Genz Benz El Diablo

[uOpt]

The El Diablo amps from Genz Benz go for $350. The local MusicGoRound has one. I'm normally not the one to stack up on heads but I am tempted.

I know they are China-made (and not labeled as such ), but it looked pretty solid except for the footswitch connector.

Sound was a bit iffy to evaluate in the shop, with some cabinet I don't know and of course here in Boston there isn't a single good guitar in the whole shop. It seemed to deliver a non-fizzy medium gain and the clean was at least not terrible.

What's your take?

 

[DankStar]

Re: Genz Benz El Diablo

That low? I thought those were made in the USA (based out of Scottsdale, az as I recall) at prices near a grand - I remember testing one when they came out, it was like a boutique thing (not that I liked it).

Manual for the 60 says they're the manufacturer (end of booklet), but don't know if they're supposed to disclose if made in China?

http://www.genzbenz.com/img/manuals/gb/EL_DIABLO_60-ownersmanual.pdf

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Genz Benz El Diablo

That low? I thought those were made in the USA (based out of Scottsdale, az as I recall) at prices near a grand - I remember testing one when they came out, it was like a boutique thing (not that I liked it).

Manual for the 60 says they're the manufacturer (end of booklet), but don't know if they're supposed to disclose if made in China?

http://www.genzbenz.com/img/manuals/gb/EL_DIABLO_60-ownersmanual.pdf

That's what I thought too... I remember them being as expensive as Fryette (VHT at the time) and other boutique amp makers.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Genz Benz El Diablo

I specifically remember a dustup about them moving production to China, but maybe I mix that up with a different company.

The amp has no "made in" label at all, which is usually not a good sign.

Tempted to just pick it up and maybe return it if it doesn't work out, but I don't have a lot of eval time in the next weeks. Hmmm...

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Genz Benz El Diablo

I played the 60W combo version for 2-3 years (I'm sure my review thread of the amp is still around here somewhere). Paid 450$ (ebay) for it. Great amp IMHO. Very very versatile, with the ability to switch power tubes you can cover a LOT of ground. It sounded especially good to me with el34s. The mids are peculiar and need to be dialied in lightly. Very tight and crisp. The active EQ is awesome. Pentode triode switch never did much for me... sounded way better in pentode.

I eventually sold it because of my Orange lust but I wouldn't mind having one around again, especially for the prices they fetch used.
A store I used to go to in Quebec still had one brand new (60w combo) last xmas. Still wanted 1400$ for it...

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Genz Benz El Diablo

Found the threads:

#1

#2

 

[uOpt]

Re: Genz Benz El Diablo

Yeah good point about the EQs.

It clearly has post-clipping EQs which sets it apart from other amps.

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Genz Benz El Diablo

A local dealer used to carry them here. I played the El Diablo and Black Pearl many times. The El Diablo had some great features, but I maybe found 1 or 2 settings that were pretty good. I mean pretty good, not mind-blowing or anything. The Black Pearl, on the other hand, I thought was far better. When the Mesa Boogie Electra Dyne came out, it reminded me a lot of Genz-Benz. It has that kind of tone, that compression and stuff. If you can find a good deal on an Electra Dyne, that would be better. I think all of the tones you would want from Genz-Benz are in there, and you can go very high-gain with just a little boost.

Hey, but I never saw a faulty Genz-Benz either. In fact, I don't ever remember seeing a negative post about their quality. They seem to be very well made. God knows those things are built with military construction. Some of the guys on Youtube are getting way better tone from the El Diablo than I could ever get. it's a deal worth checking out. If they are, in fact, Chinese made then they are apparently among the most reliable Chinese made amps you can get.

 

[allstarrme]

Re: Genz Benz El Diablo

I have 2 el diablo 100's, they are great aside from only having 2 channels. I can get good cleans and very good high gain from them. I had the biasing resisters fail from either drifting or bad tubes. Either way easy fix, I did the second one myself after my tech looked at the first one. I run E34L's in both for more headroom. The half power switch is nice to for smaller gigs. I run a modded boss od in front of the clean for crunchy overdrive sounds, as the vintage gain only takes you so far. The boost feature is also really nice to have built in. The active eq works great.

If I had the money I would get a splawn quick rod or maybe a deizel, but for what they are the el diablo is a lot of amp. I'm also very partial to the g flex cabs and will use them no matter what head I get.