Dont think i can ever trust a GK head again.

[agedhorse]

Did you get lubricated cleaner or non-lubricated? In potentiometers you must use lubricated cleaner, if you use non lubricated cleaner you will destroy the pot

DeOxit has a very, very thin lubricating film, do not use fader-lube on rotary pots, and in general even on faders is makes a pretty good mess of things.

 

[Doug Parent]

Had three MB800's that went down. Send it off to service at GK they are quick and reliable and for $150 you will have a working amp that you can SELL and get some money back. My first real deal bass amp was the 400B with aluminum handles on the front. Nice head. But can't go there again. Now Mesa on the other hand...is solid as a rock.

 

[JimChjones]

Never use WD-40 on electronics components (or on anything in my opinion), .

WD40 is useful stuff, but it amazes me the amount of crazy myths around it. Most of the bizarre uses hinge around it being an aerosol can with kerosene in. It suprises me that noone seems to sell precisely that. The rest of WD40 is a mix of a lubricant and a dewatering (=powerfully water repelling) agent, so when the light fractions evaporate what you are left with is a greasy water repellent film that can attract grime, which is why you don't want it anywhere round any music hardware!

 

[murphy]

I think these have simply been the wrong GK heads.

Go grab an old 800RB and you'll be fine.

Well...I had a very weird noise problem with my old 800RB into my Mesa 210 cab....made a loud THRRRRRAP through the horn randomly
Had it in for repair at 3 places...no one could find the problem
First..the Mesa dealer said he had heard of that with Mesa cabs
I then moved onto Hartke cabs...then Eden
this was in the 90s

 

[alaskaleftybass]

I don't know why the moderator hasn't shut down this thread. Many GK users have demonstrated by their posts how reliable GK equipment is. It's not about any other brand except GK. We're just flogging a dead horse at this point.

 

[Doug Parent]

I don't know why the moderator hasn't shut down this thread. Many GK users have demonstrated by their posts how reliable GK equipment is. It's not about any other brand except GK. We're just flogging a dead horse at this point.

Probably because the comments aren't inflammatory. There's a difference between harassing someone and reporting on the reliability of gear you bought and paid for and used in the field.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

At the very least maybe the title of the thread should be changed. It looks bad for any company. The only company that I feel deserves the constant negative attention on TB is Dr. Bass.

 

[Al Kraft]

Sadly, I agree with Doug. While I don't think it's a fair reflection of GK as a company, it is titled as a point of view and based on that person's experience. I would certainly never approach something this way, and it's probably just on the line leaning into the gray area Will.

The only good news for GK is that the thread has gone this far and is overwhelmingly telling a story that seems to provide more reasons to trust GK than not. I feel bad watching companies that have consistently treated customers so well (including many of us) take an undeserved (IMO) public beating.

 

[somebrains]

Well...I had a very weird noise problem with my old 800RB into my Mesa 210 cab....made a loud THRRRRRAP through the horn randomly
Had it in for repair at 3 places...no one could find the problem
First..the Mesa dealer said he had heard of that with Mesa cabs
I then moved onto Hartke cabs...then Eden
this was in the 90s

I totally remember that from way back when.

My 800rb treble channel got burnt from a 4ohm load.
I think I lent it to someone trying to run a 210 top and a 15" low cab.
User error, it's a 90 or 92 vintage amp, it's getting a look thru.

 

[Stevorebob]

While I think the OP is wack ‘cause he won’t even take the amp in for service, I believe the thread expresses an opinion, and the OP’s comments speak for themselves. (Although I did just speak for them… .) I’m not in favor of shutting down negative comments merely because they don’t represent the experience of others. Keep the thread open, I say.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Sadly, I agree with Doug. While I don't think it's a fair reflection of GK as a company, it is titled as a point of view and based on that person's experience. I would certainly never approach something this way, and it's probably just on the line leaning into the gray area Will.

The only good news for GK is that the thread has gone this far and is overwhelmingly telling a story that seems to provide more reasons to trust GK than not. I feel bad watching companies that have consistently treated customers so well (including many of us) take an undeserved (IMO) public beating.

Agreed bro @Al Kraft . Thanks for chiming in!

 

[NeonVomit]

Never had an issue with GK gear. Having said that I've only owned RB stuff, never any of the class D... was close to ordering an MB Fusion 800 but decided to go for the Mesa D-800 instead (variety is the spice of life and all).

 

[Doug Parent]

Just to be clear my beef was about the trend of issues with that particular model. I've had good success using the MB200 (my favorite micro head! ) The GK1001RB mkII, the 700RB-II, the Neo 410 cabinet and the Neo 112 cabinet. All great stuff IMHO. There have been many testimonials about GK gear for decades, and they deserve it. I think Rob has made excellent contributions to this industry in general, absolutely no question about that. But for some reason there has been a history of failure with that particular model and each time it manifested just north of the warranty period, which for me, to be honest kinda stung after the 1st time.
I have no statistics in terms of the failure rate of the MB800 overall I only have my own experience for which I have been transparent about. Talkbass is an invaluable resource, not only for bassists as consumers and artists but also for manufacturers. If GK has addressed this issue then I'm all in favor of the MB800 and would recommend it.

 

[Jim C]

We're just flogging a dead horse at this point.

The OP said in post #67 in hat he was bowing out of this thread yet many (myself included) have contiued to pound this horse for another 87 posts.
The dealer / manufacturer / product / tech issues have been covered.
I would be happy to see this thread get burried in the arhcives as it is not fair for a good company to have a thread title that gets carried forward even when the issue has ended.
Could these GK ifailures be greater than 1% of all the units they have manufactured?
I think not.

I had a Ford. It had it's share of problems and the dealer didn't help resolve them. Therefore all Fords are bad...

 

[Kro]

Just to be clear my beef was about the trend of issues with that particular model. I've had good success using the MB200 (my favorite micro head! ) The GK1001RB mkII, the 700RB-II, the Neo 410 cabinet and the Neo 112 cabinet.

That's fair. For the record I've had issues with my MB2-500 in the past (one of six or so GK heads I've ever owned), and it's one of the reasons that I don't think I'll ever gig with that particular amp again. It's actually all fixed up (they took care of me very well), and I keep it around as a lightweight backup, but for me, for that one specific amp in my possession, I just don't believe it's ready for prime-time anymore.

It's a universal truth; once trust is lost it's much harder for it to be gained back.

I'm a fan of GK, and I'm glad that I have the luxury of enough personal experience with them to more or less make up my own decisions on the matter, but everybody's experience is valid and deserves to be respectfully shared for the good of the community. Some share good experiences, some share bad, and it's up to individuals to do their research and make heads or tails of things. As it should be.

 

[BadExample]

Yet, like an Interstate highway pile up, you just have to look...

 

[TomB]

If we all stop posting it will go away ...oops!