Not happy with ENGL, what now?

[The4thlast1]

have been searching for the best sound in an amp for my taste. I play metal along the line os Killswitch, Lamb of God, Inflames, etc. I have owned a Dual Rectifier for about 5 years now. I like the Dual Rec but always kinda felt that it was missing something. So I kept my Dual Rec but at the same time I'm comparing other amps to it to see what I might like better. I recently purchased an ENGL Powerball. I have used it at home and at practice a few times. The times that I used it at practice I was not very impressed. It sounds awesome when the mids are down and you are playing alone, but when I was playing with the rest of the band, the single notes especially the higher ones get lost in the mix. When you raise the mids or use the focused mode (more mid range) the amp is heared better. Imo the amp doesn't sound as good when you raise the mids to be heard. It does have heavy distortion but maybe its not that good in a band situation.
Next practice I am going to bring my Dual Rec and the Powerball and A B them. I think the Dual Rec is going to sound better and I am going to sell the Powerball. So what I am wondering is what other amp should I buy to try out? Vht UL, Framus Cobra, Bogner Uber ???? I am playing my heads through a Mesa traditional (not oversized) 4X12 with c30's which my Dual Rec has always sounded good through. Is it posible that the powerball doesnt go well with that cab? I was also thinking of getting a Bogner Uberkab, Does anyone know how much better it would sound than the mesa cab, is it worth it?

[maddtapper]

Check out the uberschall and the ubercab... They will both crush the Mesa stuff. The uber is not very versatile, but it definately dominates what it does! If your into the more scooped/modern sound the Diezel Herbert is another winner. The Vht's kick ass also and can probably be had a bit cheaper than the other 2. I've owned all of these in the past year... The only one I truly miss is the Uber.

[thearmofbarlow]

Originally Posted by The4thlast1

have been searching for the best sound in an amp for my taste. I play metal along the line os Killswitch, Lamb of God, Inflames, etc. I have owned a Dual Rectifier for about 5 years now. I like the Dual Rec but always kinda felt that it was missing something. So I kept my Dual Rec but at the same time I'm comparing other amps to it to see what I might like better. I recently purchased an ENGL Powerball. I have used it at home and at practice a few times. The times that I used it at practice I was not very impressed. It sounds awesome when the mids are down and you are playing alone, but when I was playing with the rest of the band, the single notes especially the higher ones get lost in the mix. When you raise the mids or use the focused mode (more mid range) the amp is heared better. Imo the amp doesn't sound as good when you raise the mids to be heard. It does have heavy distortion but maybe its not that good in a band situation.

Crates sound awesome when you scoop the mids and play alone too. Probably better than the Engl in that situation.

Unscoop the mids and play with a band. The Crate dies, the Engl slays. The Dual Rectifier curls up in a corner and wonders what it's doing with its life and how it got where it is.

In other words, it's time to start growing your ears up. Set your tone controls flat and play several songs (with the band). Adjust as necessary and no more often.

[Unabender]

Well it seems this is actually my first post here... Anyway, if you really want more accurate answers, maybe you should give some a bit more information about your gear in general? Like what kind of guitars you are playing? What pickups?

[1964]

> "Is it posible that the powerball doesnt go well with that cab?"

Very possible!

[Rock Fella]

have you checked out a Splawn QuickRod yet or Soldano Avenger ?

JImmy

[amigo30]

How long have you had the Engl?

One thing I've noticed on my Engl Screamer is that there are about a billion interesting tones in there between the 4 channels.

It takes some serious time with the knobs to sort through them all. I loved the amp when I got it, (new gear syndrome)..but then started to wonder if I made a mistake as I dialed in tones that weren't exactly what I was looking for.

After a LOT of time with it, I've nailed about 8 tones out of it that just knock me over...but it took a lot of playing and tweeking. Not just a dial it in, hit 2 power chords and change the knobs again.

It might be that the powerball isn't the right amp for you...but really give it some time to see what you can pull out of it before you decide that. There are a LOT of tones in there. That's one of the advantages of the the Engl channel switchers.....you can use one amp for a lot of situations.

[69strat]

Try the Engl Bitchie Crackwhore........ The only amp I regret selling!!!!!

[Flincho]

Originally Posted by thearmofbarlow

Crates sound awesome when you scoop the mids and play alone too. Probably better than the Engl in that situation.

Unscoop the mids and play with a band. The Crate dies, the Engl slays. The Dual Rectifier curls up in a corner and wonders what it's doing with its life and how it got where it is.

In other words, it's time to start growing your ears up. Set your tone controls flat and play several songs (with the band). Adjust as necessary and no more often.

Agreed. The mids might sound weird at first but you need 'em in a band situation.

[The4thlast1]

I am going to try testing the powerball one more time at practice b4 I sell it. I am playing an ibanez 7 j-custom with emg pickupswith all of my amps. I retubed the mesa today with jj tubes and it sounds better. Still not exactly it though. How is the VHT and Framus? What would a tube screamer do for my recto and powerball? Thanx for the replies!

[matte]

vht ul, bogner uberschall, older ecstasy, elmwood modena 90 or 3100 all work for me.

[matte]

Originally Posted by maddtapper

The uber is not very versatile

couldn't disagree more. the interaction between the mid and presence controls on the crunch channel of the uber is a thing of great beauty. there are an incredible number of timbral possibilites there (that go well beyond scooped mid death metal).

[aidan7737]

I went on a bit of a channel switching hi gain crusade and eventually came across a well priced 2nd hand Framus Cobra. And while glowing red amps aren't REALLY my thing, I just could not deny the tone of the amp. Especially how it fits in the live mix, really works for me, does compress but isn't ALL about that, ie, retains dynamic range missing in some interpretations of the design, really dry chunky woody tone yet with this cushion of underlying harmonic content I just couldn't find in the Mesa stuff without boosts/TS etc...(which - to me - is a compromise in this format).

So I highly recommend trying out the Framus Cobra.

[michael.e]

I will give you $600.00 for the Powerball.

M.E.

[SgtThump]

I will give you $610 for the Powerball AND cover the PayPal fee.