Leaderboard

A friend and band mate made this for me for a bit of fun, I just said build me a steam punk bass. I like it muchly and it plays great.

I realise that they're not to everyone's taste, but I'd rather he spend his time on making yet more custom instruments than another U2 album.

I started in 2004 after a post on Bassworld from someone asking how to connect two bits of kit together. It's never really been more than a hobby and certainly not a full-time business. I've just taken delivery of 400m of instrument cable and 100 Speakons so I won't stop yet. As long as folk still want cables I'll carry on doing it.

Wireless is ok but you need good clean air or the heft and smothness gets blocked, Ace of Spades with a room full of smoke from grilling bacon sounds brilliant though!

Whilst I can't claim the same electrical knowledge as some of the sparkies in this thread I do know my science. Specifically, my job is to run workshops based on politics, science and skepticism. Id wager that one of two things is happening here. 1. You said normal cables are harsh and yours are smooth. There is a possibility that (since cables are passive and can only take away from a signal) that the normal ones are full range and the silver ones have an in built or designed in imperfection that takes away some high end. 2. It's some combination of observer bias and confirmation bias. There wouldn't be a difference on a scope and you couldn't tell the difference in a double blind test.

Sometimes I wonder if the more we spend on playback equipment, the less we actually enjoy listening to the MUSIC? I certainly appreciated the music a lot more when all I had to play it on was a second-hand Dansette which cost me the grand sum of £8 back in 1974. I wasn't particularly brilliant (the right channel was considerably quieter than the left which turn some stereo mixes from the 60s in instrumentals and wouldn't even entertain the possibility of playing anything with serious bass), but it did allow me to play my records in my own room, and not have to seek my parents' permission to use the record player in the lounge.

Here are my thoughts of the Genzler Magellan 800 bass amp after having gigged it for the past several months. I've deliberately left it a while to make sure that the honeymoon period was over so that any issues or quibbles that I may have with it have become apparent. For reference, I play in a 5 piece, female fronted, rock, pop and party band playing a mixture of pub and club gigs as well as some private work and functions. My cab is Tecamp M212 and I use a variety of basses, usually with a bias towards the neck pickup. I play finger style more or less exclusively and am pretty heavy handed too, I love to dig in when I'm playing! If you're not already familiar with the amps here's what Genzler themselves have to say about them, the Magellan 800 and the Magellan 350. When I originally bought the amp, I tried it against some of its peers. To see how I thought it stacked up at the time see the thread here. Overview The 800 amp has both a transparent clean channel (that can be coloured by the Contour control, more of that later) and a coloured Drive channel. That makes it extremely versatile and usable for pretty much any and every musical situation that you're ever likely to find yourself in from soft jazz to the lesser extremes of metal. Clean channel The clean channel with the eq set to noon and the Contour control dialled out sounds even across the frequency range, there are no peaks or troughs in the signal. This sound works great in the mix straight out of the box. The Genzler marketing talks about a “weighted feel to the notes” and this is absolutely correct, the low end is definitely forceful, punchy and powerful but without being overbearing. Those that claim that class D amps lack heft should take an objective, unbiased listen to the Genzler. Pre-amp The EQ frequencies that the Magellan uses are absolutely perfect for real world live use. The bass EQ is voiced at 75 Hz which is great for adding audible bass to the sound if you're in a room where the bass is sounding a bit thin, or for backing the low end off if things are booming on stage. In my experience this has proven to be a far more useable frequency for controlling your low end than 40 Hz that many other bass amps use. The semi-parametric mid covers a wide range from 150 Hz to 3 KHz. It sounds perfect with the mid eq control at noon, which keeps things flat but I personally like to give it a slight push in the upper mids to help the bass cut through a busy mix. But you have massive flexibility here to control those critical mid frequencies whatever you want to do with them. The treble is voiced at 6 KHz so is useful for adding some presence to the tone or brightening up dead strings. Or backing things off a touch for a great retro tone. The treble never gets harsh and the tone is never completely dulled when the top end is backed off. The simplicity of the tone stack and the choice of frequencies that they operate on cannot be praised enough. The Genzler just delivers everything you need and nothing you do not. To finish of the awesome eq section there is also the dual voiced Contour control. A button on the front panel allows you to choose between curves A and B; Curve A is a mid-scoop pre-shape. However, compared to similar controls on other amps, this one is more gentle and is more usable because of it, it is usable throughout most of its range. Its only when its cracked beyond about 3 o'clock that the bass sounds like it could potentially to disappear form the mix. Curve B bumps the low mids while rolling off the upper mids and the extremes of the frequency range to give a great retro vibe or to tame a bright sounding, scooped rig . As with Curve A, things are still kept subtle and musically usable with this control throughout its range. Drive channel The 800 model also sports a footswitchable drive channel that has its own gain and volume controls. Genzler have wisely allowed the use of any generic latching footswitch to be used rather than forcing you into using a proprietary one. Although the drive channel is completely valve-less, it is one of the most convincing, warm, valve-like sounds that I've heard. When engaging the drive channel a pre-set eq curve is applied that subtly rolls off the high and low ends and leaves you with a silky smooth, valve like drive that never gets fizzy. Even at full gain, the drive is always usable, it does not get into the realms of distortion. The slightly mid biased voice of the drive is more suited to Motown or classic rock than it is for anything extreme. If you want more gain, or a modern scooped distortion then you'll need a dedicated pedal. But for those of us who want that touch of hair or a light, usable drive that works in the mix, this is, as with everything about this amp, perfect. HPF There is no mention of any form of high pass filtering by Genzler, but I emailed them to ask about it and none other than Geoff Genzler himself responded to say that; Yes, we do utilize a High Pass filter with the MG-800. It is a very steep slope and set low around the 30 Hz range. This allows us to achieve a clean, solid and authoritative low end without potential flubbyness. This also helps with protection from over-excursion for speakers under high power situations. I hope this information is helpful. Best Regards, Jeff Genzler How's that for customer service??? Construction and finish The amp is a great looking design IMO and the quality of construction is flawless. Genzler describe it as; aircraft-grade, brushed aluminum (sic) chassis with a sleek custom extruded front panel. It certainly looks classy and feels substantial. Anyone concerns over quality because it was built in the far east are misplaced. And it has 4 ultra-important blue LED's on the front panel. Nice. Niggles As you have probably gathered by now, I'm struggling to find fault with the Genzler Magellan amps. However I do have a couple of very minor criticisms. It'd be great if the Contour voicings were footswitchable so you could switch between the different curve options on the fly. But this is just nit picking, and not something that I'm likely to ever do anyway. And then there's the name. No doubt there is a reason or story about why Magellan was chosen, but it just seems a bit of a daft name for a bass amp to me, It's more like a name you'd give to a dog! Summary Honestly, I can't fault the Magellan amps. Everything about it is just right. It delivers everything you need in the real world. I've played many gigs in many different venues with mine and I'm yet to get a bad sound out of it or have ever been in a situation where the sublime eq section wasn't able to eq the bass to a room with poor acoustics in a matter of seconds. In fact, I like it so much that I bought the baby 350 model as a rehearsal and back up amp. The 350 has the same great tone and features of its big brother but it does lack the jaw-droppingly brilliant drive channel. However is makes up for this by being smaller, lighter and cheaper. I've also gigged the 350 and don't let its nominally low power rating put you off, this thing has more volume than you're ever likely to need on a typical pub, club or function gig.

