Genz amps, and a strong thumbs up from..

suraci · #1 10-25-2011, 06:01 PM

From Headhunter bass player Paul jackson. He is a genuine endorser of Genz Benz amps and cabs

Before encountering Paul Jackson at a mutual friends house a few weeks ago, I was moving AWAY from Genz Amps because:

The Shuttle and Max were too articulate with not enough balls
and the Streamliner had less eq and was all deep bottom with little of the articulateness of the Shuttle.

It seemed seems like you have to choose one or the other.

But Paul is a great funk (beefy type) bass player with huge finger tips that I wish I had. And Pauls word carries weight with me. He wrote Chameleon with Herbie Hancock's Headhunter band. I love his playing.

He was not clear about WHICH genz he preferred, or I did not hear him correctly.. "it was late "! But on an upcoming gig he had borrowed a simple Shuttle 6 with 2 matching cabs.
I believe he possesses several Genz amp.

His solution for more girth in the Shuttle series ( or Shuttle Max, I am sorry I never got that straight.- I will try to reach his response on that issue shortly.. he resides out of the USA ) is to turn the bass knob up!

Among Genz lovers, where can I find the best threads discussing the opinions about Shuttle, Shuttle Max and Streamliner under one thread... either this new thread, or?
Thank you for your patience moderators and senior members.

rodl2005 · #2 10-25-2011, 07:36 PM

See the Shuttle mega thread & there are eg's of eq's for Shuttle's that work well.
IIRC- for my Shuttle 6.0
Bass- 10 or 11 o'clock
Mid freq 8 o'clock
Mid level 2 "
Treble 12
Low boost ON
Mid scoop ON
Hi boost OFF
I think this was 'Aged Horse' setting eg. FWIW, I may have these a bit skewed, all I know is, I use MY Shuttle 6.0 like this & she sounds great, girthy :^)

benjonesonbass · #3 10-25-2011, 08:46 PM

Just switched my head from a Gallien Kreuger Fusion 550 to a GB Shuttle 9.0. Both have a tube section that I really like. I have had nothing but compliments about how good this setup sounds. I have foynd no lack of girth when playing everything from jazz to rock to r&b. My settings usually start out totally flat (that's everything on the amp @ 12'oclock and my bass in the flat (center) position. If I change anything, I may boost the bass knob on the amp to about 1'oclock or so in some rooms. other than that, I absolutely love my Shuttle!!

svtb15 · #4 10-25-2011, 09:00 PM

Shuttlemax 9.2 has girth and EQ.. and SS or Tube input channels... and a great DI..
I have been touring my Streamliner 900 and Shuttlemax 12.0 this year..
A 9.2 is on my short list early next year.. It slays on backline rental SVT cabs or my Genz Uber 115s or 1288 cabs..
Great dependable gear that just keeps on going for me. and I real rough on my gear. If i cant kill it . no one can..

NecroticImbecil · #5 10-25-2011, 09:29 PM

I thought the Shuttles and now Streamliner looked interesting, but have yet to encounter any in person. Truthfully, I've had no reason to look, being totally happy with the ol' Neopak.

Sav'nBass · #6 10-25-2011, 09:51 PM

I use 9.0 and had a 6.0.. I am sold on GB.. and for me I found that taking off some of the bass adding mids was the way to go.. The amps are light.. simple, yet very versatile.. and pack a punch.

eban3 · #7 10-25-2011, 10:03 PM

Love my gbe 600 ,its not light but it sounds way better than any of the digital stuff out there

modulusman · #8 10-25-2011, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodl2005

See the Shuttle mega thread & there are eg's of eq's for Shuttle's that work well.
IIRC- for my Shuttle 6.0
Bass- 10 or 11 o'clock
Mid freq 8 o'clock
Mid level 2 "
Treble 12
Low boost ON
Mid scoop ON
Hi boost OFF
I think this was 'Aged Horse' setting eg. FWIW, I may have these a bit skewed, all I know is, I use MY Shuttle 6.0 like this & she sounds great, girthy :^)

Actually I think it was hasbeen who posted that setting. i use it with both my 6.0/12t and 3.0/10t works great with both amps.

rodl2005 · #9 10-25-2011, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by modulusman

Actually I think it was hasbeen who posted that setting. i use it with both my 6.0/12t and 3.0/10t works great with both amps.

