Your GK 700RBII settings?

[nitsuj]

What EQ settings do you use to make your rig just kill? Give a full list of your settings (or just post a pic), describe the tone as best as you can, and what situations (type of music) you are using these settings for.
Thanks.

 

[Mola Ram]

No...get your own sound, you EQ thief!

Just kidding.

Volume: 8 o'clock

Contour: all the way off
Presence: between 10 and 11

Treble: 11
High Mid: 1
Low Mid: 2
Bass: between 10 and 11

Boost: 12
Tweeter: between 1 and 2
Woofer: 12

I also use an Boss ODB-3 pedal. Yes...with a GK...no, the GK growl doesn't do what I'm looking for. That pedal is set very strange though.

Level: where ever it needs to be to match the amp
High EQ: between 1 and 2
Low EQ: all the way off
Balance: all the way to pedal
Gain: all the way off

I never liked the ODB-3 until I found that setting. I believe its actually a preset they use as a test on their website and they call it "Natural Overdrive". It really just harshes the sound up just right for me.

I'm not going for a warm, fuzzy, kind of overdrive and this combination between amp and pedal really gives me a nice sharp, cold, sound. A lot of note definition which is what I'm really going for.

 

[nitsuj]

sweet man...
are you using the pedal all the time?

 

[HeyyyyyJoe]

No...get your own sound, you EQ thief!

Just kidding.

Volume: 8 o'clock

Contour: all the way off
Presence: between 10 and 11

Treble: 11
High Mid: 1
Low Mid: 2
Bass: between 10 and 11

Boost: 12
Tweeter: between 1 and 2
Woofer: 12

I also use an Boss ODB-3 pedal. Yes...with a GK...no, the GK growl doesn't do what I'm looking for. That pedal is set very strange though.

Level: where ever it needs to be to match the amp
High EQ: between 1 and 2
Low EQ: all the way off
Balance: all the way to pedal
Gain: all the way off

I never liked the ODB-3 until I found that setting. I believe its actually a preset they use as a test on their website and they call it "Natural Overdrive". It really just harshes the sound up just right for me.

I'm not going for a warm, fuzzy, kind of overdrive and this combination between amp and pedal really gives me a nice sharp, cold, sound. A lot of note definition which is what I'm really going for.

almost the same setting except I have the bass at 1 and I also use the vt bass pedal

 

[nitsuj]

I'm using the VT too--- not so much for OD; more for warmth.
I've been more or less happy with the Jazz settings from the manual.
Playing mostly jazz; some rock/reggae.

 

[Mola Ram]

sweet man...
are you using the pedal all the time?

Indeed I do. I really only use the amp for the one project and it requires it.

almost the same setting except I have the bass at 1 and I also use the vt bass pedal

Nice to see someone else who digs the mids and isn't afraid of the tweeter.

I've heard so many good things about the VT but I've just been so happy with the ODB-3 that I haven't really felt the need and try one. If it ain't broke...etc etc.

 

[FatCity]

By the clock face:

Volume- 1 o'clock
Contour and Presence- all the way up
Treble-12
Hi mid- 1
Low mid- 2
Bass- 1
Boost- 10
Tweeter- all the way down
Woofer- This is the volume...it depends

Boss GT-6B for effects, otherwise it is on bypass.

I play classic/hard rock with a Fender P or J bass. Both strung with D'Addario XL nickel pinks.

 

[georgestrings]

 

[georgestrings]

Hard rock, modern rock, and metal - and I aim for a tone that's similar to Rex's in Pantera, or Trujillo in Suicidal Tendancies... I cop that kinda tone pretty well with that amp and setting with a Mesa PH610, with either a Spector NSQ5 or a Schecter Hellraiser-4... The same basses and amp works really well with a Peavey 215D-BW that's loaded with Kappa LFA drivers...



- georgestrings

 

[somegeezer]

1001RB-II:

Volume - 12
Contour and Presence - off
Treble - 3
Hi-Mid - 3
Low-Mid - 12
Bass - 10
Boost - 12

Master/Woofer to taste. ;]

For a bit extra drive, I'll turn my Master/Woofer down and my Volume up.

 

[madmatt]

I had a problem with my 700RBII.
I still have an original 700RB (the one that says 350 watts at 4 Ohms). I can plug my passive bass in and turn the input/Volume all the way up and my 115RBH will not distort, the signal does not break up. Recently I bought a 700RBII and whenever I turned the input/Volume up over 2 o'clock the signal broke up really bad, and that was with the eq flat and the Woofer at 9 o'clock max. The Clip led never lit up. And that was with barely hitting the strings too.
I took it back. My old 700RB has been good all of these years. What was I thinking?

