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Double Bass Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0-10t combo

L

Lia_G

Oct 27, 2005
3,074
199
#1
I have my first gig tonight playing through a new combo I've picked up, the Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0-10t. It's 18 pounds, 175 watts into the 1x10, and 300 watts with an 8 ohm extension cab. The head itself is a cool little 2.75 pound thing that comes out of the combo by loosening two thumb screws. It has kickback feet under the cab to angle it up.

I've enjoyed it so far, just using it in rehearsals. And it's amazing with the matching extension cab for even fairly loud slab gigs, as I've posted over on the "other side." Looking forward to seeing how it works in the real world with my upright tonight. One thing I really like is that the brackets that mount the head offer a perfect place to velcro my FDeck HPF/Pre:

stl3_hpfpre_closeup.jpg


I do need a pre, by the way, as the input impedance is low at 500KOhms.

Here's a pic of the combo:

stl3-full.jpg


It has a semi-parametric mid control that I'm really digging with upright especially. I've used it to dial out some feedback issues in one rehearsal space, and last night I used it to dial out a really percussive "thonk" or "thwack" sound I was getting with my bass + Underwood on the lower strings. I just set the boost/cut to maximum cut, then swept the frequency knob until the thwack disappeared, then adjusted the cut to a less extreme level. Very cool! Not, of course, as powerful an eq section as an iAmp 500, but a very useful midrange nonetheless.

I'm really digging this thing. It's very loud and useable, and extremely light. It sounds very good with my setup right now. I'm wanting to add a microphone, and use a Fishman bass blender or something to mix my Underwood and the mic. I'll be very curious to see how realistic a sound I can get with a good mic, whether I can approach that "my bass only louder" ideal that I obviously can't get with my Underwood.

I'll post some more after the gig tonight.

Cheers
 
#2
Cute rig! Looking forward to your report.

With the matching cab, do you stack or set them both on the floor?

How does it do with a single cab and a 5-string EB?

Very interested in this amp or it's big brother, the Shuttle 6.0 Also heard good things about Genz in general, highly reliable, good customer support too.
 
#3
Try it without the preamp, you may find that the ~500k input impedance works better then you think w/ your upright pickup.
 
#4
agedhorse said:
Try it without the preamp, you may find that the ~500k input impedance works better then you think w/ your upright pickup.
Click to expand...

I did. ;)

Much better with the pre. Although, even if it didn't sound better, so long as it didn't sound worse, I'd use this pre to get the high pass filter. Very cool.

Loving the amp with upright (and electric too, of course!).

Cheers
 
#5
I have only used one with my electric but it is killer. Stand alone for jazz trio, stand alone as a stage monitor for a louder cover gig with PA support. I had a Neo112 under it but unplugged it after the first set as it wasn't necessary.

I have sold my Neo-Pak and NeoX112 and am buying a Shuttle 3.0-10T. If I find I need more I'll pick up the 110 extension cab. For now, I think I'm covered.

I just don't know why anyone would get anything but a GB right now. Great product, even better CS, you can't loose.
 
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#6
glenfong said:
Cute rig! Looking forward to your report.

With the matching cab, do you stack or set them both on the floor?

How does it do with a single cab and a 5-string EB?

Very interested in this amp or it's big brother, the Shuttle 6.0 Also heard good things about Genz in general, highly reliable, good customer support too.
Click to expand...

I stack the cabs when I use the extension.

It does just fine with 5 string slab without the extension, unless volume levels get too high. I'll use it a lot by itself for singer-songwriter gigs with a 5 string fretless. For louder stuff, like a Stevie Ray-style electric blues gig I just had, the extension just makes it that much better. I can pound on the low b all night if needed.

And yes, Genz is building itself quite the reputation for customer service. Pretty astonishing customer service, at that.

I just can't wait to plug in the upright tonight! :D

Cheers
 
#7
Well, the little thing handled the gig just fine tonight. It was a strange stage, strange PA, and a noisy room. The sound guy put me into the PA just a bit using the DI on the Shuttle. If I had a mic along with the Underwood, I would have wanted that going direct to the board, bypassing the amp. But, the DI has a pre/post EQ selector along with a mic/line level selector, so I can use that to mess with things at some point.

It was hard to tell a lot about the quality of the sound tonight. It was a loud club, not a "listening" club. But I was extremely glad I had the amp. There were virtually no monitors. A single tiny wedge, maybe an 8" or a 10" speaker, and almost no volume. We had the sound guy basically just put the guitar into it, because it couldn't handle much else. There's no way I would have been able to hear myself at all if I hadn't brought an amp. The Shuttle did a great job, and sounded as good as any amp I've ever played this bass and pickup through. Nice definition, even response across the full range. I loved it, and got good comments from my band and the audience, including some other bassists from other bands on the bill. I also got asked to play and do some studio work by a keyboardist who played a solo set there tonight.

I'm really curious now to find out what this little combo can do in a better situation, and especially once I add a mic in to the mix. But for now, I couldn't be happier. And I had a nice one-trip load in and out. ;)

Cheers
 
#12
bassman blue said:
my upright with the revolution solo II works great straight into my Genz. no pre required... :)
Click to expand...

I'm going to give it another try, at least so that I can be thorough, and also to answer the questions someone else asked in this thread about what the difference was in tone.

The Underwood is, I think, a bit notorious for being finicky about input impedance. Not sure how the Solo II is ...

I'll try it again soon, and report back.

Cheers
 
#14
liam_g said:
I'm going to give it another try, at least so that I can be thorough, and also to answer the questions someone else asked in this thread about what the difference was in tone.

The Underwood is, I think, a bit notorious for being finicky about input impedance. Not sure how the Solo II is ...

I'll try it again soon, and report back.

Cheers
Click to expand...

anyway, congrats on the genz. amazing stuff. enjoy! :cool:
 
#17
I've been using the Shuttle 6.0 lately, and it rocks for upright. I've been switching between a Fishman Full Circle and a Realist depending on the gig, and I find that the Realist can work with or without a preamp, but the Fishman sounds better with a buffer. Overall the rig is excellent, I like having the 12" and 375 watts of headroom, and it's still light enough (30lbs) to carry one handed with the bass. For slab gigs? Damn, it's the bomb!
 
#18
edfriedland said:
I've been using the Shuttle 6.0 lately, and it rocks for upright. I've been switching between a Fishman Full Circle and a Realist depending on the gig, and I find that the Realist can work with or without a preamp, but the Fishman sounds better with a buffer. Overall the rig is excellent, I like having the 12" and 375 watts of headroom, and it's still light enough (30lbs) to carry one handed with the bass. For slab gigs? Damn, it's the bomb!
Click to expand...

Ed,

Are you using the Genz 12" that has the amplifier bracket on top? I'm thinking of changing my current rig (EA iAmp800 and EA M-Line 12", also have a Wizzy 10" that's a keeper)

Do you find the Genz Shuttle to be fairly neutral sounding with the upright and Fishman? My initial thought with the Genz 6.0 is that it might be too 'warm' sounding. I'm fighting with the Fishman's tone on my rig. It's real thumpy and the beginning of each note when pizz'd aggressively seems to 'clip'? a bit even with the input gain fairly low.

Cheers, Glen
 

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