You'd no doubt be right there Ted

Thanx. & yep these settings work a treat. Have not found the Shuttle 6.o to be lacking in ANY dept.

suraci · #10 10-26-2011, 02:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodl2005

You'd no doubt be right there Ted

Thanx. & yep these settings work a treat. Have not found the Shuttle 6.o to be lacking in ANY dept.

The shuttle 6 I tried thru my bottom heavy ampeg 410hLF
was a great balance
a better balance than that cab with the Shuttle 9, believe it or not. The great "girth" of that cab matched well with the dainty articulate tone of the shuttle 6

Many here including me , wish for more than one sound
the detail of the shuttle 6
the girth of the steamliner
and Lord knows what else!

rodl2005 · #11 10-26-2011, 04:26 AM

Well, as they said, there seems to be either ppl who like the Shuttle, or the STL. I'm a Shuttle'r

No doubt the Shuttle 6 does sound good thru the 410hlf.
I've no probs getting good sounds out of the Shuttle thru any of my cabs tho.
Played it tonite thru just the AE112-sounded great. One carry load in

Jim Carr · #12 10-26-2011, 08:57 AM

I too, am a GB Shuttle 6.0 user. It is with me at nearly every rehearsal and gig, though for some gigs it's a backup—when my M9 Carbine is at work.

The settings that hasbeen posted in the mega thread and referenced above by rodl2005, work very well with my passive Jazz and passive P-bass. With an active fretless and upright, things in the EQ stay closer to 12, and the bump buttons stay out.

For those who double on upright, this might be entertaining: Heard my Shuttle 6/Epifani UL210 rig...

suraci · #13 10-26-2011, 09:07 AM

I happened to play a carbine 9 yesterday
how would you compare the shuttle 6 and the carbine?

suraci · #14 10-26-2011, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svtb15

Shuttlemax 9.2 has girth and EQ.. and SS or Tube input channels... and a great DI..
I have been touring my Streamliner 900 and Shuttlemax 12.0 this year..
A 9.2 is on my short list early next year.. It slays on backline rental SVT cabs or my Genz Uber 115s or 1288 cabs..
Great dependable gear that just keeps on going for me. and I real rough on my gear. If i cant kill it . no one can..

Maybe you could clarify some of my partilally understood thoughts on GB amps?

I am fairly sure of only a few things
Shuttle 6 is voiced brighter than Shuttle 9
or you could say the 9 is a bit deeper

Streamliner is a whole other animal sonically- much more girth than ANY GB

Do those 2 statements check out with your experiences?

Filling in my gaps:
Where does the Shuttle Max come in sonically. tonally

And you say you play Shuttle max 12, so why get a Shuttle max 9 ( or 9.2 )?

SteveC · #15 10-26-2011, 09:23 AM

I usually bump the low mids on mine. I often have to turn the bass down.

KJung · #16 10-26-2011, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suraci

Maybe you could clarify some of my partilally understood thoughts on GB amps?

I am fairly sure of only a few things
Shuttle 6 is voiced brighter than Shuttle 9
or you could say the 9 is a bit deeper

Streamliner is a whole other animal sonically- much more girth than ANY GB

Do those 2 statements check out with your experiences?

Filling in my gaps:
Where does the Shuttle Max come in sonically. tonally

And you say you play Shuttle max 12, so why get a Shuttle max 9 ( or 9.2 )?

I'll put my 2 cents in here, since I am familiar with all these heads.

1) Yes, the ratio of upper mids to low end is higher on the Shuttle 6 than the Shuttle 9. The 9 has more absolute low end, and a bit more output. Otherwise, relatively similar.

