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Unimpressed with my GK

#22
jjl5590 said:
The compressor in my warwick amp is great. Also, although it had a fan, it never ONCE came on even at 4ohms, because the amp never even got warm.

Just got home from practice with the GK, driving it at 8omhs you could have boiled water on it! it was practically steaming. The fan was on almost 100% of the time. I'm not sure what it means by variable-speed, but it seemed to me that it just spun at the same speed continuously...
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This, if I may do some long distance WAGing, sounds like either someone did an improper repair with something other than JFETs, mismatched JFETs or attempted their own bias (maybe even blindly turning pots inside the amp head). This would account for running too hot and the sound being off.
 
#24
most gk's i've used have run a little warm, but not hot. i don't know...give it time and read the manual and ask questions. if it burns up, go get a new one ;)

johnk, i used to agree with the sterile comments about gk. but it turns out if you don't pair them with hartke cabs (except hydrives, i really like them), they're pretty good ;)
 
#25
i tell 'ya Jimmy, when i run mine with my 2x15 JBK K140's, its anything but sterile (very lively and ballsy), and when paired with my 1212/6 Vox cab, its super punchy and its eq is VERY effective.

i'm going to be building an actual 1212/6 fEarful in about a month or so, for my rackmount heads since my slightly smaller 1212/6 Vox cab has been working so well lately, and it has convinced me that its a super-versatile cab that reacts to even very small eq adjustments.
 
#28
JimmyM said:
nice! wish i could build stuff. what kind of look are you going to give it? apparently they adapt well to the grillcloth treatment.
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i'm not completely sure yet, but probably more 'modern' (as opposed to a vintage look) with this one. very simple and non-descript. i do want to make it as lightweight as possible, so whatever weighs less for the grill panel is what i'll be using. i'm going use with all black duratex, line-x, or herculiner with a black grill.
 
#29
Anarchyok said:
Dude, you should have done your research on the amp before you bought there thing. Its easy enough to find the manual and check out all its features. I've owned the Warwick Pro Fet 5.1, and the GK 1001 RB2 is a far superior amp in almost every way.

Having seen many of your posts here, and on the Warwick forum, I'm guessing your a young guy still getting your head around what all the different bits of gear do. All I'm saying is, reading the manuals/tech specs from the websites for various bits of gear will do you no end of service!
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I actually do prefer my Warwick amp. I can get a better slap tone out of it. Its just too quiet though, so i had to upgrade. But that thing was always as cold as ice, never ever even got warm, thats why i was very surprised after 15 minutes practice with the GK which was issuing hottness. The fan spun continually for 4.5 hours until i switched it off. The speed didnt seem to vary either, just spun relatively slowly, couldnt hear it at all. Some people mentioned that the fans are noisy...

Im running a pair of warwick 211pro cabs, which sounded great with the warwick, but i guess i'll need to get some gk neo's to get a better sound
 
#30
Grizzly700 said:
I love these threads. The amount of user error that shows up here is amazing. :D
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I must agree with this! first of all GK Eq is in series, all the controls will affect the others. When setting the EQ you just don't put this here and set this there, you will get sterility. Another thing is what you hear standing next to the cabs is not what is heard in the audience, I have used my 1001RBII in places and have shook the walls and at other times played out doors with 2 410 cabs and been heard loud and clear. When I have asked other bass players in the audience what they thought they have always told me I had a sick rig or they will say "damn" that sounds real good! Never once have I had anyone tell me I had no bass or had too much highs, or the bass had no punch!
 
#31
jjl5590 said:
But that thing was always as cold as ice, never ever even got warm, thats why i was very surprised after 15 minutes practice with the GK which was issuing hottness. The fan spun continually for 4.5 hours until i switched it off. The speed didnt seem to vary either, just spun relatively slowly, couldnt hear it at all. Some people mentioned that the fans are noisy...
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Sounds like there's something wrong with that amp, then - I play my 700rb-II LOUD, and the fan doesn't come on much at all - and doesn't stay on for long, either... It also doesn't run particularly hot, either - I did an outdoor gig last summer with temps approaching 100F, and there were no signs of trouble whatsoever...



- georgestrings
 
#33
I think this is a combo of several things......

First, I think there is something wrong with this particular head. I can't imagine the 1001 getting much hotter than the 700..... and mine just doesn't get that warm. The fan comes on every now and then, but it's never gotten hot to the touch, even with a 4ohm load at an outdoor gig.

Second, if you wan't growl, go with a smaller head. The 1001 is a beast, and you have crank the ever luvin' stuff out of it to groan.

Third.... there definitely needs to be some time wrapped up with the owners manual.
 
#36
bassplayershane said:
Exactly right!!!! Mine growls like a dog and have never used a compressor!!!:bassist:
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While not necessary, the EBS MultiComp is a wicked addition to the GK heads, especially in tube sim mode..... You'd swear they were made for each other. I use the gain on the comp as you would a variable input gain on a head that is equipped with one...... crank it until the clip light goes on, then back it down a bit.

The 700rbII growls like noones business when you can max the input (without clipping).
 
#38
pyrohr said:
I must agree with this! first of all GK Eq is in series, all the controls will affect the others. When setting the EQ you just don't put this here and set this there, you will get sterility. Another thing is what you hear standing next to the cabs is not what is heard in the audience, I have used my 1001RBII in places and have shook the walls and at other times played out doors with 2 410 cabs and been heard loud and clear. When I have asked other bass players in the audience what they thought they have always told me I had a sick rig or they will say "damn" that sounds real good! Never once have I had anyone tell me I had no bass or had too much highs, or the bass had no punch!
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What do you mean by "put this here and set this there, you will get sterility"? How else are you meant to set your EQ?

I have my bass at 2 o'clock, low-mid at 11 o'clock, hi-mid at 4 o'clock and high at 12 o'clock.

What am I doing wrong?
 
#39
jjl5590 said:
What do you mean by "put this here and set this there, you will get sterility"? How else are you meant to set your EQ?

I have my bass at 2 o'clock, low-mid at 11 o'clock, hi-mid at 4 o'clock and high at 12 o'clock.

What am I doing wrong?
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With that tuning your using I can't help you! You are tuning a two steps lower and I'm surprised your not getting just string wobble! What kind of definition from the notes are you getting if any?
 

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