MadMatt.
The best damn bass player in the World!
At least that is what my drunk guitarist said.

 

[lbwdog]

Recently I bought a 700RBII and whenever I turned the input/Volume up over 2 o'clock the signal broke up really bad, and that was with the eq flat and the Woofer at 9 o'clock max. The Clip led never lit up. And that was with barely hitting the strings too.
I took it back. My old 700RB has been good all of these years. What was I thinking?

Really, that's only natural. whenever you have the front end gain stages higher than the back end, distortion will ensue. For a clean sound, turn the "Woofer" up to almost full, then adjust the volume with the first two gains ("Volume" & "Boost").

 

[ljazz]

I had a problem with my 700RBII.
I still have an original 700RB (the one that says 350 watts at 4 Ohms). I can plug my passive bass in and turn the input/Volume all the way up and my 115RBH will not distort, the signal does not break up. Recently I bought a 700RBII and whenever I turned the input/Volume up over 2 o'clock the signal broke up really bad, and that was with the eq flat and the Woofer at 9 o'clock max. The Clip led never lit up. And that was with barely hitting the strings too.
I took it back. My old 700RB has been good all of these years. What was I thinking?

Man that's a sad story....... really sad, because if you spent some time researching a bit, and a bit of time in the manual you would have realized the clip light is set up to let you know when you're clipping the input stage, and that the volume knob is for adjusting the preamp gain.... not the input level. You would have also found that the pre is set to start clipping (not input stage, so the light will not come on) at about 1:00.

I would venture to say that if your series 1 700 doesn't distort when the vol (preamp gain) is up all the way, then something might be broken.

 

[ljazz]

I run with a radial tonebone in front, because I typically gig a flat strung P and a round strung J. The bone makes it really easy to switch without messing with my amp settings. I also run a EBS MultiComp, which allows me to keep the input gain maxed..... I set the gain like you would a input level equipped head..... crank it until the clip light on the head goes on, and then back it off a bit. Lately, I like to run a VT pedal when playing the P..... classic tones there!

The vol knob stays at 11:00 or lower. I don't like the sound of the head when it's much higher... it tends to sound a bit brittle and shrill. I start with the woofer between noon and 3:00, depending on the my cab config, size of the stage, and how much stage volume I need. The boost will be between noon and 3:00. I bring it up as my woofer goes down, or down as the woofer comes up. A bit of growl makes the bass a bit more present on stage without killing everyone with more volume. Tweeter is usually at 10:00, but I'll adjust as needed.

Lately, I've been running with the string filter at 4 string, but it really depends on the setting I'm playing in.

Contour and Presence stay at 9:00.

EQ is at noon, and if I need to adjust, I'll start with the mids. But it's never more than 1 hour in either direction.

I try to bring as little cabinet as possible, that way I get keep the growl going with as little volume as possible. My first choice is the gk neo 112. If I think I'll need a bit more, I'll bring the 212 (8ohm) instead. While 2 112's would be killer, it would be a 4 ohm load, and more wattage from the head.... so my volume would need to be much higher to get the gk growl rolling..... and in many cases, that would be too loud. For bigger engagements, I'll use both the 112 and 212. I haven't played anything recently where more than that was needed.

 

[jnewmark]

My setting, with a tip of the hat to Ibwdog, and running full range into a 215 cab is:

Woofer: Up full
Boost : Around noon
EQ : Everything noon, except a little bump for Low Mid
Countour : Off
Presence : 9 o'clock
5/4 Switch : so far I'm liking the 5 position with my 4 string Jazz
Volume : This is my " master " , and it's usually around 9 o'clock.

These settings seem to give a nice, clear sound, with a little thump down low, although using the "5 " switch really pistons those 15's ( JBL k140's ), so I have to watch the volume somewhat. My only gripe with this head is the highs. I just can't find a happy medium between clear and shrill , especially when popping. Lowering the treble seems like all or nothing, and I'm using the Presence more than anything to get a little sizzle, but I'm still not satisfied. I may try a foot pedal compressor to get the right amount of squish I like when popping. But, all in all, this is probably one of the most versatile, " all in one head " bass amps I've ever played. Wish it had a compressor though !

 

[georgestrings]

My setting, with a tip of the hat to Ibwdog, and running full range into a 215 cab is:

Woofer: Up full
Boost : Around noon
EQ : Everything noon, except a little bump for Low Mid
Countour : Off
Presence : 9 o'clock
5/4 Switch : so far I'm liking the 5 position with my 4 string Jazz
Volume : This is my " master " , and it's usually around 9 o'clock.

