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another Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 convert

H

hertzsogood

Mar 9, 2009
20
0
MN/TX, stage left.
#1
I recently picked up a Shuttle 6.0 and not to gush or anything, but I really love this amp! I used it for the first time last Saturday with an 8ohm 2-12 cabinet in a medium sized room and even though I wasn't getting the full 600 watts from the Shuttle, I was never at a loss for volume and was able to keep up with 2 loud guitar players and an aggressive drummer with NO problem. The soundman had nothing but praise for the DI out and extended compliments on my tone and playing four or five times over the course of the evening. The bandleaders reaction to the Shuttle? He was a little tentative about it at first but was all smiles after the soundcheck- and at the end of the show he said that I've never sounded better. NICE! The next day I played an outdoor festival show on a big stage- again, more compliments from both the soundman and bandleader, as well as other bass players who were at the show. I found that the Shuttle, all cables, a strap, and a Boss TU-2 fits perfectly in my laptop shoulder bag- amazing. Load in/out is a breeze.

While I'm still learning how to get the most out of the 6.0, so far I couldn't be more pleased with it. This is one hell of an amplifier and congrats to the good folks at Genz Benz for creating an amazing product!

If any of you Shuttle owners have any tips or tricks to share I'd appreciate it.
 
#3
I'm really happy with the EQ section. It feels right to me - knob turns make a difference but still make fine tuning work.

Don't be afraid to push it if you need to: The LEDs light sooner than they need to. Listen for distortion. Some claim that it doesn't sound like it puts out 600 watts, while AgedHorse says it puts out over 600 watts. My "King Soloman" solution for reconciling these two observations is that perhaps the first camp is not pushing the amp hard enough. You can turn the volume knobs way up and still not hear distortion.

KO
 
#4
kraigo said:
I'm really happy with the EQ section. It feels right to me - knob turns make a difference but still make fine tuning work.

Don't be afraid to push it if you need to: The LEDs light sooner than they need to. Listen for distortion. Some claim that it doesn't sound like it puts out 600 watts, while AgedHorse says it puts out over 600 watts. My "King Soloman" solution for reconciling these two observations is that perhaps the first camp is not pushing the amp hard enough. You can turn the volume knobs way up and still not hear distortion.

KO
Click to expand...
I've done this with it and I totally agree. If people would use their ears instead of relying on the idiot lights, they'd find that almost all the amps they claim are underpowered really aren't.
 
#8
I am seriously thinking of getting one. I would be getting rid of my Fender 300T head for probably a 6.0 12T combo. That way I can use it for small gigs or bring my Avatar 410
4ohms to a bigger show. I have debating this over the past 2 weeks and losing sleep on how I can trade with out or less$. I like my 300T head but do not love it! I see they are going for $1,699 new now, and this one is 2yrs old, so the GC guys should at least give me $900 in trade.....oh what to do!!!!!!!!!!
She's a big girl..and my back is not liking it.
 
#9
I'd SERIOUSLY doubt GC will give you anywhere near $900 for a 300T. I'd think more in the area of 400-500. I'm not saying it's fair or unfair, it's just the way retail/wholesale works.

I'm VERY impressed with the Shuttle though
 
#10
hertzsogood said:
I recently picked up a Shuttle 6.0 and not to gush or anything, but I really love this amp! I used it for the first time last Saturday with an 8ohm 2-12 cabinet in a medium sized room and even though I wasn't getting the full 600 watts from the Shuttle, I was never at a loss for volume and was able to keep up with 2 loud guitar players and an aggressive drummer with NO problem. The soundman had nothing but praise for the DI out and extended compliments on my tone and playing four or five times over the course of the evening. The bandleaders reaction to the Shuttle? He was a little tentative about it at first but was all smiles after the soundcheck- and at the end of the show he said that I've never sounded better. NICE! The next day I played an outdoor festival show on a big stage- again, more compliments from both the soundman and bandleader, as well as other bass players who were at the show. I found that the Shuttle, all cables, a strap, and a Boss TU-2 fits perfectly in my laptop shoulder bag- amazing. Load in/out is a breeze.

