Osiris

If you're looking for something other than a generic black box, have a look at what Arachnid audio have to offer. According to the online blurb, the Laney FS2 uses a stereo jack connection, so [url="http://arachnidaudio.co.uk/product/double-amp-footswitch/"]something like this[/url] ought to meet your requirements. You have choices of the pedal size, colour and with or without LED's too. It looks like the Laney comes with its own (possibly integral?) cable but you'd need a separate stereo cable if you were to go with an Arachnid. I recently bought one of the Arachnid single channel footswitches and I can't fault it, it's got its own unique look, it's really well made and for the price it wasn't worth even considering warming up my own soldering iron.

I have a Sandberg own brand, 4 string Stingray style humbucker as well as some cheap and cheerful single coil jazz pickups (from an old Squier, I think?) plus a P/J set from a Peavey Zodiac. You're welcome to borrow any or all of the above.

Maybe I'm mistaken? [size=4]Unfortunately I no longer have the amp, footswitch or cables to double check.[/size] [size=4] [/size][size=4]That being the case it might be wise to treat my previous post with a pinch of salt [/size]

[quote name='coffee_king' timestamp='1492070047' post='3277572'] Cheers for your input but as I said in my initial post a round drum case isnt going to work I'm afraid. [/quote] My mistake, I only skimmed your original post [size=4] [/size]

[quote name='afterimage' timestamp='1492028270' post='3277367'] Excellent review in the market for a new amp too [/quote] It goes without saying, but try as many different models as you can. [quote name='stevie' timestamp='1492029356' post='3277381'] A real quality review, which clearly took a lot of time and effort. Thanks for that. [/quote] Thank you, It was a slow day at work....

What about something like a drum case? [size=4]A quick Google search using "18 inch drum case" brings up loads of options from cheap and cheerful soft cases to more expensive heavier duty options.[/size] [size=4]The only potential problem that I can foresee would be the stand that keeps the fan upright. If it can easily be removed I can't see it being an issue.[/size]

I assume you mean the RC4 foot switch, [url="http://www.tcelectronic.com/rc4-remote/"]like this[/url]? [size=4] [/size] The cable that came with mine (I bought it new a few years ago) was an 8 pin midi cable and was around 5 meters long. It was a bit flimsy feeling and I was concerned about how long it would last. It was replaced by a sturdier 8 pin one that our keyboard player had going spare. But o[size=4]bviously that's no real help to you at the minute![/size] [size=4]Amazon have a no quibble returns policy. I'd send yours back and order an 8 pin midi cable to replace it. [/size]

[quote name='Cuzzie' timestamp='1492018407' post='3277270'] I would say Haussel probably for the pick ups and they are mighty fine pick ups at that. [/quote] Without doubt [size=4] [/size]

Thanks for the feedback everyone [quote name='Cuzzie' timestamp='1491924237' post='3276529'] Nicely done Great review and it would almost be word for word what I would think about those amps for me. Does your Sandberg have the Delano pups or the Sandberg ones? My friend and I both have saandbergs and DG amps. He has a TT with Delano's and I have the MarloweDK with Sandberg's. inherently the voicing makes for quite different sounds even when we are set at about the same, and he could not find a useable tone to his ears on a P bass, but the Jazz was king. It's wonderfully interesting the little things that make the amps, but for me as you adeptly described it, having less bass boom in the DG compared to Mesa, lets me not get lost, but I then have the drive for a little extra oomph on the microtubes circuit. The DG also plays very Nicely with pedals infront of it. Thanks again for your thoughts and review [/quote] My Sandberg TT is passive but the pickups are unbranded. They don't have the over-sized pole pieces of the Delano or Sandberg own branded pickups. I have seen other Sandberg's with Haussel pickups fitted so they could possibly be those perhaps? I checked the paperwork that came with the bass and it doesn't say what they are and the link on Bass Direct's website for the original listing is now dead. They seem to have a bit more of a mid range grunt compared to a lot of other Jazz basses that I've tried, but that suits me! I also have a Sandberg VM that has their own brand pickups with a Glockenkland pre-amp in but I've only played that through the Genzler at in-house volumes although so I'm yet to see what the difference is between the two basses at volume, but even at low volume the distinction between their inherent sounds is obvious. I'll find out how the VM sounds at my next gig in a couple of weeks - It's at the Grainstore in Oakham on the 29th April, if you wanted to swing by and say hello, and let me know what you think, DBerriff? [quote name='Kev' timestamp='1491940971' post='3276701'] Great review Regarding the Microtubes circuit in the Darkglass, how it reacts is hugely dependant on what bass goes in. It's also very interactive with the gain knob and switch. [/quote] In an ideal world I'd have played a few different instruments through each amp to see what they had to offer. But alas, it wasn't to be. But there is undoubtedly a multitude of great drive and distortion tones available and I'd love to have one if only for the fun factor Let's see what next years salary bonus brings....

