I’ve certainly played through worse backline rigs. I will say I never got a decent tone out Hartke amps from that era. I reckon the Ampeg head was decent enough.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Genzler Amplification Club
- Thread starter Discount Saint
- Start date
Perhaps adding a Magellan PRE/DI Pedal to your collection would help. Skip the Hartke and use the Genzler PRE/DI.
I picked one up based recommendations here (thanks Aged Horse) for my old rehearsal space backline (GK 15" combo I hated) and I was more than pleased with the results. I also took it to a few auditions and jams where amps or PA support were provided and I was really impressed with the results.
I tried the Ampeg but it had some issues….kept cutting in and out so the Hartke it was.
I’m sure that would have helped but I think it was more the cabinet for me. I’ve used those Hartke amps in the past with good success….no matter what I did that Ampeg sounded like it had a blanket thrown over it and just sounded blah.
I grew up in MD/DC and Go-Go was a massive part of my musical pallet. The bassist is slaying it with some OG Genz Benz. The whole band is tight and they have fun performing.
Also love what Noochie is doing for live music and promoting the Go-Go culture. He's had some amazing artists come through that you should check out if Snoop isn't your flavor.
Setup for a wedding gig earlier this evening.
Sonic bliss
Sonic bliss
How are you liking that JHS Beach Boys rig? Carol Kaye in a box.
It sounds good. But I was only using it for some distortion in one of the songs this evening (Dance to the Mysic). But yes, the compressor is a nice “always on” addition.
My second BA10-2 S2 cab arrived yesterday afternoon two days ahead of schedule. Both the dealer and FedEx were extremely efficient this time. Like the MG350 Combo it came very well boxed and protected.
I had a laugh as I carried it to my gear room where my roomie saw me one handing it and asked if that was the new bass cab I'd ordered. Yup, this is it. Although he's seen the combo before he's still more used to the former Epifani UL2 2x12 and 1x12 cabs I had stacked in the corner of that room I'd been using. He can easily recall when I got them barely fitting the 2x12 in my car, then moving them from Denver to Ft Collins, and again from a ground floor unit to the 2nd floor unit we share now. That 2x12 was not so easily moved and even the 1x12 weighed far more than the single Bass Array cab. I can easily one hand the combo too.
Anyway, this is it. I'm done. I doubt I will ever need to own a bass rig any bigger or better than this. I've been playing bass since 1965 and have owned at least a dozen rigs over the years from smaller to larger. Now in my senior years the bell curve is complete with a smaller lighter rig again that's by far the best I've ever owned in every way imaginable. Between the Magellan head and the 4 OTF overdrive there's nothing tonally I can't get out of the rig. They're so transparent and lacking a "baked in voice" that all I hear are the way my basses sound and me. That's what I enjoy most. No fighting with EQ either. Just set the contour to taste, tweak the EQ if needed and at home it's set pretty much at noon across the board, plug in and play.
Although I haven't had a chance to play at closer to gig volume yet (gotta respect my neighbors below) I will be able to tomorrow when they're at work. Despite that I can already hear more bottom end from the coupling of the dual cabs even at bedroom levels. I really don't want or need any more low end than these will give me. I tend to play more in low register anyway so I appreciate the clarity and punch of the 10"s. I suppose as little as I may gig any longer at least comparatively speaking spending what I have on this rig may seem overboard to some but dammit, I've played long enough to have earned this by now.....LOL. And it's not about cost anyway. It's about value and this rig has it in spades. Thanks Jeff and Andy, and Scott as well.
This is a pinnacle of my career rig.
I had a laugh as I carried it to my gear room where my roomie saw me one handing it and asked if that was the new bass cab I'd ordered. Yup, this is it. Although he's seen the combo before he's still more used to the former Epifani UL2 2x12 and 1x12 cabs I had stacked in the corner of that room I'd been using. He can easily recall when I got them barely fitting the 2x12 in my car, then moving them from Denver to Ft Collins, and again from a ground floor unit to the 2nd floor unit we share now. That 2x12 was not so easily moved and even the 1x12 weighed far more than the single Bass Array cab. I can easily one hand the combo too.
Anyway, this is it. I'm done. I doubt I will ever need to own a bass rig any bigger or better than this. I've been playing bass since 1965 and have owned at least a dozen rigs over the years from smaller to larger. Now in my senior years the bell curve is complete with a smaller lighter rig again that's by far the best I've ever owned in every way imaginable. Between the Magellan head and the 4 OTF overdrive there's nothing tonally I can't get out of the rig. They're so transparent and lacking a "baked in voice" that all I hear are the way my basses sound and me. That's what I enjoy most. No fighting with EQ either. Just set the contour to taste, tweak the EQ if needed and at home it's set pretty much at noon across the board, plug in and play.
Although I haven't had a chance to play at closer to gig volume yet (gotta respect my neighbors below) I will be able to tomorrow when they're at work. Despite that I can already hear more bottom end from the coupling of the dual cabs even at bedroom levels. I really don't want or need any more low end than these will give me. I tend to play more in low register anyway so I appreciate the clarity and punch of the 10"s. I suppose as little as I may gig any longer at least comparatively speaking spending what I have on this rig may seem overboard to some but dammit, I've played long enough to have earned this by now.....LOL. And it's not about cost anyway. It's about value and this rig has it in spades. Thanks Jeff and Andy, and Scott as well.
