Genzler Amplification Club

[dBerriff]

Tom - the bottom One 10 is on its side purely for a bit more physical stability. There were 15 or so of us crammed on stage and a lot of to-and-fro activity as mic, DI and keyboard cables were being plugged into the the stage box. The setup is so light I could easily have changed it later. Vertical stacking does get the top speaker a bit nearer ear level and is my preferred configuration.

 

[xroads]

I need a number....I just received my Magellan 800 on Monday this week. Finally got a chance to plug in to my 2 Baers...I can get nice warmth to a growly punchy tone! This head has very impressive tone and it is so small and lightweight. It's perfectly matched with the Baers too!
And it fits perfectly atop the Walkabout. I've got my little wall of doom at home ... In the living room guys ..(I'm female btw)... and I'm ready to switch and plug and play between the various heads. Just need to get back in a band now!

Could you comment on a comparison Walkabout vs. Magellan?
I especially would like to know if the Magellan has a similar basic warmth in the sound like the Walkabout, and if it is much louder
through your cabs?

Thanks!!

 

[Tdub77]

Here's a pic of my amp. I'll get one of my setup this week

 

[BluesyCat]

Could you comment on a comparison Walkabout vs. Magellan?
I especially would like to know if the Magellan has a similar basic warmth in the sound like the Walkabout, and if it is much louder
through your cabs?

Thanks!!

Yes, similar tone and warmth at low to moderate volume. I never compared at LOUD volume. Regardless, I prefer the Magellan. Sold the Walkabout. YMMV.

 

[jlepre]

Well I finally had a chance to gig my MG800 this weekend. I had Back to Back (Also the name of my band) gigs, and this amp is a monster. I paired it with my Fender V3 210 cab, and it shook the walls. I barely had the master past 9 o'clock. I'm very happy with the tone, and projection of this setup. I was running without FOH support too.

 

[Discount Saint]

For my needs this is just about the perfect amp. I have used a Shuttle and a Streamliner before, and the Magellan just moves everything forward. As it happens, it is a good fit on top of a One 10.

Compact Gig Rig by Invalid Link Removed, on Flickr

Would you like a number?

 

[Discount Saint]

I'll take a number.

I picked up an MG-800 last weekend from BassStringsOnline and am still in awe of how awesome the amp is. My Genz journey started with a Shuttle 6, to a Streamliner and then to the Shuttlemax 9.2 where I thought I was finally good but after reading the reviews I went for it and got the Magellan. All I can say is "holy cow!"

Someone posted something similar to how I feel that the clean channel, contour set flat and slight bump in the low mids (freq at 11o'clock and bump to 1 o'clcok) is so good I haven't even really checked anything else out. At band practice I started with Drive, Contour B about 9 o'clock but I think I needed a tad more volume. When I went to Contour A, flat, with more volume I was floored. Now I don't want to try anything else out. Someday...someday.

You're #37!

 

[tombowlus]

In case you did not see it in the other thread, here is a Invalid Link Removed.

Also, I have another gig report. One of my bands had an outside gig this past Saturday, and in this band, I double on electric/upright. Man, the Genzler stack came through like a champ! It sounds great for both bowed upright and slap upright (and electric bass, of course!).

 

[MattLplaysBass]

In case you did not see it in the other thread, here is a Invalid Link Removed.

Just fueling my GAS.

Also, just to confuse things a little...

From Carey Nordstrand's FB...

 

[Discount Saint]

DAAAAAMMMMMMMN DANIEL!

 

[John D Harris]

In case you did not see it in the other thread, here is a Invalid Link Removed.

Also, I have another gig report. One of my bands had an outside gig this past Saturday, and in this band, I double on electric/upright. Man, the Genzler stack came through like a champ! It sounds great for both bowed upright and slap upright (and electric bass, of course!).

I noticed something strange in the lab report of the MG800; it shows the Burst Mode power rating at 8 ohm lower than the continuous power rating. To me that doesn't make any sense - that's not a typo is it?
A lot of D class amps do a lot better in bursts than they do when measuring RMS ratings.

 

[tombowlus]

I noticed something strange in the lab report of the MG800; it shows the Burst Mode power rating at 8 ohm lower than the continuous power rating. To me that doesn't make any sense - that's not a typo is it?
A lot of D class amps do a lot better in bursts than they do when measuring RMS ratings.

Not a typo. Those are the results. Each of those tests ask the amp to do slightly different things, and while most amps can't put out as much continuous power as they can in a burst, some of them perform better on the continuous test. I prefer to think of a very impressive set of continuous power results.

 

[John D Harris]

Not a typo. Those are the results. Each of those tests ask the amp to do slightly different things, and while most amps can't put out as much continuous power as they can in a burst, some of them perform better on the continuous test. I prefer to think of a very impressive set of continuous power results.

