NAD: 1992 Gallien-Krueger 400RB

[ossyrocks]

14 hours ago, Minininjarob said:

 

I have a GK combo and I love it, one day I hope to be able to get a 400 or 800rb - a lot of the USA 90s punk bassists used 400rbs into Ampeg 8x10 cabs (or whatever 8x10 can they could find) and they were loud enough for them so I think I’ll be ok!

 

Just watched this. I like him, and I like his company, and their attitude. It does make me want to use his gear. 

 

I have too many amps at the moment, I'm thinking all I need is the GK 400RB and a TE Elf in the bag for backup. The rest can go! However, I will probably keep one more amp, which needs to be decided.

 

Rob

[ossyrocks]

On 12/08/2024 at 10:03, cetera said:

Welcome to the 'knowledge'.

 

I've played through most well known amp brands and I always come back to GK and, in particular, the original 80's/90's 400RB and 800RB heads. Pair either with an efficient 4 ohm cab and you have tone and volume for days. They're workhorses and will last years, punching through any mix with solid authority. Congratulations and enjoy the ride!

 

Btw.... A suggestion that many owners of old GK owners swear by...... put a short patch lead between the send and return on the fx loop and leave it there permanently (if not using the loop). It stop oxidisation in the iputs which can cause some intermittent audio drop outs.

 

Duly noted on the patch lead. I have tried one in the loop to make sure it works with, and without, and have put a couple of patch leads in the bag for gigs in case they are needed.

 

Another question, do you have any experience of the 400RB-III, ie the 3rd version, and how it compares to version 2?

 

Thanks,

Rob

[cetera]

12 hours ago, ossyrocks said:

 

Duly noted on the patch lead. I have tried one in the loop to make sure it works with, and without, and have put a couple of patch leads in the bag for gigs in case they are needed.

 

Another question, do you have any experience of the 400RB-III, ie the 3rd version, and how it compares to version 2?

 

Thanks,

Rob

I'd leave a patch lead in there permanently, avoids oxidisation build up 👍

 

I don't have any experience of the 400RB-III but I'd like to try one!

[ossyrocks]

On 14/08/2024 at 09:57, cetera said:

I'd leave a patch lead in there permanently, avoids oxidisation build up 👍

 

I don't have any experience of the 400RB-III but I'd like to try one!

 

Well, I'm going to get an idea very soon, as I just bought this one off Reverb (and not for the full asking price either).

 

https://reverb.com/uk/item/79551626-gallien-krueger-400rb-mkiii-bass-head-amp-black-silver

 

I'll post again when it's here and I've done some A/B tests.

 

Rob

[cetera]

That link shows a 700RB Mk1 not a 400RB Mk111?

Edited August 15 by cetera

[ossyrocks]

3 minutes ago, cetera said:

That link shows a 700RB Mk1 not a 400RB Mk111?

That's what the product description says, but look at the pics and the item title.

[nick]

On 08/08/2024 at 20:43, ossyrocks said:

.....It sounds bloody marvelous! It's so present, so right here in the room, so hefty, weighty and toneful. It's got me wondering that modern amp manufacture has taken a wrong turn somewhere. 

 

 

 

On 08/08/2024 at 20:43, ossyrocks said:

Edited

Congratulations  The early 400RB's are fantastic aren't they?

I discovered how great the 400RB is by chance when I went round to meet a bass hero of mine, the lovely James Eller to drop off a pedal he'd bought off me. We had a cup of tea, chat about gear & I had a play through his 400RB, and loved the punchy articulate tone it had. Wanted one but they seldom come up for sale in the UK.

Then shortly after that, whilst I was out on a business trip to Nashville, and by chance found one in a dusty old pawn shop in the city suburbs. They didn't want much for it, I think about $100, so I snapped it up & brought it back to the UK in my suitcase 

I got the chunky 110v transformer changed for a more efficient 240v toroidal one, which also made the amp lighter.

Gigged it heavily for a while, and it never let me down & still using it today after 10+ years. It's my only amp and still sounds great, especially with a couple Vanderkley 12"s getting the 4ohm potential.

They are a wonderful amp IMHO, so easy to dial in a nice tone. Keep on to it!

