Genz Benz STL3.0-10T or MarkBass MINI CMD 121P or something completely different?

wawawawa · #1 02-01-2011, 07:07 AM

Hi All,

Long time lurker here. Love the forums.

Been playing a while (since I was 13 or so). After about 20 years of "bedroom bass playing" I finally found the balls to start playing with a bunch of other people. I have been very pleasantly surprised to find I'm a better player than I thought I was, and at how much my playing has improved over the past year or so with the regular "live" practices I'm now doing (a 5 to 6 hour sess every couple of weeks). Luckily the drummer is really, really excellent. We're playing mostly covers (wide variety from "Hit me with your Rhythm Stick" to "Miss You" by the Stones).
At the moment I use the rather nice EBS heads/cabs they have at the practice rooms. Soon, we're gonna start playing in front of actual real people and I'll need some amplification (suitable for small venues).

I play funk / rock etc (with slap too) on a MM Stingray 5, Status series-1 5 string and also an NS Design NXT EUB (which is just great). In terms of effects, I don't get any more exotic than an EBS multcomp and an Envelope filter.

Fortunately, I don't have to rely on my bass playing skills to make a living and this is just a hobby, which (maybe ironically) means I can afford some good gear.

I've narrowed it down to:

Genz Benz STL3.0-10T or a MarkBass MINI CMD 121P.

EDIT: Or maybe an STL3.0-10T with an additional 10T cab at a later date (it's all about the cash-flow..)?

Am I missing any other obvious options (GK MB150E III 112, or maybe a MiniMark?).

I'm leaning towards a combo just for ease of lugging it around (Genz Benz qualifies due to the screw in system for the head), but would love some feedback.

The STL6.0-12T is a little too far out of my justifiable price range (as maybe is the MarkBass CMD121P if I'm honest, but I might be able to swing it)...

I'd like to get something that will last, sound good and be usable in small venue environments and as a practise amp (so, headphone socket would be a plus).

Any nudges in either direction?

Thanks in advance!

W

lpdeluxe · #2 02-01-2011, 09:07 AM

After lugging around a Mesa/Boogie Walkabout Scout for a while, I got a Genz-Benz Shuttle 3.0-10T. It sounds very good with my Precision, if not as awesome as the M/B, but it also weighs 18 or so pounds compared to 65. Playing with a rhythm guitarist/singer, it's been plenty loud, but I ended up getting the 10T extension cabinet to keep up with a live drummer who sits in with us from time to time (as you probably already know, adding another speaker boosts the power from 175 to 300 watts). The killer tone still belongs to Mesa/Boogie, but it's just to heavy for an old guy like me to constantly horse around. I paid about as much for the G-B + speaker as I did for the Walkabout, by the way, but I did the same thing you are talking about: I bought the "combo" first and the speaker later. I don't think you'll be disappointed with one.

wawawawa · #3 02-02-2011, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lpdeluxe

After lugging around a Mesa/Boogie Walkabout Scout for a while, I got a Genz-Benz Shuttle 3.0-10T. It sounds very good with my Precision, if not as awesome as the M/B, but it also weighs 18 or so pounds compared to 65. Playing with a rhythm guitarist/singer, it's been plenty loud, but I ended up getting the 10T extension cabinet to keep up with a live drummer who sits in with us from time to time (as you probably already know, adding another speaker boosts the power from 175 to 300 watts). The killer tone still belongs to Mesa/Boogie, but it's just to heavy for an old guy like me to constantly horse around. I paid about as much for the G-B + speaker as I did for the Walkabout, by the way, but I did the same thing you are talking about: I bought the "combo" first and the speaker later. I don't think you'll be disappointed with one.

Thanks for the comments. Really appreciated!

I'm now leaning towards a STL 6 with a single 1x12.... I don't want to have to go through this amount of research in another few years!

Cheers!

W

**Freddels** · #4 02-02-2011, 12:27 PM

Depends on how loud you need to be. The Shuttle 10 combo and the MB CMD121P combo sound different but I think both would need an extra cab. The Markbass CMD121H combo is the bigger cab and could do a lot more on its own.

Alper Yilmaz · #5 02-02-2011, 12:37 PM

I have the CMD 121P, which I bought for carrying it around for rehearsals (where there are only mediocre bass amplification) and within our apartment from room to room (it is a small Brooklyn apartment, what can you do?).

