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Genz Benz Streamliner, Part 10

#1,321
KJung said:
I feel the Streamliner is one of the most complicated amps on the market. The Max 9.2 with all those knobs... simple as pie. The Streamliner, with everything interacting... gain, volume, midrange, bass control, etc., etc., it can get a bit crazy. It is worth the time to really get to know it IMO and IME, but it is not a 'take it out of the box, plug it in, and play' sort of amp. And, IMO, just like many all tube amps, it seems quite sensitive to cab matching, and can sound wonderful, or a bit flubby depending on the cab, no matter how you turn the knobs.

Good luck. Don't be afraid to really twist those tone knobs, and don't be afraid to really experiment with different gain levels and gain/volume ratios, with and without the boost.
Click to expand...

I've had an STL 600 for over 5 years. It's the best amp I've ever used.
Yes, it took me a month's worth of gigs to figure it out, even going back to my former amp (Hartke Kickback) out of frustration initially (before that a full Eden WT-800 and XLT 4x10). Amazing but bulky and heavy), but once I was able to understand the sensitive controls, my basses sounded better than ever and I have not looked back since!
I use a Bergantino HT112 that adds hi-fi clarity with the tube warmth of the STL. My P-Bass sounds incredible, my 6 String Anaconda Bass sounds fantastic, the low B absolutely immense and my Crafter Acoustic Fretless sounds beautifully warm.
Unfortunately, it's not as simple as 'put everything at 12 o'clock'. Speaking in 2021, it's still my go-to amp. I'm not convinced the Genzler Magellan truly captures the essence of the STL without any tubes. If anyone has had a chance the A/B the two, I'd love hear about the results.
If anyone's interested, I can post a photo of my settings.
 
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#1,322
Everything at 12 o'clock is not exactly a bad setting:D
You can do some pretty extreme knob twisting and still get good tones - it's hard to make it sound bad.

WAY BACK (like part 1 way back), there was a recommended setting (I think by @Jeff Genzler) where you dime the bass and the mids at 220. It is a massive low end, but it's got a thing.

@Candybassed - the more photos the better!!
And yes to anyone that wants to A/B the STL and the MG. Or any amp (speaking for myself at least!).
 
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#1,323
I had the Genzler, and a GK MBF800 together at the same time and thought they sounded more alike than different. I've had the MBF for years and while it's great at many things, sounding like an SVT (I also have a CL) wasn't one of them (IMO / IME).
I'm loving this STR loan but do find the bass control unusual. I can't see ever going past 10:00.
 
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#1,325
Candybassed said:
I've had an STL 600 for over 5 years. It's the best amp I've ever used.
Yes, it took me a month's worth of gigs to figure it out, even going back to my former amp (Hartke Kickback) out of frustration initially (before that a full Eden WT-800 and XLT 4x10). Amazing but bulky and heavy), but once I was able to understand the sensitive controls, my basses sounded better than ever and I have not looked back since!
I use a Bergantino HT112 that adds hi-fi clarity with the tube warmth of the STL. My P-Bass sounds incredible, my 6 String Anaconda Bass sounds fantastic, the low B absolutely immense and my Crafter Acoustic Fretless sounds beautifully warm.
Unfortunately, it's not as simple as 'put everything at 12 o'clock'. Speaking in 2021, it's still my go-to amp. I'm not convinced the Genzler Magellan truly captures the essence of the STL without any tubes. If anyone has had a chance the A/B the two, I'd love hear about the results.
If anyone's interested, I can post a photo of my settings.
Click to expand...
I did numerous a/b's between those two amps and found the Magellan 800 more of a muscular Shuttle than anything resembling a Streamliner.

I just recently sold the Magellan. It's a nice amp and I had it for about 4 years, but it was getting used way less than my other amps including the Streamliner. I actually sold it when I got the Mesa TT800.

Jim C said:
I had the Genzler, and a GK MBF800 together at the same time and thought they sounded more alike than different. I've had the MBF for years and while it's great at many things, sounding like an SVT (I also have a CL) wasn't one of them (IMO / IME).
I'm loving this STR loan but do find the bass control unusual. I can't see ever going past 10:00.
Click to expand...
I normally run my bass control at 9:00 or below depending on bass and cabs. The mids are usually at 3:00 at 220, treble at 12:00 and gain around 1:00 again depending on bass.

I was able to run the bass at 10:00 once with a Ray34 and that was awesome, but that was it.
 
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#1,326
Jim C said:
I had the Genzler, and a GK MBF800 together at the same time and thought they sounded more alike than different. I've had the MBF for years and while it's great at many things, sounding like an SVT (I also have a CL) wasn't one of them (IMO / IME).
I'm loving this STR loan but do find the bass control unusual. I can't see ever going past 10:00.
Click to expand...

Put a HPF in front of the Streamliner. It will control the low end and make the Streamliner even more amazing!
 
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#1,328
hennessybass said:
Everything at 12 o'clock is not exactly a bad setting:D
You can do some pretty extreme knob twisting and still get good tones - it's hard to make it sound bad.

