# It's ENGL time



## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

Bought a Powerball.

Never heard a better sounding high gain head in my life.....




















Found the Laney 2X12 this morning in another shop...$125 bucks for a 2X12 with Greenbacks. Not a bad deal.

The Powerball is absolutely amazing. Does Metal and heavy rock tones like noting else but I am impressed with how well it sounds for straight up rock tones.

Build in noise gate is a Godsend.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I am so jealous of the Laney cab. Wish a deal like that would come my way.

Matt


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

I th ought I was reading the tag wrong at first.

it is a REALLY nice sounding 2X12.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Really? Never?

I tried a Powerball once... did not like it, at all. Had the JSX in the same room (and a POD XT PRO rack rig) to compare it to, and much preferred my amp. It was just too compressed for me. The owner sold it a few weeks after we were all at his place IIRC lol.

Glad you like it though! Those bad boys go for a pretty penny up here.

Clips?


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

Budda said:


> Really? Never?
> 
> I tried a Powerball once... did not like it, at all. Had the JSX in the same room (and a POD XT PRO rack rig) to compare it to, and much preferred my amp. It was just too compressed for me. The owner sold it a few weeks after we were all at his place IIRC lol.
> 
> ...



I was comparing it to a JSX....which is my next high gain amp by the way I love those things. 

To me the ENGL is clearer sounding...mind you I keep the gain down at 10-11 o'clock which, after some tinkering, seems to be the sweet spot b/w an open sound and squishy sound. The 2 cabs work well with this amp, the Laney is a midrangey bright sounding cab while the Mesa is a darker sounding cab.


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## Metal#J# (Jan 1, 2007)

The Powerball is the only Engl I haven't tried........but I love the rest of them and I'm sure this one rawks like the others. 

I've got a fireball 60 but I'm gasing pretty hard for the 100. I think they look better blacked out.:rockon2:

Congrats on the new amp.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

J, just get the Invader or the Savage 120, and leave the runts (P-ball,F-ball) alone LOL.

Archer, if that JSX isn't biased then you're missing out - as I've discovered after some retubing haha. Also, the right speakers make that thing.. well, gorgeous!

I turned the gain down when I tried the powerball (im the "anti-gain whore" of sevenstring.org haha, I keep my gain much lower then most - never above 3 on a high gain channel), it still wasn't floating my boat. Basically it was good for modern melodic death metal A La Neaera, and nothing else lol.

I didn't know you were running both cabs, must sound interesting! Will you try stacking them at all?

Clips pleease


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

No need to sell me on the JSX. I love em. To me they sound best with Vintage 30 speakers. Like most Peavey stuff they seem to really like JJ tubes.


I have a country band and a pop-top 40 act. The ENGL is working perfectly for the top 40 band...can do way more than metal.

I dont like stacking cabs, I think that cabs sound much better when in contact with a floor or stage (depending on the stage) whenever possible. 

My band is going to cut some demos, the powerball will be used on several parts. I have a Ritchie Blackmore head and a Thunder 50 combo. They will share time with my Koch Multitone. I actually dont like the Savage at all...which is odd since the Blackmore is a stripped down version of the Savage...I think it is the 6550 powered output section. The Invader is also a great amp. Lots of guys are using the powerball as their main amp: Vinnie Moore, CHris Broderick...though he has added an SE to the mix recently, Kuddel of Die Toten Hosen, Rudy Schenker of Scorpions, Glenn Tipton if Judas Priest, Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy, Marty Friedman. The Powerball is an amp that is very popular among many touring players. Not a 'runt' in the line...rather it is made with one goal in mind: distortion.


I have been looking up schematics...the Invader cct isnt much different from the powerball cct.


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

Metal#J# said:


> The Powerball is the only Engl I haven't tried........but I love the rest of them and I'm sure this one rawks like the others.
> 
> I've got a fireball 60 but I'm gasing pretty hard for the 100. I think they look better blacked out.:rockon2:
> 
> Congrats on the new amp.


A fireball is a stripped down Powerball.


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## Deef (Nov 5, 2006)

Metal#J# said:


> I've got a fireball 60 but I'm gasing pretty hard for the 100. I think they look better blacked out.:rockon2:


 Yeah, I miss that Fireball... it was a great practice amp. It got heavy at low volume settings versus my SE.

I also set my gain low, I find you can get a nice crunch without turning the gain too high.

:rockon2:


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## Lemmy Hangslong (May 11, 2006)

Congrats on a cool amp. I'm an Engle fan myself. The laney cab was a great deal. 

Did you purchase this stuff at Vintage? I believe I saw a Powerball there a while back.


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## twoonie2 (Jan 19, 2008)

How does it compare to a Bogner Ubershall? I've been looking at the Engl stuff for some time.. (further purchase down the road - head/cab setup).. but also looking at the Ubershall.

http://www.bogneramplification.com/customshop/UberschallInfo.php


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

Those and the Bogners are in a class by themselves.