I love the old heads and combos - they produce the tones I want and do everything that I want them to, except maybe carrying themselves up and down stairs. The endorsees list from the 80s and 90s reads like a who's who of the greatest players from that era...Trace Elliot must have been doing something right. I'm sure the original tones can be replicated but it would certainly cost more than the price of a second hand rig.

I was convinced the compressor wasn't working on my SMX, so I recorded it and looked at the wav file and it's definitely doing something, subtle in the extreme

Pretty sure it doesn't ... there's no tweeter! Even if it does, the Trace 208 appears to cost the same as, or more than, the cab I'm after, and would have all my hard-earned dosh going to a Yankee megabucks corporation rather than to craftsmen here in the UK. 10 years ago I was one of Alex Claber's first regular customers, partly because I like his cabs, and partly because I want to support people doing stuff in the UK music industry rather than just channel money to the USA and China. I'm happy to be dealing with Tricky Audio, and I suspect I'll get much better service from them than I would from Peavey! Now if only Mike Lull would leave Seattle and re-locate to Uxbridge ...

That's a gigging amp. But only if it's all-valve, of course...

have a Watt on me

It's just when someone likes a post It used to be called reputation but I thought it should be something a bit more... Bassy

So, just another FAD then? ? Coat got....

New Bass! New Bass! Check it out here

Oooh. Wouldn't that be a thing?

I've used some Sapele for the bodies on the last couple of basses that I've made. Bought it from a local DIY store and it's absolutely fine. You have to be a bit careful to know it's suitably dry - I'm just lucky with the place near me. They also thickness the stuff for me which is a bonus. Was less than £30 for a body. Whereabouts are you located? Is this for you planned headless build? The usual suppliers are David Dyke, Tonetech and Exotic Hardwoods. You will get more character woods from these if you want but they will also have stuff that can be painted. And there's always eBay. Or the local tip for old furniture....

Take a look at the TC Electronics BG250 208, its pretty small but can still hold its own in a rehearsal or quiet band situation. I've upgraded the 8" speakers in mine to give a total load of 4 ohms meaning I get the full 250W output without an extension cab. Personally, I prefer this combo to the PJB Briefcase it replaced. It 'breathes' a little easier and is warmer and more natural sounding to my old ears.

I Like This!

