Genzler Amplification Club

[Sid the Kid]

I don't know what is needed on a pro stage, that's why I asked a simple question. How loud does it have to be?

It is difficult to directly answer your question because every single gig is different and there is no standard. If I were trying to appear professional I would have more amp than the gig required and I would happily not use the stage rig at all if the sound engineer told me not to. In my opinion being professional means being prepared. This is why many of us have much more amplifier than we actually require, and also smaller options for when they are the right tool for the job. Modular stacks excel at this vs a giant cabinet like an 8x10, and the Genzler cabinets all pair well together in my experience.

I haven’t played a pro stage that actually required an amplifier, most pro settings will be utilizing IEM’s. I don’t get to play pro stages that much, often times I am not even using the PA for support, so for my non professional needs the 2 BA 10-2’s would be adequate for bars but not enough for outdoors.

 

[macribas]

It is difficult to directly answer your question because every single gig is different and there is no standard. If I were trying to appear professional I would have more amp than the gig required and I would happily not use the stage rig at all if the sound engineer told me not to. In my opinion being professional means being prepared. This is why many of us have much more amplifier than we actually require, and also smaller options for when they are the right tool for the job. Modular stacks excel at this vs a giant cabinet like an 8x10, and the Genzler cabinets all pair well together in my experience.

I haven’t played a pro stage that actually required an amplifier, most pro settings will be utilizing IEM’s. I don’t get to play pro stages that much, often times I am not even using the PA for support, so for my non professional needs the 2 BA 10-2’s would be adequate for bars but not enough for outdoors.

Agreed. I have been using IEMs for a while now, but a long time ago I played Stubb’s in Austin which is a decent sized outdoor stage. I brought my Shuttle 9.0 with a NeoX 2x12. The main act’s female bassist was playing the Uber 4x10 with the GBE head. We both got what we needed and the engineers loved it.

 

[Hawk620]

Yet there are also players who find that a BA410 and MG-800 are necessary for situations they work in.

Different situations require different tools… if all you have is a hammer, every screw looks like a nail.

Back in the Genz Benz days, Jeff built some guitar cabinets for George Lynch (G-Flex), 212’s, that George used multiples of on stage. I provided sound for one of George’s Lynch Mob dates in a medium size venue (~1000 seats) and it was a loud show, even by my standards. Big bass rig, loud, everything in your face. Why? Because that’s what the audience wanted, that’s what the impact needed to achieve the band’s needs.

Like I said before, every situation is different, small rigs are great for some and big rigs are great for others. Neither are wrong or need to be insulted.

No doubt Andy. If I was routinely doing gigs with bands like Joey Kun plays in and I once played with I'd be using something similar as well. But what I'm trying to do here is fit my suggestions to the OP's current need and weight limitations while also suggesting the ability to expand upon a very basic rig like mine should that need arise. If that ever happens for me I'll be adding more Genzler gear.....trust me. LOL

If this gear had been around 20-30 years ago when I was playing gigs large and small every weekend I would have been using an MG800 or a Kinetix with a 212 or 410 cab. As it was I was playing an Ampeg SVT III with a Hartke 410xl cab. That cab alone weighed over 90lbs and thank God they're much lighter today. But the chance that I'll ever need something like that again are very slim so I go smaller but can always expand.

 

[TBird1958]

Carry on...............

 

[ValerieK]

I haven’t played a pro stage that actually required an amplifier, most pro settings will be utilizing IEM’s. I don’t get to play pro stages that much, often times I am not even using the PA for support, so for my non professional needs the 2 BA 10-2’s would be adequate for bars but not enough for outdoors.

That’s why I feel stuck/confused. I don't want a loud amp, I would rather use IEM's (and electric drums) for all gigs... but I'm frequently playing outdoors with no real PA, no sound person, and nobody else wants to use IEMs. I bought a Roland kit in 2019 and have offered every drummer I have played with the opportunity to use it for free - but they act like it's a punishment and refuse. MUST PLAY LOUD is the attitude of everyone I have ever played with in my life.