While I'm still learning how to get the most out of the 6.0, so far I couldn't be more pleased with it. This is one hell of an amplifier and congrats to the good folks at Genz Benz for creating an amazing product!

If any of you Shuttle owners have any tips or tricks to share I'd appreciate it.
Click to expand...

thanks for your business. If you let me know what type of tone you're looking for, bass that you play, venues, style of music...etc., maybe I can help with some settings.
 
#11
the 6.0 is an awesome beast. everyone here is right, you will run the pre-amp hotter than your brain tells you is OK, maybe at 3:00 and it will be clear, loud, and a tong of pure beauty.
'87 P-Bass with Fralins and La Bella Deep Talking Flats = everything at 12:00 and the bass boost punched in.... then watch out!!!!!!!!
 
#12
I've owned my Shuttle 6.0 for a year now and have played many gigs with it. It is truly an amazing device. I love carrying it to gigs to see people's faces when I set it up. They always ask, "what is that?" I say, "My amp". the response? "no way".

Then they hear it and become a believer. I mainly use the NEOX 212 for gigs. I also own the NEOX 112. Now with a new and knowledgable sound man, I am thinking of using the 112 since everyone's monitors get plenty of me.

Great gear, keep up the great work.
 
#13
What about the ShuttleMax 6.0? It just doesn't seem to get enough love here in TB. And I've been looking for a dedicated thread about that head.

I just got mine, and I love everything about it. From its (absence of) weight to its tone and power.

I bought it to replace a Gallien-Krueger 400RB-IV (which I also loved)... Best decision I've made this side of getting married an having my children.

Mandatory pictures here:

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#14
huido said:
What about the ShuttleMax 6.0? ... Best decision I've made this side of getting married an having my children.
Click to expand...

Hmm! I bought a Shuttle 6.0, and my 16 year old daughter is now driving AND dating. For me, getting the Shuttle might actually have been a BETTER decision than having children! :help:

Of course, your "mileage" might vary!

- Greg
 
#15
Regarding the various comments about the perceived output characteristics of the 6.0: the thing I have noticed is that the output limiting circuitry produces differing results with different cabs. With really efficient cabs, it does not kick in at all and drives to more than useful volume levels. With really inefficient cabs, the output limiter produces hard clipping which literally cuts the signal out in an erratic fashion. This is not a good thing. I think the various posts one way or the other have been largely influenced by the cabs that are being used. If you are using efficient cabs, you probably won't experience any issues at all and will wonder what the griping is about. Just try to stick to efficient cabs with this head, and you'll be a happy camper. My 2c.
 
#16
Hertz, good choice! :)

I'll try not to gush too much either... lol

I'm also a recent Shuttle 6.0 convert, I currently use it with an Avatar B210 Neo and the combination sounds so good, I'm adding another B210 in the next week or so. Tight, punchy, loud... exactly what I wanted. Everyone I play/jam with is impressed... and then they see me pick it up with one hand and put it in a laptop bag. "Hey, wait a minute!" and "That is a 600 watt amp?!" and "Holy ****!" lol

I was looking for a new amp and I ordered one without playing it first. I was skeptical right up until the moment I plugged it in and played it. I found my amp.

Hasbeen, pass along our thanks & praise, would you? :)

5sg.

P.S. Genz customer service also seems great... I'm relatively new to tubes and Hasbeen has quickly answered all my questions. Thanks again!
 
#17
Had my Shuttle 6.0 for some months now and love it more and more. Played it in a variety of settings and line-ups and it always shines. And it can definitely be loud! Yesterday I played with a very loud drummer and four (!) guitar players using quadraverb, twin reverbs and an old hagstrom bassmaster (a very nice guitar amp!) and I was asked to turn down... I've been playing with these guys for 20 years and they kept complimenting the bass sound, saying it was maybe the best I've had. And over the years I've used amps like SVT, Trace V6, Mesa etc. with this gang! I play the shuttle through an 8ohm Eden D410XLT and the combination cuts through the wall of guitars like butter despite being "only" 375 watts. I think people put way too much emphasis on those numbers.

