GenzBenz Streamliner Pt 8...

[KJung]

The Streamliner was an amp that I pushed hard to have built. I wanted to have the most common complaints about GB amps addressed. Those complaints were:
* too many lights on the status bar....is my amp going to blow up?
* too many knobs. We heard this one a LOT.
* too "hi-fi" sounding.

IMHO, I don't see "having a streamlined design" and being "versatile" as mutually exclusive design goals. One of the most versatile amps I have is an SA200.

Hey Roger!

+1, and also to your post about the M6/M9. For those who are looking for the huge low end, super crunchy and aggressive upper mids, and extended upper treble of the Mesa Carbine in a small format, the GK amps seem to be the closest to that sort of vibe. I would think that the Shuttle Max 9.2 with some EQing would also get relatively close (at least versus the Streamliner).

The Streamliner, to my ear, has much more in common with the Sadowsky SA200 (which I alway describe as the only all tube amp that I don't hate... and actually like a lot).

 

[Tunaman]

The Streamliner's simplicity is cool but it can never be my ONLY amp. Theres too many awesome tones of the Shuttlemax with all those WONDERFUL knobs! HA! Shuttlemax 9.2 or 12.0 here I come!

Sure it would be a DREAM to have both in 1 amp but that looks unlikely

 

[5StringPocket]

I have the STM900 and the SM9.2 and feel like I've got all bases covered. One doesn't duplicate the other and I find myself choosing depending on which bass and cab I want to use. They provide two different flavors of good. I've been through a number of amps and find myself quite satisfied with this pair. The SM9.2 offers a wider array of tones and I love having the foot switch to toggle between FET, tube, filters and blend but the STM900 has a special vibe all its own. Highly recommended.

 

[Ryan L.]

I have a few gigs under my belt now with a Streamliner 900/Uber 410 setup. I recently traded my ShuttleMax 9.2 for the Streamliner.....

Anyway, I LOVE the simplicity of this head. And the fact that I can get pretty damn close to the sound of my old DB750 with it. My Roscoe basses really seem to shine through it---it just seems like a match made in heaven for them. My Zon Sonus Custom, ehh, not so much---the Zon quickly gets lost in the mix, big time. But that's not the head's problem, I blame the bass for that.

So, do I regret trading? For the most part, no. I really am digging the Streamliner so far. But, I do seriously miss certain aspects of the Max 9.2. I have a feeling that I will probably be picking one up again in the future, or possibly just a regular Shuttle 9.0.

 

[5StringPocket]

The Roscoe has a nice mid presence and works well with the Streamliner for me too. My fave with the STM900/Uber 410 is the Carvin SB5000 but the Valenti PJ5 with Nordie p/u's and flatwounds is also killer for a more rootsy kind of vibe. After playing both the STM900 and SM9.2, I just can't see dropping back to one amp.

 

[Tunaman]

After playing both the STM900 and SM9.2, I just can't see dropping back to one amp.

Totally agree. The P bass is a P bass & the J bass is a J bass, both are good, both sound very different. Being forced to pick just one would suck... same with Streamliner vs Shuttlemax

I'm on the fence though... I want to OPPOSITE of the Streamliner, would that be the Shuttlemax 9.2 or the GK MB500? Hi-fi, grindy, glassy highs, FET & no tubes. I wish I could compare the 2 side by side.

 

[KJung]

Another great gig Saturday with the Streamliner900 and Berg AE410 (with the Nordy VP5).

Large but very brittle/tinny sounding room. Brought the bass control to flat, boosted 250hz just a smidge and brought the treble back to flat, tweeter at 11 o'clock... a bit higher than usual with the P. FANTASTIC... super fat, but not boomy or flubby. Nice grind up top and nice growl when digging in.

This is definitely the most 'musical' EQ I've experience.

 

[SteveC]

I don't have a Streamliner (they haven't gotten one locally) but I certainly love every gig I do with my Genz Benz "mini stack" for sure.

