NAD: 20th Anniv. Ecstasy (EL34s)

[TheMagicEight]

About a year and a half ago I owned an '83 JCM800 2203, vertical inputs. It was a hell of an amp! I was too quick to sell it, and though it allowed me to buy my Uberschall and I don't regret what happened, I've still been kicking myself a little for letting it go. In the time that I owned it, I recorded a low volume clip with my Strat - just something short and stupid to test some new gear. It ended up being one of my favorite recorded tones I've ever gotten.

Needless to say, I've been trying to get that kind of sound out of all my other gear since. Tonight I had the 20th nice and warm from a few hours of playing and decided "What the hell, might as well see how it stacks up." It BLEW AWAY my old clip! This amp stays.

 

[TheMagicEight]

Figured I'd give an update to my 20th Anniv. adventure....

I recorded with the amp extensively a month or so back, and it just couldn't cut it. The amp sounded great in the room, but on the recording came across as muffled and a bit fizzy, and worst of all, flat. In short, I brought in a couple of other amps to AB with the Ecstasy, and unfortunately, problem "solved."

So the 20th ended up not working for me after all. I still think it's a phenomenal amp, and with a different rig - different speakers, different pickups - it would probably be killer. But the tone chase for me goes on. I'm going to build an amp over the next month that sounds like Facelift. If that works out, I'll finally have what I've wanted all along.

 

[Bronco]

Figured I'd give an update to my 20th Anniv. adventure....

I recorded with the amp extensively a month or so back, and it just couldn't cut it. The amp sounded great in the room, but on the recording came across as muffled and a bit fizzy, and worst of all, flat. In short, I brought in a couple of other amps to AB with the Ecstasy, and unfortunately, problem "solved."

So the 20th ended up not working for me after all. I still think it's a phenomenal amp, and with a different rig - different speakers, different pickups - it would probably be killer. But the tone chase for me goes on. I'm going to build an amp over the next month that sounds like Facelift. If that works out, I'll finally have what I've wanted all along.

Hmm...sorry to hear that. I'm starting to think the same about my Fish. I'm in the process of moving across country, and my rack with Fish is already packed up and in transit, so I've been playing my Uber Rev 2 a lot and I've come to a conclusion I just can't deny; the Uber just blows it away. Yeah it's great to be happy with an amp like that, but at the same time it's kind of depressing to have been (unsuccessfully) looking elsewhere when I had a great amp in front of me the entire time.

Good luck with the amp build!

 

[se7en]

Figured I'd give an update to my 20th Anniv. adventure....

I recorded with the amp extensively a month or so back, and it just couldn't cut it. The amp sounded great in the room, but on the recording came across as muffled and a bit fizzy, and worst of all, flat. In short, I brought in a couple of other amps to AB with the Ecstasy, and unfortunately, problem "solved."

So the 20th ended up not working for me after all. I still think it's a phenomenal amp, and with a different rig - different speakers, different pickups - it would probably be killer. But the tone chase for me goes on. I'm going to build an amp over the next month that sounds like Facelift. If that works out, I'll finally have what I've wanted all along.

Hmm...sorry to hear that. I'm starting to think the same about my Fish. I'm in the process of moving across country, and my rack with Fish is already packed up and in transit, so I've been playing my Uber Rev 2 a lot and I've come to a conclusion I just can't deny; the Uber just blows it away. Yeah it's great to be happy with an amp like that, but at the same time it's kind of depressing to have been (unsuccessfully) looking elsewhere when I had a great amp in front of me the entire time.

Good luck with the amp build!

I hear ya. After playing my 20th Ecstasy, it was hard to go back to the Fish...don't miss it either.

 

[Bronco]

Figured I'd give an update to my 20th Anniv. adventure....

I recorded with the amp extensively a month or so back, and it just couldn't cut it. The amp sounded great in the room, but on the recording came across as muffled and a bit fizzy, and worst of all, flat. In short, I brought in a couple of other amps to AB with the Ecstasy, and unfortunately, problem "solved."

So the 20th ended up not working for me after all. I still think it's a phenomenal amp, and with a different rig - different speakers, different pickups - it would probably be killer. But the tone chase for me goes on. I'm going to build an amp over the next month that sounds like Facelift. If that works out, I'll finally have what I've wanted all along.

Hmm...sorry to hear that. I'm starting to think the same about my Fish. I'm in the process of moving across country, and my rack with Fish is already packed up and in transit, so I've been playing my Uber Rev 2 a lot and I've come to a conclusion I just can't deny; the Uber just blows it away. Yeah it's great to be happy with an amp like that, but at the same time it's kind of depressing to have been (unsuccessfully) looking elsewhere when I had a great amp in front of me the entire time.

