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Genzler Kinetix 800 vs Mesa D800

Taustin Powers

Taustin Powers

Gold Supporting Member
Oct 7, 2002
1,788
3,401
Berlin, Germany
#1
Does anyone have experience with these two amps and can compare them?

I've played the D800 for several years and love. Great tone, especially with the Voicing knob. I pretty much leave it flat, maybe cut some treble.

Things that might interest me in the Genzler: The tubes, and the built-in gain. Can it be used to add some subtle overdrive to my tone? As in, not really distorted, but some more warmth and harmonic content?
 
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#2
I own the D800+ and the Kinetix 800. I have also owned the D800.

For me the extra features of the D800+ made it worth the extra $.

Having said that the 800+ and Kinetix are both KILLER heads. I use both as my main gigging heads and you can’t go wrong with either! I have been using the Kinetix more often lately for 2 reasons:

1. I am relying a lot on my Spector Euros for my tone so I use subtle EQ settings on the amp and tend to run it pretty flat. The Kinetix has a simpler EQ structure. IMO the D800+ has a much more fine tunable EQ if you need that.

2. I use IEM’s and like the warmth of the preamp tubes when it comes to my IEM’s. That’s not to say that the Mesa isn’t warm, but I’ve always like and used heads with tubes in the pre.

Having said that, the Kinetix ships with 3 JJ 12AX7 tubes. I replaced the tubes in the V1 and V2 positions in the Kinetix with Mullard 12AU7 and 12AT7 respectively and a Mullard 12AX7 in the V3 position. I find the Mullards to be a bit warmer and smooth than the JJ’s and by swapping to increasingly higher gain in each position I get much more warm and subtle tube breakup.
 
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#7
I use a D800+. The mid-frequency sweep and gain adjustments and the high pass filter are the best of any amp ive ever used for getting a good tone for any room. It also does a little grind with proper gain-staging. That said, i also wanted a little more "tubey warmth" and got a DarkGlass Vintage Microtubes pedal. Works great with the Mesa head and was way cheaper than getting another head.
 
#9
Thanks all!

I own a D800 (at home) and a D800+ (rehearsal space). I actually prefer the D800 due to its simplicity, the EQ mid frequencies are set perfectly for me.

What I was primarily wondering is how the tone or character of these amps compare. I really love the voicing of the D800 - seems like Mesa and I really agree on what a bass should sound like! :) Does the Genzler have a similar voice, or rather different?
 
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#10
BlackCrow said:
I use a D800+. The mid-frequency sweep and gain adjustments and the high pass filter are the best of any amp ive ever used for getting a good tone for any room. It also does a little grind with proper gain-staging. That said, i also wanted a little more "tubey warmth" and got a DarkGlass Vintage Microtubes pedal. Works great with the Mesa head and was way cheaper than getting another head.
Click to expand...
I did something similar with the Genzler 4 on the Floor pedal. It sounds great for subtle overdrive. That's part of the reason I am interested in the Kinetix - I could possibly simplify my setup and have the OD right in the amp. :)
 
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#12
Taustin Powers said:
Does anyone have experience with these two amps and can compare them?

I've played the D800 for several years and love. Great tone, especially with the Voicing knob. I pretty much leave it flat, maybe cut some treble.

Things that might interest me in the Genzler: The tubes, and the built-in gain. Can it be used to add some subtle overdrive to my tone? As in, not really distorted, but some more warmth and harmonic content?
Click to expand...
The Genzler will assuredly get you nice, tube grind: Check out this great video: https://genzleramplification.com/shop/kinetix-800/

Disclosure- I have NOT compared it to the Mesa.
Disclosure- Although I don't have any financial/commercial affiliation with Jeff, he's a close friend.
Disclosure- I did come up with the name for his new amp. No money or other gratuities changed hands for this.
 
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#15
How about a Nobelium, Neptinium or aunderground Accellerator in front of the Mesa... The D800 is a great head. The D800+ is one of my fave heads ever due to the more sophisticated EQ. Haven't had the pleasure of a Kinetix.

These days more often than not, Genzler pre into a Straight Ahead power amp. I find the selectable conours ro be useful in a live setting. I use the B Contour to thin things out a bit for some songs where I am more melodic.
 
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#16
Taustin Powers said:
Thanks all!

I own a D800 (at home) and a D800+ (rehearsal space). I actually prefer the D800 due to its simplicity, the EQ mid frequencies are set perfectly for me.

What I was primarily wondering is how the tone or character of these amps compare. I really love the voicing of the D800 - seems like Mesa and I really agree on what a bass should sound like! Does the Genzler have a similar voice, or rather different?
Click to expand...
I agree on the D800 attributes you mentioned. I owned both 800 and the plus. Ultimately, I sold the plus and got another 800. :) Never played through the Genzler so I can’t comment on it.
 
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#17
4Mal said:
How about a Nobelium, Neptinium or aunderground Accellerator in front of the Mesa... The D800 is a great head. The D800+ is one of my fave heads ever due to the more sophisticated EQ. Haven't had the pleasure of a Kinetix.

These days more often than not, Genzler pre into a Straight Ahead power amp. I find the selectable conours ro be useful in a live setting. I use the B Contour to thin things out a bit for some songs where I am more melodic.
Click to expand...
Did you ever give a WD a test drive and if so, how was it for you?
 
#18
DJ Bebop said:
Did you ever give a WD a test drive and if so, how was it for you?
Click to expand...
I did. Mostly as Chef was such a fan of the WD. Alan and I shared taste on some things so I sold my D-800+ and bought a WD. I couldn't make it work for me.. Not sure if it was the combo of my very neutral MAS cab and the basses I was usimg but it was always mid forward in a way I didn't like.

The D-800+ took me a bit but I was able to find 'me' in it.
 
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#19
4Mal said:
I did. Mostly as Chef was such a fan of the WD. Alan and I shared taste on some things so I sold my D-800+ and bought a WD. I couldn't make it work for me.. Not sure if it was the combo of my very neutral MAS cab and the basses I was using but it was always mid forward in a way I didn't like.

The D-800+ took me a bit but I was able to find 'me' in it.
Click to expand...
You are not the first that had that reaction to them. Fortunately Mesa has an amp for that 😂

I got it to work for me with the SW 115, at this space in time.
 
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#20
I had both, I kept the Kinetix but I still LOVE the D800+, feature wise I mean how can you beat the D800+?

They offer such a different sound though and the Kinetix was just scratching my itch.

Tube pedals (I have/had a Neptunium, Nobellium, Underground Accelerator, More, Noble) in front of a D800+ will not get you there in terms of what the the Kinetix does.
 
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