Bogner Fish owners, please come in

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glassjaw7

glassjaw7

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I've been considering buying a Fish and starting a rack rig later this year. I've searched the forum and it seems that the Fish brings about some very subjective feelings and opinions. And it carries a high price tag when you consider that the Mako pre has four channels and is less than half the price...I've had a 101B on loan for a bit and really liked it, but wished it was maybe just a bit closer to the Marshall realm. Ya know, that Bogner chew and smoothness, but with a bit more "kerrang".

Would the Fish get me there? I really like what I'm hearing in the TM demo, but how much of that is the VHT 2150? I would probably be using a Mesa 50 watt PA if I buy a Fish.

Is the tone of the Fish a lot thinner than a 101B? It seems a bit thin in some clips. Please tell me anything and everything that I should know. Thanks!
 
I've never owned a Fish but I do own the Mak4 and I am very pleased. Both are 4 channels, both have knobs you can turn instead of digital menus which is a big plus to me. I don't think the Fish has any handy built in way to do the channel switching. You have to get something else to do that if you want to use it live. If you want the prestige of owning a Fish or like the tone better I say go for it. They are voiced differently which is apparent even on low sound quality youtube clips. To me the Mak4 is the heat, and not just "for the money". If someone gave me a Fish I'd sell it and buy a Mak4 and waste the other ~$1,000 on one of my million other music wants :lol: :LOL: . If you go with the Mak4 consider asking for the bright mod on the clean channel, unless you like a really dark clean tone.
 
I have one with the Cantrell mod, and wouldn't sell it for various reasons. It is pretty cool, but not on its own. It blends well with other amps though. The switching is prehistoric and it can be a little noisy at higher gain levels. I can think of lots that I would recommend to you before I would recommend a Fish though. They aren't cheap.

That Mak4 would be one, especially for a grand, but damn, it eats up some rack real estate. My favorite in the rack though is a bone stock Marshall JMP-1. Go to ebay and find you one for $400-$500 and see what comes out of that. There's a lot of tone packed away in that little box and you aren't out anything as they resell for what you buy them at.

Steve
 
I have a reissue Fish. I would never describe the tone as being "thin". The Shark and Brown channels are very thick in fact. The Strato channel is much brighter than the Brown and, if dialed properly, might actually give you more of the Marshall "kerrang" you are looking for. The Country (clean) channel is great, providing a nice warm and fat clean tone.

I have my Fish in a rack with an Egnater M4. Honestly, with 8 tones available from the M4, I really only use the Fish's Brown and Country channels. Occasionally I might use the Shark channel. I never use the Strato channel.

If you are open to suggestions, I would actually recommend an Egnater M4 over the Fish. It has a ton more flexibility and is significantly cheaper on the used market (if you can track one down). You could even grab a used or new Randall RM4 if you are happy to settle with single channel modules, which would still provide you with access to 4 sounds (same as the Fish or Mak4). There are so many great sounding modules available for the M4 or RM4 as well. You want a Fish Brown channel tone?....not a problem. Salvation Mods (Phish module), Sacred Groove (Fisch module) and Jeff Hilligan (Snorkeller module) all make custom modules that deliver a very close rendering of that tone.

I'm not knocking the Fish by any means - I love mine and it's not going anywhere. However, if you are only looking at getting one preamp, have somewhat limited resources and want flexibility in whatever you buy, I would strongly recommend going with an Egnater M4 or Randall RM4 modular preamp. It's much cheaper than the Fish, and is only 2 rack spaces vs. 4 for the Mako Mak4.

Cheers! :rock:
 
I had an original back in the 90's and liked it a lot. Being a preamp, your results will vary greatly depending on the power amp that you use with it (Mesa 2:90 for me).

That said, I was able to essentially mimic any of its tones (but not its more dynamic feel and response) with an old MP-1 so I sold it when they started to bring big money and put the ADA back in the rack.
 
