ENGL E670FE Special Edition Founders Edition

[narad]

For some reason I think that the EL34 version was EL34 only.. I remember it had blue LEDs instead of Red (power switch and backlighting).
I don't know why they would do that. I'm not 100% certain either because I never played an EL34 amp I liked, so when I bought my E670, I specifically ordered the 6L6 version which 100% for sure has a switch to swap to EL34s. I was putting tubes in it today and staring right at it.

My first one was the 6L6 model, but it was old-ish when I got it and I sold it in like 2009. My second one I got in 2014 but it looked pretty old, too. Switching the tubes was something people talked a lot about at that time, so I think it would have been mentioned more if there was one and I would have eventually checked it out when I had it. That they had the switches as early as 2011 is definitely a surprise -- when Nick mentioned it I thought maybe he was alluding to a fairly recent refresh. They refreshed the tolex and some other minor things aesthetically at some point, maybe the two are correlated.

 

[Tepp]

My first one was the 6L6 model, but it was old-ish when I got it and I sold it in like 2009. My second one I got in 2014 but it looked pretty old, too. Switching the tubes was something people talked a lot about at that time, so I think it would have been mentioned more if there was one and I would have eventually checked it out when I had it. That they had the switches as early as 2011 is definitely a surprise -- when Nick mentioned it I thought maybe he was alluding to a fairly recent refresh. They refreshed the tolex and some other minor things aesthetically at some point, maybe the two are correlated.

Interesting. I didn't know any of that.

In regards to changes, I emailed ENGL and already received a response:

there are a lot of differences in tone. Edmund Engl tweaked the circuitry for a period of 15 years.
In functionality we have now a digital Reverb built in and features like a Mid Shift option in the upper channel section.
Tonally the amp is the best what you can get from ENGL at this point.
Please check the demos in the following link:
https://linktr.ee/ENGL_AMPS

The original spring reverb was awful (my bad opinion). Mine has been permanently disconnected for years because the spring is attached to the backplate, so when you swap tubes you had to disconnect the wiring. Since I hated it, I saw no point in connecting it back up. A digital reverb could be good /shrug.

I'm fairly convinced that the circuitry tweaks are substantial. I set my ENGL to the same settings that Jon from SDS used in his video, and there was so much low end it was a complete disaster. On top of that, I had serious clipping happening from somewhere that I couldn't run down. It wasn't clipping my interface, my TAE (reactive load) wasn't showing a red clipping light, and I wasn't clipping anything in protools.

Anyway.. long post. I'm still in love with my ENGL SE 12 years later. I'll never sell it. Amps come and go, but this one will be with me until I die and my wife throws it away.

 

[narad]

Interesting. I didn't know any of that.

In regards to changes, I emailed ENGL and already received a response:

there are a lot of differences in tone. Edmund Engl tweaked the circuitry for a period of 15 years.
In functionality we have now a digital Reverb built in and features like a Mid Shift option in the upper channel section.
Tonally the amp is the best what you can get from ENGL at this point.
Please check the demos in the following link:
https://linktr.ee/ENGL_AMPS

The original spring reverb was awful (my bad opinion). Mine has been permanently disconnected for years because the spring is attached to the backplate, so when you swap tubes you had to disconnect the wiring. Since I hated it, I saw no point in connecting it back up. A digital reverb could be good /shrug.

I'm fairly convinced that the circuitry tweaks are substantial. I set my ENGL to the same settings that Jon from SDS used in his video, and there was so much low end it was a complete disaster. On top of that, I had serious clipping happening from somewhere that I couldn't run down. It wasn't clipping my interface, my TAE (reactive load) wasn't showing a red clipping light, and I wasn't clipping anything in protools.

Anyway.. long post. I'm still in love with my ENGL SE 12 years later. I'll never sell it. Amps come and go, but this one will be with me until I die and my wife throws it away.

I'll admit the switches all seemed much more usable from the demos vs. my recollection. Mega-lo punch lol What a gimmicky voicing that was. The original is a lot of fun, but I think ultimately it's a great core tone with a lot of unnecessary features. If those voicing options are more dialed in, that's great I guess, but I think a lot of the people that use amps these days have plenty of other ways of making those sorts of tweaks otherwise.

