Do GK amps have reliability issues?

[BassFishingInAmerica]

My 400RB is over 30 years old. GK has a reputation of being one of the most reliable amps made. One abused amp in GC isn't going to change that.

 

[pcake]

we used to rehearse at a studio that had an RB head in every room. i never ran across one that wasn't working there, and the studio owners were very happy with them.

 

[2milehighspike]

Every GK Product I own has been stone cold reliable and I will not purchase any other amp when it comes to bass amplification.I would very much like to add a 700RB to my collection.

 

[lz4005]

I've had two GK amps that had a problem out of the box. One had a broken pot, the other a malfunctioning switch. Both were repaired or replaced under warranty and then worked flawlessly on hundreds of gigs.

 

[mmbongo]

Was at my local Guitar Center today

Well there's your problem. Try not to do that.

 

[Planespotter]

About half the knob caps fell off and got lost on my 800rb. Other than that it's been perfect.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

IME, you can drop kick a GK down a flight of cellar stairs and it'll be fine for the gig. (Hyperbole; not an actual recommendation.)

Not hyperbole. I believe you can actually do this to some of them (see the motorcycle story).

 

[Lo-E]

IME, you can drop kick a GK down a flight of cellar stairs and it'll be fine for the gig. (Hyperbole; not an actual recommendation.)

Well, you and I share the same opinion.

I've never cared much for the tone of GK products, so I'm certainly not saying this as a GK fanboy, but their products are just about bombproof. Most rehearsal studios that I have used over the years use GK heads and, aside from the occasional worn-out jack, I've never seen one fail. They're remarkably durable.

I've never actually drop kicked one down a flight of stairs, but I feel fairly confident that it would put up a good fight!

 

[High ISO]

My MB500 has been rock solid through 4 years of continuous use. As others have said, the demos at GC take a beating and the non-working model you found could have been a victim if abuse/misuse.

 

[two fingers]

Yeah quite the opposite OP. They are known for being all but bulletproof.

I imagine amps at GC die of shame. You can only be slappity tapped so many times before you just give up.

 

[gjbassist]

I have owned several GK amps and have never had a single issue. My main amp right now is an early 90's 400RB that still works flawlessly!
There could be several reasons why any amp is not working at GC. It could have been improperly hooked up by an employee or mishandled by some kid who was trying it out.

 

[Jim C]

IMO/IME GK amps are some of the most reliable made.

 

[neljoshua]

Just to add my two cents:

I had a GK 1001rb-II and 410rbh that I played through for years at church (hence why I "had" it--we moved). The combination sounded awesome to me--I love front porting and 10s.

In any event, that thing was a tank. It worked awesome--even after someone loaded on a pickup truck and drove off (with the amp sitting on the cab without its case). The driver took a corner too fast (which was not that fast, as the cab was on wheels) and the cab slammed against the bed and the amp fell out. It dangled by the speakon cable! The cable was a super beefy one (four-conductor and about .75 in thick), and it was destroyed at the connector. Amazingly, the amp and cab were fine.

The 1001rb is a bi-amp and needs a special speakon cable to work--many of them are wired so that they only have two conductors, but the 1001rb needs four conductors--two for the tweeter and two for the woofers. Most speakons have all four conductors, but they are wired together. If you try to use the wrong cable it would definitely put the amp into protection mode. It appears that the 700rb-II is the same.

 

[hintz]

GK is simply the workhorse of the amp world!!

 

[Ekulati]

My 700RBII is going strong after 7yrs of weekly use (knock on wood). Most likely the example you played had been rode hard and put away wet by hundreds of "customers" until it finally decided enough was enough. Or they had a bad cable or improper cab hooked up to it.

Exactly what he said. 700rbii, gigging regularly for 7 years, no issues. And I've even dropped it a couple times.

 

[000_Unknown]

Ive had my GK RB rig for over 10 years now with zero issues. I did blow a fuse once during an important practice session and I didnt have a backup, which was a drag. So I bought a five pack of fuses. I still have the four spares taped to the inside of the head. That should be enough for the 80-100 years according to my calculations.

And there were "several" occasions where I forgot to turn it off after practice. I dont know exactly how long it was left on, but it was anywhere from between 24 hours and 24 days. Dont try that at home kids..

 

[alltomorrowsparties]

My mb210 was garbage. I would call it the least reliable amp ive had

When I brought it in to my tiny local music store the only other 2 amps the guy was working on were also GKs.

 

[Kun2112]

I have seen heads at GC that have been scavenged for parts by "shoppers." I have seen someone try to put under a 2 ohm load on a head. I have even seem someone "daisy-chain" amps by plugging speaker output from amp A into the effects return from amp B. In the latter case, I tried to warn a GC employee about it and got brushed off. Never underestimate the abuse gear takes at a store.

 

[Kukulkan61]

I had a GK 400RB I bought brand new in 1992 used it for 23 years and never had an issue, it still had the factory slow blow fuse in it when I sold it, regret selling it..

 

[Mike A]

14+ years experience (and running) with GK gear that consists of six different amps and a couple of cabinets... zero issues to date. None. Consider also that you are basing your stance on trying ONE single DEMO model that's probably been put through the ringer by beginners as well as players of all level.

Try 'er again.