When I got the shuttle I started out using quite a bit of eq (old habit I suppose) but have steadily moved towards a flatter setting. Just like many others I was a bit scared of that red tube led flashing too much in the beginning (it's the red color that does it), but after reading about it from the GB people here at TB I now happily crank the tube gain pretty hard, so the led is more on than off and I get the nicest grittiest growliest sound out of the rig, but it is still extremely tight and punchy. HiFi? No! Sterile? No! I can't really understand how some people end up with that conclusion. But it did take some time to find the perfect settings for me, more than I'm used to.

I would really, really like to try the Shuttlemax 12, but so far I haven't seen it here in Norway. I have definitely become a GB fan!
 
#19
Hi Everyone. I just wanted to check back in and provide an update. Thank you HasBeen for offering some help with getting sounds, but I don't think I need any assistance. The preamp design is very intuitive which makes getting great tone so easy! What's been working for me: Low +2 clicks, Mid set @ 220hz or so and +2 clicks, and High -2 or -3 clicks. One thing that's notable: with the amp cranked and red lights flickering all over the place, there's a subtle grind/overdrive that's similar to my SVT. Very nice indeed! I've pushed the Shuttle pretty hard on a few gigs- no problems whatsoever. It seems like this amp will dish it out all night long.

I had been using a GBE1200 for the last year and a half but due to some health issues (bad knees/back) lightening my rig was something I had to do. So while I was a fan and a big believer in Genz Benz products prior to getting the Shuttle, I'll admit that I was a little concerned that the 6.0 wouldn't quite cut it. The Shuttle has proven so far to be a real workhorse- all the power I need and tone for days. Thank you once again Genz Benz for an EXCELLENT product!
 
#20
Just got my Shuttle 6.0 from UPS 5 days early. How often does that happen?? I'm playing through a single 8 ohm Acme Low B2, an inefficient cab. Did I mention it's an 8 ohm cab? So I put this tiny little amp on top of the cab and I'm not getting very much volume. Bummer I thought. Not enough power. Wait a minute... Wait. A. Minute. The input gain is way down. Turn that up a little and it comes to life. Ok, I'm not a KJung or JimmyM kind of connoisseur, but I know what I like when I hear it but I can't tell you exactly why I like it. I like this amp. I may have to pick up another B2 to stack vertically to get all 600 watts out of this thing.

Tone wise I can get some really nice old school by cranking up the tube drive, Low a 3:00, Mid cut all the way at somewhere around 200-250 just when the hollow grind kicks in, treble down to 9:00 or 10:00 and the LF Boost engaged.

Get a more modern sound by cutting back on the tube drive, Bass at 2:30, slight boost at 150 on the mids, treble straight up and all three buttons engaged.

If I run everything flat, eh, not so hot to my ears. But I'll still need to try some different basses. Tonight was just MusicMan.

Very nice. I was a complete skeptic of the mini amps. How could they possibly put out the watts? They're small. They're light. Bass amps are big and heavy, everyone knows that. Then the epiphany came. They're small and light because they're efficient. They still draw a decent amount of current and then convert most of that into watts for your cab instead of converting half of it into watts and the other half into heat.

Now I need to come up with a good way to keep the head solidly on top of the cabinet. Way too easy to pull it off the cab with just a little tug on the cord. Maybe something like a seatbelt that goes all the way around the cab?

Anyways, glad I bought this amp. I'll have to reserve final judgement until it passes the time test and remains reliable - which I have very little doubt it will.

Thanks hasbeen, agedhorse and fretlessboy. I've been looking at Genz Benz for awhile and glad I pulled the trigger.
 

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