"Black Pearl Posse"

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 9 of 22

9. EQ

Bass/Middle/Treble: per the manual, these controls are passive and not interactive (link)

Mids: per Jeff Genzler (and others I believe), turning up the mids is almost like adding “an additional gain stage!” (link)

Top: per the manual, this is “more like” a presence control (link)

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 10 of 22
Full document here: Word (hyperlinks work), PDF (hyperlinks don't work)

10. Reverb

Tone:
1. Many say that the spring reverb is dark and cavernous and does not sound like a Fender spring reverb (link, link, link, link, link, link, link, link, link, link)
2. [rze99] asked Jon Dickinson at Dickinson Amps in South London to brighten up the reverb and he was able to and it’s now bright and lush (link)
  1. Via email, Jon said that he couldn’t recall exactly what he did to modify the reverb, but “looking at the schematic I'd guess I removed either C26 or C28 or probably both. They both attenuate treble on the reverb return circuit, they're small values, you could make them smaller but knowing me I probably just removed them. You could put them on a switch so you have the option of std or bright reverb?”
3. Other efforts to make the reverb more Fender-y have not been successful
  1. [dass101] tried swapping the tank out but that had minimal effect on the tone (link, link)
  2. [KissTone] asked Genz Benz for how to change the reverb tone and their only suggestion was the change the reverb tubes, which had minimal effect on the tone (link)
Interaction with Input Volume:
1. Per Jeff Genzler, the Reverb control (which is the Reverb send) is part of the input Volume, so you may want to adjust and/or balance the Reverb control with the input Volume (link)
Feedback Issues:
1. Per Jeff Genzler, the Master Volume doubles as the Reverb return control, and with high Master Volume settings and the Reverb above ~2 o’clock you can get squealing feedback within the reverb circuit (link; link, link; link, link, link, link)
  1. [AllenBee] put a GT 5751 in the Reverb send position (V3) and said he could turn the Reverb control up higher and preferred it to the stock tube (link)
    1. I’m not sure this changes the amount of Reverb send at which you get feedback, and may only change (a) the relationship between the Reverb control and amount of reverb (since it reduces the potential gain of the Reverb send circuit) and (b) the maximum reverb available. If that were the case, it might make more of the Reverb control’s sweep usable (you might even be able to use the entire pot sweep because a 5751 only has 70% of the gain of a 12ax7), but wouldn’t change the Reverb intensity/volume level at which you get feedback
Reverb Tank Specs:
1. Tank is a long-pan 3-spring reverb – first production tank was an Accutronics 9FB1C1D, then later a Ruby RRVL3FB1C1D (link, link, link) – and runs at an atypically high voltage (link). [firebrand] believes that replacement tanks were Ruby, that most combos had Ruby tanks in them (link), and that at least some heads came with Accutronics tanks (link)
  1. Fender has suggested part # 4FB2C1D from amprepairparts.com as a viable replacement tank (link)
2. The tank was mounted horizontally on the bottom of the cabinet in both the heads and the combos (link, link)

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 11 of 22
Full document here: Word (hyperlinks work), PDF (hyperlinks don't work)

11. Master Volume

Circuit Placement:
1. [ruger9] says the Master Volume is pre-phase-inverter but he still thinks it works great (link)
Tonal Impact:
1. [ruger9] says that the amp can get overly bright at higher Master settings, maybe say above ~1 o’clock, and “the guys at Genz” told him that the amp was not designed for the master to be run that high (link)
2. To tame brightness, consider:
  1. Keeping the master at or below ~noon (link, link)
  2. Keeping the master at or below ~3 but in darker triode/2-tube setting (link, link)

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 12 of 22
Full document here: Word (hyperlinks work), PDF (hyperlinks don't work)

12. Tubes

Please see the linked Word (hyperlinks work) or PDF (hyperlinks don't work) versions of this document for this section (which is very long).

