Looking for advice on reducing my collection.

[brianrost]

Not sure why a bedroom musician needs a backup.

You don't. If you will never be gigging again (with all that gear I hope you were before!), pick the one head/single cab setup you like the best and ditch all the rest.

 

[mattj1stc]

I went through a similar exercise when I felt the need to reduce my gear (basses, heads, cabs, pedals, etc.). No matter how much fondness I may have had for something (or how unique or rare it was), it all came down to utility. What did I use most often? What gave me the results that I wanted most consistently? I ultimately whittled things down to a 5 string Lakland P, a Tech 21 VT Deluxe, a Carvin BX1200 head (used primarily as a poweramp), a Carvin 4x10 neo cabinet (lightweight for what it is, provides the lows I needed that a smaller cab couldn't), and a REDDI for ampless situations. Just play through everything and compare - you'll find the answer.

 

[dkelley]

I take gear donations, working or not....

(kidding... ish)

 

[agedhorse]

All of the OP's Genz Benz amps are still covered under the flat rate service program. That might help make the choice (one way or the other)

 

[Wicked G]

I find it interesting how many people recommend keeping two near identical amps and ditching everything else. I am big Genz Benz fan, but I think it's cool to have some variety in a collection.

I own 28 amps, and there are a couple of duplications, but in each instance there were extenuating circumstances that I won't bore you with. The most amps I own from one company is three.

If it was my collection I would Keep the 9.2 and the 700RB, and ditch the Markbass. But I would encourage the OP to make his own decision, even if that means keeping both of the Genz heads.

Honestly unless the OP needs the cash or the space, or is moving and concerned about transporting too much gear, I would just keep it all and enjoy it. I am basement player myself. All my gear is paid for and my buying has slowed way down. I do most of maintenance and repairs, so it's not like it's costing me a lot to keep it.

I used to be touring pro but the only amp in my collection I have gigged is a 700RB/112 combo. I bought the Genz 1288T stack just to satisfy my curiosity. Grateful Dead, Wall of Sound inspired, if it is not obvious to you.

View attachment 3815705

@RABJ Do yourself a favor and pull that second 1288T out of the box. Going from one to two makes a pretty noticeable difference.

If your interested: Adding the third also makes a fairly noticeable difference but not as significant. Adding the fourth mainly pulls the perceived sound source up to the middle of the array. Two is more than most people will ever need.

My only complaint with these boxes is they are heavy and a bit awkward. I didn't have much trouble putting the fourth box up, but taking it down was a bit scary.

So I would assume you needed a ladder to get the fourth one down?

 

[Dbassmon]

An unsolicited endorsement of Agedhorse; he provides comprehensive service on Genz Benz amps, is very responsive with quick turnarounds and great service. He has kept my Shuttle 9 going for last decade or so, I have a thousand hours on the amp. Still kills after all these years. To OP - if your GB is your favorite, keep it. You can get it serviced easily.

 

[LoTone]

The good news is that every item you mentioned is of quality and is desirable. You should not have much trouble selling your gear. Good Luck.

 

[Wasnex]

So I would assume you needed a ladder to get the fourth one down?

No I just rocked it off. It would probably be a lot easier if my ceiling as higher. Trying to avoid gouging the ceiling made it more difficult.

 

[LoTone]

I find it interesting how many people recommend keeping two near identical amps and ditching everything else. I am big Genz Benz fan, but I think it's cool to have some variety in a collection.

I own 28 amps, and there are a couple of duplications, but in each instance there were extenuating circumstances that I won't bore you with. The most amps I own from one company is three.

If it was my collection I would Keep the 9.2 and the 700RB, and ditch the Markbass. But I would encourage the OP to make his own decision, even if that means keeping both of the Genz heads.

Honestly unless the OP needs the cash or the space, or is moving and concerned about transporting too much gear, I would just keep it all and enjoy it. I am basement player myself. All my gear is paid for and my buying has slowed way down. I do most of maintenance and repairs, so it's not like it's costing me a lot to keep it.

I used to be touring pro but the only amp in my collection I have gigged is a 700RB/112 combo. I bought the Genz 1288T stack just to satisfy my curiosity. Grateful Dead, Wall of Sound inspired, if it is not obvious to you.

View attachment 3815705

@RABJ Do yourself a favor and pull that second 1288T out of the box. Going from one to two makes a pretty noticeable difference.

