New for 2018 Bogner Helios Eclipse and Goldfinger Super Lead

[MetalHeadMike]

Eclipse is 100W
Shipping by sometime in late May if all goes according to plan.
Loose description would have it fit somewhere between the XTC and an Uberschall, it's got a lot of gain, terrific string definition, does the brootz amazingly well, has intense clarity, 2.5 channel system (basically a 3 channel amp but shared EQ for one of the channels). It can palm mute a house to rubble, but it's still maintaining that signature Bogner sag, grind and chew.

Peace
Mo

Fuck I did not need to read this. I'm EXTREMELY pleased with the 20th Shiva for the Brootz so this has my attention. The 20th was my entrance into Bogner's world and that "chewy, grindy" thing is addictive.

 

[Ventura]

Eclipse is 100W
Shipping by sometime in late May if all goes according to plan.
Loose description would have it fit somewhere between the XTC and an Uberschall, it's got a lot of gain, terrific string definition, does the brootz amazingly well, has intense clarity, 2.5 channel system (basically a 3 channel amp but shared EQ for one of the channels). It can palm mute a house to rubble, but it's still maintaining that signature Bogner sag, grind and chew.

Peace
Mo

Fuck I did not need to read this. I'm EXTREMELY pleased with the 20th Shiva for the Brootz so this has my attention. The 20th was my entrance into Bogner's world and that "chewy, grindy" thing is addictive.

Don't be upset, my 20thA Sheevs ain't going ANYWHERE!!!!! It's a different animal...it's a powerhouse. And it's very, very unique. The 20thA Sheevs is a beautiful beast - she will remain unchallenged in her domain

 

[MetalHeadMike]

Eclipse is 100W
Shipping by sometime in late May if all goes according to plan.
Loose description would have it fit somewhere between the XTC and an Uberschall, it's got a lot of gain, terrific string definition, does the brootz amazingly well, has intense clarity, 2.5 channel system (basically a 3 channel amp but shared EQ for one of the channels). It can palm mute a house to rubble, but it's still maintaining that signature Bogner sag, grind and chew.

Peace
Mo

Fuck I did not need to read this. I'm EXTREMELY pleased with the 20th Shiva for the Brootz so this has my attention. The 20th was my entrance into Bogner's world and that "chewy, grindy" thing is addictive.

Don't be upset, my 20thA Sheevs ain't going ANYWHERE!!!!! It's a different animal...it's a powerhouse. And it's very, very unique. The 20thA Sheevs is a beautiful beast - she will remain unchallenged in her domain

I just spent the day cranking the 20th against my Splawn QR, KSR Ares, and Fryette D60 and it easily hangs with all of em and then some. The 20th gets BRUTAL!!!!! So warm but so nasty at the same time! Fucking love it!

 

[Ventura]

I just spent the day cranking the 20th against my Splawn QR, KSR Ares, and Fryette D60 and it easily hangs with all of em and then some. The 20th gets BRUTAL!!!!! So warm but so nasty at the same time! Fucking love it!

It will definitely "hang" with those amps - and might I say - even blow some of them out of the water. The bass it can hold is nuts. It can get as hot as the D60, the Splawn is a hot-rodded Marshall, so got that one covered...

Ya, the Shiva is an absolute fucking beast. The 20th Anniversary version is an absolute critical fucking beast

Peace Men!!!
Mo

 

[MetalHeadMike]

^^^
Yep

It can get every bit as tight, thumping, and punishing as those amps, every bit brother!

Nasty, grinding, punchy, rip your face off brutality in a box Such a cool gain structure; its addictive to play! So many tweaks to the tone also, I love it more and more each time I plug in. Traded an Engl Savage for the 20th, and while I love that Savage I would not go back from the Bogner.

 

[DRC]

It's been changed a great deal to the best of my understanding - and yes, it comes with more gain - but it also has a different voicing and tonal range than that of the stock Helios. As mentioned above, it's not all Uberschall, it's not all XTC - and it is based on the Helios DNA, but changed a great deal - not just "more gain".

Coming soon!!!!!!

Do you know if one of those three channels can be set for the 70's/Plex mode that the Helios 100 does so well? I don't see a 70's switch in any of the photos, just an 80's, a HOT and an Eclipse setting per channel.

