NAD: ENGL Artist E653 50W Vintage

[DanTravis62]

Welp, i've downsized down to one high gain head (this one!) and a half dozen guitars (still need to sell a couple!) to pay the bills and still have a feasible live rig for a very loud band.

immediate Impressions so far:

1. All of the gain is usable - it's one of the least fizzy ostensibly "high gain" amps I've owned. I've played one in stores and quickly at someone's house but never had a ton of time to dial one in, and it has a lot more low end and a lot less fizz than most of the other ENGLs - including engls I enjoy, like the fireball, powerball, and savage

2. I definitely need the Z4/Kartakou FS for live use. We'll see how it goes at band practice tonight as far as cut and balls/low end in a band context


3. I vastly prefer this "vintage" looking spec as opposed to the metal grating "modern" ones.

 

[stratjacket]

Awesome, congrats. I don’t think I’ve ever heard or read a bad word about the Artist model. I got an Inferno last year and it’s a cool amp.

 

[Bram576]

This amp always seems to get praise from everyone I know that tries it, even people who don’t like engls typically. Clips please! Enjoy!

 

[DanTravis62]

This amp always seems to get praise from everyone I know that tries it, even people who don’t like engls typically. Clips please! Enjoy!

Clips will be coming for sure

One of the super underrated things about this amp are the cleans and mid-gain settings, which are way better than you would expect from an ENGL, as well

As far as the real shit, the gain sounds, it's quite a bit different than most of their other models, but in a way that's appealing to me for sure

 

[glpg80]

How’s the tightness? I’ve seen vids and read comments about how unrelenting the artist and similar models are for solos.

Congrats on the NAD! Is the 50W enough to deliver the goods?

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

I am confused by the controls
HNAD & HNGD!

 

[DanTravis62]

How’s the tightness? I’ve seen vids and read comments about how unrelenting the artist and similar models are for solos.

Congrats on the NAD! Is the 50W enough to deliver the goods?

It's medium tight on the low end, not larry/hermansson/etc tight (or that level of gain)

but tighter and gainier than a 2203/2204, and a lot more low end and low midrange

The low end heaviness is actually why I thought I could get away with the 50w as opposed to the 100w

I'm going to try it out with my 3 wise men of cabinets; the v30 4x12, the scumback bm75ld 2x12, and the EV12L 1x12, and see what's what

 

[japetus]

EQ it like you did in the old Larry clips we threw back n forth, let's hear that thicc rythymn

 

[DanTravis62]

I am confused by the controls
HNAD & HNGD!

The controls are actually really ingenious - it's more like a 2.5 or 3 channel amp with a million different footswitchable modes and a footswitchable extra gain stage that's assignable to everything

there are 3 footswitch TRS jacks, or you can use the proprietary phantom powered SAC footswitch thing for the engl z9 FS

the clean only has the bright switch (and that's all it really needs)

Everything else is for all the different gain modes

 

[japetus]

Guys, I am on weed.

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

The controls are actually really ingenious - it's more like a 2.5 or 3 channel amp with a million different footswitchable modes and a footswitchable extra gain stage that's assignable to everything

there are 3 footswitch TRS jacks, or you can use the proprietary phantom powered SAC footswitch thing for the engl z9 FS

the clean only has the bright switch (and that's all it really needs)

Everything else is for all the different gain modes

Okay, that makes sense to me.
I was wondering why the clean and the lead vs the volume and also the gain switch vs channel switch.

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

Guys, I am on weed.

The Devil!



...cough cough

 

[dstroud]

nice!!! That’s the English I’ve always wanted to try

 

[DanTravis62]

Okay, that makes sense to me.
I was wondering why the clean and the lead vs the volume and also the gain switch vs channel switch.

Yeah the clean is just the one knob and the bright switch XD

I can see how that would be confusing

nice!!! That’s the English I’ve always wanted to try

For sure, it's alot more versatile and vintage-y than most of their models, but definitely still on the high gain spectrum

 

[RaceU4her]

One high gain meaning no more Larry??

 

[DanTravis62]

One high gain meaning no more Larry??

Nope, that's been with @RedPlated for a while now - it's got a good home!

I have another one coming when I can afford it though

I've had some pretty nasty stuff happen in my personal life and had to downsize the gear collection exponentially