2) The Streamliner is a totally different thing... fat, smooth 'all tube' sound versus the bright punch of the Shuttle line. That voicing requires a bit more care in cabinet pairing IMO and IME, and like an all tube execution, works better in some contexts than others. Amazing head if you are looking for 'all tube fatness' in a small light box.... among the most 'all tube' sounding of any hybrid amp (along with the Mesa MPulse line IMO).

3) Shuttle Max heads are physically larger, have MUCH more powerful EQ than the Shuttle heads (two bands of semi-parametric EQ and variable voicing filters versus the 'all or nothing' filters of the Shuttle), and add an FET (solid state preamp) to the tube preamp. The Shuttle Max 6 does not have the low end attenuatation that the Shuttle 6 has built in.

4) The three Max heads sound quite similar (even thought the 9.2 has a bit different limiting circuti). The choice would be primarily based on the cabinet size and combination you are using. The Max 6 is, obviously, lower powered, and great for a couple of typical 8ohm 112's or a small 4ohm cab where you don't need to totally rock the house. The Max 12 is basically two Max 6 power sections in one box, running 'dual mono', and is great for powering two larger 4ohm cabs or multiple 8ohm cabs. It allows '2 ohm' operation without having to push an amp into 2ohms. The 9.2 is the higher powered mono version of the Max 6, and would be most appropriate for a large 4 or 8ohm cab that can take a lot of power, or two ohm cabs, large or small.

All good stuff. If someone put a gun to my head and said I had to choose one that would work best in the widest variety of cabinet pairings, volume needs, tonal needs, etc., it would be the Max 9.2 for me (and especially so if I was using that Ampeg 410).

KJung · #17 10-26-2011, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suraci

I happened to play a carbine 9 yesterday
how would you compare the shuttle 6 and the carbine?

The Carbine will cause the Shuttle 6 to melt into a little tiny puddle of destroyed components.

Not a fair fight, as the M9 is one of the most powerful heads made.

While tonally different, the Max 9.2 and/or the Streamliner900 could at least give it a run for its money volume-wise. The Max 9.2 would be more tonally similar to the M9 than the smoother more organic Streamliner.

suraci · #18 10-26-2011, 10:04 AM

If I could just TAKE each of these amps to the GIG
I would not be asking so many questions
Thank you Ken and other contributors

KJung · #19 10-26-2011, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suraci

If I could just TAKE each of these amps to the GIG
I would not be asking so many questions
Thank you Ken and other contributors

If you have the cash, that Max 9.2 should serve you well. The dual semi-parametric mids, and the blendable FET and Tube pre should be able to mold that big, relatively dark 410 you have into having a nice, articulate tone. Plenty EQ power to both control boom, manage the low mids, and brighten up the upper mids in a 'chewy' voiced cab like that particular Ampeg. IMO! Plenty of power to crank pretty well at 8ohms also if that is the impedance of your cab.

IMO!

Jim Carr · #20 10-26-2011, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suraci

I happened to play a carbine 9 yesterday
how would you compare the shuttle 6 and the carbine?

As Ken noted above, it isn't a fair fight, but they do make a great pair in a "tool kit."

I like them both. The M9 sounds great to me—on practically any setting—though I have recently started to use more EQ. Unlike the Shuttle 6.0, the M9 has graphical EQ and a good compressor. However, the Shuttle can give you a significant amount of tube grit if you want it, which is not something I go for with the M9—it is basically about gobs of warm but clean and clear power.

Lately on the M9 using a passive Jazz, I used this setting for a nice direct reggae tone: "deep" switch pulled, bump in the mids on the knobs, roll-off of highs on the GEQ, moderate compression, and preset contour on 4. Sorry for the blurriness of these pics:

Crappy Garageband recording that conveys the basic idea: http://www.jamescarr.net/reggae/Bei_...tu_Shein.3.mp3