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.

Feature-rich. Voicing switch that can go from Blackface Fender to AC30 to Badcat/Matchless to Marshall JTM45. "Top" knob which controls the ultra-high end (similar to a presence knob, but there's no negative feedback in this amp). Footswitchable 2nd gain stage (altho no high-gain out of this awesome amp, it's a low-to-medium gainer.) Half-power switch, Pentode-Triode switch, ohms switch, speaker cable has a jack end, so you can use the combo as a head or as a cab if you want. Jeff Genzler really thought this amp out well, and it has just about everything you could want in a tube amp.

There are so many options that it takes some "living with" this amp to figure out how everything interacts and to learn how to dial it in well. But just about any sound you want is in there. The touch-sensitivity is unbelievable, dynamics are great, clarity is unreal,... let me put it this way: I played this amp side-by-side with a Badcat Tone Cat ($4000), and the Black Pearl was 95% of what the Badcat was. (I went home with the Black Pearl, and my "Badcat GAS" is relieved). I call it the "Poor Man's Badcat." And I don't mean to say that this amp is a "copy" or "close but no cigar", this is an amazing amp that sounds so good I rarely use my pedalboard anymore. 3 dimensional cleans, smooth drives, a "morphing" capability that I've only seen in the Vox Valvetronix modeling stuff... but the BP sounds so much better than the Vox. I stop short of calling the Pearl a "tube modeler", but that's pretty much what it is. Quite incredible.

It's built very tough. Altho it is PCB. Actually, that's the only "plus" I could find with the Badcat: it's hand-wired. This doesn't make a difference in SOUND, but it could in reliability/repair issues. Haven't had mine long enough to comment on the reliabilty.

Great. Jeff Genzler has answered several of my emails, within 24 hours.

I've been playing for 22 years. Been through many amps. I have never owned a "boutique" amp (like a Badcat), but this Black Pearl IS a boutique amp in my book, I don't care if it is PCB. The SOUNDS from this thing are 100% "boutique". I'd buy another one in a second. Actually, I'd like to have TWO- 1 for cleans & 1 for drive. This amp isn't getting alot of hype- I'd say because Genz Benz ISN'T "boutique"- people LIKE overpaying for a big name. If you want boutique tone at working man's prices- and especially if you're into that whole Badcat/Matchless/AC30/EL84 thing, you have to check out a Black Pearl. You'll be sorry if you don't.

Check their website for details on the features, because there are too many unique and killer features to mention here. Basically, the features are what sold me on the amp--in addition to it's outstanding tone and build quality. Depending how you set it up--and there are infinite possibilities--it will shine for studio, live or practice applications. The footwitchable and adjustable boost feature is particularly useful, and it makes this amp as versatile as any channel switcher. This is because, depending on how you have the master volume set, it can serve as a GAIN boost, in addition to being a simple volume boost. Awesome feature. Also, the Red Fang alnico speaker sounds fantastic.

Well, here's the real test, right? I was in the market for an AC30-type amp, but I didn't like the Chinese Voxes. I love Bruno amps, but 2K is a bit steep for my needs, and they tend to be one-trick ponies. This amp just absolutely shits on anything in the price range. The clean sounds are complex and 3-dimensional, which is what you expect from a quartet of El84s, but it also delivers the goods in the overdrive department, both from the power tubes AND preamp tubes--or both. Rich, creamy, thick, ballsy overdrive that cleans up with no grainyness whatsoever with a quick flick of the pinky on the volume knob. And of course, like all 30 watt class A amps, it is loud as a muthafucka. Even without using the voicing feature, all pickup types sound great, but you can further enhance the strengths of each pickup type with this feature. The only downside to the tone of this amp is the reverb. It is perfectly servicable at lower settings, but it is average at best above 9 o'clock. Without the reverb, it's a 10.

I had a Crate Palomino, which I sold to buy this amp. Let's put it this way. The difference in build qualitiy between the two amps is like the difference between Fort Knox and the shed in my backyard. This thing is flipping SOLID. It is quite clear that the BP30 was designed for working, touring professionals. Products like this give me some fleeting faith in American manufacturing.

I haven't had to contact them for this amp, but I had an El Diablo a while ago that fell over and needed a new pot, and THEY SENT THE POT TO ME AT NO CHARGE. Also, Jeff Genzler personally answered all my emails. I feel sorry for his family, because he must spend an inordinate amount of his time answering emails. He should hire an assistant, but it speaks volumes about a company if the man in charge is as personally vested in the day-to-day operations, as Jeff obviously is.

