I just spent over 2 hours with the Shuttle 6.0

[KPO2000]

Does the Shuttle 6.0 make me want to sell my LMII? No.

But, if you HAD to choose one, what would would it be? I have LMII now and a Shuttle on order. If I want to return the LMII, I need to do so soon. I can't afford to keep both...at least I shouldn't.

Great review by the way! Sounds like we're playing similar music: funk, rock, etc.

 

[jokerjkny]

The NeoPak certainly works fine for upright, for me, at least. I would expect the 6.0 to be similar. The semi-para mid control on the NeoPak, 6.0 and 3.0 is very useful for feedback help and dealing with the weirdness of piezo pickups.

Cheers

+1

if anything, i'm realizing a semi para mids section is pretty awesome for dealing w/ the dgage pickup in my upright and ns wav as well.

dang, the shuttle just gets better and better!

 

[jokerjkny]

Once again, the shuttle will not be replacing my DB750... read below

yea,

i cant imagine anything replacing the 750. the raw heft from the mosfet power section is just too dang good to be replaced by some puny class D power section.

 

[GRoberts]

But, if you HAD to choose one, what would would it be? I have LMII now and a Shuttle on order. If I want to return the LMII, I need to do so soon. I can't afford to keep both...at least I shouldn't.

Great review by the way! Sounds like we're playing similar music: funk, rock, etc.

If I had to CHOOSE, for me, right now? ..... I'd have to say I would keep the Shuttle 6.0. It is closer to the sound I want and need to fill out my band.

Keep in mind, I am leaning toward a more classic tone that growls and punches and gives me a bit more vintage fullness. My findings are also paired to an Epifani UL310 cabinet and using a Jazz style bass. *(Nordy) I can get plenty of clean, great slap tone. But I play fingerstyle 85%-90% of the night. I just loved the way the Shuttle 6.0 growls!. But with finesse and sufficient definition and clarity to do it all. (IMHO/IME)

The Shuttle just seems to give me more ballz, more character and the lows just seem to punch and jump out of my cabinet.

I am gigging again tonight at the same place. So I'll start with the LMII for a set and then switch over to the Shuttle 6.0.

FWIW, I used my X2 wireless and walked out into the room a lot so I could hear the rig and the band mix aside from just hearing the stage sound. It kicks the bass tone out really nicely into the room!

 

[bucephylus]

The NeoPak certainly works fine for upright, for me, at least. I would expect the 6.0 to be similar. The semi-para mid control on the NeoPak, 6.0 and 3.0 is very useful for feedback help and dealing with the weirdness of piezo pickups.

Cheers

Thanks. Again, that is very familiar ground, since the WW has the same capability. That characteristic is 50% of what makes the rig work. The other 50% is the "compression" that the ART tube delivers. If the 6.0 delivers the whole thing in one package, then that's what I've been after for the last 15 or 17 years.

As usual, the thing for me is to sort out whether the convenience is truly worth the extra cash outlay, since the WW is still chugging along quite happily. Hmmm.

 

[TimWinter]

The LMII sounded 'dry' and clean in comparison. And I had some of the VLE dialed in which usually warms up the LMII.

Great review!! So I was just about to go for the LMII until all-y'all start freakin' abbout the 6.0. The quote above is exactly how I felt when I went from a BBE383 pre to the Demeter HBP-1. Keeping it short, The Demeter was magic as soon as I plugged in. In a word the tone was more defined and clear. I didn't need to use any "Sonic Maximizer" to get a well defined yet robust low end, no want for more sparkle. It was just all there, and that was before any knob turning. The overall effect is that Demeter is all about "hi-fi" tone that isn't "high brow". It just sound great.

So why am I here? Alas I must part with the Demeter for a smaller rig. I am going for a well defined articulate tone that isn't sterile. I play mainly jazz, old school R&B. Nothing heavy or LOUD. I think that a lot of people associate articulate with bright with ephasis on the high end and that is not what I am going for. Musical, articulate tone is what the Demeter is. And from what I can tell from your comments Roscoe, that kind of sums up difference between the 6.0 and LMII. One difference however might be the many descriptions of the Shuttles ability for "grind" from the tube. Demeter never did that. And I think it is just how a tube circuit is designed. But I am sold on a tube somewhere in the pre stage, if done correctly. Would you consider that the Shuttle gets more of a Demeter quality (as described here) than the LMII?

 

[GRoberts]

Great review!! So I was just about to go for the LMII until all-y'all start freakin' abbout the 6.0. The quote above is exactly how I felt when I went from a BBE383 pre to the Demeter HBP-1. Keeping it short, The Demeter was magic as soon as I plugged in. In a word the tone was more defined and clear. I didn't need to use any "Sonic Maximizer" to get a well defined yet robust low end, no want for more sparkle. It was just all there, and that was before any knob turning. The overall effect is that Demeter is all about "hi-fi" tone that isn't "high brow". It just sound great.

