Just ordered one of these and it will arrive in time for me to take to a gig, untested (I will have my MB200 as a backup). Unfamiliar with the layout of the Legacy, what is the most "flat" starting point with this thing? I have no intention of using the Overdrive circuit first time out so as long as that's off, "drive", "level", and "edge" are not engaged, correct? I'm just looking at "trim" for my signal coming in, the EQ section, and "master" out, right? (I don't expect to use Contour, Bump, or Presence for what I usually do). Just looking for ground zero with this beast.
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NAD (incoming) GK Legacy 500
- Thread starter LowendG
- Start date
Not able to give you a precise answer as I do not own the amp and haven’t owned a GK, but I would try setting everything on 12’ o clock and go from there. Eq settings depend very hard on the room and stage volume.
I have the Legacy 800.
You are correct: Drive, Level and Edge do not come into play if Overdrive is off.
Trim is recommended by Bob Gallien to be fully dimed for passive basses and it’s what I do. For active basses (I don’t have one) he says fully dime the Trim and only reduce it if excessive clipping is occurring due to, say, heavy slapping.
I use Bump for certain songs - eg jazz walking - where I want an instantly fuller, rounder sound and don’t want to futz with the EQ. I never use Contour. I occasionally use Presence as a quick fix for certain songs if my flatwounds are really old or if the room acoustics require it.
There’s a YouTube video of Bob and Forrest Gallien talking about / demonstrating all the Legacy settings. Worth a look.
PS: I (nearly) always have the EQ set at 12pm and rely on technique (and the above interventions) to get the tone I want at any given time
You are correct: Drive, Level and Edge do not come into play if Overdrive is off.
Trim is recommended by Bob Gallien to be fully dimed for passive basses and it’s what I do. For active basses (I don’t have one) he says fully dime the Trim and only reduce it if excessive clipping is occurring due to, say, heavy slapping.
I use Bump for certain songs - eg jazz walking - where I want an instantly fuller, rounder sound and don’t want to futz with the EQ. I never use Contour. I occasionally use Presence as a quick fix for certain songs if my flatwounds are really old or if the room acoustics require it.
There’s a YouTube video of Bob and Forrest Gallien talking about / demonstrating all the Legacy settings. Worth a look.
PS: I (nearly) always have the EQ set at 12pm and rely on technique (and the above interventions) to get the tone I want at any given time
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I'm not sure if it's true for the Legacy series, but most other GK amp have the most flat response when the treble and bass are set at around 11:00 and hi and low mids at around 13:00.
Don’t be afraid to engage the contour to tame the mids, it sounds good and is at a useful frequency. Give the switch a quick flick and try it out, you should have the time. I usually start with all the eq knobs at around 11 o clock and engaging the contour seems to get me where I want to be, cut more treble to suit. All knobs set to noon sounds a bit harsh to me through my cabs, very prominent midrange tone but that’s part of the GK sound that slots nicely in the mix. Good luck and have fun!
First thing you should go with the Legacy and Fusion S is crank the input gain all the way for passive bases and maybe just a bit less for act then cut so the peak light is not lit all the time.
Setting that knob at noon is a recipe for disappointment unless you have a got signal coming from a pedal board. That knob is a cut only knob.
Setting that knob at noon is a recipe for disappointment unless you have a got signal coming from a pedal board. That knob is a cut only knob.
Before the Legacy, most GK amps were a bit mid-scooped with all controls at noon - so the settings above were “GK flat”.
I just alternated between the input and effects return (bypassing the preamp) on my Legacy 800, and the closest I could get them to sound was with:
lows at 12:00,
low mids at 11:00,
high mids at 10:00 and
highs at 9:00
For the trim control, I’ve noticed that the clipping is the most noticeable when I dig-in over the bridge pickup, so I start with the trim up all the way then play staccato lines and adjust the trim down until it sounds clean.
Those steps would give you a basic/flat starting point, then adjust to taste.
That's kinda where I'm at with my MB200, at least with the current cab--same cab I'll be using the Legacy with for starters.
I just started looking into the Legacy series. I've had an MB500 for eight years. It has been absolutely dependable, but now suffers from intermittent effects loop connection issues. Furthermore, I want to get an amp that is 2 ohm stable.