Most important points IMO are:

For V2, only use Chinese tubes (e.g., Ruby) in V2 – half of V2 is a cathode follower, and Russian (and possibly Czech) do not function well in this application
Broad support for using any NOS rectifier tube
You don’t need to re-bias the amp after replacing the power tubes
Tube Opinions -- I believe there is little consensus, but to the extent there is, what I heard more consistently was that
1. Support for 6P14P-EV power tubes
2. JJ power tubes may be more aggressive than others

List of all subsections in "Tube" section:

Amp Sensitivity to Tube Changes
Pre-Amp Tubes
Rectifier Tube
Power Tubes
Retubing and Tube Retainers
Tube Opinions

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 13 of 22
Full document here: Word (hyperlinks work), PDF (hyperlinks don't work)

13. Effects Loop

Per Jeff Genzler, the loop is designed for line-level effects (e.g., rack effects, outboard effects); running typical pedals in the effects loop will usually result in level / “mojo” drop; Genz Benz recommended running all pedals in the front (link, link, link)
1. Some pedals have a switch to set them for line level, but others would require a line-level shifter like the Ebtech LLS-2 to use them in the loop (link, link)

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 14 of 22
Full document here: Word (hyperlinks work), PDF (hyperlinks don't work)

14. Speakers & Cabinets

Please see the linked Word (hyperlinks work) or PDF (hyperlinks don't work) versions of this document for this section (which is very long).

Most important points IMO are:

Stock Speaker - Eminence Red Fang
1. Speaker mellows/sweetens as it breaks in
2. Speaker likely takes ~20-40 hours to break in (so any stock speaker should be broken in by now):
Speaker Opinions -- While the individual opinions noted below are varied, I think a couple common observations are:
1. People like the stock Red Fang speaker a lot, and alnico speakers generally
2. When only using one speaker type (e.g., in a 1x12), people seem to prefer the Red Fang over Greenbacks
3. People like how big the amp can sound when used with an extension cab
4. People like to pair ceramic speaker(s), including Greenbacks, with Alnico speaker(s), either via a 2x12 configuration or by adding an extension cab

List of all subsections in "Speakers & Cabinets" section:

- Stock Speaker
- Notes on impedance matching if considering non-stock speakers and/or cabs
- Speaker Opinions

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 15 of 22
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15. Speaker-Compensated Line-Out

Frequency compensated direct output to emulate a speaker (link)
Best when used with a DI box to a PA (link), but can be run direct to a PA (link)
Somewhere I believe someone said this can be useful but doesn’t sound much like the amp, but I can’t find the post (that’s been my experience with direct outs generally)

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 16 of 22
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16. Volume and Headroom

