ENGL Retro Tube and Artist Edition (Aldrich) - Talk to Me!

[Junk Yard Dog]

I play a Splawn and BFG modded Eggie Seminar Head. Love them both. The Splawn just went down; probably tubes.

So I've become intrigued by ENGL's lately and was looking at their Marshall-esque offerings. I don't see much talk about either the Retro Tube or the Artist Edition, which is a Blackmore with some tweaks designed for Doug Aldrich.

I know a lot of folks have argues in the past that some ENGL's could not cut it in the mix, but I've read others saying it depends on the type of ENGL and how the user sets it.

Why aren't these amps talked about more or more popular. All the clips I've heard make them sound pretty good. The cleans and crunch (on board boosts) sound pretty damn good, and of course the overdrive/distortion seems pretty insane and really tight.

What's the word on these?

 

[mixn4him]

I recently had a Retro 100 head and it was great, I liked it better than the Artist edition because it had a full clean channel with boost. The thing that bugged the crap out of me was the fixed resonance circuit. It sounded great on the OD channel but too stiff and boomy on the clean channel, could never EQ it out. Was going to mod it but was offered and great price to move it so I did. But really surprised as well that they are not more popular, the option foot controllers are a big bonus and have some great features. Inside it wasn't much to look at, thin PCB boards and small 1/4 resistors.

All that being said I would like to find a 50w combo version and mod that one

 

[Junk Yard Dog]

I recently had a Retro 100 head and it was great, I liked it better than the Artist edition because it had a full clean channel with boost. The thing that bugged the crap out of me was the fixed resonance circuit. It sounded great on the OD channel but too stiff and boomy on the clean channel, could never EQ it out. Was going to mod it but was offered and great price to move it so I did. But really surprised as well that they are not more popular, the option foot controllers are a big bonus and have some great features. Inside it wasn't much to look at, thin PCB boards and small 1/4 resistors.

All that being said I would like to find a 50w combo version and mod that one

Cool, thanks for the info. I don't really play clean, but the clips of the Clean with the onboard boost sounded really good for old school crunch.

How would you compare them to a Marshall? And did you play it live? What's your take on the "cut" factor?

 

[mixn4him]

Sorry no only played it at home loudly! Smoother than my 2204 but a little more scooped in the mids, I think it uses a 47k slope resistor instead of the Marshall 33k for the tone stack but I can not see how this amp would not cut thru a mix. The boost on the clean side was great , actually both boosts were great, no need for a pedal to push either channel. Ben Granfelt has been using the 50w live for years and his demo is what sold me on the amp..

 

[Beyond Black]

I've got a Retro Tube 100 and I absolutely love it. Perfect combo of Engl tone with juicy, Marshally mids (EL-34's). It's not quite as tight as my Fireball 100, but it's tight enough. It's got the perfect amount of sag in my opinion. It's a very thick and warm sounding amp. The word "Retro" is rather misleading because this amp has a ton of gain and can get extremely agressive. It's also got a really good clean channel and the noisegate is top notch. As far as not cutting through in the mix, that's simply not true. I've used this amp for band practice many times and it cuts amazingly well. I highly recommend the Retro Tube 100.

 

[Beyond Black]

This demo is a very accurate representation of the RT 100. He's got it set up to sound fairly dark, and it can easily sound much brighter if desired. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V1KWrb0YhZw

 

[SavageRiffer]

I haven't tried the Artist edition, but I have used the Blackmore which I think is the same thing but with 5881's. I gravitate towards the Retro more personally, but EL34's could make the difference for me. If you can't afford an Invader or Steve Morse, then I think the Retro is the next best thing.

I recently had a Retro 100 head and it was great, I liked it better than the Artist edition because it had a full clean channel with boost. The thing that bugged the crap out of me was the fixed resonance circuit. It sounded great on the OD channel but too stiff and boomy on the clean channel, could never EQ it out. Was going to mod it but was offered and great price to move it so I did. But really surprised as well that they are not more popular, the option foot controllers are a big bonus and have some great features. Inside it wasn't much to look at, thin PCB boards and small 1/4 resistors.

All that being said I would like to find a 50w combo version and mod that one

Perhaps this could be about speaker choice? Through a Private Jack 1x12 cab and a 2x12 V30 cab, I thought the Retro sounded spectacular on both channels. It's not a bouncy Fender thing, but not boomy and stiff in my opinion. Lots of midrange juciness and a wide tonal palette. Don't know about the internals, but I had an Engl Retro for 3 years, sold it to a very active musician, and he still uses it every day.

 

[Racerxrated]

Whatever Craig Goldy uses for Resurrection Kings, that Engl has a nice warm Marshall thing going on. Nice tone!

 

[Alex_S]

Does anybody know what Engl uses in this video: https://youtu.be/JHczaipUydw

I see three different models but which (combination?) does he really play? Awesome tone even through that camera mic...

 

[Junk Yard Dog]

Hmmmm... I flip heads periodically and am getting to that point where I don't want to spend a ton on a new head. My Splawn Pro Stock kills as does my BFG head. Sometimes we just get bored and I came across the Retro. If it doesn't do good (not perfect, but good) AC/DC to AIC with balls and some cut/kerrang like my Splawn, I can't look at it anymore. Hard to find one to play around here in DFW.

