First of all, much thanks to Brendon for bringing in Genz-Benz amps and cabs! Definitely worth the cash, for me at least.
I'm running the Shuttle6.0 through 2 Hartke HX112 cabs, pushing the full 600watts at 4ohms, if it matters. Didn't get the footswitch for the mute and EQ shape buttons on the fly though.
So far, it's been a good 6 months or so since I've had the amp and it's really easy to get a good workable tone out of it. When I first got it from Brendon, I was like "WOW, this amp is LIGHT!". It was pretty amazing to me, seeing how loud this amp can get, with 600watts at 4ohms. I've played at a wedding banquet without PA support and it was plenty loud.
For those wondering, the Genz-Benz Shuttle series of amps are pretty hi-fi amps I feel. However, that doesn't mean they are unable to cop those vintage tones either. It's just how you EQ the amp that really matters, for the Shuttles. The EQ stack is so flexible that you can really get a wide variety of tones from it, from modern hi-fi, to old-school motown or funk. It's easy to over-do on the EQ too much though, since it's so responsive.
Very simple controls, no graphic EQ here, just semi-parametric EQ to work with, along with sweepable mids. Very, very useful EQ range and virtually dummy-proof, I would say. The tube preamp definitely helps with warming up the tone overall, which is one of the main reasons I bought the 6.0 instead of the 3.0. Pushing the tube, you can get quite a fair bit of grit in your tone, which could be very nice to some bassists looking for that slightly overdriven tone.
The 3 EQ shape switches add a very useful component to the tone too. The bass boost switch gives you a really fat low-end that is present and not bloated like some "deep" switches on some amps do. The mid cut switch actually cuts out at the high mids, still retaining a lot of body in your tone. Sounds great for slap style. The treble boost switch does what it says, adding some sizzle to your tone. Not my cup of tea but it's there when you need/want it, that's for sure.
The headphone output of the amp is nice to have on an amp of this size, considering you can just do a couple of hours of silent practise through your headphones instead of running through a cabinet at home in the wee hours. My only gripe would be that the aux input of the Shuttle is a mono 1/4" jack, not a stereo. Would have been nice to have it in stereo, but hey, I don't think too many people would mind anyway.
The amp fan seems quiet enough for me, during pauses between songs. I don't recall ever hearing it bothering me.
Haven't utilized the DI output on the amp yet so can't speak about that for now. Also haven't utilized the effects loop as I usually run my effects into the amp input, from my bass.
After using this amp, I think I'm definitely a fan of Genz-Benz stuff. Their line of Uber cabs sounded great too, when I tried them out at Brendon's. Once more, much thanks to Brendon for bringing in Genz-Benz to our local market and for being such a great person to deal with. Really easy-going and put me at ease through my buying experience. A really nice and cosy place without too many distractions from testing stuff before purchase too.
I'm running the Shuttle6.0 through 2 Hartke HX112 cabs, pushing the full 600watts at 4ohms, if it matters. Didn't get the footswitch for the mute and EQ shape buttons on the fly though.
So far, it's been a good 6 months or so since I've had the amp and it's really easy to get a good workable tone out of it. When I first got it from Brendon, I was like "WOW, this amp is LIGHT!". It was pretty amazing to me, seeing how loud this amp can get, with 600watts at 4ohms. I've played at a wedding banquet without PA support and it was plenty loud.
For those wondering, the Genz-Benz Shuttle series of amps are pretty hi-fi amps I feel. However, that doesn't mean they are unable to cop those vintage tones either. It's just how you EQ the amp that really matters, for the Shuttles. The EQ stack is so flexible that you can really get a wide variety of tones from it, from modern hi-fi, to old-school motown or funk. It's easy to over-do on the EQ too much though, since it's so responsive.
Very simple controls, no graphic EQ here, just semi-parametric EQ to work with, along with sweepable mids. Very, very useful EQ range and virtually dummy-proof, I would say. The tube preamp definitely helps with warming up the tone overall, which is one of the main reasons I bought the 6.0 instead of the 3.0. Pushing the tube, you can get quite a fair bit of grit in your tone, which could be very nice to some bassists looking for that slightly overdriven tone.
The 3 EQ shape switches add a very useful component to the tone too. The bass boost switch gives you a really fat low-end that is present and not bloated like some "deep" switches on some amps do. The mid cut switch actually cuts out at the high mids, still retaining a lot of body in your tone. Sounds great for slap style. The treble boost switch does what it says, adding some sizzle to your tone. Not my cup of tea but it's there when you need/want it, that's for sure.
The headphone output of the amp is nice to have on an amp of this size, considering you can just do a couple of hours of silent practise through your headphones instead of running through a cabinet at home in the wee hours. My only gripe would be that the aux input of the Shuttle is a mono 1/4" jack, not a stereo. Would have been nice to have it in stereo, but hey, I don't think too many people would mind anyway.
The amp fan seems quiet enough for me, during pauses between songs. I don't recall ever hearing it bothering me.
Haven't utilized the DI output on the amp yet so can't speak about that for now. Also haven't utilized the effects loop as I usually run my effects into the amp input, from my bass.
After using this amp, I think I'm definitely a fan of Genz-Benz stuff. Their line of Uber cabs sounded great too, when I tried them out at Brendon's. Once more, much thanks to Brendon for bringing in Genz-Benz to our local market and for being such a great person to deal with. Really easy-going and put me at ease through my buying experience. A really nice and cosy place without too many distractions from testing stuff before purchase too.