 

[Tunaman]

Another great gig Saturday with the Streamliner900 and Berg AE410 (with the Nordy VP5).

Large but very brittle/tinny sounding room. Brought the bass control to flat, boosted 250hz just a smidge and brought the treble back to flat, tweeter at 11 o'clock... a bit higher than usual with the P. FANTASTIC... super fat, but not boomy or flubby. Nice grind up top and nice growl when digging in.

This is definitely the most 'musical' EQ I've experience.

Gig tonight with the SL900. Loved it! I think the SL loves NEO cabs. My GK NEOs were perfect, had to boost the bass & cut the mids. Muddy tube tone? Hell no. Very clear with the GK as I suspect it would be with the Berg AEs.

I'm really happy with it... the simplicity is great. I really don't fiddle much on gigs, mainly at home just for fun. Warm upper mids without grind as I need em to be for the church gigs now.

8 ohm cab, master volume on .... 8 oclock? Thats all I needed. Surprising

 

[RASHOSS]

The Roscoe has a nice mid presence and works well with the Streamliner for me too. My fave with the STM900/Uber 410 is the Carvin SB5000 but the Valenti PJ5 with Nordie p/u's and flatwounds is also killer for a more rootsy kind of vibe. After playing both the STM900 and SM9.2, I just can't see dropping back to one amp.

I went and looked at the Carvin SB5000 (actually 4000) and not sure if it's the bass that sounds so excellent, or the mastery of Sekou Bunch (or head/cab)...love the sound in the sample vids on the Carvin website...

Edit: Oh shyt, forgot this is the Streamliner thread, not Carvin...sorry!

 

[steve_rolfeca]

Totally agree. The P bass is a P bass & the J bass is a J bass, both are good, both sound very different. Being forced to pick just one would suck... same with Streamliner vs Shuttlemax

I'm on the fence though... I want to OPPOSITE of the Streamliner, would that be the Shuttlemax 9.2 or the GK MB500? Hi-fi, grindy, glassy highs, FET & no tubes. I wish I could compare the 2 side by side.

As usual, I seem to be swimming upstream here. It's OK, I'm used to it...

Anyway, I have never been a fan of having more than one amp. Partly because my gear budget has always been pretty restricted, but also because I don't like the idea of finding myself stranded at a gig with the "wrong" amp. For those reasons, I very much want my Streamliner to cover everything from my idea of bright/grindy through fat/warm tones.

Anyway, I think I may have had a breakthrough this evening. After another difficult gig this afternoon with my Streamliner/AudioKinesis Thunderchild 112 AF rig (quiet acoustic set in a very muddy-sounding room), I started thinking again about adding ShuttleMax-class EQ capabilities to my SL900.

Which is when I remembered that I have an old Guyatone parametric EQ pedal in my junk bin. Nothing fancy, but I yanked it out, and within about 20 minutes, was getting some very Shuttle-like tones out of the Streamliner. A medium-Q cut in the low-mids worked really nicely, and freed up the midrange control on the Streamliner for other purposes, like adjusting the balance between the treble and the upper mids.

I can see a better-sounding pedal with foot-switchable EQ bypass and a level boost, giving me a lot of what I would get from a ShuttleMax/Streamliner hybrid. Two bands of fully parametric EQ (on top of the amp's existing tone controls) would be really nice, and three would cover just about any situation.

I know that a lot of people think it would be goofy to add an external EQ, but I don't understand that argument. A Streamliner and a pedal would still be easier to carry than a ShuttleMax-sized head. Lots of guys carry large/heavy pedalboards to every gig, so I don't see a problem with carrying a single, small pedal. Especially when the Streamliner sounds so close to perfect to my ears, and more modern-sounding heads are so much further off.

Plus, it makes terrific economic sense. Forget about the little half-rack Presonus: Even if I go all the way and splurge on an Empress ParaEq at $250 plus a power supply and taxes, it's going to be a LOT cheaper than investing in another high-class amp. And I'll have a terrific-sounding EQ that I can use for other instruments, and when I'm doing sound for other people...

