Genz Benz El Diablo Head

Lots of features... you can change channels until the cows come home... I changed channels for three weeks and couldn't find a channel that I liked. The blue lights are super cool though. The side handles mean that you have to use 2 hands to carry it. I had to make 2 trips out into the rain to carry the amp with both hands and then go back and get the guitar. I generally have the strengh to carry a head with 1 hand. I guess that maybe someday I will need 2 handles to carry an amp but right now it was just pretty annoying.

I used this head with a Fender Lonestar strat with a Duncan JB humbucker and an Ibanez s470 with a JB in it as well. I ran the head through a Fender tonemaster 4x12 (v30's), a Marshall 1960 (gt75's), and a Mesa recto 2x12 (v30's) which also in my opinion is the best cabinet that I have ever played. I hate to question this forum because there seems to be a lot of knowledgable, intelligent guitarists who post reviews here. BUT, I had never heard one of these amps and I read all of these reviews about the diablo and how marvelous it was. I traded my 5150 for it and it was the stupidist thing I think I have ever done. I even threw in a guitar to the trade because I thought that the diablo was suposed to be so awesome. Anyway I drove about 300 miles to meet the guy to do the trade and then drove 300 miles back home and flew inside to try this thing out. I could not believe how awful this thing sounded. Maybe I am the one who has the problem, maybe mine was a dud. But I cannot for the life of me understand the stellar reviews that Genz Benz products receive.
I traded a Marshall cabinet for a G flex cabinet and that was the 2nd stupidist thing I ever did. Anyway back to the diablo... This amp had No low end, no gain, I could not force it to sound anything like I wanted it to. I changed tubes, I changed cabinets, I changed guitars, I talked to Mr Genzler... Nothing I did made any difference. It always sounded weak and brittle and just awful. I was in the situation where I had to used it for a gig because I am not independently wealthy and have only one head at a time and it was the worst gig I have ever played. My sound was horrible and I was so miserable because there was nothing I could do to get this thing to sound good. I ended up selling it on ebay and I lost about 300 dollars in the whole deal (because I traded one of my guitars). The guy who bought it from me loves it. Anyway, this is just a warning to anyone who is looking at these things... try it out. Oh, by the way, normally I get a lot of compliments on my tone (with the 5150s), the night that I used the diablo I got a lot of "you need to turn up, I can't hear you" even though I was at a normal volume.

I only had it for 2 weeks luckily... so I can't answer this

I talked to Mr Genzler directly. That's pretty good customer service. I got this used so maybe if I had bought it from a dealer he would have offered to take a look at it. I probably didn't give him enough of an opportunity to make things right.

I have been playing as long as I can remember. I think I started guitar before kindergarden and I am 35 now. I grew up in the 80's with big modified Marshalls and thats's just what I am used to. With the rating this thing receives, someone has to like it. I just wish I had not gotten involved with this thing. It is not the versitile amp that it is described as. What is equally puzzeling are the reviews that the g flex cabs get. They are literally the worst sounding cabinets that I have ever heard. I don't understand it... Anyway everone in my band was also sooooo happy to see the genz benz go, so it can't just be me. My singer said "I have a boss Heavy Metal pedal we can just plugg straight into the board, it's got to sound better then that piece of shiT". Coming from a singer that sums it up pretty nicely I think. Sorry Mr Genzler but no thanks!

Heaps of features as listed before

I play metal/rock - lots of lead solo stuff and heavy metallica stuff. Im using an ibanez rg570 - getting evolution pickups soon. Using a marshall 1960 lead 4x12 cab.

I have tryed EVERY amp avaliable, and in the end I was left with two amps which had this great tonal quality about them - these were the Genz Benz, and the VH100R Laney head which I have heard great reviews about and which also sounded very beautiful and clear, however there was something heavenly about the sound of the Genz Benz that did something for me.

It has the low heavy tones of a marshall amp for great tight powerchords, but doesnt have that roughness and fuzz of a marshall when you are trying to play a solo! The lead tone is crystal clear - kind of like a mesa rectifier, but instead of having that single boring fundamental sound that hits you in your face when you play a note, it brings out many beautiful harmonic overtones that make every note shine out with the warmest sound that i never imagined possible - and the sustain is amazing! The reverb sounds so open and genuine, unlike some amps that sound digitalized and fake, and the clean channel is amazingly warm and clear.

