Genz Benz GBE600 Head

A very feature packed and versatile amp. Tube and FET preamps with the option to blend the two. Three signal shape contours that are footswitchable with an optional 4-button switch. Limiter could use an adjustment knob.

I used my GBE 600 with a Phil Jones Bass 8B Neo Cab with a Fender Jazz with stock pups. I play mostly funk, rock and groove type stuff. The amp is pretty quiet and plenty powerful. The tone is quite good, espcecially for the price. It's a pretty transparent amp and I think it sounds best with the eq flat. I was really happy with it until i played a Phil Jones Bass M-300 head. I heard a punch, boominess and clarity in the low end with the PJB that I just couldn't ever get with the Genz now matter how i set the EQ. Regardless, it is a very good sounding amp.

Very reliable. No issues.

I've been playing bass for 5 years or so and would recommend the GBE 600 as a very versatile great sounding head for anyone. You can get them really cheap now on ebay which is great. To get one for $600 or less is a great value.

Features: FET and Tube (12Ax7) preamps-switchable either/or or both mixed. Able to run all day at 2 ohms! Switchable fan (2 speed). Output limiter, speakon and 1/4" outputs, direct out, effects loop, three contours (each adjustable), 5 band EQ, input pad (for active/passive pickups), mute for tuner output. This amp feels pretty powerful.

I have a multitude of basses. Mostly vintage (Fenders, Gibsons, Rickys and Hofners), but I do also have an Alembic for modern stuff. This amp should be able to play all styles. It is able to play clean, at loud volumes with very little noise, or distortion.

I feel that the amp isn't all that flexible with the EQ frequency ranges and only having + or - 12db of boost or cut on the five band, but it's not all that necessary since it sounds so good flat. In other words, your really can't get a bad sound out of it (which is a good thing). My only real criticism is that the highest eq setting, 4khz, is the same frequency as the high contour frequency (redundant). They really should have made them different freqs for more versatility. Also, it would have been nicer to make the eq have + and - 15db of boost and cut (standard on most amps). Other than those two things, this amp is just about perfect.

I think that it blows away a Gallien-Kreuger's slow and veiled response, as well as Hartke's and SWR's artificial sound. (of which I would never own of of those amps again!). I also think that it's alot smoother and much less colored than an Eden. I was actually able to closely simulate my vintage Ampeg SVT with it. This amp has, punch and clarity through all of the frequency ranges and never gets muddy (like a GK) or artificial or wimpy sounding like a Hartke or SWR.

I also love the fact that it doesn't have a compressor, as every built-in compressor that I have heard sounds awful and removes what little punch most solid state amps have (tube compression is the only way to go for me). The amp's limiter is really only a way to protect the amp's output section, and I have not even noticed it coming on. (I'm running my GBE-600 at 2 ohms).

Don't know yet as I just got it. It looks like it's well made ( I opened it up to have a peek). It has a nice, big toroidial tranformer, the circuit boards look well designed, and the layout is nice and clean.

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I've been playing bass for 41 years (I can't believe I just said that, but it's true). I have a bunch of vintage basses and vintage bass amps that I've collected and was able to retain over the years. So far, I really like this amp-and I'm very picky! I chose it for the power and portability (as compared to an SVT) as well as it's tone and punch. It has the ability to cut thru when playing with a band rather than just muddy up like almost everyone else's solid state amp. And it's super smooth in ALL frequency ranges (all the way up and down the neck). For the price that I paid for it brand-new ($700.00), I think that it's a bargain!

I was lookin to upgrade after using the same SWR head for nearly 20 years (with no problems i mite add)...i looked at a number of amps and then found this ......hands down one of the most versatile eqing systems ive ever come across ,theres nothing on here that i can't use ,and theres nothing on here thats missing GB got it right

it looks like you could take this thing into battle.....i've only had it 3 months

all questions by email promptly answered by Jeff Genzler himself

its compartable to any of the top amps out there ....Swr,Eden,Trace,ampeg etc etc ......but i think its better than all of them .....

An awesome head, I went around and tried everything, blew GK out of the water...Anyways, has two preamps, a 12AX7 Tube, and solid-state FET. You can just about any sound you want out of it. Input for a tuner, mute button, 5-band active preamp, tone shaping for extended response (Low, Mid, High), everything you need. Clipping/Thermal/Power/Protect/Signal LED's. It also has a built in limiter, which you can engage and disengage with the push of a button and a Master Volume control. XLR Direct out, perfect for recording. It also has a built in cooling fan, which you can set to high and low, Speak-On outputs and 1/4" outputs. All in all just a feature laden amp, there are a few other things I didnt mention as well, I believe.

You can dial in any tone you wish. I enjoy overdriving the tube and just wailing on the highs, its a nice, warm sound. Creamy, most would say. With the FET preamp you can get any modern sound, every sound that comes out of this is just high quality professional sound. The amp is dead quiet as well, there is no buzzing/humming, its the quietest amp Ive played on. If there ever is a buzzing, just hit the ground switch and its usually gone. The buzzing is almost unnoticeable anyways, if any.

It seems solid, everything seems to work just fine, I cant really rate this, I want to give it a ten, but I just got this last week.

