Genz Benz Black Pearl 30 1x12 Combo

2009 Model. You'll note features from other reviews. There are actually more than one would think. I give it a 9 only because it probably could use another channel but with the boost pedal and the way it operates that is extreme nitpicking.

I was actually loaned two BP 30s, a Shennedoah 300, and a Shuttle 6.0 210 by Genz Benz for use in a band contest in aid of the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, HAAM. HAAM provides various health services for Austin musicians who can't afford it. This speaks volumes about the company and Jeff Genzler.

The contest featured 32 bands over a huge variety of genre including country, blues, alt. rock, reggae, Southern Rock, pretty much you name it. There were something like 45 guitar players with as many styles and tone requirements. Every single one of them were amazed at the quality of sound they were able to achieve. And this with maybe 10 minutes to find a sound. I had studio owners and full time pro musicians comment to me how amazing it was that one amp could produce great sound for so many so consistently. The BP30 just breathes quality.

Personally, I have used it in both my original music Americana band with a Telecaster and as a sideman backing a female blues singer using an 82 Epiphone Riviera -really a 335. The versatility of this amp is astounding. I'd like to also emphasize the voicing control. These are some really great one click variations. In fact all the controls are very good. They actually work the way one would expect and the subjective feel of the knobs in use is great.

I can not imagine ever having a problem with this amp. It exudes quality construction. I've managed to drop it off the dolly twice onto concrete. It was like smacking Ray Lewis with a fly swatter. I mean this thing actually has screwed down tube retainers!

Not to mention during the contest I've had two guitarists basically turn everything up to 10 for 20 minutes each. The BP was like, "So? This is what I was designed and built to do."

When the owner and designer of any piece of equipment takes your call what more needs to be said? I would really like to stress that a lot of companies talk about supporting independent musicians but Genz Benz actually walked the walk. This contest was not about a lot of national publicity or star players. This was a local contest, albeit Austin, Texas, in aid of and with the participation of unknown independent musicians. That is true customer support. I'd give them a 12 if possible.

I've been playing since dirt was young. I currently own a 1991 '63 RI Vibroverb, AER Combo 60/II, and two Kalamazoo Model 1. I've owned a variety of other amps including a 60s AC30, '65 Deluxe Reverb, blackface Fender Champ, and a slew of tube PA amps with various cabinets.

I've been using the Vibroverb for 18 years. It is now retired in favor of the BP30.

The BP30 112 is a bit on the heavy side but not outrageous. I would prefer a separate head and cab to lessen the load but the combo is what was loaned.

Bottomline, when the contest is over I'm buying one of the Black Pearls.

Single channel. All tube. The different voicings are useful. As mentioned by earlier reviewers, on its own it is not a metal beast. Though it can with some help (i.e. a distortion pedal). It does have speaker jacks in the back with OHM switch. Also a very nice feature. The effects loop is a LINE LEVEL loop. I played it at the store, fell in love with the tone, not paying attention to this detail. Needless to say I cannot use any of the effects that I used to use in my loop with my other amps. Not a big deal. I just had to upgrade effects. My sound is better than ever.

GENZ-BENZ went after making an amp that makes YOUR tone come out. This amp does not have a sonic signiture of its own, it does however make your guitar come alive. Even some of the slightest adjustments made to your guitar can be noticeable. A lot of amps have their "sound". Like you could put 2 different guitars through a Marshall. IF those guitars are not way different, like a hollowbody or a singlecoiled guitar compared to say any humbucker equipted guitar, it would be hard to tell a difference. The GENZ-BENZ is that transparent. I love it. You get godly tone with a mortal price tag.

I have had this amp for almost a year. I have waited to write a review. The amp does very well. Heavy, and built well. I have had no major problems with it yet. Though I see the power light flickering once in a while. I have yet to retube and get this thing a good servicing. So if I start to have problems, its really my fault.

I had a question about this amp when I first got it. I e-mailed GENZ-BENZ and Jeff Genzler himself replied. Was it really him? Or some one at the service depatment acting as him? Who knows. Who cares. I was answered quickly and professionaly.

I have been playing for 25 years. Been through a lot of guitars and amplifiers. Back in 2002 I got tired of hauling a few different guitars around to gigs and decided to customize myself one. It turned out great. Its the guitar I use 95% of the time. The GENZ-BENZ really brings out the tones. Bottom line, if your looking for a boutique amp, you owe it to yourself to try one of these. IF EL84 power tubes are your tone of choice like mine, this amp has little competition for price or tone.

Purchased in 2007 as a new and only slightly used 2x12" combo.Single channel.This amp has plenty of power for a medium size club gig.It also has 10 tubes!....mate that is a lot.