[ruger9] says it’s never going to have as much headroom as a 6L6 amp since EL84’s inherently compress more (link)
My memory is many have noted the amp can stay clean and be very loud; some examples:
1. [beyer160] says the 2x12 loud enough to get over a heavy handed drummer while staying relatively clean (link, link)
2. [1Coil] says that 2x12 has more headroom and volume than 1x12 and can stay clean very loud even with humbuckers (link, link); I think what he really means is that the 2x12 is louder, not that the 2x12 changes the inherent compression of the amp even when it’s clean
3. [rze99] says the BP30 can get over an averagely loud drummer with light breakup in 15W mode (link)
4. [tapollok] says that in 7-watt mode and set clean it is noticeably louder than his 12 watt Tweed Deluxe with a Weber 12A125A speaker (link)
5. In their review, GuitarPlayer writes it’s “one loud mofo” (link)
Potential strategies for improving headroom, by which I mean the compression and/or breakup experienced for a given dB volume produced:
1. Tube-based approaches:
  1. Substitute a lower gain tube (in this case a 5751) for the 12AX7's in V1 and V2 – “it will stay clean FOREVER”
    1. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I think swapping to a lower gain tube may reduce the volume proportionally, but I’m not sure it changes the breakup and compression at a given volume, it just changes what volume you get from a given setting in a given gain stage.
      1. My main source is this thread, and especially this post from Adam Grimm from Satellite Amps, also this post and this post
      2. For example, maybe with a lower gain tube your amp only goes up to 90 dB instead of 100dB with the volume halfway up, but the amount it compresses when it’s producing 100 dB is the same, you just have to turn the volume knob more to get there (maybe up to ~1 o’clock).
      3. In either case, I do believe it would make the volume pot less sensitive (since its range is more limited with a lower maximum gain), which would probably make it easier to dial-in lower volume settings
  2. Replace the Phase Inverter tube with a lower gain tube than a 12ax7 (5751, 12at7, 12ay7, 12au7) – this worked for me!
    1. Per this thread, and especially this post (also here; here and here) I believe that while other tube swaps likely only reduce the volume produced at a given volume control setting (e.g., the dB produced with the Input and Master Volumes both at 11 o’clock) but don’t change the relationship between dB volume produced and amp compression, apparently the phase inverter tube is different and could actually change this relationship
    2. I found that putting in lower gain tubes did in fact increase the headroom for the same volume, with the lower gain tubes offering the most headroom, but also making the sound less round and more brittle
  3. Preamp Tube Gain Factors and notes relative to 12ax7 from KCA NOS Tubes (link):
    1. 12ax7: 100% – the standard guitar amp preamp tube
    2. 5751: 70% – Military 12ax7 with less highs than 12ax7
    3. 12at7: 60% – Fender reverb driver and phase inverter
    4. 12ay7: 44% – first gain stage in 50’s Fender tweed amps
    5. 12au7: 20% – phase inverter for Vox amps
2. Other types of approaches:
  1. [1Coil] says that reducing the mids will reduce breakup depending on overall volume/gain settings (link)
  2. Potentially use a larger cabinet:
    1. I’m not sure about this, but there’s been some feedback on whether larger cabinets (i.e., a 2x12 is larger than a 1x12) and/or adding extension cabs produce louder volumes for the same amp settings (see the [Configuration Sound Differences] subsection, notably link, link), and if that’s true you could use reduced amp Input and Master Volume control settings to achieve the same dB output in a larger cab, and you would likely have less pre/power amp compression at those lower Input and Master Volume settings
  3. Replace the cathode resistor with a higher value resistor to cool the bias / run the amp cooler (link, link)
    1. My amp tech told me that the BP30 cathode resistor is set low like a Vox AC30, which runs the tubes hot. He also says, “But that’s part of the sound – the sound of your power tubes begging for mercy.”
  4. If you’re using the stock Red Fang, a different speaker will likely not increase the headroom (or volume, which could give you the chance to run the amp cleaner for the same volume) materially as the Red Fang is a very efficient speaker
3. Other ideas that I’ve heard, but that have not been mentioned in relation specifically to the BP30, include:
  1. Upgrade the power amp with very high-quality power tubes (e.g., NOS military-grade) (link, link)
    1. I tried this by replacing JJ’s with 6P14P-EV’s and did not perceive any noticeable headroom increase, though the amp did become quieter and more scooped (the volume drop I perceived may have been from the EQ shift)
  2. Upgrade the power transformer (link)
  3. More intrusive changes that I understand might impact an amp’s tone more substantially (link)
    1. Increase the B+ voltage if the B+ voltage is not already maxed out (link)
    2. Increase the plate voltage of the preamp tubes (link)
    3. Increase the plate voltage of the power tubes (link)
    4. Increase the bias of the preamp gain stages (link)
    5. Pull one or more of the pre-amp cathode bypass caps (link)

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 17 of 22
Full document here: Word (hyperlinks work), PDF (hyperlinks don't work)

