TC Electronic or Genz Benz

[Andy_D]

Originally Posted by mjac28

I had one of the BH series amps really cool amp with a tone of options and TC has great customer support I really loved that Tube Tone Feature but as other have stated let your ears do the buying.

I own the BH500 (the red one). Picked it up for $350 Shipped from M123 when I was looking. I wanted an RH450 at the time but was short on Cash. It's a little more weight than the 450 but what a versatile head it is. The multiband compressor, tubetone, tweetertone, 3 presets, 2 EQ preset buttons. I have my 3 favorite presets that I don't change very much and between the EQ preset buttons and my tone control/pre-amp on my bass can very quickly dial in most of the tones I like to use. Very user friendly and sounds great with plenty of power. For the price I paid the bang for buck ratio is very high.

[Sharknose79]

Originally Posted by drpepper

Sure, Adrian. I know a couple of Streamliner 900 owners who are nearby. I've got a message in to Sharknose79 (Dave) to see if he's interested.

I'm sorry, I don't recall if you came to the mini-GTG this summer, but I have a warehouse space that works well for making some noise on weekends. But again, you're welcome to join in, and we can work out the location once we have a Streamliner nailed down.

Edit - Dave is in, but he's not available the next couple of weekends, so tentatively 12/1 or 12/8.

Yep.I'm in.
That was a good afternoon.






Plus....my fEARful stack...

[drpepper]

Originally Posted by Sharknose79

Yep.I'm in.
That was a good afternoon.






Plus....my fEARful stack...

Thanks, Dave!

[guy n. cognito]

I had both. I ultimately didn't keep either, but I really couldn't get rid of the TC fast enough. It has some neat onboard features and very cool inputs, but I really didn't like the tone or the massive amounts of compression used to simulate the stated wattage. I also had an issue with mine, and TC customer service NEVER responded to me. On the other hand, when I needed rack ears for my shuttle, Jeff Genzler himself helped me out.

I would vote Genz, hands down.

[singlemalt]

Hey, those pictures look like our GTG's! Bass geeks in the garage. You sure learn a lot at these things, that's how I ended up building fEarfuls.

On the OP's question, I tried the TC 750, really wanted to like it and ended up sending it back. The foot switch/tuner didn't work, and I thought that was a bummer. What's the point of working up three presets if you can't kick em on wit the foot switch. I really wanted a tuner on the floor. But the real problem was the amp lacked balls in the low end and had a very baked in sound. There was no clear and present modern tone with lots of punch either. After a week of messing with it I sent it back.

Yep, I fell for a pretty face over the internet, and drooled over all the sexy features, but the real life experience was sadly lacking.

If you just have to have her, order it form Zzounds. Their return policy worked exactly like they said. I got to try the amp for a week and sent it back, all I was out was postage. They even sent a prepaid return for the the foot pedal.

I'd say get to a store or a TB GTG and spend some time with the amp you are interested in.

I bought a GK 1001 rb 2 five or six years ago and never had a problem with it. I've A/B'd it against a number of amps and have yet to meet one that makes me want to go tot he trouble to make a switch.

[JimmyM]

TC amps sound to me like MP3 versions of tube amps.

[singlemalt]

^^^^nailed it^^^^

Like, where's the beef?

the fEarfuls really showed the lack of low range power in the TC's. A/B back and forth the GK smoked it in every way.

Now, if I was on a budget, like most new bassists, and realizing that the cab makes or breaks the whole deal, here's me doing my best voice of experience: (cue the Barry White voice) check out the Carvin BX heads and build yourself a fEarful 12/6 cube. You can do this for less than the cost of the TC.

The Carvin has an excellent eq, better than the GK, IMHO, and holds it's own against the 1001 rb2. This was the only one that tempted me to make a switch.

[arai]

Originally Posted by singlemalt

^^^^nailed it^^^^

Like, where's the beef?

the fEarfuls really showed the lack of low range power in the TC's. A/B back and forth the GK smoked it in every way.

Different strokes for different folks. GK in known for it's thunderous lows and sizzling highs. Mid scooped you could say.
tce RH series is known for it's rich punchy mids.
GK make great amps but it's not my sound the RH sreies nails my tone perfectly with little eq adjustment, like I said different strokes.
And to say it sounds like an mp3 is a bit off to me. I get a lot of compliments for my tone from sound men and other musicians

[Modern Growl]

Originally Posted by singlemalt

A/B back and forth the GK smoked it in every way.

Its these comments that make people look like ultimate Fanboys without any legitimate & objective input to give.

