Dont think i can ever trust a GK head again.

[bumperbass]

Just so I'm understanding, it failed you and you didn't take it to a tech. It failed you more frequently and you still didn't take it to a tech.

And then it failed again and it was the last straw. Right?

Agree. This head has issues multiple times and yet you don't have it looked at? Are you surprised when it finally dies on the job?

Ive had my MB800 for about 2-3 years. First year it was used a lot, but on more than one occasion i could not get anything out of it for 10-15mins at gigs. It never cut out once it came on, but i started to need to take a back up amp just in case, and needed it a few times. All the lights would come on, but no sound. After a while it would work, but that’s really not good enough when I’m trying to set up or sound check.
I haven’t used it for about a year, but started again a few months ago. Jump to last week and we finally went in to the studio. Engineer plugged his lead in to the XLR out....nothing. Stone dead. Switched to Post EQ and i got a very distorted, low level sound. Totally useless. Needed up going from the DI on my board, and that was fine.

It too late to send it back, and I suppose i can be fixed, but I’d never trust it again so I don’t think ill bother. It can gather dust in the cupboard with the rest of the stuff that i have but dont use.
I know others love these amps, and i do, but its not been reliable and we all know how that can turn out at a gig.

Why do you think that? Really, why jump on me without actually asking in a civilised way. Do you act like a knob in real life as well? Pathetic posts like yours dont help anyone but if they make you feel better go for it.

I have had all items fixed and then sold, expect my MB800 which of course i will get fixed and then sell.

My point is its only the GK gear that ive had issues with, so i wont use them again as i dont have confidence in this brand. Im not saying they are rubbish or poorly made, although obviously mine were.

Not the case, according to the OP. See Post 37.

Whatever. Sounds like he had problems with the MB800 for a long time. OP is pretty sensitive, so good luck. Bye bye.

 

[Red Planet]

@Kro, yes.
when playing at low volumes (gain/master on 9 clock), using passive P-equipped bass, it sounds like a paper speaker with a rip when you play a single note hard or any 2 notes at the same time.

Did you engage the active passive switch?
There is a -14 db pad switch on the front of the amp next to the input jack.

Edit: I see where you found the pad. That will fix a problem like that quickly.

You might read through the manual.

 

[agedhorse]

Like I said, only if you feel comfortable doing so. Some guys are just more confident in how they handle their pencil.

An abundance of caution is a good idea unless you really understand what you are probing. In the SMPS part of the amp there is about 350 volts available, and in the Fusion versions there is similar voltages present in the preamp section.

Since other people down the road might read your suggestion and start probing away not realizing that there may some dangerous voltages present.

Disclaimer: I strongly discourage random probing as this generally causes more harm than good in many cases.

 

[michael paul]

I've never met a GK amp that didn't have input distortion issues (15 amps demo-ed so far) so my run of bad luck must be beyond catastrophic. However, if you love them, you love them. I'll never have a GK because of my experiences while others will never have anything but...

Meanwhile, I own the newest favorite whipping-boy amp....a Carvin. So far no issues with 3 of them. Sure, they screwed a ton of people over but mine works great...for now.

 

[NOVAX]

Why do you think that? Really, why jump on me without actually asking in a civilised way. Do you act like a knob in real life as well? Pathetic posts like yours dont help anyone but if they make you feel better go for it.

I have had all items fixed and then sold, expect my MB800 which of course i will get fixed and then sell.

My point is its only the GK gear that ive had issues with, so i wont use them again as i dont have confidence in this brand. Im not saying they are rubbish or poorly made, although obviously mine were.

This saddens me, for you (apparently) will never get to experience the grinding glory that is the 800 RB!

 

[Al Kraft]

An abundance of caution is a good idea unless you really understand what you are probing. In the SMPS part of the amp there is about 350 volts available, and in the Fusion versions there is similar voltages present in the preamp section.

Since other people down the road might read your suggestion and start probing away not realizing that there may some dangerous voltages present.

