It's time - tube amp/s

BIGKAHUNA said:
Man the Ecstasy seems like the smart play for a first Acquistion. I hear you on the Ultra. This not being a need issue...I really want to try it for myself. Not sure if it'll be first but will probably make its way into the rotation at some point...and maybe out as well.

I am somewhat intrigued by the 5150 IIIS and the Iconic. Might pick one up eventually as there are always good deals on them popping up locally on FB marketplace etc.

Really appreciate your input. Thanks.
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Here’s the blue channel of my 101B boosted with an SD-1 into greenbacks. Nothing special about the rig.

 
What kind of music do you play?

Uber ultra is my favorite high gain “production” amp I’ve ever owned. But it is absolutely meant for the brutals.
 
glpg80 said:
I own a 90’s 101B and it’s anything but dark. You have to turn the knobs with your eyes closed as they are funky to set up. In terms of versatility, the XTC 101B is by far the most well rounded in your list. There’s nothing that amp can’t do.

The Uber ultra has an odd frequency response I personally don’t like and I love my 101B. There’s a very specific narrowband mid hump that can’t be dialed out, doesn’t help cut in a mix where it’s sitting, and overall just aggravating. Clinical is a good way of putting how that amps tone is as dialed in - it’s very specific. I hear Helios overlap with it. It’s an amp you’d have to buy to try which if you’re unsure you like bogners at all could be a lot of hassle. YMMV.

Another amp on your list you should consider is the 5150 IIIS 50W for its size, versatility, and capability. The 50W is no slouch and easier to carry around but if you want the 100W go for it.

And last but not least is the 5150 Iconic 80W head. Same as above. It’s no slouch and sounds great. A bit thin but voiced more Marshall like.
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The ultra wasn’t clinical to me because of its weird mid quality (which was more on ch2), but I didn’t like that quality either. It was just this overall filtered and disconnected character in feel and sound that most recent amps just suffer from unfortunately. It was actually quite a versatile amp with a very solid clean and crunch too, but didn’t really do any sound better than 7/10. The Helios I had was the polar opposite. It was organic, raw and warm for a non-vintage amp with a pleasant woody character, rich growl on powerchords (similar to the growl of a good late ‘70’s jmp2203/4) and a connected feel. That was a good amp and not actually Bogner like to me. One of the closer modern amps I’ve had to capturing vintage character. The clips of these amps maybe mislead a bit in places

with the ‘90’s 101B’s I tried at least, while they can get plenty cutting with their very reactive presence, treble and various eq controls, the uppermids are just inherently smooth and IME didn’t grind or get aggressive in the same way as typical ‘70’s and ‘80’s Marshall’s do in the uppermid region. They had to me very much still the Bogner character where the interesting tone was centered more in the lower mids and so I think that’s I why it still comes off as dark, fat, chewy but cutting. Your clip has that sound I remember of it too as did Blake’s from what I recall
 
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BIGKAHUNA said:
Man the Ecstasy seems like the smart play for a first Acquistion. I hear you on the Ultra. This not being a need issue...I really want to try it for myself. Not sure if it'll be first but will probably make its way into the rotation at some point...and maybe out as well.

I am somewhat intrigued by the 5150 IIIS and the Iconic. Might pick one up eventually as there are always good deals on them popping up locally on FB marketplace etc.

Really appreciate your input. Thanks.
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The XTC’s are cool. I’d personally recommend a Rev 2 or earlier Uber if you can find one, but if you need more versatility, cut and tightness the Ultra does that, you just have to not mind that super modern/clinical character and sorta cocked wah quality on ch2. There is no warmth or richness to its core sound that other Bogner’s can have

The iconic is a lot of amp for the money. 5150IIIS is a good value too, but for my taste too plastic sounding, but it’s voiced well
 
braintheory said:
The XTC’s are cool. I’d personally recommend a Rev 2 or earlier Uber if you can find one, but if you need more versatility, cut and tightness the Ultra does that, you just have to not mind that super modern/clinical character and sorta cocked wah quality on ch2. There is no warmth or richness to its core sound that other Bogner’s can have

