GK observations - 2001RBII, 800RB, 700RBII

[JanusZarate]

You may have been confused because we removed the lame BLX grafitti logo from the grill.

I've already noticed that on the new BLX cabs.

Very smart move

 

[5StringPocket]

I have a 1001RB combo with 2-10's which I run in biamp mode with a 115RBH for the lows. What a tone monster! It has great punch and definition but the 15" low end cab seems to warm the sound up and fill it out nicely. The 1001RB had a hum issue which I had to get fixed but aside from that, a very sweet rig.

 

[will33]

Can't say enough about the 800rb. 'Tis one of the best bass amps of all time and so much louder, ballsier (is that a word?) than those numbers would lead you to think. Has a great starting sound and controls in the right places to sound good in any room. GK is a standard to be met by others when it comes to the real power of 200-300 watts. There's no 300 watt Ampeg, Carvin, or any other brand you can think of outside of Peavey and tube amps in general that have that kind of sound with their rated power.

 

[afroman]

I think GKs are one of the most reliable and wonderfully great an underpriced amps out there.

I've used numerous 800RB with SVT810s in backline and that amp just puts out great tone and volume. Its growl and brightness works well with Ampegs inherent "mudiness" and lack of definition. I think they're made for each other.

I've tried 400RB and didn't care too much for them. But, I once played a 2001RB through SVT810, and WOW, what a sound. That is how high powered amps should sound and should put out power. Just vicious amounts of volume and a great tone. I would love to hear it with 2 810s . I was smilling during the whole show.

I've always though I'll end up getting an old 800 just as a backup. They're very good, lightweight and reliable.

 

[chiplexic]

Hey Dan, It's been said in these parts that the 1-12 Neo will be reworked or revoice once the newer Neo cabs are off the front burner. Any truth to this and if so any idea on when the new 1-12Neo will show up?

 

[Nigel]

I've used both the 800 and 1001 RB II. The more sophisitcated pre in the 1001 RB II takes longer to dial in. I can sound pretty much exactly like the 800 though.

In GK - the 1001 RB II would be my pick.

How do you put the controls on the 1001 to sound like the 800?

I found that with my setup (700rb-I with neo112+neo115) I cut treble to 9 o'clock and bass to about 10 o'clock, boost at 1-2 o'clock, to get a good sound at my rehearsal space. Took me a while to think of actually cutting bass!
So in that I agree that the preamps in the newer GK heads are sophisticated and takes a while to dial in...

I guess some of the "mojo/vibe" of the 800rb that is hard to copy on the 700/1001, comes from the lower damping factor in the 800rb amp, giving a slower/softer attack (more of a blooming note-envelope as opposed to the very instant response of the 700/1001). Just a thought...

 

[NOLA Bass]

Yeah, my old 800RB (bought it new in 89) kicked butt form me for 15 years, and now my friend has it for his "small rig" shows. What a great amp!

 

[4Mal]

How do you put the controls on the 1001 to sound like the 800?

I found that with my setup (700rb-I with neo112+neo115) I cut treble to 9 o'clock and bass to about 10 o'clock, boost at 1-2 o'clock, to get a good sound at my rehearsal space. Took me a while to think of actually cutting bass!
So in that I agree that the preamps in the newer GK heads are sophisticated and takes a while to dial in...

I guess some of the "mojo/vibe" of the 800rb that is hard to copy on the 700/1001, comes from the lower damping factor in the 800rb amp, giving a slower/softer attack (more of a blooming note-envelope as opposed to the very instant response of the 700/1001). Just a thought...

Not a bad thought as I was running a decent outboard compressor with my 1001. I was thinking more from a tonal perspective. My approach twith the 1001 was to start with the EQ flat, 4 string voice, bring up the contour, keep the presence down dial in some grit with the Boost - then use the EQ to adjust to the room.

Not far off how I would setup an 800... if it makes sense - I was generally trying to make the 800 sound like me - and then the same with the 1001 after that...

My ovservation is that those amps in native mode sound more alike than unalike.

 

[Daniel Elliott]

Hey Dan, It's been said in these parts that the 1-12 Neo will be reworked or revoice once the newer Neo cabs are off the front burner. Any truth to this and if so any idea on when the new 1-12Neo will show up?

That's not really on the engineering schedule atm. No idea when and if that would happen. It's a really nice sounding cabinet so I'm not all that inclined to make changes with it. If we did I think I would want to tame the top a scoash and maybe bump up the low mid a touch. But really it would be a very minor change. Once the Neo 410 goes into production we'll see how things go.

 

[JGR]

I was just looking at the specs for these heads and the maximum input level is listed as 1V for the 800Rb and 0.6 V for the 1001RB and 2001RB, so I wonder if this contributes to the more forgiving, or cleaner sounding input gain structure that I am hearing in the 800????

JR

 

[pedro]

I'm late to this party but just wanted to say that I traded my Eden for GK700RB some months ago and am a much happier camper since. The amp has all the power I'm likely to need and has a great midrange thump that works very well for the 60-70's r&b/soul we do.

FWIW, here's a link to the Gallien interview.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[JGR]

i ended up pulling the trigger on the 2001RB and i just missed fedex's first delivery attempt. i'll be traveling for a few days so i won't get to play with it right away, but i'm looking forward to driving the 12-Stacks with it.

JR