Thinking about picking up a new amp... Help me decide!

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MatrixClaw

MatrixClaw

Well-known member
If you had to pick of these 3, which would you choose and why? Assume cost is the same for all of them, no substitutions:
  • Engl SE EL34
  • Revv Generator 120 mk III
  • KSR Colossus
Would mostly be playing metal. Anything from older Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God to Bad Omens, Periphery, Architects, etc.
 
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Stay away from the Engl. They’re not known for their reliability or customer service for repairs. They’re complex amps that when they don’t work are a liability.

The KSR stuff isn’t my preference, but I do respect Kyle a lot and we are good friends.

I’d recommend the Rev 120 from your list.
 
glpg80 said:
Stay away from the Engl. They’re not known for their reliability or customer service for repairs. They’re complex amps that when they don’t work are a liability.

The KSR stuff isn’t my preference, but I do respect Kyle a lot and we are good friends.

I’d recommend the Rev 120 from your list.
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Interesting. First I've heard of the Engl being unreliable. Is this on all amps or just the SE?

Opinions seem super mixed ok the Revvs. People either love or hate them, doesn't seem to be much middle ground, but the features seem awesome.
 
MatrixClaw said:
Interesting. First I've heard of the Engl being unreliable. Is this on all amps or just the SE?

Opinions seem super mixed ok the Revvs. People either love or hate them, doesn't seem to be much middle ground, but the features seem awesome.
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The one thing that’s kept me from looking at the EL34 version of the SE is the horror that would unfold trying to get it serviced since they don’t release schematics and their customer support in the US is trash. At least with my own amps I can troubleshoot them. The SE is just a very complex model that asking a tech to troubleshoot it may be out of reality since most are not certified engl repair locations in the US. I can fix a lot of stuff, but without a schematic it gets way more challenging and time consuming. What that means to you would be potential bench repair fees are higher for a non Engl service repair shop assuming they’d take it anyway.

Just save yourself a lot of potential headaches and look elsewhere. The SE sounds great but is a huge gamble.
 
Devin said:
Only one in that list I haven't played is the Revv

If I had to buy one of those I'd choose the KSR
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This.
Engl, as previously stated would be difficult to repair IF something went bad.
Revv, from what I gather is more of a smooth recorded type tone, like the older Friedman amps.
KSR are held in high regard by everyone who has one…I’d bet if you wanted more dark/smooth you could dial it in.
 
I‘ve played the Revv a couple times and I think for the amount of features it has is very cool however the tone of the amp isn’t for me and find that the top end is smoother and polished and has a low mid grind fuzzy thing going on that I just hate on a lot of the channels. Did not like the tone of that amp at all.
 
Engl SE is the best of the three. I've had Engls for 2 decades and never a problem. They're reliable for sure. The sound is incredible. Vinnie Moore recorded a couple of albums with the SE I think. It's one of those amps that's on another level. Some people have their opinions about Engl amps but one great thing about them is they have their own unique sounds. They don't do clones, replicas, or try to reinvent the next greatest modded Marshall. Engl is an exemplary amp manufacturer.
 
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I actually really liked the SE34. Sounded pretty good but was extremely nervous to even move the amp. I had a problem with the first one I had. I never found out what the issue was as it just didn't sound right and had switching issues. I could not find anyone stateside that would look at it or even knew how to repair the amp. I was able to get a replacement and it was brand new. Sounded great but the lingering issue of repairs loomed over me. I finally decided it wasn't worth owning an amp that I could not get repaired locally if something else happened to it.
 
Of the 3 I'd probably go with the Colossus. It's super versatile and can cover almost any tones you'd want. I have a Gemini which takes most of it's stuff from the Colossus but not quite as many switching options. After about a year I'm still finding new tones this thing can get. It is darker sounding, but not in a bad way. If that's not your thing though, you may not like it.

I don't have an SE but do have other ENGL's. I haven't had any issues with mine being unreliable. If you're specifically going for that high gain more compressed sound and that's all you want, then my vote would go towards ENGL.
 
I love my Revv 120 MKIII. Fantastic amp! Lot's of punch and push and 4 great channels. The Purple channel 3 is outstanding!
The feature set on the amp is outstanding as is their customer support.

Very happy with mine!
 
MistaGuitah said:
Engl SE is the best if the three. I've had Engls for 2 decades and never a problem. They're reliable for sure. The sound is incredible. Vinnie Moore recorded a couple of albums with the SE.
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I like the Engl out of all 3 as well. I love Engl for the type of metal he talks of . That’s just me
 
Of those 3 I would pick the KSR.

Another option I would consider for those bands is the Mesa Badlander 100 or EVH 100S 6L6 or EL34
 
I own 2 Engl's and I think you should get the Revv.

But I really think you should get a Diezel VHX, best amp ever!
 
I've owned an Engl Fireball 100, Generator 120 MkII, and a Gemini so actually none of those amps lol! But based on my experience with those I'd go Revv.

The Fireball was one of those instant gratification experiences where after 5 minutes I was super impressed, and then after 5 weeks it was gone. Time spent with the amp revealed some of those unpleasant "Engl" qualities that some would describe as sterile or solid state sounding. The SE seems to get a lot of praise though, and you could always just ship your amp to an Engl tech if you had to.

The Gemini was cool but a bit too dark and smooth for my tastes. Enough said.

Of the 3 the Generator Mk II was my favorite. Granted, it was a little bit "vanilla" sounding but hey sometimes that can be a good thing. It gets the job done well and has a ton of features. Sounds like the Mk III made some improvements on the high gain channels and I'd like to try one, hopefully sooner than later.
 
I’ve owned a KSR Gemini, played a colossus & the Revv model mentioned, have tried almost the whole Engl line-up, owned a SE EL34, Inferno, Artist, Extreme Aggression, Invader 150. Honestly I wouldn’t really recommend any of them. For my taste they all sound too artificial & compressed. Revv would be last place of the 3 and most bland sounding of them. SE EL34 has good growl and very extended lows, one one of the best Engl’s imo, but very compressed. KSR is not as synthetic sounding as those 2 (still is though) and can be more open

RacerU4Her’s post I know was a joke, but an old 2 ch Rev F Triple would for the most part humiliate those amps. For modern, recent made high gain amps I’ve still kept the Beta & Badlander. The Beta is imo a better amp than these 3, but tough to come by unfortunately
 
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