Small Bass Amps

[Pilgrim]

I'm hoping Genzler comes out with a combo soon.

Yessss!!  That would make many people happy.

[rahock]

I was under the impression that Fender bought them just to kill them. Of course that was mainly just my suspicious nature. Fender has had them for a few years now , and to my knowledge, done nothing to incorporate any Genz Benz technology. Technology is something you just can't sit on because somebody else will come up with something else that will make that stuff you've been sitting on worthless. Tick Tock.
Rick

[Pilgrim]

Yup, that's surely why Jeff started a new company with a new name.

[Dave W]

I was under the impression that Fender bought them just to kill them. Of course that was mainly just my suspicious nature. Fender has had them for a few years now , and to my knowledge, done nothing to incorporate any Genz Benz technology. Technology is something you just can't sit on because somebody else will come up with something else that will make that stuff you've been sitting on worthless. Tick Tock.
Rick

First of all, Fender didn't buy them, so to speak. FMIC bought Kaman's music division nearly nine years ago, and Genz Benz was just a minor part of Kaman (Genz Benz sold to Kaman in 2003). Kaman was desperate to sell its music division, which had been losing money for years.

Second, Fender is using Genz Benz technology in its Fender Rumble v3 line. Completely redesigned from the earlier Rumbles. 500w head, 5 lbs., $399 street.

[rahock]

That is good news . I've got to get out more.
What can I say, I'm just a cynical old fart . A few years ago I think I turned into my dad
Rick

[slinkp]

Speaking of that... Anybody tried a Genzler yet?

[gearHed289]

I'm hoping Genzler comes out with a combo soon.

I kinda made my own.  The amp section of my Acoustic B200 went up in smoke at sound check on Labor Day. I'd been thinking about upgrading anyway, so I picked up a used Streamliner 900. I've got it sandwiched between 2 pieces of 1/2'' foam, and it's a great fit. Plus I can slide it out easy enough (but not TOO easy) if I want to use it as a backup or whatever. I decided to take it one step further by putting my trusty (30 years) old EVM 15L in there. It's a nice little rig at 62 pounds. The Genz is great, but lacking in high end. I'm wondering if different tubes may help? This is what the previous owner put in there -

V1 = NOS Jan Phillips 5751
V2 = JJ ECC83
V3 = Tungsol 12AX7

[lowend1]

Well

I bought a used Ampeg American made B100R

A little heavier than I wanted, but small and sounds like I like an amp to sound

Probably paid too much , but oh well. Was in better than excellent shape visually...probably in a studio all it's life.

Excellent choice! I own two B100Rs and run them together, stacked with an ABY pedal and parametric EQ in front. They have never let me down.

[Pilgrim]

I confess that I'm tempted to buy a Fender Rumble with a 15" speaker just because I like the sound of a 15. The Rumble 200 is 35 pounds, which is almost a match for my Genz Shuttle on its 12" cab.

But it might be as much fun to buy the free-standing Rumble 15" speaker and use it with my 1967 blackface Bassman.

This is the Bassman on a 60's cab I sold ...

[Rob]

I confess that I'm tempted to buy a Fender Rumble with a 15" speaker just because I like the sound of a 15. The Rumble 200 is 35 pounds, which is almost a match for my Genz Shuttle on its 12" cab.

But it might be as much fun to buy the free-standing Rumble 15" speaker and use it with my 1967 blackface Bassman.

This is the Bassman on a 60's cab I sold ...

I think you are on to something.
A blackface and a 15 would be interesting.

[Pilgrim]

I think you are on to something.
A blackface and a 15 would be interesting.

Yes, the drawback would be that the head would weigh just about as much as the cab (30 lbs. to the cab's 36.) But at the volume my band plays, the Bassman would generate plenty of volume. And it's "vintage".   OOOooooooOOOOO!

[patman]

Doesn't a bassman need a 4 ohm cab?

[Pilgrim]

Before responding to the question, I did some quick research online.

Turns out that most indicate that a 4 ohm load is what it's designed for. Fender used these heads with two 8-ohm speakers wired in parallel to present a 4 ohm load.

That said, I don't think that running it at 8 ohms would hurt anything, and I have done that in the past. I'd expect that it would cost a bit of volume. 

Perhaps PBG and some others will weigh in on this.

[patman]

Someone told me when I first started playing that you had to me careful with a tube amp, but much less careful with solid state.

Probably the same person that told me to just dime the controls on the Fender bass so you don't kill the high end response....

[Dave W]

No, you need to get as close as possible with a tube amp. PBG can confirm this or correct me if I'm wrong, but what I understand is that mismatching with a higher impedance cab will cause the voltage at the output transformer to be too high, which will eventually destroy the output transformer and maybe more. Sold state amps don't need output transformers.