Why the Lack of Engl Interest?

Rising Farce

Rising Farce

Active member
I've owned a few Engls (and still have a Fireball 100) and they've all been stellar amps--and not just stellar amps "for the money," either. And yet, this tiny, lightly trafficked section of RT appears to be the most vibrant online community of Engl enthusiasts anywhere.

Is it the comparative lack of boutique cred? The old, oft-repeated canards about how they're poorly made and "don't cut live"? Or is it maybe that Engl owners tend to do more playing than chatting about gear?

Color me perplexed.
 
I owned dozens of high end amps thru the years.
All the Engls I had stand tall with any of em. ;)
The invader 150 was probably my fave. Such great tone. :rock:
 
Mailman1971":2h56e54z said:
I owned dozens of high end amps thru the years.
All the Engls I had stand tall with any of em. ;)
The invader 150 was probably my fave. Such great tone. :rock:
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That's been my experience exactly. I've had several boutique heads myself, but none could match the Engls' combination of clear, tight gain; ease of use; and fluid feel.
 
Played an Engl Powerball II at my biggest gig ever (~10,000 people) a few years back. It's the one mic-ed up in the lower right of the photo:

 
I can't find an amp that sounds better or is 1/2 as versatile as my Engl Invader 2. I have an Ironball too and love it as well. Most guys on here aren't hard rock metal players, would be my guess as to why they're not more popular. All those switches and channels are overkill fir the home player too. I use mine live and need multiple tones available at my feet, without fiddling with gear in between songs. Sold my Vh4 after I got the Engl.
 
Rising Farce":32cjodz5 said:
Nice! And is that a Randall RG I espy next to it? Great stuff.
Click to expand...
Thanks!

The amp next to it is a Randall RM100, the modular series based on Bruce Egnater's design.
 
squank":1aiowu2c said:
Rising Farce":1aiowu2c said:
Nice! And is that a Randall RG I espy next to it? Great stuff.
Click to expand...
Thanks!

The amp next to it is a Randall RM100, the modular series based on Bruce Egnater's design.
Click to expand...

Ah, of course. I was heavily into the MTS scene for a spell and should have caught that. Interestingly, since this is an Engl thread, one of my favorite modules was the Savage/SE-based Angel from Salvation mods.
 
Fuego":2fh5vzwi said:
Most guys on here aren't hard rock metal players, would be my guess as to why they're not more popular.
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really?!?! I would say that is what almost everyone here plays.
 
Rising Farce":21qvtju1 said:
squank":21qvtju1 said:
Rising Farce":21qvtju1 said:
Nice! And is that a Randall RG I espy next to it? Great stuff.
Click to expand...
Thanks!

The amp next to it is a Randall RM100, the modular series based on Bruce Egnater's design.
Click to expand...

Ah, of course. I was heavily into the MTS scene for a spell and should have caught that. Interestingly, since this is an Engl thread, one of my favorite modules was the Savage/SE-based Angel from Salvation mods.
Click to expand...
Good call on the Angel E Salvation modded module. There was one in my RM100 on that stage that very day (center module)! It was my backup amp for the Powerball II.

576969_396082343777498_1879611446_n.jpg
 
squank":agz9ktan said:
Rising Farce":agz9ktan said:
squank":agz9ktan said:
Rising Farce":agz9ktan said:
Nice! And is that a Randall RG I espy next to it? Great stuff.
Click to expand...
Thanks!

The amp next to it is a Randall RM100, the modular series based on Bruce Egnater's design.
Click to expand...

Ah, of course. I was heavily into the MTS scene for a spell and should have caught that. Interestingly, since this is an Engl thread, one of my favorite modules was the Savage/SE-based Angel from Salvation mods.
Click to expand...
Good call on the Angel E Salvation modded module. There was one in my RM100 on that stage that very day (center module)! It was my backup amp for the Powerball II.

576969_396082343777498_1879611446_n.jpg
Click to expand...

Mine was the original, non-"E" version without the mid-matrix control, but still great. Hopefully the Synergy line will rekindle that whole modular scene when (if?) it comes out.
 
Hi, long time lurker here. I have owned the pb v1 & 2, and someday would like either a.pb2, or an SE, or an invader 1 or 2. My interest in Engls has been temp halted due to 2 youtube vids. I need to do a shootout with my own ears. In one of the vids, its Pb vs fu@king boogera, holy $hit boogera stomps it. Next, Fb100 vs invader, invader whoops it. So I guess its vader vs se for me, unless I like the pb in person enough. I cant do yt links im on a tablet, anyone see these vids? Thoughts?
 
chimp":1plkt53d said:
Hi, long time lurker here. I have owned the pb v1 & 2, and someday would like either a.pb2, or an SE, or an invader 1 or 2. My interest in Engls has been temp halted due to 2 youtube vids. I need to do a shootout with my own ears. In one of the vids, its Pb vs fu@king boogera, holy $hit boogera stomps it. Next, Fb100 vs invader, invader whoops it. So I guess its vader vs se for me, unless I like the pb in person enough. I cant do yt links im on a tablet, anyone see these vids? Thoughts?
Click to expand...
That makes sense for the Invader. It's they're flagship amp. I know they advertise the se as the top amp.
 
crankyrayhanky":sektvyeo said:
Which burgera?
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It says 333xl. Vid title is bugera 333xl vs powerball 2, couple of british lads ribbing each other
with their elbow, its good fun. Pb mids boost on, so its not scooped. Could maybe the trannys
totally suck, and thats why the invader dominates the fb? Imho, of course, if you agree/disagree, why?
Am I on crack or do you hear it too? Btw, im still a huge fan of engl, not trolling at all, just a matter of
"which one?".
 
