Gallien-Krueger Legacy 1200

$ 1,235.53excl. VAT

In stock

Legacy 1200

Gallien-Krueger Legacy 1200 bass amp: the GK growl, today

This is the Legacy 1200 from Gallien-Krueger. Because back in 1980, the 800RB made GK one of the big names in solid-state bass amps, with that famous growl and clarity. Now the Legacy series takes the same idea and adds a lot of its own.

Basically, the Gallien-Krueger Legacy 1200 is a 1200-watt Class D head that weighs 2.9 kilos. Moreover, it goes down to a 2 ohm load. As a result, it’s ready for the biggest stages and the smallest living rooms.

Built to last

In addition, GK uses circuit boards with gold-plated connectors instead of cables with standard tin connectors. Therefore the Legacy handles vibration and temperature changes better over time, which is exactly what a working amp goes through.

Gallien-Krueger Legacy 1200 bass amp panel

Input trim on the Legacy 1200

First of all, there’s an input trim, so you can match the Legacy to your bass. Turn it until the clip light only flashes once in a while when you dig in. Then you have the right level for your instrument.

Gallien-Krueger Legacy 1200 bass amp controls

Overdrive, the GK way

Above all, GK didn’t want to put a trendy effect in the amp that’s out of style next year. Instead, the Gallien-Krueger Legacy 1200 uses two field effect stages, set up for the same G.I.V.E. effect that GK pioneered in the 800RB.

Which means that you can use it to fatten up your sound, or go all the way to heavy overdrive. Furthermore, Drive sets the saturation and Level sets the volume of the overdrive. Likewise, the Edge switch shapes the top end of the overdrive to fit the situation.

Four-band EQ and voicing filters

Then the EQ is GK’s classic 4-band: bass at 60 Hz, low mids at 250 Hz, high mids at 1 kHz and treble at 7 kHz. On top of that, you get three voicing switches. Specifically, Bump adds low end, Contour scoops the mids, and Presence adds top end.

Gallien-Krueger Legacy 1200 bass amp detail

Connections on the Legacy 1200 bass amp

Also, the Legacy comes with a complete patch bay. For example, the balanced DI has pre/post and a ground lift. Also, phones and aux in are 3.5 mm jacks, while tuner, footswitch, send and return are 1/4″. Consequently, you can plug in pretty much anything you have.

Besides that, the included footswitch turns the overdrive on and off. However, the Drive switch on the front has to be up for the footswitch to work. The tuner output stays live even when you mute the amp.

Why we dig the Gallien-Krueger Legacy 1200

In short, it’s the classic GK growl with power for days, in a head that weighs under three kilos. So, what’s not to like?

Specs

Power and Ohm

Maximum Power Output: 1200W
Minimum Load Impedance: 2Ω

Controls

Input: ¼” analog input to receive instrument signal
Trim: Input attenuation. Default fully up; turn down only if the clip light flashes often
Drive: Amount of saturation when Overdrive is on
Level: Adjusts the output level when the Overdrive circuit is active.

Eq

Bass: Boosts or cuts bass frequencies centered at 60Hz. +/-10dB
Low Mids: Boosts or cuts low-mid frequencies centered at 250Hz. +6dB/-10dB
Hi Mids: Boosts or cuts hi-mid frequencies centered at 1kHz. +6dB/-10dB
Treble: Boosts or cuts treble frequencies centered at 7 kHz. +/-14dB

Toggle switches

Drive: Amount of saturation when Overdrive is on
Edge: Adjusts the high freq. response of the Overdrive circuit.
Bump: Applies low frequency enhancement when placed in the up position.
Contour: Cuts mids and boosts lows and highs
Presence: Applies high frequency enhancement when placed in the up position.
Mute: Mutes all outputs except the tuner out

Outputs

AC Input: The detachable power cord attaches here.
Power Switch: On/off (does not disconnect mains)
Pin 1 Lift: Lifts or grounds pin 1 of the direct output.
Direct Out: Balanced XLR output for direct connection to P.A. or recording console.
Source: DI before or after the EQ
Phones: 3.5mm output for headphones.
Aux In: 3.5mm input for external playback device such as an MP3 player.
Tuner: 1/4" tuner out, live even when muted
Foot Sw: Input for the footswitch. Overdrive switch on the front must be up
Return: ¼” unbalanced input for outboard effects devices.
Send: ¼” unbalanced output from the preamp for connecting outboard effects devices.
Cabinet Impedance: Selects the attached speaker load (500 and 800 watt models only)
Speaker Outputs: Twist-lock connectors for connecting speaker cabinets