Cheers 👍

Edited August 15 by nick

[msb]

A friend picked up the first version of the RB400 when it first became available. He was a mentor , and when he first showed me the amp he was incredulous that such a small package could have such tone and be so loud. It wasn’t too long before I picked one up , it was the second version with the detachable power cord. You could easily pick it up with one hand! That was astounding.
The first thing I noticed was the tone. It never failed , despite the drops and bumps. There were times I cranked it , but it gave me all the power I’d think I’d need. It did everything.
 

It was the most reliable amp I’d ever seen. 

 

I have sold the two RB400 amps that I owned , they are both still in use. And still have a classic MB150 combo and a tiny MB200. I did blow up the 150 and loved it enough to get it fixed. And the fan on the 200 got clogged up and stopped working , things got hot , fried , and there was another repair.
 

They both work perfectly today.

[ossyrocks]

My wife has gone away for three nights with my step daughter today. I had a meander back from dropping her off in Manchester, having lunch with my daughter and my grand daughter in Ramsbottom, and then called in for a brew with some old friends from school. 

 

However, that leaves me alone in the house for three nights, so inevitably this happens. All the gear comes out, and I've been trying everything against everything else,.

 

Remarkably, there is no contest, for me, and the tone in my head, the Gallien-Kruegar 400RB is the best sounding amp I own, by a country mile. This has been an interesting experiment. It doesn't matter how much money you throw at amps, the one that works for you, just might be the cheapest.

 

Of this pile, the Elf is a more than adequate backup/spare, and sounds great at 4 ohms through the BF 3x10. 

 

I have a GK 400RB-III coming this week, to compare to the 400RB-II, but I think that's it, I'm done. No need to buy other amps.

 

Looks like I have a few to list in the classifieds now. All of them are great amps in their own right, and would be superb on any gig too, but I need to thin this pile down a bit.

 

Rob

 

Edit:

 

Those are all the settings I was using whilst comparing the amps.

 

 

Edited August 16 by ossyrocks

[Ruarl]

I forgot to do a NAD, but after @ossyrocks was waxing lyrical to me about these old GKs at the NW Bash, I found this baby on facebook marketplace and snapped it up. It's pretty beaten up, but it does sound great.

[ossyrocks]

21 minutes ago, Ruarl said:

I forgot to do a NAD, but after @ossyrocks was waxing lyrical to me about these old GKs at the NW Bash, I found this baby on facebook marketplace and snapped it up. It's pretty beaten up, but it does sound great.

I’d like to know what you think after a little while with it. We do have different goals tonally. Your Big Baby cab vs my 3x10, and you have a more hifi tone from what we discussed at the bass bash.  They are good though, I can’t see how anyone would fail to like them. I do fancy an 800RB, so if you ever feel the need to part with it, you know where I am. 😂

 

[msb]

2 hours ago, ossyrocks said:

My wife has gone away for three nights with my step daughter today. I had a meander back from dropping her off in Manchester, having lunch with my daughter and my grand daughter in Ramsbottom, and then called in for a brew with some old friends from school. 

 

However, that leaves me alone in the house for three nights, so inevitably this happens. All the gear comes out, and I've been trying everything against everything else,.

 

Remarkably, there is no contest, for me, and the tone in my head, the Gallien-Kruegar 400RB is the best sounding amp I own, by a country mile. This has been an interesting experiment. It doesn't matter how much money you throw at amps, the one that works for you, just might be the cheapest.

 

Of this pile, the Elf is a more than adequate backup/spare, and sounds great at 4 ohms through the BF 3x10. 

 

I have a GK 400RB-III coming this week, to compare to the 400RB-II, but I think that's it, I'm done. No need to buy other amps.

 

Looks like I have a few to list in the classifieds now. All of them are great amps in their own right, and would be superb on any gig too, but I need to thin this pile down a bit.

 

Rob

 

Edit:

 

Those are all the settings I was using whilst comparing the amps.

 

 

I have a Forte too , the first version with the compressor instead of the drive. I’ve found it to be a simple transparent power brick. A great hifi sounding amp. 
But I’ve been running a tube preamp in front of it , a little boutique rig called Monique , made by Jule. I use the effect return input on the back so Monique is the tone stack , and the Forte now sounds like a big warm tube amp. For gigs I use Berg cabs but for rehearsals I can easily get back with a little BareFaced One10.

