Bogner Ecstasy 101B EL34

[Upside_Down_Guitar]

I may have an opportunity to buy one of these soon. I've never played one or even seen one in person. All of my information comes from the interwebs.(youtube clips, reviews, TGP, etc.) I will have a chance to demo it. Currently, I have a Germino Club 40, which is a fantastic amp. I would have to trade it in order to afford the Bogner. I know it is a very different beast than my Germino and have owned an Engl E650 before, so I kind of have an idea what I would be in for. What interests me about this amp is its' versatility. It seems that it can get the classic Marshall tone with the Plexi mode, kick it into overdrive with the red channel if needed, and also get a pretty damn good clean. I also would like the effects loop, half power switch, and all the other goodies it seems to offer. For those that have owned it, what are your pros and cons? How does it handle in a live situation?(Does it cut through the mix?) Is there a boost for solos? And finally, if you were me, would you make the deal?(Why or Why Not?) Thanks for your response in advance.

By the way, I'm in a band that covers a wide range of music like ACDC, Miranda Lambert, Poison, Autograph, INXS, The Band Perry, Pat Benetar, Orianthi, etc. I have a Les Paul Standard Special Edition as my main guitar and I use a strat and have an EVH Wolfgang Special at my disposal as well.

 

[gtrs]

Hard to tell anyone to trade away a Germino.
But here's a few positives and for the record I used to own a Lead 55LV & currently own a couple XTC's.
The Master volume is great.
The FX Loop is pretty transparent but you will need FX that can handle Line Level.
The Blue channel can cover a ton of ground.
No need for many pedals, you can get most all OD sounds with the amp all by itself.

I still miss my Germino sometimes but the XTC is just so easy to gig with and volume is never an issue. Both are great at what they do...

 

[Killcrop]

I agree.

The XTC can cover all kinds of ground. It can do the Plexi tones as well but not as good as the Germino. However its 89% there. Its the feel that is missing.

What you get from the XTC is as much gain as you could ever use and volume control. Plus a great loop if you are into that kind of thing.

What you get form the Germino is the best pure plexi tones money can buy. Gain will have to come from pedals and good luck with the volume control.

I recently sold an XTC and miss it. I also sold, like a fool, a Germino C45LV which I plan on replacing.

With the ground you are trying to cover I would probably go with the XTC.

 

[MCSS1970]

Hopefully you bought the one that was at Dave's. I have never seen one that cheap.

 

[Upside_Down_Guitar]

I saw the one on Dave's site and thought the cost was a misprint. It wasn't. By the time I called, someone bought it. I'd still like to try one sometime, though.

 

[B Money]

For me, the Ecstasy is such an awesome amp. It's been my primary gigging amp since the mid 2000's and it's not going away any time soon (if ever). I live mainly on the blue channel, using the red channel as a volume boost for leads.

Here's a tip: on the Green channel, turn the volume all the way up, and use the gain knob to adjust the actual volume.

I never use "plexi" mode. It sounds good, but I just never have any need for those types of tones. Running the blue channel gain about 75% is all I need for crunchy tones. Red channel find myself progressively turning the gain down. I currently have it around 50% and its still plenty hot.

I'm running the amp into a Marshall 4x12 loaded with an X pattern of V30s and G75T speakers. Guitars are an Edwards LP, or sometimes a Peavey Wolfgang. Sounds damn good to me.

 

[Upside_Down_Guitar]

Yeah, this is amp with a lot of knobs and options, so any tips are appreciated. I currently have a 4x12 with Celestion greenbacks, but do have 4 G1275s I could use. I also do like the V30 sound our rhythm guitar player has in his Egnater 4x12 cabinet run by a Mesa Dual Rectifier. Are V30s kind of the standard for this amp? Any others work well? What kind of speakers are in the matched Bogner cabinet? Sorry for all the questions.

 

[Fretmaster]

My Ecstasy Classic is one that has remained while so many other great amps have come and gone. There's just things that amp can do that no other amp on the planet can emulate. Love the Bogner mojo and the Ecstasy is the epitome of that mojo. To hear a great Ecstasy clip is one thing, but to actually feel an Ecstasy under your fingers is a religious experience when dialed in right. My guess is, if you get to play one - and take the time to dial it in right - you will own one.