Gallien Krueger 800RB

Gallien Krueger 800 RB - affectionately known as "the tank"! I am an experienced bass player who plays out quite often....

I purchased this amplifier back in 1993 ($599 I think) to replace the old 400 RB that I was using. Nothing wrong with it, just needed more watts! During my search for a new amplifier, I looked at many other brands such as SWR, Ampeg, David Eden, etc. but after trying out all of these others, I simply ended up going back to GK. So here I am 16 years later, hundreds of practice sessions and gigs and this unit has not failed me once!

Basically everything. The tone produced by the 800RB is deep and clear, with no noise. I have had a few people ask what I use to get my sound. The answer is always the same. Fender jazz, Ampeg cabinet, and the amp itself. In regards to power on stage, it has plenty. Other than sound quality and power its reliability is outstanding. My 800RB has probably paid for itself a few times over! It has survived many tough nights in clubs, outdoor events, and other venues!

I really have nothing bad to say about it. Some people are thrown off by the fact that the older units have no fan.

Top notch. Heavy gauge aluminum, excellent design, reliable as hell.

I would definitely recommend this amplifier to anyone who wants a reliable, great sounding unit!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I BOUGHT THIS AMP BRAND NEW AT PARKWAY MUSIC IN 1998 FOR 679 BECAUSE AFTER TRYING 4 OTHER BRANDS [fender SWR PEAVEY AMPEG ]THIS AMP IN MY OPINION SOUNDED THE BEST.

THE SIZE AND WEIGHT WERE PART OF MY CHOICE.THE OTHER WAS THE FEATURES. SIMPLE BI AMP OPERATION,TONE ADJUSTMENTS, AND THE AMOUNT OF POWER IT HAS IN FULL OR BI AMP RANGE. TOTALLY LOUD.OF COURSE YOU HAVE TO HAVE A DECENT GUITAR AND PICKUPS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. NOT TO MENTION A SPEAKER CAB WITH THE PROPER OHM RATING AND MORE IMPORTANT A GOOD SPL RATING

IN THE 4 YEARS I OWNED THIS UNIT I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT NOTHING WENT WRONG WITH ITAND I PLAY ABOUT 90 -110 JOBS AYEAR WITH IT .SO I USE IT A LOT

ALL ALUMINUM CASE. CONTROLS ALL ARE QUIET. A NICE BIG HEAT SINK IN THE REAR THAT HEATS UP REAL GOOD WHEN THE MUSIC GETS LOUD.THE ENGINEER'S WHO DESIGNED IT DID A GRAT JOB INSIDE THE UNIT TO. I TOOK THE TOP OFF AND EVERYTHING HAS A NEAT TIDY APPEARENCE WITH A BIG TRANSFORMER WITH LOTS OF IRON IN IT TO MAKE HIGH CURRENT TO GET THE BIG SOUND GOING. THE ENGINEER'S FIGURED IN NOT TO USE A FAN WHICH IS ONE LESS THING TO GO WRONG . BRAVO...

BOTTOM LINE IS LIGHT WEIGHT SMALL SIZE lots OF POWER FAIR PRICE.SIMPLICITY OF USE AND MOST OF ALL RELIABILITY AND QUALITY THROUGH OUT. IM NOT KNOCKING THE OTHER BRANDS THEY ARE GOOD TOO. BUT FOR ME THIS HEAD HAS THE MOST BANG FOR THE BUCK AND IS HOLDING UP VERY WELL.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Purchased (barely) used at Guitar Center, Larchmont New York. Paid $499.00. Like new condition. They go for $750.00 new.

I tried and tested many bass heads, Fender, SWR, Peavey, Ampeg, etc., and this one just blew them all out of the water! Over all power, tone, punch, bottom end, all of it. A major plus for me is it does NOT have a million knobs on it. Your basic bass, mids, treble, plus switchable bass cut, mid cut, and high boost. It is 400 watts (300 + 100 bi-amped) I use it with one Ampeg PR-15H bass cabinet (Ampeg's top of the line 1x15 cabinet. 800w max) and the sound is amazing. I play a Rickenbacker 4003 bass.

The ONLY draw back to the 800-RB is it does NOT have a cooling fan. It has a large heat sinc on the back, which if I am playing loud becomes too hot to touch. (You can imagine how hot the transformer must be) That said, even when it's running hot, it really doesn't lose it's signal (Something bass amps are famous for). I have seen bass amps with half the power with cooling fans. At 400 watts, the 800-RB should have one too. (I have heard the latest models DO have a fan, but have not seen any)

This thing is built like a tank. The case is all heavy gauge steel. It is heavier than it looks. I have heard stories of these things being dropped, kicked, falling off of stages, trucks, (a guy drove off with his on the roof of his car-it fell of at about 30 mph, and in spite of some dents and broken knobs, it still worked!!) The workmanship is excellent. Plus it is solid state, so no tubes to worry about. Detachable power cord.

I have read in many music publications and reviews that the Gallien Krueger 800-RB might be the best bass head ever made, and I couldn't agree more. If mine was ever lost or stolen, I would ABSOLUTELY buy another 800-RB. If you have ever seen the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Flea has 4 800-RB's stacked up in his rack. Need I say more?

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bi-amp 400W
Low-amp 300W 4 Ohm
Hi-Amp 100W 8 Ohm

Transistor
Adjustable Crossover 100Hz 1.0Khz
4-band legalization
Voicing filter
Level footswitch with boost (for solos)
1 Master Volume
Low-amp 1 volume
Hi-amp 1 volume
Heatsink (no fan)

UTILIZATION

Rglage simple set
The low electric bass I get the faster the DSIR.

SOUNDS

For the style of music I made (Standard Jazz) it suits me well trs.
I use a Yamaha bass TRB6 2, credit for low-1x15 amp and a box for hi-210T amp. Amp for shows and it is rgler Flat with low j'galise and that no effects.

OVERALL OPINION

I use this amp since January 2000 and I am satisfied with TRS, it is robust, easy to use, powerful and above all to the delight of sound engineers and mine NO FAN! so no noise and he never overheat!