Genz Benz GBE1200

Lots of power and headroom, tube or FET preamp, lots of sound possibilities with the footswitch. Three effects loops and three tone banks on the footswitch make for a lot of tone variations on the fly. I've owned or used nearly every bass amp made, and this is the most musical sounding of them all. I play in several bands; roots, blues, cover rock, r&b, jazz, and get raves on the tone in every setting.

I had a problem with one of the effect loop jacks, which would cause intermittent distortion. Since Genz Benz repaired it, it's been super reliable, 2-4 gigs per week for over a year.

When I had a problem (see above) Jeff Genzler answered my emails personally, and we had several phone conversations as well. The bench tech also called me as he was troubleshootinh my amp. Really thorough and personal service, and very rare in the industry.

I've been playing electric bass since 1969. Besides the GBE 1200, I have a GBE 600, Carvin 1500 mono-block, Ampeg SVT, Fender Bassman, SWR, Crate, Sunn, Trace-Elliot '74 Carvin, '82 Carvin, '72 Traynor. This amp sounds better than any and all of them. Studio quality sound in a super powered package. Well worth the cost; boutique tone at a factory price.

It's a 2007 model. I play heavy rock/punk/metal and it covers this with ease. With the included footswitch you can swap between SS and tube preamp or mix them both together as well as boost lows or highs or cut mids with the tap of your foot. It has so much power that my guitarists are for the first time asking me to turn down.

I'm using it with a fender Highway One Jazz Bass and the range of sounds I can get out of this setup is truly mind boggling. I've matched this amp with the Genz Benz 610XB cab and together it's a "rig of doom".

After about 4 weeks I noticed that the power switch wouldn't turn the amp off. I got onto the forums and I had an answer from Genz Benz product manager and cheif engineer within a couple of hours. They said nothing like that has ever happened before and it is just a faulty switch. I took it back to the shop and they happily swapped it for another one.

The best in the industry

If you're looking for an amp that will never run out of puff, sounds incredible, has a huge range of sounds and just generally kicks the ass of it's competitors out of the park, then this is it.

As you can probably guess, I'm very very happy with my purchase!

This amp has everything you could ever possible want for tonal bliss. It has seperate Solid state and Tube channels and footswitchable EQ boosts. Super Cool aluminum front with 17 LEDS nicely (and neatly)placed to indicate features used. SUPER VERSITILE. I was lucky to nab this off of eBAY BRAND NEW. You just have to see the power for your self

I play through a 2006 USA Fender Active Deluxe P-Bass and a 1997 Fender USA P-Bass Standard through an Ampeg 6x10 (recently) and previously through an Ampeg BSE410 with an Ampeg Classic115

This amp has so much headroom -- I previously have owned yorkville, trace elliot, crate, and Ampeg. When i tried this i immediatley sold my SVT-4pro which i loved. When you turn it on, the tone is so clear and so deep you can litterally knock walls over with this piece.
This amp has the best low end I have ever heard.

When cranked (trust me, you'll never get that far) the amp remains crisp and clear and undistorted

I play in a Hard Rock band (similar but heavier than the Foo Fighters)and this amp really compliments my tone alot!

Not that far yet... but built like a tank

I called once to ask about their cabs... and they asked all sorts of questions about how long ive been playing and they really seem concerned and interested with their players -- CHEERS!

BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT!!!!!
I've been playing for 9 years now and played ampeg Exlcusively for the last 6 years and swore by them -- simply put, the Genz Benz GBE1200 just friggen wails and cant be touched by other amps.
If this were lost or stolen -- I'd castrate the person who touched it.
I love that it just does what i want it to do with no aggrivation. It steps above and beyond expectations that would result in amazing bass.
BASS COMPANIES BEWARE!!!! : THE GBE1200 IS ON THE RISE!!!!

The amp was purchased new online, so it was probably manufactured in 2007. I play jazz, blues, R&B and rock. The GBE 1200 supports them all really well with tons of headroom. It has two channels -- a tube preamp side and a FET side. But here's the thing. You can blend the two together. Get the color of the tubes, with the responsiveness of the solid state side. It has the usual stuff -- direct out, effects loop, tuner, along with master controls that come in real handy. I've used it in a number of medium to large indoor areas and it has MORE then enough go for anything you'd want at stage volume.

The sound quality is great -- warm, full, big. After playing through Ampegs the better part of 20 years, and growing less satisfied with each rig, I decided to look around. I fell in love with the sound of the GBE 1200 right away. And the company actually seems to care about the people who play it's stuff. I had a simple question about racking the amp, and the President of the company got back to me in less than 24 hours!

The thing is built like a tank! But it's only been out a handful of times, and can't really speak first hand on the subject. But it certainly gets high marks from others who have used the amp in the past.

Incredibly helpful so far.

I've been playing the better part of 30 years. I highly recommend this amp. Great tone, great power, great value. Set it up next to an SVT4 and see what you think. You know what I thought. I love my GBE 1200.

This is the best amp I have ever played through. 2 pre-amp channels: tube channel for nice, warm vintage-style tone, one solid state for punchier rock tone. Use them individually, or blend together to fill up the sound a bit more. 1000 watts (at 4ohms) is more than plenty. My last gig, I wasn't even in the mains at all, but was cutting through the mix without any problem, even over the 2 guitar half-stacks. Just the slightest bit of clipping when I was really banging hard.

I've only had this amp for a couple weeks, and have really only used it with my Spector Legend bass. My main band does mostly prog-metal (Tool, Mudvayne etc), so it's pretty loud, this amp handles it incredibly. I also do some funky/jazzy/bluesy type of stuff, and I think it will work for that even better. With the 2 preamps, the awesome EQ, and the separate tone shaping controls, this is about as versatile as it gets.

Can't rate this one just yet, but it seems about as solid as they come.

Haven't had to deal with them yet, but judging by some of the other reviews, they seem to have great customer service.

I've been playing for about 16 years, just about any style you can think of (and a few you probably can't). In my time, I've owned several amps, most of which I wouldn't replace with the same make/model if they were lost or stolen. This one I definitely would. I shopped around for a few months, checking out everything I could get my hands on, and this was by far the best.