Yesterday my band played an afternoon gig on the stage of a new music store...they took over a building that had housed a large electronics store and added a coffee shop with stage in front. Makes a nice place for them to invite bands that make up their custoemr base.
They set up a brand new Genz Benz Shuttle STL 6.0 head on a 12T speaker for me, and I didn't even take my cab and Sunn amp out of the car. This is an amazing combo with amp that weighs 3.75 pounds and speaker at 27 pounds. Total: 32 pounds with the amp mounting shell on the cab - I can literally lift it with one finger! The speaker cab is only 18" x 18 1/2" x 14 1/4".
In contrast, I bought a 4x10 G-K cab last summer and at 93 pounds I don't even want to take it out of the house. Bad call on my part, although it's a wonderful sounding cab.
Here's a link to the product page:
http://www.genzbenz.com/?fa=detail&mid=2258&sid=610&cid=95I really wondered what it would sound like - and when i fired it up, it had the guts and depth of any 15" setup I've ever played. It made the whole stage bounce - I was simply amazed. Checked the specs and that little amp puts 375W into 8 ohms, 600W into 4 ohms. With its tube preamp, it has a nice warm tube sound.With two of those 12" cabs stacked, this thing would create cracks in the earth. I just can't believe the power and sound out of that single 12" speaker in that small cab enclosure.
The gig was standing room only - customers stopped while entering and exiting the store (the coffee shop is the entry point, but it's walled off from the store) and many of them stuck around for a long time. Of course, you don't often hear surf music played the way it was done back in the 60's - and that's the vibe we strive for. Everyone said the bass was well balanced and solid.
Both my back and my ears tell me that I may have found something important. I am going to go back in and play with this combo...and if it still sounds as good, I am seriously considering getting it (with a second 12 for versatility) and selling off my other cabs (Peavey 15, G-K 4x10 and homemade 12") and all but one backup amp (I have three of varying power levels). Retail is around $1400 on this pair, but they'll sell the amp/cab for $708. I am seriously considering putting my days of moving 50 to 100 pound speakers behind me.
Anyone else have experience with Genz-Benz, and especially with this setup? It's pretty new to their line...but it's unlike anything else I've played.