WAY BACK (like part 1 way back), there was a recommended setting (I think by @Jeff Genzler) where you dime the bass and the mids at 220. It is a massive low end, but it's got a thing.

@Candybassed - the more photos the better!!
And yes to anyone that wants to A/B the STL and the MG. Or any amp (speaking for myself at least!).
Click to expand...

Just an FYI----I have never recommended that the Bass Control on the Streamliner should be "dimed", ever. It does have a lot of swing in this control and like most users have reported, keeping the Bass between 10 & noon or so, is the standard range. It should be noted that the Streamliner has a "flavored" tonal platform with all controls set at noon. it seems like there is more bass because there is a soft dip to the mids of this amp. This is what causes the lows to seem more prevalent.
 
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#1,330
scallster said:
Bought and sold quiet few amps, at present the only amp I own is a STM600, still loving it.
Contemplating a TT800, but extremely expensive in Australia.
This is a great thread to get ideas for settings, playing some of them has given me a renewed love for the amp.
Click to expand...
After the GBE1200, the Streamliner is still my favorite GB amp.
 
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#1,332
My bass generally lives at 10:00. I've had it up to 11 (insert Spinal Tap joke) but I wouldn't turn it up much more unless i really wanted to punish some speakers!

Also, I saw a reference to a HPF above. Doesn't the amp include an internal HPF? I guess you could manually set your threshold with an independent pedal, but it also might not be necessary depending on your goals with the HPF.
 
#1,334
Jeff Genzler said:
Yes, the Streamliner like all past GB amps utilizes a HPF in the design.
Click to expand...
Jeff, I had a 9.2 Shuttle Max (with the same NeoX 2x12 cabinet). I always thought that the HPF was was set a bit high for my tastes (not enough low bottom). Is it an illusion or does the Streamliner have less high pass filtering, or at a different center freq.? The STR has got some very strong low end at 10:00 (at least to my ears)!
 
#1,335
Jim C said:
Jeff, I had a 9.2 Shuttle Max (with the same NeoX 2x12 cabinet). I always thought that the HPF was was set a bit high for my tastes (not enough low bottom). Is it an illusion or does the Streamliner have less high pass filtering, or at a different center freq.? The STR has got some very strong low end at 10:00 (at least to my ears)!
Click to expand...
Due to the inherent voicing, the effective HPF frequency is lower... BUT on the Shuttlemax amps using the LF Boost (extend) filter, the effective HPF lowers as the control rotates clockwise. This is a recommended option when the speakers have the LF extension to take advantage of it.
 
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#1,337
Jeff Genzler said:
Just an FYI----I have never recommended that the Bass Control on the Streamliner should be "dimed", ever.
Click to expand...

My mistake -- I knew it was someone involved with the amp, I knew it wasn't Andy, and my mind went to you.
My bad!!
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If anyone is interested, this conversation is in the last 10 or so pages of part 5 of this thread. Some talk before that too of using noon as a starting place for the bass control.
Several guys try out the "Fat J" tone and report good results.
I'm usually in the 9:00-11:00 club, but have gone higher...

As always, be careful... with great power comes great responsibility.
 
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#1,338
From post 828 in Part 5 by @hasbeen
Genz-Benz Streamliner Part 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
One more thing on where to run the bass control.

The more you crank the mids, the more you can turn up the bass. NOTE: I would never even use the word "crank" with our other amp designs.

So, with that in mind, there is a tone setting that I call "Fat J"...a in J bass.

* solo rear pick up
* passive bass or, run preamp flat
* 4x10 cabinet
on the amp:
* bass: 3 o'clock
* mid: boost 220 to 3 o'clock
* treble: 11 to 12 o'clock

if you give this setting a shot, note how the bass and mid controls work together.

I know that some on TB have the dreaded "trisco hora phobia" (the fear of setting knobs at 3 o'clock), but this really is a great setting.
 
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#1,339
scallster said:
Hi Jeff
Judging by the amount of love for this bass head still, would you contemplate a valve head based on this design to run alongside your current Magellan 800?
Click to expand...

Hmmm, ahhhh..... I can say we sincerely appreciate how players use our gear ----- past and present. The Streamliner was a very unique product.
I can't talk about future GENZLER AMPLIFICATION products but certainly, we're listening.
 
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#1,340
hennessybass said:
From post 828 in Part 5 by @hasbeen
Genz-Benz Streamliner Part 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
One more thing on where to run the bass control.

The more you crank the mids, the more you can turn up the bass. NOTE: I would never even use the word "crank" with our other amp designs.

So, with that in mind, there is a tone setting that I call "Fat J"...a in J bass.

* solo rear pick up
* passive bass or, run preamp flat
* 4x10 cabinet
on the amp:
* bass: 3 o'clock
* mid: boost 220 to 3 o'clock
* treble: 11 to 12 o'clock

if you give this setting a shot, note how the bass and mid controls work together.

I know that some on TB have the dreaded "trisco hora phobia" (the fear of setting knobs at 3 o'clock), but this really is a great setting.
Click to expand...
I read this in a previous thread and thought you all had gone mad (bass control above 11:00).
The missing key words that make this understandable is "solo rear pickup"!
Will try this tonight.
 
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