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Only had it for a few days!

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Emailed them once to ask about registration and i got a reply straight away - they seemed very nice and helpful.

The sound on this amp is truly beautifull.
I have heard every sound created from every amp made, and finally found the perfect sounding amp that has the beautiful warm tone that many guitarists are searching for. No other amp has these qualities to them, so not a thought would cross my mind to getting a different amp if this one was stolen. I love everything about it.
If you're looking for a tight warm and clear tone, try this amp out. I think you will be pleasantly surpised.

As stated before - tons of features.

I'm sorry to the people that like it but, this amp IMHO is one of the worst sounding amps I have ever heard. I really tried to like it for over six months & have finally given up. First, the clean channel is the god awfullest, sterile sounding piece of garbage I have ever heard. I kid you not that I had a peavey SS combo back in the 80's that had a better clean than this amp & just for the record the clean channel is not even close to being fenderlike. But, I will say I wasn't necessarily looking for fender clean but, I want a good clean. Also, that pan reverb absolutely sucks! I have heard better reverb from a vox valvetronix modelling combo. Also, the gain that this amp has is very harsh & grating at all volumes. It's got a harshness that you just can't dial out no matter what. I have heard a Soldano HR50XL & a/b'd it against the El D. & it absolutely killed the El D. I tried several cabs - THD 212, genz benz gflex 212, mesa recto 412 traditional & the El D. sounded like ass through all of them. Also, I was able to take home an El D. 60 head for a day to see if maybe I just got a lemon & got pretty much the same result. The 60 watter did sound better than the 100 watter but, was still very harsh. If you like harsh grainy distortion for playing death metal like dying fetus or cannibal corpse then go ahead & buy an El D. but, if you like warm, smooth lead tones like Santana & Eric Johnson then stay away - far far way!!

It hasn't broken yet.

Alot of very promising features but, IMHO just failed miserably in producing any good tones at all. I learned a very valuable lesson about buying from an amp maker that obviously knows nothing about great tones. I've been playing for 16 years & this was one of the worst experiences I've ever had with an amp & I've had alot of them: Mesa Subway rocket, Mesa Subway blues, Fender Hot Rod Deville 410, Mesa Nomad 55, Reverend Hellhound combo, Mesa .50 Cal+, Peavey Delta Blues, Trace Elliot Speed twin 50 head & 30 combo, soldano astroverb, soldano hr50xl.

Tube amp

Two channels:
One Hot (distortion); One Warm (clean)... Each has different levels of ajustment and modes, as explained below.

Hot channel has gain knob and gain boost button for even more gain.
Hot distortion has a "contour dial" for changing from Marshall-ish (open, bassy sound) to Mesa-ish sound (harsher higher mids, tighter sound), to others inbetween. (It changes the focus of the mid frequencies).
Hot channel also has a compressor feature, which limits frequencies and gives a punchier sound.

Clean channel has Vintage mode (for more midrange breakup at lower volumes) and a Classic mode (for cleaner sounds).

A Global booster is present that can boost either channel when activated, allowing for more upper mids to cut through the mix when jamming... Makes things sound more intense.

E.Q. is great, and can change the sound of the amp a lot-- especially when used with the Contour knob of the Hot channel to change from more open, bassy Marshall to Mesa, with higher frequencies added to the mix.

3 effects loops-- one for Warm channel, one for Hot channel, one is Universal.

two different types of tubes can be used, and there is a bias switch to select from them.

100/50 watt max selector switch.

XLR and 1/4 inch slave outs, impedence selector switch (4,8,16 ohms), reverb killer pedal input, 5 button footswitch input.

And, as a last note-- of course, it has a Master volume knob and gain and volume controls separate for each channel, on top of that.

I played with a Marshall JTM-30 (all tube) combo, a Peavey Bandit 60 (solid state, and a cheap amp), and a Marshall Valvestate 8100 (shitty cleans, but great distortion... and cheap!)

