2 Repairs- Give GK one more shot?

T

Thejamesjordan

Mar 2, 2006
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www.spiderricorock.com
#1
Hi,

I recently bought a pre- owned GK 700 RB from Guitar Center. I have played a bunch of them at practice facilities and liked the growl of them. I got it home, played 2 shows with no issues. I have a string of shows coming up, I went to mess around with the tone and about 5 minutes in it dropped off to a fraction of the volume. I changed, chords, cables, put in new batteries, etc. and sure enough it is definitely the amp.

I had a combo amp that was a GK floor model that had an issue as well after I brought it home.

Question:
Does GK just have a ton of issues and I should look elsewhere?
Or
Am I just an idiot for buying pre owned?

Thanks,
 
#3
i've played several GK rigs (not mine) and they were all super. i bought a GK MB210 a year or two after they first appeared (?) and used it until about a month ago: the amp failed. (so 6-8 years of service?) anyway, i liked the combo and would get another, but: i'm looking around just because it's an opportunity to do so. IME: seems like i'm getting 5+ years out of most rigs (gigging regularly) before something breaks (with or without significant abuse!).

i think your GK experience is somewhat coincidental: luck of the draw + GK reliability issues (some models, some years/'runs'). i believe their newer stuff is less problematic.

would i get GK again if it was the right deal at the right time, for me? sure. i'd probably be looking at the current pieces, though.

i hope you get your issues resolved. i know it's frustrating and not at all fun. :thumbsup:
 
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#7
Al Kraft said:
IME GK=Reliability, especially the 700 RB's. It sounds like you are the occasional rare exception to the rule. Let a good tech give it a once over and you should be fine.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I have two used GK amps and they've run flawlessly. I love the tone and portability. I find my amps absolutely reliable. I come to TB often and always start with amps and cabs. I see a lot of amps with issues but two I rarely see with questions for repair are the classic Peavey USA amps and Gallien Krueger which also happens to be USA.

My two cents-- give them another try and you'll find outwhy so many GK users swear by them.
 
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#8
I'ts possible it was traded in or sold outright to guitar center because of this problem.They have a pretty good return policy,If you got it for a good price I would get it fixed,like Bill says they are like Peaveys or anvils:D
 
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#9
I've picked up now... 5? Wow, yup 5 GK RB amps, all used (but all in good shape, purchased directly from the owner), put each through solid use, and haven't ever had a problem with any of them. 3 of them were 700RBs. 2 "i"s and 1 "ii".

I have seen a 700RB-i fail in the wild as a backline, but my understanding from what I found out following is that it had a dead fan that the sound guy knew about... and still had the amp in use. The thing looked seriously abused to the point where I wanted to take it home and give it some TLC. Ugh.

Anyways, definitely give them a second shot. IME those RBs in particular are some of the most reliable amps out there.
 
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#10
Is it a 700RB or a 700RBII? Some of the earlier version 700RBi’s were prone to failure, but the ones that were serviced by GK under warranty lasted years and many are still in service. I’ve been rocking my 700RBII trouble free for almost 10 years. That said, I probably wouldn’t have much confidence in it if I experienced the failure rate you are.
 
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