Favorite Things: Elderly Instruments’ Michael Smalley and his Genzler bass head

This is my favorite thing because I have used many bass head amps and this one has the most authentic sound to it. It sounds like an old tube amplifier even though it has no tubes in it.

I have all kinds of boutique gear, and this one is always the one I’d choose to play a show with. I’ve already played hundreds of shows with it and never had a problem with it.

I like it because it responds like a tube amp when you dig in. Tube amps rely on vintage vacuum tube technology to amplify a signal, while solid-state relies solely on electronics.

But there is a warmth and harmonic richness you get from tube power that is being overdriven that most solid-state amps do not have. This one has it even though it is a solid-state.

This one gives a really good natural overdrive sound to it. Also, it weighs practically nothing and can be easily carried by anyone.

Before, when I wanted a really good sound, I’d have to bring in gear that would weigh upwards of 60 pounds to a show. With this one, I can walk into a club with a speaker cabinet, this, a bass and a mic stand. It just eliminates all my worrying because it is so light.

The manufacturer, Genzler, came from the Genz Benz company. I don’t know what they are doing or how they are doing it, but it is great. This thing has 800 watts to it.

I play bass with everything. I like to play jazz, blues, funk, R&B and rock ‘n’ roll. With this thing, I can plug an upright bass through it or a Fender Precision Bass. It’s amazing.

In the late ’70s and ’80s when solid-state technology got better, there was a movement for hyper-clean sounds, and the tube-driven technology fell out of favor. You can hear it in a lot of the recordings from the ’80s. There is a cleanliness in tone to them. Maybe a little too clean.

Look at Steve Lukather from Toto and his guitar rigs from the ’80s. He had all these big processors to get that clean, hi-fidelity sound. On the bass side of things, Marcus Miller was a big proponent of solid-state bass amps.

The biggest advantage with solid-state amps is that they are much more reliable than tube amps.

But I think it is starting to go back the other way, at least from the sound side of things.

(This interview was edited and condensed by Dennis Burck. If you have a recommendation for “Favorite Things,” please email dennis@lansingcitypulse.com.)