Did all these gigs with the EMG P5-equipped 5-string in my Avatar (fairly fresh nickel rounds), and an AudioKinesis Thunderchild 112AF cab.
So, I started out strong with a church gig- 200 people in a movie theatre, modern-sounding 5-piece band, QSC active speakers as floor wedges, full PA support. About 95dB on peaks out front.
I started out by dialing up a fairly dark, rounded tone, as I've been living with a Genz Streamliner 900 the last while, and didn't want to rock the boat.
I was surprised to find myself gradually increasing the treble and upper mids- it was interesting to realize how much of the "G-K grind" I could fit into the mix. Final settings were Treble and Upper Mids at about 11 o'clock, Bass dialed back just a hair, Contour off, Gain at 10 o'clock, Volume around 9 o'clock, 10dB pad out.
I got compliments on the extra detail and growl at the low end, and no complaints about the extra "snap" up top. I was grinning from ear to ear. The Streamliner makes me smile, this little guy makes my hair stand up on end. Just one of those really good fingers/bass/amp/cab matches, I guess...
Next, was an "unplugged" duo in a small church basement. Sounded great at low volume, no problem adjusting the EQ for a tight, warm tone with minimal fret noise.
Next was another duo date, this time in a retirement home cafeteria. Bright-sounding room with lots of hard surfaces and an entire wall of uncurtained windows. Had real trouble getting a distinct tone in that room, as I usually do. No better than my Streamliner in setting, but no worse, either.
Last night was a city-wide worship event. 100+ dB, enthusiastic crowd in a large high school theater/auditorium. Big stage, curtains behind, at least 20 feet in front of the back wall. Rockin', aggressive music with a 6-piece band and 2 vocalists. Large, loud PA, with in-ears instead of in-ears. Standing just about on top of the lead guitarist's Marshall combo. Had the amp pushing perhaps 1/2 to 3/4 of it's rated power, and got asked to turn down. I've been doing this gig for 9 months, and I'm normally asked to turn up!
Loved the tone and definition in this setting, and appreciated the huge headroom and power.
Used my parametric EQ pedal on this gig, but instead of using it to trim the low end and boost upper mids (my Streamliner setting), I used it to make a footswitchable preset to shave the highs on quieter songs. Didn't want string noise to intrude when I was noodling...
First impressions after a week?
- Great, but fairly sensitive/touchy EQ
- Surprisingly versatile- from Motown to full-on grind
- Stunning low-end detail
- Good DI
- No noise problems, even on quiet gigs
- LOUD!
Cons?
- The low end can be a bit too effortless in quiet settings, even with the bass and low mids rolled back. I'm wondering about getting an MB200, or maybe a HPF, for smaller gigs. I'll have to take the Empress ParaEQ next time, and see if a bit of surgical EQ will rectify the problem.
- The Master volume control is after the line out. It's like trying to do a monitor mix with Post aux feeds. I much prefer the way the line out works on the Genz, where the Master only affects the signal to the cab.
It's official. I think my Genz is for sale.
So, I started out strong with a church gig- 200 people in a movie theatre, modern-sounding 5-piece band, QSC active speakers as floor wedges, full PA support. About 95dB on peaks out front.
I started out by dialing up a fairly dark, rounded tone, as I've been living with a Genz Streamliner 900 the last while, and didn't want to rock the boat.
I was surprised to find myself gradually increasing the treble and upper mids- it was interesting to realize how much of the "G-K grind" I could fit into the mix. Final settings were Treble and Upper Mids at about 11 o'clock, Bass dialed back just a hair, Contour off, Gain at 10 o'clock, Volume around 9 o'clock, 10dB pad out.
I got compliments on the extra detail and growl at the low end, and no complaints about the extra "snap" up top. I was grinning from ear to ear. The Streamliner makes me smile, this little guy makes my hair stand up on end. Just one of those really good fingers/bass/amp/cab matches, I guess...
Next, was an "unplugged" duo in a small church basement. Sounded great at low volume, no problem adjusting the EQ for a tight, warm tone with minimal fret noise.
Next was another duo date, this time in a retirement home cafeteria. Bright-sounding room with lots of hard surfaces and an entire wall of uncurtained windows. Had real trouble getting a distinct tone in that room, as I usually do. No better than my Streamliner in setting, but no worse, either.
Last night was a city-wide worship event. 100+ dB, enthusiastic crowd in a large high school theater/auditorium. Big stage, curtains behind, at least 20 feet in front of the back wall. Rockin', aggressive music with a 6-piece band and 2 vocalists. Large, loud PA, with in-ears instead of in-ears. Standing just about on top of the lead guitarist's Marshall combo. Had the amp pushing perhaps 1/2 to 3/4 of it's rated power, and got asked to turn down. I've been doing this gig for 9 months, and I'm normally asked to turn up!
Loved the tone and definition in this setting, and appreciated the huge headroom and power.
Used my parametric EQ pedal on this gig, but instead of using it to trim the low end and boost upper mids (my Streamliner setting), I used it to make a footswitchable preset to shave the highs on quieter songs. Didn't want string noise to intrude when I was noodling...
First impressions after a week?
- Great, but fairly sensitive/touchy EQ
- Surprisingly versatile- from Motown to full-on grind
- Stunning low-end detail
- Good DI
- No noise problems, even on quiet gigs
- LOUD!
Cons?
- The low end can be a bit too effortless in quiet settings, even with the bass and low mids rolled back. I'm wondering about getting an MB200, or maybe a HPF, for smaller gigs. I'll have to take the Empress ParaEQ next time, and see if a bit of surgical EQ will rectify the problem.
- The Master volume control is after the line out. It's like trying to do a monitor mix with Post aux feeds. I much prefer the way the line out works on the Genz, where the Master only affects the signal to the cab.
It's official. I think my Genz is for sale.