This started out as New Amp Day thread for my Genzler Magellan 800 but has grown a bit more than I was originally anticipating…. DISCLAIMER - what is stated below is just my opinion based on my experience with my bass and my cab being played at smallish pub gig volumes. I thought I'd throw that in because there might be 1 or 2 comments below that some people might not agree with. This thread just relays my experience, thoughts and feelings at the time. Having been in the market for a new amp for a while, I'd managed to narrow down a shortlist of amps that, on paper at least, ticked all my requirements; lightweight, plenty of power for bigger/outdoor gigs, more voiced towards a vintage rather than a toppy hi-fi tone, and, sensibly priced (not cheap as such, but nothing ludicrously expensive either). In the end I'd managed narrowed it down to the Aguilar Tone Hammer (either the 350 or more likely the 500), the Darkglass Microtubes 900, the Mesa Boogie Subway D-800 and the Genzler Magellan 800. A recent trip to Bass Direct armed with my own cab, a Tecamp M212 and my trusty passive Sandberg TT4 jazz bass, I had the chance to try out and compare the Darkglass (DG), Mesa (MB) and the Genzler (GZ). My test driving session was in BD's store room which is nothing more than an industrial unit full of boxes, so possibly not the best acoustic environment to test gear out, but that's how it was. I started off running each amp with all the tone controls at 12 o'clock. Any adjustable preshape filters were set to their off/minimum settings and the GZ and DG were set to their clean channels. All 3 amps the were broadly similar tonally, but there were differences. The MB had noticeably more bottom end than the others. The GZ sounded flat with no obvious frequencies either cut or boosted. The DG, somewhat surprisingly, had what sounded like a bit of a roll off at the lower end. Not much, but it was noticeable compared to the others. However, the DG had something more pleasing in the mids to my ear. It probably all comes down to what each manufacturer perceives a 'flat' sound to be. Next came an hour or so of finding out what each amp had to offer by going through various eq settings and swapping the amps over to compare each one with similar tones dialled in. Each amp yielded some fantastic tones and each had their own distinctive voice too. In fact I wasn't able to coax a bad or unusable sound out of any of them. It was a tough call as each amp has its own strengths. Mesa Boogie Subway D-800 The MB was the least versatile of the 3. Tonally, it goes from shouty and aggressive to really shouty and aggressive. Not that it has a bad tone, far from it, but it is anything but subtle. With the 4 eq points set to 12 o'clock and the voicing control set flat there was more inherent low end than the GZ and the DG in particular. Using the bass control, voicing filter and deep switch, you had 3 options to dial in even more bass. Not that you need any of them. I found that I was having to wind the bass eq back to 11 or even 10 o'clock and keep the deep switch off to stop it getting overpowering. Not that the bottom end was dominating the other frequencies, but I'd imagine that it could get overbearing in a band situation if you're not careful. The voicing control on the MB, which is an adjustable mid-scoop, has a wide range and to my ear but anything over about 9 or 10 o'clock and you were getting into 'sounds great on its own but makes you disappear from the mix' territory. Less is definitely more with that one. The tone that really put a smile on my face was playing the Sandberg on the neck pickup, the voicing set at about 8 o'clock, deep switch off, the bass eq set about 10 o'clock, low mid at 12, upper mid at about 1 and the treble at about 11. It pretty much turned the TT4 jazz into a Precision! This tone very nearly sold the Mesa to me there and then. But much as I loved the core tone of the MB, it was hard to make it sound anything other than aggressive and bass heavy. It felt like it was constantly having to be kept in check. Darkglass Microtubes 900 There's no denying that there's a lot of hype about the DG, and rightly so, it's a cracking amp. On the clean channel with the EQ set flat, it was the least bassy sounding of the 3 but had something going on in the mids that I really liked but can't quite describe. It was in no way thin sounding, it just didn't have quite as much low end as the other 2 with all bass eq at noon. Upping the bass eq to about 1 o'clock bought the low end back up to a similar level as the GZ. Of the 3 amps, the DG has the most comprehensive eq section which was quick and easy to get a great sound out of. It was the only amp not to have a preshape or contour feature, just a 4 band eq with each mid band having a switch for 3 preset frequencies. A setting that sounded great to my ear was bass between 1 and 2 o'clock, low mids at 11 on the 500hz setting, hi mids at 1 on the 750 hz setting and the treble just backed off a touch. The big selling point of the DG is the Microtubes circuit which has both the Vintage Microtubes and B3K voice settings available. Tonally, like a lot of guys, I want a bit of warmth/hair/grit/additional harmonic content (insert your favourite adjective here) in my sound, not overdrive as such, but something that is neither squeaky clean nor yet dirty. A bit grubby I suppose. I was expecting to get some mild warmth using the VMT setting at lower gain, but even with the drive and blend controls down in the 8 to 9 o'clock regions there was still too much on tap for what I am looking for. Switching to the B3K mode changed the voicing and actually sounded less driven to me, somewhat surprisingly. It also introduced a slight mid-scoop too. At higher gain settings there are some great overdrive and distortion sounds to be found, but these are way over the top for anything that I play these days, everything from 70's disco to contemporary indie. Having said that, the hairy teenage rocker in me who first picked up the bass more than 30 years ago was screaming at me to buy it for