 

[johnk_10]

i have one of the little/cheap presonus half rack para eq's and didn't find it to be too bad at all. what don't you like about it?

 

[steve_rolfeca]

i have one of the little/cheap presonus half rack para eq's and didn't find it to be too bad at all. what don't you like about it?

Nothing, really. I just meant that even the considerably more expensive Empress looks like a steal deal, if it allows me to get the flexibility I need without having to buy another $1,000 head.

But now that you mention it, I do see two advantages to the Empress. One is the pedal format (true bypass plus a preset clean boost on foot switches), and the other is that the Presonus is discontinued. I'm sure that they're still kicking around on the used market, but I couldn't find any on eBay a moment ago.

 

[sunbeast]

There's also a newer 3 band parametric EQ from WMD effects that actually has a continously adjustable Q pot for each range (the Empress just has a 3-way switch), smaller footprint, though no boost function. I plan to get ahold of one of those myself since I stupidly sold my Empress.

 

[maxgroover]

Steve, another option to get around the more than one amp thing is to plug a preamp into the Return on the back of the Streamliner to bypass the Streamliner's preamp so you can get a cleaner sound without the tubiness the preamp adds.

I do this with my upright bass and a Fishman pre but I reckon it would work fine with electric bass too. You've just got to remember to unplug the cord from the Return if you want to go back to using the Streamliner preamp because it disables the Streamliner's main input.

 

[Tankdave]

I have a new SL600 and have noticed the Volume control, crackles when its turned or down. The gain is ok and so are the rest of the pots, so it's like the pot is bad?

Anyone else noticed this, or do I have to get my SL replaced?

 

[KJung]

As usual, I seem to be swimming upstream here. It's OK, I'm used to it...

Anyway, I have never been a fan of having more than one amp. Partly because my gear budget has always been pretty restricted, but also because I don't like the idea of finding myself stranded at a gig with the "wrong" amp. For those reasons, I very much want my Streamliner to cover everything from my idea of bright/grindy through fat/warm tones.

Anyway, I think I may have had a breakthrough this evening. After another difficult gig this afternoon with my Streamliner/AudioKinesis Thunderchild 112 AF rig (quiet acoustic set in a very muddy-sounding room), I started thinking again about adding ShuttleMax-class EQ capabilities to my SL900.

Which is when I remembered that I have an old Guyatone parametric EQ pedal in my junk bin. Nothing fancy, but I yanked it out, and within about 20 minutes, was getting some very Shuttle-like tones out of the Streamliner. A medium-Q cut in the low-mids worked really nicely, and freed up the midrange control on the Streamliner for other purposes, like adjusting the balance between the treble and the upper mids.

I can see a better-sounding pedal with foot-switchable EQ bypass and a level boost, giving me a lot of what I would get from a ShuttleMax/Streamliner hybrid. Two bands of fully parametric EQ (on top of the amp's existing tone controls) would be really nice, and three would cover just about any situation.

I know that a lot of people think it would be goofy to add an external EQ, but I don't understand that argument. A Streamliner and a pedal would still be easier to carry than a ShuttleMax-sized head. Lots of guys carry large/heavy pedalboards to every gig, so I don't see a problem with carrying a single, small pedal. Especially when the Streamliner sounds so close to perfect to my ears, and more modern-sounding heads are so much further off.

Plus, it makes terrific economic sense. Forget about the little half-rack Presonus: Even if I go all the way and splurge on an Empress ParaEq at $250 plus a power supply and taxes, it's going to be a LOT cheaper than investing in another high-class amp. And I'll have a terrific-sounding EQ that I can use for other instruments, and when I'm doing sound for other people...

+1 This is a good option if you want to use the Streamliner for all situations. The Streamliner is fat and tubey and warm and creamy (as you know), and the on-board EQ is not going to get you away from that. An additional EQ, preamp pedal would allow you to bring another tone dimension to that amp, and is the yin yang of those who put a tube emulation pedal in front of a clean sounding solid state amp.

