ENGL amplifiers. Which is what. Models etc.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tone Junkie
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ENGL's are not my thing but my top picks that I've owned are

1. Savage 120 MK1
2. SE EL34
3. Fireball 60 MK1

I got into ENGL thanks to Ansley Stewart (old forum member here and HCAF). He posted a YT vid up many years ago and it sounded insane so I proceeded to contact him via PM and the rest was history. Amp is a thrash players dream. Super tight and thick. Pick attack is insane.

SE is massive sounding as well but something about it sounds synthetic...dare I call it the "ENGL sound". My other guitarist I played with at the time, his Peavey 5150 stomped and dominated my song parts. We both were playing out of Mesa OS V30 cabs. Thats when I abandoned ENGL altogether.

Fireball 60 was my 2nd ENGL and its an awesome bedroom amp. Sounds mean as fuck. Sold it to upgrade to something else.

Others I've owned are the Invader 150 MK2, Steve Mores Sig and Powerball MK1. Morse was decent but a little too loose for my tests. The other 2 are not worth mentioning and wouldn't mind shitting on them if you really even wanna know my opinions about them. YMMV of course...
 
cobrahead1030 said:
They were all the rage about 15 years ago.

I had a few, the one I liked the most was the Blackmore head. Fantastic amp for home jamming and recording, it was all but useless in a band setting though. Back in the day people used to complain about how ENGL's didn't cut through in a mix, I always thought it was BS until I tried using that one (which arguably clearer, more articulate, & less scooped than most of their amps) live for a bit. I had to turn it up way too loud, just to be able hear myself.
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Useless I wouldn't say, but then again I play in a one guitar band (like Vivian Campbell).
 
Purity said:
ENGL's are not my thing but my top picks that I've owned are

1. Savage 120 MK1
2. SE EL34
3. Fireball 60 MK1

I got into ENGL thanks to Ansley Stewart (old forum member here and HCAF). He posted a YT vid up many years ago and it sounded insane so I proceeded to contact him via PM and the rest was history. Amp is a thrash players dream. Super tight and thick. Pick attack is insane.

SE is massive sounding as well but something about it sounds synthetic...dare I call it the "ENGL sound". My other guitarist I played with at the time, his Peavey 5150 stomped and dominated my song parts. We both were playing out of Mesa OS V30 cabs. Thats when I abandoned ENGL altogether.

Fireball 60 was my 2nd ENGL and its an awesome bedroom amp. Sounds mean as fuck. Sold it to upgrade to something else.

Others I've owned are the Invader 150 MK2, Steve Mores Sig and Powerball MK1. Morse was decent but a little too loose for my tests. The other 2 are not worth mentioning and wouldn't mind shitting on them if you really even wanna know my opinions about them. YMMV of course...
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I’ve always wanted to try an Engl SE EL34 but my suspicion has been that my big iron EL34 5150 II would stomp a hole in it and you’ve pretty much confirmed what I thought. Thanks for saving me the hassle 😂
 
I'm a savage 120 fan. Tight and aggressive, that amp has some serious teeth. Never loved the PowerBall, or the fireball though.
 
glpg80 said:
I’ve always wanted to try an Engl SE EL34 but my suspicion has been that my big iron EL34 5150 II would stomp a hole in it and you’ve pretty much confirmed what I thought. Thanks for saving me the hassle 😂
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Glad I could help! Seriously the amp does sound incredible on its own but I find that to be the case with pretty much the entire ENGL amp line. For the price of that thing, the list of amps that can take it out should be VERY small but, again, a sub 1K amp destroyed it in a band context. I promise you aren't missing out on anything.
 
cragginshred77 said:
That's good to know. Which Friedman are you comparing it to?? Viv had a VERY Loud punchy but cleanish gained tone. Only a Wah between guitar and head -nothing else!
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I have a BE 100 Deluxe,... it sounds totally different, so not exactly comparing but I like it as much.
The same with my old modded Marshall 1959, again totally different sound but I like it.
In the past I mostly was a Marshall guy (owned : 2203, 2204, original Jubilee 2555, TSL100, JVM 410 h, 900 SL-X, 800 KK and also some other brands : Fryette Sig X, Peavey 6505+).
But this Engl Blackmore is one of my favorites.
 
Engl Artist Edition, an EL34 evolution of the 6L6 Blackmore, is like the best modded M type imaginable
The talk of circuits is curious as many modern amps are not boutique level builds - Marshall, new 5150 etc and I don’t hear the same said of them
the AE tones are up there with the very best, boutique or otherwise
 
Sick Squid said:
Engl Artist Edition, an EL34 evolution of the 6L6 Blackmore, is like the best modded M type imaginable
The talk of circuits is curious as many modern amps are not boutique level builds - Marshall, new 5150 etc and I don’t hear the same said of them
the AE tones are up there with the very best, boutique or otherwise
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Would like to try one.
 
turboblues said:
Useless I wouldn't say, but then again I play in a one guitar band (like Vivian Campbell).
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Fair enough, in a single guitar band, it may have went over better. I just couldn't believe how badly it got buried in a live mix, being that I loved it so much in every other context, and it didn't have any of the usual characteristics of amps that carry that reputation.
 
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