NAD! GK800RB Corrects Another Historical Error—Now What?

Rough image of a rough piece, but the smile says it all. I don’t think the 800RB was ever known for its looks, anyway. Reverb seller said it was beat up but worked perfectly, and a quick test run bears that out.

I would say it sounds better than I remember, but I really don’t remember the sound of the one I bought new in the ‘90s (I favored a clean, scooped sound then, so I wouldn’t have set it anywhere near like what I prefer now, anyway). In one of my more spectacular teenage screw-ups, I managed to toast that one by plugging the guitarist’s instrument into the wrong end of my Bass Crybaby and shifting the pitch of the feedback with the treadle—oodles of fun, until the smoke billowed forth. I gave the carcass to a buddy who wanted to resurrect it … and he has used it as a backup to his SVTs for 20 years.

I got this one thinking it would serve as a suitable backup to my own Mesa Buster, and I presume the honeymoon’s in full effect right now, but the 800RB may be more of a challenger than a backup! At the very least, it seems like a suitable alternative.

I have only had a few minutes with this one to make sure it works, but I just guessed at settings before switching it on and—other than needing that -10db input pad—I pretty much nailed it. I don't even remember having had a boost knob the first time around—maybe I never had it switched on?—but with that dimed, my Ps get just the right kind of gritty. Super intuitive controls.

So far, I have just plugged straight in, with the 800RB powering a '90s Peavey 1x15 (4ohm, 400w, Scorpion, metal grille, rat fur!). Good enough. Loud enough. But if anybody has any suggestions for cabs and setups (I can't go bigger than a 4x10 in my situation) to get the most out of this head for gritty, ganky, detuned metal, I'd love to hear them.

 

Yet somehow, I managed to bust one, haha/groan. In the absence of good guidance (this was pre-TalkBass mid-'90s, after all) I had very different ideas about settings, and my first problem might be that I started by maxing out the lows at every opportunity and adjusting everything else from there. But I got away with it until that trick with the wah pedal, haha/groan some more.

 

I have also killed a Peavey, haha ... though I should note that it was a recent piece, and that a shipping company struck the actual blow.

 

Every one I saw on reverb until I saw this one wanted 500–600 USD, which I didn't really feel like spending on a second "real" amplifier at this time. I haven't bothered to find out how long they've sat at those prices. When this seller started at 350, I offered 350 shipped, and now you see it in my possession. Most of the others looked better than this one, but this one doesn't have a scratchy-sounding anything or frayed power cord, so I don't mind. I might even have some custom knobs made if I still like it this much in a month, haha.

 

Good enough for my Buster!

 

When I moved into my house, I had a Sunn (O))) Concert Bass head and 2x15 (some previous owner had swapped out the JBLs for Alpha Tones but it still sounded okay) and wasn’t playing much. By the time I dove deep back into playing a year and a half ago, the driveway had become a lawn and the garage had filled with junk and the only way to move that 2x15 was through the house, involving several stairs. I did that just once: when I sold the Sunn (O))) rig to fund the purchase of my Mesa Buster 1x15, which is juuust right in terms of sounds-per-pound. I think the only 2x15 I would consider bringing into my house would be the Mesa Subway, which I would totally get if I was gigging regularly enough to justify that big of a purchase.

 

Buster (1x15 combo, ~90 pounds) has built in skateboard-truckish wheels and a retractable handle. The actual trucks must come in handy when you and a buddy get to the stairs, haha.

 

Oh, and I had an Ampeg V-6b 2x15 (which I somehow got into my upstairs bedroom) around the time I fried my previous 800RB. Sounded good, as far as I can remember. That’s the piece my buddy with my refurbished RB wishes he hadn’t let get away from him, haha.