Just wanted to share my experience. I went to GC in Nashville Tn. They had 2 Bogners and the VHT Sig X. I got to sit in the amp room and jam on all three models. I was able to crank them up and let them go. I have read a lot of reviews on here about all of these models so they have been on my hit list for awhile. For me the VHT had nothing to offer. I tried to dial in several settings and just could not get a sound that I liked. The lead settings had some cool features but it just did not work for me. Next up was the XTC. I was excited to finally test this model. It was by far the best amp that I tried that day. A fews guys came by and stated that it had a killer sound. Oh I was using an Ernie Ball guitar. Nice guitar as well. In the end the Bogner was still a little loose for me and I did not get what I needed out of it. Great amp but not the Be All End All that I thought it would be for me. I switched it around to several different 4X12 cabinets as well. For me it was best out of a Diezel cabinet. I know that for many this amp is the One and I can see how that could be. I like a compressed, tight sound and I was not able to dial that in. The Shiva had some great tones as well but again for me it had the same short comings. All 3 Amps are class amps and I am sure for many they are a perfect fit. At the end of the day it was nice to go home and realize that I have what I need. I dont know why some of us cannot be happy with our rigs. Then again it is alot of fun to try out new gear. You never know when you will come across something that really makes a difference.
Of all three of the amps you tried, probably the Shiva can be dialed-in to it's best sounds in one session. Those other two amps are so versatile I would imagine you just did barely break the surface of their full capabilities. I owned an Ecstasy 101B for almost two years and it took me a good 3-4 months of daily tweaking to find out everything it could do and it took more than two full sessions to get that nice compressed yet tight sound that I think you were looking for. I'm not doubting your dialing in skills, just letting you know one session, at least with the Ecstasy, will not show you even half of what that amp can do.
Oh Great! now I feel the need to drive back to Nashville and spend more time with it. Any suggestions on how to tighten it up? I definitely feel that for my lead work a pedal would be a must with the Bogner E.
Geez, the GC near me doesn't have any of that stuff. I'm guessing places like Nashville and LA get the higher end stuff.
yeah, I can maybe help... also check out the Bogner Forum. Lots of knowledgeable folks there. These settings were used in conjunction with my Bogner OS 2x12 closed back cab with english Celestion V30s. Start with making sure the amp is in new style (switch on the back). Also make sure, if the amp has a Class A A/B switch, that it is switched to A/B mode. Set the Excursion switch for the Red and Blue channel to "T" (this is most important). Set the red channel's pre eq switch to B1, assign one of the presence controls to be shared by both the red channel and blue channel. On The Red channel set the presence between 1-3 oclock. set the treble between 11-1 oclock. set the middle between 10-1 oclock. set the bass to 11 oclock, gain between 10-12 oclock, volume to taste, but to get the goods it must be at least above 9 oclock. this should get you pretty tight. the key to keep it tight is to keep it in new style, excursion on T (Tight) and then play with the presence and the gain knobs until you have enough compression but also enough cut. good luck.
Just to add, the reason the excursion control setting of "T" was so important in the recommended settings is that is the Ecstasy's way of controlling the speaker cabinet dampening in order to give you that "tight" feel you were looking for. Sounds like you need to drive back! Nirvana was laid out before you and you didn't realize it. Or do yourself a favor and just buy one from an internet store that offers a 3 days no questions money back guarantee....and just get er done.
I was in that room on Saturday. They had some great stuff. I prefer the XTC, but there is a lot of knob turning to do. Great guitars in that room! Liked the Masterbuilt black Strat, and the PRS Modern Eagle.
Use 6550s in it and rebias it! That will make it very tight, BUT the Blue Channel won't sound as warm and nice as it does with the EL34.. maybe that's what you're after!
Interesting... IME, I've found the opposite to be true. I put GL KT-88's in my XTC and, to my ears, the bigger bottles made it less compressed and warmer through all three channels. As a result, I lost of bit of that tightness in the bottom end, but with the XTC's excursion & pre EQ features, you can dial that in to taste. YMMV.
Again I got some killer sounds but just could not get what I as hoping for. I currently have an Egnater M4 with a VHT 2502 power amp. I mostly use the Vox mod and the Eg5 for high gain lead stuff. The Eg5 is the best lead sound that I have heard for me. I realize there are a lot of you who would not care for it but I love the ferocity that it brings. I guess I just keep looking in case there is something better out there. These 3 amps have had me curious for a long time. After getting advice on the Xtc I plan to go back and try it again.
A friend of mine has a MOD50 and raves about the EG5 module. Thx Lution for the XTC settings. When I finally get to try one I'll use them.
Well...if you're using an M4-VHT2502 rig, than you've got your sounds. That's a killer rig. It can stand up to anything.
