How much watts does your cabinet handle? I'm keen on the 2001rb, however I'm afraid that my cabinet can't handle the power.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Gallien Krueger Head with Non-GK Cabs????
- Thread starter jk3
- Start date
How much watts does your cabinet handle? I'm keen on the 2001rb, however I'm afraid that my cabinet can't handle the power.
The Roadready 1000 is 1000W RMS at 4 Ohms. What's the worry?
Power-wise, the 2001RB will deliver up to 1080W RMS in bridged mode, which is what you'll probably want to use for that particular cabinet.
Unless you're cranking that amp really high, I wouldn't worry about overpowering. You should be fine both volume and power-wise!
If you have an 8 Ohm version of that cab... it'll receive up to 650W RMS. Again, no worries.
I regularly gig with and without PA support using a 2001RB and an 8-Ohm GK Neo 212, against guitarists with Mesa and Bogner half-stacks. No problems yet. Without a PA, we have the goods to deliver all the volume we need as a band (enough for everyone to be heard well without compromising tone or drowning out the drummer), and with a PA, we have bigger things to worry about (e.g., the sound guy...
).
My cabinet handles 1,200 watts peak per spec... That said I've never really been worried about cabinet handling versus head/power amp output. A cabinet will audibly tell you when it's at its limit. It is not a silent killer/problem at all. Be judicious with the use of the volume knob and all will be well.
I think so. That's what I tried and I liked it. However, I kept the 5st switch out. It was too boomy.
I have an old version with the Diesel-grill and EV-speakers. I recently had to fix the 15"-speaker and heard that it handles 200watts at 8ohm. That's why I'm worried.
I tested the 2001rb today through GK-speakers and was in awe! That distortion is pure killer! Can't understand why people say it's sterile? Hell, Duff McKagan uses it and he has a pretty warm and clear tone! Considering using a Sansamp BDDI or a Budda Phatbass to "tube" it up.
+1!
No, it's RMS. GK doesn't publish peak values... but one can usually assume it's roughly twice the RMS rating.
Besides, unless the amp is cranked, one won't be using that much power anyway. I know I never do... I have a scary amount in reserve.
Oh...
Hmm... the whole cabinet? 200W @ 8 Ohms? Or is that just the speaker you replaced?
That can't be right... weren't those cabs designed to run with Mesa 400 amps pumping power into them?
I'd follow up with Mesa. Send them an e-mail!
IME, the SansAmp works against the 2001RB (or any GK amp, for that matter).
If you dial it right, you won't need to "tube" it up...
Wow, I never realized that. I think that would go a long way to explaining why GK is generally considered to be conservative in their power ratings. Great info
I couldn't agree more. I can't remember where I read it... possibly from Tech on the GK forum... But I seem to remember someone asking about adding a Sansamp in front of a 2001RB and someone from GK (again, it was probably Tech) said that the "Boost" circuit in the 2001RB does the same type of thing as Sansamp technology so it wasn't really worthwhile.IME, the SansAmp works against the 2001RB (or any GK amp, for that matter). If you dial it right, you won't need to "tube" it up...
My 2001RB requires no "tubing up" and I'm sure yours doesn't need it either. Clean, gritty, warm, punchy, dynamic... It does it all!
The 15" Electro Voice-speaker alone handles 200 watts at 8 ohm. The guy I bought it from used to use a 1000 watt poweramp through it, but I remember him saying that he has also blown a speaker (or two).
Hmm... regardless of who it was, I'd have to disagree with the rationale.
The SansAmp does more than emulate a tube preamp - it emulates a miked all-tube Ampeg SVT atop an 8x10 cabinet. The end result is very different than what the Boost circuit does.
Comparing the package (amp, cab) to the SansAmp alone, I can understand it making sense. But putting a SansAmp in front of the GK head will produce a result that's vastly different than anything the Boost knob does. And I'm not too fond of that result, which is why I sold my SansAmp. I might pick one up again for ampless gigs, though, because it's great-sounding on its own.
Hmm... based on that, I'd assume that the 10" speakers are 32 Ohms each, with a 200W RMS handling per speaker?
In total, that'd be a 4 Ohm cabinet with a 1000W power handling.