Disclaimer: I strongly discourage random probing as this generally causes more harm than good in many cases.

IME poking runaround in any piece of equipment, especially if it's electrical or has rotating components, linkages, etc. when you are not totally knowledgeable on the design and/or fully trained as a technician on that type of system is always a really, really bad idea...whether using a pencil or not.

 

[agedhorse]

IME poking runaround in any piece of equipment, especially if it's electrical or has rotating components, linkages, etc. when you are not totally knowledgeable on the design and/or fully trained as a technician on that type of system is always a really, really bad idea...whether using a pencil or not.

Fingers have proven to be especially bad

 

[Jim C]

The thing I find most interesting in this thread, is about folks that have had multiple issues with the same or different brands of amps.
In 30+ years of playing, the only failure I can remember was a brand new GK500 that had an issue with the pots that had the "push" feauture. The authorized dealer had the factory call me a few hours after it was reported.
GK offered a full refund or a new amp and sent the replacement the next day; long before the old one was sent back.

Why am I so lucky with gear not breaking?
Are you guys rough with your equipment?

Lastly, it is amazing the amount of love and hate for a company that probably has a very low failure rate.
They didn't get this big by not doing the right thing.

 

[BadExample]

Fingers have proven to be especially bad

C'mon fellas, give Darwin a fighting chance to further evolve us!

 

[popcat]

!CAUTION! 10,000,000 ohms.

I've heard that a little random probing now and then is good for you.

 

[keyboardguy]

Occasional failures are to be expected even in the most well built products (which is one reason why Rolls Royce dealerships have a repair department).

He he... When I was in elementary school, 'someone' said the Rolls Royce cars were so good, the hood was "welded" shut because they never needed repair.
Live and learn....

 

[Michael Eisenman]

He he... When I was in elementary school, 'someone' said the Rolls Royce cars were so good, the hood was "welded" shut because they never needed repair...

Or an oil change, apparently.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Ive had my MB800 for about 2-3 years. First year it was used a lot, but on more than one occasion i could not get anything out of it for 10-15mins at gigs. It never cut out once it came on, but i started to need to take a back up amp just in case, and needed it a few times. All the lights would come on, but no sound. After a while it would work, but that’s really not good enough when I’m trying to set up or sound check.
I haven’t used it for about a year, but started again a few months ago. Jump to last week and we finally went in to the studio. Engineer plugged his lead in to the XLR out....nothing. Stone dead. Switched to Post EQ and i got a very distorted, low level sound. Totally useless. Needed up going from the DI on my board, and that was fine.

Having tried a few leads, and substituting my MarkBass F1 with the same leads its definitely the amp.
Now i know these things can happen, but quite honestly if this is a pro piece of gear, designed to be used on tour etc, then these things shouldn’t happen.

It too late to send it back, and I suppose i can be fixed, but I’d never trust it again so I don’t think ill bother. It can gather dust in the cupboard with the rest of the stuff that i have but dont use.
I know others love these amps, and i do, but its not been reliable and we all know how that can turn out at a gig.

This is the 3rd (and last) piece of GK gear thats been rubbish. The first was a small combo (many, many years ago) that had a really low output, and would distort on the DI if the built in chorus was turned on, and a RB1000-II that crackled (not distorted) on anything above 1/3 of the volume.

Rant over

I have two GK's that get used regularly both gigging and running a line to FOH from the XLR. NEVER had a problem with them, I've played in frozen weather, rainstorms (under a cover) point is-- they're ROCK SOLID. Sorry about your misfortune, but there's a lot of love on TB for GK's. The company is small enough that you can talk to tech support directly if you call them, and I've emailed Jason and several times he helped me with out of warranty questions and issues for just the cost of a call.

When you get new equipment, it's good to push it to the limit the first year. If it breaks in the first year it's covered. Nowadays there are three year warranty's most shops offer as a third party insurance on items.

Maybe it's not just GK you are having problems with. See if you're one of those who carry electricity in your system. I've known people who do, and it's kind of odd but it happens. Surprising what a small current from a finger can do.

