GenzBenz Streamliner Pt 8...

[steve_rolfeca]

I don't know if it's fair or accurate, but I blame SWR for the so-called "modern" sound, with drivers that give up early in the mids, and then a spikey-sounding little tweeter sitting up above the top end of the woofer.

That kind of tweeter, I can do without.

But I don't have fond memories of the old-school tweeterless thing either. JBL 15's (or Black Widows, or E-V's), with their rough, bumpy response at the upper limit, and that little spike up top that sounded surprisingly bright on-axis, but died off the minute you got a few feet off to either side of your cab...

What I do love, is the current school of wide, smooth sounding stuff with an even and extended top, like a Bose L1 with the right subs, fEarfuls, the Baer 112, my Thunderchild...

 

[woolysock]

I find room acoustics make a bigger difference to tone than any other element. Just finished two nights in a small Vancouver club and never sounded better. 62 P-bass -> STL 900 -> Berg HS210. Beautiful thick chewy even tone with no mush. What I have been wanting for ages. I dig the STL 900.

 

[svtb15]

Just got my second Genz Uber115T today.. Had a local gig scheduled tonight and it cancelled ..
no prob. gonna prep the turkey for tomorrow instead..
But im gonna use both cabs on a gig Friday with the STL900

 

[Holdsg]

We'll be detecting a disturbance in the force on Friday from those two 15inchers

 

[svtb15]

See if i can get this chart to light up. hahaha
IRIS Seismic Monitor

 

[Tunaman]

I wish I could rock the GK NEO 115 115 stack at church but that wouldn't go over well
It freaking rocks with the Streamliner lows

I still have G.A.S for the GB Shuttlemax 12.2 though

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

So, after many jams, one gig and a few cab combo trials, I ended up selling my Streamliner 600. While the sound wasn't bad, I just wasn't getting into it.

In its place; a Shuttle 9.0. Although I haven't tried it in a band setting yet, I am liking it better so far. Even though I am unlikely to use the full volume, I think the extra headroom will also make a difference.

 

[Tunaman]

I think its important to hear why people sell their amps, I think it will help people to know if the amp is or is not for them

What type of music did you play, what cab combos were they & what sound are you after?

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I think its important to hear why people sell their amps, I think it will help people to know if the amp is or is not for them

What type of music did you play, what cab combos were they & what sound are you after?

I have two 1x12 HT112/EX112 Bergs (older non ER versions), one 1x12 AE112 Berg and a Genz Benz NeoX 212T.

In general, I liked the sound solo, but found that it got lost in the mix once I started playing with the full band. The other thing I found is that regardless of what bass I would play, it always kind-of sounded the same. In other words, I was losing the character of each bass and, what felt to me, just getting a generic bass sound regardless of the bass I was using.

What sound was I after? To tell you the truth, I am not sure. Probably just a general solid bass sound with a touch of warmth. I also prefer a simple setup; so a set it and leave it type of thing.

My main amp is the MarkBass LMII, which I think is great and is my #1. I wanted something to compliment that.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I have two 1x12 HT112/EX112 Bergs (older non ER versions), one 1x12 AE112 Berg and a Genz Benz NeoX 212T.

In general, I liked the sound solo, but found that it got lost in the mix once I started playing with the full band. The other thing I found is that regardless of what bass I would play, it always kind-of sounded the same. In other words, I was losing the character of each bass and, what felt to me, just getting a generic bass sound regardless of the bass I was using.

What sound was I after? To tell you the truth, I am not sure. Probably just a general solid bass sound with a touch of warmth. I also prefer a simple setup; so a set it and leave it type of thing.

My main amp is the MarkBass LMII, which I think is great and is my #1. I wanted something to compliment that.

The Streamliner tends to enfuse the band's sound with bass rather than punch through the mix. On the other hand, it's deceptive, and you need to hear it out in front of the stage or via a recording before making a final judgment. There is a LOT more bass tone happening than it might seem from the player's position on stage.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Well, in defense of the STL-600; I have never owned an amp with a tube (much less three) before this one, and now the Shuttle, so maybe I am just used to a different sound.

Actually, I did own a Walkabout briefly. It sounded fairly good.

 

[woolysock]

Ukiah is right when he says the STL enfuses a band's sound with bass. I have had the pleasure of hearing my rig when another bassist sat in... at a surprisingly low volume the bass filled the room. The STL isn't so much about presence and attack as it is about warmth and underpinning. That being said, with the bass rolled off a touch and a little upper-mid sweetening added, a P-bass sounds great through the STL.

 

[steve_rolfeca]

Ukiah is right when he says the STL enfuses a band's sound with bass. I have had the pleasure of hearing my rig when another bassist sat in... at a surprisingly low volume the bass filled the room. The STL isn't so much about presence and attack as it is about warmth and underpinning. That being said, with the bass rolled off a touch and a little upper-mid sweetening added, a P-bass sounds great through the STL.

Paired with the extremely even sound of my Thunderchild AF, I find that very smooth, neutral sound very useful for quiet sets, like the Christmas luncheon I played for yesterday.