It's like I have to buy a bunch of stuff I don't want, just to get through this low-level semi-pro DIY gigging level and hopefully break into the scene that I have read about online where all of the good bands are actually using 21st century technology and taking care of their hearing.

The rig I actually want is an MS-60B+ and a simple preamp like the Magellan, direct to PA/IEMs. I have a 16 lb Everse 8 speaker that's as loud as I ever want to hear on stage, personally.

 

[Sid the Kid]

The rig I actually want is an MS-60B+ and a simple preamp like the Magellan, direct to PA/IEMs. I have a 16 lb Everse 8 speaker that's as loud as I ever want to hear on stage, personally.

You should consider doing this. There are a few powered PA speakers that get good reviews from Talkbass members using their DI of choice straight in as an alternative to a traditional amplifier. As a bonus you can use it as a monitor for yourself when you get to go direct. Powered speakers can also be relatively light to tote around.

The Magellan would be a great DI for the task!

 

[ValerieK]

You should consider doing this. There are a few powered PA speakers that get good reviews from Talkbass members using their DI of choice straight in as an alternative to a traditional amplifier. As a bonus you can use it as a monitor for yourself when you get to go direct. Powered speakers can also be relatively light to tote around.

The Magellan would be a great DI for the task!

I ended up on the BA-10-2 as a PA speaker after finding that essentially every decent PA speaker is over 20 lbs. Yamaha CBR10 (passive) at 21 lbs is about the lightest I can find, short of my little Everse 8" at 16.x lbs with a built in battery, mixer, and amp. QSC CP8 is their lightest at 21 lbs. The stuff TB members use is all heavier.

If I had a woodshop and knew how to design crossovers, I would make something with a 10" coaxial like the FaitalPRO 10HX240. That should be doable under 20 lbs in a passive wedge design for convenience, but what do I know...

 

[comfortstarr]

So… I might be pulling the trigger on the MG800 with this deal that’s running ($989 USD and a free pedal). This seems like quite a value (I’d been considering either a Quilter Bass Block 803 or the Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700 Bass).

Regarding the free pedal, seems like the distortion one would be the smartest play, as the MG800 has a drive channel and enough onboard EQ capability for me. Logical?

I don’t have a great sense of what the amp’s drive channel sounds like.

 

[Holdsg]

This is how I look at it:
the drive channel is a mix of overdrive and distortion, it gets you more of that nice breakup that many people love. Does not do super gnarly.
the distortion pedal (Crash Box) goes from nice breakup to super gnarly very quickly.

IME and IMO

 

[Kenny056]

So… I might be pulling the trigger on the MG800 with this deal that’s running ($989 USD and a free pedal). This seems like quite a value (I’d been considering either a Quilter Bass Block 803 or the Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700 Bass).

Regarding the free pedal, seems like the distortion one would be the smartest play, as the MG800 has a drive channel and enough onboard EQ capability for me. Logical?

I don’t have a great sense of what the amp’s drive channel sounds like.

Great choice! I love my MG800. I would recommend going with the Crash Box 4. The amps drive channel sounds great and can get a decent amount of breakup, especially if you have a higher output bass. I just really enjoy the wide range of distortion that the CB4 can achieve. Enjoy your new amp!

 

[Jamvan]

@ValerieK You don’t need to worry about your stage volume for a “pro” gig as a “pro” gig usually has full production support which includes enough low end out front to carry the house and plenty of stage monitors to satisfy those that need to hear your bass and don’t want to use IEMs.

It sounds to me like you actually need more right now if you’re running everything through an EV 30M so solve that problem first and don’t worry about the mythical pro gig in the future as they’ll house production will handle much of that.

As an example, we just had a young group open for us (photo below) and the bass player showed up with a tiny Fender combo amp with no DI. Couldn’t have been more than 40 watts/single 10” speaker. Production simply threw a DI box in front of it, set up some wedges for everyone else on stage, and he sounded glorious the entire night with plenty of PA support that didn’t require his little amp to break a sweat to carry stage or FOH volume.

