Best Gallien Krueger Bass head?

[Chef]

This will be true of every single product, everywhere.
Some will love them, others, not so much.

example: "Jazz, or, Precision."

It means nothing, except as translated into your own personal context.

The reviews on the 700rb-II and the 1001rb in this thread have been mixed. Some people love them - some people just think that they are ok.

 

[capnsandwich]

I've been a big fan of the 700 rbII and the 1001 rb heads. I like the extra headroom from the 1001 but the warmth of the 700 rbII gets it the win for tone. Plus, for the wattage, these 2 heads have PLENTY of volume, especially through 2 cabs at 4ohms.

I also have an MB212 combo with the micro head in it and while it sounds great as a lightweight combo, it struggles to compare with the 700 rbII or the 1001 rb in tone.

 

[Greevus]

i played 400rbs for years, 800rb, and now MB250 and MB500.

MB500 for value, ease, and grind! FAVE hands down.

 

[B-string]

To the OP and B-string. My response was a failed attempt to be humorous not to troll. Haha?

Ah! Okay all is cool, thanks for the explanation!

 

[Pedulla-Player]

i played 400rbs for years, 800rb, and now MB250 and MB500.

MB500 for value, ease, and grind! FAVE hands down.

Nice to see some MB love. I never heard one before , but they seem to be reasonably priced compared to other amps in the same class.

 

[Pedulla-Player]

I believe he's using the RBH series cabs.
Great choice with the RB800 head.

I Talked with him after the show and he said that he didn't Bi-amp the cabs.

 

[Pedulla-Player]

Wow. A lot of great responses to this thread. Thanks for your input and opinions. They are appreciated very much.

 

[tdub0199]

I own a 700RB II & a 1001RB II, the 700 will get you the GK Growl a lot easier than the 1001 but the 1001 has a lot more clean headroom.....

 

[funkingroovin]

I currently have two original 400rb's and a 1001rb II and also owned/played the 800rb and Backline 600 for years. To be perfectly honest,the 400's are my fav GK tone monsters. They simply can't be beat,or killed for that matter. I got the 1001 for more headroom and found that it's a more versatile amp than most people realize,but it requires some fiddling with the contour,presence,and boost controls to really bring out that GK growl that the 400's and 800 sold me on. I seem to recall Norm Stockton giving a helpful review at a NAMM show a couple years ago that gave some insight to the flexibility of the 1001..

 

[Chef]

This is why I flipped the 700 I had, and moved to the 1001.
Some like grittier, some like cleaner.

I'm a clean guy.

I own a 700RB II & a 1001RB II, the 700 will get you the GK Growl a lot easier than the 1001 but the 1001 has a lot more clean headroom.....

 

[DougD]

MB800 + Neo cabs = Thunder
1001RBII + Neo cabs = Thunder and um..more thunder.
Both have the headroom for any gig IMHO they are the best bang for buck gig rig you can buy

 

[Pedulla-Player]

This is why I flipped the 700 I had, and moved to the 1001.
Some like grittier, some like cleaner.

I'm a clean guy.

I read earlier in this thread about cranking the master and adjusting the gain to taste to unleash the beast. Does this work as well with the 1001RB?

 

[Chef]

Yes!
But, at that point, you're Hella Loud (tm)

 

[Pedulla-Player]

Yes!
But, at that point, you're Hella Loud (tm)

lol - Thanks.

 

[Chef]

I mean it!
We might have read about that about the same time.
I set my 1001 up with the two Neo 112's last week to try it.
It was louder than I could stand, indoors.
I ran it that way for long enough "to feel it out."
Like, you know, two or three runs up and down the neck.

then a picture buzzed off my mantel.
It landed on carpet and didn't break.

I shut her down at that point.

 

[ljazz]

I mean it!
We might have read about that about the same time.
I set my 1001 up with the two Neo 112's last week to try it.
It was louder than I could stand, indoors.
I ran it that way for long enough "to feel it out."
Like, you know, two or three runs up and down the neck.

then a picture buzzed off my mantel.
It landed on carpet and didn't break.

I shut her down at that point.

I had a 1001rbII for about a week prior to exchanging for a 700rbII. I couldn't get it to loud enough to growl with my 212..... It was gonna kill the cab! I plugged into a 810, and cranked it.... there it was!.... the growl! Everyone in the rehearsal room looked at me, and said "that ain't gonna work." LOL... I think I "brown-noted" the entire band!

 

[Pedulla-Player]

I had a 1001rbII for about a week prior to exchanging for a 700rbII. I couldn't get it to loud enough to growl with my 212..... It was gonna kill the cab! I plugged into a 810, and cranked it.... there it was!.... the growl! Everyone in the rehearsal room looked at me, and said "that ain't gonna work." LOL... I think I "brown-noted" the entire band!

Lol. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[garagebassman]

For me the MB500 gets the go to 99% of the time.

it's right in between the older 400RB (which i'll never sell) voicing, and the 700RBII (which I keep even though I don't use it much).

500 is full , clean (enough for me), and gritty.

I prefered the 700 to the 1001, I had the 1001 for a short time, too clean for me I guess, and super loud.

I think if I liked the fusion 550 as you did ( i only ever tried one in a store and did like it but was looking for lighter alternative to my 400 at the time), I'd be inclined to try another 550 for certain before anything else.

Seems to me the 550 is a bit more similar to the 800RB's voicing/tone than the 1001 or 700.

I had a couple of 800RB's, and don't thinl You can ever lose with one of them either...

 

[Pedulla-Player]

This thread has raised my interest in the 1001RB-II and the 700RB-II quite a bit. I just breezed through a bunch of reviews on Musicians Friend about the 700RB-II and while most of the reviews were extremely positive there did seem to be an abnormally high number of people who have had major problems and malfunctions with their 700RB-IIs. Since I live in the Northwoods of Wisconsin in the Boonies I need a very reliable amp.
The 1001RB has raised my interest because like Chef - Most of the time I just like clean head room and my amp to just sound warm and punchy. The GK growl would come in handy for a few of the songs my band does (War Pigs , Man In The Box) , so I am on the fence... A short 50 second video clip someone posted to my bands FB page of us playing part of "War Pigs" last February. The video quits and picks up again a little later in the song. It was only our 2nd gig - We are much better now. Playing through my GB SM9.2 (up for sale) and my Uber410 cab (That I just sold). [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[KJung]

This thread has raised my interest in the 1001RB-II and the 700RB-II quite a bit. I just breezed through a bunch of reviews on Musicians Friend about the 700RB-II and while most of the reviews were extremely positive there did seem to be an abnormally high number of people who have had major problems and malfunctions with their 700RB-IIs. Since I live in the Northwoods of Wisconsin in the Boonies I need a very reliable amp.
The 1001RB has raised my interest because like Chef - Most of the time I just like clean head room and my amp to just sound warm and punchy. The GK growl would come in handy for a few of the songs my band does (War Pigs , Man In The Box) , so I am on the fence... A short 50 second video clip someone posted to my bands FB page of us playing part of "War Pigs" last February. The video quits and picks up again a little later in the song. It was only our 2nd gig - We are much better now. Playing through my GB SM9.2 (up for sale) and my Uber410 cab (That I just sold). [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Wow, selling the uber reliable Shuttle Max 9.2 for a 700RB when reliability is key. What don't you like about the Max 9.2? Very little tonewise that head can't do, and the volume is pretty massive. That is, IMO, one of the most slammin', high reliability, versatile head on the market.