FourT6and2
Well-known member
So, I stopped into my local Best Buy today to try the Bogner Alchemist. I was a bit skeptical of it's quality of sound, especially since I have owned an Uberschall in the past and I currently play through a Bad Cat.
First of all, Best Buy is way better than stores like Guitar Center since the people who work there don't rely on commision and they generally leave you be to do what you want. They also don't have that holier-than-thou attitude that GC peeps have.
So, I brought along my PRS Singlecut to try out the Alchemist 1x12 combo.
Honestly, it sounds pretty damn good.
The clean channel is just that, clean. It can get some good breakup at higher gain settings and the EQ is responsive and will change the sound dramatically depending on how you set it up. The bright switch is not overly bright, but works nicely. The same goes for the Deep switch - adding a bit of low-mid push.
The crunch switch gets into classic rock stuff and can pull off sounds like AC/DC, Zeppelin, Floyd, and southern rock all the way up to 80's and 90's rock.
The second channel is pretty good for high-gain. It's only downfall is that it could be a bit tighter in it's lower-mid and bass response. However, I attribute this to the open-back cab and single Vintage 30.
The Mid control on this amp works very similarly to the presence control on the Bogner Uberschall - changing the overall feel, response, and character of the amp, itself. Scoop it for a nice metal/modern rock tone (it still retains a good amount of mid-frequency definition!), put it at noon and it's a great general high-gain sound with good overtones, add more mids (around 2-3 o'clock) and a bit of sizzle starts to appear (lowering the treble at the same time yields fantastic growl), and push the mids towards the max and the amp becomes nice and chewy with fantastic controlable feedback and instant harmonics. This amp actually really suits the pickups in my PRS. I tried it with a Gibson Les Paul Studio with good results as well.
The crunch, bright, and mid-shift switches are wonderful and with the included boost, the amp can get tighter for fast, high-gainish palm muted riffs.
The delay works VERY well. It even continutes to decay the delay after you've switched channels or turned off the effect for great transitions. The ducking mode is odd and I didn't use it much. The analog delay is where I spent most of my time and the Tape delay is ok, but acceptable for this type of amp. The reverb is also very nice, but I didn't use it much.
The 20 and 40 watt modes basically work well and each channel has its own volume (no master) controls which sweep nicely from bedroom volumes up to regular gigging levels.
Overall I was pleased with the sound. It was EASIER to get a good sound of it when compared to my Bad Cat Hot Cat 30R. But when my Bad Cat is screaming, it sounds a tad bit better for some types of music. For the price, it's a winner.
I am considering the idea of buying one. It would be nice if it came with the ability to use EL34 power tubes as well as 6L6's. I've never really been a fan of 6L6's, but they sound pretty good with this amp.
I was able to get convincing tones a'la Tool, Deftones, Killswitch Engage, Iron Maiden, Pearl Jam, Grateful Dead, U2, The Doors, NOFX, The Mars Volta, and etc.
The delay even self-occillates and you can get all sorts of cool sounds from it.
Alright, that's enough of me hanging on Bogner's balls. I know the amp is mass-produced and not one of their "real" hand-built models. But, it certainly has that Bogner flavor hidden underneath all the rest of it.
First of all, Best Buy is way better than stores like Guitar Center since the people who work there don't rely on commision and they generally leave you be to do what you want. They also don't have that holier-than-thou attitude that GC peeps have.
So, I brought along my PRS Singlecut to try out the Alchemist 1x12 combo.
Honestly, it sounds pretty damn good.
The clean channel is just that, clean. It can get some good breakup at higher gain settings and the EQ is responsive and will change the sound dramatically depending on how you set it up. The bright switch is not overly bright, but works nicely. The same goes for the Deep switch - adding a bit of low-mid push.
The crunch switch gets into classic rock stuff and can pull off sounds like AC/DC, Zeppelin, Floyd, and southern rock all the way up to 80's and 90's rock.
The second channel is pretty good for high-gain. It's only downfall is that it could be a bit tighter in it's lower-mid and bass response. However, I attribute this to the open-back cab and single Vintage 30.
The Mid control on this amp works very similarly to the presence control on the Bogner Uberschall - changing the overall feel, response, and character of the amp, itself. Scoop it for a nice metal/modern rock tone (it still retains a good amount of mid-frequency definition!), put it at noon and it's a great general high-gain sound with good overtones, add more mids (around 2-3 o'clock) and a bit of sizzle starts to appear (lowering the treble at the same time yields fantastic growl), and push the mids towards the max and the amp becomes nice and chewy with fantastic controlable feedback and instant harmonics. This amp actually really suits the pickups in my PRS. I tried it with a Gibson Les Paul Studio with good results as well.
The crunch, bright, and mid-shift switches are wonderful and with the included boost, the amp can get tighter for fast, high-gainish palm muted riffs.
The delay works VERY well. It even continutes to decay the delay after you've switched channels or turned off the effect for great transitions. The ducking mode is odd and I didn't use it much. The analog delay is where I spent most of my time and the Tape delay is ok, but acceptable for this type of amp. The reverb is also very nice, but I didn't use it much.
The 20 and 40 watt modes basically work well and each channel has its own volume (no master) controls which sweep nicely from bedroom volumes up to regular gigging levels.
Overall I was pleased with the sound. It was EASIER to get a good sound of it when compared to my Bad Cat Hot Cat 30R. But when my Bad Cat is screaming, it sounds a tad bit better for some types of music. For the price, it's a winner.
I am considering the idea of buying one. It would be nice if it came with the ability to use EL34 power tubes as well as 6L6's. I've never really been a fan of 6L6's, but they sound pretty good with this amp.
I was able to get convincing tones a'la Tool, Deftones, Killswitch Engage, Iron Maiden, Pearl Jam, Grateful Dead, U2, The Doors, NOFX, The Mars Volta, and etc.
The delay even self-occillates and you can get all sorts of cool sounds from it.
Alright, that's enough of me hanging on Bogner's balls. I know the amp is mass-produced and not one of their "real" hand-built models. But, it certainly has that Bogner flavor hidden underneath all the rest of it.
