“I have never seen the point in doing things the way others have done them. I also have not been very interested in following the latest fad.”
-Robert Gallien, Founder and President
Bob Gallien getting his hands dirty testing glues for speaker manufacturing.
ON A SUNNY AFTERNOON IN 1968, Robert Gallien walked into his local music store, carrying an amplifier he had made in his garage. It had a unique design that impressed the storeowner, as well as a local club musician named Carlos Santana, who bought it the next day and took it to Woodstock. Thirty one years and thousands of amplifiers later, Bob Gallien is still designing some of the most innovative and highly sought after products on the market. His creations enjoy a heritage of recording and stage performances with the world’s most discriminating artists.
Gallien-Krueger is the leading manufacturer in the industry, maintaining uninterrupted U.S. production for over 40 years. Just as our earlier products are still telling their story, the products we create and produce here today will be talking to us for years to come.
From Bob Gallien – Bass Gear Icon by Terry Buddingh. Bob Gallien in 1974, from an early magazine ad.
GK INNOVATIONS
1969 - The GMT 226A, most powerful amp of its day, goes to Woodstock with Santana.
1971 - The GMT 600B, first instrument amp in a metal enclosure, becomes the favorite bass amp of groups like Led Zeppelin.
1974 - The GMT 200G is the first guitar amp with channel switching.
1975 - The GK 400B is the first bass amp with Contour control.
1981 - The GK 200RB is the first musical instrument amp that is rack mountable.
1982 - The GK 800RB is the first instrument bi-amp, first with a D.I. and first with a removable AC cord. The most sought after bass amp of the 80’s.
1983 - The GK 250ML combines 100 watts of stereo power with studio effects into a ‘lunch-box’ sized enclosure – and becomes a best-seller.
1984 - The GK 200MB sets the new standard for a studio bass amp.
1992 - The GK Backline 100 introduces G.I.V.E. technology (Gate Induced Valve Effect).
1995 - GK 2000RB is the first 1000W bass head & the first high current instrument amp.
1998 - GK 700RB head and RBH cabinets are the first with Horn Management System(horn biamp).
2001 - Backline 250BL is the first channel switching bass amp.
2011 - GK introduces the MB200. The world’s smallest and lightest 200W bass amp.
“I’m a Stanford educated engineer who worked my way through school as a musician.
As I am the principal innovator at GK, our products reflect my attitudes and life experiences.
I don’t model my designs after other manufacturers’ products. Instead, I search for new and better solutions. GK products enjoy a unique, unmatched sound, allowing you every opportunity to make an original statement.”
-Robert Gallien
