Genz Benz bargains?

[RandomBass]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1384376433' post='2276009']
Aiming is nothing if you're gonna move the rifle when pulling the trigger. This one went miles over my head. Wikipedia (Terry-Thomas) nor Wiktionary (bounder) helped me either, coz I didn't even understand the explanations written there.

Anyway, good cab, eh?
[/quote]

Apologies young man. I should have paid more attention to your location - it's an English thing, I assure you. And for which I profusely apologise.

[Musicman20]

I bet some of these are the last Genz-turning-into-Fender cabs. Mine doesn't have the Mexico sticker though.

[hamfist]

Mine has the Made in Mexico sticker. on the rear panel. I'm very happy with the cab. Couldn't give a monkeys which country it was made in.

[jimbobothy]

mmm, a bit annoyed to say the least about origin of manufacture. If some peeps have got cabs made in the USA that seem to be of a better quality I might send this one back tbh , even if it is cheap for what it is!

Edited November 14, 2013 by jimbobothy

[leroydiamond]

My one is made in the USA. Sure, I would be a tad disapointed if it was made in Mexico. However would I return it..noway, not at this price

[jimbobothy]

well yeah, it's still a good deal but if I could get one of the Uber cabs for not a lot more then I'd rather have gone for one of those tbh. Anyhow I've emailed GAK and we'll see what they say! I might sell it on if I can't send it back, sort of bought it as it seemed like a deal and don't really need it !

Edited November 14, 2013 by jimbobothy

[Guest]

Paid top whack for mine in May and it's a MIM. Me pissed....just a bit.

[jimbobothy]

The date of manufacture on mine is Nov'12, yup a year ago. I'm guessing a few BCers got the last of the old stock USA ones or something like that anyhow , tbh I don't think I would have bitten so quickly if I knew it would have been MIM!

Edited November 14, 2013 by jimbobothy

[CamdenRob]

Got all the various parts of mine set up yesterday. Very pleased overall. ShuttleMax12.2 feels very solid with nice metal control knobs, all of which are lightly notched all the way round, which makes it all feel very well put together. With regards to sound I'll spare you the minute details, but the highest compliment I can pay this rig is that my jazz sounded exactly like a jazz and my active spector sounded exactly like an active spector. It is the most transparent amp I've ever owned and [u]seriously[/u] loud. Looking forward to having a full battle volume blast this weekend...



Regarding where it was all made (excuse the dodgy phone camera photos)...Back of cab One looks like this,



Back of cab Two like this,



and the back of the amp looks like this...



So that's the US, Mexico and Taiwan represented.... Got my cables from obbm in the UK. Where are Roqsolid covers made? this is my truly international bass rig....

Edited November 14, 2013 by CamdenRob

[Musicman20]

How bizarre! Great looking rig anyway!

I still think it's a massive bargain no matter where it was made. I think mine says Dec 12 as date of manufacture.

[Conan]

[quote name='jimbobothy' timestamp='1384390645' post='2276268']
The date of manufacture on mine is Nov'12, yup a year ago...tbh I don't think I would have bitten so quickly if I knew it would have been MIM!
[/quote]

Same here. So it is a year old. No big deal really. Had Fender bought GB a year ago? I just kind of assumed that GB gear was US made. Again, not a dealbreaker, but it would have been nice if they'd advertised that fact.

The "screws-protruding" thing is just odd. OK, you have to actually [i][b]look[/b][/i] to see it (i.e. shine a torch into the port), but it's a simple lazy error of using screws that are twice as long as the plywood is thick! Why would they do that?

Anyway, I used it at rehearsal last night. It is certainly a solidly constructed box! Not the easiest to man-handle up a twisty set of stairs! I thought I would like the top-mounted handles, but I actually don't. Makes it impossible to hug the cab to my chest when carrying it up and down stairs. Not sure what the advantages are meant to be? I guess it is a bit easier to move short distances on the flat, but then again the wheels make that operation a doddle. Maybe the handles are positioned there to make use of the wheels easier?

Sound-wise? Well, there is no shortage of volume! But you would expact that. Tone-wise I found it rather scooped - especially after my Compact which has a beautiful, full midrange. To be fair, using a J bass with both pickups full-on makes it's job more difficult - as does using the BDI21 pedal - but the Compact managed to still have a full midrange under these conditions. I had a play about with my graphic pedal, which helped, but this will take a bit more research...

