northman Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 I recently purchased a GK Backline 112 bass amp. It sounded good in the store but having used it several times at practice, I find the amp has that distorted fart sound when turned up (on the clean channel). The manual recommends not turning the input past 12-oclock. I don't go past 11-oclock on input and crank the main volume and even use the -10db pad but the amp still distorts. Will replacing the speaker fix this problem or is it likely the amp that is distorting the sound? -AJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Will replacing the speaker fix this problem No. More information will help; - what bass? - what knobs on the bass are turned which way? - what knobs on the amp are turned which way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky McDougall Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 My first impression is that you are pushing the amp beyond it's capability. Turn the volume down to the point that the distortion stops, that is about all you can do. Rocky "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb, voting on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northman Posted April 2, 2007 Author Share Posted April 2, 2007 ...you are pushing the amp beyond it's capability. Well, that explains it. From what I'm reading in other forums, this appears to be a common issue with GK combos. A bad purchase I guess. As for knob settings, I'm simply using a passive bass with volume up all the way. On the GK combo I follow the manual instructions and start with all knobs at 12-oclock except input gain at 0. I then start playing and turn up input gain to get volume (but not past 11-oclock). There is no clip light indicator on this amp so I turn up input gain until just before I hear distortion. I then turn up master to get more volume however turning it past 2-3 o-clock invariably produces distortion anyway. Why can't they design these amps to handle the maximum master volume without distorting? -AJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Daddy from Motown Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 You're being silly. No amp plays without distorting if all the volumne knobs are maxed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Volume knobs do not really determine the output power or volume, they determine the gain in the system. Therefore all amps are designed to be able to get full power from even a very very quiet instrument which requires a lot more gain than a typical instrument. Furthermore if someone compares two amps at the same knob settings and one is louder they will foolishly assume that is a more powerful amp, when all that's happening is it has more gain earlier in the knobs' travel - this is good for marketing but bad for well calibrated gain knobs. Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonathanD Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 I wouldn't say anything is wrong with the combo(unless by doing this you blew the speaker or amp). I would say you just need a louder rig, or your band mates need to play softer. Try putting the combo by your head(on a stool or table) and turning it down until you can fix the situation otherwise. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky McDougall Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 If you are going to play in a loud band, just consider your GK 112 a practice amp. There is nothing you can do, short of miking it to a PA system to get the volume you are going to need. To save money, switch to playing jazz in a quiet club somehere. Rocky "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb, voting on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northman Posted April 2, 2007 Author Share Posted April 2, 2007 Okay, thanks for all the great responses. So, anyone wanna' buy a GK Backline 112 combo amp? -AJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Got it. You are looking for something that is lightweight, small, loud enough to compete with a full band, cheap, and perfectly matched for your bass and playing style. Plenty of those types of amplifiers around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Before you sell it, try turning down your lows a bit, sticking it in the corner of the rehearsal room, tilting it up so the speaker points at your ears and trying to coax your band into playing a little less loud. It may work! Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky McDougall Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Good advise from Alex, give that a try first. "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb, voting on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northman Posted April 3, 2007 Author Share Posted April 3, 2007 You are looking for something that is lightweight, small, loud enough to compete with a full band, cheap, and perfectly matched for your bass and playing style. Plenty of those types of amplifiers around. ... And I found it - http://www.swrsound.com/products/search.php?partno=4452200010 . Just tried it out this afternoon at the store. Same size and weight as the GK Backline 112 but with 200W, a tweater, DI, and fx loop. And I got to crank the main way up without distortion. Awesome amp - wish I found this before I bought the GK. -AJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northman Posted April 3, 2007 Author Share Posted April 3, 2007 Here's a bit more info on this from a knowledgable store sales guy I spoke with. GK uses in house speaker brand, Paragon, built to a budget in China. The GK Backline 112 does not have a tweeter, so they compensate by using a speaker that goes up pretty high (4K at least to get all the upper harmonics). The drawback with this speaker is that it's more prone to low-end distortion. The ideal solution is to get a combo that has both woofer and tweater combination. And there you have it. -AJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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