This is a pinnacle of my career rig.
Obligatory photo of said new rig......not pro quality I know, but dammit Jim, I'm a bassist not a professional photographer.
Last edited:
Jeff Genzler
Commercial User
- Feb 9, 2007
- 1,819
- 11,893
- Disclosures
- Currently GENZLER AMPLIFICATION / Formerly GENZ BENZ
Nice!! The pic makes it real, whatever the quality. Thank you for continuing to use our gear. Enjoy!
Thank you Jeff. It's unfortunate my photographic skills don't even come close to the caliber of your gear but fortunately I can play better than I take pics. At least others get an idea what a BA10-2 S2 "Stack" looks like stuck in the corner of my studio/gear room. Tiny but mighty eh?
Rewinding to last weekend it was great to end our 3 shows in 2 days run using my Genzler rig. After a run with a couple of different Ampeg rigs it was like a night and day difference!
@Jeff Genzler ….Rick Skillman was playing in the duo ahead of us. We talked shop for a few minutes after they finished and he asked about my main rig which obviously led to your name coming up. Turns out he and I live just a few minutes away from one another. A fun conversation for sure.
@Jeff Genzler ….Rick Skillman was playing in the duo ahead of us. We talked shop for a few minutes after they finished and he asked about my main rig which obviously led to your name coming up. Turns out he and I live just a few minutes away from one another. A fun conversation for sure.
I took my MG350 combo and two extension cabinets to a show last weekend, and it was amazing! I play in an 80s Smiths, Morrissey, and Marr tribute band in San Diego, and the sound from this setup cut through the club effortlessly! The sound engineer was pleased, and the crowd loved how clear the bass notes resonated since most of the songs are bass and melody-heavy. The full range cabinet and line array makes a huge difference compared to other rigs. I am hoping to get a Kinetix 800 soon to replace my MG350 and AMT-A tube pedal. It reminds me of the GB STM-900, a unicorn I am still looking for.
Current Setup:
MG350 head
BA-10-2
BA-10
BA-10
Alternate Setup:
Phil Jones Bass BP-800
Phil Jones Bass C4
Phil Jones Bass C8
Phil Jones Bass BG 400 combo
Current Pedal Setup:
Bigshot I/O
Fishman Platinum Pro EQ
* EH Pitch Fork
C4 Synth
* AMT-A tube pedal
EH Bass Big Muff
EH Bass Clone
* swapped signal chain positions
Basses:
MusicMan Sterling 2009 m.USA
Fender Meteora m.Mx
Ibanez electric upright UB804 (not pictured)
Current Setup:
MG350 head
BA-10-2
BA-10
BA-10
Alternate Setup:
Phil Jones Bass BP-800
Phil Jones Bass C4
Phil Jones Bass C8
Phil Jones Bass BG 400 combo
Current Pedal Setup:
Bigshot I/O
Fishman Platinum Pro EQ
* EH Pitch Fork
C4 Synth
* AMT-A tube pedal
EH Bass Big Muff
EH Bass Clone
* swapped signal chain positions
Basses:
MusicMan Sterling 2009 m.USA
Fender Meteora m.Mx
Ibanez electric upright UB804 (not pictured)
Jeff Genzler
Commercial User
- Feb 9, 2007
- 1,819
- 11,893
- Disclosures
- Currently GENZLER AMPLIFICATION / Formerly GENZ BENZ
Great post and nice rig pics. Don't often see 3 of these cabs stacked on stage. Looks great. I can imagine that this sound really great and dispersed through out the room, nicely. A Kinetix power this stack would also be awesome.
Thank you for using our gear.
Thank you for using our gear.
Thanks, Jeff! The rig sounds great with two cabinets, but adding the third really puts the tone front and center. I no longer have to turn to the side and slouch to monitor what I’m playing. My basses sound distinctly different now, and I can tell them apart without too much adjustment to my tone. It sounds very "true," if that makes any sense. The band noticed the difference, too, when I went from two to three cabinets. Probably because the combo part of the stack angles more upward compared to the other two. Thanks for making high-quality equipment; the investment was worth it!
I've thought about making the move to the Kinetix, but I don't know. I love the idea of the multiple preamp tubes. I have an SVT3-Pro and just love the way that thing sounds. I love the sound of my Finally DI into the Magellan, but you can really tell a difference with the SVT3 and its multiple preamp/drive tubes. I had a GK Fusion 800 S before my Magellan and it had 3 preamp tubes and I loved the sound of that, but I didn't get along with the DI out on that one and it was just way too bright overall as an amp. Either couldn't dial it out or if you did, you killed the tone.
On the Kinetix, I saw someone else asking, does the clean stay clean or at least until you dig in hard? I am not looking to emulate a pushed old school tube SVT. I am not into that sound. I like the multiple preamp tube sound that is clean but has those nice harmonics and break a little when you dig in.
On the Kinetix, I saw someone else asking, does the clean stay clean or at least until you dig in hard? I am not looking to emulate a pushed old school tube SVT. I am not into that sound. I like the multiple preamp tube sound that is clean but has those nice harmonics and break a little when you dig in.
Anyone out there have an original Genzler 112T ? I love the midrange sound on these.
I wouldn’t mind having one either, something nice to go under the 2x12 Magellan. Heck, I wouldn’t mind seeing a 1x15 Magellan cab.