TLR Fix your now problem and don’t worry about a hypothetical future need until you get there.

 

[ValerieK]

Yeah... I ordered a pair of BA-10-2 and a Darkglass Exponent 500, but haven't received them yet and already regret all of it.

I don't have a "now problem" other than that I wanted to order things while they were:

A - in stock
B - available with 0% 48 month financing and some money off

Stupid idea. The 30M sounds fine as far as I am concerned. It's everyone else who wants to play loud - I prefer IEMs and a silent stage.

 

[Challanger2]

Yeah... I ordered a pair of BA-10-2 and a Darkglass Exponent 500, but haven't received them yet and already regret all of it.

I don't have a "now problem" other than that I wanted to order things while they were:

A - in stock
B - available with 0% 48 month financing and some money off

Stupid idea. The 30M sounds fine as far as I am concerned. It's everyone else who wants to play loud - I prefer IEMs and a silent stage.

I think you should give the bass arrays a chance, they’re absolutely great live. The dispersion benefits are kind of hard to put into words, but it feels great on stage.

There’s a local bar by me that with the way my band was setup, required me to setup my cab on one side of the stage but perform on the other (cramped stage and we need the singer/ in the middle). With my old cab I literally couldn’t hear myself at all because it just threw sound forward into the audience. Once I got my bass array 410 I could hear myself no issues with the amp/cab and myself in the same spots on opposite sites of the stage.

 

[Rebel Rocker]

So how do you like that combo? I’ve been thinking about getting the exact set up for my new club rig.

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Out of town for the holidays. I love this rig. I've been playing the Mesa Subway gear for a couple of years it's great. But when I purchased the Genzler rig, I found the sound I had been looking for, for years. So easy to dial in and just has this sound that's full and solid. I've gotten so many compliments on my tone. It's the best rig I've ever had and trust me I've played a lot of different gear over the years. you will not regret your purchase.

 

[comfortstarr]

Indeed, the trigger was pulled. Look forward to getting the amp.

 

[ValerieK]

I think you should give the bass arrays a chance, they’re absolutely great live. The dispersion benefits are kind of hard to put into words, but it feels great on stage.

There’s a local bar by me that with the way my band was setup, required me to setup my cab on one side of the stage but perform on the other (cramped stage and we need the singer/ in the middle). With my old cab I literally couldn’t hear myself at all because it just threw sound forward into the audience. Once I got my bass array 410 I could hear myself no issues with the amp/cab and myself in the same spots on opposite sites of the stage.

How can you handle that without earplugs?

 

[Challanger2]

How can you handle that without earplugs?

I have professional molded musician earplugs, so I don’t lol

 

[Hawk620]

Yeah... I ordered a pair of BA-10-2 and a Darkglass Exponent 500, but haven't received them yet and already regret all of it.

I don't have a "now problem" other than that I wanted to order things while they were:

A - in stock
B - available with 0% 48 month financing and some money off

Stupid idea. The 30M sounds fine as far as I am concerned. It's everyone else who wants to play loud - I prefer IEMs and a silent stage.

I think you'll find that if you need to or at some point even can play quieter that rig will sound just as good. I don't have any regular gigs right now so all of my playing is at home in my gear room in a multi-tenant building where I can't play that loud period and it sounds fine.

And just the opposite of you I would be uncomfortable with IEMs and a silent stage. I want to hear from my backline like I always have but I'm better prepared for that now if that's the way it has to be.

 

[Joeykun]

FJ - NYE on the Jersey Shore! Happy New Year Everyone

 

[Fishface]

Last night I recorded for our demo video using just the 4OnTheFloor (second gear) and the MG Pre (HP@40, both A&B curves set to 11), straight into the board, and it sounded great before anything was done to it.
I was extremely pleased.