ENGL, EVH, JVM ???

[D-Rock]

Looking for something under $2000 but can't decide.
I've longed for and ENGL for quite some time, and I'm looking at either a Fireball 100 or Blackmore. Fireball is nice because no need for pedals then. Just straight in and noise gate on board. But is it too dark sounding? Not sure.
Blackmore, is it a bright amp? Need a boost? (considering I boost my 6505)

Also thinking about a JVM210. Great sounding amp. But I'm worried that it would be overkill since my JSX and GH50L cover that over the top modern Marshall sound.
Maybe a more classic Marshall then? I love to find a used KK 800.

Or I can holdout for the 5150 III 50 watter....or try and find a used 100 watter....

I guess my budget is limiting though. I need some other suggestions.

 

[MYLILSS]

the engl fireball is an awesome amp. i had one a while back and still dont know why i sold it. the controls were very sensitive and responsive. my opinion on the amp was that it was a slightly darker flavored amp although i wouldnt say it was as dark as my 5150. i ran from my guitar into a noisegate and straight into the amp. never needed a boost at all.

 

[killertone]

Looking for something under $2000 but can't decide.
I've longed for and ENGL for quite some time, and I'm looking at either a Fireball 100 or Blackmore. Fireball is nice because no need for pedals then. Just straight in and noise gate on board. But is it too dark sounding? Not sure.
Blackmore, is it a bright amp? Need a boost? (considering I boost my 6505)

Also thinking about a JVM210. Great sounding amp. But I'm worried that it would be overkill since my JSX and GH50L cover that over the top modern Marshall sound.
Maybe a more classic Marshall then? I love to find a used KK 800.

Or I can holdout for the 5150 III 50 watter....or try and find a used 100 watter....

I guess my budget is limiting though. I need some other suggestions.

I have owned my Backmore for about 5 years now and in that time I also owned an Invader 100, Fireball 100, and an SE. They all went and I still have the Blackmore. It is a great amp and I really like the simplicity of it. It is so easy to get a great tone out of it really quickly. I don't think they need a boost at all but they do take them well. Ch. 3 is great to boost actually. Ch. 4 has all the gain you would ever need. The clean channel is very good not great. Ch. 2 is useless, IMO, but not a big deal because all of the other channels sound killer.

I also have a JVM and think it is a killer amp. The clean channel on the JVM is a lot better than the Blackmore and of course it has a million more options tonally. Has a lot more gain than a Blackmore but I can't imagine needing that much, TBH.

Both are great amps and I don't think you could go wrong.

btw, I think the JVM is brighter than the Blackmore. The Blackmore can get get bright but it can also be tamed.

Hope that helped.

 

[glpg80]

i would think the engl would compliment your collection. i wouldnt go for a 5150 III if you have a 5150 already, IMHO.

between the fireball and the blackmore i cant recommend anything, neither i personally like. I've always been a fan of the Savage SE or the powerball V1.2.

 

[nevusofota]

i wouldnt go for a 5150 III if you have a 5150 already

I don't agree with this. They are totally different amps.

 

[SuperFlyinMonke]

Peters amplification builds out of Winnipeg, though not for your price.

I do like the JVM, but not as much as a 5150III or a Savage/Invader. The fireball is the weak link in your trio by being a one trick pony and I prefer a few other ENGL amps to it.

 

[squank]

Peters amplification builds out of Winnipeg, though not for your price.

I do like the JVM, but not as much as a 5150III or a Savage/Invader. The fireball is the weak link in your trio by being a one trick pony and I prefer a few other ENGL amps to it.

If you're going JVM, I recommend the 410. It's worth it to get the extra tones.

But my top recommendation would the Powerball II. 4 channels, built in noise gate, great high gain, great clean, and a very decent crunch channel.

 

[glpg80]

i wouldnt go for a 5150 III if you have a 5150 already

I don't agree with this. They are totally different amps.

and at the end of it you cut off the "IMHO" - disagree all you would like, but there are better options available with his price range. benefits do not outweigh the negatives when he already has a 5150, a JSX, a GH50L, etc.