However, my Empress ParaEQ arrived last night, and after a short familiarization session, it's already opened up a bunch of much more aggressive, even SS-sounding tones. Between pedals and the powerful gain-shaping already built into the Streamliner, it doesn't have to be a one-trick pony.

 

[Dave W]

Well, the first gig with the Bag End S15D's went very well. Those cabs pair up much better than my GS112's with this amp. I'll give a better "review" after my gig on Saturday night just so this isn't a honeymoon love fest (even though it probably still will be).

A little funny gig story: Our first set was great, we played for 1 1/2 hours, the whole band sounded awesome. We take a 15 minute break, and take the stage for the second set. I was running: Bass>Pitchblack>REDDI>STL 900>Bag Ends

Between sets I muted the Streamliner. As we're playing I was having a tough time hearing myself, so I kept creeping up the volume a little bit on the GB. Not until the end did I realize that I had the damn amp muted the entire set. FOH was fine, and I could hear myself through the mains and the monitors. Total facepalm moment.

One thing these amps REALLY need is footswitchable mute.

 

[steve_rolfeca]

...Between sets I muted the Streamliner. As we're playing I was having a tough time hearing myself, so I kept creeping up the volume a little bit on the GB. Not until the end did I realize that I had the damn amp muted the entire set. FOH was fine, and I could hear myself through the mains and the monitors. Total facepalm moment.

Been there. I was initially running my SL with a pair of little 250 watt, 3-way cabs, with single 10" woofers.

At a particularly raucous rehearsal w/a seven-piece band, I was having a lot of trouble hearing myself, and the low end seemed deficient. WITH A STREAMLINER!!!

During the break, the second keyboard player/bassist was asking me about my rig. Which was when I noticed that the bottom cab wasn't connected...

 

[Red Planet]

I'm taking the Streamliner 900 out to a larger than normal (for me) gig tonight. I think I'll take both my HT112ER's.

I've been playing my Stingrays through it lately. Tonight I think I'll take my trusty 53 P Bass.

I have used my Shuttle 9.0 for some recent gigs and as much as I love the Streamliner there sho aint nothin wrong with the 9.0.

 

[Holdsg]

I'll be playin my STL 900 thru an UberQuad tonight with my trusty 2005 Fender P/J. Gonna be fun.

 

[guy n. cognito]

What are people doing to stop the SL 900 from bouncing around the top of the Uber 410? That thing was dancing all over during today's test run and I don't want to have to think about it falling off.

Amazon.com: Brand New Auralex Mopad Studiofoam Monitor Isolation Pad - 4 Pack - For (2) Speakers: Musical Instruments

 

[Tunaman]

EXTENSIVE tone testing through the Streamliner & GK NEO 115 cab today vs the GK MB500 too

The GK NEO 115 is very hi-fi with a strong upper mid volume bump, gritty lows & sizzly highs as a cab. I find this cab brings out the BEST in the Streamliner. Where others feel the SL is too muddy, this cab prevents that & can actually make this amp hi-fi enough & be warm as well. The SL settings with mids cut to 9 @ 2.5K evens out the GK volume hump while still retaining the cut & grit there. Now I'm really only playing with the lows & the highs. I can have the lows past noon & still have tight low end, if I want more grit I cut the lows a bit. If I need to bring in some hi-fi cut I have the treble past noon or rounded highs that are still musical with some treble cut.

I know this is a high end amp & thus people are likely to have high end cabs to go with but the GK NEO series really suits this amp well for those that feel its too muddy. This amp stinks with my Epifani 310 NYC that is CLEARLY a more high end cab than the GK. Thats a muddy combo.

The MB500 is a nice little amp. Very flexible. With 4 band EQs (Like my Bongo) I like to have the bass & low mids in opposite directions. Boost bass & cut low mids for more warmth, cut bass & boost low mids for gritty lows. I find I have to cut high mids again to accommodate the GK NEO 115 high mid volume bump. Treble is very glassy unlike the Streamliner which is cool for slap. Of course the MB500 being a solid state amp its not nearly as warm in the upper mids, you're going to have sizzle & grit there no matter what. I also feel the lows are pretty hi-fi and not as warm as the Streamliner. The opposite is also true that the Streamliner can't get the sizzle or grit of the MB500 so its not whats better as much as what tone you're after.

I think the GK amp on the GK cab is too much of a good thing. The Streamliner is clearly the winner with the GK cab to me... but I think the GK brings out the most of the Epifani cab vs the SL.

The real shootout would be GK MB500 on Epifani NYC 310 vs Streamliner on GK NEO 115 115 stack. I'll have to do that sometime but my inclination is that the ceramic mags, warm character & no volume boost of the Epifani cab would win out vs the GK when they are paired with their best amps.

 

[Limeman]

My repaired Sadowsky should be here tomorrow. If so, then I'll be rocking it with the STL900 with 2 GS112s at a gig that evening. So far I've been using my Stingray and that pairing with decent but not overwhelmingly exceptional results. I hope my Sadowsky turns things towards a better conclusion. With my Walkabout in for repairs as well, I'm really starting to miss that 300-watt monster of tone.