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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 3:21 pm
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modwiz wrote:
Class D amps have been one of the best things to happen to amplification. Light powerful and tone friendly. It has a warm in bass amplification I never heard from othere SS amps. I had a GH 800RB for years and never found the sound I can get from my rumble with flat EQ. Some more treble and a nudge of mid set at either the 3 or 9 o'clock (depending on desired tone for a song) frequency position and I have my basic working tone.

I went to a studio last week and they showed me the SWR I had to use. (not sure of the model). I told him I would "slum it". :lol:


I will say about the 800 RB that I once played through one that was hooked up to a Sonic 2x18" and 2x10" refrigerator-sized cab of doom and I think it could level city blocks when cranked. Man, that rig was brutal! Luckily, I never had to move it (I didn't own it, just used it for awhile) anywhere. I probably would have had a double hernia by the time I was 30. :P

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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 8:40 pm
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I used a Sunn 2000S with the matching 2x15 cab for years. Beat anything else out at the time and not so sure the kilowatt wonders of today actually SOUND better. Prior to that I used an Ampeg SVT for a while with a pair of 2x15 Ampeg cabs and prior to the Ampeg it was a Marshall Superbass with a 2x15. All good heads but the Marshall was not as loud. The Sunn 2000S was cleaner and fatter than any bass head I ever used, just really heavy and I got tired of moving it and re-tubing it. There is a place for that sort of thing and it is YOUTH.

It is true that decent powerful bass amps USED to cost 5 to 15 times what a Fender Bass itself cost. Times changed. Generic power modules, MDF, imported drivers, mass production and outsourcing brought us far cheaper amps and they mostly sound and perform OK but they are NOT a Sunn 2000S and they won't be around 40 years from now either. Stuff today is made to be essentially DISPOSABLE!

Ampeg is still in business primarily because of the legacy 8x10 fridge and the SVT head along with the fact FMIC hasn't yet managed to buy Ampeg or their current parent corporation.

Ampeg came pretty close to Harri-Kari when they outsourced to China. What a disaster! I thought it ruined them. The Classic (USA Heritage model) is probably the last of the GREAT tube bass amps, even though it was NOT the best bass tube amp in my opinion. The Sunn 2000S was absolutely the bass bomb tube head of all time to me. I never owned a Sunn Model 300T which became the Fender Bassman 300 Pro but that was like a 2000S with even more power. Either of those would be good to have if you needed big power. Today though I don't need it. I just need a monitor and patch direct to the PA and I'm good. I have no need for big amps anymore.


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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 10:24 pm
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brotherdave wrote:
I used a Sunn 2000S with the matching 2x15 cab for years...There is a place for that sort of thing and it is YOUTH.


From your lips to God's ear!

As Art Linkletter wrote in his autobiography, "Getting old is not for sissies."

:wink:

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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 11:09 am
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brotherdave wrote:
It is true that decent powerful bass amps USED to cost 5 to 15 times what a Fender Bass itself cost. Times changed. Generic power modules, MDF, imported drivers, mass production and outsourcing brought us far cheaper amps and they mostly sound and perform OK but they are NOT a Sunn 2000S and they won't be around 40 years from now either. Stuff today is made to be essentially DISPOSABLE!


You know, those aren't the only things made to be disposible (although I will say, my Rumble has been running strong for two years now and holding together-knock on wood.) Try a lot of your appliances. I actually bought a Black and Decker coffee pot once that lasted only two weeks before it died! The funny thing though, I have this no-name coffee pot that I paid $7 for at Price Rite seven years ago and it still runs, albeit drips rather slowly. Go figure.

I will say, that is one thing I found was great about Peavey back in the day. They're cheap, but built like a friggin' tank. Weighs about as much as one, too. :P I still see some old Mark IV's for sale and kicking around. Even older models. They might not necessarily sound like an Ampeg or Fender (although, I could usually get a pretty good tone out of them,) but they can get you through a gig and had some volume.

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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 1:46 pm
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CPL wrote:

I will say, that is one thing I found was great about Peavey back in the day. They're cheap, but built like a friggin' tank. Weighs about as much as one, too. :P I still see some old Mark IV's for sale and kicking around. Even older models. They might not necessarily sound like an Ampeg or Fender (although, I could usually get a pretty good tone out of them,) but they can get you through a gig and had some volume.


Precisely why in 1975 or 76 (forget which) I bought a Peavey Century 200 bass head. It was my backup. I think it was about $200. Which was so cheap then as to be ridiculous. Anyway it sounds sterile next to about anything else but for a backup it was ok. I still have it and last time I checked it out it still worked. I'm sure it probably needs a full checkup as the caps are bound to be about done. But it still works and doesn't hum at all and get this, it has never had so much as a screwdriver on it! The heads it backed up all are dead and buried. I was using it as a rehearsal head and backup on a regular basis up till about 3 years ago. Amazing longevity for a head at any price! It has been amazing! So yes, the OLD Peavey stuff was dang near bulletproof. However there was always a stigma associated with it because it was considered "budget" gear and brand snobs looked down on Peavey and players using it. LOL.