the fun factor alone. Unfortunately, the podgy, balding, middle aged man in me (which is me these days) was urging something more sensible. The DG was still tempting for the tone and flexibility of the clean channel alone but why pay extra for the Microtubes engine that I'm not going to use other than for a bit of fun? Just to be clear, I'm not saying that the Microtubes engine is inherently bad sounding or unusable, it's just that even at minimum drive settings it was too full on for my requirements. I read recently someone describing the DG sound as like the bass being played through both a bass amp and a guitar amp at the same time (or words to that effect) and I think that sums it up perfectly. It's not your classic Ampeg saturated valve bass sound, it more like a bass being played through a Mesa Boogie dual rectifier. Genzler Magellan 800 Of the 3 amps being compared, the GZ was a last minute addition to the short list. I'd borrowed a friends Genz Benz amp a few years ago (can't remember what model it was, unfortunately) and found that it had a bump in the boxy sounding low mids that I struggled to eq out. I'd just assumed that this would likely also be the case with the GZ. The good news is that this assumption was misplaced. On the clean channel with the tone controls at noon and the contour control wound right back the tone was to my ear the flattest of the 3 on trial. The blurb online talks about a “weighted feel to the notes” which I'd just assumed was the usual marketing claims. However, the low end is definitely forceful, punchy and powerful but without feeling overbearing like the MB. The mids and treble are equally present without being boxy or brittle. The eq section is simple and flexible and contains bass, treble and a single semi-parametric mid plus the contour control that has 2 different voicings, A & B. Voice A is a variable mid-scoop which doesn't have the range of the one on the MB but is far more usable for it. It was only when I cranked it up to 2 or 3 o'clock that it started to get into the realms of potentially not cutting through in a band situation. The MB voicing filter hit that spot much sooner. Voice B is a more vintage sounding mid bump with a slight low end roll off. Voice B set to about 10 o'clock with the bass pushed up between 1 and 2 o'clock gave a great, useable retro tone. Like the DG, the GZ has a dedicated drive channel, but even when ragging it the range of drive available on the GZ still seemed less driven than the DG at minimum settings. That's no bad thing. The drive sections on the DG and the GZ are very different creatures. The GZ is on the more subtle but extremely usable side. I've been through many different amps and pedals trying to find the perfect warmth/hair/etc. tone and the only that came close was the Aguilar Tone Hammer. The GZ drive (more warmth and enhanced harmonic content than a pedal style overdrive) is rich and creamy with plenty of clarity left in the underlying bass tone. There's no fizz either, just smooth, dynamic warmth. Think along the lines of the Tone Hammer but with more definition or a SansAmp at lower gain but without the mid-scoop. This was what convinced me to go with the Magellan. It just sounded right, my favourite settings being with both A or B contours at about 10 o'clock and the eq section all at noon. Even though I was looking for exactly the warm/hairy tone that the GZ delivers, the clean channel has a real immediacy about it. With contour A at about 9 o'clock, bass and mids at noon and the treble back at about 11'o clock, the tone was powerful, punchy and clear. Even now having played through the GZ for several hours I can't decide whether I prefer the punchy clean channel or the warmth of the drive channel the best. Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 I didn't try the Tone Hammer (TH) directly against the other 3 at the time, but having already played through a TH 500 a couple of weeks before, I was leaning more towards the other 3 over the TH which is lower powered (although in reality would probably have easily covered every possible gigging situation that I'd ever need it for) and although it does the warm, vintage tone brilliantly, it didn't seem to be massively versatile. Summary Without sounding like a cop out, these are all truly great amps and I could happily live with either of them. I wouldn't say that any one is any better than the others as each one has something different to offer. Ultimately I ended up buying the Genzler as that was the one that suits my needs. But it was a tough decision. The GZ also happened to be £150+ cheaper than the others, but that was in no way a deciding factor in my choice. If you want a set-and-forget single tone amp, the TH and MB are great choices if their inherent sounds are to your liking. The TH is perfect for warmer vintage tones and the MB is the ideal choice if you want something more aggressive. But if you're looking for subtlety you definitely won't find it in the MB. If you find yourself asking "is it any good for metal?" on a regular basis, the DG is the obvious choice, although the MB is definitely worth considering too. Don't write off the DG purely as a metal amp, the clean channel is good. Really good. For my needs, I found that I was having to reign back both the MB and DG to keep them under control. But I'm sure there are plenty of guys who would just let them rip and sound a damn sight better than I ever could! The simply great tone and the versatility of the Genzler is what made me choose it over the others. It doesn't do the insane drive and distortion of the DG but instead it delivers a convincing smooth valve like saturated sound that could be used across many different genres. It's not dissimilar in that respect to the Tone Hammer, but the GZ has more clarity to its drive sound. The clean channel has a lot of power behind it, real weight, dare I say the H word? The drive channel and the different voices of the contour are usable through pretty much their entire ranges. The only thing I don't like about it is its daft name