 

[RiffEmAll]

It's been changed a great deal to the best of my understanding - and yes, it comes with more gain - but it also has a different voicing and tonal range than that of the stock Helios. As mentioned above, it's not all Uberschall, it's not all XTC - and it is based on the Helios DNA, but changed a great deal - not just "more gain".

Coming soon!!!!!!

Do you know if one of those three channels can be set for the 70's/Plex mode that the Helios 100 does so well? I don't see a 70's switch in any of the photos, just an 80's, a HOT and an Eclipse setting per channel.

Looks like Hot+ = 70's mode more or less.

 

[_actual time_]

Do you know if one of those three channels can be set for the 70's/Plex mode that the Helios 100 does so well? I don't see a 70's switch in any of the photos, just an 80's, a HOT and an Eclipse setting per channel.

this demo vid on FB from a store in CO sounds to me like the Eclipse's two gain channels are both clones of the Hot input channel from the regular Helios, just with individual gain settings and more gain, and there's no channel like the regular Helios Plexi mode.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... 8707669120

which would be a bummer for me. I agree that the regular Helios did that Plexi sound really well, like for 70s AC/DC, and if the Eclipse can't get that sound just as good, I'm way less interested.

 

[harsh59]

Do you know if one of those three channels can be set for the 70's/Plex mode that the Helios 100 does so well? I don't see a 70's switch in any of the photos, just an 80's, a HOT and an Eclipse setting per channel.

this demo vid on FB from a store in CO sounds to me like the Eclipse's two gain channels are both clones of the Hot input channel from the regular Helios, just with individual gain settings and more gain, and there's no channel like the regular Helios Plexi mode.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... 8707669120

which would be a bummer for me. I agree that the regular Helios did that Plexi sound really well, like for 70s AC/DC, and if the Eclipse can't get that sound just as good, I'm way less interested.

Sounds really good . The video said there are 3 gain modes , he played eclipse and hot mode , what is the 3rd mode ?

 

[LaXu]

Welp, looks like I have to buy a new amp. I tried the Bogner Goldfinger 45 SL 1x12 combo yesterday and it was incredibly good sounding. I haven't tried the previous version but the combo is about the size of one of the Bogner 2x12 cabs. The '81 mode on the Omega channel was only ok but the new '77 mode was killer!

My only beef with the combo was the controls at the back and hard to reach any of the controls in the back of the amp like the half power switch and boost levels. Store is getting back to me next week about getting the head but then I need to figure out what cab I want for this. The Bogners are rather pricy so I was thinking of a Zilla 2x12.

 

[Deleted member 13074]

images released show the rear panel and 'tis all very pretty
thankfully the Variac has made the jump up to 100W (if that makes sense!)
unfortunately, the footswitch connection is a deal breaker for me as I use a rack switcher
I don't miss the fun I had with custom cables for the original Shiva, or the Ecstasy

I shouldn't be sad as it will save me buying yet another amp, and I have many that I am totally happy with
one of which being the Helios 50, and the TRS switching jack is easily used
a pair of those, or a midi board would have worked better for me on the Eclipse

 

[Rdodson]

I absolutely loved the JTM30 mode on the original, but hated how I had to futz with the impedance (I don't like running at 4ohms).

I bet this thing sounds great.

 

[MetalHeadMike]

Talked to Joe yesterday about modding a 20th anny Shiva, and he said what I was describing was the Helios eclipse. He said the Helios tone was snarling and pissed like a caged pitbull. He said imagine a tone that was as if Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde's tone got together and had a baby. Sounds interesting indeed.

 

[chasintonez]

I have my reservations after talking with Joe myself as he said the Eclipse is more of a high gain amp. The gain is more in line with a 5150 rather than the old Helios. A more defined 5150 style saturated gain. Sounds like it will be a different animal than the original Helios. I was hoping more for the update to be the original Helios with a single input and a switching design to switch across what the original already had with maybe a little tweaking on the effects loop to clean it up. Doesn't sound like the case though.

It has had 2 additional gain stages put into the circuit. The original had plenty of gain on the 80's mode so not sure why so much more gain was added to it. The more stages in the circuit usually means much less in dynamics, air, openness and cut. That is what was so damn good about the original Helios. It had all of those qualities. It just needed an update to get access to the clean to full drive across the 2 inputs for footswitchable access to them.

I will definitely be checking the Eclipse out as I have been waiting a few years for Bogner to make the Helios a one input amp with switching. They did it, but it sounds like they messed with it too much in the process and went a little different direction with it.