The only thing you'd need to double-check are the ratings of the 10" speakers, to be on the safe side.
Wait...
Why is the 15" speaker only 200W? Seems rather low for a cab that large... no wonder it was blown out a few times!
The cab looks pretty old, probably before bassplayers used more than 300watt tube-amps. Still, it looks pretty logical about the cab being rated at 1000watts. Think I might pull the trigger on that 2001rb
Thanks for the help, Boo!
The amp sounded very clean and the reason why I would use the Sansamp is to "dirty" it up, not necessarily "tube" it up. I also have an EBS Multidrive, which does a great job adding grit without altering the tone. My Budda Phatbass also does this pretty good.
The cab looks pretty old, probably before bassplayers used more than 300watt tube-amps. Still, it looks pretty logical about the cab being rated at 1000watts. Think I might pull the trigger on that 2001rb
That's the hope, anyway. Possibilities #2 and #3 place the grand total being at either 600W RMS or 800W RMS.
Either way, it might not hurt to install a higher-power speaker. My biggest concern isn't the total... it's the individual speakers. Because it's an 8 Ohm 15" speaker, it could theoretically be getting power in excess of 400W rather easily.
Think about the flow for a second. Let's assume you cranked the amp pretty high, and played normally...
1080W => 540W => 4x10 (800W rating)
|__> 540W _> 1x15 (200W rating)
And there's the problem. While all of this power division isn't happening at the amp, it is still happening at the cab.
Now, don't take the numbers at face value - they will vary dynamically with your playing and your volume. But the reality of the matter is that the lone 15" speaker in that cab will reach its limits long before the four 10" speakers do...
It's something to think about before diving into a 2001RB.
Hmm, you're right. In that case, I might have to replace the 15"-speaker with something that can handle more wattage. I also tested the 1001rb, but I found it less punchy and of course, it didn't have the distortion channel.
How much does the amp run at 8ohm? There are three speaker inputs on my cab:
- One 4ohm where all five speakers are utilized
- One 8ohm for the 10 inches
- One 8ohm for the 15 inch
You have to understand, I really want that amp.
How much does the amp run at 8ohm? There are three speaker inputs on my cab:
- One 4ohm where all five speakers are utilized
- One 8ohm for the 10 inches
- One 8ohm for the 15 inch
You have to understand, I really want that amp.
650W RMS. It's how I currently use it live (my Neo 212 is rated for 600W RMS).
There is an alternative solution that should work perfectly for your case... you could power the 4x10 section and the 1x15 section on different "sides" of the 2001RB.
Unlike the rest of GK's current line, the 2001RB has TWO main poweramps (not counting the amp for the tweeters), each rated for 540W @ 2 Ohms (it's the only GK head that can handle 2 Ohm cabinets... but it only does so in Dual Mono mode). At 8 Ohms, each side delivers 240W RMS.
You could run each section on its own poweramp in Dual Mono mode. That way, you won't have to worry anymore. Your 4x10 side won't receive all the juice it could, however... which is a bit of a drag.
Maybe you should consider a new cab, too.
On a side note... does your cab have Speakon jacks? If it doesn't, you have a new problem... or at least, you would if you ever intended to try out Bridged Mode.
I've kept an old reliable 400RB on hand for years specially for those "cabinet supplied" gigs. It sounds decent at the very least with everything I've plugged it in to (unless the speakers were blown), and ROCKS with an Ampeg 8X10. Actually, I once did a recording session with this head powering a mighty Ampeg 1540 cab (4x10 + 1x15) and with that "boost" knob up past 2 o'clock, I could nearly swear there was a tube in there somewhere...
With higher boost settings and judicious boost in the high-mids I've found that the clean channel of the 2001RB can get relatively dirty. The distortion channel is surprisingly versatile as it can go from low-gain overdrive/dirt to full-blown distortion. In some settings I'll actually run the distortion channel with relatively low-gain and have found the subtle distortion to REALLY fatten up the low-end without making it boomy. Be careful though, a very slight gain increase on the distortion channel goes a long way.
I guess my point to all of this is that you should spend some time with the 2001RB before you run out and buy a Sansamp as you could potentially have all the dirt AND clean you'll need from the amp alone... God I love my 2001RB
