Wizard of Ozz
Well-known member
Could it be...
Had to do it. Anyways... Some pornz...
My thoughts...
The transformers are huge. Definitely the biggest power and output transformer I've seen in any production amp. Closest thing to this OT/PT combo would be from a Marshall Major... but these are bigger. This is why it weighs 65 pounds. Overall build and construction: Excellent. Yes, it is made in China, but the parts, assembly, design, layout and quality control are excellent. If it had a "made in USA" logo on the back, you'd never know the difference. Solid construction, good quality parts, and all very well executed. Comes stock with all Ruby tubes... definite big plus and upgrade from some $4000.00+ amps I've bought new that come with JJs or Sovtek. The power section has 2 Ruby KT88s and 2 Ruby 6L6GC... and the preamp has Ruby 12AX7AC5HG... nice. Definite upgrade from the beginning. Chassis mounted pots... nice. Also all the pots have a wide-sweep and smooth taper.
As for the sound... no big surprise here... its a modern metal amp. Death, black, power, prog, melodic, thrash... yep it does metal. I'd say tonally speaking this amp is 50% OD808 boosted Recto + 25% Marshall JVM + 25% Engl Savage. Some have mentioned hearing a similarity to the VHT UL (aka Fryette Ultra-Lead)... and I've owned several ULs and I don't hear it. The Satan is much more saturated, nowhere near as dry as the UL... and the UL has a funky/weird hollow mid voicing... the Satan is definitely in the bright/cutting Marshall upper-mid camp. The Satan stears more towards an Engl as far as saturation goes. It's is a bright amp... but not the brightest sounding tonally... for example an early '70s JMP 100W metal panel Marshall will be much brighter. I personally like bright amps with lots of upper-mid, high-end cut, presence, and edge to the tone. Soldanos, Marshalls, Engls and the like. These points, the Satan delivers on. Also I like tight bottom end and defined bass tones. Again the Satan delivers. No soft, saggy, loose, flabby low-end... or flabby bass as found in a stock Mesa Dual Recto or Bogner Uberschall. Boosted Recto or boosted PV 5150... yep... more in that ballpark tonally. It is a very tight sounding amp, but with a big bottom end and overall thick/full sound. Definitely enough bass to chugga away till your arm falls asleep. Some have said this amp lacks bass... I disagree. I think the voicing may not be your thing. You can dial more than you'd need with the depth, bass, and grind pots. Even though it's a bright/tight amp, its not tight and bright like a Marshall JVM for example. It's thicker, more massive and all around bigger sounding. Definitely something new. Not a rehashed high gain sound. It's also just not for dropped-tuned 7-8 string axes. Sounds great in standard E at 440 with a 6 string. Also it sounds killer at low volumes, thanks to the massive transformers, great mv design, and wide-sweep pots. Even at low volume it sounds full, thick, but still present, upfront, and cutting.
Options: The Girth and Grind controls are amazing. High/Low gain cut/boost. Really cool. Surprised no one else has come out with something like these. You really can taylor your gain and overall sound. All high-gain amps should have them. The Kill switch aka +6db gain boost is nice and works as advertised. Boost and further tightens nicely. Good quality metal mini-toggles on the front, and an optional active pickup input jacks which lowers the gain of the incoming signal... it lowers/attenuates your gain for active pickup uses. No fun! This amp is what I thought the Bogner Uberschall was going to sound like when I bought my first Uber years ago. Boy was I wrong on that one. The clean channel is really good, with a bright switch and mid-shift switch... both work as advertised.
Overall: The amp is very quiet for a high gain amp. Right up there with a Diezel Herbert or VHT UL as far as noise floor go… and I mean with the gain pot cranked full open at volume. Some time, design, research, engineering, and testing went in the preamp to accomplish this feat. If you like metal, you'll like this amp. It has plenty of gain, a tight defined low end, and is pretty much epic win-sauce for the brOOtz. I've owned everything out there... several times over... and the Satan is in my top 5. I'm surprised I haven't heard more about it by now.
Get one. You'll dig it.
Some clips before someone asks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTDbJTLdpvs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGVR2c_luW4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9-IdXUsKno
None of which feature Ola... cause some think all his clips sound the same.
