So I purchased a GK 1001rb mark ll that powers a GK 4x10 Neo cabinet and a GK 1x15 Neo cabinet ... My Fender PBass sounds great as do other Basses that I have except my Music Man Stingray which is active .... I cannot get rid of the popping when I use a pick or that occasional time when my fingernails hit the strings and I can't do any kind of slapping. I have tried all kinds of adjustments and can't tone down that extremely loud tap tap sound anyone have any suggestions?
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GK head and active bass
- Thread starter ted schardt
- Start date
It's probably the strings hitting the pole pieces. You can either change your playing technique so that the strings don't contact the magnets or cover them with electrical tape or some clear nail polish
If it isn't what was mentioned just above, what settings on the amp are you using?
What are your EQ settings like on your bass?
I don't think the issue is necessarily that the bass is active, but if you're running the EQ full up on the bass like a tone control on a passive, it could contribute to what you're hearing.
What are your EQ settings like on your bass?
I don't think the issue is necessarily that the bass is active, but if you're running the EQ full up on the bass like a tone control on a passive, it could contribute to what you're hearing.
I played an active Euro Spector through my GK for years and it was a match made in Heaven. I agree it may the strings hitting the pole pieces, or perhaps the bass needs frets filed or truss-rod adjustment.
As others have said, it sure sounds like strings hitting those big ol' pole pieces. I have the same issue with the low string on my 5-string Precision with a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickup. I might have to try that nail polish trick.
Can you bear to raise your bridge saddles a little ? I find on my instruments that playing with fingers can sound clean, then when I use a pick the imperfections show. Try a half turn on each bridge saddle screw. And/or try lowering the pickup.
You don't need to raise the action or paint the pole-pieces, just lower the pickup.
I presume the Neo cabs have tweeters and you're using the "biamping" in the head with the GK cable? If so, just turn the treble amplifier off (volume all the way down). I have the GK1001RB II with an SBX 410 plus, and it already has a shrill, harsh treble to it even without biamping through the tweeter. But if you use the tweeter, that turns the rig into a gigantic dentist drill. I think it's probably the most useless biamp setup ever created...
You're probably clipping the input and it's going through the treble amp into the tweeter at the full 50 watts. I've had this happen on mine and it sounds like a .22 shot on the note.
You might also use the attenuator (pad) on the input. The Music Man is a pretty hot bass so you're probably overdriving it on transients....
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I think you've hit the nail in the head ... that is exactly what is happening.... the strings are not hitting the pick up poles ... if I just tap my fingernail on a string it does sound like a 22 ... the pickups on the Stingray are overly hot ... when I dial back the biamping on the tweeter it helps tremendously.. This rig is brand new to me and I haven't figured out all the settings yet ... thank you .... and thanks everyone for the input ... this site is amazing
Does that GK head have an attenuator at the input? I have the GK Backline 600, which is basically a 400rb made in China, and it has a 10 db attenuator at the input for active/super hot basses. If it does you could give that a try, it's not hard to cause clipping on my amp.
I don't know if all GK's are like the 1001RB but the last thing you need on it is more treble
. I do everything I can on mine to try to dial it back, including turning the treble amp all the way down, turn on the high cut on the bass amp side, turn the treble knob all the way down. Anything and everything to calm the thing's shrieking treble down, I do it.I don't know why it's so shrill and brittle like that, but that's just how GK made it for whatever reason
.Besides that, though, it's a great amp and you can eventually get some good tones out of it...
L
I bi-amped my GK and although I didn't turn the tweeter amp all the way up, it sounded great to me at a little less than halfway up, and I played a very articulate Spector Euro through it (Aguilar pre-amp). The whole point of it was keeping highs clean when turning up the grind, which is a good reason for it IMO. Popping and slapping means turning it up higher, along with the bass knob while scooping out the mids. I'm not good at the technique but I've seen great poppin-slappers sound mint through a GK in bi-amp mode.
Used to have an '82 Stingray with a very high output in to a 2001RB. I would just use the input pad.