With a nice, tight, solid state preamp in front of the Streamliner, you are kind of doing the flip side of that, and it makes much sense.

I kind of like the simplicity of choosing the head and cab that most brings out the tone I like with a particular bass for a particular gig, but that can get a bit expensive, and of course, you don't have that variability once on the gig.

 

[steve_rolfeca]

There's also a newer 3 band parametric EQ from WMD effects that actually has a continously adjustable Q pot for each range (the Empress just has a 3-way switch), smaller footprint, though no boost function. I plan to get ahold of one of those myself since I stupidly sold my Empress.

The WMD looks interesting. According to WMD, it has enough range on the Q controls, to get into resonant filter effect territory, but can also function as a regular EQ.

My electronics background makes me a little itchy about the durability of the little pots that must be under those mini-knobs for Q and gain, and I'm thinking that the wide Q range would make it a little touchy. My larger concern is the lack of an overall level pot, for makeup gain. That's the way my old Guyatone works, and believe me, it's a PITA. Still, that's a lot of function in such a small box.

There's a used one on eBay right now, for about $180...

There's also a BYOC kit, which would be more affordable, but it uses nasty old TL072 chips and only runs on 9V (audio quality won't be exactly pristine, not as flexible headroom-wise). Could be modded, but then price, convenience, resale value, etc., go out the window...

 

[sunbeast]

The lack of a volume control is my biggest hesitation on the WMD as well, though on the Empress you can essentially only use the "Boost" as make-up or as a Boost unless they added another Volume control on the newer ParaEQs? The Empress I had was before they added the second switch for "Boost", so the Boost control just set overall gain. I'm not sure what kinda input signal the WMD can take, but assuming it can take a fairly hot one (since it was most likely designed to put after guitar drive/fuzz boxes as a tone sculpter), you could just put it in the FX loop of the Streamliner and use the extra Volume control on the amp to balance volumes, much as you would when using the amp's EQ. This would just mean you'd need to do a little volume adjustment if you wanted to switch tones at some point in the night rather than just disengaging the pedal though. Another thing I noticed about the WMD is that it appeared that there is a much bigger overlap in frequency ranges across the controls compared to the Empress, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you are looking for.

Another thing I've done is to run an A/B box with my Streamliner with A going to the front input and B going through my Tronographic Rusty Box (which has either Pre out or Effect level outputs) into the Aux in on the back of the amp. This way you don't need to cut the send/return passage, and can even blend the two tones if you want...

The WMD looks interesting. According to WMD, it has enough range on the Q controls, to get into resonant filter effect territory, but can also function as a regular EQ.

My electronics background makes me a little itchy about the durability of the little pots that must be under those mini-knobs for Q and gain, and I'm thinking that the wide Q range would make it a little touchy. My larger concern is the lack of an overall level pot, for makeup gain. That's the way my old Guyatone works, and believe me, it's a PITA. Still, that's a lot of function in such a small box.

There's a used one on eBay right now, for about $180...

There's also a BYOC kit, which would be more affordable, but it uses nasty old TL072 chips and only runs on 9V (audio quality won't be exactly pristine, not as flexible headroom-wise). Could be modded, but then price, convenience, resale value, etc., go out the window...

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Unless you gig an identical style of music with identical basses, I believe it's difficult to get by with a single amp. However, it's a valid strategy to turn that amp into a chamelion with pedals or rack gear. I used that strategy for a while but I've moved into the camp articulated by KJung. It's simpler and foolproof to get superb tone for a particular bass or musical style. For me, it's the SL900 for my fretted electric Fender P/J, and an EA iAMP Micro for my fretless acoustic Rob Allen Deep 4. The other reason I went with two amps is one always serves as a backup for the other. If you've only got one amp and it dies, you're dead in the water. If money is tight, the use of preamps etc. makes sense, especially if you already own the gear. But there are lots of good used amps for sale so either strategy will cost about the same for similar qualities of gear.