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Genzler Magellan Pre... looks tasty

#241
bass12 said:
I played my first gig with the Magellan preamp last night. I bought the pre because I wanted a device that would allow me to refine my sound for my in-ear mix. My only concern was that my preamp fiddling might interfere too much with the FOH and I might then have to split the signal into EQed for monitor and pre-EQ for FOH. After speaking with our FOH man (one the best I've had the pleasure of working with) he assured me that my tweaking would not be a problem.

As it turned out I left everything flat except for the Contour knobs. I set the B curve at around 1:00 o'clock and used that for everything except songs where I slapped (for those songs I tried the A curve between flat and 1:00 o'clock - ultimately preferring the flat setting). The B curve at 1:00 o'clock gave me exactly what I was looking for: a pleasantly thick and punchy mid-forward tone with great definition. Every note I played was clear with a certain heft and it made playing way more fun than if I'd just been going through my usual Radial J48. During soundcheck I was experimenting with different preamp settings and I thought, "Wow, there's a lot of subtlety in these adjustments and everything sounds 'musical'". It was only afterwards that I took a look at the manual and saw that exact word ("musical") used to describe the controls. :thumbsup:

My first impressions couldn't be better (aside from the use of plastic nuts instead of metal for the output jacks) and I very much look forward to seeing how this pre handles the various acoustic spaces I will find myself in. A very nicely designed piece of gear indeed!
Click to expand...
Note that the fiber reinforced nylon nuts are more reliable than metal nuts in this application. The metal nuts are thin and use a fine thread which is not as strong. We have not ever had one of these nuts fail, have been using them for a very long time.

The bushings are also an engineering grade nylon, which are very difficult to damage. It needs to be non-conductive because the chassis ground is independent from the circuit ground and is referenced separately. This is part of how the pedal can operate from a positive or negative supply.
 
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#242
agedhorse said:
Note that the fiber reinforced nylon nuts are more reliable than metal nuts in this application. The metal nuts are thin and use a fine thread which is not as strong. We have not ever had one of these nuts fail, have been using them for a very long time.

The bushings are also an engineering grade nylon, which are very difficult to damage. It needs to be non-conductive because the chassis ground is independent from the circuit ground and is referenced separately. This is part of how the pedal can operate from a positive or negative supply.
Click to expand...
Good to know - thank you for the explanation!
 
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#243
So here I am reading preamp threads over and over because I am disappointed in a recent purchase and then I see that @Jeff Genzler has released the Magellan Pre. I play a Shuttle Max 6 in my normal amp (410 cab) set up that was recommended by Mike Tobias and crew years ago. I was blown away by that amp from day 1. I love the amp but quite frankly, I love not carrying an amp at all. I switched to a Hartke Bass Attack and really dug the tone of it but was never thrilled with the high end notes punching through. It worked well enough for many many years. Then it got stepped on and the jack was messed up. So I tried the Laney Digbeth after hours of reviews and videos. Three shows in and I’m not in love.
So I find the Magellan Pre and the warm fuzzies of my precious Genz Benz and Jeff’s great customer service from the past comes to mind. So I’m sending back the Digbeth tomorrow and I think the Magellan is gonna be the next logical step in bass happiness. I’m not impressed with some of the “standard” preamp pedals.

Tell me why I’m the smartest guy in the world or (I doubt this but) why I should keep looking?
 
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#244
I did all the research imaginable. I thought a wanted a tube preamp, but they all seem to have negative reviews on exactly the points I cared about. Distortion is not something I need, and I don't want either a purely classic tone or an overly modern one. I didn't necessarily think the Magellan was what I wanted, but when I heard the sample and decided to try it. The day afte I got it, I velcro'd it to my board and now I am addicted to the sound. If you can try it with no risk (i.e. find it in a store or be able to return it), I'd say that's the smartest way to go. It helped make my buying decision easier, but the pedal itself is flexible, high quality, and perfect for me in my (covers) band and at home. I told the fine people at Genzler that I'm addicted to the sound and consider myself lucky to have made this choice. Now I can think about something else, as my sound is so easy to master.
 
