I want an Egnater amp but I'm scared!!!!! Insight please

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geraci89

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Hi all. I've chatted with Keith Howland (Chicago) about it a few times and he really got me turned on to Egnater products and looking at them I feel that I would enjoy so many things about them...from the Rebels, Tweakers, and Renegade. On paper it seems they are the perfect creation I am looking for

...BUT...

what's with all the quality control issues coming up? And what is with things like the Detroit series never seeing the light of day and no one to comment on it? And what is with the few Egnater dealers there are (at least here in Canada) selling off their remaining stock and not bringing in more amps?

Is there a reason why I should maybe look elsewhere for an amp? I'd buy used but I don't wanna get stuck with a lemon and have no way to fix it after. Hopefully someone out there can shed a bit of light on the situation to at least enlighten myself and the rest of us who truly WANT to support the company. But being left in the dark and seeing all this sketchiness surrounding the company doesn't make for comfortable thinking.

Thanks :)
 
Keith's video on the Rebel 20 and the other Egnater products is what sold me. I have a Renegade head,Rebel 20 head, 1x12 matching cab,TM 2x12 and just recently picked up the oversized 1x12 which is almost as big as the 2x12. I've had the amps for a little over a year and although I don't playout much, I still get a lot of play time with the amps. The Renegade is GREAT! Fender/Marshall in 1. For the light duty stuff, the Rebel does it very well just like in Keith's demo: https://youtu.be/Id8VcaUjftY .

I'd say go for it! The used market for these is well worth it. As far as the reliability issues, the negative always gets the publicity. I'm sure there's more happy Egnater (Chinese amps) owners than there are those who had the misfortune of a bad amp.
 
go for it..i've seen used tourmasters as low as 500 for the head...very tempting. 4 channels, ALL useable....hell, that's worth the gamble.
 
This past year I got in touch with Bruce and I grabbed one of the last M4's with a bunch of modules.
The thing sounds GREAT!! I am happy I did it.

As someone mentioned, there IS a used market and as was also mentioned, the squeaky wheel is LOUD.
Especially when compared to the thousands that are happy and don't say a word.

Bruce is still active...doing amp building workshops, etc.
Personally, I have never had a service issue...delays yes, service problem, NO.
 
Thanks for the replies. Yeah if I had to pick, I was zeroing in on the Renegade head as well. Seems like the best of all of them. I've only really been able to take a Tweaker-88 for a real test drive (as per Keith's recommendation). I loved the features but honestly does anyone find the tone to be relatively sterile?? Do all the Egnaters seem to have the same core tone to them?

Ill keep an eye out still...theres a few out in the local classifieds right now. rebel 20 goin for $430, Tweaker 40 for $490, and Tweaker 88 for $850..

Any word though on the status of the company though?? Things don't seem to be going that well.
 
Bruce, can you comment on this ? I kind of feel the same way, and as my next amp purchace is a few months away, at the beginning of the year i was certain i would wait for the detroit amps to come out but, i seen no updates on the website or the Egnater facebook page in forever, and have emailed questions that have never got a responce, so now im keeping options open and have started looking elsewhere.
 
I love my 2 two renegades! They have both been to the shop, but nothing else sounds as good or has the features I want. Make sure you send in the warranty card or buy from GC and pay for the extra coverage. Even with the issues I have had I still want what I have or maybe the new TOL 60 head!!
 
Thats part of the problem for me though. Im in Toronto (no GC's up here). Makes it that much harder to find. Only ever saw 1 renegade up for sale and it was online and gone before I could snag it.
 
You can still order it online I assume? I have used their stuff for years with no significant issues. The Tourmaster and the Renegade. Tried a few Rebel 30's but found them too noisy. Curious about the Detroit amps if they ever come out.
 
My Rebel 20 has been going strong for over three years. Gigged and rehearsals too.
The fact is, unless you build an amp yourself or go boutique, just about all production amps can have problems, including Fender and Marshall. Thing is, I love my Rebel 30 and it has been a great amp. It sounds incredible and has plenty of unique features. I'd say go for it and if it gives you problems, just get it repaired and get rid of it. That's what I did with my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.
 