17. Configuration Sound Differences

Conflicting opinions on if the 3x10 and 1x12 sound materially different:
1. [soniq7] thinks 3x10 sounds better than 1x12, with less bass, less 100-200hz slop, no ice pick, and a wider soundstage, but is very heavy (link)
2. [John Thigpen], who got a 3x10 at soniq7’s recommendation, wasn’t sure the 3x10 is that different from the 1x12, but agreed it is much heavier (link)
Conflicting opinions on if the 2x12 is much louder than the 1x12:
1. [1coil] notes that the 2x12 is way louder clean than the 1x12, so much so that the 1x12 may be more useful in most settings (link)
2. [ruger9] says the 2x12 isn't that much louder than the 1x12, just heavier (link)
3. I found that adding a 1x12 extension cab with a Greenback to my 1x12 combo with the Red Fang resulted in an increase in bass, but if I normalized the EQ (i.e., reduced the bass when I had the extension cab hooked up) then I noticed limited change in volume; I did perceive the extension cab to add “width”, and I might have interpreted that as volume, but even with that I didn’t find it to be much wider
Regarding the 3x10 combo, Jeff Genzler writes that “When cranked, the amp is all classic rock, drive, and muscle – think AC/DC, vintage British rock.” (link)

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 18 of 22
Full document here: Word (hyperlinks work), PDF (hyperlinks don't work)

Note: only the summary subsections from section 18 of the guide are copied below. Please see the linked Word (hyperlinks work) or PDF (hyperlinks don't work) versions of the guide for the detailed "Troubleshooting and Repair Tips by Symptom" section.

18. Amp Troubleshooting and Repair Tips

Disclaimer: If you’re reading this tomb you most probably love the amp, but hey, tube amps break, and nothing’s perfect. Nothing against Jeff and the Genz Benz guys!
Via email, former GB Head Engineer Andy Field noted that many problems are caused by repair mistakes, which is totally understandable given the challenges of working on the myriad amp brands and lines. I’ve done my best to synthesize his feedback below
1. Given Andy’s feedback, I suggest that any tech working on the amp:
  1. If using a cleaner, use only Caig De-Oxit D-5, and if using it, use only tiny sprays (and, if using on pots, only apply those tiny sprays into the slot that the terminals exit)
  2. Briefly refresh themselves on:
    1. Lead-free solder’s typical appearance, as lead-free solder joint failure rates are <1-per-million but can be misdiagnosed
    2. Working on high-temperature double-sided PCBs with plated holes
      1. PCBs are made of high temperature FR4+- and FR5-type laminate
2. Andy can still support former Genz Benz service centers, as well as any Fender (electronics) authorized service center willing to work on it
3. A general note from Andy – mods can cause problems!
Based issues identified by techs, the most common underlying causes seem to be:
1. Bad power tubes, like ~all tube amps
2. Bad pots and solder joints, with bad solder joints often being near pots
  1. Bad pots seem to have been a recurrent problem:
    1. Fender told [Boromedic] in 2013 that they had a feeling in production that the pots had issues (link)
    2. [ruger9] spoke to a Genz Bens tech about an issue and the tech “mentioned that the pots might be the problem” (link), which suggests to me Genz Benz might have become aware of recurrent problems with the pots
  2. Per Andy Field via email, almost all bad pots he had seen had been damaged by physical impact or by using an unauthorized cleaner (only Caig De-Oxit D-5 is approved)
3. Blown fuses – sometimes blown because the fuse was bad, other times the blown fuse has been a symptom of a different issue (e.g., bad power tubes)
  1. [ruger9] learned from Genz Benz that after initial production they upped the fuse value, either to 2.5 Amps (link, link), or from 1 Amp to 1.5 Amps (link); he can’t recall which value is right (link, link), and to be safe he recommends only using a 1.5 Amp fuse value (link)
  2. I contacted Andy Field via email to clarify, and he responded with:
    1. “I looked through my documentation and I see that the correct fuse is 2.5 amp slow blow (T-2A) for 120V and 1.5 amp slow blow (T-1A) for 230V. The T stands for slow blow or time delay. This would have been a very early change since the chassis I have here reflects these values. The copy of the owner's manual I have shows 2A and 1A, but it's possible that was from a pre-production unit.”
4. The choke coming unscrewed from the chassis
5. Miscellaneous bad components (e.g., rectifier diode, power supply diode, bias resistor)
Based on reported solutions, a few things to potentially try before taking the amp to your tech include:
1. Let the amp warm up in standby for a few minutes before powering on
2. If fuse is blown, replace it
  1. The fuse is in a drawer under the power cable plug jack (link, link, link)
  2. The amp comes with a spare fuse in the drawer (link, link, link)
  3. There are instructions on how to change the fuse in the manual (link)
3. Try replacing the power tubes, then the rectifier tube, then the preamp tubes, likely in that order
  1. Note about replacing power tubes (comment duplicated from [Tubes] section, [Power Tubes] subsection): Power tubes typically need to replaced when they start to perform poorly due to cumulative wear, so even if you only have one bad power tube, it is typically best to repair the full set with a matched quad (link), or potentially two matched pairs, with one pair going in the outer two power tube sockets and the other pair going in the inner two power tube sockets (link, link, link). If, however, you’ve had a power tube fail fairly soon after replacing the set (say maybe within ~6 months of replacement if the amp is played only intermittently), then you may be able to replace only the relevant pair (the inner or outer pair) with a matched pair of tubes (link, link, link), though this early failure may be a symptom of another problem with the amplifier
4. Pull the chassis and…
  1. …Clean the chassis with compressed air and/or a brush
  2. …Clean the pots with either / both of:
    1. A very small amount of Caig De-Oxit D-5 applied very sparingly at into the slot that the terminals exit
    2. Compressed air (with compressed air, you can try blow debris out of the pot housing)