End of the day you still have to work to find your settings, and remember them.

Bev


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

archer, how do you like it VS the blackmore?


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

KHINGPYNN said:


> Congrats on a cool amp. I'm an Engle fan myself. The laney cab was a great deal.
> 
> Did you purchase this stuff at Vintage? I believe I saw a Powerball there a while back.


Steve had a Fireball not the Powerbal. He was also asking WAY too much....in other words it was business as usual for him.

The Head is from Guitarworks and the Cab was at Mothers.


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

twoonie2 said:


> How does it compare to a Bogner Ubershall? I've been looking at the Engl stuff for some time.. (further purchase down the road - head/cab setup).. but also looking at the Ubershall.
> 
> http://www.bogneramplification.com/customshop/UberschallInfo.php


More defined lows than the Uberschall (which to me had a strange low end....but I am not a bogner fan) and a thicker midrange. I actually owned an Uberschall for a while. I also owned a Diezel VH4S for a while. I prefer ENGL stuff.


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

Budda said:


> archer, how do you like it VS the blackmore?


It is a heavier sounding amp. The BLackmore has more of a classic british tone than the Powerball.....more sizzle than the Powerball but the Blackmore doesnt have the fast response or low end of the Powerball.


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

Deef said:


> Yeah, I miss that Fireball... it was a great practice amp. It got heavy at low volume settings versus my SE.
> 
> I also set my gain low, I find you can get a nice crunch without turning the gain too high.
> 
> :rockon2:



a 60 watt 6L6 head is more than a practice amp. 60 watts can work in any venue on the planet.


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## Metal#J# (Jan 1, 2007)

Archer said:


> a 60 watt 6L6 head is more than a practice amp. 60 watts can work in any venue on the planet.


 No question it's loud........it just sounds much better when it's not being pushed. Even if I was playing live I would let the PA do all the work just to maintain the tone. 

+1 on keeping the gain low........12:30=best crunch tone ever. 

J


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

I dont agree with you at all on the power section thing. Amps sound fatter and punchier when the power section is working. I use a Dr Z Airbrake (best attenuator on the market in my opinion) to get my 100 watters working properly. Preamp tone in and of itself is pretty weak sounding to me.

My gains are at ~ 10:00 and I have plenty. Higher than 11:00 is overly saturated. For the first day I was goofing around with the gain at around 2:00....too squishy.


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## Metal#J# (Jan 1, 2007)

Archer said:


> I dont agree with you at all on the power section thing. Amps sound fatter and punchier when the power section is working. I use a Dr Z Airbrake (best attenuator on the market in my opinion) to get my 100 watters working properly. Preamp tone in and of itself is pretty weak sounding to me.
> 
> My gains are at ~ 10:00 and I have plenty. Higher than 11:00 is overly saturated. For the first day I was goofing around with the gain at around 2:00....too squishy.


This amp in particular loses definition when you run it full out.......I'd have to say from other threads in other forums this would be the general opinion. Many people comment on how they get lost in the mix especially when they're up against a 100 watt. Maybe something to do with the small OT???.......And before you try to school me on the db difference between a 100w and a 60w.....I understand! Just like I understand that most amps sound better when the power section is being run hard. The Fireball must be the exception. 

Like Deef said, it's an excellent practice/recording amp.......and I don't need to burn up my tubes to get the tone I want.

J


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

Metal#J# said:


> This amp in particular loses definition when you run it full out.......I'd have to say from other threads in other forums this would be the general opinion. Many people comment on how they get lost in the mix especially when they're up against a 100 watt. Maybe something to do with the small OT???.......And before you try to school me on the db difference between a 100w and a 60w.....I understand! Just like I understand that most amps sound better when the power section is being run hard. The Fireball must be the exception.
> 
> Like Deef said, it's an excellent practice/recording amp.......and I don't need to burn up my tubes to get the tone I want.
> 
> J


naah. Not gonna try to school you on anything. 

Interesting observation on the Fireball. I havent spent enough time on them to have a valid opinion...could very well be in the OT. Interesting cause I attenuate both of my ENGL's and they dont get lost at ALL.


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## Lemmy Hangslong (May 11, 2006)

A fireball... couldnt remember exactly what it was... I do remember a very high price. The cab was from mother's... very cool... Mother's seems to be a fair place to spend $$$.

Cheers


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

KHINGPYNN said:


> A fireball... couldnt remember exactly what it was... I do remember a very high price. The cab was from mother's... very cool... Mother's seems to be a fair place to spend $$$.
> 
> Cheers



I used to be a manager at Mother's. Still have a soft spot for 'my store.'

They are also the only place in town that sells Tom Anderson.


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