I'm thinking about doing a trade that would result in me losing a giant bulky amp that is way too big for anything i do anymore and gaining a GK Backline 115 Combo in its place. the giant bulky one is a ten year old crate 2-15 cabinet (with the factory upgrade to JBL speakers) and the old BT-350 head that they don't make anymore. It gave me a sweet sound for ten years (even if it IS a crate ) but it's just too bulky for me anymore and too much amp for any of my current gigs. so, any opinions on the following would be appreciated! 1) is this a fair trade? 2) can this GK handle club gigs? 3) overall opinions of the GK Backline 115 if it helps, my two main basses are the Ibanez SR1306 and an NS Design EUB (soon, right Gard? ) thanks!
I really didn't like the GK backline 15 I demo'd. I brought it home, along with my GK1001RB 2x10 combo before I make my final decision. I played all of my usual stuff through each cab for 2 days. I just didn't like it at all. The woofer would make unwanted noises, the freq extension wasn't anywhere near the 2x10s, and I just didn't want to compromise I know that I was comparing it to a fanstastic top of the line combo, but still. It was half the price, and 1/16 the sound I was looking for. I might have a messed up idea of sound though, but I love my 2x10 cab. Make sure you listen to it first with your bass to see if it is the sound that you like. Wes
I ihaven't heard the 10s, so I can't elaborate. I will agree with you on the 15 though. I hear the heads are not bad though.
The speakers in the new backline combos sound much better than older versions. The 112 combo is actually really nice and I would pit the backline cabinets up against any other brand. The 115 is as gig worthy as any 125 watt combo could be. Give it a listen.
It seemed like the speaker was what was the problem on the old series. There seemed to be plenty of power, usually too much for that 15. I couldn't be happier with my combo and extension 115RBH cab though. Wes
well, i got them to loan it to me (sort of) for three days, and so far it sounds good on ONE of my four main basses. it would "make do" for the others, but I don't think i'm going to keep it. i think the trade is fair (the moster crate for this little combo) but i don't know if now is the time to make that trade. might be a better idea to hold off awhile until i can afford something better. i dunno, i'm going to use it for a gig tonight and see how it handles. i think it's a decent amp, VERY good for the price, but i'm not sure it truly suits my needs.
i think i'm going to give back the GK and try this yorkville instead. it's only about $25 more, and it is 200 watts and more "traditional" for lack of a better word. there's a nice review of it at musician's friend. anyone know anything about the yorkville?
They have been around a long time. They make solid PA equipment. Really good for the money. A good friend of mine gigs with one for well over a year, and it sounds fantastic. It has given him 0 problems. I tried a 15" combo with a 200 watt head, and I really liked it. It had blue/black carpet on it, if I remember. i wander if it is the same one...
that blueish one is the discontinued version of the newer one that i'm talking about. we use a yorkville PA in my trio. my bass sounds freakin' awesome through it, so i think i'm going for the yorkville. c'mon, anybody else?
My first "real" bass amp was a Traynor Bassmaster c.1969 - unknown wattage and a 2x15 cab. Traynor became Yorkville, but they are putting out retro style amps under the Traynor brand again. They're made up here in Canada so you should do well on the exchange. If I hadn't bought a GK 800 RB a few years ago, and just picked up a 115 RBH cab, I would have bought the 200 2x10 combo, and the nice little matching 1x15 extension cab. The price in Cdn. $ for the extension cab is around $300. Go for it. A lot of stores that do rentals use Yorkville - they seem to stand up to a lot of crap. One neat feature of the combo is that there is a switchable XLR on the front panel - you can run it as a line out or a DI.
That yorkville will be the loudest 200 watts you ever hear. Yorkville is like the canadian peavey, only better sounding. *runs away*
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