GK 1001 RB II VS GB Shuttle 6.0

[Musicman20]

Hello

As below, I need to decide quickly on a backup head/more portable head.

What do you guys think with these totally different amps?

[Josh]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='467076' date='Apr 19 2009, 10:49 PM']Hello

As below, I need to decide quickly on a backup head/more portable head.

What do you guys think with these totally different amps?[/quote]

Josh3184 would be the man for this.

I can only help with the 1001RBII.

[Musicman20]

Please let me know what the GK is like

[Josh]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='467085' date='Apr 19 2009, 11:06 PM']Please let me know what the GK is like [/quote]

Well I much prefer it over my previous head (EBS TD650), it is just so easy to control the mids and to cut/add the hi-fi sizzle to the overall tone as well. It's a extremely versatile head and is very well renowned for it, and the price is brilliant. It can give you the classic Jaco growl, but without getting stupidly muddy at higher volumes, and it can easily pump out a pure Precision tone as well, and everything in between.

[sk8]

[quote name='Josh' post='467080' date='Apr 19 2009, 10:59 PM']Josh3184 would be the man for this.

I can only help with the 1001RBII.[/quote]yep. He bought my 6.0

[Marcus]

The GK head takes some beating in a live situation.....

to me it's voiced very much toward sounding great in a band mix as opposed to giving a great bedroom tone, you could easily choose another amp in a shop / house A'B demo, plug a Jazz bass into it with a decent cab/s and it's tone heaven !

[josh3184]

you rang?

Depends what you want it for really.

[b][u]GK[/u][/b]
+ Great tone, very flexible, separate tweeter and bass section amps, so useful if you use the GK cabs. Well made, crazy powerful!
- Weighty (compared to the GB)

[b][u]GB[/u][/b]
+ Well made, all controls you'd ever really need. TEENSY TINY. Powerful enough for any gig really as long as you use an efficient enough cab
- Tone is very good but not great. Not as much of a range of sounds.

Basically the GK is better tonewise (IMO) but a big bastard, but no bigger than other MOSFET amps of that power. If you can take a slight tonal inflexibility and value portability highly then I'd choose the GB (that's what I did )

[Josh]

[quote name='josh3184' post='467419' date='Apr 20 2009, 01:20 PM']- Weighty[/quote]

Must be a left-handed thing as even in the flightcase it's lighter than the TD650 .

Musicman20 I'd say if you can try each then do that and then decide, because otherwise I'd say go for the GK, IMHO all this Shuttle fuss is a little OTT, alot of the guys who raved about them 2 months down the line moved them on.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Josh

[sk8]

[quote name='Josh' post='467425' date='Apr 20 2009, 01:24 PM']IMHO all this Shuttle fuss is a little OTT, alot of the guys who raved about them 2 months down the line moved them on.[/quote]
for another shuttle!

[Born 2B Mild]

Just a comment on the Shuttle's tone, as I don't know the GK, I have noticed that what it does best is to add definition to the sound of your bass, rather than change it. It appears to be more effective for active basses with decent woods, strings and on-board pre-amps.

For the first few gigs I used the GB, I had all EQ on flat, because the Spector 6 I used had all the tone I needed. For other basses with more 'so so' construction and electronics, I have had to max up the Shuttle's controls. The mid-scoop is singularly the most effective tone shaper for me.

I get GAS for most things, but I have to say that the Shuttle is a keeper, providing I'm using a bass that simply needs its sound amplifiying rather than compensating/modifying.

If I was you and couldn't A/B both amps before buying, I'd buy the first used specimen of either amp and try it out. Being used, you can move it on if it doesn't suit, then buy the other!

[Musicman20]

Im mainly a passive guy apart from MM Stingray.

Im looking for a good rock tone basically....with some hi fi as an option.

Only thing is, I wont be using GK cabs....I cant afford yet more cabs.

[sk8]

the shuttle does Hifi very well

[Marcus]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='467477' date='Apr 20 2009, 02:22 PM']Im mainly a passive guy apart from MM Stingray.

