Building affordable and reliable bass amplification systems which are specifically devised for live performance applications has been the ...
Building affordable and reliable bass amplification systems which are specifically devised for live performance applications has been the basis of Gallien-Krueger's designs for the past 40 years. Since its start in the late 1960's, Gallien-Krueger has become a legendary brand name in bass amplification and the world-wide leader in the production of solid state bass amps which generate a bass tone that has the punch of a kick drum. Bob Gallien, founder of Gallien-Krueger, has dedicated his ingenuity to solving the amplification problems experienced by professional bass players. Along the way, this Stanford-schooled engineer created a product line that delivers some of the most sought after sounds within the bass community and conceived a list of renowned innovations which are today recognized as standards in the music industry. Found on stages and in recording studios around the world, Gallien's creations are utilized by a genre-spanning artist roster of rock, jazz, fusion, and session bassists such as Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Velvet Revolver's Duff McKagan, Justin Chancellor of Tool, Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Charlie Haden, Norm Stockton, Jonni Lightfoot, and Leland Sklar.
The Neo Series combo amps combine a high powered G-K artist series head with their popular Neo Series speakers. At the heart of these cabinets are G-K's custom cast-frame neodymium loudspeakers which have the ability to sustain high output levels at a fraction of the weight contained in traditional ceramic speakers. Unlike practically every other manufacturer who makes use of outsourced speakers that were created by one of the major speaker companies, G-K builds their own brand of speakers under the Paragon name which they use in conjunction with all of their cabinets.
Featuring a double front-ported design, the Neo 700/112 combo amp is constructed of 11-ply poplar and is covered with black tolex, a flexible vinyl material. Although many people prefer the look and feel of tolex to the standard black carpet which practically all of G-K's competitors employ on their enclosures, the one potential drawback of tolex is that it is going to be more susceptible to damage if the cabinet receives substantial bumps. This combo amp also features a 16-gauge grill to protect the speaker and tweeter along with interlocking corners for stacking the Neo 700/112 with other G-K cabinets.
Housed inside the cabinet, you will find one of G-K's proprietary 12" neodymium woofers along with a G-K Paragon 5H50-8 tweeter. The amplifier section of the Neo 700/112 contains the G-K artist series 700RB-II bi-amp bass amplifier which features one of the most versatile tone configurations in production because the amp's interface is packed with so many options for the discriminating bassist. All of the controls are grouped into six different sections including direct out, input, voicing filters, active equalization, bi-amp output, and patch bay. From left to right on the front panel, there is an XLR direct out for sending a balanced signal to P.A. or recording consoles, ground lift, pre/post eq switch, level control, a standard 1/4" input jack to plug in active or passive basses, a -14dB pad to reduce the input signal from your bass if the clip LED lights up excessively, tuning mute switch, volume, 5/4-string voicing, contour, presence, active 4-band equalizer section with treble, hi-mid, low-mid, and bass controls, boost, tweeter level with hi-cut switch, woofer level with hi-cut switch, effects send and return, tuner out, and power switch. On the rear panel, there are two 1/4" speaker out connectors and two speakon outputs. To maintain a safe operating temperature, a variable speed fan is also included and increases in velocity as the amp works harder.