Duplicate of Note Above: only summary from section 18 of the guide is copied above. Please see the linked Word (hyperlinks work) or PDF (hyperlinks don't work) versions of the guide for the detailed "Troubleshooting and Repair Tips by Symptom" section.

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 19 of 22
Full document here: Word (hyperlinks work), PDF (hyperlinks don't work)

19. Replacement Parts

Former Head Engineer Andy Field (agedhorse@aol.com) still has a range of replacement parts in stock. Availability and pricing as of 7/2/20 are:
1. Boost footswitch w/ cable (NOS)
  1. $25 plus $15 flat rate shipping anywhere in the US
2. NOS factory matched quads of the Ruby EL84R's
  1. $35 plus $8 flat rate shipping anywhere in the US
3. Factory NOS Ruby 12AX7AC-5
  1. These are the Chinese parts that have been screened for noise floor and low microphonics
  2. $10 plus $8 flat rate shipping anywhere in the US for up to 5 parts
  3. Very limited number available
4. Power and output transformers
  1. It's VERY rare that they fail
  2. These are a service tech replacement part, not DIY recommended
5. New factory replacement power amp PCB assemblies (complete)
  1. $100 plus $15 flat rate shipping anywhere in the US
  2. These are a service tech replacement part, not DIY recommended
6. New factory replacement jack PCB assemblies (complete)
  1. $35 plus $8 flat rate shipping anywhere in the US
  2. These are a service tech replacement part, not DIY recommended
7. Some of the pots and switches, but not all
8. Note: Preamp PCPs are no longer available

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 20 of 22
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20. Shipping and Transport

Jeff Genzler said that the Ruby tubes are great but delicate and don’t take shipping well (link), so if you don’t typically pull and bubble-wrap all tubes before shipping it might be best to with the BP30

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 21 of 22
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21. Amp Clones and Digital Models

Clones:
1. I don’t know of any marketed clones, but [Mvincent] ordered one from Ceriatone as a one-off 15W lunchbox with (link)
  1. 1. Differences from BP30 were (link, link):
      1. 15 watts 2 EL34
      2. Boost switch removed, on/off controlled only from footswitch
      3. Mode is always set to “Natural”, mode control removed
      4. Reverb removed
      5. Passive effects loop
      6. “Top quality parts (e.g., orange drop caps)”
      7. Point-to-point hand wired
  2. Price was $1,115 USD shipped (link)
Digital Models:
1. Selah Sounds includes the BP30 in their “British Pack” (link)
  1. In addition to the sound examples on the Selah Sounds website, demo video here

peterm · Jul 7, 2020

2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 22 of 22
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22. Trivia and/or TGP/TDPRI folklore

