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GK800RB

jazztonebass

jazztonebass

Apr 23, 2012
215
99
#1
There is a a 1997 GK 880RB for sale in my area but it is a bit of a drive for me. Can anyone provide some impressions of this amp? I know its a classic but have never played one. What are its strengths and weaknesses?

Thanks...
 
#3
Reliable, good sound, for $300 or less you will have spent your money wisely. It's the back up or main for many people. I've dropped one down a flight of stairs and it left a mark in the concrete, bent a rack ear, and worked just fine for many years with it's new battle scars.
 
#5
I usually keep the EQ flat. The preamp is very transparent. There's a foot switchable Boost, which I don't switch (actually, leaving it at around 2 o'clock is great and sends a hotter signal to the power amp. This makes it sound thicker. This is the secret to this amp). The power amp on these older models is where that classic GK growl comes from. I don't hear that growl as much from newer GK models. There's a low cut filter, which I use at indoor gigs that are too acoustically "boomy". There's a mid cut that i never use anymore because it pulls the Mids out too much . This mid cut would be good for slapping which I'm not into. There's I high boost that I usually leave on, YMMV. Effects loop, direct out (post preamp)
 
#6
I've had mine for 28 years. BULLET proof. Never let me down. The 300w has always been more than enough.

They do have their own voicing. They don't quite have the upper frequency transparency of the newer 700rb II, or the pee-in-your-pants warmth of a Fusion 550, but they still sound awesome and unique.
 
#11
I own two 800rb's. One I bought new some twenty-odd years ago and another on TB last year. Used on thousands of gigs and really no major problems with the amp other than an input jack that just wore out and losing the grey inserts on the knobs. Great investment and has paid for itself many times over.

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#12
BklynKen said:
Every time I play through an 800RB I get a huge smile on my face. That said, I have an MB500. Try lugging an 800RB around the subway in NYC.
Click to expand...

You are the guy I'm looking for!
Can you contrast and compare the two?
There are no dealers near me that even have an MB500 to try.
As I understand it they are similarly voiced and the 800RB has more grind and less power.
Any other details would be greatly appreciated.
 
#13
Jim C said:
You are the guy I'm looking for!
Can you contrast and compare the two?
There are no dealers near me that even have an MB500 to try.
As I understand it they are similarly voiced and the 800RB has more grind and less power.
Any other details would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Sorry, Jim, I really can't. I haven't played through an 800RB in years, plus I'm terrible at these things. I basically go by if it gives me that smile. I get totally confused with amps I have to use that have a million knobs. I just want it to sound nice without having to get into tons of details.
 
#14
800RB has low end roll off at 50hz and the newer MB series has a lot of low end.

I have a 400RB, 800RB, MB200, MB500, and previously had a 2001RB. I'm pretty positive I've outlined the tonal differences as best as I could in previous threads. Really, they all sound like a GK amp. The older stuff has less low end than the newer stuff, and the RB series heads can "hit the rails" while the MB series can't but they have a boost channel than emulates it good enough for live work.

BOOM:
GKFamily_zpsb68569d5.jpg
 
#16
The secret of the 800rb is matching it with the right boxes.
For many years it was one of the most popular backline amps matched with an SWR 4x10. The SWR was all lows and highs.
The 800rb has low mid to high punch up the wazoo if needed.
Killer match. Mine sounds fantastic with my Epifani, Baer, and Bergantino AE cabs.
As far as low power, I have just as much volume with the 800rb as my F500 or TH500, with more weight behind the notes.
I gotta use this thing more often. I get spoiled on small, lite, and powerful class D heads. The 800rb kills most of them.
 

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