Carstens Empire more evil than Wizard MTL ?

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hopkinWFG

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Heard this off from my internet buddy whom he has urge me to try get one.... search thru found an usual awesome clip done by Reza and it seems like its tight clear and very uncompressed amp here too....

Can this be along the line of the Wizard MTL or smells larger ? Or probably slightly smaller ?
 
hopkinWFG said:
Heard this off from my internet buddy whom he has urge me to try get one.... search thru found an usual awesome clip done by Reza and it seems like its tight clear and very uncompressed amp here too....

Can this be along the line of the Wizard MTL or smells larger ? Or probably slightly smaller ?
Click to expand...
Kinda weird you asking that..
 
Voicing doesn't sound like my MTL, but seems to be in a similar high gain territory based on the video you mentioned. Lot of things in this realm out there.
 
I've never played a Wizard, but I have an Empire. Really cool amp, but voicing wise they don't seem that similar based on what I hear in MTL clips and have heard from others.
 
“Evil” is subjective but I’d like to think I have a good grasp on it 😈

Anywhooooo…

I’ve owned the Empire and an MTL100 clone built by Jason Tong of Headfirst Amps. They’re pretty different sound-wise but the gain levels are comparable.

The MTL has this massive low mid grunt that’s almost overwhelming at times and can make the amp sound muddy, but it punches like crazy. You’d definitely want to scoop some of that out of there for recording. I liked how the brightness options worked: you can dial in with a pot how much you want. Plenty of gain on tap and sounds great. Definitely an “Evil” amp.

The Empire sounds more modern to me. No frequencies are overwhelming like in an MTL. Despite being a one channel amp, you have a lot of control over your sound between the Depth, NFB, and Edge controls. You can really get the low end and response exactly the way you want it. The transformers are a bit different here: Brian uses the Trainwreck-style overwound transformers to increase punch, string clarity, and — most importantly — the insane cleanup with your volume knob (just like a TW). Not only does this thing sound Evil as hell, but it’s all black with bright red devilish transformers. It’s like if Darth Vader were an amp! Bad to the bone, baby…
 
hellzington said:
“Evil” is subjective but I’d like to think I have a good grasp on it 😈

Anywhooooo…

I’ve owned the Empire and an MTL100 clone built by Jason Tong of Headfirst Amps. They’re pretty different sound-wise but the gain levels are comparable.

The MTL has this massive low mid grunt that’s almost overwhelming at times and can make the amp sound muddy, but it punches like crazy. You’d definitely want to scoop some of that out of there for recording. I liked how the brightness options worked: you can dial in with a pot how much you want. Plenty of gain on tap and sounds great. Definitely an “Evil” amp.

The Empire sounds more modern to me. No frequencies are overwhelming like in an MTL. Despite being a one channel amp, you have a lot of control over your sound between the Depth, NFB, and Edge controls. You can really get the low end and response exactly the way you want it. The transformers are a bit different here: Brian uses the Trainwreck-style overwound transformers to increase punch, string clarity, and — most importantly — the insane cleanup with your volume knob (just like a TW). Not only does this thing sound Evil as hell, but it’s all black with bright red devilish transformers. It’s like if Darth Vader were an amp! Bad to the bone, baby…
Click to expand...
Sounds right up my nuts bro’!
Strat neck pickup, pots/wiggle stick-Empire,
4X10 Golds/Greens -the Ace mix.
Fire in the hole man!
Thanks for the honest insight with badvass shit that we all vibe to by nature cuz we buy the same rad gear and your YT video’s are great demonstrations and you are likable .
Real honest findings with multiple results as you go through your demonstrations.
You keep doing what you’re doing and stepping it up like you keep doing and something great has to happen at some point.
Keep fire in the holin’ it man!
 
hellzington said:
“Evil” is subjective but I’d like to think I have a good grasp on it 😈

Anywhooooo…

I’ve owned the Empire and an MTL100 clone built by Jason Tong of Headfirst Amps. They’re pretty different sound-wise but the gain levels are comparable.

The MTL has this massive low mid grunt that’s almost overwhelming at times and can make the amp sound muddy, but it punches like crazy. You’d definitely want to scoop some of that out of there for recording. I liked how the brightness options worked: you can dial in with a pot how much you want. Plenty of gain on tap and sounds great. Definitely an “Evil” amp.

The Empire sounds more modern to me. No frequencies are overwhelming like in an MTL. Despite being a one channel amp, you have a lot of control over your sound between the Depth, NFB, and Edge controls. You can really get the low end and response exactly the way you want it. The transformers are a bit different here: Brian uses the Trainwreck-style overwound transformers to increase punch, string clarity, and — most importantly — the insane cleanup with your volume knob (just like a TW). Not only does this thing sound Evil as hell, but it’s all black with bright red devilish transformers. It’s like if Darth Vader were an amp! Bad to the bone, baby…
Click to expand...

Thanks for ya detailed description on these two monsters... but i dont think MTL is ever muddy... i hear and probably think that the Empire has more of the upper brighter mids than the MTL ? The lowend is probably not as overwhelming as the MTL ? But i do feel that very tight uncompress character whom i hear on the MTL...

Should that lowend be just enough for metal ? By the way its Misha's colleboration with Brian huh? And taking the knowing that Misha's pickup are usually pretty much injected on the lowend ? Ie ragnarok.... an awesome pickup !!

Are these PTP or pcbs?

And how widely different is the Empire from the MTL ? Should one be getting the Empire for different flavour ?
 
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