Genz Benz Black Pearl Pirate's Den

Happy to share it! Do you have thoughts on posting the sections in forum directly?

Also, if you're outta space, sounds like it's time to sell the dining room table to me! I have a combo and a head. Hoping one day I can get a really good iso cab to go with the head...

 

yes - post wherever you want to.

well I’m working from the dining room table right now so that’s out.

 

Ha, fair enough.

And great, I'll give folks a few to see if anyone else has any objections before I post the sections

 

Just go ahead.

My thinking is your links may not stay up forever. What info you've gathered is not new, but the confused format is really helpful, and that's the real value of it. It offers anyone looking for info about the black pearl a great way to access a wife variety of opinions, experiences and reliable info. Just go for it, don't be embarrassed for posting.

I'm pretty sure you'll get very few thanks, but over the years to come, and number of people will read it all and be thankful you did the hard work for them - and that is very helpful. That's why I occasionally review the odd obscure pedal or amp, so people looking for info can trace it (when I can be bothered... ).

 

Sorry for my delay. Thanks, and sounds great, and I'll include a line up front noting it's almost entirely an organized aggregation, that's a better framing.

Also, thanks to Andy Field for getting back to me on the fuse value - turns out correct fuses are: 2.5A slow blow (T-2A) for 120V power, and 1.5A slow blow (T-1A) for 230V power. I'll update the document accordingly, repost the file links, and add the posts in the next couple days

 

I've updated the guide given some feedback I've received, including from Andy Field (former Head Engineer at Genz Benz, now on the Mesa Boogie design team), who very kindly gave me feedback on the document. I'm ~copying what I wrote above so that if anyone only reads this post it makes sense.

Context:

I've been putting together a sort of user's guide for the amp for myself, and it seemed like it might be worth sharing, so I cleaned it up and you can check out my second pass here (in two formats): Word, PDF. I'd view it in Word if you can, since I couldn't get the hyperlinks to work in the PDF...

It's LONG -- 36 pages, plus a 7-page appendix (just a TDPRI post from @Les Paul lover copied in case the photos stop working), but it includes a one-page summary of what I consider the most interesting and/or important points (on p.2). I've copied that summary below, as well as the guide's Table of Contents below it.

If anyone's open to giving me feedback on it I'd be thrilled to fix anything I've messed up, etc., just send it over however's easiest.

I've copied ~all of the individual sections into the TGP owners club thread (seemed more appropriate to me given that I don't own a tele...), but it was a pain so I'm not replicating here. The entries in the Table of Contents below link to those posts.

Thanks to everyone for being so helpful over the years! And thanks especially to Genz Benz Head Engineer Andy Field for reviewing and providing feedback on this guide; and to @ruger9, who by my estimates contributed 19%-24% of all information across the TDPRI and TGP owners club threads!




Summary of Most Helpful Items (p. 2 of the guide)