The tone sculpting options available with the Neo 700/112 are tremendously flexible, and regardless of the dozens of different settings I dialed in, they all maintained a desirable sound with very musical properties. Within the voicing filters section, the 5/4-string switch extends the roll off of the bass frequencies +11dB at 20 Hz when engaged to accommodate the ultra lows of an extended range bass. This is not just simply a bass boost button which works like a graphic equalizer when activated because it doesn't boost anything. It extends the roll off of the low bass frequencies. If you are playing a 4-string bass and trying to replicate the renowned sound of a G-K 800RB, you will want to leave the 5/4-string in the out position, but if you are playing a bass with a low B-string, you will want to have this button pushed in. As a 4-string bassist, you can actually leave the button pushed in at all times to get as much low end as possible out of the amp. The contour control is based on the same circuit that is found in G-K's classic 800RB amplifier, and it cuts the mid-range frequencies while simultaneously boosting the low and high frequencies (+2dB at 50 Hz, -10dB at 500 Hz, and +3dB at 7 kHz). The presence control provides additional definition for improved clarity when soloing or playing chords by boosting the highs +9dB at 10 kHz. In terms of the rotary 4-band equalizer, the treble and bass controls are both active shelving type which means that they boost the highs and lows consistently. The bass boosts and cuts +/-10dB at 60 Hz while the treble has the ability to boost and cut +12/-17dB at 7 kHz. The hi-mid and low-mid controls are both active bandpass type which boost +6dB and cut -10dB at 1 kHz and 250 Hz, respectively. Your tone can also be modified by adjusting the boost and tweeter controls in the bi-amp output section. The boost control uses G-K's exclusive valve effect technology which adds growl as it is turned clockwise, and the tweeter is the master volume control for the 50 watt horn amp which handles frequencies beyond 5 kHz. The tweeter hi-cut button cuts frequencies above 10 kHz in order to reduce tweeter hiss, and the woofer hi-cut button cuts frequencies above 5 kHz from the 12" woofer.
The most unique aspect of the Neo 700/112, and my favorite feature, is the horn management system. G-K's amplifier design consists of two separate power amps. In contrast to a passive, full range combo amp which can send several hundred watts of power to a tweeter, the G-K's horn management system splits the high and low signal paths. No other manufacturer has a crossover network in their cabinets that will accommodate this feature. A separate 50 watt horn amplifier is dedicated to managing the high frequency tweeter. If you are driving a horn with the same power amp as the woofer which is the case in nearly all other amps, instead of achieving a pleasant sounding growl, you receive unwanted buzzing due to the distortion that is coming through the horn. When you separate the woofer's power amp from the horn, you can boost the volume control of the woofer amplifier in order to achieve a desirable growl, and you can keep the level of the horn amplifier below clipping. This configuration will allow you to maximize the woofer's peak power so you can add as much growl to the woofer's signal as you want while the tweeter remains articulate and free of distortion resulting in greater overall projection. In addition, the Neo 700/112 can be connected to a G-K bi-amp compatible enclosure via a special 4-conductor speakon cable which will permit you to have completely independent control of the output from the woofers and tweeters in both cabinets. On the back of G-K enclosures, there is a bi-amp/full range switch that offers you the opportunity to run the speakers in a bi-amp or full range mode. While in the full range setting, the cabinet works like a typical enclosure, and you can drive the speakers with any amplifier hooked up to it with a standard cable. In bi-amp mode, the woofer and horn paths are separated, and they can be driven using our G-K's proprietary speakon cable. When the bi-amp mode is utilized, all of the frequencies below 5 kHz are sent to the woofers while everything above 5 kHz is sent through the horn.
At approximately 55 lbs., the Neo 700/112 ranks as an average-sized combo amp, but with its top grip and side spring-loaded handles, it can still be easily transported by a single person. In a small to medium-sized venue, the Neo 700/112 outputs more than enough volume with extra headroom to spare at 320 watts, and it can be easily expanded to a full bi-amped bass rig capable of handling 480 watts with the addition of an extension cabinet.
Whether you desire that legendary G-K growl or a clean and articulate sound, the G-K Neo 700/112 delivers some of the most aggressive rock, jazz, fusion, and funk tones available regardless of your preferred playing style or performance application and definitely ranks as one of the best values for a combo amp priced less than $1,000.
Specifications:
Power < 1% THD: Main amp - 320 watts, 480 watts with extension cabinet; horn amp - 50 watts at 8 ohms
Cooling: Continuously variable speed fan
Input Section: Ultra low noise S/N>90dB, clip LED, -14dB pad, volume, mute switch, and mute LED
Voicing Filter: 5/4-string voicing, adjustable contour, and presence
Equalizer: 4-band active
Output: Boost, tweeter level with hi-cut switch and woofer level with hi-cut switch
Direct Out: XLR, ground lift, pre/post switch and level control
Patching: Effects send and return, tuner out
Speaker Output: Two 1/4" and two horn bi-amp compatible speakon connectors
Woofer: 1 GK neodymium cast frame 12", 300 watts at 8 ohm
Tweeter: GK paragon 5H50-8
Construction: 11-ply poplar, black tolex, 16-gauge steel grill, custom tooled interlocking corners, front-ported
Dimensions: 21" W x 20" H x 16" D
Weight: 55 lbs.