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#245
Mojo34 said:
I did all the research imaginable. I thought a wanted a tube preamp, but they all seem to have negative reviews on exactly the points I cared about. Distortion is not something I need, and I don't want either a purely classic tone or an overly modern one. I didn't necessarily think the Magellan was what I wanted, but when I heard the sample and decided to try it. The day afte I got it, I velcro'd it to my board and now I am addicted to the sound. If you can try it with no risk (i.e. find it in a store or be able to return it), I'd say that's the smartest way to go. It helped make my buying decision easier, but the pedal itself is flexible, high quality, and perfect for me in my (covers) band and at home. I told the fine people at Genzler that I'm addicted to the sound and consider myself lucky to have made this choice. Now I can think about something else, as my sound is so easy to master.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the response. I appreciate the input and have been reading your posts.
I’ll throw one wrinkle into my decision making. I too am in a cover band. I go between fingers and pick depending on what the song requires. With fingers I tend to want a little more punch and brightness. So I like having two options in one pedal. The two contours may accomplish this for me. It was something the digbeth handled with a Fet and Tube channel. I could add more punch with the tube channel when using fingers.
So will the two contours allow for something like this set up?
 
#246
Noonan768 said:
Thank you for the response. I appreciate the input and have been reading your posts.
I’ll throw one wrinkle into my decision making. I too am in a cover band. I go between fingers and pick depending on what the song requires. With fingers I tend to want a little more punch and brightness. So I like having two options in one pedal. The two contours may accomplish this for me. It was something the digbeth handled with a Fet and Tube channel. I could add more punch with the tube channel when using fingers.
So will the two contours allow for something like this set up?
Click to expand...
In a word, yup. Thank you for considering this new pedal.
 
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#248
@Noonan768 @Mojo34 I'm not a pro player on top of that I'm new to pedals. But I'm not new to GENZ-BENZ or Genzler I've been a proud owner of a GENZ-BENZ Contour 500 2X10 combo & ext 1X15 cab forever. What I love about the combo I love even more in the Magellan Pre-amp. Contour, HPF, well defined versatile Mid control, headphone ,aux, di winner winner chicken dinner. :) Seriously its a professional piece of kit for very little money considering what you get. I'd have to go way above it's price range before I'd find something vastly better honestly. An of those they're tube based or Neve based which its not or trying to be. I'll be taking it to my buddy's studio soon so we and record with it. He wants to see how it performs and if it does well he'll add it to the stable of preamps he has on hand for artist to use. I'd be shocked if he doesn't order one. Good luck with the pedal if you get one. BTW, it takes pedals very well.
 
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#249
Noonan768 said:
So here I am reading preamp threads over and over because I am disappointed in a recent purchase and then I see that @Jeff Genzler has released the Magellan Pre. I play a Shuttle Max 6 in my normal amp (410 cab) set up that was recommended by Mike Tobias and crew years ago. I was blown away by that amp from day 1. I love the amp but quite frankly, I love not carrying an amp at all. I switched to a Hartke Bass Attack and really dug the tone of it but was never thrilled with the high end notes punching through. It worked well enough for many many years. Then it got stepped on and the jack was messed up. So I tried the Laney Digbeth after hours of reviews and videos. Three shows in and I’m not in love.
So I find the Magellan Pre and the warm fuzzies of my precious Genz Benz and Jeff’s great customer service from the past comes to mind. So I’m sending back the Digbeth tomorrow and I think the Magellan is gonna be the next logical step in bass happiness. I’m not impressed with some of the “standard” preamp pedals.

Tell me why I’m the smartest guy in the world or (I doubt this but) why I should keep looking?
Click to expand...

As I have posted here, I have the original Shuttle 6.0 (and a Neopak 3.5) of which I am still very fond. I extensively tried out the Max versions of the Shuttles when they first came out, albeit only in store not on a gig, and I quite liked the FET channel, and the increased eq flexibility in both channels and the variable global shaping. However, at the time, I couldn’t justify the expense over my then relatively new Shuttle 6.0. I have never needed more power than the Shuttle’s 600 watts into my Berg HT112/EX112 4 ohm speaker system.

