700 watt head into a 200 watt speaker

[Max Lawrence]

This is a bad idea... right?

Okay, hear me out. So I've got a GK 1001rb (700 watts @ 4 ohms) and a buddy is willing to sell me his old mb112 combo (200 watts @ 4 ohms) that he fried the electronics in for cheap. I was thinking if it was possible I'd turn it into just a speaker cab and using it with my head for smaller gigs.

Now, I know I can't turn the volume up on the head too loud or I'll blow the speaker, but theoretical could I keep the volume low enough and have this all work?

 

[tshapiro]

You can do this. As you said, just keep the volume to the level you know the speaker can handle.

 

[SJan3]

This is a bad idea... right?

Okay, hear me out. So I've got a GK 1001rb (700 watts @ 4 ohms) and a buddy is willing to sell me his old mb112 combo (200 watts @ 4 ohms) that he fried the electronics in for cheap. I was thinking if it was possible I'd turn it into just a speaker cab and using it with my head for smaller gigs.

Now, I know I can't turn the volume up on the head too loud or I'll blow the speaker, but theoretical could I keep the volume low enough and have this all work?

Probably so. But use your ears and back it down if you hear any distortion. If you're getting it for "cheap" not much risk but personally I'd get a legit speaker cab.
I mean are ya gonna just leave the dead head in the combo or remove it and have a hole there? Might not sound so swift..

 

[Max Lawrence]

Probably so. But use your ears and back it down if you hear any distortion. If you're getting it for "cheap" not much risk but personally I'd get a legit speaker cab.
I mean are ya gonna just leave the dead head in the combo or remove it and have a hole there? Might not sound so swift..

Right. I've got a legit cab, but it's a 410 and a pain in the butt to drag around, and is way overkill for just jamming along with some acoustic guitars. Don't really wanna drop the cash on another cab as this wouldn't be something I'd use very often

Was thinking I'd pull the head and then board up the hole, but idrk

 

[agedhorse]

What about getting the head repaired? They are not difficult for a truly qualified service tech. to repair properly.

 

[SJan3]

What about getting the head repaired? They are not difficult for a truly qualified service tech. to repair properly.

Now there's a novel idea!

What about getting the head repaired? They are not difficult for a truly qualified service tech. to repair properly.

Probably a better idea than lugging that head just to play with acoustic guitars.

 

[Schlyder]

For science you should get it and see how loud it will go before it goes fffffffvvvvvvrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrtttttttttttttttzzzzzzzzzzzzttttttttttttttpop

 

[Max Lawrence]

What about getting the head repaired? They are not difficult for a truly qualified service tech. to repair properly.

I'll definitely look into it, but not sure if it's worth the expense.

 

[JimChjones]

If its cheap enough why not. The proponents of the underpowering myth will tell you its a wise combination, but that's *******s. The key will be self discipline. Can you avoid the temptation to bring it along to gigs its really not man enough for or turn it up a bit louder than the nagging feeling in the back of your mind says is wise?

 

[Discount Bassy]

I've got a GK1001rbii that I run through a 410, 115 or both. I've also got the GK MB112. I like them both. The MB112 has served me well and I have no complaints about it. It has been my go to for years. The stack IS a bit of a beast to haul around. I concur with @agedhorse about having it serviced/repaired. GK is still around and going strong. It should not be difficult to get it back up and running.

 

[Killing Floor]

Any amp can damage almost any speaker.
If the amp is over powered for the load start with the level very low. It should be easy to tell when the speaker is near its limit. Don't go louder than that.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

This is a bad idea... right?

Okay, hear me out. So I've got a GK 1001rb (700 watts @ 4 ohms) and a buddy is willing to sell me his old mb112 combo (200 watts @ 4 ohms) that he fried the electronics in for cheap. I was thinking if it was possible I'd turn it into just a speaker cab and using it with my head for smaller gigs.

Now, I know I can't turn the volume up on the head too loud or I'll blow the speaker, but theoretical could I keep the volume low enough and have this all work?

Just listen for the "speaker farts" and turn down when you do. It will be fine

 

[klejst]

You can do it, however, keep it below that level where it starts to get naturally distorted. I second the repairing the head if it is worth the value to you, it may not be worth the gamble blowing out your speakers too.

 

[johnpbass]

Given that you're getting the combo for cheap, it may also be cheap enough to fix the amp and still come out ahead on the deal. I'd check into that.
Would give you a nice combo for practice and small gigs, and your 1001RB/410 for larger gigs.

 

[daveman50]

"...just jamming along with some acoustic guitars."

Let me put it this way: if that's the setting, and you blow this speaker, either your friends are deaf, or you deserve it.

 

[agedhorse]

Any amp can damage almost any speaker.
If the amp is over powered for the load start with the level very low. It should be easy to tell when the speaker is near its limit. Don't go louder than that.

In practice, many players can't tell when a speaker is being damaged until it becomes damaged. Some drivers do not give any practical warning.

Just listen for the "speaker farts" and turn down when you do. It will be fine

See my comment above.

 

[SunByrne]

For science you should get it and see how loud it will go before it goes fffffffvvvvvvrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrtttttttttttttttzzzzzzzzzzzzttttttttttttttpop

Cab roast! I'll bring marshmallows if someone else will bring the graham crackers and chocolate.

 

[Jazzdogg]

I've been pushing a Crazy8 (Mike Arnopol) with an Acoustic Image Focus (~600 Watts) for several years without incident.

That said, I use a variable high-pass filter to reduce the lows, and I don't slap. When this combo isn't loud enough, I use the same head with different speakers - even when using a 1x15 and 2x12 together, I still use the VHPF and use caution.

 

[RichterScale]

If you want to tackle building your own cab, or know someone handy who can help, you can buy a TCE class D 200w head that fits in your pocket, order an 8" speaker designed for a small enclosure, all for roughly $200.
Perfect for traveling and jam sessions.
Just another option to consider.
My 2nd choice would be to just get the head fixed in the 112 combo and use that. But that might cost more than $200 between buying the cab and the repair. I don't know what going rates are, but head repair wasn't cheap when I looked into it 15 yrs ago.
And if you buy the cab and blow the speaker, you just blew money you could've spent on a more practical setup.

 

[seamonkey]

Last I saw GK has reasonable bench charges.
So get the combo electronics fixed. Call them, Pull the head out and send it in.
My question is how did the owner blow the electronics - chances are it's not a major problem.