Retail Price: $1199
Street Price: $899
Contact:
Gallien-Krueger
2234 Industrial Drive
Stockton, CA 95206
Web Site: Gallien-Krueger.com
E-Mail: sales@gallien.com
The Neo Series combo amps combine a high powered G-K artist series head with their popular Neo Series speakers. At the heart of these cabinets are G-K's custom cast-frame neodymium loudspeakers which have the ability to sustain high output levels at a fraction of the weight contained in traditional ceramic speakers. Unlike practically every other manufacturer who makes use of outsourced speakers that were created by one of the major speaker companies, G-K builds their own brand of speakers under the Paragon name which they use in conjunction with all of their cabinets.
Featuring a double front-ported design, the Neo 700/112 combo amp is constructed of 11-ply poplar and is covered with black tolex, a flexible vinyl material. Although many people prefer the look and feel of tolex to the standard black carpet which practically all of G-K's competitors employ on their enclosures, the one potential drawback of tolex is that it is going to be more susceptible to damage if the cabinet receives substantial bumps. This combo amp also features a 16-gauge grill to protect the speaker and tweeter along with interlocking corners for stacking the Neo 700/112 with other G-K cabinets.
Housed inside the cabinet, you will find one of G-K's proprietary 12" neodymium woofers along with a G-K Paragon 5H50-8 tweeter. The amplifier section of the Neo 700/112 contains the G-K artist series 700RB-II bi-amp bass amplifier which features one of the most versatile tone configurations in production because the amp's interface is packed with so many options for the discriminating bassist. All of the controls are grouped into six different sections including direct out, input, voicing filters, active equalization, bi-amp output, and patch bay. From left to right on the front panel, there is an XLR direct out for sending a balanced signal to P.A. or recording consoles, ground lift, pre/post eq switch, level control, a standard 1/4" input jack to plug in active or passive basses, a -14dB pad to reduce the input signal from your bass if the clip LED lights up excessively, tuning mute switch, volume, 5/4-string voicing, contour, presence, active 4-band equalizer section with treble, hi-mid, low-mid, and bass controls, boost, tweeter level with hi-cut switch, woofer level with hi-cut switch, effects send and return, tuner out, and power switch. On the rear panel, there are two 1/4" speaker out connectors and two speakon outputs. To maintain a safe operating temperature, a variable speed fan is also included and increases in velocity as the amp works harder.
The tone sculpting options available with the Neo 700/112 are tremendously flexible, and regardless of the dozens of different settings I dialed in, they all maintained a desirable sound with very musical properties. Within the voicing filters section, the 5/4-string switch extends the roll off of the bass frequencies +11dB at 20 Hz when engaged to accommodate the ultra lows of an extended range bass. This is not just simply a bass boost button which works like a graphic equalizer when activated because it doesn't boost anything. It extends the roll off of the low bass frequencies. If you are playing a 4-string bass and trying to replicate the renowned sound of a G-K 800RB, you will want to leave the 5/4-string in the out position, but if you are playing a bass with a low B-string, you will want to have this button pushed in. As a 4-string bassist, you can actually leave the button pushed in at all times to get as much low end as possible out of the amp. The contour control is based on the same circuit that is found in G-K's classic 800RB amplifier, and it cuts the mid-range frequencies while simultaneously boosting the low and high frequencies (+2dB at 50 Hz, -10dB at 500 Hz, and +3dB at 7 kHz). The presence control provides additional definition for improved clarity when soloing or playing chords by boosting the highs +9dB at 10 kHz. In terms of the rotary 4-band equalizer, the treble and bass controls are both active shelving type which means that they boost the highs and lows consistently. The bass boosts and cuts +/-10dB at 60 Hz while the treble has the ability to boost and cut +12/-17dB at 7 kHz. The hi-mid and low-mid controls are both active bandpass type which boost +6dB and cut -10dB at 1 kHz and 250 Hz, respectively. Your tone can also be modified by adjusting the boost and tweeter controls in the bi-amp output section. The boost control uses G-K's exclusive valve effect technology which adds growl as it is turned clockwise, and the tweeter is the master volume control for the 50 watt horn amp which handles frequencies beyond 5 kHz. The tweeter hi-cut button cuts frequencies above 10 kHz in order to reduce tweeter hiss, and the woofer hi-cut button cuts frequencies above 5 kHz from the 12" woofer.