My Rebel 30 combo flaked.
But my Vengeance head has been flawless. Not a single problem and it sounds great.

I've tried the Reb 30, Renegade head, Tweaker 40, and my Vengeance.
All of them had a great clean tone, which I say is a great base Egnater tone.
From there they take on their own character, especially with the models with tube blending.
Tweakers have a lot of tone variations by design.
The Renegade is a great solid tube amp with good versatility.
The Vengeance is my favorite due to how much gain I can have.
It will go from super sweet clean clean to saturated distortion with anything in between, and it has a good amount of EQ and mid tone shaping.
 
I want another Egnater, but I'd prefer the modular series; I could SETTLE for a Tourmaster head, but that would be settling. I came really close to pulling the trigger on a MOD100 with three modules on Ebay, but someone beat me to it.

Wish there was some official light being shed on that line of Eggies - you just don't see threads about modules (reviews, mods, videos, etc) like you used to.
 
why would you be settling for a tourmaster.

4 channel amp. useable tones on each channel.

no brainer...again, like i've said in the past, find one that begins with "M" in the serial #, and you'll have the upgraded factory output tranny and the "M" mods to tighten low end, tame the highs and increase gain on od1 and od2.

i love my TM....the tones i get are really good....yes, there have been issues...but tonally....it's incredible sounding.

add in the power scaling...

settling isnt the word i'd use. bang for your buck is more like it.

though, thats IF You want an amp made in china.
 
yeti":2wgg9aom said:
why would you be settling for a tourmaster.

4 channel amp. useable tones on each channel.

no brainer...again, like i've said in the past, find one that begins with "M" in the serial #, and you'll have the upgraded factory output tranny and the "M" mods to tighten low end, tame the highs and increase gain on od1 and od2.

i love my TM....the tones i get are really good....yes, there have been issues...but tonally....it's incredible sounding.

add in the power scaling...

settling isnt the word i'd use. bang for your buck is more like it.

though, thats IF You want an amp made in china.
Click to expand...

Well, I had a loaded M4 about three years ago and want another one. That's the top of the list, end-all, be-all, for me.
I agree that the TM is a great deal/bang for the buck. It's just that there was a used MOD100 with three killer modules on ebay recently for a little over what a new TM head would cost. That's a no-brainer for me.
 
buying a new tourmaster would be like ordering a steak dinner at denny's....what's the point?
if you get my drift.

buying one used for 5 or 6 hundred...that's a fresh cut steak dinner while roughing it and having not eaten for 2 days.
if you get my drift.
 
yeti":3vv0gkwf said:
buying a new tourmaster would be like ordering a steak dinner at denny's....what's the point?
if you get my drift.

buying one used for 5 or 6 hundred...that's a fresh cut steak dinner while roughing it and having not eaten for 2 days.
if you get my drift.
Click to expand...

So it's only a great bang for the buck if you buy it used? The point in a new one would be the warranty. Statistically speaking, I'd more than likely need one for that amp than not.
 
Bucksears":3uwaxxvl said:
yeti":3uwaxxvl said:
buying a new tourmaster would be like ordering a steak dinner at denny's....what's the point?
if you get my drift.

buying one used for 5 or 6 hundred...that's a fresh cut steak dinner while roughing it and having not eaten for 2 days.
if you get my drift.
Click to expand...

So it's only a great bang for the buck if you buy it used? The point in a new one would be the warranty. Statistically speaking, I'd more than likely need one for that amp than not.
Click to expand...


again, you'd be fine if it has the "m" in the serial #.
 
yeti":1yzkhrr7 said:
again, you'd be fine if it has the "m" in the serial #.
Click to expand...

I get what you're saying and I'm considering it.
Only channel that didn't impress me on the TM is the Clean 2. Sounds like it WANTS to get to AC/DC crunch-level, but doesn't quite get there. Might have to try that one on the lowest-wattage setting, and/or some higher gain tube in the right spot.

thx
 
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