So why am I here? Alas I must part with the Demeter for a smaller rig. I am going for a well defined articulate tone that isn't sterile. I play mainly jazz, old school R&B. Nothing heavy or LOUD. I think that a lot of people associate articulate with bright with ephasis on the high end and that is not what I am going for. Musical, articulate tone is what the Demeter is. And from what I can tell from your comments Roscoe, that kind of sums up difference between the 6.0 and LMII. One difference however might be the many descriptions of the Shuttles ability for "grind" from the tube. Demeter never did that. And I think it is just how a tube circuit is designed. But I am sold on a tube somewhere in the pre stage, if done correctly. Would you consider that the Shuttle gets more of a Demeter quality (as described here) than the LMII?

I am not entirely familiar with the Demeter, so it's hard to draw a comparison. please don't get me wrong, the LMII is a great sounding amp and you really should play through one. I just find that the Shuttle brings more of an 'organic' tonal quality to the equation that to my ears is a bit 'sweeter'. But for clarity, and sweet clean jazz tones, the LMII can easily do that. But for old school R&B, the tubey goodness of the Shuttle just brings a palpable sweetness and fullness to the tone that has a presence I have not heard in the LMII.

This is so hard to quantify in words. I've always thought of Demeters as being very clean, clear preamps with a sweet presence. The LMII is going to sound cleaner and clearer. But it just doesn't warm up with that old school palpable presence that I heard from the Shuttle 6.0. Does that help?

 

[TimWinter]

Yeah, somewhat. I realize how hard it is to describe what one hears. I guess the crux of it all is I was blown away by the Demeter clarity and somehow attributing that to a tube front end compared to the BBE SS. Like you said with the Shuttle, the Demeter had more character. Bottom line is that one must play through both. And cabinets have a lot to do with it all, of, course. And I am thinking right now of paring up any amp I get with a Phil Jones 4b. I know it is a power hungry cab and that is why I want a head and not go for the Suitcase.

 

[Rhythm5]

Sounds like I need to try out the Shuttle. Just sold my LMII, as it wasn't working for me. While I liked the low end on the LMII, I just didn't dig the high end. I found it very dry and lifeless, compared to my Walkabout. I guess that is just the character of an all SS amp. Soon as the payment clears from the LMII, I am ordering a Shuttle. Also thinking about the GB Neo212 cab. I got rid of my Aguilar GS212 a while back (big mistake..great cab) for a Berg HT112/EX112 stack, and find that I much prefer the sound of a 212 cab. You just can't get the same rich, full low end out of 2 112 cabs. Thinking about the GB, or I will just get another GS212, as I still think that was the best cab I ever owned.

 

[GRoberts]

Sounds like I need to try out the Shuttle. Just sold my LMII, as it wasn't working for me. While I liked the low end on the LMII, I just didn't dig the high end. I found it very dry and lifeless, compared to my Walkabout. I guess that is just the character of an all SS amp. Soon as the payment clears from the LMII, I am ordering a Shuttle. Also thinking about the GB Neo212 cab. I got rid of my Aguilar GS212 a while back (big mistake..great cab) for a Berg HT112/EX112 stack, and find that I much prefer the sound of a 212 cab. You just can't get the same rick, full low end out of 2 112 cabs. Thinking about the GB, or I will just get another GS212, as I still think that was the best cab I ever owned.

+1 on several counts! I too have a Mesa Walkabout and I think the Shuttle can easily offer some of the tonal magic from the Walkabout, but with a lot more headroom! I also think the shuttle is punchier than the Mesa.

I had the bergie HT/EX 112 rig and gigged with it for a few years. Awesome rig for certain applications, but my main complaint was that it would not reproduce a full, beefy low end that carried the room. The Epi UL310 and Shuttle gets that done without breaking a sweat!

I am also interested in checking out the GB Neo cabs.

 

[albass111]

I used this amp for two gigs now, each time the amp was on for at least three hours straight. After the gigs, the amp wasn't even warm. It effortlessly puts out some significant volume.

Friday night's gig, I was up against guitar players using Divided by 13 and Custom Audio Amps. I gig with my Sadowsky, GB and epi cabs, and have the least expensive rig in the band. LOL. The point is, there is a high standard for tone in this band even though it is a bar band. Everyone is happy with the new amp. I usually bring a DB750, so they actually thought my tone was more articulate then normal. I did get a chance to hear the guitar player play my rig and "wooly" is the first description that came to mind. Each note did not pop out as much as I would have liked, but it definitely was loud, full, and the amp had more room to go.