 

[JakeAC5253]

Any of the above mentioned amps would be fine, but I don't like the EVH. It's scratchy to me, lacks the raw aggression of the Peavey 5150's also. Nice channel switching amp for live, but lead tone for lead tone I don't like it compared to other modern amps.

 

[glpg80]

Any of the above mentioned amps would be fine, but I don't like the EVH. It's scratchy to me, lacks the raw aggression of the Peavey 5150's also. Nice channel switching amp for live, but lead tone for lead tone I don't like it compared to other modern amps.

we actually agree on something for once, holy shit its a miracle praise jesus

 

[D-Rock]

Looking for something under $2000 but can't decide.
I've longed for and ENGL for quite some time, and I'm looking at either a Fireball 100 or Blackmore. Fireball is nice because no need for pedals then. Just straight in and noise gate on board. But is it too dark sounding? Not sure.
Blackmore, is it a bright amp? Need a boost? (considering I boost my 6505)

Also thinking about a JVM210. Great sounding amp. But I'm worried that it would be overkill since my JSX and GH50L cover that over the top modern Marshall sound.
Maybe a more classic Marshall then? I love to find a used KK 800.

Or I can holdout for the 5150 III 50 watter....or try and find a used 100 watter....

I guess my budget is limiting though. I need some other suggestions.

I have owned my Backmore for about 5 years now and in that time I also owned an Invader 100, Fireball 100, and an SE. They all went and I still have the Blackmore. It is a great amp and I really like the simplicity of it. It is so easy to get a great tone out of it really quickly. I don't think they need a boost at all but they do take them well. Ch. 3 is great to boost actually. Ch. 4 has all the gain you would ever need. The clean channel is very good not great. Ch. 2 is useless, IMO, but not a big deal because all of the other channels sound killer.

I also have a JVM and think it is a killer amp. The clean channel on the JVM is a lot better than the Blackmore and of course it has a million more options tonally. Has a lot more gain than a Blackmore but I can't imagine needing that much, TBH.

Both are great amps and I don't think you could go wrong.

btw, I think the JVM is brighter than the Blackmore. The Blackmore can get get bright but it can also be tamed.

Hope that helped.

So would you say that the Blackmore is the Engl that is most Marshall like? I'm not sure I would utilize the channel options so that's why I'm kind of leaning towards the FB100. But the Blackmore's tone attracts me more....
I guess the channel and mode thing with the JVM is holding me back too. I'm pretty sure I'd just sit on that OD2 Orange channel 90% of the time.

 

[The Hoff]

You should go with a JVM

 

[D-Rock]

Peters amplification builds out of Winnipeg, though not for your price.

I do like the JVM, but not as much as a 5150III or a Savage/Invader. The fireball is the weak link in your trio by being a one trick pony and I prefer a few other ENGL amps to it.

I've tossed around the idea of a Peters, but I would need to extend my budget. My friend owns a few and uses his amps exclusively. I've played them and thought they were very nice. But I never really felt much gas for one.
The Fireball may be a one trick pony, but I'm not really looking for versatility in one amp.
I played the new Powerball and it was great. But again too much for my needs.
I guess I'm looking for an amp that will have its own tone compared to what I already have. I know a Peters will accomplish that, and Engl too.

 

[killertone]

Looking for something under $2000 but can't decide.
I've longed for and ENGL for quite some time, and I'm looking at either a Fireball 100 or Blackmore. Fireball is nice because no need for pedals then. Just straight in and noise gate on board. But is it too dark sounding? Not sure.
Blackmore, is it a bright amp? Need a boost? (considering I boost my 6505)

Also thinking about a JVM210. Great sounding amp. But I'm worried that it would be overkill since my JSX and GH50L cover that over the top modern Marshall sound.
Maybe a more classic Marshall then? I love to find a used KK 800.

Or I can holdout for the 5150 III 50 watter....or try and find a used 100 watter....

I guess my budget is limiting though. I need some other suggestions.