Good luck with the amp build!

I hear ya. After playing my 20th Ecstasy, it was hard to go back to the Fish...don't miss it either.

Well in fairness to the Fish, I'm not convinced I've given it the time it deserves, meaning that I've only played it through the power section of the Uber as well as my RT 2-50. Heard great things about VHT 2/50s and 2/90s mating up with the Fish, but frankly the Uber is just slaying me anyways...not sure if I want to dump another $1500-$2000 into something that probably won't sound any better than what I already have.

Just part of the GAS process...the painful part.

 

[se7en]

Yeah, I didn't get a chance to mate it up with a VHT poweramp, either. At that point the cost of a rack setup was more than I wanted to put in. That's cool you're digging the Uber.

 

[Bronco]

Yeah, I didn't get a chance to mate it up with a VHT poweramp, either. At that point the cost of a rack setup was more than I wanted to put in. That's cool you're digging the Uber.

Yep. And let's be honest: it's cool that you're Johnny Depp...I mean, you can afford whatever you want!

 

[ttosh]

I think the Bogner lineup is just great from the 20th XTC, 20th Shiva, Fish Preamp, Twin Jet and all the others. I have owned all but the Shiva and I have to say other than just gear flipping stupidity they all would work for my tonal tastes. They can do the Marshall crunch well, they have a bit of a lower mid structure but you can easily do things to work around that.

The 20th XTC would probably be my desert Island amp!!

 

[zee1usa]

Love to here it against My Cameron XTC and 101B!

 

[Glimpse]

Love to here it against My Cameron XTC and 101B!

I can make that happen!!

 

[supersonic]

Figured I'd give an update to my 20th Anniv. adventure....

I recorded with the amp extensively a month or so back, and it just couldn't cut it. The amp sounded great in the room, but on the recording came across as muffled and a bit fizzy, and worst of all, flat. In short, I brought in a couple of other amps to AB with the Ecstasy, and unfortunately, problem "solved."

So the 20th ended up not working for me after all. I still think it's a phenomenal amp, and with a different rig - different speakers, different pickups - it would probably be killer. But the tone chase for me goes on. I'm going to build an amp over the next month that sounds like Facelift. If that works out, I'll finally have what I've wanted all along.

Have you tried the 20th Shiva? I prefer it to the 20th XTC, more classic and not so dark.

 

[Man With Gas]

I have both 20th Ecstasy versions (6L6 and EL34 format). Turn up the presence and it will cut in a good way.

I also have a 20th Shiva 1x12 combo now changed to 6550s (from KT88s) and the Ecstasys can still cut better.

I'm a fan of the 20th Shiva and use it at most gigs for volume/portability/size reasons but I find it a little darker than the 20th Ecstasys overall. (Even when pumped through a Bogner 4x12 cab)

Just to be clear I don't find either amp to sound dark. On Bogners the presence control is there to be used and doesn't sound quite the same as other presence controls on other amps.

In closing using the 20th Ecstasy "A" (6L6) through a Bogner OS 2x12 cab with Scumback H75s in it can sound a little bottom heavy and some may say dark. With V30s or Greenbacks a different (still good) thinner sound all together. If you're a single coil player (like me) the Scumback H75s are more for you in this config.

 

[Ventura]

The 20th EL34 X is tits... I've had mine for well over 1 year now, I can't get tired of how this thing sounds. It's my 'do all' amp. Sure, sure, I've got my fanboism with other heads as well - Hagen incoming etc - but the X20thA is just candy, 100%

Mo

 

[se7en]

Figured I'd give an update to my 20th Anniv. adventure....

I recorded with the amp extensively a month or so back, and it just couldn't cut it. The amp sounded great in the room, but on the recording came across as muffled and a bit fizzy, and worst of all, flat. In short, I brought in a couple of other amps to AB with the Ecstasy, and unfortunately, problem "solved."

So the 20th ended up not working for me after all. I still think it's a phenomenal amp, and with a different rig - different speakers, different pickups - it would probably be killer. But the tone chase for me goes on. I'm going to build an amp over the next month that sounds like Facelift. If that works out, I'll finally have what I've wanted all along.

Have you tried the 20th Shiva? I prefer it to the 20th XTC, more classic and not so dark.

I own both and wouldn't consider the 20th X to be any less 'classic' or any darker than the Shiva. Some of my favorite classic tones came out of plexi mode, vintage mode and/or class A mode and with the bright switches, excursion and presence control, there's a lot of range if you want to brighten it up.