That said, I always wanted to have an option like the FET channel in the Max. I think that the Magellan Pre/DI delivers that quite nicely, but in its own way. I have tried to describe that in the reviews that I have posted in this thread. I use Contours A and B mostly in the 9:00 to 11:00 positions, i.e. not at extreme settings. There is an added “authority” or “heft” to the notes that I can get with the Contours, without losing “airy” or “openness” of the sound that I can still get with a little bit of boost at about 1000 - 1200 hz. I can get that authority, heft out of the Shuttle if I use the L.F. Boost, and increase the mids a bit at about 200 -250 hz, but this is at the expense of some openness in the sound to my ears. Your Max might be more adjustable with its increased flexibility.

Since you love your Max, I think that you would be very happy with the Magellan Pre/DI in lieu of carrying it (the Max) around. I think that you would retain all the benefit of the FET channel of the Max, with the addition of the Contours. What you might miss is the slight harmonic coloration of the tube preamp channel. In my experience, the Magellan is exceptionally clean and clear. You would also retain the ability to have two different tonal profiles available via foot-switch with the Magellan Pre/DI.

I am very pleased with the Magellan Pre/DI. My only suggestion for a version 2 would be to add a third position to the switchable Contours that bypasses them. Then there would be three tonal options available on the fly.

Good luck in your quest.
 
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#250
biobass said:
As I have posted here, I have the original Shuttle 6.0 (and a Neopak 3.5) of which I am still very fond. I extensively tried out the Max versions of the Shuttles when they first came out, albeit only in store not on a gig, and I quite liked the FET channel, and the increased eq flexibility in both channels and the variable global shaping. However, at the time, I couldn’t justify the expense over my then relatively new Shuttle 6.0. I have never needed more power than the Shuttle’s 600 watts into my Berg HT112/EX112 4 ohm speaker system.

That said, I always wanted to have an option like the FET channel in the Max. I think that the Magellan Pre/DI delivers that quite nicely, but in its own way. I have tried to describe that in the reviews that I have posted in this thread. I use Contours A and B mostly in the 9:00 to 11:00 positions, i.e. not at extreme settings. There is an added “authority” or “heft” to the notes that I can get with the Contours, without losing “airy” or “openness” of the sound that I can still get with a little bit of boost at about 1000 - 1200 hz. I can get that authority, heft out of the Shuttle if I use the L.F. Boost, and increase the mids a bit at about 200 -250 hz, but this is at the expense of some openness in the sound to my ears. Your Max might be more adjustable with its increased flexibility.

Since you love your Max, I think that you would be very happy with the Magellan Pre/DI in lieu of carrying it around. I think that you would retain all the benefit of the FET channel of the Max, with the addition of the Contours. What you might miss is the slight harmonic coloration of the tube preamp channel. In my experience, the Magellan is exceptionally clean and clear. You would also retain the ability to have two different tonal profiles available via foot-switch with the Magellan Pre/DI.

I am very pleased with the Magellan Pre/DI. My only suggestion for a version 2 would be to add a third position to the switchable Contours that bypasses them. Then there would be three tonal options available on the fly.

Good luck in your quest.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your experienced review. I’m pretty sold on the tone of this pedal and should be ordering it in the next day or so.
 
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#251
My band is going ampless and I'm fairly new to preamp pedals. Can someone explain the 9-18v power supply option? Does it make a lot of difference? What power supply would you recommend if you gig multiple basses? For instance, a Sandberg 5 w/Glockenklang pre, Sandberg 5/Audere pre, and a stock Alembic Epic 5. Is there a wall wart brand you guys recommend?
 
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#252
bassyogi said:
My band is going ampless and I'm fairly new to preamp pedals. Can someone explain the 9-18v power supply option? Does it make a lot of difference? What power supply would you recommend if you gig multiple basses? For instance, a Sandberg 5 w/Glockenklang pre, Sandberg 5/Audere pre, and a stock Alembic Epic 5. Is there a wall wart brand you guys recommend?
Click to expand...
Operating at a higher supply voltage gives more headroom and higher maximum output level IF necessary. Most applications won’t see much if any difference.
 
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#256
I really tried to resist... :D
Now the Magellean Pre found its way into my setup.
Tbh, it was the contour and the HP filters that did it for me - so musical :bassist:

pedals.jpg


rack.jpg
 
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