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GK Goldline review

origami

origami

Jun 26, 2005
653
4
Big D TEXAS
www.myspace.com
#1
For those of us here who like GK, here is my quickie but longwinded review of the new Gallien-Krueger “Goldline” bass cabinet series with Aluminum cones. I don’t own these cabs (yet), but I did however play each cab and combinations of cabs with loud volume, with various EQs and styles for about an hour.

Place: Guitar Center/Dallas (home of the 3-3 Cowboys :bawl: )
Test subjects: New: 2x10 Goldline, 1x15 Goldline, 4x10 Goldline, and 8x10 Goldline.
Head: New GK Backline 600
Bass: New MIM Jazz Bass Deluxe Active.

2x10” gold colored/aluminum cones w/black dust-caps, no tweeter, one front slat port on bottom, black carpet, black metal grill, nifty gold GK logo. No speakons, ¼” input, @200watts handling $299.

Looks- the cones aren’t as pretty close up; but not Bugera 'fugly' either. the carpet was very sloppily glued around the port. From a distance the cab is sharp looking. Not as tacky as Behringer, but not as cool looking as a 2.5 Hartke cab.

Sound- Believe it or not, actually quite good, and it handled hi and lo frequencies well, and wasn’t harsh, the porting and lack of tweeter helped a lot. Overall it had a flat sound, not the usual mid-bump with a 2x10”. Good with slap. Nice!

1x15” gold colored/aluminum cones w/black dust-caps, no tweeter, and one front slat port on bottom, black carpet, black metal grill, and gold GK logo. No speakons, ¼” input, @200watts handling $299.

Looks- this cab was about the same as the 2x10, but better construction, kind of a big 1x15” cab, and not bad looking. Better than Behringer and Hartke.

Sound- I really wanted this to sound good, it did not. Very lifeless and woofy, no range, needed to be used with the 2x10 to have any punch. I don’t think you could use this as a stand-alone. My Ampeg SVT115 has a much wider/livelier ranging speaker sound.

8x10” gold colored/aluminum cones w/black dust-caps, no tweeter, un-ported, black carpet, black metal grill, and gold GK logo. No speakons, ¼” input, @800watts handling $699.

Looks- this is the best looking of the bunch, reminiscent of the Hartke 8x10, better appearance than Behringer, about even with Hartke.

Sound- good! Best sounding of the cabs, good against all frequencies especially lo-mids. It’s suited more to rock than funk. I would of loved to had a 810XL to try them out side by side.

4x10” gold colored/aluminum cones w/black dust-caps, no tweeter, two front slat ports on bottom and top, black carpet, black metal grill, gold GK logo. No speakons, ¼” input, @400watts handling $399.

Looks- I dig the looks of top and bottom ports, it’s almost weird seeing a 4x10 without a tweeter nowadays, but I don’t like tweeters anyhow. As with the others: better appearance than Behringer, but a Hartke 4.5 cab looks nicer.

Sound- it was not bad, but not awesome either. I didn’t really sound like a 2x bigger version of the 2x10. I like that it is ported, but it's still a bit thin sounding, but not hissy/harsh, about the same tone as a Hartke XL cab, but better than the Behringer. Sould be an average modern rock cab no problem.

There you go…:hmm:
 
#2
origami said:
4x10” gold colored/aluminum cones w/black dust-caps, no tweeter, two front slat ports on bottom and top, black carpet, black metal grill, gold GK logo. No speakons, ¼” input, @400watts handling $399.

Looks- I dig the looks of top and bottom ports, it’s almost weird seeing a 4x10 without a tweeter nowadays, but I don’t like tweeters anyhow. As with the others: better appearance than Behringer, but a Hartke 4.5 cab looks nicer.

Sound- it was not bad, but not awesome either. I didn’t really sound like a 2x bigger version of the 2x10. I like that it is ported, but it's still a bit thin sounding, but not hissy/harsh, about the same tone as a Hartke XL cab, but better than the Behringer. Sould be an average modern rock cab no problem.

There you go…:hmm:
Click to expand...

I played this same cab today @ GC in Pasadena, CA. Came away with pretty much the same impression as you. Better than a Hartke or Behringer cab but it's still an aluminum coned cab and I just can't get myself to like them. I wasn't all that impressed.

It doesn't help that I'm not much of a GK fan to begin with but I was hoping I would like the tone because I think the cabs look pretty cool.
 
