Do GK amps have reliability issues?

#141
Doner Designs said:
I appreciate the perspective. Granted, road gear is different from other consumer electronics, especially for guys who bang stuff around. I treat my stuff with TLC and never buy used because little dents and scrapes bother me enough to pay extra for new. The single solder joint, which you describe as a small thing, would be unacceptable to me. I would rather pay double and know it's not going to break. My guess is that the solder joint you describe was not done right in the first place, otherwise it would not have come loose.

Having said all that, I am on the brink of trying a Fusion 800 because, with the contour and deep switches, it effectively has 6 band EQ at exactly the frequency centers that I would choose. I can't say that about ANY other amp. The tubes are a bonus on top of that. I'll probably roll the dice, but it will go back if there is too much fan noise. Sounds like that problem has been resolved though.
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Yeah the Fusion 800 is a beast. My only recommendation about buying GK is buy new with warranty.
 
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#142
Doug Parent said:
Yeah the Fusion 800 is a beast. My only recommendation about buying GK is buy new with warranty.
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Good point on the warranty. Should probably order from Sweetwater, and definitely new.

I try to split my business between them and a local GC that has given us some great deals on accessories for some of our charity projects. Sweetwater did photography for a couple of them, so I try to be loyal to both.

If the Demeter mini head had the same EQ flexibility I would just go that route even though it costs twice as much.
 
#143
Doner Designs said:
Good point on the warranty. Should probably order from Sweetwater, and definitely new.

I try to split my business between them and a local GC that has given us some great deals on accessories for some of our charity projects. Sweetwater did photography for a couple of them, so I try to be loyal to both.

If the Demeter mini head had the same EQ flexibility I would just go that route even though it costs twice as much.
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I have the GK Plex preamp on order. If it drives my Crown XLS sufficiently it could be a contender for those times a GK vibe is the right vibe at the moment.
 
#144
Doug Parent said:
I have the GK Plex preamp on order. If it drives my Crown XLS sufficiently it could be a contender for those times a GK vibe is the right vibe at the moment.
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I actually don't care for what I think of as the GK vibe (slightly scooped when the controls are at noon). The fact that the Fusion 800 effectively has 6 EQ bands would allow me to overcome that and dial in the tone I want. That would be: deep switch engaged (30hz boost) slight bass boost (40hz) a bit of contour (500hz cut) and a bit of upper mid boost (1k hz).
 
#145
I have a GK1001RB. The tweeter amp wasn't working. It would hiss but no audio. It was under warranty so GK insisted I return it to them. Two months later it came back, still not working, although they said it was. I got their permission to troubleshoot it myself (I'm an amp tech) without losing the warranty.

I found the problem was a bad coupling cap before the tweeter amp. It would pass their test frequency (10kHz) but nothing from 5k to 9k, and what it did pass was attenuated. New cap and good to go.

The did two "upgrades" to my amp. They updated the turn on transient supression circuitry. The circuit board where the op amp was (they added a socket and new op amp) was terribly burned. Two other components were hanged without removing the board to get at the solder pads. This resulted in hanging blobs of solder that were almost shorting out on the chassis.

I sent them pictures of their terrible rework, and complained. They said they would hold a seminar for their techs on proper rework and soldering techniques. I fixed their lousy work, although the board is still burned, but functioning.

The amp was otherwise reliable, until a glass of water fell from a mantle into the cooling vent on top of the amp at a gig. That was 3 years ago, and I'm so happy with the replacement (a PF-500) that I never bothered to fix the GK. I don't miss it. I never bonded with the sound. It got the job done, but never quite sounded or felt right.
 
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#146
Doner Designs said:
Good point on the warranty. Should probably order from Sweetwater, and definitely new.

I try to split my business between them and a local GC that has given us some great deals on accessories for some of our charity projects. Sweetwater did photography for a couple of them, so I try to be loyal to both.

If the Demeter mini head had the same EQ flexibility I would just go that route even though it costs twice as much.
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I will agree that I never had to repair my Demeter BP2 pre-amp ...solid as a rock. Of course, no power section to worry about. :)
 
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#147
I'm in the process of buying a Fusion 800 but am frightened by all the tales of woe. Worse than the cost of repair is having to deal with the hassles. I don't think I'm wealthy, but I have less time and patience than I do money.

I'm rolling the dice because the features are bulls-eye to what I want. If it fails, I will chop the crap out of it with a sledgehammer in the front yard (this is how I deal with dead computers), throw it in the trash and swear off the brand forever. If it works and lasts, I'll be a fanboy forever. I hope it will be the latter. :)
 
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