Agree about the reverb, too, but rather than replace it with a digital option, I'd rather just ditch it altogether. Maybe I'm not full of the "special edition" spirit because I think a lot of this huge feature set is ultimately not that necessary, even if it is more useful now than it was before.

 

[gnoll]

Yeah unfortunately it's a bit hard to take Engl seriously. Reverb in a 100W metal amp, wth... And also what's with the disco lights in all the amps? Can't even see the tubes glow.

Already the Savage had a bunch of dumb shit in terms of features, like a switch for bypassing the tone stack, rendering the tone pretty much useless. I wonder if anybody ever actually used that one.

They should simplify their amps, get rid of the fluff, focus on what's important. More buttons doesn't = better amp. And also stop with the desperate youtube marketing bs.

Because honestly, some of their amps don't sound completely terrible. They have it in them to make okay amps.

 

[Tepp]

Yeah unfortunately it's a bit hard to take Engl seriously. Reverb in a 100W metal amp, wth... And also what's with the disco lights in all the amps? Can't even see the tubes glow.

Already the Savage had a bunch of dumb shit in terms of features, like a switch for bypassing the tone stack, rendering the tone pretty much useless. I wonder if anybody ever actually used that one.

They should simplify their amps, get rid of the fluff, focus on what's important. More buttons doesn't = better amp. And also stop with the desperate youtube marketing bs.

Because honestly, some of their amps don't sound completely terrible. They have it in them to make okay amps.

hahaha! love this response. "some of their amps don't sound completely terrible. They have it in them to make okay amps."

As a total ENGL fan, I'm conflicted because here is the truth: Every ENGL amp I've played sounded like garbage EXCEPT for the SE (I only actually like the 1 amp they made*). Something about the full EQ curve on channel 3 is amazing. Every amp I've ever played since buying the SE has been compared to my SE, and I've never bought one or played another that sounds as good as channel 3.

For the sake of clarity, I'm not incredibly versed with ENGL amps. I've played and owned an Invader (couldn't get it to sound good). I've played and owned the Ironball (it was ok.. great for bedroom volume before reactive loads became a thing).

I've played the savage 120 (wow did I hate that amp. no low end balls at all.. when I hear people say they like a tight low end, in my head I just think: "they like shrill tone that only consists of mids and highs..." Yes I understand that my opinion is worth nothing to other people).

I've never played or seen a fireball or powerball in any store or in anyone's possession.

 

[gnoll]

Yeah Savage is a tight and sharp amp. Because of the front end bass cut that's all it does. I think what it does, it does reasonably well. But it's limited.

It does have *some* power amp balls when the depth control is engaged. But it's just on/off, and for some reason it has TWO of those buttons, and you have to press the right one according to how the presence A/B button is set. Otherwise it does literally nothing. And one of the buttons is pretty easy to spot since it's off to the side close to the standby switch but the other one is further to the left and much harder to see.

Again, the amps are just bogged down by too much stuff, features, knobs and buttons.

 

[Guitarjon]

Could I BE more excited?

 

[Guitarjon]

This amp sounds so ridiculously good, especially the lead 1 channel for metal.... Just...wow!

 

[Northfall]

This amp sounds so ridiculously good, especially the lead 1 channel for metal.... Just...wow!

I'd say it's high time you sell me on something new. Go ahead, do your worst!

 

[Guitarjon]

I'd say it's high time you sell me on something new. Go ahead, do your worst!

'Nuff said!

 

[Moon162]

This amp sounds so ridiculously good, especially the lead 1 channel for metal.... Just...wow!

I hope you still have the DIs from your first review to reamp and compare 6L6 vs EL34. Would be super fun and interesting!

 

[Guitarjon]

Here's an in-depth look at the 6L6 version with a wide variety of guitars:

 

[mr_scary]

I purchased the 6L6 version have had it for 1 week, and it blew a power tube today.
Power on cycle, hit the stand by and "POP" .
It still works, and the tube indicator light is on.

Can power tube just be swapped out with new ones, or does this amp need to be biased?

Is there something else maybe wrong that caused the tube/s to go?

Thanks for any input. Appreciate all..

EDIT*** wow never posted here. says I only have 1 message, LOL.. I swear I've been here along time.