#3
i am GK fan, but not the biggest fan of their sbx and backline cabs.

i have mixed feeling on the goldline with looks and performance.. i wish i'd liked the 1x15 more. i didn't.. that 2x10 and 8x10 was a surpise.

them going after the aluminum cone market seems a weird left turn.. what do i know, watch them make a ton of money off of it... behringer did.

i think avatar and aguilar has the right idea.. colored toltex, vintage grills. that's what i want to see.

for the life of me.. why doesn't fender make vintage looking (silverface era) cabs with modern performance? that would rule! the bassman series right now just looks all wrong. ick!

mm
 
#6
I'm not currently in the market for a new cab, but these cabinets definitely intrigue me. They are some of the coolest looking cabs to come out in a while. I've always liked G-K stuff, and while I never cared much for Hartke's heads, I've always liked their XL/Pro series cabinets.

Though if I were looking to purchase one of these cabs, I may be put off by the power handling. Unless it's super efficient, I'd want more power out of a 4x10 than 400 watts.
 
#12
illbay diggin up the old post...

the reason GK is discontinuing the goldlines. my guess (just my guess, i don't work for GK or GC). would be retail floorspace and marketplace.

take your average GC; there is only so much room there, so you got to keep new product coming in at the expence of moving your old product out and especially if it has past its peak.

GK has new product coming in (RBX, fusion, more neos).. so bye bye goldline (the equivelent of last years model). also GK may not feel like going head to head with hartke and behringer (the assumed competion for the goldlines) and might want to compete more with the new kid in town (markbass) instead.

GK has to fight it out with ampeg, markbass, trace elliot (peavey) and behringer for that floorspace and the marketspace in general; so you have to keep things current to the trends as well as stick with your proven winners (1001-rbII) or you get left behind by the flovor of the month and companies like GC move along without you (SWR).
 
#14
origami said:
illbay diggin up the old post...
Click to expand...

True, but have a heart! Aren't we supposed to find OLD posts that answer our questions, and use those?

In my case, I've purchased these cabs recently and I'd like to know more about them, so I searched.

Thanks very much for your reply by the way. It may have irked you, but I am very appreciative that you took the time to do so.
 
#17
MrBonex said:
The world does NOT need more Rat Fur. I don't care how good they sound. It looks cheap and flea-ridden. I'd be more inclined to buy if GK offered bare wood so I could put my own tolex on.:D
Click to expand...

To each his own; I'd rather have the "rat fur" than Tolex, believe it or not. I'm kinda rough on equipment - I have to make sure I have a sturdy hard-shell case for every axe, for instance - and Tolex never lasts long with me.

Always a rip or tear (or three) before you know it. The rat-fur isn't really even noticeable as such unless you're close up, and meanwhile NOTHING tears it! It's indestructible - sort of like the rats it came from.:D
 
#18
no. i aint the po po. i am not annoyed by anyone resurrecting any post. that is why TB is here.

i might of like carpet if i played in a band that was never in a smokey enviroment where drink might get spilled or lived in a house where my 2 kitties didn't think it was x-mas everytime i got a carpeted cabinet. so its toltex for me. that's why i got the neo 212s no carpet!

i did use the backline 600 for a few rehearsals and a show or two. i really liked it, and it is comparable to other heads in its price range. i did end up returining it after 2 weeks when i decided that a 800rb might be up my alley as a back-up/rehearsal head instead, but it was not because i didn't dig the 600backline.

the clean tone is similar to the 400, 700, 1001 rb line, but it doesn't have 4 conductor speak-ons so its not a "horn managment" head. the distortion channel is a nice touch and it is not over-rated in power like many heads in the price range. and for 2-250$ new, a killer deal.
 
#19
ive owned my goldline for 4 months probably, i have a 700rb on top and recently added a ampeg 410 to it. sounds pretty good now, loud, good low end.... its a beginner cab if you ask me. i am a beginner so its fine for me. and you SOB's can get them for 300 now i payed the orig. 400. i think i would buy it again if i needed a cab for 300. but if you are convinced by avatar that they are good and u don't need to play them then i would get an avatar. the reason i didn't go with them is because i'm not convinced i would like it. if you guys want pics i could upload some.
 
#20
The initial review above is pretty spot on. I initially had the 4x10/1x15, but I quickly swapped out the 1x15 for another 4x10. The two 4x10 setup sounded great, but I had 2 main issues with the Goldline series.

1) The weight. Make no mistake...these are VERY heavy cabs. The 4x10 weighs 102 lbs.
2) The speakers (while they sound really good) are very ineffeicent.

I ended up selling both of my Goldline cabs & got a single GK 410SBX cab. Less weight, bi amping capabilities & a more much efficient cab. I've never been happier.
 

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