I did find that I kind of disappeared in the mix last night Again, I think it is just something that I am going to have to play around with until I get the tone I like, but it is something that I hadn't anticipated. Just shows that impulse buys aren't always sound investments!!

Overall I am pleased with it. At £379. If I had paid nearly £800 for a Mexican-made cab with QC issues (admittedly minor) I think I would have been somewhat disgruntled! But it is my first brand new cab since 1986, so that in itself was fun!

Edited November 14, 2013 by Conan

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1384415657' post='2276313']
How bizarre! Great looking rig anyway!

I still think it's a massive bargain no matter where it was made. I think mine says Dec 12 as date of manufacture.
[/quote]

It looked like that for approximately 15 seconds until MrsC put an tablecloth on it declaring "our living room is not glastonbury"...

I'll have a check on the dates of mine when I get home. Very pleased with the whole setup really though.

[AntLockyer]

Mine is MIM and despite being only about 4 inches taller than my BG250 combo my wife said it looked huge (ahem).

Now do I just go ahead and spend money I haven't got on an amp to drive it?

[Mudpup]

[quote name='jimbobothy' timestamp='1384387294' post='2276226']
mmm, a bit annoyed to say the least about origin of manufacture. If some peeps have got cabs made in the USA that seem to be of a better quality I might send this one back tbh , even if it is cheap for what it is!
[/quote]

MIM - Made in Mexico by Mexicans
MIA - Made in America by Mexicans
(Classic line from Talkbass that says it all)

Look at what you got for the money - cant see anything to be miffed about tbh!
Other people have paid hundreds more for the same product fairly recently. They are the ones who have a right to be a bit grumpy.

Not trying to be confrontational here - just a bit objective, £380 for an amazing cab, be happy :-)

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1384421978' post='2276413']


MIM - Made in Mexico by Mexicans with long screws
MIA - Made in America by Mexicans with the correct screws
(Classic line from Talkbass that says it all)

Look at what you got for the money - cant see anything to be miffed about tbh!
Other people have paid hundreds more for the same product fairly recently. They are the ones who have a right to be a bit grumpy.

Not trying to be confrontational here - just a bit objective, £380 for an amazing cab, be happy :-)
[/quote]

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1384422536' post='2276425']
MIM - Made in Mexico by Mexicans with long screws
MIA - Made in America by Mexicans with the correct screws
(Classic line from Talkbass that says it all)
[/quote]

... ...

My 83 US Jazz has the body stamped by a gentleman called R.Lopez and the neck by another called G.Garcia....

[Conan]

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1384421978' post='2276413']
Not trying to be confrontational here - just a bit objective, £380 for an amazing cab, be happy :-)
[/quote]

I can see your point. Yes, we got it for £380, but it is an £800 cab. And at that price point (as people regularly say about BareFaced cabs) you have a right to expect a top quality fit and finish.

[stingrayPete1977]

As humans we are funny arent we? It was the bargain of the year and the US ones certainly are, yet we would have had just as much interest if they had said "who wants the same cab made over the border for £400 less?". If anyone is really upset I will trade my single Neox2x12t with rat fur and the correct screws for a pair of mexican made ones and you will still be £40 up or something!

Joking aside I think my US cab has long screws poking through but I dont tend to put my hand in there

Edited November 14, 2013 by stingrayPete1977

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1384423834' post='2276445']
I can see your point. Yes, we got it for £380, but it is an £800 cab. And at that price point (as people regularly say about BareFaced cabs) you have a right to expect a top quality fit and finish.
[/quote]
I still think the Genz looks better and mine has not lost any feet or handles and is still £70 less than a super twelveT which does not include any profit for a dealer network or shop does it, a handful of screws wont cost £400 and it will still look better in most peoples opinion and even perform (not sound thats subjective anyway,perform) to a comparable standard, even Alex says they are a decent cab, still a massive bargain in my opinion.

[Mudpup]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1384423834' post='2276445']
I can see your point. Yes, we got it for £380, but it is an £800 cab. And at that price point (as people regularly say about BareFaced cabs) you have a right to expect a top quality fit and finish.
[/quote]

If it stated in the advert that it was a Mexican cab I am pretty sure 95% of the guys here would have still bought it and considered it a bargain. Which it is. An absolutely stonking cab for the price of a mid/higher end Chinese/Asian one.

Its all about the QC really, not the nationality of the guy/lady/child that screwed it together.
If the QC stands up, its irrelevant where it was made. IMHO of course.