I had one of the black Japanese ones about 10 years ago and in my opinion it was a brilliant instrument. Mine always sounded deep and punchy, though I only ever really played using the Precision pickup, only blending in a little bit of the neck pickup on occasion. That was with the stock pickups too. Slim jazz like neck profile with thundering Precision like tone. [size=4]The build quality was flawless and it was light as a feather too. [/size] [size=4][quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1491410004' post='3272834'][/size] You need to play one to make sure you can live with the sharper edges as compared to the more traditional J bass. [size=4][/quote][/size] This was the killer for me. If I played a track with a pick, the bound edges on the body would get really uncomfortable as they rubbed against my forearm. I ended up wearing a couple of sweatbands above the wrist which helped but they tended to move about a bit so I'd still end up with a sore patch on the inner forearm. Admittedly, I'm not the most subtle of players and I was in a classic rock and metal band at the time so I was prone to digging in for much of the set. But if you're playing finger style and have a lighter touch than me, then you might be fine with one. Definitely try before you buy.

[quote name='Zummerbass' timestamp='1491504510' post='3273619'] I have a Nano+. 5" x 17 3/4" x 1 1/2" (incl feet). I use the Pedaltrain Volto rechargeable power supply. It fits under the board with Velcro. I currently have five pedals on it, 3 x EBS, EH Bass Soulfood and Korg tuner. I used to have 2 Boss pedals (replaced by Korg and EH) on there. They'll fit fine. [/quote][size=4][quote name='M@23' timestamp='1491514568' post='3273713'][/size] I don't have either anymore, but did have a Fueltank Jr velcro'd to the bottom of a Nano+, without modification. [/quote] Thanks guys, the nano+ with the fuel tank either on top or underneath sounds like the way to go.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1491461445' post='3273131'] Btw, if you get a Cioks DC5 (Hotrox stock them), that's the only power supply I know that will fit under a Nano without any mods. [/quote] Cheers, Danny, According to the specs online the Cioks is 31 mm deep whereas my fuel tank junior measures in at a whopping 35 mm so it's a lot cheaper just to go with some deeper rubber feet for a couple of quid from B&Q - assuming that they simply screw on, that is. And the board will still fit in the bag with deeper feet. With the set up I have in mind (the Boss tuner plus 2 mini sized pedals) the nano plus also has enough room for the fuel tank junior to be mounted on top too. Having said that, I like the idea of the smaller Nano board with the FTJ underneath. I'll do some digging to see which options are viable. [quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1491461720' post='3273132'] I've been playing since 1984 and I'd only ever had a Boss compressor pedal until about two years ago and I didn't even like that (not remotely transparent). I'd just not been prepared for how much better pedals are now. Decent PSUs, true bypass and vastly improved buffering have been game changers. No more tone suck, no more battery fail! I'll give the Nano+ a measure tonight. [/quote] Was the Boss a CS-3 by any chance? I had one of those years ago and you're right, it was a real tone and dynamics killer, not even over the top compression, just a total strangle hold over your sound. Needless to say it didn't last long. I've got an old battered up Boss LMB-3 limiter which is a surprisingly good compressor. I prefer the TC Electronics Spectracomp these days, it's tiny, simple to use and with the TonePrints and the TonePrint editor app you have all the control you need and can make it sound exactly how you want it to.

