Landed a 400RB!..now I need a cab...

[WilbursaurusRex]

Hey, community! I landed a decent deal on a really well taken care of GK 400RB-II (older style with the detachable power cord). Im excited because, in 14 years of playing, I've never owned a "proper" amp. I've always had a practice amp of ~80-100 watts (old ampeg combo and now a warwick bc combo).

That being said, now I need to find a cab. Everything I see on here is local pickup only and a lot super nice stuff that is also super $$$. No luck on craigslist or facebook marketplace. Any tips on a good place to check for a ~$200 cab right now? A local music go round has a couple old peaveys and a yorkville? Right now I was thinking about the Yorkville (BC115) running it at 8ohms and eventually dropping a 15" 4ohm speaker in it.

Any thoughts or tips on setting/pairing the 400RB?

 

[abarson]

Use 8 ohms cabinets. There is no benefit in changing the speaker to 4 ohms. Adding a second 8 ohms cabinet is a better way of getting more volume from an amp.
The Yorkville BC115 is a respectable older cabinet, and Peavey is still a workhorse brand.

 

[stubborne]

Had one of those many moons ago, really a great amp. A 15" is an excellent choice and I recommend keeping it 8ohms so you can easily "hit the rail" all night long. But if you do get in that loud rock band, the extra speaker surface will add some volume and depth. Enjoy that great amp!

 

[groovaholic]

What they said ^
The GK is a bright and aggressive sounding head, and will punch above it's weight.

Many amps with a 4-ohm minimum rating tend to deliver 50% of their rated power at 8 ohms, but I've generally found that the older GKs give you about 60-70% at 8 ohms.

So if you need it louder, you'll get better results from adding speaker area than decreasing impedance.
(Though adding a cabinet does both)

 

[msb]

Great amp , used one for years . Never let me down !

 

[Analogeezer]

Isn't there some law that says if you have a GK 400 or 800 RB you HAVE to pair it with a Hartke 4x10"?

Seems like from about 1986 to 1992 that was about the only bass rig you ever saw!

Hartke would be widely available and quite cheap FWIW, and it would get you that sound from that era, if that floats your boat.

Analogeezer

 

[Ric Vice]

If the 400RB is rated into 4 ohms you'll see a 33 percent drop in the RMS power output running it into 8, but more than that 4 Ohm cabinets sound different than 8 ohm using the same speakers. John Dong from EA mentioned this to
me when I was deciding to whether or not to replace the drivers in my VL208 with 8 or 4 ohm speakers. His take was that the 4 ohm VL 208 was much darker than the 8 Ohm. Last thing I say is that those older GK heads were very
susceptible to bumps and knocks, so maker sure you get a road case for it. You'll be glad you didl

 

[Ken R]

This is what you seek. 4ohm cab. It will handle anything the GK head can send it. Mine does!

 

[WilbursaurusRex]

If the 400RB is rated into 4 ohms you'll see a 33 percent drop in the RMS power output running it into 8, but more than that 4 Ohm cabinets sound different than 8 ohm using the same speakers. John Dong from EA mentioned this to
me when I was deciding to whether or not to replace the drivers in my VL208 with 8 or 4 ohm speakers. His take was that the 4 ohm VL 208 was much darker than the 8 Ohm. Last thing I say is that those older GK heads were very
susceptible to bumps and knocks, so maker sure you get a road case for it. You'll be glad you didl

I've read some people saying that it sounds better at 4ohms but I wouldnt know

 

[abarson]

I've read some people saying that it sounds better at 4ohms but I wouldnt know

I think you would be hard pressed to take two identical cabinets, one with a 4 ohms speaker and the other with an identical speaker at 8 ohms, and hear a tonal difference. You might perceive the 4 ohms cabinet as slightly louder, but the tone should be the same.

Amps sound "better" when you take one 8 ohms cabinet and add another 8 ohms cabinet (resulting in a 4 ohms load), mainly because you are doubling the speaker cone surface. Also, stacked cabinets put more sound closer to your ears, so you also perceive better sound.

Having the flexibility to add a second cabinet when necessary is important, in my book.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Hey, community! I landed a decent deal on a really well taken care of GK 400RB-II (older style with the detachable power cord). Im excited because, in 14 years of playing, I've never owned a "proper" amp. I've always had a practice amp of ~80-100 watts (old ampeg combo and now a warwick bc combo).