This is avery sweet combo, capable of really warm and tactile sounds ranging from Class A chime to a Hard rock sound, but not metal in any sense.In low power 7.5 watt mode I can only just hear the fan, if there is any other sound in the room such as a radio, I cannot hear the fan.The amp does not hum at all at low settings, very quite unless you crank it up then of course there is some hum.

Extremely reliable.The only question I have is over the vinyl finish and it's durability.A few small nicks after 12 months.This thing weighs 70 pounds, almost as much as a twin.I recommend castors, side handles and a trolley if you have to walk any distance.

I have not required Customer support.

30 years playing
Amps:Ulbrick Arena 50 combo,Rivera 55 combo,Rivera Suprema 55,Fender 30 combo with RVM 12L,Fender Deluxe combo,Vox AD15VT (love it!).
Guitars: Music man Sillhouette (2), Music Man EVH, Custom shop Strat, SRV Strat,Kinman Blueprint Strats (2),Hancock Jazz guitar,Cole Clark Mistress Hole,G&L Legacy,Garrison Acoustic,Takamine Acoustic,Jim Williams Acoustic,Music Man bass.
Pedals:Carl Martin,Foxrox, MI Audio,Boss,
I Love the tactile sound(the Eminence Red fangs really aid this), the clarity, the "feel" is fantastic.To be serious I rate this amp next to my Ulbrick.
I only wish it was lighter.

power switching, pentode/triode switching, 30w, 1x12, voicings switch, master volume, reverb.

fender vintage hot rod 57 stratocaster => keeley modified boss ds-1 => black pearl. best sounding amp i've ever played through at any price range. very malleable with pedals/guitars. loud enough for any live situation. the tone coming out of this little amp is FRIGGING MONSTROUS. i'm comparing this amp to 1x12 bogner and matchless combos that i use during practice at ultrasound in nyc and i'd take this thing instead any day of the week (unless i could take one of those, sell it on ebay and buy two black pearls).

bought it new in 2007 and have been using it over a year and a half with no issues whatsoever. and by using it, i mean as my main and only amp in a (loud as hell) nyc rock band that plays out about twice a month.

i've heard they're great...

this is the only amp you should be looking at unless you're going to spend over 3 or 4k. i would replace it in a second. i've refined and simplified my gear over the years and this thing is one of the only amps i'm truly comfortable playing out of these days. easy to carry, audiophile/tone freak performance and loud enough for any situation. you will be very happy if you buy this amplifier!

This amp was a 2006 model. Has tons of features that covers almost any type of musical styles. I play a little bit of blues, jazz, soft rock, hard rock, you name it and this amp covers all the bases. Has 5 different voicings from thick fat overdrive to vintage growl, 3 band EQ, treble CUT nob, reverb, footswitchable volume boost, and on the back has 2 power mode switches to switch from 30w/15w/7w. Never really used the FX loops so can't really comment on that. 30W is more than enough for small gigs.

The EQ seems to be very responsive. Especially the mid as you can dial it up and see very noticeable change in the tone.

Reverb was only OK, definitely not for everybody. Sounded too cavernish for my taste and I'm more of a delay kind of guy.

The only thing I didn't like was that it's only single channel.

This amp receives guitars differently. For a strat, I would rate it a 10 but for my PRS, I'd give it maybe an 8. I played with some hot lace sensors pickups and this amp just sounds magical. At first, it may be a bit tinny and trebly due to the Red Fangs but after breaking it in, the overdrive will just melt you away. You might have to compensate for the extra treble in single coils by turning down the cut nob. I think it's supposed to be modeled after an AC30 but let me tell you, this amp will smoke any AC30 in the tone department.

With the PRS (stock bass/trebble pickups) on the other hand, it took me awhile to dial in some good tones.

Broke down after first week of owning it. Wasn't the tubes.

Probably the best experience I've had with any customer service. I bought this amp used and it went bad. I found out it was still under warranty and called Genz Benz. I spoke to Jeff Genzler himself and one of his associates, also named Jeff. Very courteous people. I shipped the amp to their factory in Arizona and was fixed and shipped back no problem. Didn't have to deal with receipts or warranty cards or anything. Haven't had any problems since.

Amp is pretty heavy so you might want to put in casters. Overall, an excellent value if you buy it used. It can be acquired for around $700 now. A little pricey at list price.

Allright, here we go. As far as features are concerned, this amp is AMAZING. Very well thought out and excellently executed ideas, including reverb (more on this later)a footswitchable boost function that can also be left on full time as an added gain stage, a 5 way tone selector that changes the range of the amp from brighter to darker sounds which is VERY useful when using pedals. Last but not least, this amp can be run at either 30, 15, or 7.5 watts, which gives users even more flexibility when gigging or recording. Final feature score? Easily a fifteen, even though we can only go up to ten.

