Genz Benz Black Pearl 1x12 vs. Egnator Rebel 30 combo (or Head)

[stratman7]

Ok:

If you had your choice between these two Amps (Playing a Strat for lead blues) which one one would you want??

1. Which one has better build quality/reliability?
2. Which one has better low end/rich tone?
3. Which one has better customer service??
4. Bang for the buck??
5. Which one comes with a better speaker??

I am stuck between these two Amps as I have heard good things about both as far as what you get for the money. I originally was going to the Rebel 30 head and cab due to the comments about the rebel 30 combo noise issues and lack of room inside the combo.

I will be getting one of these two - right now I'm not sure which one.

Thanks for the comments!!

[jmontgomery]

Black Pearl

[amphog]

The big question for me would be "do I need a 2 channel amp?". I own the Black Pearl, and would reccomend it. It is very well made, was able to call and speak to somone that knew the amp, and it has a great speaker in it. You need to play them both to see if they can give you what you need.

[tele_jas]

Originally Posted by stratman7

1. Which one has better build quality/reliability?
2. Which one has better low end/rich tone?
3. Which one has better customer service??
4. Bang for the buck??
5. Which one comes with a better speaker??

1. Black Pearl... Build quality comparable to Mesa
2. Black Pearl... Very good amt of low end
3. Black Pearl... Had an issue with the handle and spoke to the owner and he shipped me a new one, then 2 months later shipped me another new one (with the new design).
4. Black Pearl... Botique quality and tone, you can pick up a used one for a decent price
5. Black Pearl... The Red Fang is an amazing speaker! It's Eminence's version of the "Celestion Blue".

The Black Pearl has a 5 way voice switch, can get dark tones to bright tones (Marshall to Fender to AC30). Enough gain for hard rock (not metal) and a very nice clean tone. Just an all around GREAT amp!

[G Man]

Another vote for the Black Pearl. Mine does everything I ask of it and then some.

[sevenflatfive]

BP... 100%

I love the cleans on it. My favorite amp currently.

Also customer service is top notch. My handle broke on my 2nd hand 212 and mr Genzler himself responded to my email and sent me a new handle free of charge! That is the definition of top notch customer service.

[dandythomas]

Originally Posted by amphog

The big question for me would be "do I need a 2 channel amp?". I own the Black Pearl, and would reccomend it. It is very well made, was able to call and speak to somone that knew the amp, and it has a great speaker in it. You need to play them both to see if they can give you what you need.

The Black Pearl is a really nice, well made amp (love mine). It has a lot of flexibility for a single channel amp, however, some people just really want/need a multi-channel amp. You need to try them both out and see which one is better for you. I give the BP high marks though and think it is a better constructed amp. The 7/15/30 watt power settings, built in boost, and mode switching are all excellent/very usable features too.

The Rebel is a nice but different type of amp. However, note that the watts switch on the Rebel is really just adjusting the phase inverter's output to the power tubes. When you turn it way down, the power tubes are running completely clean - so all your distortion is coming from the preamp. It is not true power scaling.

[guitarz1972]

Originally Posted by dandythomas

The Black Pearl is a really nice, well made amp (love mine). It has a lot of flexibility for a single channel amp, however, some people just really want/need a multi-channel amp. You need to try them both out and see which one is better for you. I give the BP high marks though and think it is a better constructed amp. The 7/15/30 watt power settings, built in boost, and mode switching are all excellent/very usable features too.

The Rebel is a nice but different type of amp. However, note that the watts switch on the Rebel is really just adjusting the phase inverter's output to the power tubes. When you turn it way down, the power tubes are running completely clean - so all your distortion is coming from the preamp. It is not true power scaling.

This is a very good point. The various wattage settings is a nice thing to have.

You do need to decide if you can live with a single-channel amp, or if you need two channels. I like the Black Pearl's overdrive sound just fine, but if you need to have both clean and dirty sounds available -as most gigging players do - then you almost have to use pedals (which isn't a bad thing, this is TGP after all lol). But seriously, that is something you might want to consider.

[stratman7]

Thanks for the input! I really only need a single clean channel for the blues that I play. I play in the style of SRV, Bramhall II and some Clapton. So a good lead tone with good bottom end is what I'm looking for. I run a FD2 for my tubesreamer.

The Rebel 30 cmbo that I played sounded good however I wasnt sure of the tube compliment with the Pearl as it does not run 6L6 or 6V6's.