Revv Gen MkIII or Engl Savage 120 MkII?

My thoughts I would go ENGL over
Revv the Revv never really wows me and i have watched tones of shootouts but the always seem to lose
Another thing I frequently hear is how guys who own both the pedals
And the amps comment about how amazing it is that the amps sound just like the pedals, to me that not really a pro that my 2900 amp channel sounds just like a $300pedal. Anyway
The Engl that you name the Blackmore , Artist (essentially a blackmore w 34s and a few tweaks
And the Savage are their best option , the fireball powerball starts to get very much into a metal voicing
KSRs are phenomenal amps IMOand builder is great
 
PSGuitar said:
Helios eclipse seems more 80s sounding?

I will check out Diezel. I never see them come up used other than Einsteins but I'll keep a look out. D-Moll too.

Not the biggest Friedman fan but will have a look!
If I can stay under $2500, that would be great, but I think I can push it. Not sure.

That's a big reason the Archon is so tempting. I see them used for $1500!

KSR, Engl and Revv are very costly too.

Engl Savage 120 MkII, I never see used!
That's 2600 new.

I do see Herbert's but only the Mark I.
Which Diezel you recommend? Hagen you said?
Click to expand...
The Helios Eclipse is heavier sounding and has more gain than the traditional Helios.

I have seen several Herberts in the 2300 to 2600 range the last several months.

I am not a huge Friedman fan either but the Butterslax is a nice amp that has some great heavy tones and is nice under the fingers.

I am a huge Archon fan. Kick ass amp IMO.

Used ENGL Savage MK II's I have only seen new.

The Herbert sounds like what you want but the Hagan can also be a nice flavor in addition to what you say you have. It does a lot of tones well.

I am not absolutely certain regarding what you are specifically looking for. If you could be more specific I can probably help more as I have a bunch of the amps we are discussing and some we haven't as well. So far, I am trying to give you versatility and something different than what you have that will play nice with what you have that isn't a one trick pony amp.
 
I agree with the others here about Revv vs Engl. My 2 favorite Engl's were the SE EL34 & Inferno, and the Artist Edition would've been my next favorite after those 2. The Inferno tends to be strangely overlooked. I do though find Engl's to sound too artificial for my taste like many others feel, but I find most non-vintage amps to be that way (at least to some degree) including Revv, KSR, Diezel, DAR, Driftwood, etc. I didn't get a chance to read every little thing here, but it sounds like you're looking for a modern high gain amp within budget. I'd recommend also a Mesa/Boogie Badlander or maybe a used Mezzabarba Mzero Overdrive. A Megalith Beta would be the most obvious choice and winner, but they're really hard to come by and he has terrible communication
 
gtr31 said:
My thoughts I would go ENGL over
Revv the Revv never really wows me and i have watched tones of shootouts but the always seem to lose
Another thing I frequently hear is how guys who own both the pedals
And the amps comment about how amazing it is that the amps sound just like the pedals, to me that not really a pro that my 2900 amp channel sounds just like a $300pedal. Anyway
The Engl that you name the Blackmore , Artist (essentially a blackmore w 34s and a few tweaks
And the Savage are their best option , the fireball powerball starts to get very much into a metal voicing
KSRs are phenomenal amps IMOand builder is great
Click to expand...
I got try my friends KSR Orthos next to his Mark V and Petrucic and I much preferred the Mark V and Petrucci. Sounded bigger and warmer to me, so I decided to skip that one. Helped me narrow it down.
I ended up on a mint 2019, Archon, still in the box!
I just hope the 2019 and later models were built as well as the earlier models from 2014+ and so on...

The Meazzabarba I checked out wasn't my thing. Sounded to Solano like. More 80s I felt.

I played a Badlander but I felt my BFG Dual Rec and Mark V, were better for my tastes and music.

I wanted to like the Bogner Uber I tried but couldn't get the clean to work for me, nor could the volumes balance

If I felt comfortable spending $2700 right now, I'd grab an Engl Savage.
I can't afford to buy one of these amps new and then lose my shirt I want to sell. I never see KSR, Revv or Engl Savage MkII heads, used. Not to mention, it would have to be built to work in thr US, which is even harder to find.

That's why I decided on the 2019 Archon.

Sucks, I camt get what I really want, but logisics and money are in my way.
Otherwise, I'd have a Revv 120 MkIII or Engl Savage 120 MkII.