This amp gives amazing sounds... I think the clean channel sounds very good on the Marshall JTM-30 (and the clean sound rated very well and "Fenderish" in the Harmonycentral review of that amp)... but the clean on this amp is amazing and even better. It sounds very full, and it gives great sustain. It gets edgier with more gain or with the "Vintage" mode activated. It can also sound very clean and warm (on the "Classic" mode).

On top of this, the distortion that comes out of this thing is amazing. I can play Mesa Coheed and Cambria, Marshall Indie stuff... The E.Q. and the Contour button can really change it up. The amount of distortion that can be achieved is amazing, especially with the High Gain button activated. It's amazing. The distortion retains clarity... The Marshall JTM-30 has nice distortion, but Marshall distortion can lack some clarity (and sound muddy), which is a tradeoff for it's airy openness... This amp can mimic Marshall quite well and can achieve many other sounds with tremendous note-definition. Perhaps it would lost some clarity (and sound even more Marshall) if I'd take the time to ajust it to sound even more like a Marshall... There are settings I haven't explored yet, but it retains amazing definition, overall.

A note-- Whoever rated this amp a "2" in the area of sound is entitled to their opinion... but I can't see how this would be justifiable, at all... at least not based on comparison to general amps. Perhaps, if your musical tastes are different AND you were comparing only to $3000+ handmade amps that fit that style, this would get a lower rating. But, for the general fan of rock/ alternative/ indie... and maybe even blues and jazz... This amp sounds damn great... Don't be swayed by one "2" rating, when the rest of the ratings are 9's and 10's...

Great amp!!!

The only problem I've had was that the lightbulb inside one of the jewel lights blew, so I went to the automotive store and found a replacement. Also, the assembly that holds the lightbulb came unscrewed inside of the unit, so I had to take the unit apart to reattach it. No biggie, though...

I got this unit used, and I emailed Jeff Genzler, the head-tech fot this amp to see about a warranty. I had no receipt, etc... But they still agreed to give me a 2-year warranty. This was because new amps get a 3-year warranty, and this amp had been out for a year. So, it was decided that, regardless of when the amp was originally bought, it couldn't have been purchassed over a year ago, and, therefore, I was entitled to at least 2 years of warranty, which they gave me.
Not bad at all, seeing as how I had no receipt and it was used.

This amp is great, I'd say. I have no desire to own a differnt one. I play a Les Paul Studio through a Mesa 2x12 Rectifier cab, and it is great. It can sound very clean and warm... very clean and edgy... a bit distorted... a WHOLE LOT distorted... etc... Very versatile... I play rock/ alternative/ indie and I like it A LOT!
Give it a try!

This is an update to an earlier review and also a comment on the review below about the dynamics of this amp.

This amp has GREAT dynamics. I have now had some time with this amp and experimented with more tubes for it. I replaced the power tubes with Sovtek 6L6WXT's and the pre-amp tubes with Electro-harmonix 12AX7EH's and this amp now sounds better than anything I have ever played through. Strat's sing through this amp and humbuckers scream to the heavens. I have played with the old super reverb's and twin's and this amp sounds just as good with the tubes I am useing.

This amp has proven to be very reliable. I left it in the back of my grand cherokee for two weeks between gig's because I didn't have anyone to help me unload it and it never bothered it a bit.

GREAT. I have spoken with Jeff Genzler several time about this amp.

This amp is more than anything you can get in it's price range. I would easily rank it among the Bogner, Soldano, VHT and Diezel amps and at a much lower cost.

More features than anyone would ever need!

I use strats loaded w/ fralins and play blues and Jazz. The amp is a quiet amp it would be good for recording and etc..

I am used to high end amps.. Vintage Fender Vibroverbs, Trainwrecks and etc.. I found that this Genz Benz doesn't even come close to the tone or dynamic feel that a good BF Fender has.

Do you know that feeling when you can gel with and amp as though it's a part of your playing? Well this amp does not have this!

You know when you can adjust the volume just by hard you dig in? Well this amp doesn't have it.. Really, ZERO Dynamics!!!

I neede to borrow an amp for 3 shows and the dealer gave me this Genz Benz to use.. Man I wish he would have given me something else to use!!

It didn't break down the 12 hours I used it!

I have been playing for 23 years and have a very dynamic playing style! This amp does not do my style well at all! If your into hard rock w/ humbuckers, maybe? I would never buy this amp because of it
s lack of dynamics and real tone!