I do not think you will get more "kerrang" It is a compressed violin esque tone kind of a synth really -- but just beautiful NOT thinner then the 101 it makes the 101 sound dead to my ears.. VERY cool imo and singular nothing else sounds quite like it--
 
Had a Fish pre and sold it. For the price you pay, plus a power amp and footswitch it gets costly. I really only used the Brown and Country channels. If you want that Bogner sound with kerrang, then the 20th anniversary models are where it's at.

Like Steve said, check out a Marshall JMP-1 for a great preamp at a great price.
 
I have a Rev 2 Uber and a modded Fish (country / shark / brown1 / brown2). Love the Fish, but frankly I love my Uber more. I have a/b'd the Fish with a 20th XTC, and while the XTC has more features, the core tone is very similar. I don't agree that the Fish is 'thin' if that's what you're hearing...Bogner's in general are pretty thick and chewy, and the Fish isn't any different.

I'd say if you want to go rack and must have the Bogner sound, then get a Fish but do so with the Cantrell mod and either two browns or two Stratos (they share the same eq). And regarding a power amp, yes it's important of course but don't discount the the power section of a pre-existing amp if it happens to be already incorporated in your rig; my Fish through my Uber FX loop sounds amazing.
 
It's the VHT 2150, it's what I run my Fish with from the 90's w/a RSB-18. IMO the only thing that makes the Fish come alive is the 2150 or the 2100...
 
the sounds on chris poland's "return to metalopolis " i think were from a fish
lead and rhythm tones on that album are incredible
the leads are violin like but that is also the maestro's hands/ legato as well
 
freeballinusa":1pqjzaor said:
Yeah it is a one channel pre --- but a great one
Click to expand...

Truth, the brown channel is the selling point. If you like this channel, then try a 20th Shiva, as it shares similar DNA, albeit with more kerrang, more Marshall mids...more aggression.
 
se7en":13yh974g said:
freeballinusa":13yh974g said:
Yeah it is a one channel pre --- but a great one
Click to expand...

Truth, the brown channel is the selling point. If you like this channel, then try a 20th Shiva, as it shares similar DNA, albeit with more kerrang, more Marshall mids...more aggression.
Click to expand...
Hell yeah man; that's why I had two put on mine! Suh-mooth...
 
Who did you guys have put 2 brown channels in your fish?
 
I got mine through Tone Merchant's, but they had Bogner do it at the factory.
 
Mine is original . S/N 172 ,

Fish is the king of preamps . :rock:

But , if you have a 101b , calm down .

Buy something else . :thumbsup:
 
rupe":23genuru said:
I had an original back in the 90's and liked it a lot. Being a preamp, your results will vary greatly depending on the power amp that you use with it (Mesa 2:90 for me).

That said, I was able to essentially mimic any of its tones (but not its more dynamic feel and response) with an old MP-1 so I sold it when they started to bring big money and put the ADA back in the rack.
Click to expand...
Wow . I'm surprised you can get those tones with an MP1 - but more compressed.

Guys told me on a few Forums I could get good pro low and medium gain smooth tones from an ADA MP1 and I got one from EBAY with built in noise reduction mods and it is very good and versatile- especially through Cab Impulses- they were right !

I wonder if I could get a super warmed over version of a MAKO that would be voiced for Classic Rock , not metal ?
 
The ADA MP1 while a really nice preamp never came close to the tones I got from my fish, just my opinion but not even in the same ballpark to me.
 
I had an original, and is the only Bogner I have owned I really liked. I got my Landgraff modded (more like rebuilt) Engl 520, and immediately sold it. They are nice, but costly. Thick tones that cut well, just could not compare to the openness of the modded Engl. For me they are little more compressed than I care for. The bottom end did not stay as tight when tuning to C# or lower for what I like. That being said it does have a unique tone that either works for you, or not. I like the mids and the lower mids, and the top end was never harsh or piercing. I liked the tone better than any of the 4 Ecstasy heads I had. The definitive Bogner tone to me.
 
ttosh":1n78vsm5 said:
The ADA MP1 while a really nice preamp never came close to the tones I got from my fish, just my opinion but not even in the same ballpark to me.
Click to expand...

+1 :yes:
 
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