Tube Works 3175 115 Combo

My amp was made in 1994. These amps have an 8ohm 15" speaker in them that has a strong 225 watt rating to it. It says 160 watt power but you'd have to either add a speaker cab or replace the 8 ohm speaker with a 2ohm one. The speaker is complimented by a bullet tweeter that seems not to work but does. A good sign. I bought the 3175 because I primarally liked the warm tone of this amp compared to all the new amps in this price/power range. Having a tube/F.E.T. pre-amp is cool and I thought I'd most likely use the tube side more but this is not the case. I'm going to rate this amp based on what it's for, (a practice/rehearsal amp that could be used at small gigs with the use of the line out.

I have a Geddy Lee Fender Jazz Bass, a Kramer Performer, and at the moment an Arbor Explorer. All have stock PU's. I am playing all types of music with it though I'm a recent crossover from playing guitar for 25 years. Both the amp and my Fender will make any sound you want. After logging a couple dozen hours on it I can see (hear) what the big boys are leaning towards with todays amps and will no doubt be purchasing a new amp in the future. But for now, I'm set!

This amp is ten years old. I replaced the tube and cleaned/lubed the pots. It's good to go. The previous owner didn't use/abuse it much so I have faith it will last a good while longer.

Being ten years old my amp is long since passed it's warranty. I have emailed Genz Benz and they responded very fast. For some reason GB has yet to get a toe hold in the pacific NW. It's hard to understand why based on their quality, feature to price ratio.

I've been playing Bass for three months, guitar for 25 years. Having played semi-professionally for four of those 25 years I know what I like and what's important in music gear. Bass amplification isn't near as tough to get great usable tone as with guitars. I'm eyeballing the new Genz Benz 600 amp head for my next amp. That should speak volumes, (no pun intended). I'm going to rate this amp based on it being a "used" amp no longer in production. If you can find one you won't be disappointed. When these amps were new they were three times as expensive as respective amp offerings from Fender, Peavey and Carvin, etc..

I was looking for a good warm sounding combo amp that had enough power to play live in small venues and to rehearse with. With the 4 band EQ and a built in compression dial and a choice between Tube Preamp and F.E.T. Preamp this combo is plenty versatile. The unit I bought was in immaculate condition and at 9 years old with it's original tube still working fine I can say that I am impressed by it's road-worthyness and component durability.
It's small size and reasonable weight allow me to throw it in the backseat of my car! - Furthermore it has all the neccessary connections to plug right into any club sound system and you can isolate the head and run a different cab on it. Nice. At low volumes (practicing in your room) it is wisper quiet with no hum.

I play 60's style rock bass style with a more modern punk / metal band, so I wanted that warm "classic" sound to not only be "heard" but "felt" through all that noise. This amp does just fine. The noise is almost nil and the bass frequencies are enough to wreck your house.... but limit this to small venues.
If I notice an problems I'll post here again with an update, but don't hold your breath.

9 years with the same tube.... this thing is a performer!

I sent away for a replacement speaker badge. The staff were cool. The only service it needed was to have the pots cleaned and the cool staff at Not Just Another Music ( www.njams.net) Shop did that for free.

I've only been playing for 4 years or so, but I know what sounds I like and with a tube preamp in a small and durable enclosure with a 4 band EQ, this little dynamo is perfect for my needs! I've played a full Ampeg tube head with tall cab and this little combo is much easier to tote around.. and it sounds great for the money. Maybe later I'll have enough money to afford absolute luxury, but for my present budget I couldn't have bought a better amp.

The solid state / tube switch is a nice feature. I replaced the old tube and tweaked it for a mellower sound. Very simple design with quality parts inside.

I play everything from blues to heavy metal and this amp does the trick in a small to medium enviroment.

It is 7 years old. I purchased it 12/01 . It still rocks. I guess that says reliability

Nice web site.

I tested this amp next to a 600.00 Randall(used) and a 600.00 Hartke(used) and decided the other 2 did not sound 400.00 better than the Tube Works.