Ampeg PF500 vs. Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 ,which one should I keep?

[JeffLieby]

I don't carry speaker cabs anymore so I depend on anything thats available on the gig.

This!


Except I don't carry instrument cables. If they don't have one on the gig I just have the FOH guy mic my electric bass. Great tone!

Edit: I read, "I don't carry speaker cables anymore." This was much funnier in my head.

 

[blindrabbit]

m.o.r.e g.a.s......

so i should trade both for a 900?

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh...I love my Shuttle and all, but now that its been suggested, if I was in your situation, I'd give some real serious consideration to that option!

 

[fivestringgecko]

Overview of the Genz:
* Great clear tone.
* Easy to use and dial in the tone.
* Punchy and strong.
* Great power and volume.

Overview of the Ampeg:
* Great gritty tone.
* Easy to find a good tone, little more fine tuning to find "that" sound.
* Deep and fat.
* Good power and volume. (Noticeably less then the Genz but no problem in practice or a small gig or with PA support)

I've gotta agree with MMStingRay, his overviews are pretty right on. I've got both amps and don't feel a need to get rid of either one since they sound pretty different.

My PF500 is my main amp because I love the tone over the Shuttle's more modern clean sound. I keep the Shuttle because I do still really like the tone, and it never hurts to have another amp as a backup or one I can leave at gigs/practice spaces if need be.

I agree with others that have said we can't really make the decision for you. If you can only keep one, you'll have to make the decision based on the tone you want. If I HAD to make the choice, I'd probably part with the Shuttle because the Ampeg is warmer and more vintage sounding. But that's just me.

5sg.

 

[Mastermold]

Between these two I'd keep the GB.

 

[merejo_Herm]

Have you actually owned and gigged with a Shuttle?

Like I said.Its a very nice little amp,the sound is incredible.
I would prefer to use it in a more stable environment than hauling it around.The one I have is the Shuttle 6.0-12T and believe me I don't want to Mistreat it or expose too much.So My Ampeg handles the elements just fine.

 

[Frankjohnson]

I have both, paid about the same for each - had to have the PF500 repaired - blah blah blah


I tink I will still keep both, probably buy the ampeg PF15 cab and mount the head. That will give me a "Combo" for when i want that. the Genz......will pair up with either my Avatar SB112, or 410 Neo for bigger or different venues.

the PF will probably sit a little more - but maybe not. Will have to see.

I can see having both, since they are paid for and not eating anything -

If I absolutely had to pick one to go away......the PF500

its like having caught your GF Doing a "Private Dance" at an out of town Bachelor party and she is supposedly "with a friend who is sick" - the trust just isn't there anymore

 

[robertusf]

its like having caught your GF Doing a "Private Dance" at an out of town Bachelor party and she is supposedly "with a friend who is sick" - the trust just isn't there anymore

That was kind of deep for an amp comparison, but i hear ya!



I'll give the shuttle a good test drive at practice tonight...

 

[Frankjohnson]

That was kind of deep for an amp comparison, but i hear ya!

I was betrayed brother.......
I loved her - she had all the right stuff - her throaty tone, I liked to tweak her little knobs.......plug my beefy cab into her twist-lock speakon jack......Drive her hard on a slow greazy blues number in a juke joint, way back on the dirt road to nowhere.......

then one night, she quit me - left me completely unexpectedly. My heart sank, I got that dead-mans feeling in the pit of my gut - you know the one.....

I found out she was in a coma, I went to see the amp doctor and he told me they were going to have to replace her main board.....she sould be like new, wouldn't have any memories of what she had done, what we had done......I said - go ahead doc, pull the plug and do it.

She came home, and I was happy......but its wasnt' quite the same. She never sang quite like she had, and had lost some of "that" special thang she had - that "Stank". I still try - but can't look her in the eye, and she doesn't understand why I feel that way. Oh we still play around, and get a lil dirty.....but I can't help but remember "that night" .....and that the blue eyed Gal Genzie.....hasn't done me wrong yet. Of course genzie could just be a hot mid-life fling.....who knows.

You get my drift? thats my story.....on a hot humid hazy overcast night, while somewhere off in the distance.....a dog barks, you can hear the whistle of a train that never does come near, the moon shows brightly through the clouds, and my heart sinks into a place that is darker than black in a hole in my chest where my heart used to be.

THAT......Is deep

 

[Jordybass]

I had a GB Shuttle 6.0 for about 6 months or so and I really liked the tone I could get with a 4 ohm load by using any combination of my EA cabs i.e. an NL-410, 2 NL-210's and 2 CXL-112' s all 8 ohm. I just sold it on TB last week after buying a GB Shuttle 9.0 also on TB. Great little amp!

 

[rodl2005]

I was betrayed brother.......
I loved her - she had all the right stuff - her throaty tone, I liked to tweak her little knobs.......plug my beefy cab into her twist-lock speakon jack......Drive her hard on a slow greazy blues number in a juke joint, way back on the dirt road to nowhere.......

then one night, she quit me - left me completely unexpectedly. My heart sank, I got that dead-mans feeling in the pit of my gut - you know the one.....

I found out she was in a coma, I went to see the amp doctor and he told me they were going to have to replace her main board.....she sould be like new, wouldn't have any memories of what she had done, what we had done......I said - go ahead doc, pull the plug and do it.