I've owned and played absolute craploads of gear over the past 25 years. This amp really is a gem. It's incredibly well concieved, sounds great, and built to last. My sense is that this amp will be a springboard to huge things from Genz Benz. Get one while the prices are still very reasonable. Oh, one last thing. I need to weigh in on the subject of printed circuit boards, or PCBs. There is a common misperception that point-to-point wired amps sound best, and this is absolute nonsense. Good ptp amps sound better than bad pcb amps, but that has nothing to do with pcb's per se. Read this article:

http://www.bogneramplification.com/Pcboard.htm

or this one:

http://www.mesaboogie.com/US/Smith/point-to-point.html

for further elaboration.

This is a new model introduced in 2006, it is very versatile and fits my style of play which is blues and classic rock.
??? Class A, EL 84 Power Tubes
??? All-Tube Signal Path
??? Flexible Power Selections-Pentode/Triode Selector
30 Watts/15 Watts/8 Watts
??? Tube Boost Preamp Stage
(Footswitchable)
??? Passive 3-Band EQ
??? Five-Position Voicing Circuitry
??? Tube-Driven Reverb
??? Tube Rectifier
??? Accutronics??? Long Pan Reverb
??? 12" Alnico Red Fang??? Speakers by Eminence
??? Solid 13-ply Baltic Birch Plywood Cabinet
??? Classic Styling

The sounds are amazing! I got ths amp mostly as a bedroom amp, I have 67 Fender Super Reverb and a 57 Twin RI that I use when I play out. In my search for something smaller I found this amp, it gave me my first EL84 driven amps. While the clean it's not pure Fender it is vintage EL84, much better that the new Vox Custom Classics, I know I A/B'd them. It has a three dimensional quality similar to vintage amps. The boost channel along with the volume and voicing controls give you an array of distorted tones perfect for blues and classic rock. Ever since I got this amp I have been playing every day, I play Fender Strats, Telecasters and Gibson Les Pauls, and all sound great, the voicing control helps a lot when playing different guitars. Even though the amp ships with Ruby tubes (not my favorites) it still sound awesome, I will eventually mess around with the pre-amp tubes to see what the improvements are, I will most likely try the Tung Sols, Groove Tube Mullards & NOS Telefunkens.

Amp looks very well built, bigger that what I thought

I emailed the company regarding the follwing: "Inside there are beautifully crafted black Military Spec PCB???s with robust, precision routed Direct-to-Point Gold-flashed signal traces, neatly dressed wiring and custom tube sockets and retainers" Since I only play point to point I was very weary once I saw PCB, here is the response I got from Jeff Genzler (The owner took the time to answer my question)

"Hello Tony,



Thanks for your interest in our Black Pearl.



The Military Spec references the quality of the PCB material. There are many types of PCB material used in amps and those built to Military Specifications are the best available.

The traces we use are designed on to the PCB just as if they were wires laying on the PCB---like a hand wired amp. In many amp designs signal traces go back and for the across the PCB to connect the components. Our layout replicates how a hand-wired amps is designed using very thick traces and they are gold flashed which is a better material for signal connectivity. Direct-to-Point references how are traces are run on the PCB just like a ???point-to-point??? amp is designed.



One very important thing about using PCB???s and the way are designed is layed out on the PCB is---many hand wired amps can sound different from each others depending upon the change in the wiring length in an amp or the exact component placement---next to another sensitive component.

In our PCB design the consistency from one amp chassis to the next is impeccable.



I do not have an immediate picture of the inside of the chassis but I know that the Guitar Player review had internal images. That was in the Jan 07 issue.



I hope all of this is helpful.



Regards,



Jeff

I have been playing for over 20 years, I have several custom shop Fender Stratocasters, a 52 Tele RI with a Antiquity neck P/U, a 1974 Telecaster Thinline and a VOS 58 Gibson Les Paul. My amps are 67 Fender Super Reverb a 2004 Custom Shop Fender 57 Twin and now the Black Pearl. I compared this amp with the Vox AC30 and the Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special and found this amp to be a better overall value in terms of tone and built. If the amp was ever lost or stolen I would replace it, no doubt!

