ENGL Powerball ll vs Archon/Recto

[sevenfoxes]

I’ve never played an ENGL, but the Powerball ll has recently caught my attention, especially after watching the video from @Guitarjon.

But I am a HUGE fan of the recto and Archon, especially the low mids of those amps that make them so fat and full sounding/feeling, so I was wondering how the Powerball compares, especially when it comes to those low mids.

Thanks!

 

[Kosthrash]

It's the Engl Savage ii 120 that you want

 

[Dr. Caligari]

Savage def has a different thing going on than Pb, and imo is about a hundred times better.

 

[sevenfoxes]

Savage def has a different thing going on than Pb, and imo is about a hundred times better.

Feel free to elaborate!

 

[Guitarjon]

I’ve never played an ENGL, but the Powerball ll has recently caught my attention, especially after watching the video from @Guitarjon.

But I am a HUGE fan of the recto and Archon, especially the low mids of those amps that make them so fat and full sounding/feeling, so I was wondering how the Powerball compares, especially when it comes to those low mids.

Thanks!

The Powerball can do that fat low mid sound for sure albeit in its own way. The cool thing about that amp is that it can do both a more loose low end sound (channel 3) and a more modern tight sound (channel 4).

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Feel free to elaborate!

From what I can tell, the Savage has a much more gnarly and aggressive midrange and a tighter low end. It makes the PB sound more polite by comparison.

It's also a lot more expensive lol.
From what I can tell the Engl Blackmore has a similar voicing as the Savage but with less bells and whistles. And the Artist is like the Blackmore but with a bit more dynamic (? ) and versatile voicing.

 

[Sir_Shreddington]

So I’ve owned an Engl fireball 100, Screamer 50, Artist edition (one of the 30 OG's with the green leds), Savage 120 mk1; and I’ve played the Savage Mk2, both Powerballs 1 and 2, iron ball, special edition, and the Blackmore. It's worth noting that I had cash in hand and after I tried the Power Ball II, I opted to special order a Savage.

If you're looking for low mid girth, I'd look into the Fireball 100 (not the 60) since it has a mid boost and is more darker voiced, or the Power Ball 2. If you like tight, and a more aggressively voiced mid-range look into the Artist Edition, Blackmore, or Savage. When I think of the signature Engl sound, these 3 amps are what I think of.

My absolute favorite amp by Engl is the Artist Edition. Like @HeHasTheJazzHands accurately pointed out is that the Artist and Blackmore will get you sounding like the one of the main sounds on the Savage...the "good" sound. I LOVE the savage, but I like the Mk1 better than Mk2. Also I prefer the Artist because EL34 (Blackmore has 6l6), and I didn't want a space ship for an amp. I wanted simplicity. I like simplicity. The less buttons you have on an amp, means the less that can go wrong with it.

I shouldn't be plugging this guy's sale (because I want it for myself ), but I saw a new artist edition up for sale on reverb for dirt cheap; and if my wife wasn't about to give birth any day now to my second born, AND if I wasn't looking for a house shortly after his birth...I would have already bought it.

Hope I didn't make this decision worse!