIN (B): B LED, Gain, Edge, Bottom and Level Controls
LOW GAIN (A): A LED and Level Control
VOICING FILTERS: 5/4 String Voicing, Adjustable Contour and Presence
EQUALIZER: Bass Specific Series Four Band Active
OUTPUT: Boost, Tweeter Level with High-Cut and Woofer Level with High-Cut
DIRECT OUT: XLR, Level Control, Ground Lift and Pre/Post Switches
PATCHING: Send, Return, Tuner Out, Chain in, Chain Out and Footswitch Jack
SPEAKER OUT LEFT: Two 1/4" and two HMS Compatible Speakon Connectors (Bridge/Mono), Bridge/Mono Switch
SPEAKER OUT RIGHT: Two 1/4" and two HMS Compatible Speakon Connectors
CONTROL: Trigger In, Trigger Out and IEC Power Connector
WEIGHT: 40 lbs.
DIMENSIONS: 19"W x 5.25"H x 12"D
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Author
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JanusZarate
Registered User
Registered: February 2006
Location: San Jose, California, USA
Posts: 9680
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Review Date: Tue April 10, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $750.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Extremely flexible EQ/tone shaping, growly, punchy, great overdrive channel,
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Cons:
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Learning curve for understanding the poweramp and output features
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To say the least, I love this solid-state head's amazing tonal flexibility and power!
There's a lot to say about this head, so I'll break it down by category:
PHYSICAL FEATURES: It's a three-space amp, 10.5" deep. It'll fit, surprisingly, into many shallow rack cases. It's rather heavy (40+ lbs.), but it's still compact compared to a tube head.
EQ SYSTEM: One of the star features of any GK head, the same EQ system on lower GK models can be found on the 2001RB. In addition to the four-band active EQ, it has a Presence control (increases high mids and treble), a Contour control (scoops mids), and a 5-string button (20Hz frequency boost, to bring out the B-string's best). The Contour is especially useful for funkier styles. I've found that with the 2001RB, only minor adjustments to the EQ are necessary to make significant tonal changes. Set everything to 12 o'clock, and see how you like it first.
HORN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: Not your traditional bi-amping system, but especially useful for those who want more impressive control over your tweeter, or want to cut back on the high frequencies. The system works by using an independent 75W RMS tweeter amp to power the tweeters, giving them only the high frequencies above the 5 KHz crossover point. This also allows you to push the 2001RB harder for an overdriven tone, without compromising the clean tone of the tweeters. For those who have overdriven tweeters, you know it's not pleasant... so this is a feature you can appreciate! The tweeter is managed by a separate volume control, and two frequency cutoff buttons allow you to cut the super-high frequencies ("TWEETER HI-CUT", above 8KHz) to the tweeters, or cut the frequencies about 5KHz for the woofers ("WOOFER CUT", to let the tweeters handle those highs alone). I can see all of this being useful for the hardcore slap bassist, but for me, I don't use the tweeter at all. I have been toying with the Woofer Cut, however.
G.I.V.E.: The acronym for GK's unique poweramp feature that allows for quality growl and overdriven sounds that rival that of all-tube amps, while still sounding uniquely different. While you can't get the pure warmth and response of an all-tube amp from a 2001RB, you can get convincingly close, and you can get a wide variety of non-tube tones as well. From thick warmth to subtle breakup to bright funk to hard grit, this amp has had all my bases covered. To really make use of G.I.V.E., though, you need to master the interaction between the input Level control, Boost control, and Master Volume control in order to find the ideal breakup point for your playing style. There's a definite learning curve involved.
OVERDRIVE CHANNEL: I'm surprised at how good it sounds, even though it's pure solid-state! The Gain control allows for anything from thick, mild overdrive to over-the-top distortion madness that puts you into the heavy metal domain. The EQ for this channel has two controls (Bass, Treble) that act on top of the clean channel settings. I wish it had a mid control, because it would have added greater tonal flexibility. Unlike heavily driven tubes, the distortion sound is not a thick fuzz at high settings - rather, it's more like a peculiar guitar-like distortion with an undeniably powerful low end. I prefer it's tube-like overdriven tones below 11 o'clock, but if you want to get the sounds of a band like Death From Above 1979, just stick a chorus pedal in front of the amp and crank up the gain!
One thing that does annoy me about the OD channel is that it can be finicky with active basses. It does NOT like my Stingray if the Pad button is off; there's an odd volume drop and it's impossible to dial in mild grit at unity gain. As long as it's on, though, you're okay. I don't think this has the same issue with passive basses.