This review is for the Black Pearl 2x12 30W combo:
For a 30W EL 84 amp, the BP30 could probably be considered very feature rich. When you consider the five position voicing switch (deep, thick, dark, rich etc.,) footswitchable boost, 3 band eq, accutronics reverb and, most importantly, the pentode / triode selector - you can spend a lot of time noodling the different features for what adds up to a whole lot of different tones. I don't know how useable you'll find all of the tones to be - but if it exists in your mind or your memory, you can probably find it somewhere in this amp. Personally, I find the best tones with the eq running flat to 7, very little to no reverb and the voicing switch set to natural or all the way up to... thick, I think.

It took a day or two of making adjustments / breaking in the tubes before the BP really started to open up and show it's stuff. My former amp was a JTM 45 Bluesbreaker w/ 6L6's, so I had some pretty high expectations. I spent the first day demo'ing different guitars and the BP30 let the unique characterisitics of each guitar come through nicely - The list of guitars included an LP Supreme, PRS CE24, Taylor T5 and G&L S-500. I really liked what this amp could do for the Taylor and the G&L - both guitars sounded great under all of the different voicings. All of the tones seemed useable and some were downright keepers. As could be expected, the PRS and the LP were a little less versatile when twisting the selector knobs but when dialed in to the right place sounded exactly as you would expect. I noticed a lot more string seperation and annunciation with the two humbucker guitars - especially so on the PRS.

I was able to achieve some great overdriven tones by playing with the tube selectors and also when altering the master vol/ preamp vol. As for clean - as in country clean or fender clean - I've never been a huge fan of EL84 clean, preferring 6L6 for duties like strumming and chicken pickin - but I have been able to get some very nice clean tones especially when adding a little bit of outboard delay.

I was originally interested in this amp only because I have used the Shenandoah 200 acoustic amp for a few years now and have been very impressed with the build and durability of the Shen - it's a beast. The same quality of build - maybe even better - is evident in the Black Pearl. I expect years of maintenance free service - other than the occasional tube swap.

I have never had occasion to call but have heard good things.

I have had the amp for about 2 months now and have been using it regularly. I really like the sounds I'm getting out of this amp. I paid $900 for it new through an online charity auction. Honestly, I can't believe how much amp this is for around a grand. Even the list of $1599 seems reasonable when you consider the quality and features. If it were stolen, I would strongly consider getting another but realistically, boutique amps are like beautiful women. Most the joy is in the discovery. Although, this amp has all the attributes of a keeper.

This is the newly designed Black Pearl 30 1x12. This amp is definitely
versatile enough for anything except metal. Single channel with a simple yet 100% FUNCTIONAL EQ. with a variable output of 30w/15w/8w. At 30 watts this thing can "shake walls," 15 watts is still "has the power" but is completely manageable for home or gig use, at 8 watts it is pure heaven, great for home use, low volume levels THAT STILL RETAIN THE CHIME & SPARKLE that makes this amp shine.

What ever power level or voicing you choose there are just a few simple words to describe the tone of this amp. CHIMEY, GLASSY, SPARKLE and DIMENSION.

I have a Les Paul '58 Reissue. I thought this guitar had a great tone running through a Mesa Lonestar until I plugged it into the BP30. OH MY GOD! I was in awe! This is what I've been looking for. (I sold the Lonestar, it would just be collecting dust from this point on) Next I ran a G&L Legacy through it, changed the EQ a little and got the same tonal bliss. The "chime" of the single coils was just amazing. Then I plugged in my Taylor T-5. Just tweaked the EQ a little and there we go again! I gotta tell you, it is SO EASY to find your sound with this amp. You also have a switch that can give you 5 different voicings so you can really get that "special sound" you were looking for. If you play rock, blues, country or jazz this amp will absolutely satisfy your "tonal appetite." I was also surprized how quiet this amp is .............. just real nice!

The amp is built like a tank. You can see the qulity that Jeff Genzler has put into this this. Though it's a new amp all the signs point to a "long & healthy life." I think it's built for the "long haul." Time will tell.

When ever I get something new, I ALWAYS have questions. (you might say I'm a bit of a pain in the ass) So of course I emailed GenzBenz some questions about the design & components. I got back a great email with full & complete "understandable" answers to my questions all within a couple of hours. I got the feeling that they are very proud of this amp and enjoyed talking and explaining things about it.
They didn't blow me off or try to make me feel foolish for contacting them. That's some EXCELLENT customer service, just TOP NOTCH!