Best of luck with you, hope you feel better after your rant. But I don't think you'll sway the hundreds of thousands of happy GK users. In the meantime, you might consider sending it in for repair. You might just like it when it's running correctly.

 

[logdrum]

My gig amp failure happened with a GK. It was a small gig in Athens GA - singer song writer, with a quite drummer, flute, keyboards and acoustic guitar and I was using it mostly as a stage monitor. It was not even that hot but it blew fuses at 6 on the master dial. Luckily I had a DI, but still. It sucked. My bass only had a Q control (Bartolini). It also made me a believer in Bartolini pres and pickups because they worked when sent directly to PA, quite and balanced. I also was using a BSX with barts as well. However the old 400RB, those seem indestructible. I know peopl and clubs that are still using them. Scratchy pots once in a while but easily fixable with de-oxit or electronics parts cleaner. Could it be a US vs offshore manufacturing thing?

 

[Red Planet]

My gig amp failure happened with a GK. It was a small gig in Athens GA - singer song writer, with a quite drummer, flute, keyboards and acoustic guitar and I was using it mostly as a stage monitor. It was not even that hot but it blew fuses at 6 on the master dial. Luckily I had a DI, but still. It sucked. My bass only had a Q control (Bartolini). It also made me a believer in Bartolini pres and pickups because they worked when sent directly to PA, quite and balanced. I also was using a BSX with barts as well. However the old 400RB, those seem indestructible. I know peopl and clubs that are still using them. Scratchy pots once in a while but easily fixable with de-oxit or electronics parts cleaner. Could it be a US vs offshore manufacturing thing?

GK Amps are made in the USA .

Which amp failed with you?

 

[Kro]

GK Amps are made in the USA .

Which amp failed with you?

They are now, but there was a time when they moved a bunch of manufacturing overseas. My MB2-500 was produced overseas, as I believe were the first batches of MB-500s, though I could be wrong about it.

I think not long after that switch to the MB-500 they brought it all back.

 

[Al Kraft]

They are now, but there was a time when they moved a bunch of manufacturing overseas. My MB2-500 was produced overseas, as I believe were the first batches of MB-500s, though I could be wrong about it.

I think not long after that switch to the MB-500 they brought it all back.

I too have a mix of USA made and GK Chinese factory made gear. As I understand the story, while GK tried their best to have the same type of manufacturing and QA processes in their overseas plant, the decision was made to bring everything back to the US some time back. Most of the classic gear (like the RB head) was always US made, but the newer Neo and MB type gear was produced for a while in a Chinese factory that they controlled which made only GK products.

 

[logdrum]

GK Amps are made in the USA .

Which amp failed with you?

I know the old ones were made in the US. I am talking about now.

I had the MB150S -112 with the chorus switch. That was a good chorus. That amp was only reliable for TV conversation volume. I know they were good and loud enough because Charlie Haden used those with his big band, but I had bad luck with mine

 

[modbass]

I've had an mb800 for 7 years and it has lived everywhere except a case. I don't treat it with any care at all and it shows. Every once in a while it cuts out, and smacking with a fist usually fixes it. Contacted GK, they very quickly told me it's probably a loose solder point on the harness and a basic ervice will fix it. I haven't done it yet because it lives at church, and anyone that's not me doesn't need to know the trick to get it to work But I wouldn't write off GK on their reliability, all gear needs maintenance, especially if you use it.

Now their new software based stuff...I dunno, I need gear that can live in a truck and get smacked around, and still work flawlessly. GK has absolutely satisfied so far in that regard but adding more computery bits makes me nervous.

 

[Crystalman85]

I've had some gk gear in the past and it served me well. I use to own a gk 700rb-II and it was a great sounding bass head. the only trouble I've had with it when I had it was rusty knobs, but that was fixed easily with contact spray. and now I currently own a hartke lh500 through gk cx 1x15. this set-up sounds phenomenal. especially with my effects. other than that, I had no trouble with gk what so ever.