NCD / NAD: Genz Benz Streamliner 900 + Avatar SB126 (Kappalite)

After years of building my own cabs -- mostly Bill Fitzmaurice-designed stuff -- I finally bought my first one. It's an Avatar SB126, 4-ohms, with the Kappalite. EDIT: After some speculation it's a Deltalite, not a Kappalite, I contacted Eminence and cleared that up -- it is indeed a Kappalite 3012LF (see post). It wasn't my intention to buy a readymade cab. I was on Reverb browsing for used components for a Fearful 12/6 build when I stumbled upon what I felt was an absolute steal. The seller was asking $250 + $60 shipping. I offered $250 shipped and he countered with $260 shipped. So for just about $50 more than the cost of just the Kappalite alone, I got an entire cab with the Kappalite in it. Sold!

It arrived last week but it's been sitting in my office starved for attention until I get my new amp, a Streamliner 900 which arrived yesterday, hooked up and the rest of my gear all in one place again.

Yes, I know an 8-ohm cab would be ideal considering that the Streamliner can't go below 4 ohms. Presently, this is WAY more cab and amp than I need. I could have gotten by with a dinky little 25-watt combo but where's the fun in that? Maybe later down the road, I will swap the 4-ohm Kappalite for an 8-ohm but for now this is what I'm working with and it's plenty.

In case anyone is wondering, it weighs 43.5 pounds. I was hoping to post this in the "Mini Rigs of Doom" thread, which has the prerequisite that everything must be carried in one trip. I can just barely one-hand the cab (cut me some slack - I only weight 130 lbs.), bass in the other, and carry the amp in a backpack or shoulder bag.

Current plans are to remove the carpet covering. It's in great shape but I just don't like carpeted cabs. If the bare ply looks good (no wood filler, nice joints, etc.) then I'll sand and clear coat. Otherwise, it's getting Duratex.

The Streamliner arrived yesterday -- a day early. Got it for $447 shipped. Interestingly, it arrived in a Genzler Magellan 800 box with the Magellan 800 manual and unused power cord inside. I asked the guy, for the sake of conversation, if the Magellan is what replaced the Streamliner and he said yep. Anyway...

I'll post photos shortly. Anything I need to know about the cab and amp?

Thoughts and comments always appreciated.


IMG_20190617_165910 by Trevor Joiner, on Flickr

 

I didn't know that! I'll probably stick with black, though, for the shell of the cab and then do the baffle natural wood with an oil-based clear coat to give that warm wood look or paint it something like yellow or orange or red. Something that pops.

Thanks! About a year ago, having previously owned a GK 1001RB-II for several years and wanting to try something with a tube preamp, I bought a GK MB Fusion 500 as an upgrade from my trusty TC BH250. I liked the GK a lot but I really, really missed having the built-in aux input that the BH250 had. Prior to buying the GK, I gassed hard for a Streamliner because it checked all my boxes -- compact, lightweight, all tube pre, aux in, headphone out, etc. -- but I went with the GK thinking I could live without that aux input. I was wrong. I ended up playing through my Korg Pandora Stomp all the time (I don't gig) and never really used the GK. Ended up selling the GK about 6 months later with about 15 minutes of play time -- virtually brand new.

 

I was actually looking at the Magellan for a while. Found a good deal on both a used 800 and 350. A 350 would have been plenty for me but decided to give the STM a try since it was about the same price.

 

I guess you could say "my sound" is the warmth and lushness of some thumpy, old school rhythmic funk. My main bass is a heavily upgraded P and, in my opinion, the flatwound strings I put on a few years ago still aren't broken in yet.

 

Here are a bunch of photos I took immediately after unboxing. I'm not sure what the markings on the top or bottom indicate. I'm assuming the "6132012" is the production date. As for the squiggly nonsense on top I can't even guess.

 

I figured you would pop in here at some point. Thanks for the information. Out of curiosity, where would the serial tag originally have been located?

After looking back through photos the previous owner posted on the Reverb ad (see below), the numbers written on the bottom corresponds with the date on a quality control sticker inside the amp -- June 13, 2012. Oddly, I messaged the seller on June 13, 2019 and finalized the purchase the following morning.

I haven't opened the amp yet to look for myself (don't have the tools here at work) but is there somewhere else that I might find the serial number of some other identifying number/marking?

PHOTOS FROM REVERB POSTING (LINK):

 

One that I took just now. Those are Tung-Sol 12AX7 tubes.

 

Sooo... I've been thinking of parting ways with the Streamliner and buying another TC BH250 ("another" as in I used to own a BH250, sold it, bought a GK Fusion 500, sold it, went ampless for a while, and then bought the Streamliner). It's just a thought. Truthfully, 900 watts is about 850 more than I need these days and I could use the money but I worry I may regret it down the road.

 

Haha yeah, I was watching your BH250 and noticed this morning that it sold.

 

A fellow TB'er pointed me in the direction of a thread that REALLY helped me better understand the Streamliner and really open up that tone I thought was missing. I do kinda miss my old BH250, though. If one ever pops up for a good price, I may snag it just because.

But in other news, I started to dissect the Avatar SB126. I mainly wanted to verify that it is indeed Kappalite loaded -- for all I knew, a previous owner could have swapped it out -- but, being a highly curious person, I also wanted to see what was inside the cabinet. Admittedly, I was a little surprised. I expected acoustic stuffing or something more than a thin layer of carpet stapled to the interior. I may get some Acousta-Stuf and fill it up.

And what is this 6-inch driver? Eminence Alpha series? Just curious. I'd love to know the specs because ultimately I'd love to find a neodymium replacement to possibly reduce the weight a little. My skinny, 130 lb. frame isn't exactly built for lifting.

As long as I had the drivers removed, I decided to start on something I mentioned doing at the beginning of this thread -- removing the carpet, or in this case some of it. Maybe it's the graphic design major combined with the woodworker in me, I dunno, but I needed something more than black grill on black baffle in black carpet, so I pulled the carpet off the baffle to show off that birch. It's under a layer of glue right now but I plan on sanding it down to bare wood to see what the wood grain is like. If it looks good, I'll finish it in urethane. If not, I'll paint it some color. Maybe yellow or orange or something that "pops." While I'm at it, I'm also going to repaint the grill black since it's got some scuffs and chips and rust showing.

Eventually, I think I'd like to replace the remaining carpet with DuraTex but that will likely be later down the road.