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Double Bass gk 400rb head vs. swr head

Vince_P9

Vince_P9

Dec 18, 2007
214
18
Hudson Valley New York
#1
been in the market for a lightweight combo for db for a while now, but recently decided to just go with a head and cab. right now i think ive settled on the wizzy 10 for its rep and portability. i need to settle on a head now and have heard alot of good things about the older gallien krueger 400 and 800rbs, a few of each going on ebay for a steal. however, i also stumbled upon an even lower priced swr 400 head. havnt heard anything about it on tb, but ive heard great things about their combos, especially the workingpro's. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.
 
#2
i loved my gk400rb -- till i dumped it for a clarus. still miss it sometimes. i liked it better than the swr's. and the wizzy10 is great. really nice, portable,loud, clean sounding cab.

the one thing i'd say about the 400rb vs. the 800rb is that the higher wattage of the latter will come in handy when you need it.
 
#3
The SWR SM-400's are great for electric, but I was never too crazy about how they worked for DB. An old Baby Blue head might be a better choice if you wanted to go the SWR route. The GK 400 is not a bad choice at all. Lots of festivals used to have them in their backline paired with some kind of a 4 x 10 cabinet. Wouldn't be my first choice for a pair, but the head is really simple to deal with, and fairly transparent.

FWIW....
 
#5
My favorite rig for DB is an '87 400RB and Wizzy 112 (original, not M-Line). The two work together well to my ears--while the sound is not totally uncolored, the growl and midrange emphasis help me hear my intonation. The efficient 4-ohm Wizzy gets stupid loud with the 400RB's 200 watts output, and the two together weigh 43#.

As the original owner of this amp I am impressed by its durability, having used it with both BG and DB on many hundreds of rehearsals, gigs, and practice sessions over the last 20 years. It needed a trip to the GK factory for a problem in the boost circuit but has worked flawlessly in the years since. It's one of the few amps I feel comfortable transporting without a rack/bag/case and at least for my uses the heavier/larger 800RB would be overkill.

One great feature of the GK RBs is that the FX return jack lets you bypass the preamp, and the Boost control lets you dial up full gain with stompbox preamp/EQ pedals.

I like the SWR 350 and the assorted WorkingMan's combos--I've had two WM12s and wouldn't mind picking up a WM10. The SWR SM400 has its charms but it seems to be tricky to dial in.
 
#6
Not to further complicate your decision making process, but I have written a geeky review of the GK Backline 600 head at my little website. (Click on my sig). It seems to work great for both kinds of basses. Understanding the voicing and EQ, as I have documented, should allow one to get a similar tone as is achievable on other GK heads, along with the flatter curve preferred by most upright players. The BL head has the same architecture as other GK heads, so it's definitely a serious product.

My GK sits atop a DIY 1x12 that clink has also built. Judging from his comments, I would recommend the same speaker as mine, but in a bigger box.
 

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