Since the new single input platform as been figured out it might be a possible out for me, if it Eclipse wandered too far from the original, to send an Eclipse in and have Bogner mod it custom to maybe have the gain switch have "hot", 80's and 80+. Maybe see if they can ditch the Eclipse & Eclipse+ added gain stages that don't seem necessary for the Helios. It is supposed to be basically a hot rodded plexi afterall. Bogner has a good selection of amp models that already cover the heavy gain needs of those that need it.

Just have to see more vids and wait until they get some out in the shops to get some time on one.

 

[ChurchHill]

I'm a little torn by this, too. I know about where MetalHeadMike's going with his ideas about modding a 20th Shiva, and based on what Joe's said, the Eclipse might get there. I'm not convinced, yet, but of course I haven't played one yet.

On the other hand, I know what chasintonez's talking about, too. I don't own a Helios, but it's close to the top of my GAS-list. I love the openness, the dynamics, the vintage Marshall-ness for lack of a better word, that the Helios has. If the Eclipse is too far away from that, it's a non-starter for me.

In my case, I really don't care about being able to switch between the inputs of the original Helios. I've never had a problem playing out with single channel amps. I can get what I need out of pedals, and if I need more than that, I've got several channel switchers around that are more than up to the task.

The thing I'm most interested in is getting a little bit more gain out of the original Helios. Not a lot more, just a little more saturation. chasintonez's 80's+ idea sounds about right to me. What I don't need is a ton more gain. I have an Uber for that. I have a 20th Shiva which is an absolute beast.

Then again, I'm not sure how much I'd use the Plexi input on the Helios, anyway. I have an XTC that does that, and if that's not enough, I have several vintage Marshall's that will do that.

So, if the Eclipse still has all the sounds of the original Helios' Hot input, both 70's and 80's modes, if it can do that, I'm interested. The extra gain stages would probably be more useful for me than the Plexi input on the Helios. But, if the Eclipse can't do those sounds, then I'm out. I can get the other sounds out of my other Bogners.

The one thing I want to know is... can the Eclipse do the Hot 70's and Hot 80's modes of the Helios as well as the original Helios???

 

[_actual time_]

I have my reservations after talking with Joe myself as he said the Eclipse is more of a high gain amp. The gain is more in line with a 5150 rather than the old Helios. A more defined 5150 style saturated gain. Sounds like it will be a different animal than the original Helios. I was hoping more for the update to be the original Helios with a single input and a switching design to switch across what the original already had with maybe a little tweaking on the effects loop to clean it up. Doesn't sound like the case though.

i agree. what i'm guessing they did for the Eclipse--i haven't played or seen one--is ditched the Plexi channel and gave it two Hot channels. (the EQ on my Helios had to be set very different for the Plexi input vs the Hot input. the Eclipse has shared EQ for its gain channels, so it would make sense engineering-wise if they gave it two Hot channels, so the shared EQ would work with the same EQ settings for both channels.)

but it also seems like they increased the gain too. the Hot input 70s mode on my Helios sounded really good, although not as old-school as the Plexi input. i don't get why they would not put a 70s mode on the Eclipse. it looks like the gain starts at 80s mode and goes up from there.

so yeah, i'm not interested either. it does look like they went too far from the original.

 

[memberzonly]

Did you watch the Wildwood video?

Hot 70's mode is in there.

Eclipse mode is the uber-gain/compressed mode of the amp.

80's is in line with the diode clip of the original.

There is no Plex to be found on the Eclipse Helios.

Even the amp is still open in the 70's & Eclipse mode. Wind the gain down. But it ain't going to be a Plexi.

 

[ChurchHill]

Yeah, I've seen that video. However, I honestly think there's only so much you can tell from a video. In my case, I think my question can only be answered by someone who has played both side by side and directly compared them. Even better if I played both of them side by side, but that's not likely to happen until the Eclipse is actually released.

I'm not saying it's not a great amp... it's a Bogner after all. I'm not just sure if I'd be better served by the Eclipse or the original Helios. Either way, I'm sure I'll be buying one of the two.

 

[Phil M]

I loved the original 100 watt Helios!

BUT if this one does a true ‘clean’ clean channel, plus more gain on the hottest mode, AND you can footswitch between those sounds live, this will be hard to resist! I need another amp like a hole in the head, but ... maybe I deserve a hole in the head?

 

[glassjaw7]

These are shipping. Anyone here receive theirs yet??