The iconic is a lot of amp for the money. 5150IIIS is a good value too, but for my taste too plastic sounding, but it’s voiced well
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Yep, that Iconic is no joke.
 
braintheory said:
The ultra wasn’t clinical to me because of its weird mid quality (which was more on ch2), but I didn’t like that quality either. It was just this overall filtered and disconnected character in feel and sound that most recent amps just suffer from unfortunately. It was actually quite a versatile amp with a very solid clean and crunch too, but didn’t really do any sound better than 7/10. The Helios I had was the polar opposite. It was organic, raw and warm for a non-vintage amp with a pleasant woody character, rich growl on powerchords (similar to the growl of a good late ‘70’s jmp2203/4) and a connected feel. That was a good amp and not actually Bogner like to me. One of the closer modern amps I’ve had to capturing vintage character. The clips of these amps maybe mislead a bit in places

with the ‘90’s 101B’s I tried at least, while they can get plenty cutting with their very reactive presence, treble and various eq controls, the uppermids are just inherently smooth and IME didn’t grind or get aggressive in the same way as typical ‘70’s and ‘80’s Marshall’s do in the uppermid region. They had to me very much still the Bogner character where the interesting tone was centered more in the lower mids and so I think that’s I why it still comes off as dark, fat, chewy but cutting. Your clip has that sound I remember of it too as did Blake’s from what I recall
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I’d love to send my enmity mod your way because I do agree my mod that I designed gives the marshall mid growl that bogner XTCs and most high gain amps can’t. That’s why I own both. I love how well the XTC takes boosts and provides versatility while also being the easiest and chewiest amp to play. It just responds well to any pickup type and is fun. Not the most aggressive but it does everything else wonderful.
 
glpg80 said:
I’d love to send my enmity mod your way because I do agree my mod that I designed gives the marshall mid growl that bogner XTCs and most high gain amps can’t. That’s why I own both. I love how well the XTC takes boosts and provides versatility while also being the easiest and chewiest amp to play. It just responds well to any pickup type and is fun. Not the most aggressive but it does everything else wonderful.
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Yeah the Enmity mod sounds intriguing. Would love to hear a clip later on. Agreed on the XTC. Those old XTC’s as well as my OG Uber have those great unique Bogner qualities like the chewiness and very greasy/easy feel. My Uber is the most of that over my amps as well

I think all the great amps have their thing. Marshall’s have the mids and kerrang, Bogner’s have the fat low mid chewiness and greasy feel, SLO’s have distinctive upper mids, Recto’s have that throaty orange ch growl, Hermansson’s have high end aggression and are tight/fast/attacky like no other, wizards have the punch and openness
 
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BIGKAHUNA said:
One of the things I like about the BE100 is the fact that it seems to add girth ti the Mod’d Marshall tone. Really versatile amp it seems but the Ecstasy might give that little bit of something different. Both Bogners are out front right now….as things stand in my brain this hour.
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I think so. Friedman’s generally have sounded to me like a more polite/civilized, smooth take on the modded Marshall sound, while the XTC and other Bogner models like the shiva and Ubers are more of their own thing with hints of Marshall. They can get compared because they are both by default darker and smoother than steroetypical Marshall’s, but Bogner’s somehow do it in a way that doesn’t come off as bland or polite, but more it’s own flavor partly with their unique fat chewiness and greasy/easy feel. Probably obvious what I prefer lol
 
I would recommend against the SLO. I’ve never gotten along with it. It has a really good overall EQ signature on the back end, very wide with a ton of sub lows, balanced mids, and sizzly highs, but the front end isn’t really filtered at all and because of that, the amp has almost no definition or articulation. Basically, if your guitar has any lows at all, the preamp distortion will be instantly overwhelmed by that low end and it will destroy any clarity you might have. If you want a big wall of sound though and you don’t care about any detail in your playing coming out, the SLO could be a great choice.

I’m not sure what some of these guys are talking about with the Uber Ultra sounding like cardboard and having a mid frequency you can’t dial out. I can most certainly dial those things out on mine, you just have to understand that the Treble control will shape those notchy high mids more than the Mid knob will, so use that in combination with the Density and Presence controls and you can get shape the highs and mids pretty much any way you want.