Im looking for a good rock tone basically....with some hi fi as an option.

Only thing is, I wont be using GK cabs....I cant afford yet more cabs.[/quote]

Interesting term Hi-Fi

If you want clean and defined the GK does that in spades, with power and authority to add into the equation, perfect for Rock. If you want "Jazzy airyness" and pure tonal transparency then maybe there's better heads out there... I really don't know the GB head at all, but it sounds like you'd like what the GK does.

[KASH]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='467477' date='Apr 20 2009, 02:22 PM']Im mainly a passive guy apart from MM Stingray.

Im looking for a good rock tone basically....with some hi fi as an option.

Only thing is, I wont be using GK cabs....I cant afford yet more cabs.[/quote]

Well...I'm a very heavy handed player and a rock tone guy myself and my 1001rb does deliver the goods. The boost button is great for rock, it gives you growl and it's like an extra volume control. Oh and I play it through an Ashdown ABM 810 (on full range)...have tried GK cabs, sound great with the bi-amp system, just not my cup of tea...too hi-fi to my hears whereas with the ashdown i can get thunder and crystal clean sounds out of it. Try one if you have the chance, headroom and pleeeeeeeeeeenty of volume, whatever style you play, you can get something out of it

[Josh]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='467477' date='Apr 20 2009, 02:22 PM']Im mainly a passive guy apart from MM Stingray.

Im looking for a good rock tone basically....with some hi fi as an option.

Only thing is, I wont be using GK cabs....I cant afford yet more cabs.[/quote]

Before I got my Neo's I was running the head through 2 EBS Proline 2x10's and sounded great, still had the right amount of Hi-Fi sizzle to make my MTD sound amazing. Many other guys on here have 1001RB's running through different cabs and enjoy their tone.

[Musicman20]

Hmm

The more I hear about GK the more it seems it would suit me.

If any of you are a fan of NOFX...they have extremely fast and fluid bass. Its very clear and defined. With a little 'growl' over it.

Another Q...how would an Ampeg SVT III Pro compare to the GK 1001?

Ive heard they have serious volume problems. Its only 450w compared to the GK's 700w!

[Josh]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='467536' date='Apr 20 2009, 03:22 PM']Hmm

The more I hear about GK the more it seems it would suit me.

If any of you are a fan of NOFX...they have extremely fast and fluid bass. Its very clear and defined. With a little 'growl' over it.

Another Q...how would an Ampeg SVT III Pro compare to the GK 1001?

Ive heard they have serious volume problems. Its only 450w compared to the GK's 700w![/quote]

Waynepunkdude would be the man to turn to for this one.

Still, I had a muck around on a precision through my rig to see what it can do, and having once been in a punk covers band I whacked out a few NoFx songs for a giggle. and it easily nailed Fat Mike tone.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Josh

[Musicman20]

How you finding the neo GK 2x12s? They look pretty good!

I dont own any cabs like that at all...and it might be something for me to look into if I get a GK so I have an entire arsenal of different cabs! Ive never had neo-cabs...ever.

Thanks

[Josh]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='467551' date='Apr 20 2009, 03:33 PM']How you finding the neo GK 2x12s? They look pretty good!

I dont own any cabs like that at all...and it might be something for me to look into if I get a GK so I have an entire arsenal of different cabs! Ive never had neo-cabs...ever.

Thanks[/quote]

It's odd, I've got 2 but I only actually run through the top one, I love the tone regardless, it's just the perfect amount of punch mixed with the smooth low end response and sizzle. Smooth I guess is the perfect word for them, and pretty damn light as well so hauling them around isn't as much of a bother anymore.

My tone is pretty the same as in this clips:



It's probably not what your aiming for tonewise, but it shows what it can do when you know what your doing, it can easily rival all of the boutique amp makes without breaking a sweat, some just can't/wont accept it.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Josh

[Musicman20]

That looks like a nice rig. Totally different sound to the more old school rock cabs and heads I normally own, but maybe it would be a good idea to have two totally different amps.