1. Genz Benz Contact Info: this section in the document contains contact info for Jeff Genzler and Andy Field if you need to contact someone from Genz Benz (e.g., for a repair question)
2. Manual & Schematic: here are links to the Manual and Schematic (via here)
3. Powering Amp On: when turning the amp on, let it warm up in standby mode for 30 seconds (prevents cathode stripping and extends power tube life)
4. Boost:
   1. Tone: some find the Boost too bright; you can increase the value of cap C6 to let more lows and low-mids through (stock is 0.0047uF)
   2. Replacement Footswitch: Can use any footswitch that shorts a mono cable tip to sleeve; OEM footswitches still available from Andy Field (email: agedhorse@aol.com)
5. Reverb:
   1. Tone: the reverb is dark and cavernous, and does not sound like a Fender spring reverb
      1. Jon Dickinson at Dickinson amps in South London modded [rze99]’s BP30 to make the reverb “bright and lush”, probably by removing C26, C28, or both
   2. Feedback: you can get feedback within the reverb circuit at high Master Volume settings and Reverb above ~2 o’clock; reduce Master Volume and/or Reverb levels to mitigate
   3. Replacement Reverb Tank Part #’s:
      1. Accutronics 9FB1C1D (initial production pan)
      2. Ruby RRVL3FB1C1D (subsequent production pan)
      3. amprepairparts.com part # 4FB2C1D (Fender-recommended alternative)
6. Master Volume: amp can become very bright when Master Volume is above ~1 o’clock
7. Tubes:
   1. 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
8. Effects Loop:
   1. Designed for line-level effects (e.g., rack effects, outboard effects)
   2. Requires a line level shifter to run typical effects pedals
9. Amp Troubleshooting and Repair Tips:
   1. Section summary includes tips from Head Engineer Andy Field, who also still supports old Genz Benz and current Fender service center,
   2. Common causes of amp problems noted by amp techs include:
      1. Bad power tubes
      2. Bad pots and solder joints, with bad solder joints often being near pots
      3. Blown fuses – typically a symptom of other issue(s) (e.g., bad power tubes)
      4. The choke coming unscrewed from the chassis
   3. Commonly suggested solutions you can try before taking the amp to a tech include:
      1. Let the amp warm up in standby for a few minutes before powering on
      2. If fuse is blown, replace it with a 2.5A slow blow (T-2A) for 120V power, and 1.5A slow blow (T-1A) for 230V power
      3. Try replacing the power, rectifier, and/or preamp tubes, likely in that order
      4. Clean chassis and pots w/ compressed air and/or tiny sprays of Caig De-Oxit D-5
10. Replacement Parts: Andy Field (agedhorse@aol.com) still carries some replacement parts

User Guide Table of Contents

1. Genz Benz Company & Brand History
2. Genz Benz Team and Contact Information
3. Misc. Amp Details (Release Date, Measured Wattage, etc.)
4. Comparisons to Other Amps
5. Manual & Schematic
6. Powering Amp On
7. Boost
8. Voicing Switch
9. EQ
10. Reverb
11. Master Volume
12. Tubes
13. Effects Loop
14. Speakers & Cabinets
15. Speaker-Compensated Line-Out
16. Volume and Headroom
17. Configuration Sound Differences
18. Amp Troubleshooting and Repair Tips
19. Replacement Parts
20. Shipping and Transport
21. Amp Clones and Digital Models
22. Trivia and/or TGP/TDPRI folklore
23. Appendix – [Les Paul Lover] Post with Loose Choke and QC Date Photos (link goes to original TDPRI post)

 

Thanks for all this.

The Black Pearl community thanks you.

 

What’s louder than a Black Pearl 2x12?

 

By the way..... thank you again!!!!

Thanks to all your hard work, I contacted Andy and was able to get hold of a footswitch for my 2008 BP30 112 combo!!!!

I was really pleased to be able to get one, and he was happy to work with me to get the shipping as reasonable as possible to the UK.

Really pleased to have an original footswitch to go with the amp.... !!!!

 

That looks terrible. I'll give you my address, send it to me and I'll dispose of that horrible cab for you.

 

you gem

 

Well, all is not as it seems...

I saw the cab pop up on GC's used site for a stupid low price (that's the only reason I bought it, it's not like the BP30 needs to be louder than it already is). No picture, of course. So I rolled the dice and it showed up in nice shape... with a pair of Cannabis Rex speakers instead of the Red Fangs. It was still a good buy with the CRs in it, but not the steal it would have been with Fangs. I'd never played through CRs before but I hooked my Traynor YBA-4 up to it, and it sounded pretty cool (once I fixed the out of phase wiring the previous owner had done). I had actually taken the Fangs out of the BP30 and replaced them with a Weber ceramic Blue Dog and a Swamp Thang, which I like better for straight-up rawk. I may put the Fangs in this cab to have the option of the alnico sound when I want it. Then I'd have to find a home for the CRs. Hey, I could buy ANOTHER cabinet for those...

 

I love happy endings.....

 

Indeed!

It literally is that, without his work, and without sharing it to us all, I would have been very unlikely to use an original footswitch with the amp.

Credit should go where credit is due.
Thanks again!

I'm probably crazy though. I had a perfectly fine functioning footswitch. I didn't need an original footswitch.... yet, i had looked for one before.... but either none or exorbitant prices. It's stupid, but I'm super happy to have an original!!!!