GK Neo 410.......I hate it

[Buzz E]

Played through the 410, settled on 2 115's...muuuch better results!

 

[dukeorock]

As 410 cabs go, the Genz Uber is one of the best I've ever owned, if not the best. The older Genz XB2 (?) was really good for a 410. Sometimes on Euro tours where my backline choices are limited I've used GK RBH410's and they aren't bad...heavy as all get out though

 

[Hahaha]

I have more trouble dialing out the excessively bright high mids and treble than the bass with any GK NEO cab. When I try to dial out the High mids and treble, it goes from excessively bright to muddy and indistinct with no middle ground.

I think I may have just grown tired of the "GK sound".

I'm having the same experience.

 

[ThisBass]

Just recall the step down from 410 to 212 (vertical driver alignment) many years ago. Dispersion and "thightness" was increased while punch and "wall of sound" was decreased. Don't want to complain about to less of noise with 212 but the overall "feel" is different.

 

[wcriley]

Comparing cabs is difficult as few people can really do it in one place/time. It's usually done in assorted venues, over a period of time, AND from memory.

Add that auditioning a cabinet solo vs in a band situation is completely different.

 

[outoftune]

I think I may have found a way to make this thing sound good.
The solution? A GK RB head.
I stopped at a music store on the way home today and they had a GK 1001RB with the GK neo 410. I plugged in a Fender Jazz and started twiddling. Then I started playing and wow it all sounded great.
The boomyness of the 410 was minimal. It seems that head and cab were (literally) literally made for each other.

 

[sunandsteel]

I just recently got a 2001 RB with the 410 Neo and love it. If you aren't going down the GK amp path and are considering getting rid of your 410, let me know.

 

[Matthew_84]

I think I may have found a way to make this thing sound good.
The solution? A GK RB head.
I stopped at a music store on the way home today and they had a GK 1001RB with the GK neo 410. I plugged in a Fender Jazz and started twiddling. Then I started playing and wow it all sounded great.
The boomyness of the 410 was minimal. It seems that head and cab were (literally) literally made for each other.

Out of curiosity (because I didn't see you express it yet, but maybe I missed it), do take your current rig into multiple rooms, or are you judging the boomyness by playing in only one room?

 

[outoftune]

I just recently got a 2001 RB with the 410 Neo and love it. If you aren't going down the GK amp path and are considering getting rid of your 410, let me know.

I bought a 1001RB ii from the classifieds and am going to see how that goes. I used the set up at Ithaca Guitar Works and it seemed to pair nicely.

 

[sunandsteel]

I bought a 1001RB ii from the classifieds and am going to see how that goes. I used the set up at Ithaca Guitar Works and it seemed to pair nicely.

That's great! Glad you found a solution, nothing worse than being stuck with buyers regret and gear you don't like.

 

[outoftune]

That's great! Glad you found a solution, nothing worse than being stuck with buyers regret and gear you don't like.

Used it today with my Orange OB1 and it was also not so bad when I boost kids, cut treble and keep bass at noon. Maybe the MB Fusion was just too much for it.

 

[wmhill]

It's approved TB wisdom that mixing of 10"s with 15*s cause indisdinct boomy sound that can't be EQ'd

Approved huh??.......

 

[ThisBass]

Approved huh??.......

So called "approved" TB wisdom isn't implicitly mine.
Way to often the term "science" is addressed to substantiate statemants while compeiling evidence to distinct case of application (almost always) is missing.

 

[HeavyDuty]

I run an MB500 into a G-K Neo 4x10 and love it. One thing I've noticed - our practice space is a long room, and the rig sounds totally different at 30' than it does standing right in front of it. Close in it sounds muddy, but from audience distance it's clear and deeply articulate. I'd punch a puppy to have a G-K Neo 2x10 that sounded the same to use with my MB200!

 

[Mr_Martin]

I cannot like this cabinet for the life of me. It is muddy as hell.
...

Can't hear the mud:

 

[kevink]

I have a GK 410MBE and it was boomy as hell, but there was no lining inside the cab, so I stuffed it with a bunch of pillow stuffing and it tightened it right up...

I'm not sure if your cab is lined or not, but I think they're of a similar design so it may be worth a look.

So I've been playing out of a 700RBII and a Neo 410. I bought it used, to replace a Neo 212 that I had. The 212 was pretty nice, but I like a little overdrive/grind to the sound and I felt like the 410 speakers handled that better. The 212 is much more mid forward however, and with better note articulation. The 410 had the oomph I was looking for though, and when I tried it out when I bought it, it sounded pretty decent at low volume.

Fast forward a few months, and now that I've had some time with cab, I began hating the way it sounds, like the OP. At higher volumes, it just felt noisy, boomy, with garbled mid range. I couldn't figure out if it I was under-powering the cab, or if it's the cab itself. I took my amp to a local shop and tried out some other off the shelf cabs (Epifani and Form Factor 410's). They definitely sounded a little better, especially the Epifani. But damn those are expensive. So now I'm thinking maybe the amp was under-powered. Hmmm.

Anyway, I remembered a speaker guru that I bought some Celestion speakers from, for my guitar amp, and he showed me how he set up his Marshall cabs, with insulation, and always soldering the speaker connections. A light went off in my head, as I had some of that soft polyester(?) batting material left over that I subsequently used on some other guitar cabs. I opened up the Neo 410, and yep, no insulation anywhere.

So as an experiment, I just stuffed the insulation in without securing it, to the sides and back walls, leaving open space to each of the 4 ports. To my surprise this transformed the cab. It certainly helped my guitar cabs, but in the 410 it was a huge change to me. It went from obnoxious to warm and sweet. The cab now felt more focused and eq'ing feels more controlled. It feels more punchy, articulate and responsive, and less noisy at high volume. On a side note, one interesting thing I noticed is that I have some buzzing/rattling spots in my garage when I turn it up loud, and after insulating the cab, I seem to get less room rattle- weird. I'll probably end up opening her back up and gluing down the insulation to secure it from interfering with the ports.

I'm now thinking this cab is just fine, and actually pretty awesome, especially for the money, and may not have to shell out a grand to get a "nicer" cab. Thinking back, I think it sounds better now than the cabs I tried at the store.

YMMV.

 

[jeff7bass]

I much prefer a pair of single 12" cabs over a 410 cab. More midrange clarity up close, and I get compliments all the time on my sound. They get plenty fat too, when you want.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

I had the same issue with mine. Sold it after one gig.

 

[Doug Parent]

The GK 410 sounds much improved with polyester batting stuffed inside the cabinet, leave room for the ports. Cleans up the overall presentation and tames a lot of the peaks and valleys , I ran across one of these and tried the batting on a whim. Game changer.

 

[two fingers]

Maybe @agedhorse or someone else smarter than me can chime in on this. If I had to guess (and it is just that) I would say GK had to play the physics give and take game. In other words, theyare one box that housed their 4-10, 2-12 and 1-15 drivers. The dimensions of the box work well with some speaker combinations and others not so much. Notice most people say the 2-12 and 1-15 versions sound better. Maybe they gambled on the recent popularity of 12s and rolled the dice in the 4-10.

I have not looked up the dimensions so I may be full of poop.