She came home, and I was happy......but its wasnt' quite the same. She never sang quite like she had, and had lost some of "that" special thang she had - that "Stank". I still try - but can't look her in the eye, and she doesn't understand why I feel that way. Oh we still play around, and get a lil dirty.....but I can't help but remember "that night" .....and that the blue eyed Gal Genzie.....hasn't done me wrong yet. Of course genzie could just be a hot mid-life fling.....who knows.

You get my drift? thats my story.....on a hot humid hazy overcast night, while somewhere off in the distance.....a dog barks, you can hear the whistle of a train that never does come near, the moon shows brightly through the clouds, and my heart sinks into a place that is darker than black in a hole in my chest where my heart used to be.

THAT......Is deep

That IS deep! What were you talking about again?

 

[Teknoman]

Wow,okay my two cents.I,m an Ampeg man because I like wallowing in mud and warmth!Having said that went to see my bro playing bass in two separate bands in one night.He had a GB 6 with GB 2/12 Cab and it absolutely cut thru with authority .soooooo if you are into powerful mids then GB if you like Deep Dub then get Ampeg

 

[robertusf]

I played the GB at practice wednesday. I'll have to mess with it some more to see if I can get the soundI like, which the ampeg already has =)

 

[shoot-r]

I played the GB at practice wednesday. I'll have to mess with it some more to see if I can get the soundI like, which the ampeg already has =)

Rob,

Which did you end up likin' the best?

I'm still going back and forth between my G.K. MB-500 head and the Ampeg PF-500 head...can't decide!!!

 

[TC.65]

m.o.r.e g.a.s......

so i should trade both for a 900?



The shuttle is smaller and lighter. Maintenance?

Yeah or the Streamliner 600 or the shuttle 6.2.

 

[robertusf]

Rob,

Which did you end up likin' the best?

I'm still going back and forth between my G.K. MB-500 head and the Ampeg PF-500 head...can't decide!!!

Leaning toward the shuttle, for reliability sake, which we both know all about the Ampeg. Although, I haven't had any issues with this one, as I believe you havent either and they sound great.

Hell, maybe I'll keep them both and get a better cab.
The Ampeg 410 is serviceable, but i'm trying to move that out and get a NEOX 212.

I guess I just need unlimited funds

Hey Stan, i just realized my sig line is from the movie that resembles your Screen name

 

[shoot-r]

Hey Stan, i just realized my sig line is from the movie that resembles your Screen name

FROM: "Point of Impact" - Bob Lee S.

(Some things have been changed to protect the innocent... )

"Stan is a loner.
He likes things simple, just him, his cat and the cold silence of Central Illinois.
He also has a talent...not to sing or play bass, but to shoot USPSA/IPSC competition pistol matches..."

 

[SteveC]

I've been debating a PF500/115 instead of my Shuttle, but I think I'm keeping my Shuttle. I just LOVE Genz Benz stuff and people. I have been using a BDDI and while not perfect, in the mix at church it adds just enough "grit when I "dig in" which is what I'm looking for- sometimes. I also love the clean, "modern" sound of the Benz at times.

I can get my Genz to "kind of" sound like an Ampeg, but it's more difficult the other way around.

 

[basmicke]

I own both and think they're both great amps.
I've had the GB a much longer time and it's never let me down.
Sound vise I think they're pretty close and none of the filtersections are that great but the neutral sound in both amps is so well balanced to start with that it's not really an issue.
I find the bass frequencys in the PF head (40hz) to be a little bit warmer and deeper than on the GB.
The extra 100w in the GB might give me some more headroom, I'm not sure, since the volume/power on the Ampeg seems to come later, beyond 1-2 o clock which is unusual but not wrong, while my GB head starts clipping a little at 10.30, but then it's very loud allready.
None of these amps are a bad buy and I'm happy to have both.
Time will tell if the Ampeg will be reliable as the GB has.
The one difference I can tell is the fact that the Ampeg has a descent comoressor. The tube in the preampsection of the GB is really not giving it more warmth or grit than the Ampeg but it sounds very neutral and good anyway so no complaints there.
Good luck. Hard choice.

P.S
I forgot one thing. The Ampeg PF looks a lot cooler FWIW, with it's "vintage meets modern" design while the GB looks kind of "nothing" and the knobs are small and it's really hard to tell where they're at in a stage situation.

 

[fivestringgecko]

I can get my Genz to "kind of" sound like an Ampeg, but it's more difficult the other way around.

That's a pretty fair statement about these two amps. I also own both amps and that's a pretty fair statement anout the two. Like basmicke says, they're both great amps, but I just don't agree that the two sound that close. The PF500 won't ever be able to get as clean & modern as the Shuttle. If that's the sound you're looking for, stick with the Shuttle. If you're looking for a warmer, more vintage-ish sound, try the PF500.

Just my $.02 though.

5sg.

 

[basmicke]

Like basmicke says, they're both great amps, but I just don't agree that the two sound that close. The PF500 won't ever be able to get as clean & modern as the Shuttle.

5sg.

If I'm using the PF115HE cabinett to my ears they sound similar in that they both have well balanced hi, mid, low frequencies but I have a limited experience of using the PF500 amp with other cabinetts than the PF115HE. I guess, as stated, that it's a fair guess that the Ampeg would sound more vintage than the GB. But taking the line signal from the amps and straight into my Mac/Logic system I really can't tell much of a difference. But I guess we all hear different things depending on instruments used and a lot has to do with expectations, reputation and personal taste.
In the future after some more milage on the PF I might come to a different conclusion.