If your interested: Adding the third also makes a fairly noticeable difference but not as significant. Adding the fourth mainly pulls the perceived sound source up to the middle of the array. Two is more than most people will ever need.

My only complaint with these boxes is they are heavy and a bit awkward. I didn't have much trouble putting the fourth box up, but taking it down was a bit scary.

You don't live in an apartment building don't you? First world problems are the best!

 

[bass151]

Hi Andy, Can you tell me what the flat rate service program is? You sold me my 9.0 back in the day. Thanks

 

[Wasnex]

You don't live in an apartment building don't you? First world problems are the best!

Nope. When I lived in a studio apartment I owned the amp I gigged with, a vintage Fender Princeton, and a small PA. Luckily the closet space was almost as big as the apartment .

 

[agedhorse]

Hi Andy, Can you tell me what the flat rate service program is? You sold me my 9.0 back in the day. Thanks

$85 flat labor, includes all parts except the power module and tube (both of which are very rare). This does not apply to amps that have had repair attempts made, "magic cure-all spray" used, and some physically damaged (ie. dropped, liquid spilled) amps as these things can add greatly to the amount of time necessary to properly repair the amp. Return shipping of course depends on where you live. This applies primarily to US and Canadian customers.

 

[bass151]

Thanks for the reply Andy. Does being very rare mean the power module and tube are difficult to get, and render the amp not worth repairing? By the way way the amp does not need repair. It's working perfectly but it's getting old and I will probably replace it soon and it will be my back up.

 

[JimmyM]

I'd ditch the Momark and keep everything else. As said, Andy will still service your GB products, at least until he runs out of parts he can't get anymore if there are any.

 

[agedhorse]

Thanks for the reply Andy. Does being very rare mean the power module and tube are difficult to get, and render the amp not worth repairing? By the way way the amp does not need repair. It's working perfectly but it's getting old and I will probably replace it soon and it will be my back up.

No, rare means rare to see a bad one. In 2019, I replaced 2 modules and 1 tube out of all the amps I see in for service from US and Canada.

 

[bass151]

Thanks Andy!

 

[Dbassmon]

It's working perfectly but it's getting old and I will probably replace it soon and it will be my back up.

My Shuttle 9.0 has been beaten on for a decade. Thousand hours for sure. The only problem I have had was because I dropped it causing the tube socket to crack and caused intermittent noise. The amp shows no sign of needing a backup or given me any indication that I can no longer count on it's reliability. Your mileage may vary, but Genz Benz seems to have used very good parts and very reliable circuit design. Having Agedhorse around as your personal GB ninja repair dude is also another reason to keep the amp in service - That is, if you like the way it sounds, of course.

 

[RabidMusic]

I think I will keep the two Genz Benz and eventually Ebay the others. Don't have to be in a hurry since I don't think they are going to take a sudden dive in value. I'm still mad at Fender for buying Genz Genz and then closing the line. Are they trying to be like Gibson?

 

[Omega Monkey]

I think I will keep the two Genz Benz and eventually Ebay the others.

Why? The 12.2 is essentially useless for your playing situation and other gear. The 9.2 will get a bit more power to the Uber Quads (not a lot), and keeping the 700RB will give you another sound, and also a lower wattage head if you wanted to keep one of the GK cabs.

If you're trying to consolidate as much as possible, having 2 of basically the same thing except one is not as usable as the other does not really make sense. The 12.2 is a great head IF you have 2 4 ohm cabs that you want to use together in a mono system (or you just happened to end up with that instead of a 9.2, etc...). One of my few criticisms of Genz design wise is that they didn't make that second power section separately addressable. I would actually love to be able to have a stereo rig with my 2 Uber Quads and a 12.2 for my 6 string when I do more solo/ambient type stuff with lots of chords and effects, but it's just not wired that way. So instead the times I've fooled around with something like that, I run the preamp out of my SM 9.2 into a stereo fx unit (Line 6 M9) out to 2 sides of a 1U power amp (ART SLA-4, which is actually 4 channels, and each pair is bridgeable).

Anyway, if you keep the 12.2, I predict it will collect dust forever and never get used. The GK, if you like the sound of it, is an awesome amp with a classic sound, and has a different vibe than the Genz stuff. Each thing you keep should be its own thing that serves a particular purpose. The 12.2 doesn't really have one except as a "backup" to a very reliable amp for a player with modest needs (ie a backup is not really necessary).