[Josh]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='467592' date='Apr 20 2009, 04:13 PM']That looks like a nice rig. Totally different sound to the more old school rock cabs and heads I normally own, but maybe it would be a good idea to have two totally different amps.[/quote]

As Marcus has said, they do the "Rock" tone just as good as the renowned rock heads, a GK head is what you want it to be, it's the perfect definition of a "Tool" amp, it really is versatile enough to cover most bassist's needs, it's just that unfortunately GK's quality control has let a fair few products slip through which has kind of hurt their former standard.

[Delberthot]

I'm a bit late to the party but I've owned 2 GK heads, an 800RB and more recently a 700RB II and currently own a Shuttle 6.

First off the bat is that out of the box they aren't even close in terms of sound. I enjoy a very punchy, aggressive tone. I don't do pedals so everything has to come from the amp.

As you probably know, my main bass is my gold Warmoth with mahogany, ebony and wenge.

For me to get a fantastic sound from the GK, I ran everything almost flat (at 12 o'clock) with the boost at about 9 o'clock, input gain at 1 o'clock and output to suit the environment ( normally rarely about 9 o'clock.

The Shuttle is kind of the same in many respects as the main bass, treble etc controls are at 12 o'clock. I did discover that to get the sound that I wanted, i had to overdrive the tube pretty much having it full on, with the volume control next to it up high as well. It means that I can't go above 9 o'clock on the output without the limiter coming on which is disconcerting even though I am told that it is completely normal.


So, you can see that I have everything much the same on both amps but they don't sound anything like each other. the Genz is dirtier and probably as close to what i would define a proper tube tone without actually having played through one (except that horrible SVT II pro a couple of weeks ago). The GK is a bit easier on the ears but I dare say that you could do that with the Shuttle.

One thing I would say that the Shuttle is rated at 600 watts but that limiter comes on constantly very early on, whereas I never had anything come on to suggest that i was overdriving the GK at 480 watts. The 1001RB is probably going to be more power than you will ever need.

Clear as mud.

The winner for me is the Shuttle, Korg pedal tuner, Boss OC-2, power supplies and cables in a laptop bag rather than the hernia inducing beast of a GK. I doubt I could ever go back now as I can get my entire setup in and out of a gig in one trip

[alexclaber]

I don't think you can go wrong either way. I was very impressed with the Shuttle when I tried it but I also think that Bob Gallien is one of the few geniuses of bass guitar amplification (that is the electronics side of it, not the speakers part) - his designs are nothing like anyone else's and they're really well fitted to the challenge of amplifying bass guitar. The GKs aren't simply a nice preamp married to a power amp of suitable ooomph, the power amp has been designed specifically to deal with the oddities of bass guitar, from the separate tweeter amp so you can get clean high but growly everything else, through the transient and dynamics response characteristics, right down to how it acts when it 'hits the rails'. Clever stuff. He's a big believer in the power section being part of the tone and feel of the amplifier, which I'd have to agree with - unless you have such a vast amount of power than you never reach the limits (and I mean VAST!)

I'd like to know more about how GK have implemented their micro-amps - have they used the same B&O module as everyone else and if so what have they done with it, or have they gone from the ground up?

Alex

[alexclaber]

[quote name='Delberthot' post='467653' date='Apr 20 2009, 05:30 PM']...the hernia inducing beast of a GK.[/quote]

19.5lbs. You big girl!

I'm starting to think I needn't have bothered putting the side handles on the Big One at the balance point - is no-one else going to do the rack in one hand, cab in the other trick? They're only 47lbs each.

Alex

[Delberthot]

Feels heavier than that - 3lbs or 19.5lbs?

I've been contemplating making a lighter weight 1212L cos even that's starting to feel heavier than normal.


I do have to lift the 140lb poweramp rack myself so any weight savings anywhere else are more than welcome

Edited April 20, 2009 by Delberthot