[quote name='jrixn1' timestamp='1491429577' post='3273061'] I don't have a Nano+, but if it helps, I do have a Nano, which is very slightly under 5.5" deep. Width is 14" so a bit less than the Nano+. [/quote] Thanks, John, I appreciate it!

[quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1491396339' post='3272685'] I was in your boat a year ago. A straight-plug daisy chain cable does protrude enough from a Boss pedal that I disconnect it when I put the board in the soft-case. A right angled one is safe enough though. Unlike the bigger boards, the Nano+ isn't sloped and although there is some room underneath, once you have cables routed it may well be too tight for a PSU. I've found a Nano+ fed my pedal GAS though. I thought I just needed a TU3, some delay and a compressor. But then a Phase 90 fell my way and now I have to choose between a Muff and a Pike Vulcan and quite fancy a Mel9. I'm going to need a bigger board soon. Might be worth allowing a little more space than you think you need immediately. [/quote] Cheers, the nano plus sounds promising. If you get a chance, do you mind measuring the width anyway, please? Yes, I'd got it in mind that it might be difficult to mount the power supply underneath so I've also allowed room for it up top too, to be safe. Re pedal gas, I've been playing for more than 30 years now and have dabbled with effects on and off but I find that I prefer not to use them as such other than a bit of subtle drive and compression. But I'm not against them at all, I have a Zoom B3 that I use in the house for messing about with and have great fun with it, its just that I prefer to keep things simple when gigging.

[quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1491238427' post='3271482'] Hmm...not my cup of tea in the Premier Guitar demo ([url="https://youtu.be/YzkCtlcffw0"]https://youtu.be/YzkCtlcffw0[/url]) but other demos are out there. For me, much like Japhet, it is not the basic tone of my amp that I dislike, it is just that I want a little extra. I found the GK 500MB Fusion to be a great amp for a warm clean, but I could not push it to a (what I felt to be) musical overdrive. Also, I use a different amp in rehearsals and I have not had the luxury of using my own amp at a gig for quite some time, going straight to the desk and using the house amp for a bit of monitoring. So I was after a good overdrive that would work with my amp (valves in the preamp), a fully solidstate amp and for DI. Thanks for reminding me about the ToneHammer. I shall edit my post above with links to demos of it when I get a bit more time. The one with Norm Stockton was [i]incredibly[/i] brief but he produced a great sound. For the record, I have found a Blueberry and ordered it. I was a bit unsure at first when listening to demos of it, but when it was at its best, it was better than anything else, I felt. More info when it gets here and gets used. [/quote] The Genzler sounds much better to me in the flesh that it does in the Premier guitar video, but as we all know, what something sounds like on YouTube doesn't often bear any resemblance to what it sounds like when we use one in the real world. I thought I was happy with the sound of my old amp too, but there was something special about the Genzler drive channel that made me buy it. None of the YouTube clips do it justice. Musical is a great way to describe it. But anyway, it sounds like a pedal is definitely what you need, not another amp! I'd love to hear what you think of the Blueberry once you have put it through its paces. dannybuoy clearly rates it highly and it was one of the few on my shortlist that I wasn't able to track down to try out. If it's not for you, I'd definitely see what the Tone Hammer pedal has to offer.

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]A recent amp acquisition has seen the need to put together a small pedalboard, nothing sexy, just a tuner, compressor, a channel footswitch plus a power supply. The Pedaltrain Nano plus look like it'll be perfect but there seems to be a bit of a discrepancy in the dimensions quoted online. I've seen the width quoted online as both 5 and 5.5 inches. Might not seem much of a difference, but measuring up mu old Boss TU-2 with the right angled power cable feeding into it, it needs at least 135 mm to give enough clearance so that the power cable isn't overhanging the board and likely to get damaged. 5 inches is about 127 mm which isn't quite enough, but 5.5. inches is about 140 mm which is perfect. Anyone got a Nano plus to hand that they can measure, please? Also, I have a Fuel tank junior power supply, looking online a few people have mounted them under the boards, the only mod being required is a bit more clearance courtesy of some deeper rubber feet. Anyone done it? What feet did you use? How did you attach the Fuel tank junior to the underside of the board? [/font][/size]

[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1491207988' post='3271136'] Maybe you need something a bit different to the Warwicks in the heard a wild card bass so to speak or a tone shaping pedal? [/quote] As Paul says, maybe a bit of variety is the answer? The 4 Warwick's probably share a lot of the same DNA, so although they likely have their differences, they're probably also similar too - depending on your own point of view. I currently own 5 basses, all of which are different in their own way, some active, some passive, different pickup configurations and tones, some cheap and others expensive. But there's something to cover every mood whether it's my cheap and cheerful passive Peavey zodiac for rocking out or the Glockenlang/Bartolini loaded, through neck Ibanez Soundgear when I want something a bit more civilised. I'll sometimes favour one over the others for a while, while at other times one gets neglected for months on end until I pick it up again and remember why I bought it in the first place.

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' timestamp='1491229515' post='3271369'] Apologies for the hijack, but is there such a thing as a bb pre amp clone ? [/quote] Yes, looks like it. There's even one going in the classifieds http://basschat.co.uk/topic/298078-xotic-bass-bb-preamp-distortion-booster-clone/

OK, so not a pedal, but check out the drive channel on the Genzler Magellan 800 amp. Like you, I've been searching for ages for the perfect low gain drive that sounds smooth without low end mush or a nasty fizzy top end. I'd tried some of the pedals on your shortlist but ended up with the Magellan instead [size=4]I ought to point out that I play fretted basses and round wound strings. [/size] [size=4]Someone mentioned the Tone Hammer earlier and that was the best of the pedals, in my opinion.[/size] [size=4]The Boss BB-1X bass driver sounds titanically crap on every YouTube clip that I saw but was surprisingly good in the flesh for low gain sounds. [/size] [size=4]However, the Genzler is totally very similar to the Tone Hammer but with an additional level of clarity, not brighter but somehow clearer and more refined. When you engage it, there is a subtle eq curve added in too that rolls off some of the high and low end and bumps the mids a touch. My guess is that this would work really well with a fretless. I'm hoping to post a more in depth review of the amp soon.[/size]