I’ve heard so many great reports about the Elf that I’d probably snag one if I saw a reasonable deal.

[cetera]

I'm loving seeing people discover the old GK heads. Particularly when they already own great stuff like Bergantino, TecAmp etc....

 

There really is nothing quite like the 400RB/800RBs 💜😎🎶

[Minininjarob]

On 15/08/2024 at 19:09, ossyrocks said:

 

Well, I'm going to get an idea very soon, as I just bought this one off Reverb (and not for the full asking price either).

 

https://reverb.com/uk/item/79551626-gallien-krueger-400rb-mkiii-bass-head-amp-black-silver

 

I'll post again when it's here and I've done some A/B tests.

 

Rob

gah! Another one I’ve missed. 

[ossyrocks]

So, the GK's are multiplying. This arrived today, a MK-III.

 

All working well and sounding good. I actually downloaded the manual for this one, and I'm thinking now that I was using the MK-II in a way not intended. 

I have been setting the Volume around noon, the boost around noon, and bringing up the Master to suit for volume in the room. 

The manual on the other hand says to set the Master and Boost at noon, and then bring up the Volume to set the levels. This kind of goes against anything I've heard of before and I would be interested to know how you guys use them. I know @shug sets the Master and Boost high and uses the Volume to set the level.

 

I've had about 10 minutes with them this afternoon, just to make sure everything is working. I'm going to do some more comparisons tonight or tomorrow. My first impressions are that the MK-III does not sound exactly like the MK-II, but it's really close. It may have a softer attack and be ever so slightly brighter, but it's still very very good, and I'd prefer it over the other amps I have.

 

This exercise has also made me wonder if the MK-II needs a service, as setting the Master volume higher, (ie at noon) introduces a noticeable but not unreasonable 50hz hum. The MK-III which arrived to day is almost silent even at high Master settings.

 

Anyway, all good fun!

 

Rob

[msb]

I had the second , and fourth versions. The IV had a little more wattage , and was a bit brighter sounding. And it had a balanced XLR out , where the II had a somewhat noisy 1/4 in out. All improvements.

I must have had the II for close to 20 yrs , and played every week with it. It was still working perfectly when I decided to retire it , at first I was going to get more power , but my amp tech suggested another 400 , I got the IV on kijiji , it was in like-new condition. 

I’ve moved on to other amps , but have nothing but praise for the RB400.
 

 

 

 

[ossyrocks]

Ok, I've got them to sound almost alike tonight. All it took was a slight increase in low mid and bass on the MK-III, about 1 o'clock as opposed to flat. The Mk-III also needs to be higher on the input Volume to achieve the same level in the room, with both Masters set at noon. This could simply be differences in pot tapers as the MK-III is actually supposed to be louder in terms of wattage.

 

I'm very happy with these. Who'da thunk it?

 

Rob

[msb]

Classic amps.

I retired mine after buying a GenzBenz Streamliner 900. And then went hifi with a Forte (first version) and then added a tube pre to that. And that’s where I am now. 
The GKs were so simple to dial in. Never had an issue with them despite my first one getting knocked around for ages. It just kept on ticking.

I’m thinking of trading in a SWR HeadLite for an Elf. The SWR has more power , more features … the Elf is tiny. I do not have any pressing need for the Elf as it won’t be used as a gigging rig , and I have two nice practice rigs in two locations. I have some old friends that swear by the Elf so it’s been on my radar for a while. I’m curious. 
Might do the visit Friday and see what happens. 

[ossyrocks]

2 minutes ago, msb said:

Classic amps.

I retired mine after buying a GenzBenz Streamliner 900. And then went hifi with a Forte (first version) and then added a tube pre to that. And that’s where I am now. 
The GKs were so simple to dial in. Never had an issue with them despite my first one getting knocked around for ages. It just kept on ticking.

I’m thinking of trading in a SWR HeadLite for an Elf. The SWR has more power , more features … the Elf is tiny. I do not have any pressing need for the Elf as it won’t be used as a gigging rig , and I have two nice practice rigs in two locations. I have some old friends that swear by the Elf so it’s been on my radar for a while. I’m curious. 
Might do the visit Friday and see what happens. 