I have owned my Backmore for about 5 years now and in that time I also owned an Invader 100, Fireball 100, and an SE. They all went and I still have the Blackmore. It is a great amp and I really like the simplicity of it. It is so easy to get a great tone out of it really quickly. I don't think they need a boost at all but they do take them well. Ch. 3 is great to boost actually. Ch. 4 has all the gain you would ever need. The clean channel is very good not great. Ch. 2 is useless, IMO, but not a big deal because all of the other channels sound killer.

I also have a JVM and think it is a killer amp. The clean channel on the JVM is a lot better than the Blackmore and of course it has a million more options tonally. Has a lot more gain than a Blackmore but I can't imagine needing that much, TBH.

Both are great amps and I don't think you could go wrong.

btw, I think the JVM is brighter than the Blackmore. The Blackmore can get get bright but it can also be tamed.

Hope that helped.

So would you say that the Blackmore is the Engl that is most Marshall like? I'm not sure I would utilize the channel options so that's why I'm kind of leaning towards the FB100. But the Blackmore's tone attracts me more....
I guess the channel and mode thing with the JVM is holding me back too. I'm pretty sure I'd just sit on that OD2 Orange channel 90% of the time.

Yes, I would say that the Blackmore is the most Marshall-like amp in the ENGL line. I wouldn't call it a true 4 channel amp, though. All channels share eq and the layout is very simple and super easy. Doesn't have that many knobs for all the things it does. The FB100 is not very different options wise; it actually is harder to dial in than a Blackmore. It is a cool amp, but is voiced dark and has a lot of low mids. Not Marshally at all.

 

[D-Rock]

I think it's between the JVM 210H @ $1450 and the Blackmore @ $1695.
I like that the JVM has a resonance control, but the Blackmore doesn't. I guess the 5881's help with the lowend though. I think the Blackmore is naturally darker sounding too compared to the JVM so that might help it in sounding thick. I'm also not sure I want another EL34 amp right now, so the JVM takes a hit there.
Tough call...

 

[Gsxrbusa]

I have had the JVM. I never really got the metal tones I was looking for. Of course Peters would be my first choice being a fanboi but it's not on the list. Engl has some great metal tones. My choice is teh Engl.

 

[JamesPeters]

I've tossed around the idea of a Peters, but I would need to extend my budget. My friend owns a few and uses his amps exclusively. I've played them and thought they were very nice. But I never really felt much gas for one.
The Fireball may be a one trick pony, but I'm not really looking for versatility in one amp.
I played the new Powerball and it was great. But again too much for my needs.
I guess I'm looking for an amp that will have its own tone compared to what I already have. I know a Peters will accomplish that, and Engl too.

You'd better choose wisely, or Mike will never let you live it down. In his own subtle way, that is. Mike's good at that.

If you ever want to compare amps, let me know. I don't make an amp for everyone so I'm not beneath admitting it, and direct comparisons are the best way to know. I live near the L&M that used to be Mother's Music. You can come check out the amps with a wide variety of cabs, guitars etc. and compare to my roommate's other amps (Triple Rec, Invader) if I ask him nicely...perhaps asking him with beer. And you're welcome to bring other amps/cabs/etc. here for comparison.

Just so you know, my amps have changed a bit lately... (Mike hasn't gotten the latest mods, since he's been busy with his house.)

 

[racerevlon]

Hughes & Kettner? Splawn? Jet City?

 

[Les Zombie]

I owned all 3 and my fav was the 5150 III, then the blackmore and jvm.
To me the evh 5153 and the old 5150 sound nothing alike and i could justify owning both. I think they would sound great together too.

 

[rupe]

i wouldnt go for a 5150 III if you have a 5150 already

I don't agree with this. They are totally different amps.

and at the end of it you cut off the "IMHO" - disagree all you would like, but there are better options available with his price range. benefits do not outweigh the negatives when he already has a 5150, a JSX, a GH50L, etc.

There are opinions and there are facts...its a fact that the 5150 and 5150 III are very different amps that essentially sound and feel nothing alike.

BTW, you forgot "IMHO" when you stated "there are better options available with his price range"