Had to do it. Anyways... Some pornz...
My thoughts...
The transformers are huge. Definitely the biggest power and output transformer I've seen in any production amp. Closest thing to this OT/PT combo would be from a Marshall Major... but these are bigger. This is why it weighs 65 pounds. Overall build and construction: Excellent. Yes, it is made in China, but the parts, assembly, design, layout and quality control are excellent. If it had a "made in USA" logo on the back, you'd never know the difference. Solid construction, good quality parts, and all very well executed. Comes stock with all Ruby tubes... definite big plus and upgrade from some $4000.00+ amps I've bought new that come with JJs or Sovtek. The power section has 2 Ruby KT88s and 2 Ruby 6L6GC... and the preamp has Ruby 12AX7AC5HG... nice. Definite upgrade from the beginning. Chassis mounted pots... nice. Also all the pots have a wide-sweep and smooth taper.
As for the sound... no big surprise here... its a modern metal amp. Death, black, power, prog, melodic, thrash... yep it does metal. I'd say tonally speaking this amp is 50% OD808 boosted Recto + 25% Marshall JVM + 25% Engl Savage. Some have mentioned hearing a similarity to the VHT UL (aka Fryette Ultra-Lead)... and I've owned several ULs and I don't hear it. The Satan is much more saturated, nowhere near as dry as the UL... and the UL has a funky/weird hollow mid voicing... the Satan is definitely in the bright/cutting Marshall upper-mid camp. The Satan stears more towards an Engl as far as saturation goes. It's is a bright amp... but not the brightest sounding tonally... for example an early '70s JMP 100W metal panel Marshall will be much brighter. I personally like bright amps with lots of upper-mid, high-end cut, presence, and edge to the tone. Soldanos, Marshalls, Engls and the like. These points, the Satan delivers on. Also I like tight bottom end and defined bass tones. Again the Satan delivers. No soft, saggy, loose, flabby low-end... or flabby bass as found in a stock Mesa Dual Recto or Bogner Uberschall. Boosted Recto or boosted PV 5150... yep... more in that ballpark tonally. It is a very tight sounding amp, but with a big bottom end and overall thick/full sound. Definitely enough bass to chugga away till your arm falls asleep. Some have said this amp lacks bass... I disagree. I think the voicing may not be your thing. You can dial more than you'd need with the depth, bass, and grind pots. Even though it's a bright/tight amp, its not tight and bright like a Marshall JVM for example. It's thicker, more massive and all around bigger sounding. Definitely something new. Not a rehashed high gain sound. It's also just not for dropped-tuned 7-8 string axes. Sounds great in standard E at 440 with a 6 string. Also it sounds killer at low volumes, thanks to the massive transformers, great mv design, and wide-sweep pots. Even at low volume it sounds full, thick, but still present, upfront, and cutting.
Options: The Girth and Grind controls are amazing. High/Low gain cut/boost. Really cool. Surprised no one else has come out with something like these. You really can taylor your gain and overall sound. All high-gain amps should have them. The Kill switch aka +6db gain boost is nice and works as advertised. Boost and further tightens nicely. Good quality metal mini-toggles on the front, and an optional active pickup input jacks which lowers the gain of the incoming signal... it lowers/attenuates your gain for active pickup uses. No fun! This amp is what I thought the Bogner Uberschall was going to sound like when I bought my first Uber years ago. Boy was I wrong on that one. The clean channel is really good, with a bright switch and mid-shift switch... both work as advertised.
Overall: The amp is very quiet for a high gain amp. Right up there with a Diezel Herbert or VHT UL as far as noise floor go… and I mean with the gain pot cranked full open at volume. Some time, design, research, engineering, and testing went in the preamp to accomplish this feat. If you like metal, you'll like this amp. It has plenty of gain, a tight defined low end, and is pretty much epic win-sauce for the brOOtz. I've owned everything out there... several times over... and the Satan is in my top 5. I'm surprised I haven't heard more about it by now.
Get one. You'll dig it.
Some clips before someone asks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTDbJTLdpvs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGVR2c_luW4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9-IdXUsKno
None of which feature Ola... cause some think all his clips sound the same.
it