That being said, now I need to find a cab. Everything I see on here is local pickup only and a lot super nice stuff that is also super $$$. No luck on craigslist or facebook marketplace. Any tips on a good place to check for a ~$200 cab right now? A local music go round has a couple old peaveys and a yorkville? Right now I was thinking about the Yorkville (BC115) running it at 8ohms and eventually dropping a 15" 4ohm speaker in it.

Any thoughts or tips on setting/pairing the 400RB?

I have a 112av for sale on here

 

[Zooberwerx]

Isn't there some law that says if you have a GK 400 or 800 RB you HAVE to pair it with a Hartke 4x10"?

Seems like from about 1986 to 1992 that was about the only bass rig you ever saw!

Hartke would be widely available and quite cheap FWIW, and it would get you that sound from that era, if that floats your boat.

Analogeezer

It's one of the best off-pairings available. Can't be a HyDrive, though...has to be an XL with Jiffy-Pop drivers for the true visual vibe.

Riis

 

[lowendrv]

I have a 112av for sale on here

It's a great match . I've been using that set up for years .

 

[clockworkcorpse]

I have a Yorkville Bloc115B, the predecessor to the BC115, and I replaced the driver with a Peavey BW. It's my favourite cab, and I'd connect anything to it and play it loud all night.

That doesn't mean anything will work, but It does mean anything CAN work. Try it out, have some fun and learn something first hand.

 

[groovaholic]

Isn't there some law that says if you have a GK 400 or 800 RB you HAVE to pair it with a Hartke 4x10"?

Seems like from about 1986 to 1992 that was about the only bass rig you ever saw!

Hartke would be widely available and quite cheap FWIW, and it would get you that sound from that era, if that floats your boat.

Analogeezer

Law? No, but if it was good enough for Garry Tallent to use with Bruce Springsteen, chances are it's a pairing that works.

 

[groove pump]

I've become a really big fan of using a pair of 2x10 cabs in a vertical stack (standing on their ends, one on top of the other). You could find maybe an 8 ohm SWR Goliath Jr for right now and eventually track down a second one to give you a mighty stack.

Full disclosure: I'm driving my pair of 2x10's with a GK MB 500 and this setup is Godzilla loud and clear for me.

 

[Riff Ranger]

I haven't done it in a year or so, but Guitar Center shipped used cabs fairly inexpensively at the time, and they have a generous return policy. If you can afford new, AMS offers free shipping and a generous return policy (and I presume other mail order companies do as well).

 

[Riff Ranger]

I haven't done it in a year or so, but Guitar Center shipped used cabs fairly inexpensively at the time, and they have a generous return policy. If you can afford new, AMS offers free shipping and a generous return policy (and I presume other mail order companies do as well).

Anyway, old Hartke or Bag End cabs were go-to pairings with those GK heads back in the day. Can't go wrong with classic Peavey, either.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hey, community! I landed a decent deal on a really well taken care of GK 400RB-II (older style with the detachable power cord). Im excited because, in 14 years of playing, I've never owned a "proper" amp. I've always had a practice amp of ~80-100 watts (old ampeg combo and now a warwick bc combo).

That being said, now I need to find a cab. Everything I see on here is local pickup only and a lot super nice stuff that is also super $$$. No luck on craigslist or facebook marketplace. Any tips on a good place to check for a ~$200 cab right now? A local music go round has a couple old peaveys and a yorkville? Right now I was thinking about the Yorkville (BC115) running it at 8ohms and eventually dropping a 15" 4ohm speaker in it.

Any thoughts or tips on setting/pairing the 400RB?

Try Guitar Center online used gear. Gear comes with a 30 day money back guarantee, and you can buy an extended warranty if you want. There is a conditional rating as well on the listing so you have a pretty good idea of its condition.

Tip, if if the nearest Guitar Center isn't too far away, have it delivered to the store for two reasons, that way if it is damaged, they can't say you did it. Secondly, if it arrives in a condition less than how it was rated on the listing, for instance it was listed a great condition, but it arrives and it's in only good condition but is usable, you can drive a pretty good discount on the purchasing price. I'd ask at least for the shipping charge. Best wishes.

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[Sid the Kid]

I haven't done it in a year or so, but Guitar Center shipped used cabs fairly inexpensively at the time, and they have a generous return policy. If you can afford new, AMS offers free shipping and a generous return policy (and I presume other mail order companies do as well).

This man beat me to it. I would look hard at the used cabinets section of Guitar Center. Plenty of heavy old cabs to be found for great prices and cheap shipping.