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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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100% of reviewers
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$412.78
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9.3
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Author
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danshee
Banned
Registered: May 2004
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posts: 396
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Review Date: Fri June 18, 2004
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Great sound, Reliable, holds it\'s value well
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Cons:
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?
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I\'ve had my 800 Rb as my main giggin\' head for 10 years. It jams. I get all of the tones out of it that I want. Never has a hard time keeping up with on stage volumes. Blew out once in ten years of consistent use. Repair was about $125 and has worked from then on. It\'s like an old friend now. I could still sell it for $450-$500 and it\'s 10 years old. Go figure.
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I still wet my bed. Mint White 5-string Spector Euro Rebop for sale (comes with 2-preamps)
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jimbass55
Registered User
Registered: December 2001
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Posts: 310
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Review Date: Fri July 23, 2004
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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It\'s loud, reliable, clean, affordable
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Cons:
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Can be harsh sounding
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This was my workhorse before I fell in love with Eden stuff. It never failed me, and is very loud for its power rating. It is great at what it does, and sounds great matched with Hartke cabs. (too my ears anyway)
At the time I used it I was discovering Basses, cabs, compressors, graphic eq\'s, Sonic maximizers, etc.... So I may have coloured the amps tone a little too much to give it a 100% chance. I would and have recommended this amp to many people on a budget.
Sounded O.K. with Upright (A little thin and brittle) not the best, but it can get you by.
I play Country, Blues, Classic Rock and I seem to like a little more of a warm tone, but this amp served me well. No real complaints.
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tresudek
Registered User
Registered: December 2004
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Thu December 30, 2004
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $400.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Punchy, Dependable, Bright
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Cons:
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Hmmmm... No tubes?
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I grew up using an old 400 RB and then swithced to Ampeg. Ended up coming back to the 800RB when I found a classic at the guitar shop. Love, love, love it. I use it with an 810 or a 410 and with my jazz bass and Sterling. Can\'t beat the punch of GK and it is built like a tank.
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yamaha
Registered User
Registered: April 2006
Location: Montreal
Posts: 1265
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Review Date: Fri April 7, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $500.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great sound quality and volume
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Cons:
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None
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GK 800RB Matched with 115 and 210 in a biamp config. Loud and punchy, lots of low bass, but not muddy, quite crisp. Will recommend to anyone, but has to be matched to quality cabinets. Apparently, GK and Eden do not match well, but I've never tried it. I use JBL and Hartke cabs.
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Remember, when you've forgotten your tuner, blowing into an empty beer bottle gives you a B
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NOLA Bass
GOLD Supporting Member
Registered: February 2005
Location: New Orleans LA
Posts: 2300
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Review Date: Sun October 8, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Workhorse! Fat tone and reliable build!
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Cons:
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Power design limits cab setups
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What a great workhorse. Fat tone that pumps out! I used mine for 15 years with one breakdown in that much time. The biamp setup limits the configurations you can use (not alot of watts if you want to run a single 410 or 610 setup).
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www.spillwaynola.com
For Sale: G&L US JB and Lakland Skyline 44-64 Custom
FS - Ashdown Little Bastard
Sadowksy Club #212, Spector Club #3, Thunderbird Club #200, Mike Lull Club #56
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maytoxrok
Registered User
Registered: May 2007
Posts: 7
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Review Date: Sat June 9, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $375.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great Sound! Great Price!
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Cons:
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none.
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These amps are Awesome! i was affraid the 300 watts solid state would not be loud enough for some seriously loud rock and roll but i was wrong! this amp is loud and sounds great! Gotta love the price too! one thing i would recommend though would be hooking this thing up to a Sansamp RBI bass preamp as soon as you get it! not that theres anything wrong with the amp by itself but after using it with the sansamp you'll never go back! its seriously a WORLD or difference and gives you that warm tube growl that, in my opinion, completes this amp!
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K-Funk
Registered User
Registered: September 2007
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1082
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Review Date: Thu January 10, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $205.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Tone from the boost knob, small size, volume
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Cons:
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none
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I've owned many heads and have been a devout Ampeg guy for some time, but this is easily my favorite head I own. It's loud, it sounds absolutely fantastic when you turn the boost knob up, and it's smaller than a breadbox. Mine's an older one from Dec. 1988, same month and year I was born  I can use it for anything from small gigs to large shows to recording. It's a totally fantastic amp I'd reccommend to anyone, novice or expert.
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Vegetarian club #38
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manmountain8
Registered User
Registered: March 2008
Location: Bloomington MN
Posts: 221
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Review Date: Tue April 1, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $600.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Versatile, rugged, great tone for a solid state.
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Cons:
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DI not great for recording.
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I have had the 800RB for nearly 10 years without a problem. I had to open it up and adjust the input jack because a monster cord stretched it out, but other than that I've had no problems. It is very versatile and rugged. You can get a lot of different tones out of it. I've never heard another solid state that can get as much bite as this. I really like bi-amping it with my Ampeg 410 classic hlf, and SWR 210. When Bi-amped the 100 watt highs volume is a great way to dial in your tone quickly. Bi-amping really turns this thing into a monster. The filter section is also very handy. You can quickly change tones on the fly with the touch of a button. The mid filter is a great way to get a funk tone quickly. High boost is good for dead strings or cutting through, lo cut works well with bass heavy pedals. Having two mid controls really helps dial in a tone too. I haven't had great results recording with the DI, but it works well to send your signal to the board for live sound. I can't think of a solid state bass amp that I'd recommend ahead of this. This is the best amp GK has ever made.