Actually, this combo became my main small venue amp, since it is quite powerful; the amp (LMIII) is amazing and the speaker is quite OK for a combo as well. Since I have other amplification options, I never thought about buying the extension speaker, but with it I am sure this combo will sound even fuller and more powerful.

Genz Benz stuff is pretty good as well, but I would consider STL3.0 and CMD 121P in different categories. I understand you can go for STL6.0 from your last message, but then comparing it with a combo would not be fair. As far as a combo goes, CMD 121P is one of the best out there, IMO. If you would go for STL6.0, then you should pick a good cabinet to work with it, so that you can exploit the benefit of having separate head and cabinet solution.

Cheers,

A.

lpdeluxe · #6 02-02-2011, 04:49 PM

A good friend has the Shuttle 6.0-210T rig and he has played some large venues with it without problems. The difference is really that this one is pricier than the 3.0 with the added cabinet and you have to buy it all at once instead of spacing it over a period of time.

The 6.0 has a preamp tube, while the 3.0 is all solid state, so there is undoubtedly tonal difference. I remember his 6.0 as having a really tight bottom, that gave a punchy sound to the bass.

Another difference is that his is 32 lb, all in one chunk, while my 3.0-10T + 10T is two pieces, 18 and 11 lb.

**WoodyG3** · #7 02-02-2011, 08:06 PM

I've been gigging my Markbass CMD121p for 2-3 years now and love it. If it's not loud enough on its own, an 8 ohm extension cab could get you really loud.

I like the easy portability, you can even tuck the power cord in the back.

I haven't played the Genz, so I can't give any direct comparison info.

Tandrew · #8 02-02-2011, 08:53 PM

I don't have experience w/ the MarkBass CMD 121P but do have the Genz Benz 3.0 and a MarkBass LMII.

I happen to dig both the MarkBass and Genz Benz alot but mainly use the Markbass LMII since it has more juice. I mainly use the Genz Benz for practice and small venues and pair it with and Epifani UL-112 which I like a lot, sadly I have not heard it paired with a GB amp (which I've heard is rumored to be magical).

IMO the MarkBass has a darker tone and voices more of the mids naturally but of course you can tweak the setting on either amp to do something similar or different.

I am skeptical with using a 5 string bass and 10" speaker b/c I have def distorted/blown some speakers before but also had a friend that would solely use a 10" speaker (believe it was a Bergantino) and would do just fine. That may not be a prob if you added another cab for bigger venues.

The benefit to the Genz Benz is you can go between tube and solid state (forgive me if I'm wording that wrong) or basically change the dynamics of the amp itself.

Hope that helps a little.

lpdeluxe · #9 02-03-2011, 08:24 AM

Last night I finally had the opportunity to play bass through my Genz-Benz 3.0-10T + 10T with a loud drummer. I had been using a Fender Bassman 400 210, which was plenty loud and had a good tone. It took a little tinkering with the EQ to get the G-B right (a little off the bottom, a little up on the mids) but it more than did the job. Plenty of volume, good tone, easy to tweak.

Did I mention, twenty-nine lbs for 300 watts? I'm very happy now.

wawawawa · #10 02-03-2011, 09:13 AM

Well, I just put the order in for a Shuttle 6.0-12T combo (32lbs for 375W!!). I cannot wait to try it out...

Cheers for all of the comments!

lpdeluxe · #11 02-03-2011, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wawawawa

Well, I just put the order in for a Shuttle 6.0-12T combo (32lbs for 375W!!). I cannot wait to try it out...

Cheers for all of the comments!

I can't speak directly about the 12T speaker, but it looks like a good compromise. G-B builds good amps -- there's a 40+ page thread on their new model, which has barely been released.

wawawawa · #12 02-14-2011, 03:58 AM

Quick update, in case anyone is interested!

I just received my Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0-12T combo and all I can say is: "Wow"

The lovely sweet tone I can get out of this and the low weight make it a winner!

Very impressed.

Cheers

lpdeluxe · #13 02-14-2011, 09:38 AM

Great. I played my 3.0-2x10T rig with a really loud drummer Saturday night and had a great time with it.