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Looking for info - Strange old GK cab

marklaforest

marklaforest

Feb 5, 2010
227
15
Ottawa
www.youtube.com
#1
Hey there,

So I recently acquired a massive old GK cab for the low cost of just moving it (score!), and I'm looking for a little info/insight on it. The guy who I got it from told me there was a rear-facing 18 inch speaker in it and two 10 inchers in the front. I was immediately intrigued and agreed to take it. I got it home and did what I usually do when I acquire something new - take it all apart! Well, I was quite surprised by a few things. First of all, it wasn't a single 18, but four 12s. Also, they've all got square magnets. The front two speakers are connected to what seems to be a passive crossover.

Forgive the mediocre pics - it was my Iphone and florescent lighting.

330xo2x.gif

Not much info here.

cjdj8.jpg

Front shot (sorry, pic is sideways for some reason)



23tjz93.jpg

That's not an 18" speaker!



14nfitf.jpg

There's only insulation on one side of this sealed section?



16h0lr6.jpg

Speaker close up.


Anyone have one of these babies kicking around? It's huge, about an inch taller than my 70's SVT 8x10 and a full two inches deeper. Same width.
 
#7
Cool. Thanks for the model number. Would love to hear if anyone else on here has one. Maybe I should start a club?;)

I plugged it in quickly before taking it apart just to see if it worked and it did. But upon taking it apart I realized that a few of the speakers were disconnected on the inside - probably just from being moved around over the years. So I'm curious to see what it sounds like fully connected. I need to give it a serious cleaning, it's smells horrible and is moldy.
 
#11
I had one in the mid to late 70's.
I went to the music store, (Bay Music, on Bay Rd in Saginaw, MI) and the owner of the store, Eddy, (A Real Nice Man) told me that these were what Led Zeppelin was using. This cab with a matching GK solid state head. I don't remember if it was 210 watts...???

But I will say it was an incredible cabinet with certain limitations...

It was really hard to hear myself in the mix of stage amps. The design makes for a long throw. The bands I was in didn't have big PA setups with lots of monitors etc. I played in 'party' bands and small bar venues. So on stage all we had was our amps. I was always suffering from bleeding ears due to screaming guitar amps, and was turning up myself to try to 'fit in' somewhere.
Then we were playing an outdoor party one time, and people were comming up to me asking what the heck that amp was that I was using, cause they all wanted to know what was making that "wall of bass sound"!
In the outdoor venue, where the audience was a little farther back, the bass was practicaly all they heard.

As time went on I came to understand that it was a pretty incredible rig for a big stage type situation. In smaller settings It was more advantageous to turn it to face rearward and bounce the sound.

You've made a great score!
 
#12
kcandme said:
I had one in the mid to late 70's.
I went to the music store, (Bay Music, on Bay Rd in Saginaw, MI) and the owner of the store, Eddy, (A Real Nice Man) told me that these were what Led Zeppelin was using. This cab with a matching GK solid state head. I don't remember if it was 210 watts...???

But I will say it was an incredible cabinet with certain limitations...

It was really hard to hear myself in the mix of stage amps. The design makes for a long throw. The bands I was in didn't have big PA setups with lots of monitors etc. I played in 'party' bands and small bar venues. So on stage all we had was our amps. I was always suffering from bleeding ears due to screaming guitar amps, and was turning up myself to try to 'fit in' somewhere.
Then we were playing an outdoor party one time, and people were comming up to me asking what the heck that amp was that I was using, cause they all wanted to know what was making that "wall of bass sound"!
In the outdoor venue, where the audience was a little farther back, the bass was practicaly all they heard.

As time went on I came to understand that it was a pretty incredible rig for a big stage type situation. In smaller settings It was more advantageous to turn it to face rearward and bounce the sound.

You've made a great score!
Click to expand...

:bassist: Ultimate rock 'n' roll to let ricochet your sound :bassist:
 

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