so what IS this mysterious dividing date of 800RBs when they went from ruling the universe to suckitude?
I'm kind of skeptical about it...
I'm kind of skeptical about it...
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.
GK 800rb old/new??
- Thread starter TheOldFlatwound
- Start date
There's something new - a cantankerous techI'm gonna send an email to Audio Upgrades tonight and see he's up to it.
Please let us know what Jim says. He's sort of that tortured,
cantankerous, genius type. A real character.
My sense is that GK designed this amp to sound best when pushed in the power section. Something about "riding the rails" in their literature.
I don't play many loud gigs, but it warms up in tone and evens out when played "at volume" IME. This is super subjective however, since the rest of the band is getting louder at these points, too! Hard to tell.
Anyway, I think the main idea of biamping is to keep your mids and highs undistorted while still being able to push the lows hard. The ear will still hear clarity even when the amp is getting a full workout.
Better PA support and more headroom in general is the rule of the day now, so it's no longer necessary. But if you had a big old 215 or 18 bin from back in the day, this amp plus a 210 or homebrew brite box would have really been impressive, I would think.
I also wonder whether this would be a feature with folded horns, so that you could add a 10 or two for better stage sound while the horn fired your funk out to the festival grounds.
Come to think of it, power handling was an issue in cabinets, too. Think about it... even an older eden 115 only took 200 watts. This way, you were avoiding sending the full range beef to all your drivers and blowing your tweeters, horns, 6" and 10" drivers or what have you...
I have a neox212. Just waiting to find the right neox112 to fully utilize the amp in a more modern full range context-- 8 ohms of goodness to each 12...
seems that it's not leaning one way or the other. old ones are very cool, but new ones sound great and are reliable as well---sound about right?? i'd be curious to put a new and old one side by side, just to see the difference in tone, if any....there would probably be at least a little, with different transformers and whatnot...
when i got my 1990 400rb, i put it against the slightly newer version i had been borrowing. the newer model (2nd version from what i can tell) was a little brighter in tone and a little louder. the older one had a bit more warmth. it was splitting hairs, though--they were very similar.
when i got my 1990 400rb, i put it against the slightly newer version i had been borrowing. the newer model (2nd version from what i can tell) was a little brighter in tone and a little louder. the older one had a bit more warmth. it was splitting hairs, though--they were very similar.
I guess what I was trying to say is that GK is building a quality product today just like they were in the past. Obviously over time internals are going to change as technology changes.
The biggest upgrade in terms of sound would come from the active components, which are the opamps. Substituting a compatible modern high performance audio chip will at the very least reduce the amount of hiss noise. 2604s can be unstable in certain circuits in my experience. There are other newer opamps that are considered better sounding. Next would be coupling caps. Good poly coupling caps will sound clearer and more dynamic than cheap electrolytics. Replacing older dried out electrolytics will also do good for the sound. Resistor and wire upgrades are pretty much a waste of effort and money for the amount of improvement they make, if any.
Funny, I was thinking the same thing...er.. All I know is that
my 800RB is the best sounding 800RB I've ever used.
I don't know how much he would charge now, or if it would be
worth it. But if you really love your 800RB, chances are you
would like it more with the Jim Williams mod.
I don't have an 800RB yet but I've been studying the schematics and I'm hoping to own one in the future. I did however mod my Thunderfunk with all new opamps(LM4562. TLE2072), added opamp local supply bypass caps and larger preamp supply caps and they did make a very noticeable difference. That Thunderfunk may actually have the best S/N ratio of all unless someone else has done similar mods.
Be sure to let us know if Jim Williams is still doing these mods. My '84 400RB might get the treatment...
cheers
cheers
I sent an email to Audio Upgrades last Thursday night & still haven't got a response. I'll give them a call on Monday to get a quicker answer. I'm not too concerned about the price as I bought my 800RB for $25 locally. With the mods and a new powder coat job for the head casing, I'm sure the total will come up well below what a new 800RB goes for.
Bonehead I can be at times, It dawned on me thet I emailed the web designer
I just called Jim a few minutes ago and he said that he still does the mod and that it's been a few years since his last one plus he mentioned that there's some new parts he wants to try out. I also pressed him for a mod on one of my condenser mics. Great conversation and I'll be sending my 800RB + mic for the treatment very soon. I'm beyond stoked. I'm so glad I saw this thread.
Planet Boulder
Hey, this is a private residence...man
- Nov 10, 2001
- 4,014
- 65
- Disclosures
- I once had impure thoughts. Oh, and I pluck my ear hair.
I'm a G-K nut. I have an 800RB (not sure of year - maybe made in the last 10 years or so?), a 700RB-II and a 2001RBP preamp. Oh, and an OLD(!) standalone EQ.
Question for the 800RB users: What's the largest gig you've used your 800 for without miking it or running it through a PA? Defining "large" will be subjective, so maybe size of venue (indoor or outdoor), number of people in attendance or whatever else you want to use to gauge it.
Reason I'm asking is that I want to see if I can get away with just taking the 800RB this weekend to a gig in a decent-sized (but not huge) room in Denver. It's just so much easier carrying a standalone head to a gig than it is to take one of my rack setups. Plus, I love that 800's tone.
Question for the 800RB users: What's the largest gig you've used your 800 for without miking it or running it through a PA? Defining "large" will be subjective, so maybe size of venue (indoor or outdoor), number of people in attendance or whatever else you want to use to gauge it.
Reason I'm asking is that I want to see if I can get away with just taking the 800RB this weekend to a gig in a decent-sized (but not huge) room in Denver. It's just so much easier carrying a standalone head to a gig than it is to take one of my rack setups. Plus, I love that 800's tone.
Theres a reason GK has been cranking out those 800RBs for so long. They are GREAT amps.
I no longer have this setup, but man did it sound HUUUUUGE.
I no longer have this setup, but man did it sound HUUUUUGE.
Bonehead I can be at times, It dawned on me thet I emailed the web designer
How long did he estimate the work would take on your 800? (I'll spare the conversation on cost
)
Planet Boulder
Hey, this is a private residence...man
- Nov 10, 2001
- 4,014
- 65
- Disclosures
- I once had impure thoughts. Oh, and I pluck my ear hair.
Theres a reason GK has been cranking out those 800RBs for so long. They are GREAT amps.
I no longer have this setup, but man did it sound HUUUUUGE.
If it's all the same to you, I think I'll just sit and stare for a while. And drool....
How long did he estimate the work would take on your 800? (I'll spare the conversation on cost
The one thing I failed to discuss was the turnaround time. I'll have to ask him when I call to give him the heads up that the 800RB is on its way. We did discuss price and while it's not cheap it's not outrageously expensive either considering the work this guy does.
I think you can rock any small or medium rock club if you have the right cab. I mean, look at what TSaunders just posted.
In a pinch, there's a good DI right there in the back for ya if you decide you need more before the second set.
In a pinch, there's a good DI right there in the back for ya if you decide you need more before the second set.