It was a minor difference anyway; just wanted to check.
It's gotten glowing reports from reputable users, so that's what really counts!
Thanks for the info!

 

[Jeff Genzler]

I noticed something strange in the lab report of the MG800; it shows the Burst Mode power rating at 8 ohm lower than the continuous power rating. To me that doesn't make any sense - that's not a typo is it?
A lot of D class amps do a lot better in bursts than they do when measuring RMS ratings.

This is one way that this new generation of module is different than the previous. It's all about the slew rate of the PWM control loop.

 

[John D Harris]

This is one way that this new generation of module is different than the previous. It's all about the slew rate of the PWM control loop.

So it's determined by the power supply.
I know there's a lot of different measurement/ratings methodologies around.
All most of us bass players care about is when we hit it hard, the amp hits just as hard.
From reports of people I trust, the MG800 definitely does that!

 

[RapidRoy]

Do STM900 owners qualify?

 

[dBerriff]

Wow - a 2 x 10" Bass Array. I used a Shuttle 6.2 2 x 10" cab and Streamliner 900 for a couple of years and the rig coped with everything our covers band did, and still fitted in my car along with all our guitarist's gear. I only sold up because I gave up gigging for a year. Personally, I preferred the sound to the Shuttle 1 x 12", so this really could break my restraining order. Brilliant! Edit: is this a Facebook leak? The cab does not appear anywhere else yet.

My photos of the Super Compact rig at our Saturday gig did not work out; perhaps I will take a couple of shots at home. The combination worked really well. Contour B added a bit of colour to the very hifi BF cab. We played in a marquee on Sunday and the Magellan was not even trying, and sang out true and clear through the Super Compact. It would be fascinating to compare the Bass Array 2 x 10". I will say it again; this is the perfect gigging amp for me. You are a genius, Jeff.

And yes, I'll take a number...

 

[dBerriff]

I enjoy reading the reviews and comparisons but comparing sounds is very difficult as evidenced by the endless subjective versus objective assessment debates on the hifi forums. Personally, I see the bass-cable-amp-speaker chain as a musical instrument. Is it responsive? Does it sound good? And do I want to play bass and make music? These factors are, for me, absolute and not relative. For three years or so my Genz Benz Shuttle & Streamliner amps and cabs said yes - let's make music. The Streamliner added a bit more warmth and power but the Shuttle was superb too and I could just turn up, plug in and with a few tweaks of the EQ have a great evening. So when the Magellan came out, I had no hesitation in driving down to Bass Direct and picking one up without, I admit, even trying it out. I just knew it was going to sound good and yes, as good as anything I have played through. Just read Tom's review and listen to Ed Friedland's take on the sound.

So what I want to emphasise is how totally practical this head is for gigging. Jeff is like Leo Fender used to be: the designs are always moving forward. The valves are gone which I suspect means improved long-term reliability, not that I ever had a single problem with my Shuttle or Streamliner. The LEDs tell you everything you need to know about the signal route and are no longer over-bright. Good chunky control knobs in a logical sequence. Twin channels, foot-switchable: I wish I had this for my last band where a few songs could have used a bit of grit. A mute button, pad - well, Tom's review is far better than anything I could write on the rest of the detail.

So this is why I say it is the perfect amp for me; it is musical, practical, reliable (on past GB experience) and has enough power for any gig I am ever likely to be asked to play at. And in an absolute sense of what a bass guitar should sound like, I like what I am hearing.

 

[Kirk Bryant]

OH.....CRAP....... DAMN YOU JEFF

 

[dBerriff]

Well, oh crap! from me too. I really want to try the Bass Array cab. I thought I had the cab side sorted, and to some extent I have. The One 10 is the perfect practice and small gig speaker for me. It works really well with the Magellan and adds some nice colour at low volumes for an old school sound. But...

I am going to start playing upright again soon and I'm not sure the One 10s will cut it. The old-school colour I like for home and rehearsal use might work against what is needed on a gig. I wish I could be more certain about this, but I have some issues with the way our band PA is being used and these must be sorted before I can be sure about "my" sound. But that is another line of discussion.

So here is my issue. I gigged very successfully with my previous big band using a Shuttle 6.2 12T combo * (no PA issues as I did not use it). It had more than enough headroom, and a flatter response than the Streamliner, and this flat response suited my BSX EUB. So my line of thinking is that the Magellan head into a Bass Array 12-3 would be even better, with more mids and an escape from tweeters which I have never liked much in bass cabs. Now here is the but: everyone seems to be talking about using 2 or 3 of these cabs to get a great sound. How far am I going to get with just one? Apart from the expense, I just do not have the storage space or domestic agreement to keep adding to my set of options. One cab would have enough volume for the big band, extrapolating from the Shuttle experience, but would it have the dispersion or great sound that everyone is raving about?

* I only sold this because I stopped gigging for a while. A great little combo that never let me down, although sometimes it needed, and I used, a second GB speaker.