Being Mind-Raped by Framus Cobra! Halp!!!

[Crunch Master]

OK, the Framus Cobra has been stewing around in my sub-conscious for years now, and it just won't go away!

From what I've heard, it's built like crap, and fails a lot...

So what's the scoop on this amp, should I just stay away and forget about it, or is worth my consideration?

 

[FixXxer]

take a crap and walk away....

 

[Mailman1971]

I owned one for a while.
SUPER BRUTAL but not very flexible.
It was fun for a couple weeks.

Never thought of getting another one yet and its been over a year since I had it.

Dan

 

[thiswaythatway]

All i had to do to forget about one was plug into one. Didn't enjoy that amp at all.

 

[Digital Jams]

All i had to do to forget about one was plug into one. Didn't enjoy that amp at all.

I usually say that most amps I can make work but no way the Framus, just did not like that amp at all.

 

[glassjaw7]

Never played one, but every clip I hear sounds very buzzy and sterile to my ears. It seems like it would be a good amp to blend with warmer amp more focused in the mids. Judging from clips alone, I like the voicing of the Dragon more. But for saturated metal I'd try to get a Herbert, Uber, MKIV, or even a 6505/5150.

 

[Mailman1971]

Yeah the Dragon clips sound more FULL then the Cobra did.
But the Cobra is good at all out Metal...and thats about it.

 

[Crunch Master]

...the Cobra is good at all out Metal...and thats about it.

That and a nice clean is all I care about!

I'm not a classic rock/blues player.

 

[Qweklain]

...the Cobra is good at all out Metal...and thats about it.

That and a nice clean is all I care about!

I'm not a classic rock/blues player.

Based on that I would say get a Mesa Mark IV or even V. They have decent cleans and awesome metal tones, and (god forbid!) you do want rock tones, it can do those decently too!

 

[Mailman1971]

...the Cobra is good at all out Metal...and thats about it.

That and a nice clean is all I care about!

I'm not a classic rock/blues player.

I would say go for it!
It does have a nice clean channel.

Someone wrote they were made in China? But mine was a German made amp.
At least it said made in Germany on the back?

It is very brutal and I picked up one for $1200 on ebay last year.

The gain on that thing is just nuts!
Very mean sounding amp.
Dan

 

[Rufus Leaking]

I played one briefly and agree that it is pretty buzzy and sterile - not much good for anything other then an all out metal assault. I will say though that the low end was addictively punchy - it was incredibly fun chugging on drop D riffs on that amp.

Better choices in that vein would be a Bogner Twin Jet or an EVH 5150 III - I still think the low end on that amp kills for metal, but it has great mids as well.

 

[jcj]

I plugged into one and thought it was broken....it wasn't

 

[Mailman1971]

The amp was pretty one trickish.....
But it was really good for the heavy stuff.
Pretty industrial edgy sounding.
Not sure if I would own one again.
But they hold re-sale pretty good.
Check one out and if you dont like it.....FLIP IT!

 

[killertone]

I used to be a dealer for Framus amps (one of the first in the US), when all the amps were made by Warwick in Germany. They were made very well. Problem was to open a Cobra to get to the bias pot was a complete nightmare. I am not sure if the ones with the external bias points are being made in China or if they are/were made in Germany. I also have not heard a Chinese one that I know of so I can't comment on that.

I will say that the Cobra is best suited for metal, but the crunch channel can get some good rock flavors, too. The clean channel is pretty good as well. They have a ton of low end in them, and we used to run the depth control almost off when we cranked the volume. There was no need for more bass! Boosting the crunch channel is really cool for a super tight rhythm sound. The lead channel is cool for rhythm as well and has good saturation when used for leads.

Like I said, I have not seen or heard a Chinese one, but the older made in Germany Cobras were cool...except for that totally lame chassis design, it takes forever just to get the chassis out to adjust the bias.

 

[Crunch Master]

Thanks for the insight killertone.

I think the "Made in China" thing is just a trollish rumor from what I can tell now.

 

[prsdiezel]

Here's one for sell by Buzz of UNEARTH.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-f ... cobra.html

 

[Crunch Master]

Here's one for sell by Buzz of UNEARTH.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-f ... cobra.html

Wow, looks like a good deal, but I'm very nervous of buying a used amp, I always buy new only.

What are some places that I could buy a new one from?

 

[Crunch Master]

bump

 

[metalsoup]

For a new Cobra head, you might try Josh Sage at Rebel Amps (http://www.rebelamps.com). Derek at Rock Solid Amps use to sell Framus gear, but his website (http://www.rocksolidamps.com) is currently down, and he seems to have gone off the radar. Don't know what the story is there.

I just recently decided to purchase a used Cobra head myself. There seems to be an itch I have that only it may be able to scratch. We'll see. From what I gather, proper bias and tube selection have a more substantial role in how the Cobra sounds. Those in the know say that the factory bias is too cold. Later model heads have external bias points to make adjusting the bias easier. In the past, Derek at Rock Solid Amps stated he was careful to make sure the Cobra heads he sold were properly biased to sound their best. Also, my understanding is that the Cobra does not sound that good at lower volumes (too buzzy). It needs to be cranked to make its magic happen. Finally, as always, cab selection is important. I noticed the matching Cobra cab is front loaded and houses Greenbacks, something a little different than the typical V30s setup. At any rate, I've heard great sound clips involving various quality cabs--enough of them that I had to bite and check one out myself. I never know for sure until I work with an amp using my own gear.

 

[metalsoup]

Nick at the Axe Palace (http://www.axepalace.com) also might be able to get you a new Cobra head.