Although I haven't seen the video(s) in question, I strongly suspect user error, and/or a conscious attempt to skew the tones in favor of the Bugera. (Also, there's nothing at all wrong with the transformers on the Powerball 2 or Fireball 100; this is an Internet myth left over from the days of the not-as-loud-as-you-would-suspect-for-a-100-watt-amp original Powerball.)

As for the Fireball 100 vs. Invader comparison, the former has much more gain and low end, so I can't imagine what sort of "stomping" it was subjected to (unless, of course, we're talking about versatility, of which the Invader has loads).

The bottom line is, unless you're prepared to do a lot of potentially expensive buying and reselling, you need to play them all in order to know which one is right for you. I've thrown a ton of money into the bottomless pit of GAS reduction based on YouTube videos, and learned my lesson as a result.

Can you tell us a little more about what you're looking for tone- and feature-wise? I imagine the folks here have played just about all the Engls at one point or another, and may be able to offer some guidance.
 
Rising Farce":10i5bvrx said:
Although I haven't seen the video(s) in question, I strongly suspect user error, and/or a conscious attempt to skew the tones in favor of the Bugera. (Also, there's nothing at all wrong with the transformers on the Powerball 2 or Fireball 100; this is an Internet myth left over from the days of the not-as-loud-as-you-would-suspect-for-a-100-watt-amp original Powerball.)

As for the Fireball 100 vs. Invader comparison, the former has much more gain and low end, so I can't imagine what sort of "stomping" it was subjected to (unless, of course, we're talking about versatility, of which the Invader has loads).

The bottom line is, unless you're prepared to do a lot of potentially expensive buying and reselling, you need to play them all in order to know which one is right for you. I've thrown a ton of money into the bottomless pit of GAS reduction based on YouTube videos, and learned my lesson as a result.

Can you tell us a little more about what you're looking for tone- and feature-wise? I imagine the folks here have played just about all the Engls at one point or another, and may be able to offer some guidance.
Click to expand...

Your suspicions are exactly what i myself would think spot on, had i not seen the vid. And im still wondering
if the vid is somehow not accurate. But it seems like apples to apples: same guitar, cab, cam mic pos, settings not
too crazy.

In the end, its always better to hear in person, absolutely, no question, totally agree. Its just that tug on the brain like that song that somehow gets stuck in your head and justs sits there for hours. Its just a conversational
curiosity, not a i-gotta-buy-an-amp-tomorrow kinda deal. Someday id like to visit the engl showroom and hear for
myself.

As far as what i want for tone, for sure something like the old pb with mids and bite, and enough low end
to hang with boosted rectos. Basically, the pb 2. I guess im just wondering about the tranny quality or some other
unknown mojo. Pb 1 was the best distortion for me for amps without a boost. But i used emgs then, i hate emgs now.
 
You should be able to pick up a lightly used PB2 at a hefty discount over retail. I can't imagine that it won't suit your needs, but if it doesn't, you can always resell it and try something else. (And again, there are zero problems with the transformers. If there were, I don't imagine Marty Friedman, Richie Faulkner, Glenn Tipton, Craig Goldy, and others would still be using these amps on tour.)

Although I've never played a Bugera, and therefore can't offer any firsthand input in that area, my understanding is that they're essentially offshore clones of popular US- and UK-made amps (Peavey, Marshall, Mesa, etc.). If you do decide to try one, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts, especially with regard to build quality.
 
My guess is that Engl has a much lower profile / low visibility on forums, they do what they do well and don't go around making marketing waves about it.

I no longer shred / play metal (thanks to arthritis), I moved to modelers several years ago, but I still have a few tube amps around. One of the tube amps that I plan to keep to my grave is my Engl rig: it has the most pristine (not sterile) cleans I've ever heard / experienced from a tube amp and it has more high gain saturation than I'll ever need, with many usable points in between.

My Engl rig:

E530 preamp
E850/100 power amp
2 * E212VH cabs (I run 1 per side)

I actually purchased this amp for home use only; it's my bedroom amp - actually in the bedroom too. ;)
 
Rising Farce":3ezjp2sp said:
Although I haven't seen the video(s) in question, I strongly suspect user error, and/or a conscious attempt to skew the tones in favor of the Bugera. (Also, there's nothing at all wrong with the transformers on the Powerball 2 or Fireball 100; this is an Internet myth left over from the days of the not-as-loud-as-you-would-suspect-for-a-100-watt-amp original Powerball.)

As for the Fireball 100 vs. Invader comparison, the former has much more gain and low end, so I can't imagine what sort of "stomping" it was subjected to (unless, of course, we're talking about versatility, of which the Invader has loads).

The bottom line is, unless you're prepared to do a lot of potentially expensive buying and reselling, you need to play them all in order to know which one is right for you. I've thrown a ton of money into the bottomless pit of GAS reduction based on YouTube videos, and learned my lesson as a result.

Can you tell us a little more about what you're looking for tone- and feature-wise? I imagine the folks here have played just about all the Engls at one point or another, and may be able to offer some guidance.
Click to expand...
Maybe the original invader, but not the 2. It has every bit as much gain and a bottom end so big, it needs to be tamed sometimes. They are rare though and not many have been able to try one. I got #39 LE.
 
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