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Is anybody playing GENZ BENZ ?

#61
I had a gbe 1200 into a 610xb2 ( currently for sale).

I truly wanted to love that amp. And I worked at it for a long time.. unfortunately I just couldn’t get a thick enough tone out of it to save my life. Also ran out of steam clipping lights and such... trades it for a Mesa fathom.... hated that amp.

Sometimes I wonder if mine had issues or not. I know the di sounded better than the outputs of the amp.

But I totally respect the company and what they have done. But I had to move on
 
#62
Yep. Love me some Genz

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#69
esoxhntr said:
The Genz Benz GBE are some of the best amps I ever played through. Your GBE 600 is a fantastic sounding amp. You likely won't be able to sell it for more than $300 - $400, but I guarantee that if you are willing to put up with the 25 or 30 lbs. that it weighs, you will not find a better sounding, more versatile amp, even at 5 or 6 times the price. These thing are gold. I have two GBE400 amps in my basement, and they will be with me until they completely give up the ghost.

If you can afford to keep it and use it, do so.
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This is all you really need to know, right here.
 
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#71
gln1955 said:
I'm playing through the Contour only I have the 2x10 extension with the 115 combo. Mixed cabs that were designed to work together and they sound great.
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I would have had no qualms about snagging a Contour 210 extension cab had I not found one of the 115's. When I got mine, I had to get the 115 combo amp and the 115 extension cab from two different dealers. Neither had both, but that wasn't a problem.

Some amps seem to work pretty well with mixed cabs. I used to have a MarkBass 210 combo amp that I paired with a MB Traveler 115 extension cab. Sounded pretty darn good! So I'm sure your rig sounds great also!

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#72
Joebone said:
The GBE 600 is a GREAT sounding amp. Authority and punch way beyond its power rating. A classic amp, in my book...
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Whoops...forgot to answer the OP question.

I deeply admire the old GenzBenz stuff, and have several units....

I've had a 3.0-10T for almost 10 years. Great practice or grab-and-go for small stuff. I'll never sell it. One of the very few pieces of gear I bought new, and it's been incredibly useful.

I keep a Contour 500-115 in an out of state location, where I jam and occasionally gig with friends. That combo is a gem, which can hold it's own in small to medium bars (outlaw country band with tasteful drummer) without FOH. The price I was able to purchase it for, as a blow-out after Fender pulled the plug on GB, was literally insane. Those Contour units could have RULED the giggable combo sector, but for Fender killing GB.

I have a Shuttle 9.2 saddled to the 12T.2 cabinet, and the second non-saddle cabinet to match. I don't often use the two speakers together, because if I'm in that zone then I usually grab an Audiokinesis cabinet, and likely another amp (thunderfunk or mesa D800+). But in situations where the 1-12 will suffice, it is an amazingly effective tool, and as a grab and go it is so incredibly convenient. I particularly like it when playing in multi-band or other dodgy situations, where theft of an untethered Class D amp would be all too easy. The Shuttle 6.2 is also a great amp, but the extra authority of the 9.2 is not subtle, so long as I am not stupid about the volume into one cabinet.

And while I use the Mesa 800+ amp, I've heard and played through Genzler stuff, and it also is superior!

Finally, I will confess to having a GBE 600 in the closet. I'm not likely to take it out so long as I have the Thunderfunk, but it was so darned inexpensive (used, of course), and sounds so darned good, and I really like to have some old lead sled in the house.

So Genz Benz is a defunct company that nevertheless keeps on giving - through the continuing value of the original products, and through the successor gear designed by Andy Field and Jeff Genzler, at Mesa and Genzler, respectively. And Field's continuing support of GB product is extraordinary. These gentlemen have a lot to be proud of!
 
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#73
Joebone said:
I've had a 3.0-10T for almost 10 years. Great practice or grab-and-go for small stuff. I'll never sell it. One of the very few pieces of gear I bought new, and it's been incredibly useful.
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Funny story about the Shuttle 3.0, it was the amp that was probably in production the longest without changes or updates of any amp we ever did. Released the end of 2007 and remained essentially unchanged until the company closed down. It was also the amp that a fair number of folks said would never sell, couldn't possible sound good, couldn't be used for bass because EVERYBODY knew that bass amps had to be heavy to produce bass, class D was nothing but a fad, wouldn't be reliable, etc.

It's funny how things turn out, it was a great selling amp, was VERY reliable, had a big following (as can be seen in this thread), had no problem with bass, etc. So much for being a fad eh?

This was also a revolutionary product for the industry, as there were a couple of competing amps that came out about the same time, one was so bad that is quickly disappeared (it would chirp and squeek and cack when driven hard, it used the same power module but did not have any of the dynamics management that was the cornerstone of our overall success) and the other pretty much quietly went away as it didn't appear to sell very well. Even though it's not very sexy by today's standards, it's probably one of the amps that (IMO) Roger, Jeff, Scott and I are most proud of simply because the industry said it couldn't be done, and it couldn't possibly be successful.

Secret Squirrel trivia for TB members... there was also a Shuttle 3.2 ready to go and I might know where one is ;)
 
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#80
The 2x12 neo is still my favorite cabinet. I have yet to play anything that size and weight that can produce the amount of sound it's capable of. After a decade of playing I still have never had that cab fart-out, break up or do anything but get freaking louder! I have owned 10 genz cabinets over the years and they have all been fantastic sounding. I would still LOVE to find an 8x10 xb3!

13490865_10208743873506399_9179571356528387412_o.jpg IMG_20170708_235307.jpg
 
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