2 month old Genz Benz El Diablo.
The only thing I would change is to add a 3rd channel. The contour on this lets you get any sound you could want. Everything from mesa to marshall to an uberschall distortion.

I play a ibanez uv777, parker nitefly, and a strat. I play this head through a carvin 412. The low end on this amp is crazy! I love it. There is plenty of distortion. Most of the time I only have it on a little over half way. Beats the crap out of the rectifiers. I traded mine for this amp. Couldn't be happier. Mesa can't compete with the low end of this amp. If you play metal this is your amp. The only thing about it I don't really care for is that the clean channel breaks up pretty easy. The clean channel does have wonderful tone.

I have only had this amp for a month, but I have had no problems yet. I hope it stays that way.

never used it

I have been playing for 6 years. If this amp was stolen I would definetly buy another one. If you want killer tone and low end this is the amp for you. This is absolutely the best amp in it's price range. The only other amps I would consider would be Bogner, Engl, or Diezel. The El Diablo is half the price and is the closest thing to these high end amps. Don't spend more on a Mesa.

This is an update to an earlier review in July. Now that I've logged on quite a few gigs and I've also purchased 2 G-Flex 2x12's; it's time be more objective. I'll start by describing my ever changing rig. I usually run a dual amp setup with the El Diablo (G-Flexs) and either a Marshall TSL/Mesa Dual Recto(no more) or a Peavey Classic 100 thru a 1960A Cab. I use a stereo volume pedal to fade between amps. Sometimes I combine 2 at once. I use hotplates with all the amps to get some power amp distortion. Not much but enough so that the preamp doesn't dominate the sound too much. I'm not a fan of "bedroom volume" levels. No tube amp should be judged in this condition. You just have to turn it up!

This amp continues to impress me after 2 months of gigs. I use a Strat/Paul/Wolfie/Jem 777/ and another Ibanez artrist with JB's. How does this stack up to other amps onstage? With the stock EL34's, I thought it has great heavy sounds. We don't play death metal but it does a gret modern tight distortion real well. I've switched over to 6L6's (old stock circa 1960) just to experiment. I'm still geting used to them. Overall this amp kills the Marshall and the Mesa in the high gain department. The El Diablo can mimic both amps with extensive Eq-ing but that defeats the reason for buying it. I WANT it to sound different and unique. Pinched harmonics are easier and low palm mutes with drop tunnings hold up fine. I enjoy all the options. I really like the "Drummer Killer" attack feature. It really pushes your leads over the top. I use this feature to record rythm tracks as well. This amp can do classic rock distortion well but it really shines when pushing the high gain into a more modern realm. The clean is rather nice. I prefer the Marshall TSL and the Peavey classic clean. Not that it is bad but doesn't have quite the sparkle as the Peavey. It does have lots of spank though. Try snapping a low E string agianst the frettboard with your fingers like the country pickers do. You'll see what I mean. Overall this amp can deliver the goods to any versatile tasty player.

So far so good.

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This amp is a keeper for me. I would like to experiment with more preamp tubes.
the G-Flex cabinets sound very good with the head. The distortion is very complex and
has a good dynamic range for flucuating pick technique. Play a Cadd9 chord with humbuckers and you'll see.

This is a Reply to the gigging musician.

When playing with the amp in a stage setting, crank the amp on 100 watts, turn the master volume up to around 10 to 3 o' clock, and use the preamp's volume to adjust your volume, you'll notice that your eq's are more accurate, and the power tubes arent getting pushed.

This is an update to my previous posting. Since reviewing this amp, I have had the opportunity to actually play it in a band setting and I was blown away with the sound and power. I ran both my Schecter custom and Wolfgang during the session and had pure tonal bliss. One very interesting thing to mention was the fact that I was running my volume at 6 and my master volume at 1 1/2. Talk about power. I can imagine this beast peeling paint off of the walls at a master volume of 6. I honestly can't see playing that loud and really don't want to bleed from the ears but man o man does this amp rock. Go see for yourself and you'll be amazed as I was.... Absolute quality piece here folks and if you really want a wall of sound, purchase the George Lynch 4X12 G-flex they offer. Why settle for a puny 1960A or B cab?