A luthiers suppliers is probably the easiest option, but you'll pay more. Last solidbody I made I used Luan(which is sold as "maghogany" in lots of general timber yards) sourced from a timber merchant - it did require a bit of faffing about finding a plank that looked like it would be stable long term without obvious flaws and provide a two piece blank, but it ended up being inexpensive and I'm happy with the result. If you want to go ultralight with something like paulowinia, you might need to engage some lateral thinking to source it and buy it from a company that uses it day to day (surfboard manufacture was the best UK option last I checked several years ago), and if their supplier isn't sending them planks that are big enough to make a blank from, you'll have to accept making a blank from more than two pieces.

This is getting weird pretty damn fast!

Just a quick note to say that not all TE SMX compressor pedals sound the same. I had two at one point and noticed a difference. Looking inside the PCB issue number was different. I haven't found anything documented on it - might just be a level difference...or something. One definitely sounded 'better' somehow so obvs I kept that one.

Nice!

That's true!! Speaking of my 7, I've done dep gigs in the past where I'd stayed pretty much in the same position all night ha ha!! That was a waste of the other 19 frets!

Yup, my 7 string is F# to C.

This Saturday we are playing at the White Lion in Baldock, 9pm til the last person drops... Come along for songs you will sing and dance to, or just for the freakshow of a lefty bass player!

cool!

Tell me about it. You never know I might retire soon.

That's brilliant!

@tinyd Thanks for this link and the link to the wider library. This Fundamental Patterns one's a great little summary - I'm gonna be working through these approaches this weekend. I've also got Walking Jazz Lines for Bass by Jay Hungerford, which has some great walking patterns for popular standards such as So What.

Terrible business model really, they only get replaced when they get lost or stolen!

Excellent and inspiring. Being pretty eco minded anyway I like that it's made from scrap. 'Nice one 'to your mate

So...yes I’ve done a decal, but I’ve also written “deffo not a fender” on the heel of the neck. its for me, i’ll not be selling it all being well, so before anyone has a moan... and ive sourced some EMG’s need to sort pots and wiring

As I've said before the cables can't 'add' anything, there's no debate/discussion to be had, if the silver cables make it sound smoother then they are removing something.

Haha! Takes a bloody age to do my house carpets too.

Can't help with the PA i'm afraid but what a fantastic guy. His commitment to helping others is inspirational to say the least. Dave

You're right, there's no fx loop on the 350, only an aux in. I don't use fx loops so I hadn't even noticed! As to whether it is controlled by the master volume I don't know, I'll try and have a look over the weekend if I get a chance.

We're taking sides now? Where can I get a Bovril and a pie?

Saw them in Manchester earlier this year, absolutely amazing!

Sometime in 2006, my very first Shuker!

Cool. There's never too much steam punk!

I like the way you've posted this as a lyric. Sung as a blues I guess?

Ha!! So cool!! I love steam punk stuff

Nobody has ever said my bass playing is smokin'

Will do. I’m not touting for work, but I’m more than happy to offer some advice and all that on branding and video stuff. I’m sure it’s not just me either with these skills, perhaps we could do a little guide?

This. You can never have too many DFA switches.

It could be blue, blue, electric blue - that's the colour of my room, where I will live. Blue, blue.

I’m not sure that his name sells that many basses. It’s his design choices that people buy into. He takes maybe 15-20 basses on the road when he goes on tour and genuinely uses a lot of them at each gig / TV appearance. Of course he doesn’t really need to use so many but, given that he can easily afford them (and the techs to get them ready at a moment’s notice) then I can’t see it does any harm to anyone. Because his band is such a ‘showcase’ he often chooses bright colours and bold designs to stand out on stage. Manufacturers like this because it gives them a chance to show off some flashier designs. The number of Clayton ‘haters’ are limited to a few players who hang out on forums. Not many of them and with little influence on the general bass buying public. By making some of the signature models as limited editions this increases immediate demand at launch which, in turn, generates much-needed publicity, and subsequent revenue, for what is an increasingly beleaguered industry. I’d think this particular run ought to sell out relatively quickly. It’ll be interesting to see how well they are made and what UK price comes in at. Looks like they’ll be around the same build spec and quality as the current American Vintage models so may be the same price - possibly a bit more because of the higher grade blocks. Of course, the real test is how they sound but even this is going to be pretty subjective. At most ‘everday’ gigs that they are likely to be used at, I doubt any audience member will be able to hear the difference between one of these and a pre CBS vintage model. They might get noticed as looking a bit different from run of the mill sunburst/Black/white/natural though. If the player feels good about him/herself whilst playing and has a good time then that feels like the most important thing I very much doubt anyone is going to see someone with one of these and go “ooh look it’s an Adam Clayton wannabe, bet he can’t play”. . .

It would appear that Adam Clayton takes a similar approach to designing his signature basses as Homer Simpson did to designing a Car.

You could soak your sorrows in a couple of bottles of Grolsch and use the rubber washers off the top as strap locks. Two birds killed...