SPEAKER OUTPUTS: Most 2001RB owners know that this part can be a bit confusing, even intimidating. The poweramp is divided into two 540W sections, each with its own set of outputs. It's extremely important to learn the details of how the outputs and output controls on the back panel work, as you can run this amp with both sections bridged (4 Ohm minimum load), or run them separately (2 Ohms minimum load). Please read the manual, or ask a TB member who owns one - unfortunately, it's not something that most people will understand on their own, as it's very different than the 1001RB-II.
D.I.: The Direct Out is easy to use, but in terms of output quality, it's a bit lacking. IMO, it's mainly because the GK sound is founded on the poweramp; the DI couldn't possibly bring this into the equation. Ideally, it's best to mic your cabinet, for the best sound the amp can deliver. Otherwise, you'll either get the clean sound of your bass (which may be a little dry), or the EQ'd sound (which still won't get you the entirety of the GK growl).
Overall, if you want a pumped-up version of the 1001RB-II and a unique overdrive, look no further than the 2001RB. Just remember that while it does take a step down from user-friendliness, the results are worthwhile.
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Bassist for Vernian Process
Founder of the Lefty Union
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silky smoove
Registered User
Registered: May 2004
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 3267
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Review Date: Mon November 19, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $1,150.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Powerful, sounds amazing in a band mix with minimal to zero EQ work. Built like a tank.
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Cons:
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Not flat-voiced for solo work. Great band mix voicing when set flat, but not what I like for solo's without some EQ work.
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I agree with MysticBoo's review completely. Please read his review before reading this:
***PARAGRAPH DELETED. EXPLANATION AS FOLLOWS***
After obtaining a new cabinet (Schroeder 410R) my previous assesment of the upper-mid control being overly powerful has been removed.
To date this is by far my favorite head for use in a band setting, and I couldn't possibly recommend it enough to anyone looking into GK products, or simply looking for a nice balance between what I consider stereotypical tube warmth and stereotypical solid state punchyness.
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WTB: Sansamp PSA-1.1
FS: EHX #1 Echo
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HaloHalo
Registered User
Registered: June 2006
Posts: 6
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Review Date: Mon August 17, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: $1,200.00
| Rating: 1
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Pros:
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(don't know, broken before I use it)
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Cons:
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Unreliable quality & after-sales service
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I live in Taiwan, it's not easy to try and buy a amp head in store. It's very common that we have to order the amp from the authorized dealer and wait for several months.
I ordered a GK 2001RB by their official authorized dealer in 2008. After 6 months, the dealer suddenly told me they can't get this product for me and refund me deposit. Okay, that’s fine, the so-called official dealer sucks, but I can tried another way to buy it, directly bought it from USA with my friend's help. When I finally got it, connected the power cord and tried to turn it on, the amp did not work. No working sound, no LED lighted, no signal from the output. I checked every details, including the outside of package, my operation procedure, the power supply, the power cord and cables. Everything is well and intact. The only trouble is that, the amp fall asleep just like sleeping beauty.
The GK company emphasized that the warranty was invalid overseas. Their technician helped me troubleshooting, although I often waited for couple days to get reply mails, it did not help the situation. They said I can removal the shell and send all the electronics boards back to them. But it didn’t make it better. So, maybe that meant I should send whole amp back. It’s very big and heavy, so the transportation fee cost over half new amp. Last week, GK sent the amp back, but the power still can’t be turned on. I had never had the chance to use it. I told them this situation, but they told me that “Anything could happened “, “that is the nature of electronics “, and only wanted to offer another troubleshooting. Will it help?
I paid 1200 USD to buy this brand new amp and more than 1000 USD to transport twice, not including sending back the boards and the customs fee. More than 6 months troubleshooting to find the problem. I am just an end user, a bassist who want to use his new amp. If this amp was broken caused by my inappropriate operation, okay, I will just shut up and follow your company's "Warranty" policy, because I deserved it. But, but, since I got this amp, connected the power cord after reading the owner's menu, this amp never worked, even the power LED didn't light. I respected that they all are professional in this, I gave them my patience and sincerity over 6 months, but it’s enough to bear this amp, almost freak me out.
Manufacturer should be responsible to their product, especially the problem isn't caused by inappropriate operation, even the customer did not have the chance to operate it !! I just want to remind bassist who is interesting in GK product be careful before buying. Maybe I’m the only unlucky one, but it indeed revealed the after-sale service of this company.
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http://soundcloud.com/vulner
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