I love my TC head - sure. But I'll also give it's pro's / con's and objectively break down how it sounds compared to other heads. "smoked it in every way" is a ridiculous comment. GK's are very "fast" and "bright" sounding heads. So what if the player comparing the two heads likes a warm, tube sound? In that case the RH750 would "smoke it in every way".... see my point?

Either you have the time to make a useful contribute to TB, and write out an objective thought - or don't post at all - is how I feel.

FWIW - the "beef" is in the low-mids, where the TC head kicks out hard...

[Honkycat]

I have never tried the TC amp.but have had the GB for a couple of weeks now...the more I use it and get used to it ..the more I really like it (I have had absolutely no dropoff in the D or G strings...on the contrary).
I find the GB to be a very unique amp..players seeking a conventional tone may not like it.I rotate the GB with my other amp.Kind of like picking a Pbass or Jbass for the gig.

[Pilgrim]

At the risk of being a fanboi, I haven't used the TC but I LOVE my Shuttle 6.0's sound and performance. If I ever trade amps, it will be to get another Genz-Benz.

If I had to buy without pre-testing, I would not hesitate to buy G-B.

[singlemalt]

Ouch, put the cat back in the bag, I'm flogged. Sorry, if I was a little clipped.

I really wanted to like the TC, and I gave it full, fair trial.

I'm far from a GK fanboy, and I've posted detailed thoughts on my opinions of the highs and lows of the GK 1001. I also have built three fEarful cabs. Here, I toe the fanboy line, these are great cabs. I owned a 1973 Sound City Bass 150 for fifteen years, so I have a bit of experience with warm tube heads.

Yeah, the GK is big and bright and very fast. Mess around with the contour controls and you'll scoop the mids right where I would want a boost. (500K). I've gone on about what I do to remedy this, and how I get a warmer tone when the amp is at low volumes. It's a big amp and it likes to be turned up. With the right additions you can get warm and gooey, but you can also have clean and punchy. Short story, it's been a solid, reliable workhorse for the last six years. It's been dropped (in it's rack), fallen off cabs, gone from hot club to freezing trunk, been left in trunk or garage for days and weeks and never had a problem.

Details? Okay, I laid out a grand for the TC and foot controller. The controller didn't work. The retailer, Zzounds was a pleasure to deal with, I didn't feel like I needed to contact TC, the amp wasn't going to be a keeper. The TC felt fragile and scratched easily, I felt like I really needed to baby it. (I did want it to be clean and undamaged when I returned it) I would really want to rack this amp for protection.

I spent a week with the TC. Went through the manual front to back. Spent many hours playing the amp with several basses and all of my cabs. Yes, it does the warm and fuzzy. If you are a vintage tone, four string, standard tuning player running a small cab at low volumes this thing might send you over the moon.

But it fell apart at getting a clean full powered sound with the five strings. If you want full, even extended range, both highs and especially lows, fast response and full thick power down to a low B flat on a fiver, it's not going to get it. You want clean modern? The TC doesn't really do that either.

The TC power and response starts to roll off about F sharp on the E string. This was exactly the kind of performance fail that started me down the road to fEarfuls. I've got basses with 37" B strings, 36.25" E strings. I want to feel the increasing vibration of the lowest notes, not just hear a representation of the pitch.

All the rest of the cool features and sexy design didn't make up for this most basic (for give the pun) fail. I really wanted to make this amp work, but after a week long trial it was a step backwards for my sound. And I get that there are folks who are very much into the vintage sound without the vintage weight and hassles.

Of course, IMHO, YMMV, your money back if not completely satisfied, ect ect.

"smoked it in every way" was a bit harsh. I'll try to be good from here on out.

[Musicman20]

Tc amps do not sound like the mp3 version of a tube amp...

[singlemalt]

Sorry, short answers and opinions are no longer allowed. You'll need to fetch your favorite beverage and settle in to typing a much longer response.

Details, we need details.

[Modern Growl]

Originally Posted by singlemalt

Ouch, put the cat back in the bag, I'm flogged. Sorry, if I was a little clipped.

I really wanted to like the TC, and I gave it full, fair trial.

I'm far from a GK fanboy, and I've posted detailed thoughts on my opinions of the highs and lows of the GK 1001. I also have built three fEarful cabs. Here, I toe the fanboy line, these are great cabs. I owned a 1973 Sound City Bass 150 for fifteen years, so I have a bit of experience with warm tube heads.

Yeah, the GK is big and bright and very fast. Mess around with the contour controls and you'll scoop the mids right where I would want a boost. (500K). I've gone on about what I do to remedy this, and how I get a warmer tone when the amp is at low volumes. It's a big amp and it likes to be turned up. With the right additions you can get warm and gooey, but you can also have clean and punchy. Short story, it's been a solid, reliable workhorse for the last six years. It's been dropped (in it's rack), fallen off cabs, gone from hot club to freezing trunk, been left in trunk or garage for days and weeks and never had a problem.

