Double Bass Genz Shuttle 3.0 10t Success

[dylanjohnson]

I posted this in another thread and thought I should make it's own thread since I put some time into it.

I've been using a Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0 10t with the 10" speaker. The cab is so small that I keep forgetting it isn't an 8".
My philosophy about bass amplification is that it is a monitor first and foremost for me to hear myself and keep my intonation in check. That being said, I do not like when the sound is harsh and quacky to achieve that end. This amp has been a savior for me.

I play a very loud and packed club weekly and tried all these rigs to hear myself better. I tweaked eq on all of these amps.

1. GK MB150s with extension cabinet- No dice- The louder it was, the less clarity and focus I achieved.
2. Walter Woods Amber Light with MAS 18. Nope- Couldn't cut through, even with heavy eq. Beautiful sounding alone. The MAS is INCREDIBLE, though.
3. Walter Woods Amber Light with Schroeder PL112. This could get loud enough, but was incredibly boomy and needed to be on a stand. Harsh sounding.
4. GK MB500 with both of the above cabs. Ok, but tonally not what I'm looking for. Made the bass incredibly uneven.
5. AI Doubler with above cabs. More even but somewhat brittle.
6. Walter Woods MI-100 with above cabs. That great WW tone just didn't cut through.

So to summarize, @Jeff Genzler and @agedhorse made a combo that for me has outperformed ALL THE BEST amps out there. I've owned AI amps (muddy and useless eq) and Phil Jones (great sound, couldn't hear myself), and this amp outperformed them for my needs. No preamps, no HPF's, just plug and play.
Two of my favorite bassists in LA- Luther Hughes and Ken Wild both play Shuttle combos.

I'm so happy to be back to a one trip shlep into the gig!

I'm saving for a Genzler rig now, as I'm imagining that they will be even better.
Look for some gear from me for sale in the classifieds soon.

 

[basss]

Dang now you're making me wish I didn't sell mine. Still no sub 20lb combos out there that can do what that thing did 15+ years ago.

 

[bass player 53]

There is a nice YouTube video
where Carlos H. uses this combo
with his Baby Bass.

 

[Jay Corwin]

+1 on GB Shuttles. I had the 3.0-10T with and extension cab years ago, but like an idiot I sold it. Regret followed for years.

Then last year I came across a used 6.0-210T and bought it. It's now my main rig for both UB and BG. Those guys knew what they were doing.

 

[dylanjohnson]

There is a nice YouTube video
where Carlos H. uses this combo
with his Baby Bass.

Yeah Martin has one that all the bass players use on the Congahead channel. Great place to hear how they sound!

 

[dylanjohnson]

+1 on GB Shuttles. I had the 3.0-10T with and extension cab years ago, but like an idiot I sold it. Regret followed for years.

Then last year I came across a used 6.0-210T and bought it. It's now my main rig for both UB and BG. Those guys knew what they were doing.

Yep.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

I have a shuttle 3.0-10T too. Once compared it to a 3.0-8T in the living room but strongly prefer the -10T for better bass frequency response and acoustical power.

Later I got a Genz Benz Focus 12“ (200w, 8 Ohms) and this is so much better than the -10T (using the -6 dB switch for the tweeter at the cab).
For rehearsals the -10T is OK for DB and EUB, but on stage I would prefer the Focus 12. Also a bit better with the EUB because there is no low frequency support from the instrument acoustically.
On louder situations I use both together, but I miss the -6 dB switch for the tweeter of the -10 then. The -10T is a bit aggressive without.
I used the more aggressive -10T as a side monitor for the percussion section on top and the 12“ below for the listeners and the rest of the band.

 

[Ric Vice]

In short (partly because they used FET’s in the preamp) The had all the useful features you need from a DB amp with a piezo pickup.
As I don’t think they were initially marketed towards DB it was just a great coincidence that they exceptional DB amps. GK 200MB’s were much the same, unfortunately neither amp is now in production.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Genz Benz was sold to Fender (for whatever reason).
But they quickly opened Genzler as a successor. I‘m pretty sure there are at least some good as mps that work well for DB. Maybe also some cabs.
I liked the Shuttle idea to be able to quickly remove the amp to carry it to a venue with a cab.

 

[dylanjohnson]

Genz Benz was sold to Fender (for whatever reason).
But they quickly opened Genzler as a successor. I‘m pretty sure there are at least some good as mps that work well for DB. Maybe also some cabs.
I liked the Shuttle idea to be able to quickly remove the amp to carry it to a venue with a cab.

Genzler's combo does that, too. I think he actually improved the design from the Genz Shuttle.

 

[dylanjohnson]

Last night I was playing a large stage with a quintet, and everyone else in the band wanted bass in their monitors. I think they looked at my 10" and figured it wasn't going to be heard. After the first set I had the engineer take the bass out of the monitors and it sounded so much better! No unwieldy low end that obscured pitch and clarity. Everyone could hear it fine, too.

 

[agedhorse]

The Shuttle 3.0 was way ahead of it's time, and was the first commercially successful (at real production quantities) sub-compact class D w/Neo bass amp/combo. It remained unchanged throughout it's entire production run as well. Never needed to change anything.