To my ears, the Archon sounds warmer and more organic than the Engl Savage or Revv Red/Purple.
 
Last edited:
PSGuitar said:
Thanks Fantom!

I am close to pulling the trigger on a mint PRS Archon 100.
It remnda me of my Shiva a bit, simple, easy to use, huge low end, smooth and aggressive at the same time.

Cabs are as follows:
Splawn 412 straight with V30/Redbacks
Bogner 412ST tilt baffle with V30/K100s
Bogner 212 OS with V30/K100
Stone Age 212 OS with Redbacks.

Amps:
Mesa Mark V
BFG modified Dual Rec (2002)

I love how huge my DR sounds and feels. Huge in the room, great with a boost and even the clean is great. Brian from BFG did great work.
My Mark V is so versatile. Love how between the options and tubes, I can do British rock to brutal metal.

I am replacing my beloved 20th Bogner Shiva.

I would like something that is as fun to solo on asy Shiva was, big lows that I can always dial back and shape with a boost or OD. Something that feels nice under the fingers and inspires confidence. My VHT UL destroyed my confidence, lol...even though they are killer amps. The SigX worked better for me. Still it didn't quite do the brutal heavy tones I want at times.

Must have good clean and the ability to switch channels for good British crunch or the ability to dial back gain for crunch tones and be really good too. :)
I would love something that somehow blends some characteristics of Marshall and Mesa. A few pro reviews of the Archon, talk about this.

Then I hear clips of the Engl Savage Mk II and some are jaw dropping to me!
This would be easier if I had a Revv, KSR, Engl, PRS and a few others, in one room. :)

Bang for huck, I close to pulling the trigger on a mint Archon 100.
Click to expand...

I only played an Archon once in a store, so can't really comment on it.

Based on what you said, I suggest you research the Hagen some more.

Regarding Engl, you can probably pick up a used 530 preamp to decide if that is a sound you are after.

As far as places to try out gear. That is the same problem I ran into. I called every local dealer. I even asked a distributor if I could travel to LA and buy directly from the warehouse (no luck). Guitar Center was surprisingly the most helpful place once I talked to a store manager.

Edit: just saw you picked up an Archon. Figured the comment above regarding the E530 is still relevant.
 
What's the E530? Preamp module? I'll check.

The Hagen even used is like $3300!

If I was in the 3-4k range, I'd have no limits, but I have trouble investing that much in one amp head. I want to set aside money for other things in life, lol.
Its just too much for me.
Otherwise, I could do a Hagen, Herbert, or any $4000 amp, but I can't justify that much in one amp.

I was however close to the Revv 120 but it sounds very produced and not as organic as the other amps I like.
 
The Archon is a fine amp. I love both of mine and if I could find another one new in the box I would buy it just to have it.
 
Rockystar...

My fear is that I will regret getting the Archon when I was so close to getting a Revv 100R MkIII.
Wish I could have played side by side.
 
Given that you already made a choice, I just wanted to add that for folks (myself included!) that think certain Engls can sound processed, like the Powerball mkI, chances are you'll probably find certain Diezels to also sound processed, but with a thicker, wider low-end.
The Herbert is a beast, but at the same time, not my first pick for versatility. It can be too thick or big.
Same with the D-Moll; I *wanted* to love that amp, as a gigging alternative to my Engl Invader 100 or EVH 5150III 50W, but I just couldn't dial out that fat, almost fuzzy saturation in the low-end, that sounds borderline artificial. I found a great deal on a D-Moll couple of years ago, and still passed it up after thoroughly testing it, because of this low-end/low-mids thing, that I just couldn't bond with. I will say that the D-Moll had some of the absolute best cleans I ever heard in a high-gain multi-channel amp. On par with Mesa Mark cleans.
The Archon that I tried once, was no slouch either in the cleans btw.