 

[fantom]

I purchased the 6L6 version have had it for 1 week, and it blew a power tube today.
Power on cycle, hit the stand by and "POP" .
It still works, and the tube indicator light is on.

Can power tube just be swapped out with new ones, or does this amp need to be biased?

Is there something else maybe wrong that caused the tube/s to go?

Thanks for any input. Appreciate all..

EDIT*** wow never posted here. says I only have 1 message, LOL.. I swear I've been here along time.

Honestly, I'd call the place you bought it from and see what they want you to do.

 

[mr_scary]

Honestly, I'd call the place you bought it from and see what they want you to do.

Yea that sounds like a good idea.
I was gonna call Sweetwater Monday, just wanted to see what my options were. and if it was more serious then just a tube.. I really hate to ship it back if it's simply a tube.
However even though the manual says it's okay to continue using the amp, but I doubt I will.

Power Tube Monitor
This red LED lights up to indicate one of the internal power tube fuses (each tube is fused separately) has
blown. You can continue playing, but the amp's performance will be diminished. Normally the loss of a power
tube results in an unbalanced signal. Be sure to have the amp checked by a professional as soon as possible;
the fuse probably blew because of a defective power tube. Once a fuse has blown, it must be replaced by a
new fuse.

FYI: This amp is a beast, I can't decide which channel I like the most. I know for a fact Lead 2 is the best Solo channel. But I really like the Crunch channel with an OD.
I found myself playing a lot of cleans again. This amp is 100% legit. every channel is amazingly different. My heart broke when it popped like that. I know it will be fine...

 

[ezboarderz]

Yea that sounds like a good idea.
I was gonna call Sweetwater Monday, just wanted to see what my options were. and if it was more serious then just a tube.. I really hate to ship it back if it's simply a tube.
However even though the manual says it's okay to continue using the amp, but I doubt I will.



FYI: This amp is a beast, I can't decide which channel I like the most. I know for a fact Lead 2 is the best Solo channel. But I really like the Crunch channel with an OD.
I found myself playing a lot of cleans again. This amp is 100% legit. every channel is amazingly different. My heart broke when it popped like that. I know it will be fine...

if one tube blew, its best to replace them with a matched quad and bias it, but since its so new, definitely check with sweetwater.

 

[boltzthrower]

I would think Sweetwater should send you a new matched quad or replace the whole amp but anyway, if you’re left with 3 tubes afterwards, contact a tube dealer that sells the same make/model of tube and you should be able to send the 3 in and have them match a 4th tube for you. If you do that, you won’t need to bias the amp. If you get a new quad you will need to bias the amp before using it. If Sweetwater thinks they can just send you 1 new power tube, that’s not acceptable since it won’t be matched.

 

[mr_scary]

I would think Sweetwater should send you a new matched quad or replace the whole amp but anyway, if you’re left with 3 tubes afterwards, contact a tube dealer that sells the same make/model of tube and you should be able to send the 3 in and have them match a 4th tube for you. If you do that, you won’t need to bias the amp. If you get a new quad you will need to bias the amp before using it. If Sweetwater thinks they can just send you 1 new power tube, that’s not acceptable since it won’t be matched.

if one tube blew, its best to replace them with a matched quad and bias it, but since its so new, definitely check with sweetwater.

I really appreciate the replies. Very helpful. I didn't realize the set had to be replaced if 1 tube went, but that does make sense.
Sweetwater is the best, so I don't think there will any issues. Thank you all for the great info. Greatly Appreciated.

Thanks..

 

[Jon Pearson]

If you buy a single tube and it is reasonably well matched to the old tubes, it's not really an issue. Do the tubes in the amp now have a label indicating any kind test results

 

[mr_scary]

If you buy a single tube and it is reasonably well matched to the old tubes, it's not really an issue. Do the tubes in the amp now have a label indicating any kind test results

I don't see anything on/in the tubes themselves, not sure even what to look for. I have been looking at them through the front with a flashlight while it's off.
It is so bright in there if it's on from the LEDs I can't see anything that would indicate to me, but I don't really know what to look for.
All the glass is clean and clear, no black, or smoke, or burnt element.

On the back of the amp there is a Power Tube Monitor. It is ON.