Thanks for all of the input. I'd really love to see a Retro vs. Marshall comparison; better yet, hear one in person.

Cheers!

 

[Rising Farce]

Does anybody know what Engl uses in this video: https://youtu.be/JHczaipUydw

I see three different models but which (combination?) does he really play? Awesome tone even through that camera mic...

Goldy started out with the original Powerball when he got the Engl deal and has since switched to the Powerball II. I suspect that's what he's using in the video, with the other amp(s) there for promotional purposes. (As a side note, he's sounded pretty much like that every time I've seen him, whether playing through a DSL, Recto, or something else.)

I had a Retro Tube 50 for awhile, and it is indeed a killer amp--like the love child of a modded JCM800 and a Fireball 100, with more versatility than either. I recently sold it to napalmdeath, who is similarly impressed.

As for speakers, it sounded great through K100s, V30s, and the time-honored V30/T75 combo. That said, the Retro cabs come (came?) with loaded with G12H30s.

 

[Alex_S]

Does anybody know what Engl uses in this video: https://youtu.be/JHczaipUydw

I see three different models but which (combination?) does he really play? Awesome tone even through that camera mic...

Goldy started out with the original Powerball when he got the Engl deal and has since switched to the Powerball II. I suspect that's what he's using in the video, with the other amp(s) there for promotional purposes. (As a side note, he's sounded pretty much like that every time I've seen him, whether playing through a DSL, Recto, or something else.)

I had a Retro Tube 50 for awhile, and it is indeed a killer amp--like the love child of a modded JCM800 and a Fireball 100, with more versatility than either. I recently sold it to napalmdeath, who is similarly impressed.

As for speakers, it sounded great through K100s, V30s, and the time-honored V30/T75 combo. That said, the Retro cabs come (came?) with loaded with G12H30s.

Thanks a lot. Yes Craig has a consistent tone and actually a distinct one as well, at least to my ears. Still in this video I found it a little different to his recordings and I liked it a lot. Aggressive and nice overtones and sit very well in the mix...

 

[Junk Yard Dog]

I had a Retro Tube 50 for awhile, and it is indeed a killer amp--like the love child of a modded JCM800 and a Fireball 100, with more versatility than either. I recently sold it to napalmdeath, who is similarly impressed.

As for speakers, it sounded great through K100s, V30s, and the time-honored V30/T75 combo. That said, the Retro cabs come (came?) with loaded with G12H30s.

I have all those speakers. In your summation, can it do AC/DC crunch, GNR, and lower gain, classic rawk/kerrang well? I know it can do the AIC.

 

[Rising Farce]

I had a Retro Tube 50 for awhile, and it is indeed a killer amp--like the love child of a modded JCM800 and a Fireball 100, with more versatility than either. I recently sold it to napalmdeath, who is similarly impressed.

As for speakers, it sounded great through K100s, V30s, and the time-honored V30/T75 combo. That said, the Retro cabs come (came?) with loaded with G12H30s.

I have all those speakers. In your summation, can it do AC/DC crunch, GNR, and lower gain, classic rawk/kerrang well? I know it can do the AIC.

I believe so. It might be a little dark to pull off a perfect GNR sound, but the other tones shouldn't be a problem. The Session video(s) on YouTube really do give a good idea of the amp's range.

 

[THEE HAMMER]

For a straight ahead rock amp I prefer the Artist, but my favorite ENGL is the Invader.

 

[Thor1777]

I have had both and still have the Artist, to me it is more marshallish, more of a rock or early metal thrash amp....retro will get heavier into modern

 

[ape2000]

Necro bump...anyone else play both of these? I've seen a few clips of both that interest me. The Morse sounds cool too.

 

[napalmdeath]

Necro bump...anyone else play both of these? I've seen a few clips of both that interest me. The Morse sounds cool too.

I've owned both, and both are killer amps! I preferred the Artist, it was a little warmer, but then it was the 100 watt, vs 50 watt Retro. Killer amps.

 

[MetalHeadMike]

Necro bump...anyone else play both of these? I've seen a few clips of both that interest me. The Morse sounds cool too.

Never played the Retro but recently grabbed a 100w AE and it's an absolute beast. Nice cleans, Killer classic rock/blues tones, and AWESOME thrash machine. Very articulate with a warmth the other Engls I've owned lacked.

 

[Bad.Seed]

Necro bump...anyone else play both of these? I've seen a few clips of both that interest me. The Morse sounds cool too.

I recently gota killer deal on the Retro 100 and 412 Vintage Straight cab. Honestly, I see where people say it's one of the more "marshally" Engl offerings, but it' still pretty damn modern to my ears. Think of 5150 and Marshall mating, but with a looser low end.

That is really the reason I sold it. It was a really nice amp tonally, and was fun to play, but I require Butthole tight, punchy lows, and this amp had some sag to it once you got the bass thumping.

I ended up selling the head alone for $150 more than I paid for the whole half stack, so I'd say I made out ok with a free cab and a few bucks in my pocket for gas and road snack