Just received a new amp footswitch from [url="http://arachnidaudio.co.uk/"]Arachnid Audio[/url] and I have to say it's a quality bit of kit. It's well made, sports cool graphics (wasn't sure about the pink colour for a start but it has grown on me) and was a bargain price too. Mine is the mini sized one with an externally powered blue LED (there are options for LED's powered by the cable from the amp, if your amp is capable) with an internal switch so you can choose which channel lights up the LED when you stomp on the switch. I couldn't find the option on the website, but there are several different colour LED's to choose from. I'm no expert on the inner workings of these things, but internally everything was neat and tidy and it looks very well made. Nick Robinson, the guy who makes the pedals was quick and courteous when I dealt with him via email and the turn around time was good too, I ordered the pedal on Tuesday morning and had it by Friday evening. Not bad at all as he makes them to order. And it only cost £22 which included recorded delivery too

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1490692820' post='3267035'] Excellent choice, and a very reasonably priced amp. You will also get stellar service should you ever need it from Mr Genzler himself. [/quote] Let's hope it doesn't ever come to that, but it's good to know that that's the situation should I ever need to get in touch.

Well, I made it to bass direct at the weekend and A/B'd a number of amps through my own cab. [size=4]The Genzler Magellan 800 was the one that I ended up taking home.[/size] Much as I loved the tone of the Mesa Subway 800, in light of the above, all I can say is that I'm glad I didn't buy it I'll try and get a NAD thread going for the Magellan once I've had more time to put it through its paces.

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1490004447' post='3261321'] I have a Magellan, the last in a long line of amps including Mesas, MB, TH500, Genz, TC, Ashdown, GK you name it. Well, eleven or so. The Magellan's the best of the lot, there's a very wide sweep of tones available in there, and the dual channel thing means you can have two set a button push apart. For me, it's the best of the Shuttles (without the slightly brittle edge) and the Streamliner (without the huuuuge bloomy bottom end). It might not have any tubes in there, but it does warm and tubey and cool and precise very very well. The power amp has a lot more than the TH500 I had for a while, too - it's got some real...well, I'm reluctant to use the H word, but there's a weight and authority to the notes, and a response to how you play them that I thought was lacking in the TH500 (amongst other amps). I have a Walkabout, too, and it's a toss-up as to which one I gig. Saturday night it was the Magellan, and I didn't regret it. Looking at Bass Direct prices, it's £170 cheaper than the Subway, and for that money it's got to be worth trying. You could A-B them at Bass Direct... [/quote] Cheers, that's a really helpful summary The Magellan looks like it could well be the one - until I change my mind again in a few minutes

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1489576960' post='3258032'] If I was in the market for a new amp, I would choose the Genzler Magellan - £675. [/quote] I hadn't really considered the Magellan. A mate of mine had one of the Gens Benz heads a while ago (I don't remember which model) but I always felt that it had an unpleasant bump in the mids that was difficult to dial out without radically eq'ing the amp. But he played it through Mark Bass cabs which seem to have a reputation for a low mid bump, so maybe it was the cabs, or maybe the amp and cab just didn't work well together? Dunno. But it had initially put me off the Magellan. And for the record, I like to have the mids present in my tone [size=4] [/size] However, the Magellan has got rave reviews all round so I'm happy to try it and see what I think. A few people have said that it can get that warm, vintage tone that I like, similar to the Tone Hammer. And it looks to be a lot more versatile than the TH too. The specs and features are broadly similar to the Subway but the Mag' is £200 cheaper. Tempting.... Do you have one, or have you ever played through one? I'd be interested to hear what you think of it.