Bogner XTC which one is the nuts ?

the4thlast1

the4thlast1

Well-known member
Alright Im sure its been talked about but.....Ive tried a few 101Bs over the years and they all seemed to vary significantly. Anyone here try a bunch of them ? I am excluding the classic, the 20th and the new 3534. Im just talking about the 101B for now. Some seem to like the older ones, some say MM transformers, then there are the white chases. Its confusing but I leave you with a song for the occasion :

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90’s models had mercury magnetics make both PT and OTs confirmed by Bogner himself. For a while a lot of us thought it was only the OT, but he had both transformers custom made to his specifications.

And no, Mercury magnetics will not build a custom set to his specifications as it’s a breach of contract.

The MM iron adds aggressiveness.

Here’s my 98 Bogner blue channel boosted with an SD-1. Shits nuts.

 
Was lucky enough to have somebody here sold me his xtc it's an earlier with forementioned MM iron... I removed a C40 or 45 can't remember the cap was muffling much of the xtc and it came more open and highs without the "blanket" ...I still thought so the xtc anniversary sound better with more 3D than the older version 101b... Many still says best was the 100B if I didn't recall wrong.... Second best was the 101b with MM and latest 101b Anni....
 
I don’t get the muffled character others are mentioning. It sounds best with greenbacks and you really gotta crank on the presence to wake them up. They also get much brighter with volume just like a 2203 which they are based off of.

Because the knob layout is different than most amps I accidentally jacked the master volume way high for channel 2 instead of the treble and hit a chord. It was the most godly sound I’ve ever heard come from a tube amp in my life. I don’t play at bedroom volumes by any stretch but the 101B can sound aggressive if you tune it with your ears and not your eyes.

FWIW The 101B takes pedals better than my Laney GH100S. It also has a great clean channel. The only downside to the 101B is that the loop design with the built in post master can be hard to level match. Others have claimed tone suck but I mix my effects so low in parallel post loop that I don’t hear it.
 
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My 2 favorites below. 100A & a 100B. I may be partial. I've honestly never played a bad XTC. I could use any or all of them and really enjoy them.

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I think the Xtc amps, at least the 101b, are good chronologically. Early 101b sound and feel ‘better’, to me. They tend to get a little tighter and brighter as the years go. I much prefer 101b from 2005-2010 than a 2017-now. They are all 101b and sound like it, but if you are picky enough you’ll feel it.
 
PhilC said:
My 2 favorites below. 100A & a 100B. I may be partial. I've honestly never played a bad XTC. I could use any or all of them and really enjoy them.

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You got those from Fatbagg!? He’s had that for a while that’s Vais Tender Surrender amp!
 
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I'd like to try the 35. I love my Classic but have considered trying to tighten it up with a mod..but don't want to lose the magic and the bloom.
 
Emg77 said:
I will parrot what has been said. I just picked up a 96 xtc with the MM. it is the best I’ve had including the 20ths.
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Agreed, It’s hard to beat those early XTC, really is. One of the few multi channel amps that can do it all well.
 
glassjaw7 said:
I'd like to try the 35. I love my Classic but have considered trying to tighten it up with a mod..but don't want to lose the magic and the bloom.
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Interesting brother, do you find the classic to be loose? I found the ecstasy classic to be tighter than the 101B amplifiers for sure, I believe the filtering in the power section is higher in the classic also, 50/50/500 caps…
 
Man they all rule. Seriously. I have a newerish one here at my studio, and I get more PM’s about my clips of that amp over anything else I post. It just rules. An amp that literally can do it all, and do it all great.
 
SQUAREHEAD said:
Interesting brother, do you find the classic to be loose? I found the ecstasy classic to be tighter than the 101B amplifiers for sure, I believe the filtering in the power section is higher in the classic also, 50/50/500 caps…
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It's a little loose and I notice it mostly on the Red channel (Blue seems a bit leaner and tighter), however my main amp for years was a Mark IV so unfair to compare the two. But even my 2555x is a lot quicker and responsive in the low end.

I talked to Brent P a couple years back and he came to the same conclusion. At first I thought the Classic felt tighter than the old white chassis I was used to but now I think it's just..."drier" maybe? Less saturated and elastic. But it's a bit round and sluggish on Red ch. I've been on the fence about trying the Cameron mod or maybe Brent's 20th mod but ultimately, those are more about the voicing and the low end response.

To be fair, I don't have a proper Bogner cab but through my 1960B (tried quite a few speakers) and my Mesa 212 it's still a bit round. But that's just for fast riffing - single note stuff has that bloom and sounds killer. Probably give/take trying to have tightness and single note richness.
 
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VESmedic said:
Man they all rule. Seriously. I have a newerish one here at my studio, and I get more PM’s about my clips of that amp over anything else I post. It just rules. An amp that literally can do it all, and do it all great.
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I ‘ll take those Morin massive mids cruising across my lake at 420am….,
Man I got behind the drums and just pocketed’ those MIDS with the sticks & drums with the back porch outdoor sliders wide open..
I appreciated it, I know one of my neighbors sure as shit did💯
 
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