[Conan]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1384424208' post='2276456']
still a massive bargain in my opinion.
[/quote]

Yep -- agreed. But that doesn't remove our right to comment on what we see as minor irritations does it?

Or have I missed something?

[Musicman20]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1384423834' post='2276445']
I can see your point. Yes, we got it for £380, but it is an £800 cab. And at that price point (as people regularly say about BareFaced cabs) you have a right to expect a top quality fit and finish.
[/quote]

Mine is exceptional. Maybe I got lucky? I do find it odd that there are now Mexican versions...it MUST be part of the change to Fender as they bought KMC (which included Genz Benz) quite some time back. Definitely WELL over a year ago.

It would make sense, if Fender have now taken on the ex-Genz engineers, that some of the products will be made in Mexico along with a lot of the other Fender amps.

It will still, I assume, be the same parts.

Re: BF - I can't comment on the latest ones (as in seeing them in the flesh) but the NX2 I have is superb and looks and feels more solid than the Compact I tried out.

Edited November 14, 2013 by Musicman20

[nottswarwick]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1384424398' post='2276460']


Yep -- agreed. But that doesn't remove our right to comment on what we see as minor irritations does it?

Or have I missed something?
[/quote]

Quite correct sir.

But my opinion is that if you have to go poking around in the the cab to actually see something which in fact is not a fault, then surely it is slightly excessive attention to details. I mean, the screws are over engineered I'd have thought.

[Conan]

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1384424323' post='2276458']
If the QC stands up, its irrelevant where it was made. IMHO of course.
[/quote]

Again, agreed! As my main bass is a MIM J, I'm hardly likely to turn down a bargainaceous MIM cab, am I?

I think people are getting very defensive here. In any other thread it is deemed acceptable to critically review a new purchase. I use the term "critically" here to mean attention to detail in a comparative way - not to simply criticise something (although a truly balanced review will usually include some negative points).

[b][i]We[/i][/b] bought the cabs, with [b][i]our[/i][/b] money. I think we have the right to mention any little niggles!

[Musicman20]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1384415868' post='2276315']
Same here. So it is a year old. No big deal really. Had Fender bought GB a year ago? I just kind of assumed that GB gear was US made. Again, not a dealbreaker, but it would have been nice if they'd advertised that fact.

The "screws-protruding" thing is just odd. OK, you have to actually [i][b]look[/b][/i] to see it (i.e. shine a torch into the port), but it's a simple lazy error of using screws that are twice as long as the plywood is thick! Why would they do that?

Anyway, I used it at rehearsal last night. It is certainly a solidly constructed box! Not the easiest to man-handle up a twisty set of stairs! I thought I would like the top-mounted handles, but I actually don't. Makes it impossible to hug the cab to my chest when carrying it up and down stairs. Not sure what the advantages are meant to be? I guess it is a bit easier to move short distances on the flat, but then again the wheels make that operation a doddle. Maybe the handles are positioned there to make use of the wheels easier?

Sound-wise? Well, there is no shortage of volume! But you would expact that. Tone-wise I found it rather scooped - especially after my Compact which has a beautiful, full midrange. To be fair, using a J bass with both pickups full-on makes it's job more difficult - as does using the BDI21 pedal - but the Compact managed to still have a full midrange under these conditions. I had a play about with my graphic pedal, which helped, but this will take a bit more research...

I did find that I kind of disappeared in the mix last night Again, I think it is just something that I am going to have to play around with until I get the tone I like, but it is something that I hadn't anticipated. Just shows that impulse buys aren't always sound investments!!

Overall I am pleased with it. At £379. If I had paid nearly £800 for a Mexican-made cab with QC issues (admittedly minor) I think I would have been somewhat disgruntled! But it is my first brand new cab since 1986, so that in itself was fun!
[/quote]

What QC issues does your cab have? Or is your cab ok?

I am definitely not hearing any scooped tone in the NX2...in fact I'd say there is a bump in the low mids which makes it punchier. You are also going to get a lot more high end and probably more volume with the NX2.

The top handles are, IMO, better than side handles on a cabinet like this. Lifting it to your chest means bending your knees and lifting it high. I've tried these handles and it means two people can carry it, and then it really does feel light!

The wheels I suspect aren't for rolling around on rough concrete but will work in venues for getting near where you are playing.

The faital drivers in the cabinet are quite expensive! So yes, it is a bargain.