Genz Benz Shenandoah Pro

The Shen Pro is a fairly recent addition to Genz Line. It is extremely well suited to do solo acoustic music, as well as, add your acoustic sound to a band mix. The amp has 2 independant channels, which can be accessed with either a guitar cable or an XLR, or even 1 guitar chord and 1 XLR simultaneously, in each of the two channels. It does not have channel switching, but you really don't need it on an acoustic amp. It does have an effects loop, but also has Alexis on board effects (one for each channel), which offer some very useful reverbs, delays, and other effects, that are independant to each channel.

The amp is a real jewel when it comes to tone and volume. You get a very full tone, even at lower volumes. A very nice feature is the option to run 2 XLR's out for each channel, to a board, or 1 XLR out that combines both channels one and two, with effects, to a board.

The amp has plenty of power at 200 watts, so no worries about not being able to run with a band. If you can't be heard, well, the other guys are probably playing way too loudly.

One of the major selling points for me was the ability to add tube warmth to either your instrument or voice. I use about 50/50 tube/FET on my guitar and around 60/40 or higher on vocals.

I bought the amp to use for coffee shop gigs, small club gigs, and other small to medium venues.

The sound quality is outstanding! I was and continue to be impressed by both it's amplification of an acoustic guitar, as well as, vocals. I am very happy that I didn't settle on a smaller amp or another brand. I tried Fender, Fishman, Crate, SWR, and a number of others. I was most pleased with the tone the Genz puts out.

You get a wide variety of tones with the FET/TUBE knob, the EQ, and phase button, not to mention, the effects are a bonus, if you're looking for simplicity and minimizing gear. I do like the effects better on my pedalboard, but in fairness, I spent a lot more money on the few effects on that board, than I did for this amp. For those who like a pure acoustic tone or a hint of color, or reverb, this amp delivers. The amp is punchy enough for strumming or flatpicking, and is very even tempered and expressive for finger style guitar.

Also, it is a quiet amp for the amount of power that you have on tap.

So far, so good. I've owned it now for several months with no issues. I think that the amp is very well built with a strongly made cabinet. The metal grill is a nice touch for those "accidents" that might endanger the speaker. All of the knobs and inputs seem to be able to take on road experience without any difficulty. I tend to baby equipment, and expect to get a long service life from this amp.

I did exchange a few e-mails with Jeff Genzler before I purchased this amp, and he was very instrumental in giving me comparisons to other amps in his line and providing information right up front. He was quick to respond (in fact it was on a weekend) and gave me a sense that he cares about his products. I also have a friend who had purchased another Genz Benz product, and every effort was made by Genz Benz to service my friend's amp to his satisfaction. My friend, being a perfectionist, highly recommended them.

I've purchased a number of amps in the past several years, looking for a great electric guitar tone. Part of the fun of being a musician is looking for that tone that you can call your own. This is my first dedicated acoustic amp, and I think that I got it right the first time. I'd definitely buy another Shen Pro, if mine were lost, stolen, or destroyed by an act of God. I love the huge natural acoustic sound that I get from this amp. The effects were a bonus in this purchase. I wish that the effects had more control parameters, but it wasn't why I bought the amp.

The Fender Acoustisonics are nice, but don't have the warmth and roundness that this amp has. The SWR, although having a reference tone, seemed a little sterile and was lacking in features. It would also have been a beast to carry around. I didn't care for the Fishman Loudboxes when I played through them. They seemed to be on the bright side and seemed like they would cosmetically age quickly.

The Genz has a traditional, but bold look, tone to die for, and is still fitted into a reasonably compact package. It does vocals very well, which is a must when you don't have a board or house system to run through. It's not a lightweight at 50 lbs., but is still fairly easily manageable.

I left the amp at a studio that belongs to another band menber, to let him try it out. He said that he'd give it try. He is very critical of acoustic equipment, and within a very short time, he said that he was going to have a Shen Pro on order. Take the time to hear and play through one. After 6 weeks of trying out different amps and several months of ownership, I can say that this is the right amp for me.

I bought this amp for two reasons, sound and features. There are two completely independent channels with their own gain, tube-FET preamp, paramatric EQ, phase, phantom power, Alesis DSP and output, like having two amps in one. The parametric EQ is wonderful for taking the mid range edge off and making the guitar sound truly natural, only louder.

One channel can be maximized for acoustic guitar and the other for vocals!

Sound, sound, sound! I tried Fender, Bose, Marshall, Crate, Fishman and California Blond, the Fishman was the best but only a shadow of the Genz Benz.

Amazing headroom, perfect natural reproduction, and the tube preamp can add a nice warmth and compression. I find myself using the tube more for vocals and leave the acoustic au natural ecept for midrange EQ.

Can't say, only had the amp a few days.

I called Genz Benz with a question about adding an external cabinet and got a real human being who spent a lot of time with me, very helpful.

I've been playing since '64, this amp is amazing and truly provides a natural acoustic amplification, my D-18 GE miked through it is the sounds I have been chasing for years, wonderful.

Truly studio/profession grade, even has an on/off for the fan, the back looks like a mixer it has so many useful sends/returns.

For small coffeehouse venues this amp is a free PA to go along with the great acoustic sound. Beats everything else out there that I have heard, highly recommended.

This is a brand new acoustic amp from Genz Benz. It is a two channel, 4 input, 200 watt amp with two blendable preamps per channel--FET and 12AX7 tube. It also has dual effects for the two channels.

The amp sounds amazing. I primarily play through the Bose L1 system. But this amp will be used for gigs when I don't want to haul the Bose or for in my basement. I love the sound with the tube. It gives my guitar a nice throaty sound. I am playing a Martin OMC Aura through the amp. It sounds awesome. And it is loud.

The first amp I received in the mail was not working. Genz Benz sent me another one and it works fine. I don't forsee any problems with reliability, though.

I had to deal with Genz Benz to get the replacement amp. They were extremely helpful. I got to talk to the man (Jeff Genzler) himself. He was very courteous and my replacement amp was on its way to me. He even through in a padded, custom cover for my inconvenience. This is what customer support should be! Highly rated!!!

I've been playing professionally for over 20 years. I've bought a lot of gear. This is one of the nicest amps I've ever played through. If it was stolen, I'd buy another. I got a great deal on this amp through a Best Offer on Ebay. Very worth the price paid.