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Montanamike
More Gear than Talent
Registered: December 2009
Location: Billings, Montana USA
Posts: 504
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Review Date: Thu December 24, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $250.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Bullet proof, Clean, Loud, versatile
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Cons:
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Effects loop is touchy
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I can only say that I bought mine used and push a 1-15, 4-10 and 2-10 cabs with this and it fills any room, no problem. You can transition the sound from super clean to grungy with a few knob twists. It is a great thing when your amp doesn't determine your sound!
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Sadowsky NYC WL-4
Nordy VJ5
Custom Jazz fretless
Custom Rev P, MM
Pedulla Buzz
Ibanez SR506 maple
King 2 bass
GK MB, RB & Neo
The Christian P&W #746
2 Kids, a Great Wife and 1 Amazing God
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Rebmo
Registered User
Registered: August 2006
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 328
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Review Date: Sun February 7, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $310.00
| Rating: 10
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OK, so I saw Mike Mesaros (Smithereens)using a GK800RB x2 through a Hartke XL415 and XL115 and that's the sound I wanted. I read all the reviews and everyone seemed to like the 800RB. I found one on CL and the guy brought it over to try and it sounded great through my GK210 bottom I had at home with my G&L SB-1. I bought it but was concerned that it would not have enough power for the band with 2 cranking guitars playing pop-rock'n'roll songs. Smithereens, Jason&Scorchers etc.. So I took it to practice with my G&L SB-1 and hooked up the Hartke HD115 (8ohm)and Hartke 410XL (8ohm)on the high output channel, and a Ampeg 210cl (8ohms)on the 100w output and WOW! I can't put the main above 12Oclock without blowing the band away. The low output just about knocks you off your feet. I started with everying at 12:00 for tone controls with only the mid-contour added. The master at 11:30. I ended up adding a little high/mid but that's it. The hartke bottoms are a little punchy but not warm. The GK BLX210 warms up the top end output and sounds awesome. My sound has openned up and my band is blown away by the tone low, mid and high. The head I bought is a early 90s vinatage and I can't believe how powerfull this head is, especially for it's size. For a rock/ rock'n'roll band, 80s 90s alt Pop rock sound it cannot be beat. I'm not sure what other tones it is capable of, but punchy rock sound with tons of power (way under-rated) this is it.
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Powered by early 80s G&L L1Ks, 2Ke, SB1s, SB2s, Pre&post EBMM-SRs, 09 & 11 Fender-Ps ,Chandler JB, 700RBII, Hartke HX115, HX410. Old School - Yep
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HookerRoad
Registered User
Registered: February 2010
Posts: 42
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Review Date: Mon February 15, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $550.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Power, sound, and weight
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Cons:
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No fan... no biggy
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Ok... I think I probably got the deal of the year with this rig. I got the GK 800RB head and two SWR cabs (Goliath 3 and Son of Bertha) for $550. It's about 8 years old in like new condition. It spent about 3 weeks on tour with a Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute band on the road and then sat in a studio getting limited use. It hadn't been turned on for over 8 months until I plugged it in.
The first thing I noticed was how punchy it was. Immediately I knew I was going to have to change the way I played... I used to dig into the strings to get the tone out. Not with this amp... It seemed to be brighter and punchier by just popping the strings lightly. That is a plus because I like to do fast riffs and each note was bouncing off the strings. I laid the money down so fast it made my head spin. The SWR cabs help bring out the best of this amp I believe. They are known for their clarity... and this setup is very clear.
When I got it home I noticed that it brought out the individual characteristics of each of my basses. Whereas I noticed some difference with my old rig... All of the sudden it was like I got 5 new basses to boot. I've got two custom made basses... one I call "the beast" has unlimited low end and it just exploded out of this amp. The other custom I call "the speed demon" and it was so warm and fuzzy and punchy after adjusting the amp a bit to bring the low end out better. My Hohner B Bass V can get any sound I want in this rig.
I use a Behringer DEQ2496 Ultra Curve Pro I use in the fx loop. I'm just using it for the compressor and presets for custom tone for my different basses. I know... it's a bit much for the application, but I wasn't using on anything else... and it really helps that amp do what it was made for... to get loud and rock.
I haven't had it long but I don't see it sitting in the studio any longer. I took it on my first gig and it held it's own with a very loud and mic'd drummer. My guitar player was all grins. I think he likes it as much as I do.
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Check me out at myspace.com/turbulancemusic
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skychief
Registered User
Registered: April 2011
Location: Left Coast
Posts: 435
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Review Date: Sat August 6, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $525.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Great general-purpose workhorse head. Simple controls, convenient size/weight.
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Cons:
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The effects in/out jacks go open.
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Bought mine used about 21 years ago. Had some minor issues with the effects in/out jacks going open. thats the only reason for the 9 rating. Woulda given it a 10 had it not been for that problem. I had to replace those jacks TWICE when someone suggested i just hard-wire around those jacks. Which I did. No more problems!!
This is not my my main rig, but its a keeper in my stable. Perfect head coupled with a 4-ohm Eden 210-XLT. I use it regularly for smaller venues...has lotsa punch & definition. The bi-amp mode with adjustable x-over freq is a great feature. It can make up for deficiencies in your cabs; i.e., if one of the cabs sounds boomy you can drive it with the 100 watt part of the amp and tweak the x-over to balance tone (not power) to the lower cab.
Great amp IMO
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