If you really want one tube amp that does everything for maximum versatility, and that does everything well, I’d recommend an Ecstasy 101B, and maybe pair it with a good boost when you want more modern tones, which it can absolutely do with a good boost.
 
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Decided on the Ecstasy. Got a decent deal on a dead mint 97 101b and cab. Should receive the head Friday.
 

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BIGKAHUNA said:
Decided on the Ecstasy. Got a decent deal on a dead mint 97 101b and cab. Should receive the head Friday.
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Literally the pinnacle of modded JCM 800 tones. What’s going to shock you the most is just how damn easy these amps are to play. You also absolutely have to get the presence jacked high to get the dark blanket effect off of them. Don’t be afraid to spend some time setting it up - it took me 2 weeks to dial in a tone I use and love now however the amp was made to be a library of tonal pallet options to meet anyone’s needs.

Oh and one more thing. This era runs 525V on the plates so you cannot get away with shit glass. It also means these amps are dump loud. My XTC is louder than both of my Marshall’s and one of them runs 6550s.
 
BIGKAHUNA said:
Decided on the Ecstasy. Got a decent deal on a dead mint 97 101b and cab. Should receive the head Friday.
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I think you made the right choice. They can be found at decent prices and are incredibly versatile amps.

I owned a 96 101b from 2019 to recently. Only moved it to fund a Wizard, but it still sits in my top 5 favorite amps I have owned. Like glpg80 has said, dial it with your ears....it can get plenty bright and aggressive of dialed right. You wanted an easy amp to play; the 101b fits that bill!

For what it's worth, I currently own an Uber Ultra and have also owned a bunch of Bogners over the years. That mid 90's Ecstasy is still king. Hope you love it!
 
VHTStark said:
I think you made the right choice. They can be found at decent prices and are incredibly versatile amps.

I owned a 96 101b from 2019 to recently. Only moved it to fund a Wizard, but it still sits in my top 5 favorite amps I have owned. Like glpg80 has said, dial it with your ears....it can get plenty bright and aggressive of dialed right. You wanted an easy amp to play; the 101b fits that bill!

For what it's worth, I currently own an Uber Ultra and have also owned a bunch of Bogners over the years. That mid 90's Ecstasy is still king. Hope you love it!
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Blake posted a video of a 90’s 101B that just sounded better than a 100B. Just like with Mesa mark III series amps, the 90’s 101B’s aren’t going to be low priced for much longer. There’s not a lot of them and demand is already increasing for certain years. Even newer amps are having a hard time keeping up with them for their big character and versatility.

In a financial pinch my Bogner would be one of the absolute last amps to go. I’d let go of my coliseum before I off my Bogner. It’s the only amp I can sit down and play for literally hours on end and get zero and I mean absolutely zero ear fatigue or ear ringing. They’re sonically balanced and easy to play which makes them inspiring to riff on. I can’t say that about many production models out there.
 
The bright switches are the key to the 101b. B1 with the presence at around 2 o’clock is anything but dark
 
TheGreatGreen said:
I would recommend against the SLO. I’ve never gotten along with it. It has a really good overall EQ signature on the back end, very wide with a ton of sub lows, balanced mids, and sizzly highs, but the front end isn’t really filtered at all and because of that, the amp has almost no definition or articulation. Basically, if your guitar has any lows at all, the preamp distortion will be instantly overwhelmed by that low end and it will destroy any clarity you might have. If you want a big wall of sound though and you don’t care about any detail in your playing coming out, the SLO could be a great choice.
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This is perfect to show how it can be so polarizing. If you play metal, you are constantly searching for clarity amidst the gain. The more the preamp fights that, the more disgusted you are and it will feel like wrestling a lightning bolt. If you are playing slow cowboy chords like they did in 70s rock, the character of the Slo will dazzle you.

This has been my biggest problem and why i have searched and searched for the right amp. I want the clarity to come through on complex chords and i want the non palm muted character to be blissful, while retaining the capacity for a crushing palm mute

Most amps do one or the other great, or both ok, which is why so many guys play a 5150 and dont understand why we keep going through the boutique catalog.

This is where my MGL struck such a balance for me and why i stopped whoring around.
 
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