Genz-Benz Streamliner Part 6

[P. Bass]

First loud gig with the Streamliner this morning. Stage monitor only, not carrying the house, hard-hitting drummer, standing next to the PA sub.

It was a thing of beauty. I found the same sense of being distinct in the mix without overpowering it, that I heard under quieter circumstances. I had to run the mids and highs a little higher than needed when playing solo in our rehearsal space, but there was no harshness, even with quite a bright tone.

Although my cabinets are only rated for 500 watts total, I'm starting to wonder if I really need higher power bins for my application, given that I rarely play venues where I need to carry the house.

I had LOTS of headroom left, but the real surprise was how well my cabs competed with the surrounding stage volume. I was able to run my levels much hotter than I would have imagined, without audible distress.

I suspect that this has at least something to do with the 3DPM circuit. At high volume, the attack envelope is more rounded than a typical PA amp of the same wattage class. It's like using a compressor with a highly reactive, musical feel.

Nice post. Thanks. Saw my 1st 600 @ Steve's in T.O. the other day.
I noticed you have a couple Kroth cabs. I worked for Gene building cabs MANY years ago. LOL
Some ended up with "Triumph". Built mostly JBL 4560 PA bins & EV-TL806 cabs. Is that the JBL 4530 or 4520 cabs you have? Beauty for 15" ( if you don't mind moving a "fridge")
B.

 

[steve_rolfeca]

Nice post. Thanks. Saw my 1st 600 @ Steve's in T.O. the other day.
I noticed you have a couple Kroth cabs. I worked for Gene building cabs MANY years ago. LOL
Is that the JBL 4530 or 4520 cabs you have? Beauty for 15" ( if you don't mind moving a "fridge")
B.

Sorry, the Kroth 4530's were on my "had" list, not my current. Kroth was a real fixture on the Toronto scene, and well-deserved IMO.

 

[wateroftyne]

Here's an updated family snapshot....

 

[craigb43]

Here's an updated family snapshot....

Beautiful little family

 

[KPO2000]

I can totally imagine how that rig sounds!

I played my first one last weekend with a Sadowsky PJ4, SL-900, Berg AE-410 combination. It sounds great and very round. Talk about being able to hear smooth bass. It was fantastic with Fenway Park's center field as our backdrop.

Ken

Here's an updated family snapshot....

 

[mebusdriver]

Here's an updated family snapshot....

That's fuggin clean right there. Nice P's!!

 

[funkyjudge]

That's fuggin clean right there. Nice P's!!

... and that J ain't too shabby, either!!!

 

[p0k]

Used my sl900 for the first time in a loud setting last night...played my sadowsky rvpj5, and went into my epifani t310, and it sounded great! Had the bass at about 10:30, mids at 2 (600), treble, pre level, & gain at noon.

Deep and punchy. Loved the tone.

 

[Jared Lash]

Love this setup.

Valenti P5 w/ Chromes through the Streamliner 900 into an LDS built 15/6.

Such old school, thick, warm tone but with great projection and phenomenal lows. Just simple, great sounding bass.

But the same rig (using my fretted Stambaugh rather than the Valenti) also excels for my ambient dub/electronica band with lots of synthy, effected sounds. Like this

The Streamliner sounds great with effects and of course the nEarful pumps out filter swept, fuzzed and octaved bass tones perfectly. I've waited until the honeymoon period was long since over to say so, but I'm happier with my setup than I've ever been before.

 

[esoxhntr]

Hey, anybody out there care to guess what the effect of a slightly lower gain tube in the V2 socket might have? I put a 5751 tube in V1 and it sounds so good there that I don't want to move it, though in the interest of experimentation I will likely have to. Most importantly, I'm wondering if there will be a change in the EQ structure of the amp.

Thoughts?

 

[The_Jester]

Here is a picture of my completed BFM Jack 210 with my SL600 and wireless rack mounted. So far I am loving it.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[alexofc69]

Here is a picture of my completed BFM Jack 210 with my SL600 and wireless rack mounted. So far I am loving it.

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HEY! where did yo score the rack mount?? I have seen the GB one, but not for sale yet. I want to get my Streamliner rackmounted ASAP.

 

[Holdsg]

I think he made it himself.

 

[The_Jester]

Yeah I made it but the official one is available direct from Genz-Benz. Think it's around $80. I might get the official one down the road but for now my diy version is working well.

 

[steve_rolfeca]

Hey, anybody out there care to guess what the effect of a slightly lower gain tube in the V2 socket might have? I put a 5751 tube in V1 and it sounds so good there that I don't want to move it, though in the interest of experimentation I will likely have to. Most importantly, I'm wondering if there will be a change in the EQ structure of the amp.

I tried an old Brimar 12AT7 from my collection, hoping to flatten out the mid scoop. The overall frequency response became a little more ragged, but the effect on the scoop was minimal.

The biggest difference was a fairly drastic reduction in the noise floor. I didn't take measurements, but I'd guess it was around 6dB. However, the amp is so quiet, that the difference was only audible at max gain, and therefore of little interest to me.

The tonal difference was subtle enough, that I couldn't really say which I liked better. I put the OEM Ruby back in- I'm sure I'll run into a guitar amp or a pre that needs the Brimar more, at some point.

The next time I have some downtime, I might try some more tube swaps, but based on the amp's performance to date, I'm not that anxious to do it. Why fix what ain't broke?

 

[agedhorse]

Hey, anybody out there care to guess what the effect of a slightly lower gain tube in the V2 socket might have? I put a 5751 tube in V1 and it sounds so good there that I don't want to move it, though in the interest of experimentation I will likely have to. Most importantly, I'm wondering if there will be a change in the EQ structure of the amp.

Thoughts?

Changing tubes in the V2 and V3 positions with tube types that have significantly different gain and/or bandwidth can (possibly) dramaticly alter the operation of the eq sections. This is one area where changing to a different type may hinder performance compared to a traditional 12AX7 type.

 

[esoxhntr]

Changing tubes in the V2 and V3 positions with tube types that have significantly different gain and/or bandwidth can (possibly) dramaticly alter the operation of the eq sections. This is one area where changing to a different type may hinder performance compared to a traditional 12AX7 type.

Okay, is there any particular effect? Since the 5751 is a lower gain tube, does it necessarily follow that if you placed it in V2 that you would need to turn up the bass and treble a little more? Or is the relationship a little more complex?

 

[Musicman20]

Thanks to Genz, Fender UK and the Bass Merchant, I have a replacement SL900.

The good news? Well, the power cord definitely does not move in the socket, and it requires no brute force to put it in. Plus, the power is staying on when I move the cord. This is the same cord I have before...plus I have another that came with the new unit I havent tried.

Much happier...

You know what, this amp ISNT all about Ps. Have you tried a Stingray through this thing?!?!??!

Try it.

 

[husky123]

You know what, this amp ISNT all about Ps. Have you tried a Stingray through this thing?!?!??!

Try it.

Amen to that.

 

[rodneyat]

You know what, this amp ISNT all about Ps. Have you tried a Stingray through this thing?!?!??!

Try it.

I don't a P or a Stingray...and the amp still ROCKS!

I can't say enough good about it. In all of my searching over the years there have been A LOT of amps I was in love with. But, I could always find myself saying "I love this amp...but, I wish it had..." or "I wish it didn't..." etc. I have not found that with this amp. This does not happen with me. Maybe I will come to that point, sometime. But, I don't see it happening any time soon.