I'm using this with a '61 RI SG, an Eric Johnson Strat, a GE Smith Tele, and a Warmoth Frankenstrat. All of these guitars are excellent tone machines, and the Black Pearl really tends to behave differently with a different axe driving it. The only sound that doesn't make me happy coming out of this amp is the reverb, it sounds pretty tinny to my ears and isn't that usuable IMHO, although it seems to open up and "breathe" more when the volume is turned up. Still, the main reason I bought this amp and really, the area where this amp shines for me is that is sounds really, really good with pedals in front of it. I just turn on my Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay and voila! Instant ambience.

O.k........ So, let me start of by saying that the first amp I recieved from MF exploded after only a few days. I wasn't happy at all. A new unit was promptly shipped to me by Musician's Friend after I shipped the damaged unit back (they even paid for return shipping). I called GBHQ and was very, very impressed with the level of service I recieved (we'll talk more on that in a moment)and they assured me that the amp shouldn't have exploded even though I was running it WWWWWIIIIIIDDDDDDDEEEEE open at 8 watts, the amp is designed to take a beating. The new unit is working fine and has had NOT ONE issue so far. The only other factor that I could address concerning reliability would be the usage of plastic 1/4" jacks for the input, speaker jack and fx loop (which is pretty much useless anyway). I HATE plastic parts! Even though it's a required design element to market this pretty impressive amp to overseas markets (part of their safety standards) I'm still pretty wary of it. I've never broken a plastic jack before but that doesn't mean it's not possible. Overall, nothing too major here. I'm leaving it blank because, in all fairness, it'd be too easy to score lower based off of these things, and I think that this amp will be around for a while if not longer. I'll post an update if something crappy happens.

EXCELLENT service. All of my concerns were addressed, some of the more specific questions I had (mainly about replacing those crappy jacks with metal ones, FYI the answer was "don't even think about it")were addressed in a very polite, courteous, and timely manner. Jeff Genzler was even consulted and gladly answered my questions. More companies need to get on board with this mentality!

I really like this amp, despite some of the things I've been complaining about. It sounds great, is extremely flexible, and fills a gap in my collection of gear, mainly the swiss army pedal friendly portable amp that doesn't cost a gajillion dollars. It is expensive, but it delivers uber boutique tones at half the price, which is more than I could say about any of the amps you'd find at Guitar Center for around the same price. The dollar to performance ratio is pretty impressive.

This is a 10 tube amp that offers a lot. It has 5 different voicings, EQ that is very responsive and Boost that is foot switchable. One of the best features other than the sound is to be able to step the wattage from 30 to 15 to 8 watts. The amp is built like a tank and is of very high quality.

This amp turned out to be my dream amp. Any thing you want in sound you can get from this amp. Blues, Country Rock, Classic Rock spews out of the speaker and this amp is happy to please you. Metal-heads, looks else wear this amp has class and tone.

No issues with this baby!

I emailed and asked questions before I bought this amp and they were very responsive. I believe that they would stand behind their products too!

I've been playing 47 years and have had just about every Fender tube amp, Peavey, Mesa, Traynor, Gibson and you name it. I never have been totally happy with an amp so after all these years I was going boutique until I came across this guy. I was checking the reviews on all of the boutique amps on Harmony Central and some how stumbled on this amp. After reading the reviews I had to try one. I bought one immediately and found my amp and I thought all they made was bass amps!

Very nice amp that offers quite a bit for a tube amp. 5 different voicings, which are actually very useful. The EQ and Boost are very responsive. other nice feature is stepping the wattage from 30 to 15 to 8. The amp seems to be built to very high quality.

I've had this amp about a year. I've played it quite a bit. I've had many botique type amps and trying all i can get my hands on. I bought this amp on a whim because I liked that the wattage stepped down. The amp reminds me of the Bad Cat Cub IIR, except the GB actually sound a little better and offers more. The amp offer 5 different voicings, one end being nice and fendery bright while the last setting is darker. Each voice is slightly different and useful. The BOOST is nice, and can add extra gain. The amp offer a nice warm tubby tone. I think this is a great amp for blues and rock or country. The amp has a fan, which is actually very quiet. The Reverb is nice, but not as good as fender reverb. Actually as u become a better player you use less and less reverb and other effects.

When i bought it, the BOOST was stuck on full time, i.e. bleeding through. Other than that, the amp has worked perfectly.