I'm 54 years old, have played on & off for over 40 years. This amp sounds SOOOOOOOOO good that I have never enjoyed playing this much.
That in turn is going to make me a better player. I think that aside from the circuit's voicing a real contributor to this amps great tone is the Eminence Red Fang Alnico Speaker. It's just a perfect match for this amp. Kudos to GenzBenz for their chice of speakers!

This amp is a fully featured modern amp. It is extremely flexible with it's variable power settings, variable voicings, and volume and tone layout. I'm sort of an old school guy that's used to just a volume and tone and some glowing glass but these features don't detract from its oustanding sonic qualities.

I spent about four hours with this amp over a week and got to really go over the manual and it's suggested settings. I was really impressed...one minute it's blackface Deluxe Reverb and with a twist of a few knobs, your off to Vox AC-30 range, and another tweak and it's a screaming Marshall 18 watt. All the tones were outstanding...I've got about 15 or so high quality classic tube amps so I know the sonics I'm comparing this to. Great tone...no kidding.

Because I spent one week with it, I don't really have an opinion but it sured seemed very solid. Genz Benz has a reputation for being solid so I wouldn't be too concerned.

The folks at Kaman are behind Genz Benz and they do a nice job. Kaman has a great reputation with the local stores around here.

I really digged this amp. Great cosmetics and outstanding tone. My only modest beef would be the weight. I'm in my mid forties and usually grab amps for gigs that are a lot lighter! If I was in a band that did a ton of covers and needed lots of flexibility...this would be the amp I would have.

This is a New Amp, Class A 2/4 tube amp. No bells and whistles, just a few tone controls, one channel and and reverb. I bought the amp because I am always searching for that tone and timbre that is characteristic of the Guitar your playing. This is it! It has a foot pedal for the 5 tone variations, a super quiet cooling fan and is not to big that the wife will say when did you get that! The amp is in a small music room and if I ever get good enough, I will gig with it.

Pure, warm, soft, uneffected, clear. Great for Jazz, Major 7ths Oh lord! Super quiet even on full blast!

Brand new!

NA

I have only been palying for 5 years. I started at 48 years old, have been listening to guitar players since 1969. Since I don't have a ton of skill it's all about sound to me. Used to A/B pickering and shure v15s late into the night. I play a Malmsteen strat, American Deluxe Tele, and a Gib ES 335 dot. I play a Taylor 410CE with round wounds on My AER compact 60 acoustic amp that is Stellar. I have a Les paul supreme in Rootbeer on order and a Johnny A (336)

This is the finest amp I've ever played. I paid $900.00 for a new one and have had the amp for about a month. It is a single channel amp with a footswitchable boost. It also has a tube driven reverb and effects loop. The amp is a 30 watt Class A amp with power switch-down to 15 and 8 watts. At 30 watts, this amp is loud enough to blow out your ears and keep up with a full band in a small to medium venue. At 8 watts it's still really loud but much more controllable for low volume needs. The best price I found online was $1099.00 but I found a music store on Ebay that accepted a best offer. I offered $900.00 and actually won the auction! Now I have to sell a bunch of stuff to pay myself back.

I play mostly blues and classic rock styled original music and this amp covers these styles with ease. It is truly touch sensitive and responds extremely well to playing technique. If you play hard it plays hard and if you soften up on the pick it cleans up beautifully. This amp doesn't really need any distortion effects unless you want to play metal. Otherwise, it covers a great Fender-like tone as well as a great Vox AC30 tone and several other fabulous tones in between. It has a five position voicing switch that gets just about any tone you need. You can easily adapt the amp to any guitar by using this switch. I get a great Bassman-like sound with my Strat. With humbuckers you can just switch to a brighter voicing and the amp screams. It is so versatile I haven't figured it all out yet. It has an Emminence Red Fang 12" Alnico speaker that is awesome. Of course, the amp sounds best when it cranked...just like most tube amp but switching it to 15 or 8 watts allows a great cranked tone at lower volumes. This is truly a boutique amp. It's not cheap but it's worth every penny.

Just bought it but so far so good.

Amp is still new and haven't had a need for support.

Been playing for over 40 years. I also own a Carvin Bel Air 2X12 combo which is also awesome but a little too heavy for me. The Pearl weighs 10 lbs less so it's a little easier to carry around for an old fart like me. If this amp was stolen, I couldn't afford another one but I'm not gigging anymore so if it gets stolen from my home, insurance will cover it. I love everything about this amp. It sounds incredible through my Marshall 4x12 cabinet too. The recording tones are also very nice using an SM57 mic.