Top 3 favorite amps you have played

[DanTravis62]

Totally. Especially with a boost in front and an EQ in the loop, those amps are ridiculous. Well, the Eclipse version probably doesn't need a boost.

I normally am hit and miss with bogner stuff - I love the xtc blue channel, and hate the red, hate the OG uber, like the shiva for cleans and classic tones but not high gain, etc

The helios is the one bogner that I could really get the right amount of tightness AND meanness at the same time out of it

The snorkler clips sound promising as well but I havent played one

 

[TheGreatGreen]

I normally am hit and miss with bogner stuff - I love the xtc blue channel, and hate the red, hate the OG uber, like the shiva for cleans and classic tones but not high gain, etc

The helios is the one bogner that I could really get the right amount of tightness AND meanness at the same time out of it

The snorkler clips sound promising as well but I havent played one

Just a side note Dan, If you ever get the chance, I'd recommend you try the Ecstasy 20th Anniversary 6L6, specifically the Red channel. I have a feeling you might get a kick out of it. To me that Red channel is every bit as high quality as the XTC 101B's Blue channel (different obviously, but just as good).

The XTC 20th 6L6 is like if you took a 101B and made it a bit more modern, slighter bigger and stiffer sounding. In my opinion these changes are actually detrimental to the amp's Blue channel because they kind of detract from the best things about it, the chew and smear. But, the changes made to the amp that make the Blue channel worse are the same changes that elevate the Red channel into being an all timer. To me, the Red channel being slightly stiffer and more modern makes the highs clearer and crisper, which I think makes it sit somewhere in between the 101B and Helios.

If you get a chance to try one, don't skip it. Put an EQ in front to tame some lows going to the relatively unfiltered preamp and the amp comes even more alive.