Details? Okay, I laid out a grand for the TC and foot controller. The controller didn't work. The retailer, Zzounds was a pleasure to deal with, I didn't feel like I needed to contact TC, the amp wasn't going to be a keeper. The TC felt fragile and scratched easily, I felt like I really needed to baby it. (I did want it to be clean and undamaged when I returned it) I would really want to rack this amp for protection.

I spent a week with the TC. Went through the manual front to back. Spent many hours playing the amp with several basses and all of my cabs. Yes, it does the warm and fuzzy. If you are a vintage tone, four string, standard tuning player running a small cab at low volumes this thing might send you over the moon.

But it fell apart at getting a clean full powered sound with the five strings. If you want full, even extended range, both highs and especially lows, fast response and full thick power down to a low B flat on a fiver, it's not going to get it. You want clean modern? The TC doesn't really do that either.

The TC power and response starts to roll off about F sharp on the E string. This was exactly the kind of performance fail that started me down the road to fEarfuls. I've got basses with 37" B strings, 36.25" E strings. I want to feel the increasing vibration of the lowest notes, not just hear a representation of the pitch.

All the rest of the cool features and sexy design didn't make up for this most basic (for give the pun) fail. I really wanted to make this amp work, but after a week long trial it was a step backwards for my sound. And I get that there are folks who are very much into the vintage sound without the vintage weight and hassles.

Of course, IMHO, YMMV, your money back if not completely satisfied, ect ect.

"smoked it in every way" was a bit harsh. I'll try to be good from here on out.

Now thats a post!

[arai]

Originally Posted by singlemalt

. And I get that there are folks who are very much into the vintage sound without the vintage weight and hassles.

And that is just it. But saying that after you said "All the rest of the cool features and sexy design didn't make up for this most basic (for give the pun) fail" is a bit confusing. It's like you are saying each to their own but because it didn't work for you it is garbage.
Or and the fragile thing you mentioned I have dropped mine from shoulder height on to concrete and have a dent to prove and it's been gigged hard and loud tuned down to D It has balls down below F. I am not sure if you are just exaggerating or not. Also from hot venue to cold car. It's a gigging work horse

Originally Posted by singlemalt

Sorry, short answers and opinions are no longer allowed. You'll need to fetch your favorite beverage and settle in to typing a much longer response.

Details, we need details.

Details not sarcasm

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by singlemalt

Sorry, short answers and opinions are no longer allowed. You'll need to fetch your favorite beverage and settle in to typing a much longer response.

Details, we need details.

Actually, I appreciate posts that don't require hours to read......

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Musicman20

Tc amps do not sound like the mp3 version of a tube amp...

Sorry, that's the impression I got from the ones I've played. To be fair, they're not bad for digital, though.

[singlemalt]

No, I tried very hard not to call the TC "garbage" or any other pejorative. I wrote a negative review of the TC 750, while going out of my way to be positive about my overall experience with Zzounds.

The last thing I wrote was that I felt the "TC was a step backwards for my sound." And the key here is the "my sound" part. Purely personal opinion. In rest of the review I tried , with varied degrees of success, to point out what I didn't like about how the TC sounded and felt with the rest of my gear, and why it didn't work for me.

It's hard to make a negative review sound any more positive.

I also acknowledged the attractions the TC held for me and why I made the decision to purchase one. I know a guy who gets wonderful sound out of his TC 450's and the small 1-12 cabs, like the Markbass. We can drink at the bar without coming to blows. We've played through each others set ups at GTG's. The sound he was getting and his review influenced my decision to buy the TC.

As a matter of fact, I'll probably go see the TC guy's band tonight. And the band they share the bill with has a bassist who comes at it from a totally different direction. TC guy is a four string, retro sounding, felt pick player, who sounds great doing his thing. The other guy favors a seven string and a very aggressive funk attack. I look forward to seeing what they bring to play through.

That's what we're doing here on TB, sharing opinions, experiences, desires, or seeking information, instruction, support.

The OP asked what amp he should buy. Frankly, I said neither, check out the Carvins and spend dough on the cabinets. But I did buy and give the TC 750 a thorough try out. I have an opinion based on my experience. It's just not my $1000 cup o tea.

I'll work on the sugar coating, but some folks are not going to like what I have to say.

[lomo]

Another vote for GB here. IME their customer service is the standard to which others should aspire, and the amps are great. For pure tone, my vote would be a Mesa Walkabout, but choosing between TC and GB would be a slam dunk for me.