I have an Elf in the bag as backup. I have actually used it as my main amp on a couple of gigs. They were small walk in off public transport gigs, but it was fine. In terms of of tone, there’s not much between the Elf and anything else I own, it sounds great. 
The only thing I would say is that the fan is quite loud for home practice. It’s ok on a gig where you don’t notice it, but at home I couldn’t deal with it. 

[msb]

I had a GK MB200 and loved it , it also doubled as a headphone amp because it had a mini aux in, so I could plug in a tablet and use headphones. Great little amp. Unfortunately the fan became gunked up , things overheated , it developed the pink ring of doom and the power chip fried.

I got it repaired , I loved that amp.
 

Whenever I hear a fan come on I feel relief that everything is working. 
 

 

[Minininjarob]

23 hours ago, ossyrocks said:

So, the GK's are multiplying. This arrived today, a MK-III.

 

All working well and sounding good. I actually downloaded the manual for this one, and I'm thinking now that I was using the MK-II in a way not intended. 

I have been setting the Volume around noon, the boost around noon, and bringing up the Master to suit for volume in the room. 

The manual on the other hand says to set the Master and Boost at noon, and then bring up the Volume to set the levels. This kind of goes against anything I've heard of before and I would be interested to know how you guys use them. I know @shug sets the Master and Boost high and uses the Volume to set the level.

 

I've had about 10 minutes with them this afternoon, just to make sure everything is working. I'm going to do some more comparisons tonight or tomorrow. My first impressions are that the MK-III does not sound exactly like the MK-II, but it's really close. It may have a softer attack and be ever so slightly brighter, but it's still very very good, and I'd prefer it over the other amps I have.

 

This exercise has also made me wonder if the MK-II needs a service, as setting the Master volume higher, (ie at noon) introduces a noticeable but not unreasonable 50hz hum. The MK-III which arrived to day is almost silent even at high Master settings.

 

Anyway, all good fun!

 

Rob

Where are you finding these? I’ve not seen a 400rb for ages and none for sale since I decided I really wanted one. So frustrating. 

[Minininjarob]

BTW I have a friend who hires our backline and he has a 2001rb into a GK 4x10 and that combination is terrifying in a very very nice way. 

[ossyrocks]

1 hour ago, Minininjarob said:

Where are you finding these? I’ve not seen a 400rb for ages and none for sale since I decided I really wanted one. So frustrating. 

 

The 400RB-II was advertised here for quite a long time, months in fact. But it was collection only from Edinburgh. After a bit of back and forth, we agreed that I would arrange the courier, and it duly arrived.

 

The 400RB-III has been on Reverb for about 6 months, so I put in some cheeky offers and again, after a bit of offer/counter offer, we agreed a price. The MKIII is superb too, very much a GK 400RB amp in the vein of the earlier one. I can get it to sound almost identical to the MK-II.

 

Astonishingly, I have invested a grand total of £470 for BOTH amps inc. shipping. These represent my best value purchases ever.

 

Rob 

[Minininjarob]

1 hour ago, ossyrocks said:

 

The 400RB-II was advertised here for quite a long time, months in fact. But it was collection only from Edinburgh. After a bit of back and forth, we agreed that I would arrange the courier, and it duly arrived.

 

The 400RB-III has been on Reverb for about 6 months, so I put in some cheeky offers and again, after a bit of offer/counter offer, we agreed a price. The MKIII is superb too, very much a GK 400RB amp in the vein of the earlier one. I can get it to sound almost identical to the MK-II.

 

Astonishingly, I have invested a grand total of £470 for BOTH amps inc. shipping. These represent my best value purchases ever.

 

Rob 

I’ve never looked at Reverb much as whenever I did it was all in the USA - didn’t realise it was UK as well

Totally missed the Edinburgh one. 😢 I have no idea how. 
You know where to come if you ever want to sell one!!

[msb]

There are a ton of RB 400 amps around. They were legend for being one of the most reliable things made. 
And they’re getting popular again it seems. My old amp tech has been beating the bushes looking for another version I , with the fixed power cord.

He was selling me some tubes recently and I mentioned that it was my old friend and mentor Fish , who turned me on to them so many years ago. He said “I’ve got something to show you”  … “Here it is”

 

and there was the original amp Fish had used 

 

Frequently they can be had for little money. And unlike some early Class D heads most parts are easily available.