When i bought it, the BOOST was stuck on full time, i.e. bleeding through. So, had to get that fixed. I called Genz Benz and talked to the founder, Jeff I believe. He was extremely helpful and went out of his way to get my amp fixed. He offered to have the amp ship to him, but I decided to get it repaired locally. So, I'm very happy and suprised by the customer support.

i've had many amps and enjoy buying and trying. This is one of my favorite amps when wanting to play a nice clean or overdriven amp. I think its compariable to BAD CAT CUB in design and sound. I think the amp offers a lot, where it can work for any type of GIG and also for home jamming, since you can reduce the wattage to 8. I'm a big fan of 1x12 amps; I love them. Not too big, not too heavy......
So, if your looking for a nicer fender deluxe reverb or a Bad Cat or other botique class A amps, give this a try.

30/15/8 W combo, powered by 4 x EL 84's. Beautiful tone - very distinctive. Al the essential features are there - fx loop, power options, facility for extension speakers etc. 5 way voicing swith is fantastic - every amp should have this feature!! Not sure i agree with others who say it changes the amp from Fender black face to Vox AC 30 to Marshall, but hell, it still works a treat. I LOVE the fact that you only geet one sound with a footswitchable boost, instead of 4 different channels. This way is so much more organic.

the only other feature i could suggest is perhaps a greater range of gain boost on the boost function, but then i guess it would be a different sort of amp, so i'm not complaining.

my rating for features is not a criticism, just an acknowledgment that it doesnt have everything - which was what was intended anyway

gorgeous clean and great smooth breakup as you crank pre-amp and power amp. seriously loud for the size. it gave me a serious fright when I A-B'd it with my Mesa lone star. Fantastic bite on all sounds and it loves to scream with a clean boost in front of it.

It is hard to get the clean sounds real loud, but then what do you expect - its 30W class A, not a twin.

I dont think it has a huge range of sounds, but then i think its strong suit is that it has a really strong sonic signature. Youve got a great range here, but it always sounds distinctive.

I play a range of styles - i wouldnt use it for some stuff, but its great for blues rock and anything that needs real bite.

no criticisms at all about its sounds - if you want sounds that arent here, buy another amp - nothing has them all.

8 out of 10 for me because it really is great, but it didnt make me see God (nothing has yet)

had it 1 day - in no position to say yet

ditto

great amp - does its thing beautifully. if, like me, you like lots of different tones, then you have to have this in your arsenal. Ive been playing 20 years, done about 2,000 gigs, played with great gear and crap. Thi is one of my favourite amps, along with a 100W lone star (not the special). sounds especially good with a custom guitar i had built with p-90's. my grosh set neck with Fralin hb's (best guitar i have every played) sounds super smooth. I dont think my strat and tele are quite as good, but still tweaking it at the moment.

love its great tone and the fact it doesnt try to be everything. the voicing switch is fantastic - more amp builders should try this. Would buy it again if stolen. Definitely one of my best ever buys

Purchased this amp in the Spring of 2007. Have used the amp since then in clubs and stage shows. Waited until now to review because I really wanted to "wring it out" before reviewing.

Just now getting a handle on the power and pentode/triode settings. Used it outside today at a Fall Festival Gig 30 watts Pentode. In clubs I've used it a 15 watts(2 tubes)Pentode and have used it 30 Watts Triode. The versatility is amazing. You could drive yourself crazy with the options. REALLY love it outside. Used Crook Teles, Strats and a Double Cut Humbucking Guitar. Love the boost to bring the Strat up to Tele levels. Amp is very touch sensitive. We're a Country-Rock band with 2 guitars, Bass and Drums and we're LOUD. This amp is very Pedal friendly. Using a Keely BD-2, TS-808 and a Barber LTD(should have a Zendrive any day). TC Comp and Vintage Delay. The Reverb is really nice although I'm using it less in my old age. Quiet, punchy and all aroung great tone. Like the fan as it keeps the amp running cooler outside at higher volumes and I'm sure it's prolonging the tube life. You can really dial this amp in to whatever guitar you're using to the point it's an extension of the guitar.

Have been using the Black Pearl without backup. Playing a lot of gigs far from home with no worries.

Emailed Jeff at Genz-Benz and got a reply immediately. No problems whatsoever at this point and I've flogged it this Summer.

Playing guitar for over 40 years at this point. Currently own Fender Blues JR, DR. Z Maz 38, Big Dog SD-18 Combo, Tone King Imperial(original model) Blackface Vibrolux, Crate V30 with Tone Tubby.....Ok I'm an amp whore. But right now the Black Pearl 30 1X12 is my favorite. Reliable tone at every venue...It's a bit heavy but aren't they all. I'm thinking about a Head and a Cab at some point. Wish they made a 2X10.