• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

GK versatility

powellmacaque

powellmacaque

Aug 16, 2006
925
17
36
Clearwater, FL
#1
I just recently had a weekend full of cranking my GK, first time in almost a year, and it was like kissing your girlfriend after being away for a while. I played an amphitheater gig this afternoon and the sound guys loved how easily my 700RB ran through the board with good tone.

While I loved the tone of my amp, I kind of wish I had some way to change up my tone for different settings. Most of the time when I was playing in clubs I didn't really care too much; by the time the sound got to the audience, my tone wouldn't have made too much of a difference. Now that I'm playing bigger venues, I think it'd be in my best interest to try to get exactly the tone I want on every song.

I really would just like to switch between a full, warm, bass-y rock tone to more of a mid range sizzle depending on the song/situation. Should I add another head and just alternate? Is there a foot switch that GK puts out? Or would I be better off buying an EQ pedal?

Also, what is the reasoning behind running multiple heads, and how do I do that? I saw the bigger acts doing this (the bassist in the band after mine was using two Eden heads with an Eden 810) and I am just curious to see the advantages.
 
#4
I've been playing large venues for about 11 years now, and the biggest thing I've learned is that the bigger the venue, the more all the nuances get lost. However, grand gestures still get noticed ;) so it might be cool if you had an EQ pedal or a footswitch to change your sound.
 
#5
+1

... and to add - major changes in the tone of your bass on stage might be cool... if your wet signal is what goes to the DI then you could make the sound man's life hell...

for instance if he's fighting a resonance in the low mids and you keep changing your level around that problem frequency your band's sound out front is going to suffer...

From out front, bands that take the time to design their low end and stick to the design tend to have a richer, punchier low end is my observation.

Which sort of boils down to say it with your chops and your groove and don't be diddling the buttons too often... and no your 700 RB II doesn't have switchable boost.
 
#6
Great points, thanks for the advice.

I love my 700RB and I think I'm sticking with it as long as it sticks with me.

I guess my situation is kind of odd. The band I play with is a four-piece working for a country singer. On the recordings, there are about 5 guitar tracks, split bass tones, slides, violins, vocals, the whole nine yards. The singer likes to replicate as much as possible with our setup, but a lot of times I have to chose between either a grindy kind of tone or a ballsy low-end tone, when certain songs call for both at different times.

Mind you, I have yet to really hear what I sound like out front, and it may just be fine. I just don't want to sacrifice any tonality if possible.
 
#9
powellmacaque said:
Great points, thanks for the advice.

I love my 700RB and I think I'm sticking with it as long as it sticks with me.

I guess my situation is kind of odd. The band I play with is a four-piece working for a country singer. On the recordings, there are about 5 guitar tracks, split bass tones, slides, violins, vocals, the whole nine yards. The singer likes to replicate as much as possible with our setup, but a lot of times I have to chose between either a grindy kind of tone or a ballsy low-end tone, when certain songs call for both at different times.

Mind you, I have yet to really hear what I sound like out front, and it may just be fine. I just don't want to sacrifice any tonality if possible.
Click to expand...


You *could* run your DI send as post-EQ, and run a VT pedal in your effects loop... then, set your amp up for the clean sound you want, dial in the grind you want with the VT pedal, then kick it in and out as desired...


- georgestrings
 
#10
georgestrings said:
You *could* run your DI send as post-EQ, and run a VT pedal in your effects loop... then, set your amp up for the clean sound you want, dial in the grind you want with the VT pedal, then kick it in and out as desired...
Click to expand...
Good solution but the VT works better in-line IMHO. All effects do, though I know I'll get some disagreement with that. But I don't care.

Also, don't worry too much about the soundman. All you have to do is let him know you have two sounds, try to match the levels as good as you can, and he can deal with it. I hate soundmen who whine about levels going up and down a little. What the heck are they getting paid to do if not mix the band? WAAAAAAHHH! I gotta move a fader! WAAAAHHHHH!
 
#14
BTW, I'm not recommending that people go out of their way to make the soundman's job tough. I'm just saying that if they have to move a fader now and then, it's not a biggie. Different songs require different sounds. You do the best you can to keep things level, but a good soundman is working the faders when necessary, anyway.
 
#15
JimmyM said:
BTW, I'm not recommending that people go out of their way to make the soundman's job tough. I'm just saying that if they have to move a fader now and then, it's not a biggie. Different songs require different sounds. You do the best you can to keep things level, but a good soundman is working the faders when necessary, anyway.
Click to expand...

I did live sound for 8 years and never complained about doing my job? Maybe I was different? Working the board was half the fun, roadies winding the cables too damn tight, now that was a thing to bitch about.
 
#16
JimmyM said:
BTW, I'm not recommending that people go out of their way to make the soundman's job tough. I'm just saying that if they have to move a fader now and then, it's not a biggie. Different songs require different sounds. You do the best you can to keep things level, but a good soundman is working the faders when necessary, anyway.
Click to expand...


faders yes, of course. Eq ? no. that means the bass fader goes low when it starts causing problems. Jimmy - you've been around long enough to understand that I'm not speaking to nuanced changes...

if one of our readers is in the barely sound checked opening act... and then the bass guy jumps on the +12 db synth patch ... The bass slider is going down, way, way down...

Personally as a bass guy, my right hand is the predominant tone control for me once I'm sound checked...
 
#18
4Mal said:
faders yes, of course. Eq ? no. that means the bass fader goes low when it starts causing problems. Jimmy - you've been around long enough to understand that I'm not speaking to nuanced changes...

if one of our readers is in the barely sound checked opening act... and then the bass guy jumps on the +12 db synth patch ... The bass slider is going down, way, way down...
Click to expand...
Yeah, well hey...of course they'll get mad about that :D But little changes usually aren't considered irritating by most soundmen.
 
#19
Little changes ... that's why there isn't an auto pilot on most boards...

Last time I was running a serious effects setup, I ran it through an F2B - that way I could gain balance and do a rough EQ adjust - any EQ adjust with an F2B is kinda rough ;~) So when I went for that alternate 'texture' (Envelope, EQ, Octave and sometimes a little grit) I could manage the 'patch' down the one DI line I was using. I sent the summed like to a GK 1001 RB II as my stage rig as I wanted to hear the effects up close. Kind of a gucci way to approach a 2 into 1 mixer but hey its TOOBS! I kid, but it really did work very well in that application.

If someone is really serious about the effects then a second DI line is really the approach IMO.

Now for the OP - A BDDI or a ParaDriver, using the wet as a second DI and then either wet or dry back to his amp depending on what the band wants to hear on stage. That would be a real effective way to get that working IMO.

I run the P-Driver myself. Love it.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back