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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 9:02 am
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Yeah, I never understood the whole "brand snob" thing. When you think of it, it's just a tool involved to create and perform music and if it can do that for someone, that's what really matters. The problem is that too many people worry about what others think of them, that aren't even that important to begin with. If someone didn't like the amp I was using, then I'd say don't buy one then. That and to piss off. :P Another thing is having a "budget" amp that works is a lot better than having no amp at all. I've been there in that situation with nothing but a broken Ampeg SVT 3 Pro and having to borrow a guitarist's back up Crate guitar head to play bass through my Carvin bass cabs (at least I had those and they worked.) It worked, at least. Took some serious knob tweaking though. :P

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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 7:10 pm
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When I was using a Traynor bass head in a home made cab, the product snobs of the 60's were vocal, until they couldn't hear the drummer. 8)

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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:40 am
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I'll bet. That usually works.

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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 7:36 pm
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Mr. Nylon wrote:
Retroverbial wrote:
I never understood why they shelved SWR. I played regularly in the past with two different bassists who had them and those rigs always delivered reliable performance and a solid bottom end.

Arjay


The sales numbers probably weren't there though. I thought SWR had a better across the board, bass amp line up then Fender did.

The only good thing that came from Fender powering down SWR was that I got a couple of New SWR Cabinets & a SWR 750x Dirt Cheap because Long & McQuade Music was unloading everything SWR to make way for the line up of Mark Bass & Orange Amps
I love my SWR Gear,.. Fender powered down SWR in January 2011 & Genz Benz was powered Down in January 2013,..... I can only see SWR & Genz Benz gear becoming coveted in a few years when it starts becoming hard to find,...... both companies made very good Bass amplification IMO :)
I'd actually like to get my mitts on an SWR Marcus Miller Pre Amp,... it never caught on & it was pricey at 899.00 but man it was well thought out....


Last edited by James Coderre on Mon Mar 31, 2014 7:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 1:36 am
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James Coderre wrote:
I can only see SWR & Genz Benz gear becoming coveted in a few years when it starts becoming hard to find,...... both companies made very good Bass aplification IMO :).


Agreed.

They'll assume "cult" status much like the original Sunn, Ampeg, and Traynor amps. They were all paradigms of vintage tube architecture and remain so to this day.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 3:29 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
James Coderre wrote:
I can only see SWR & Genz Benz gear becoming coveted in a few years when it starts becoming hard to find,...... both companies made very good Bass aplification IMO :).


Agreed.

They'll assume "cult" status much like the original Sunn, Ampeg, and Traynor amps. They were all paradigms of vintage tube architecture and remain so to this day.

Arjay


Agreed on the original Sunn, Ampeg, and Traynor amps. The Traynors were very good amps.

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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 7:58 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
Agreed.

They'll assume "cult" status much like the original Sunn, Ampeg, and Traynor amps. They were all paradigms of vintage tube architecture and remain so to this day.

Arjay
Agreed,..... & the Canadian made Traynor's are some really good solid reliable amps too,...if you can't find them in your area you can buy them online through Long & McQuade music,.... Long & McQuade (Canada's version of Guitar Center) is Traynor/Yorkville sounds Flagship store ... :)


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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 10:51 am
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I had one of Peter's early Bass Master heads. It pushed sound like unreal. His amps were all Canadian back then.

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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 12:48 pm
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I remember decades ago one of my friends brought his Traynor bass head over for my Dad to take a look at -- there was nothing amiss with it, Dad was just curious to see and compare it to the Fender's that my brother and I owned. I forget what model Traynor it was but it had 6CA7's in the output stage, the first of that type of tube I'd ever encountered. Dad inspected the amp's layout and opined that it resembled closely the tube hi-fi amps made by MacIntosh -- same quality of assembly, same premium components, similar design and engineering. IOW, he thought it was a Cadillac compared to what he regarded at the time as "sleazy" Fender models which he likened to the Chevy Corvair.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: FMIC Puts Genz Benz On The Shelf
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 2:01 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
I remember decades ago one of my friends brought his Traynor bass head over for my Dad to take a look at -- there was nothing amiss with it, Dad was just curious to see and compare it to the Fender's that my brother and I owned. I forget what model Traynor it was but it had 6CA7's in the output stage, the first of that type of tube I'd ever encountered. Dad inspected the amp's layout and opined that it resembled closely the tube hi-fi amps made by MacIntosh -- same quality of assembly, same premium components, similar design and engineering. IOW, he thought it was a Cadillac compared to what he regarded at the time as "sleazy" Fender models which he likened to the Chevy Corvair.

Arjay


So that's where you get that extreme arrogance!

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