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trouble picking a new head for my GK 8x10

ramathorn1125

ramathorn1125

Jan 16, 2008
18
1
New Jersey
www.thetoadband.com
#1
I've had the GK 8x10 Goldline series for almost a year now, i started out with the 700 rb then upgraded to the 1001 rb and Im still getting mud from my speakers at higher volumes (6-10).

I recently went to GC and hooked my cab up to a mark bass TA 501 and it made all the difference. So I'm trying to get rid of my two old GK's and upgrading to either a Fender Bassman 300, MarkBass TA501 , TA503, and the GK Fusion 550

I know when it comes down to it I need to go in and play all four, but the GC by me doesn't have 3 of the heads in stock ever. So I was wondering, since I am the worst decision maker in the world, if anyone had any ideas on which one to get, if they have heard anything about them, or any other options preferably under or around $1300? :confused:

Im in a funk blues psychedellic type band and I play a Fender American Standard Jazz and a Warwick Corvette Fretless.
 
#2
Before you get excited... you really need to do some "gig volume" tests with those other heads, to be sure that the cab itself isn't the issue, or some other settings/gear of yours.

And with the volume cranked THAT high... what are your settings (be sure to list the Level and Boost settings, too)? I never even get close to that range! :eek:
 
#3
I don't know exactly what you mean about mud in the tone from your 810.....

If you like the Markbass head then I say go for it. You have to look at it this way: do you want tube growl? Or do you want cleaner solid state tones?

Solid State tones with character? GK 1001RB

Solid State tones focused on clarity? Markbass

Warmer/thicker tube growl tones - Fender Bassman 300

A hybrid head that would combine most of these amp choices - GK Fusion 550
 
#4
MysticBoo said:
Before you get excited... you really need to do some "gig volume" tests with those other heads, to be sure that the cab itself isn't the issue, or some other settings/gear of yours.

And with the volume cranked THAT high... what are your settings (be sure to list the Level and Boost settings, too)? I never even get close to that range! :eek:
Click to expand...

Well I never get to ten but I do go up to 7 and I have my boost at 5, and contour at 10 or 0, presence at 4. Any problems with those? I also tested out the 1001 with the 8 x 10 at guitar center and at those higher volumes it got a little muddy as well.

We have a gig saturday and I'm going to try and get a Gramma to make sure its not extra vibrations. But I am making good money this summer and I love that tube feel, so if I can sell my two heads It would be sweet to get one of the four i was talking about.

I just love being ridiculously loud...idk why. probably because the guitarist plays a marshall full stack with a vamped up JCM 2000 DSL and the drummer plays like he's bonham.
 
#5
Gearhead17 said:
I don't know exactly what you mean about mud in the tone from your 810.....

If you like the Markbass head then I say go for it. You have to look at it this way: do you want tube growl? Or do you want cleaner solid state tones?

Solid State tones with character? GK 1001RB

Solid State tones focused on clarity? Markbass

Warmer/thicker tube growl tones - Fender Bassman 300

A hybrid head that would combine most of these amp choices - GK Fusion 550
Click to expand...


Thanks for the option layout...by mud from my 8x10 I mean that it feels like the true tone of the bass is getting lost and sort of a slightly fuzzed and muffled sound, it's difficult for me to put into words. It sounds great at lower volumes though but i need that wall of bass.
 
#6
ramathorn1125 said:
Well I never get to ten but I do go up to 7 and I have my boost at 5, and contour at 10 or 0, presence at 4. Any problems with those? I also tested out the 1001 with the 8 x 10 at guitar center and at those higher volumes it got a little muddy as well.
Click to expand...

Hmm. Contour at 10 will kill your presence in the mix at high volumes. Mids are an essential part of clarity and presence. If slap is your style, the Contour knob is a nice perk, but I'd highly recommend keeping it at a low setting (or even off, IMO, if you're more into fingerstyle).

What about your Input Level and the rest of your EQ?

I'm just trying to see what advice I can give with your current setup... I suspect some improvements can be made with how you're setting things. What sounds great at lower volumes sounds different at high volumes... and that's always a pain to deal with, no matter what amp you use.

Of course, if you're enamored with the TA501, who am I to stop you? :D

If you do decide to pursue the TA501, be sure to time your purchase with an upcoming gig, so that you can give it a real-world test before your return policy is up.
 
#7
MysticBoo said:
Hmm. Contour at 10 will kill your presence in the mix at high volumes. Mids are an essential part of clarity and presence. If slap is your style, the Contour knob is a nice perk, but I'd highly recommend keeping it at a low setting (or even off, IMO, if you're more into fingerstyle).

What about your Input Level and the rest of your EQ?

I'm just trying to see what advice I can give with your current setup... I suspect some improvements can be made with how you're setting things. What sounds great at lower volumes sounds different at high volumes... and that's always a pain to deal with, no matter what amp you use.

Of course, if you're enamored with the TA501, who am I to stop you? :D

If you do decide to pursue the TA501, be sure to time your purchase with an upcoming gig, so that you can give it a real-world test before your return policy is up.
Click to expand...

thanks...thats wierd bc the manual said if you are playing at higher volumes to crank up the contour. I dont really slap often so ill def turn it way down if not off.

