Members agedhorse Posted February 19, 2014 Members Share Posted February 19, 2014 I know some of you bass players are well aware of this, and have followed the speculation drama thread over at TalkBass, but I thought I would just copy my post from TalkBass here so you guys know the rest of the story...Yes it is true that Genz Benz as a brand has been mothballed, and that Jeff has indeed left the building. I have also left the building... sort of... I will continue to handle all factory level warranty support of G.B. product for KMC. Jeff, Roger, Scott and I are proud of the accomplishments we have made pushing the envelope of bass and acoustic amplification, and equally proud of our customer service values. This continued warranty service support is just an extension of our devotion to our valued customers over the years. Jeff and I have known each other and worked together on various projects for ~25 years. I can say without qualification that I have never worked with as good of a group of folks as the Genz Benz/KMC Music folks, and wouldn't trade this experience or Jeff's friendship for anything. Also, it should be mentioned that there are a lot of good guys at Fender as well, our vision just didn't work within their vision. No need to speak negatively about them, let's see what their vision for the future brings to the bass world.That said, I would also like to confirm another rumor. I have accepted the position of Product Development Engineer at Mesa Engineering. I have always admired their products, their people, their build quality, and especially their customer service. Everybody that I have met there reminds me of the "good 'ol days" at G.B. with the passion, creativity, personality, and bonus... they are local to me! Jeff and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your support and friendship with Genz Benz over the years. Most of you may never know how much it means to us. Behind every brand is people, people like you and me, and it's people that make the world go around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DanBAP Posted February 19, 2014 Members Share Posted February 19, 2014 Glad to hear that you landed somewhere cool. :-) -Dan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members loco_p_man Posted February 19, 2014 Members Share Posted February 19, 2014 ...and nice to see the positive, professional and constructive way you have communicated the news.....we would expect nothing less ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shaster Posted February 19, 2014 Members Share Posted February 19, 2014 When one door closes...Congratulations on your new position. Many decades ago, I knew someone that worked at Mesa and they loved it there. I trust you will as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rob_H Posted February 19, 2014 Members Share Posted February 19, 2014 Sorry things didn't work out at GB Andy,I really appreciate the work you guys did over there, as you know I have been running the 1200's since they came out, really solid product that has been road worthy and dependable for years. I am really glad things worked out for you to find a role at Mesa, another solid brand that has stood the test of time and consistently delivered high quality products. I used to run Bass 400's before switching over to the 1200's and still have a Triple Rec half stack (sold the Road King) as one of my guitar rigs.I figured the end was near once Fender got involved, too small a market cap for GB to fit their brand positioning regardless of how good the product was/is although I am sure that hybrid front end will make it into some F branded amp. All the best at Mesa and as expected, you handled the news publicly like a professional and a gentleman no matter how much it burned; that is for sure a rare trait in today's "it's all about me" world.Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OneEng Posted February 19, 2014 Members Share Posted February 19, 2014 Good to hear Andy. I am sure your considerable experience will be a valuable asset to Mesa! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members modulusman Posted February 19, 2014 Members Share Posted February 19, 2014 Yeah it sucks that Genz Benz is no longer in business. I doubt I will be selling any of my GB gear. If I ever decide to buy something different I will definately look at mesa again. I have owned a walkabout,an Impulse 600 and a pair of mesa cabs before. Congrats on your new job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 19, 2014 CMS Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 Andy, as always I wish you nothing but the best for your new future at Mesa. Sounds like a dream job when you run into people that remind you of a past work environment you enjoyed. We're looking forward to your first new product! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted February 19, 2014 Members Share Posted February 19, 2014 Good luck my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flanc Posted February 19, 2014 Members Share Posted February 19, 2014 Andy -Sometimes change is a fresh breeze...lifting the stink of old problems, headaches, and the dailey churn. On your good name, I bought several GB bass products for my wife and they are still serving us well; thank you. Best of luck in your new digs. I'm glad you quickly found a good fit. I've always had respect for Mesa and now even more so with your addition.Congrats on the new job,Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members monthlymixcd Posted February 19, 2014 Members Share Posted February 19, 2014 Always found it comical how my gear ownership has unwittingly followed your work product lock-step... from Tubeworks to Genz Benz to... well, Imma have to test drive me some Mesa gear in the future methinks.Congrats, Andy! I hope Mesa realizes how lucky they are to have you in their midst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dboomer Posted February 19, 2014 Members Share Posted February 19, 2014 Congrats on the new position!Does this mean you will be working on products with fire bottles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 19, 2014 CMS Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 Oooh, fire bottles GOOD. lol..... I was really tempted by Mesa when I was bass amp shopping. Wound up with the SVT-CL, but the Bass 400 was very, very close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 19, 2014 Author Members Share Posted February 19, 2014 dboomer wrote: Congrats on the new position! Does this mean you will be working on products with fire bottles? Funny. Most folks don't realize that I designed 3 all tube guitar amp products in my career that sold thousands. Quirky market that all tube guitar amp market is. I won't be doing much if anything with guitar amps, their current crew has that very well covered IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomm Williams Posted February 20, 2014 Members Share Posted February 20, 2014 Andy are you leaving Davis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 20, 2014 Author Members Share Posted February 20, 2014 Tomm Williams wrote: Andy are you leaving Davis? Nope, staying in Davis. My R&D lab is pretty nicely set up and so convenient! When are you and JR down in the valley next? I have a hankering for some good Mexican food Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted February 20, 2014 Members Share Posted February 20, 2014 Nice gig! Strongly considering gong back to a Mesa as my next amp. Tien somebody used to be the main tech that I would speak to until he got promoted. Wonder if he is still there. Congrats! The Express Plus 5:25 looks very tempting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 20, 2014 Author Members Share Posted February 20, 2014 tlbonehead wrote: Nice gig! Strongly considering gong back to a Mesa as my next amp. Tien somebody used to be the main tech that I would speak to until he got promoted. Wonder if he is still there. Congrats! The Express Plus 5:25 looks very tempting! Tien is still there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members loco_p_man Posted February 20, 2014 Members Share Posted February 20, 2014 tlbonehead wrote: Nice gig! Strongly considering gong back to a Mesa as my next amp. Tien somebody used to be the main tech that I would speak to until he got promoted. Wonder if he is still there. Congrats! The Express Plus 5:25 looks very tempting! So does the newly announced Recto-Verb 25.....dangerously appealing..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mshifflett Posted February 20, 2014 Members Share Posted February 20, 2014 Congrats Andy. Boogie is getting a good guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 20, 2014 CMS Author Share Posted February 20, 2014 I have a mildly amusing story that illustrates how far we've come in information/media since I was a teen. Back then there was no internet, of course (yes, we had cars and telephones....and TV!!) and a lot of what we heard about in the music business was word of mouth. There was no, "hang on, I'll Google that". Well, I was talking to my friend Karl about speaker cabinets and guitar amps, and he tells me about this really cool amp he tried in a local music store. I asked him what brand it was...Fender, Marshall, Sunn, Acoustic, Kustom? He replied, "No, it was a Bogey Messer". For years after that I'd never seen the brand he mentioned anywhere. Then one day I saw the brand, and the mistake.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twostone Posted February 20, 2014 Members Share Posted February 20, 2014 So your gonna be mesa with the boogie congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 21, 2014 Author Members Share Posted February 21, 2014 Hot Tuna was great. Boy can those guys play! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikekars Posted February 24, 2014 Members Share Posted February 24, 2014 Congrats Andy! Another class outfit that is sure to provide a crew of stimulating and like minded folks to work with. Will you keep up the performance venue and outdoor live sound gigs as well or back off on that somewhat now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 24, 2014 Author Members Share Posted February 24, 2014 Still continuing with live gigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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