If you look at Engls like the Blackmore, Artist Edition and Savage, they all share a more raw approach to drive. More (modded/refind) Marshall-y too. At the time I got my Invader, I wanted something so versatile, that did everything well, and while it certainly does that, there are areas that could use improvement. For one, overall, the Invader sounds quite polished and smooth. In CH2 and CH4 maybe too smooth. The cleans are gorgeous and CH3 does that great, dry yet saturated, tight high gain Engl rhythm tone, although less raw than a Savage.
I had the SE EL34 for a while too, and to me, even that amp -Engl's flagship- felt as a compromise.
Basically for me it had more practical shortcomings in terms of tone-versatility than my Invader, so out it went.
Luckily, I was able to find a used Savage 60 mkI a couple of years ago , having owned one in the past as well, but sold that one to fund the Invader... and the Savage gives me the tight, dry (but not Fryette/VHT dry), raw, pissed-off Marshall with more balls, tone.
 
Yes, that pissed off Marshall tone is something I don't have and want. It's part of what I've been looking for. The Savage 120 MkII, sounded like it would do that plus much more. I was thinking of a Splawn Nitro for that reason. I hear the Nitro sounds huge and has some of that pissed of Marshall vibe.

I watch Tone Wars a lot on YouTube and Jarrod doe sgreat reviews and comparisons. He recommended the Savage MkIi to be based on what he knows of my style and wants, which are similar to his.anyway, the new savage seems to do all I want. That said, I can't justify $2700 new because it's a lot for me to shell out, plus I would never get it back if I decided to sell. Also recommended the Revv 100R to me.

The PRS Archon is priced pretty high it seems at 1600, consideribg several sold on The Gear Page in the last few months for $1200 and less.
 
For Pissed off marshall sound any engl, nitro or archon will not get you there...

Best VFM is splawn quickrod, or a Marshall DSL...
 
blackie13 said:
For Pissed off marshall sound any engl, nitro or archon will not get you there...

Best VFM is splawn quickrod, or a Marshall DSL...
Click to expand...
Got ya. The Engls I tried I thought had that pissed off Marshall vibe I like, but with throw own twist. I thought the Nitro did too. It was like a fatter, bigger pissed off Marshall.

That's another thing. I love big sounding amps.
Its a big reason why I love my Roadster so much along with my modified Dual Rec.

If you guys ever have a chance, check out Kyle Bull or Tone Wars on YouTube.

I was watching Kyle Bull demo the Archon100/50 and Revvs, plus KSR, and I kept feeling like the Archon 100 sounded the best. I heard extra compression in the Engl Savage and Revv sounded great but the Archon sounded more organic if that makes sense?
 
I played an Archon a few years ago, I think it was a 6L6 model.
My recollection of it is that the distortion of it was nice, yet vanilla.
Sounded big and wide, controlled, but kinda dime a dozen too.
The Engl will probably give you more interesting tones and a lot of sculpting options.
If the combination of the Savage 120MKII + Z9 floorboard is similar to that of the Invader+Z9, you have at least 6 base sounds at your disposal (provided you program lo/hi gain under one of the 2 function buttons) PLUS at 2 Master volumes (by re-pressing the channel switch of the current active channel, you switch from Master A to Master B).

The Archon is just way more bare bones.
 
Thanka for the input!

Any amp can sound vanilla... Lol.
I've had a ton of amps and any could be called vanilla. Personal preference. I felt that way about most Marshall's I've played and the KSR I played. Personal preference.
But the Archon I did play, blew me away in person.
Let's face it, it's all been done before!
Most of these amps are just copies or tweaks here and there.
That said, we should use what inspires.

My Mark V for example, inspires the hell out of me. It works for me.

Guarantee, many think this is vanilla, but don't care. Love it and it works. Many Diesels I've checked out, I could call Vanilla.... But again, if you love it, who cares.

I know. Alit of this is like asking which flavor ice cream should I buy. Only I can answer that for me.

I just love to hear opinions and feedback in case I missed anything and I trust you guys to give good feedback and peraonal experience, which I appreciate.

So my Mark V gives me so much from 3 channels and options. Not sure if I want anything thet amp with tons of options.

I am excited about the more bare bones approach like my Shiva. Nice having that option. Good pedal platform too.

I will say the PRS sounds way more organic than the Wngl and even the Revv.... Which to me have more of a processed or produced tone. Sounds killer but I'm liking the more natural and organic nature of the Archon. Plus it's simple and I can shape with pedals.
 
Last edited:
It really does come down to personal taste. I got a Revv Generator MkIII this past week. I think it sounds great, and I like the fact that it already sounds "produced". It means there are less steps involved when recording. I wish I had a KSR Gemini to compare it against though. I'm kind of curious what those sound like.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top