Tonight I used one only cab, and I have found that a HiFi tone is more easily achievable with the 4 ohm load I threw at it. I actually think that a Goliath might be a good fit for this amp. I'll have to find mine and try it out. (It's in a friend's rehearsal space.) The "harsh" SWR attenuator may actually brighten this amp. I'll check it out and post later.

Another impression is that with the gain at 12:00, this amp tends to be more sensitive to the eq boosts of the Sadowsky, meaning that a slight boost on the OBP is magnified with this amp at those settings relative to other amps in my arsenal. This is not necessarily a negative or positive, just an observation.

For the first time, I don't have to say this amp is good for it's size, it is just good. The size is just a bonus. That being said, if it were 20 pounds, it would have some more competition, but not at the current price point.

 

[jokerjkny]

good stuff, albass.

D/13 amps have some massive low end in general, and i can only imagine dealing with its off axis sound.

but just put my order in, and cant wait!

 

[hasbeen]

I used this amp for two gigs now, each time the amp was on for at least three hours straight. After the gigs, the amp wasn't even warm. It effortlessly puts out some significant volume.

Friday night's gig, I was up against guitar players using Divided by 13 and Custom Audio Amps. I gig with my Sadowsky, GB and epi cabs, and have the least expensive rig in the band. LOL. The point is, there is a high standard for tone in this band even though it is a bar band. Everyone is happy with the new amp. I usually bring a DB750, so they actually thought my tone was more articulate then normal. I did get a chance to hear the guitar player play my rig and "wooly" is the first description that came to mind. Each note did not pop out as much as I would have liked, but it definitely was loud, full, and the amp had more room to go.

Tonight I used one only cab, and I have found that a HiFi tone is more easily achievable with the 4 ohm load I threw at it. I actually think that a Goliath might be a good fit for this amp. I'll have to find mine and try it out. (It's in a friend's rehearsal space.) The "harsh" SWR attenuator may actually brighten this amp. I'll check it out and post later.

Another impression is that with the gain at 12:00, this amp tends to be more sensitive to the eq boosts of the Sadowsky, meaning that a slight boost on the OBP is magnified with this amp at those settings relative to other amps in my arsenal. This is not necessarily a negative or positive, just an observation.

For the first time, I don't have to say this amp is good for it's size, it is just good. The size is just a bonus. That being said, if it were 20 pounds, it would have some more competition, but not at the current price point.

If it didn't "pop" as much as you'd like and it was too wooly, I bet we can address that with EQ and gain settings. The 6.0 is actually putting out quite a bit more then 600 watts. Where are your gain settings and eq settings? Your pre on you bass too as I believe that pre is boost-only.

 

[albass111]

If it didn't "pop" as much as you'd like and it was too wooly, I bet we can address that with EQ and gain settings. The 6.0 is actually putting out quite a bit more then 600 watts. Where are your gain settings and eq settings? Your pre on you bass too as I believe that pre is boost-only.

You say the amp is putting out more that 600 watts!??

Hi! Thanks for building such a great amp!! For me wooly is nice. As far as the eq, I have the input stages up pretty high, so that would explain the sensitivity to the OBP. As far as the lack of "pop" goes, I was describing the tone as my guitar was playing a Police song with the amp. I can't really rate his technique, just giving an overall take as it was the first time I heard anyone play this amp in public besides myself.

Contrary to my first living room impressions, this amp is capable of Hi-Fi, but I find that volume is greatly affected by lowering the input gain and volume. That's why it seems like it is easier to achieve with a 4ohm load and more headroom. For Marcus lovers, with my Sadowsky, activating the mid scoop and adding a slight amount of treble gives a great slap sound with some thickness.

 

[Pickebass]

Great review!! I was very impressed when I spent two hours in the store A/B/Cing my amps with the shuttle 6.0. Like albass said, I;m not getting rid of my aguilar rig, but this thing is impressive!! I've tried it with their 210 combo as well as an accugroove 112, and a glockenklang 212.

Sonically, I found it very similar to the Neo Pak 3.5 except with more power. Super nice tone. Like many, I hesitantly purchased Genz Benz but was blown away with the tonal characteristics of the 3.5. Felt that the shuttle is my answer to portability and tone.


If you are looking for a small combo consider the shuttle with the 210 cab. A 40 pound combo with 375 watts!!

 

[tombowlus]

Awesome review, Al!

 

[KJung]

+1... nice review. It seems that there is quite a convergence of reviews on the 6.0/LMII... similar volume and oomph, and a difference in tone that seems mostly and not surprisingly attributable to the SS pre of the LMII (quick, clean, sparkle up top, punchy) versus the tube driven pre of the 6.0 (warmer, fatter, grittier and capable of some overdrive).

 

[Eublet]

+1... nice review. It seems that there is quite a convergence of reviews on the 6.0/LMII... similar volume and oomph, and a difference in tone that seems mostly and not surprisingly attributable to the SS pre of the LMII (quick, clean, sparkle up top, punchy) versus the tube driven pre of the 6.0 (warmer, fatter, grittier and capable of some overdrive).