It varies but i usually keep my neck pickup at 6 or 7 my neck pick up around 4 or 5 and the tone knob is always changing depending on the song I have my treble at 5 my hi mid at 5 my low mid at 6 and my bass at 6...i assume that i should turn up the mids?

I dont have a tweeter...should i turn that knob all the way down? (I have it at 4) and the woofer knob at 4 as well.
 
#8
i play a 1001RB-II through an ampeg 810e against a peavey 5150 and a marshall jcm 2000. loud frakkin situation. i never turn either my pre gain or master above half way. i don't turn my boost above 3 or there's too much break up for my taste. presence about 4. contour off. could be the speaker cab...
 
#10
ramathorn1125 said:
thanks...thats wierd bc the manual said if you are playing at higher volumes to crank up the contour. I dont really slap often so ill def turn it way down if not off.
Click to expand...

What??! The manual suggests the exact opposite, and for good reasons! :eyebrow:

I hate to say it, but you misread the manual big time. :p

ramathorn1125 said:
I dont have a tweeter...should i turn that knob all the way down? (I have it at 4) and the woofer knob at 4 as well.
Click to expand...

No tweeter = no worries. The knob position doesn't matter.

Wait a second...

Okay. I think I see the problem.

Are you using the "Volume" knob on the GK head as a master volume control, and not adjusting the "Woofer" knob at all? :eyebrow:

I've encountered a few others who have done this before... GK's weird labeling scheme is partly to blame for it.

If that's what you're doing, then that explains A LOT about your results. :D
 
#11
To add onto my previous post...

The knob labeled "Volume" on the 1001RB-II is NOT a master volume control. It controls the input gain before the preamp. You do NOT want to crank this for more volume... it serves a very different purpose. It's really a "set and forget" kind of thing. Its level will affect how much growl (or even overdrive) the amp can produce at the Boost stage, because it makes your input "hotter" as you turn it up. Most people set it somewhere between "2" and "6", depending on what they're trying to achieve.

The Boost knob is a gain control that comes after the EQ section, but before the poweramp. It's the last stage of the preamp, and the source of the "GK growl". Go as high as you like - it'll give you extra volume, and if it gets too growly (or at some point, overdriven) for your tastes, just roll it back. You could also turn down the input Volume knob a bit and raise the Boost knob a bit higher - the result's a bit different.

The Woofer knob is the Master Volume control, as it controls the 700W main poweramp in your head. The Tweeter knob just controls the 50W tweeter poweramp.

So... if you need more volume, crank the Woofer knob. Roll back your Input section's Volume knob to 5, as that's what's causing the kind of distortion you're trying to avoid.
 
#15
Also make sure your "Woofer high cut" switch is off (out position). The block diagram in the manual and on the back of the amp will show you where in the signal chain each control acts. Should help you understand the gain structure of the amp so you can manipulate it for you own evil purposes <MWUHAHAHAHA>...

A P
 
#17
ramathorn1125 said:
wow you are god and i am a bumbling moron thank you a thousand times mystic
Click to expand...

Don't be too harsh on yourself. As much as I like GK amps, they could certainly stand to do some re-labeling...

I've helped a lot of people out with the 2001RB, which is by far their most confusing head. At least the tone is worth the trouble, especially once you get the hang of its flexibility. :D

AnalogPackrat said:
Also make sure your "Woofer high cut" switch is off (out position).
Click to expand...

Not a bad idea. That should get a bit of extra high end coming through the woofers. It's not much, but it's something.

However... if you were to get a cab with a tweeter, it'd be worth toying with. Part of the reason why the Woofer Hi-Cut button is there is because it allows the tweeters and woofers to have zero sonic overlap between them - basically, a clean crossover split.

When not using tweeters, that button just lets your cab be a little less "hi-fi".

ramathorn1125 said:
do you think i did any damage to my cab by playing like that?
Click to expand...

No, not at all. If your speakers work fine as they are now, at high volumes, then you're fine. Nothing to worry about.

Distortion on its own does not cause speaker damage. Otherwise, all of the bassists who use overdrive and fuzz (like me) and pretty much any guitarist would have destroyed a lot more speakers by now. :D

If it sounds like you're overworking your speakers, simply turn your amp down until it sounds fine. If you tend to play aggressively, turn down a bit more to be on the safe side. Your ears are your guide.

Distortion does make it a bit easier for someone to blow a speaker - just like a compressor does. However, you could still blow a speaker without either, simply by playing louder than what your rig can handle or overexerting your speakers with a ridiculous EQ setup at high volumes.

This subject of overpowering (and the "myth" of underpowering) is a bit convoluted and controversial on TB. I'd highly recommend scanning through some threads on blowing speakers here, but be forewarned that there are a lot of misconceptions out there that are accepted as fact by some... so read with a grain of salt, and pay closer attention to the engineers and speaker designers who post here when it comes to that topic. ;)
 

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