Havent had to deal with them, but the warranty is a 3 year limited warranty, more than long enough for me. They seem like nice people though, the way everyone else is talking. Ill give a 10 because of the long warranty

Ive played with it for a week now, it just blows everything else away. GK cant compare, my Peavey cant compare, not even SWR had the tone this thing gets. I have it stacked on a Genz Benz 410T-XB2, another great buy, as it is a sturdy and has great tonality and depth to it.

Features? You want features? This amp has so many, I don't even know where to start--it is almost daunting. I am no sound shaping whiz, and sent an e-mail to G-B asking for starting points. The coolest aspect of this amp, in my opinion, are the two separate pre-amp sections--genius. This is way more amp than I will ever need, but even if you set everything flat, the sound is most impressive. I think it would make a boom stick, cigar box and a strand of bailing wire sound big! Lite weight is a big bonus, too.

The dual pre-amps allow you to dial in whatever tone you might desire. Want a modern tone, use the FET side. Want to warm up the sound, hit the Tube side. Still not enough bluesy grit--overdrive the tube side. Want something in the middle--hit the blend button. You can also accomplish these tasks via the footswitch--very cool.
Amp is powerful and room shaking. I also found mine to be quiet at idle. The two speed fan is also a nice touch.

Not anticipating any trouble, has a three year warranty, and all the features anyone could want, which is why I bought it.

I was baffled at how to bend my sound around, due to all the controls and EQ settings. The first e-mail for suggestions drew no response, but the second one I sent directly to Jeff Genzler sure did. He was most courteous, and sent me several suggestions for different settings to try. Any problems, I'd direct it straight to Jeff.

I was looking to upgrade my sound a little, and probably got way more than I really needed. I wanted good power, portablility, stage presence, reliability. I believe Genz-Benz delivers all of that. Add monster sound to the mix, along with enough power to crack your foundation and rattle windows out of their frames--maybe I did get the right set-up, afterall.

625 watts @ 2 0hms 425 @ 4 ohms, rack-mount, 5-band eq with voicing filters footswitchable, tube/solid state OD footswitchable. FX loop, Tuner mute and variable level pre/post eq DI. Variable speed fan!! Basically everything I have ever wished for in a head is in this unit. By far the most well thought-out design of any amp I have owned.

Tube clean is very warm, somewhere between Eden and Ampeg, full and thick. FET is extremely clean but not brittle or "hi-fi" sounding like SWR, suitable for upright work as well. Distortion is cool but I am not really into that although I have to admit I did plug in a wah and did the Cliff Burton thing in my room, just for fun. Very quiet operation, and at high volumes it never sounds taxed.

Reliability is subjective, but I took the cover off and all the components are solid. I gig it without a backup, if it ever crapped I would just plug into the PA.

Never had to.

Playing for 15 years. I have owned Ashdown, Eden, Aguilar, Ampeg, Fender, Peavey, and SWR heads. I think maybe my Aguilar DB359 sounded better, but that was all tube and weighed about 100 pounds. This is the best amp for a gigging bassist in my opinion. All the features and power you could ever want. The sound is clear, full, thick and bootyful. The true measure of a performance amp IMO is how well you can hear it over the band, and this one cuts through loud and clear. At a hair under 7 hundred bucks this has got to be the best value out there. I would expect to pay 1200-1500 for something like this from SWR, Eden, etc. I give it a ten, Fantastic Value!!!

400W at 4 ohms. 600W at 2 ohms. Tube AND solid state (FET) preamp. 5-band EQ. See genzbenz.com for more details.

I can?t recommend this head enough. More so then any piece of gear I?ve ever owned. It?s by far the most versatile thing I?ve ever laid my hands on. The tube preamp is warm and ?tubey?, and sounds better and better the more you overdrive it. The second FET preamp has a typical solid state tone, which by itself is not my preference. But, mix a subtle amount of FET preamp with some pissed off overdriven tube-goodness and WOW! Nasty warm tube overdrive with punch and clarity. You can get both ends of the spectrum with this thing. I have to think it has a setting to please anyone. The 5-band preamp lets me tweak the tone at all the right spots. Great sounding low mids. It?s a LOUD 400W (at 4 ohms). I can?t see how anyone could be dissatisfied with this thing. It?s earned a number one spot on my cabs over my Eden WT400, MusicMan HD500 and SWR?s 550x.

Too soon to judge.

I lost a couple screws when taking the cover off to change the tube. The folks at Genz-Benz mailed me new ones right away, for free!

Buy one of these!

This amp has a tube preamp and a solid state preamp.It features 5 band EQ system and 3 voicing filters. They are footswitcheable as well. The footswitch is a seperate purchase, but well worth it.
It has Speakon connectors as well as 1/4 inch jacks. It has an effects loop, but I don't use effects.

I am using a Spector ReBop 5 with this amp. Another user claimed his GBE 400 buzzed. Well this is the 2nd GBE 600 I have had, and I haven't heard a peep. The last one I had got smashed in a car wreck, but it never buzzed, even when sitting under a Neon transformer.

The low end it generates is awe- inspiring!!!

So far, so good.

I have communicated with Andy Field and Jeff Genzler himself a number of times. They are always quick to respond to my needs.