These settings seem to give a nice, clear sound, with a little thump down low, although using the "5 " switch really pistons those 15's ( JBL k140's ), so I have to watch the volume somewhat. My only gripe with this head is the highs. I just can't find a happy medium between clear and shrill , especially when popping. Lowering the treble seems like all or nothing, and I'm using the Presence more than anything to get a little sizzle, but I'm still not satisfied. I may try a foot pedal compressor to get the right amount of squish I like when popping. But, all in all, this is probably one of the most versatile, " all in one head " bass amps I've ever played. Wish it had a compressor though !

A couple of things stood out in this post to me - when I was using a 700rb-II as my main gigging amp, I ended up using a dbx 266 compressor in the effects loop - set so that it wasn't very noticeable sound-wise, but for some speaker protection... IME, the 700rb-II and 1001rb-II are capable of producing enough low end to cause speaker damage if one isn't careful... Before taking this step, I went thru two drivers in a Mesa PH610 - pretty much known as a cab that can take alot of abuse(although I play in really loud bands)...

What prompted me to add a comp is that I noticed ALOT of cone movement when my amp was set to my preferred sound - adding some light compression tamed that down a bit, while still maintaining a killer sound... IME, those G-K amps are extremely powerful for their ratings - and using the 5 string voicing *can* be rough on drivers(wicked deep sound, though)...

These are great amps - and even though I switched to a Mesa BB750, then an M-pulse600 for my main gigging amp, I still kept one of the two 700rb-II's I had... IMO, the 700rb-II will eventually be known as one of the best bass amps ever - just like it's predecessor, the 800rb...



- georgestrings

 

[jnewmark]

A couple of things stood out in this post to me - when I was using a 700rb-II as my main gigging amp, I ended up using a dbx 266 compressor in the effects loop - set so that it wasn't very noticeable sound-wise, but for some speaker protection... IME, the 700rb-II and 1001rb-II are capable of producing enough low end to cause speaker damage if one isn't careful... Before taking this step, I went thru two drivers in a Mesa PH610 - pretty much known as a cab that can take alot of abuse(although I play in really loud bands)...

What prompted me to add a comp is that I noticed ALOT of cone movement when my amp was set to my preferred sound - adding some light compression tamed that down a bit, while still maintaining a killer sound... IME, those G-K amps are extremely powerful for their ratings - and using the 5 string voicing *can* be rough on drivers(wicked deep sound, though)...

These are great amps - and even though I switched to a Mesa BB750, then an M-pulse600 for my main gigging amp, I still kept one of the two 700rb-II's I had... IMO, the 700rb-II will eventually be known as one of the best bass amps ever - just like it's predecessor, the 800rb...



- georgestrings

Curious about your compressor settings, as I was thinking about using one just to tame and squish the high transients when popping, giving me more of the tone I like to hear when slapping. I'm wondering what compressor settings would work to , not only give me the squish, but protect the woofers, also. I forgot to mention that I have a tweeter/horn in my LDS
with an attenuator. Since I'm using old school JBL k140's, I'm also wondering if some sort of high pass filter might be a good idea ?

 

[georgestrings]

Curious about your compressor settings, as I was thinking about using one just to tame and squish the high transients when popping, giving me more of the tone I like to hear when slapping. I'm wondering what compressor settings would work to , not only give me the squish, but protect the woofers, also. I forgot to mention that I have a tweeter/horn in my LDS
with an attenuator. Since I'm using old school JBL k140's, I'm also wondering if some sort of high pass filter might be a good idea ?

I've got that compressor in a rack somewhere around here - I'll take a look and see what I had it set at, after breakfast... played a gig last night, and didn't crash 'til 5am...



- georgestrings

 

[jnewmark]

BTW, I forgot to ask this earlier, but do those high cut buttons for the woofer and tweeter, only for GK cabs ?

 

[ljazz]

The woofer cut button would work with any cabinet, but it would be a cut only to the full range signal. With the GK HMS equipped cab, set to biamp, and with the proper cable, would cut the highs to the woofer, and sent the higher frequencies to the horn. The tweeter high cut would only work with an HMS equipped cabinet.

BTW, I've tried a bunch of compressors with my 700rbII, and the EBS MultiComp is what I chose. Running a comp in the effects loop just seemed like it would be a waste of the pre/power amp interaction that BG says is so crucial to the GK tone..... but I tried anyway. In the end, nothing came out more "musical" sounding (to me) than the EBS out front. Set in tube sim mode, it sounds/feels like it was made for the GK head. The other benefit of running it up front is that, as I mentioned earlier, you can use the gain of the comp as an input level for the head.

(BTW, I've tried tracking with the EBS, and I don't like it when recording, but live, it's sweet.)