Genz Benz: 1984 to 2013

Aloha!

I just heard that the Genz Benz brand has been discontinued after almost thirty years in business, and SWR is facing the same fate. Both of these brands are owned by Fender.

Genz-Benz was founded by Jeff Genzler in 1984, and over the past decade they introduced a lot of innovative and well-regarded amplifiers, especially their Shuttle series of hybrid bass amplifiers. I have used the Shuttle 6.0 for a longer than any amp I have owned, and its tone and portability have been a godsend for me.

The company was part of the Kaman Music Corporation, which was absorbed by Fender for $117 million in 2007. Fender has had financial troubles this year, and their initial public offering was cancelled in July of this year as they were unable to sell 10 million shares at $13 each. Apparently the company is not as valuable as they thought it was.

It is sad to see this company go out of business, but if you have been looking for a Genz Benz amplifier now is the time to buy. I have seen the Shuttle 6.2 selling for $399 and the Shuttlemax as low as $649. As far as I know, Fender will honor the 3-year warranty for these products.

Mahalo!