So ... questions:
1 Can I safely daisy chain three 8 ohm cabinets, and in which position would I put the impedance switch?
2 How different is the function of the trim control vs the older gain control?
3 I've read some reports of loud hissing noise in the Legacy amps. Is this a fluke or a common problem?
So ... questions:
1 Can I safely daisy chain three 8 ohm cabinets, and in which position would I put the impedance switch?
2 How different is the function of the trim control vs the older gain control?
3 I've read some reports of loud hissing noise in the Legacy amps. Is this a fluke or a common problem?
Just did my first gig with mine last night. No hissing whatsoever. Cab was a 4ohm Avatar SB126, and with the 6" driver turned up all the way, I would imagine if there was any hissing I'd hear it.
For three 8 ohm cabs you would switch the amp to 2.7ohms(aka 2.67ohms
.The intended use of the Trim is to dime it, and then reduce as needed if you're clipping the input (it's in place of the -10db pad on other amps). I had a passive P going through an Xotic RC, boosted slightly hotter than the passive alone signal would have been--I did have to back it down a hair but barely.
I've never used an MB500 but I have an MB200, and the Legacy (at least the 500) is a totally different sounding amp. It's a midrange monster. I set it pretty much as Groovaholic suggests above and man, talk about clear, punchy mids that jump right out in the mix. Very articulate and responsive as a result, but not hi-fi--to me it says "rock". I haven't used an 800RB or 400RB in many moons, but to me it has that vibe (as Robert Gallien says, the 500 is designed with the 800RB in mind). I was totally digging the sound--driving, gutsy - kinda wished I'd had my rig mic'd instead my usual DI!
EDIT: I had to go check just now in the quiet environment at home. Compared to the MB200, there is a very slight hiss audible with the Legacy 500 when it's on. But you have to be right in front of the speaker to hear it, like your head almost in the grill. If I just barely roll back the level of the 6" driver in this cab it goes away. And it certainly doesn't get louder as you turn up the amp (so that's good!). Even with the vol just barely on enough to get a sound outta the amp, the signal of the bass is so much louder than the hiss it completely masks it. Not a problem IMO. I'd still totally mic this rig given the opportunity.
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Hey LowendG, thanks for the detailed response. Very helpful.
I have watched Bob Gallien's demo video, so was familiar with some of the workings.
I'm still not sure what the difference is between the trim control and the previous gain control - other than the clip LED.
Also, what I was getting at with the impedance switch is that is has "8 only" "4 only" and 4+8 settings, if I remember correctly. Is there an actual 2 ohm switch?
Finally, it was stated earlier in this thread that the old GK sound was mid scooped. I never thought of it that way, but I do set my lo mid control at about 2 oclock.
So, would you say the Legacy 500 is a phat sounding head?
I have watched Bob Gallien's demo video, so was familiar with some of the workings.
I'm still not sure what the difference is between the trim control and the previous gain control - other than the clip LED.
Also, what I was getting at with the impedance switch is that is has "8 only" "4 only" and 4+8 settings, if I remember correctly. Is there an actual 2 ohm switch?
Finally, it was stated earlier in this thread that the old GK sound was mid scooped. I never thought of it that way, but I do set my lo mid control at about 2 oclock.
So, would you say the Legacy 500 is a phat sounding head?
Actually the impedance options are 8+4, 4 or 8, and 4+4. See this pic. So you're covered for 2ohms with "4+4". I'm running mine with a single 4ohm cab, my intent was to get 300w outta the head that way into one cab. Then I can always add another 4 ohm cab and still have 300w at 2ohms or alternatively, add an 8ohm and get the full 450w.
I'm not really sure about the previous Gain control in comparison. As I say, I have an MB200, which only has a "Gain" knob, no Master Vol.
I'd say it's a very phat sound if you want it to be--just have to EQ it that way. My cab is an Avatar SB126 which is a pretty deep sounding, full-range kinda cab--no shortage of lows. At first when I fired up the 500 with all EQ set at noon, the mids are so pronounced I was like "where's the low end?" But then once I rolled back the highs, high mids and the low mids in varying degrees I was met with as deep and fat a sound as anything--it's all in there. And the mids and low mids are "warm" there's a lot of texture there that speaks so well in a band mix.
