ampeg svt-7 or Genz Benz streamline 9.0....

[JrileyEADG]

WHOOPS MEANT GB SHUTTLE 9.0... OOOOPSIESSS

Sooo I have a 2x12 mesa powerhouse 600watts at 8 ohms, and now im buying a head for it... YAY

Both have great tonal control so im not worried about that, and their pre/power amp configureations are identitcal (1 tube in the preamp and a class D power amp). The ampeg is 600w at 8, and the GB is 500w at 8. Both are brand new.

In terms of USEABLE volume and headroom, which one has more ? what would you tb'ers out there do if u were in my position?

[JimmyM]

That's got to be a pretty good dogfight. Haven't played the Streamliner but I have played the 7 Pro, and I think it's about the best hybrid I've ever played. I've heard a lot of similar comments about the Streamliner, too. Usable volume and headroom means squat when you're talking amps with that much power, so that's a push if you ask me. In the end, you should pick whichever amp makes YOU biggest in the pants, because you'll probably end up with a split decision on here. Both companies make great gear and stand behind them 100%, so go for what you like the best.

[JrileyEADG]

yeah thanks for the input!! I actually meant the genz benz shuttle 9.0

It is tough!! i just want to make the right choice.. both companies make really good stuff however at the moment im leaning slightly more towards the GB becase i have heard literally ZERO bad things about it. I try and try but i just cant find someone that doesnt like it. There have been some iffy reviews of the SVT-7, but most were due to physical manufacturing issues and not really anything about the sound.

[60bass]

Originally Posted by JrileyEADG

yeah thanks for the input!! I actually meant the genz benz shuttle 9.0

It is tough!! i just want to make the right choice.. both companies make really good stuff however at the moment im leaning slightly more towards the GB becase i have heard literally ZERO bad things about it. I try and try but i just cant find someone that doesnt like it. There have been some iffy reviews of the SVT-7, but most were due to physical manufacturing issues and not really anything about the sound.

I agree with Jimmy. It's a toss up both are great amps so it's a matter of personal preference.

Here's my take regarding GB amps as I have played through them quite a bit over the last few years and currently own a GBE1200.

I owned the Shuttle 6.0 which is very similar to the 9.0 just less power and ran it with a Ampeg 410HLF, Avatar B410 NEO, and a GB Uber 212 over the time I owned it. It sounded great and pushed those cabs with no issues at any volume. The HLF sounded deep and fat, just like Ampeg designed it to. The Avatar had a full round sound, very smooth. The UBER was killer with fat low mids and gobs of punch.

I never had to tweak or fiddle around with the tone controls on the Shuttle to get a great tone with any of the cabs I ran it through. If you're the type that likes an amp that you can set flat and have it reproduce the tone of your bass and cabinet with out undue "coloring" of the sound, the GB amps are hard to beat. Ask most GB users and they will probably tell you that they leave their GB's set flat or close to flat and it gets them what they are happy with. That's not to say you can't boost those tone controls up. The GB's have very wide range and useable tone controls. I usually start off flat but I'm not afraid to turn those knobs if I need to. I'm not a "nooner" by nature, I'll crank and cut if I think it sounds better. The best setting for tone controls is wherever YOU think it sounds good. I mean that's why those tone controls go both directions, but with the GB's I just didn't have to tweak constantly to get a tone I liked.

The upside of the Shuttle series is that it's been out there for a few years and any bugs have been pretty much worked out on those. That doesn't mean that the occasional problem doesn't crop up, they are just a bunch of electrical components after all. However you just don't hear about too many issues with the Shuttle series. As far as warranty support, GB has one of, if not the best customer service reputations out there.

Regarding the SVT7 PRO. Haven't played through one yet but have seen them close up and I love the weight and options on the head. I agree that there have been some reports of problems but that was early on and Ampeg probably has those issues taken care of by now. I would have no problem buying one now and am actually considering getting one or maybe the new PF500 Portaflex head.

Tone wise, what can you say. It's an Ampeg and it's going to sound like an Ampeg. Which is a good thing Haven't played with an Ampeg for quite some time but miss it as I like the Ampeg sound. Ampeg's aren't the type of amp that gets all warm and happy if you just set everything flat. The ones I used, an SVT CL (when my back was still good enough to move it), B2re, and a few others that were backline amps at gigs all sounded better with getting the gain knob up and using the tone controls. Especially the mids. You gotta push those suckers and when you do, you get that famous Ampeg sound. You either like that sound or you don't. I don't think there's an in-between.

Warranty support? Most will admit that Ampeg had first rate support during the SLM years and not so good after the sale and move to production in Asia. Recent reports are that LOUD is stepping up and wants Ampeg to remain one of the premier brands out there. The new Portaflex series and the 7 PRO are proof that they are moving in the right direction. I feel now more than ever Ampeg will step up and make sure any issues a customer has are taken care of both professionally and promptly.

Hope this helps and keep low

[JrileyEADG]

thanks soo much!! that is extremely helpful!!!!

[JrileyEADG]

after some careful consideration i went with the genz benz.. I feel as though it is just as good as the ampeg, if not better. The deciding factor was the "push" factor. I dont think I'll need to push the GB as hard as the ampeg to get the same amount of volume. THANKS JIMMYm and 60bass!!!!!!!!