After Genz Benz had discontinued the amp and run out of heads, Jeff Genzler personally built a head for a guy who worked for a Kamen dealer (link)
There was a shop in the UK that was using a BP30 as a guitar demo amp since it made every guitar sound good (link)
Per Genz Benz, they only made two 1x12 cabs (i.e., not combos) ever – one for the company, one for a family friend
1. [Teleuride] found one of them at a Guitar Center in 2010 (link)

Les Paul Lover · Jul 9, 2020

peterm said:
2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 19 of 22
Full document here: Word (hyperlinks work), PDF (hyperlinks don't work)

19. Replacement Parts

Former Head Engineer Andy Field (agedhorse@aol.com) still has a range of replacement parts in stock. Availability and pricing as of 7/2/20 are:

Boost footswitch w/ cable (NOS)

$25 plus $15 flat rate shipping anywhere in the US

NOS factory matched quads of the Ruby EL84R's

$35 plus $8 flat rate shipping anywhere in the US

Factory NOS Ruby 12AX7AC-5

These are the Chinese parts that have been screened for noise floor and low microphonics

$10 plus $8 flat rate shipping anywhere in the US for up to 5 parts

Very limited number available

Power and output transformers

It's VERY rare that they fail

These are a service tech replacement part, not DIY recommended

New factory replacement power amp PCB assemblies (complete)

$100 plus $15 flat rate shipping anywhere in the US

These are a service tech replacement part, not DIY recommended

New factory replacement jack PCB assemblies (complete)

$35 plus $8 flat rate shipping anywhere in the US

These are a service tech replacement part, not DIY recommended

Some of the pots and switches, but not all

Note: Preamp PCPs are no longer available

Thanks a lot for that.

Iv e just contacted him for a replacement footswitch as the original was missing when I bought it.

Also, that EL84 quartet is a bargain....
If I didn't have way too many 6P14P EV in stock, I'd have asked him for some too!!!!

Hasbeen · Sep 25, 2020

peterm said:
2020.07.07 Genz Benz Black Pearl User Guide v03 - Section Detail - Post 4 of 22
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4. Comparisons to Other Amps

Jeff Genzler wrote that:

The Genz Benz team ”studied Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Mark Knopfler and Santana as tonal benchmarks" when designing the Black Pearl 30 (link)

Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, and Santana all play Dumble’s

Mark Knopfler has played a wide variety of amps, notably: Fender Vibrolux, Mesa Boogie Mark II, Marshall JTM45, Soldano SLO 100 (link, link)

They “combined our features, build quality and intrigue with EL84 power-tube tone and the classic/vintage EL84 amps.” (link)

Regarding the 3x10 combo, Jeff Genzler writes that “When cranked, the amp is all classic rock, drive, and muscle – think AC/DC, vintage British rock.” (link)

From memory, many say the amp is an all-rounder, and especially versatile given the Voicing switch and effective EQ (example)

MusicRadar wrote that it had a “versatile range of sounds”, with elements of both Vox and Fender and the ability get AC/DC-type Marshall sounds by increasing the mids (link)

Many say the amp was inspired by and/or sounds like Vox AC-30 and Matchless DC-30 (link, link, link, link), and Bad Cat (link, link), but you can nudge it out of Vox territory (link, I personally agree)

Others say the amp sounds a little more like a cross between an AC-30 and a Fender:

Personally, I’ve played AC-30’s and a DC-30, and I think the BP30 sounds more like halfway between an AC-30 and 6V6 Fender (Princeton, Deluxe Reverb), but significantly more present than a 6V6 Fender, and that a lot of the Vox similarity comes from using an alnico speaker

[vincent] says that if you're trying to approximate Fender sounds, you'll get closer to a Deluxe Reverb than a Twin (link)

Selah Sounds (which includes a profile of the BP30 in their “British Pack” of Kemper profiles, noted here in the guide) described it as an amp “Inspired by Britain and tastefully merged with some American influence” (link)

Also, see comment from MusicRadar above

In their review, GuitarPlayer said it straddled “line between classic Vox and Marshall amps” (link)

Greetings...new member here....Roger Hart. I "voiced" this amp. By "voiced" I mean I came up with the tonal goals and did all the play testing while asking Scott and/or Andy to "tweak this....tweak that" until it was where I wanted it to be. I was the one that had decided to use Robben Ford, Knopfler et al as tone goals.