The most unique aspect of the Neo 700/112, and my favorite feature, is the horn management system. G-K's amplifier design consists of two separate power amps. In contrast to a passive, full range combo amp which can send several hundred watts of power to a tweeter, the G-K's horn management system splits the high and low signal paths. No other manufacturer has a crossover network in their cabinets that will accommodate this feature. A separate 50 watt horn amplifier is dedicated to managing the high frequency tweeter. If you are driving a horn with the same power amp as the woofer which is the case in nearly all other amps, instead of achieving a pleasant sounding growl, you receive unwanted buzzing due to the distortion that is coming through the horn. When you separate the woofer's power amp from the horn, you can boost the volume control of the woofer amplifier in order to achieve a desirable growl, and you can keep the level of the horn amplifier below clipping. This configuration will allow you to maximize the woofer's peak power so you can add as much growl to the woofer's signal as you want while the tweeter remains articulate and free of distortion resulting in greater overall projection. In addition, the Neo 700/112 can be connected to a G-K bi-amp compatible enclosure via a special 4-conductor speakon cable which will permit you to have completely independent control of the output from the woofers and tweeters in both cabinets. On the back of G-K enclosures, there is a bi-amp/full range switch that offers you the opportunity to run the speakers in a bi-amp or full range mode. While in the full range setting, the cabinet works like a typical enclosure, and you can drive the speakers with any amplifier hooked up to it with a standard cable. In bi-amp mode, the woofer and horn paths are separated, and they can be driven using our G-K's proprietary speakon cable. When the bi-amp mode is utilized, all of the frequencies below 5 kHz are sent to the woofers while everything above 5 kHz is sent through the horn.
At approximately 55 lbs., the Neo 700/112 ranks as an average-sized combo amp, but with its top grip and side spring-loaded handles, it can still be easily transported by a single person. In a small to medium-sized venue, the Neo 700/112 outputs more than enough volume with extra headroom to spare at 320 watts, and it can be easily expanded to a full bi-amped bass rig capable of handling 480 watts with the addition of an extension cabinet.
Whether you desire that legendary G-K growl or a clean and articulate sound, the G-K Neo 700/112 delivers some of the most aggressive rock, jazz, fusion, and funk tones available regardless of your preferred playing style or performance application and definitely ranks as one of the best values for a combo amp priced less than $1,000.
Specifications:
Power < 1% THD: Main amp - 320 watts, 480 watts with extension cabinet; horn amp - 50 watts at 8 ohms
Cooling: Continuously variable speed fan
Input Section: Ultra low noise S/N>90dB, clip LED, -14dB pad, volume, mute switch, and mute LED
Voicing Filter: 5/4-string voicing, adjustable contour, and presence
Equalizer: 4-band active
Output: Boost, tweeter level with hi-cut switch and woofer level with hi-cut switch
Direct Out: XLR, ground lift, pre/post switch and level control
Patching: Effects send and return, tuner out
Speaker Output: Two 1/4" and two horn bi-amp compatible speakon connectors
Woofer: 1 GK neodymium cast frame 12", 300 watts at 8 ohm
Tweeter: GK paragon 5H50-8
Construction: 11-ply poplar, black tolex, 16-gauge steel grill, custom tooled interlocking corners, front-ported
Dimensions: 21" W x 20" H x 16" D
Weight: 55 lbs.
Retail Price: $1199
Street Price: $899
Contact:
Gallien-Krueger
2234 Industrial Drive
Stockton, CA 95206
Web Site: Gallien-Krueger.com
E-Mail: sales@gallien.com