Yup, which I think we all kind of expected before the shuttles even came out. I'm just waiting for something along the lines of a GBE to be released with an SMPS. If Genz could put the pre from the 3.0 and the 6.0 in one head, even if they a shared the EQ as in the GBE 400/600, it would be killer. But I'm not dropping any hints or anything!

 

[albass111]

I have now played with this amp on 8 gigs in 10 days, ranging from large clubs(300-500) to dive bars. It definitely continues to deliver. Using this head with my 4ohm SA410, and 4ohm SVT810, I have some different opinions. However, once again, I am confirming that it is a good tone right out of the box. Similarly to the LMII, the amp sound changes with each different cabinet (No Brainer.) However, I found that the common characteristics are headroom and a richness in the low mids. This goes across the board whether I am using a 112 or the 810. Now with the 810, this thing is just so loud. I was really, really loud with the gain at 1:00 volume at 12:00 and master at 8:30. 9:00 began to shake the walls and drown every body out. This was with the EQ set relatively flat. In other words, this puppy has the potential to quake. Where it was missing directly compared to my DB750 were some lower harmonic overtones that the Aggie is known for, but with the 810, it wasn't by much. Cranking the gain a little more and low mids, it came pretty close to the really warmed tones of the DB750 with a little bit of drive from my Sans amp BDDI, it was 90% there towards an SVT tone. AT FOUR FRIGGIN POUNDS!!!!!
So, I reiterate that this amp is versatile, sparkly when necessary and warm when needed. Depending on my mood and speaker combination, I've found the sweet spot for me is adding a little bit of low mid, or cutting some high mids ever so slightly with the bass a little past noon, and treble right at noon. Once again, the knob design allows me to remember my settings. For example, "x" amount of clicks before or past noon.

Through the 410 rig, it definitely needs a little more ooomph and push to make it sing, but it can still get there with relative ease. I'd like to try it through other 410's.

Also, through my gigging reports, I have yet to feel this amp even break a sweat even after pushing 4ohms for 4 hours straight.

FWIW, I have intermittently used other amps, so I really do feel these are not "honeymoon" type reviews.

 

[GRoberts]

I have now played with this amp on 8 gigs in 10 days, ranging from large clubs(300-500) to dive bars. It definitely continues to deliver. Using this head with my 4ohm SA410, and 4ohm SVT810, I have some different opinions. However, once again, I am confirming that it is a good tone right out of the box. Similarly to the LMII, the amp sound changes with each different cabinet (No Brainer.) However, I found that the common characteristics are headroom and a richness in the low mids. This goes across the board whether I am using a 112 or the 810. Now with the 810, this thing is just so loud. I was really, really loud with the gain at 1:00 volume at 12:00 and master at 8:30. 9:00 began to shake the walls and drown every body out. This was with the EQ set relatively flat. In other words, this puppy has the potential to quake. Where it was missing directly compared to my DB750 were some lower harmonic overtones that the Aggie is known for, but with the 810, it wasn't by much. Cranking the gain a little more and low mids, it came pretty close to the really warmed tones of the DB750 with a little bit of drive from my Sans amp BDDI, it was 90% there towards an SVT tone. AT FOUR FRIGGIN POUNDS!!!!!
So, I reiterate that this amp is versatile, sparkly when necessary and warm when needed. Depending on my mood and speaker combination, I've found the sweet spot for me is adding a little bit of low mid, or cutting some high mids ever so slightly with the bass a little past noon, and treble right at noon. Once again, the knob design allows me to remember my settings. For example, "x" amount of clicks before or past noon.

Through the 410 rig, it definitely needs a little more ooomph and push to make it sing, but it can still get there with relative ease. I'd like to try it through other 410's.

Also, through my gigging reports, I have yet to feel this amp even break a sweat even after pushing 4ohms for 4 hours straight.

FWIW, I have intermittently used other amps, so I really do feel these are not "honeymoon" type reviews.

Awesome report. I too have been gigging with my Shuttle 6.0. One night, we were freakin' crankin. My guitarist's wife even asked me if were playing louder than usual. (we were!) ...and the Shuttle 6.0 was COOL all night. To give you a clue, I had the Master Vol at 1:30-2 o'clock by the end of the night. The Input volume was at 12:00. The tube Gain was also at 12:00. I was running through my Epifani UL310 and I agree the sound needed a little ooomph. So.... I cranked the low boost knob to 3 o'clock and it sounded great. No chuffing, not muddy. Just nice, fat and punchy. The Shuttle 6.0 responds musically to any EQ'ing I've tried. Sweeeet!

PS: Love your Salmon Jazz bass!