More to the point in responding to your post here is to the amp comparisons. There were only two amps used in considering our "tonal goals". One was my personal, Sampson-era Matchless Chieftan. The other was a professionally maintained, vintage AC30 we rented from a backline company.

During the development of the BP, I stressed the importance of "feel" just as much as tone. When comparing one of our later prototypes to the AC30, we came to the conclusion that in spite of the added expense, we HAD to use ALNICO speakers. (The AC30 had them). When we did that, the BP really came alive in tone and touch-dynamics.

I'm thrilled to see this level of enthusiasm for the BP this many years late.

Oh...side note: I came up with the name too and it has nothing to do with the movie.

ruger9 · Sep 25, 2020

Hasbeen said:
Greetings...new member here....Roger Hart. I "voiced" this amp. By "voiced" I mean I came up with the tonal goals and did all the play testing while asking Scott and/or Andy to "tweak this....tweak that" until it was where I wanted it to be. I was the one that had decided to use Robben Ford, Knopfler et al as tone goals.

More to the point in responding to your post here is to the amp comparisons. There were only two amps used in considering our "tonal goals". One was my personal, Sampson-era Matchless Chieftan. The other was a professionally maintained, vintage AC30 we rented from a backline company.

During the development of the BP, I stressed the importance of "feel" just as much as tone. When comparing one of our later prototypes to the AC30, we came to the conclusion that in spite of the added expense, we HAD to use ALNICO speakers. (The AC30 had them). When we did that, the BP really came alive in tone and touch-dynamics.

I'm thrilled to see this level of enthusiasm for the BP this many years late.

Oh...side note: I came up with the name too and it has nothing to do with the movie.

I loved mine, it's one of only a couple pieces of gear I ever regret selling. It's a shame Fender nixed it when they bought GB. It's a killer amp.

Hasbeen · Sep 25, 2020

ruger9 said:
I loved mine, it's one of only a couple pieces of gear I ever regret selling. It's a shame Fender nixed it when they bought GB. It's a killer amp.

I'm glad you liked it. Odd, I don't have one. :-(

Hasbeen · Sep 25, 2020

Here's a pic from just last week of the main guitar used for the development of the BP and the Chieftan (part of) in my guitar room.

peterm · Sep 27, 2020

Hasbeen said:
Greetings...new member here....Roger Hart. I "voiced" this amp. By "voiced" I mean I came up with the tonal goals and did all the play testing while asking Scott and/or Andy to "tweak this....tweak that" until it was where I wanted it to be. I was the one that had decided to use Robben Ford, Knopfler et al as tone goals.

More to the point in responding to your post here is to the amp comparisons. There were only two amps used in considering our "tonal goals". One was my personal, Sampson-era Matchless Chieftan. The other was a professionally maintained, vintage AC30 we rented from a backline company.

During the development of the BP, I stressed the importance of "feel" just as much as tone. When comparing one of our later prototypes to the AC30, we came to the conclusion that in spite of the added expense, we HAD to use ALNICO speakers. (The AC30 had them). When we did that, the BP really came alive in tone and touch-dynamics.

I'm thrilled to see this level of enthusiasm for the BP this many years late.

Oh...side note: I came up with the name too and it has nothing to do with the movie.

Roger, thanks so much for chiming in! I'll add your comments in when I get a chance. If you're reading the rest of the posts and see anything that I don't have correctly, have excluded, etc., please let me know and I'll make the corrections.

And to repeat what's been said, thanks so much for making such a fantastic amp!

"Black Pearl Posse"

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