Head or pre-amp.. ENGL or Mesa :)

[mindwalker]

Hey guys,

At the moment I'm a bedroom player (live in a flat, can't shout much) so I mostly play for myself or I do some recordings on the computer. However (as with life is uncertain) I could jam with friends at some point.

I'm playing a POD X3 for now through some logitech desktop speakers however I'd like to try some sweet tubes.
I should also add that money is not an issue for now, but I like to spend it rationally

I figure that the pre-amp route will probably be the best for now as I can play at home in acceptable volumes. That would mean the ENGL e530 or the more expensive e570. On the other hand, if I ever get to jam, I'm stuck to a rack mount arrangement which means I need to find a suitable power-amp and so forth.
Also I've seen plenty of ENGL e530s going around on eBay for 60% of the original price so I guess considering it an investment it might not hold so well.

Or I could just get a head. This would make it easy to jam however maybe a pain in the behind to play at home and record ?
In this scenario I could be looking at the ENGL Invader 100 or the Mesa Mark V. Both of these seem to sound awesome and retain their value pretty well...

What do you guys suggest ?
I'd like to be able to play also at home with the minimum of fuss.. don't wanna be firing up my daw, monitoring the recording with impulses before I can even start to make it sound good. Guess I could still use the pre-amp feeding the POD and having the POD emulate a power-amp+cabinet...

There are smaller amps like Blackstar-s HT-5 and HT-20..HT-40 but they seem to fail a bit to me on the high gain territory which is where I like to live the most.. high gain and cleans..

Thanks a lot for any hints!

 

[JPhoenix19]

I'll be the first to suggest an Axe-Fx. It's the best of both worlds- tube tone, versatility, ease of recording with all effects and impulses built in, and it's certainly gig-worthy. How you would go about obtaining one, I'm not sure.

 

[InTheRavensName]

^ This, you could either use a tube or solid state poweramp with this, or a powered PA speaker, should you need to jam. Probably much more useful than a head, seeing as how you would need a speaker simulator to run one direct, or a cab and attenuator to run one.

 

[budda]

There isn't much point to getting a quality tube head if you can't turn it up past talking volumes half the time, IMO.

 

[Soopahmahn]

I'll be the first to suggest an Axe-Fx. It's the best of both worlds- tube tone, versatility, ease of recording with all effects and impulses built in, and it's certainly gig-worthy. How you would go about obtaining one, I'm not sure.

G66. G66 - Home

Definitely recommended.

The Mark V can be tweaked to sound ok at bedroom volumes.

 

[Larrikin666]

If you're willing to spend the cash for a Mesa or ENGL....just buy the Axe-FX. You'll thank us later.

 

[Doomcreeper]

There isn't much point to getting a quality tube head if you can't turn it up past talking volumes half the time, IMO.

True, having gone from giigging a bit, jamming with my band, and being able to play at loud with my mesa to having to play it at appartment volume levels sucked. Oh well, I only have to deal with that a few more months. So if you can't crank it at least sometimes then tube isn't worth it.

 

[mindwalker]

Seems like the Axe-Fx is the deal then! The word is that ENGLs sound good at low volumes too (dunno about that personally). I'll check some youtube videos of the axe-fx. For one thing I don't really feel like tweaking all the options on a digital simulator but I heard the software running on your PC makes it easy ? And how mature is the software and the unit in general ? You know with software things tend to loose their appeal drastically as soon as a new hardware version comes out, unlike real amps. On the other hand these things are tube-free maintenance... I'll check more info on the Axe-Fx... I guess right now I'll play most of the time at home so.. no cranking a tube amp for me!

 

[budda]

ENGL's do sound good at low volumes, but an Axe-FX can get you an ENGL tone

 

[MacTown09]

Yeah dude go axe fx! Its what i am saving my nickels and dimes for at the moment as well. For you i reccomend that you get the Axe-FX and then a pair of powered stage monitors to plug it into when you jam with friends and/or at shows.

 

[JohnIce]

I own an Axe-Fx and it models both ENGL and Mesa amps VERY well. In fact I have a patch that consists of both a Powerball and a Recto at the same time And I use the Mark models for my main lead tones. Sounds killer at any volume.

 

[leonardo7]

Axe for sure if only for recording and bedroom playing but if you do play with a drummer or want to be real loud then you will need a power amp for it. Maybe my experience can help since I own and use a Mesa Triple Rectifier and an ENGL Fireball 100. The Mesa needs to be real fucking loud to sound like the most amazing amp ever. The ENGL sounds better at lower volumes. If there is one thing my ENGL head is amazing for, then its because I can actually get a ridiculously good tone from it at low low volumes and it sounds great whereas Mesas can sound a little dull and muddy at low volumes. This is why most kids go to Guitar Center, try a Mesa quietly and decide against it. If you cant play it loud then dont buy a Mesa. If you play mostly at bedroom levels then get the ENGL. I say ENGL for you! But look into the Axe!

 

[JohnIce]

^ A power amp + cab, does get the job done, but it's not needed. Other alternatives are running it through a PA or through powered monitors. In our rehearsal space we have a small mixer with only a few channels, but it's more than enough for me to overpower the drums completely if I wanted to I've never had to use it live without a PA, but I've soundchecked with the PA master faders down and just using a powered monitor to even out the stage volume, and this worked well, I didn't feel lost in the mix at all.

 

[InTheRavensName]

An Axe-FX through an ENGL e840/50 or Mesa 2:50 would also give you a nice tube sound if you did decide to gig, but you could use the Axe on it's own so you wouldn't have to crank it all the time.

 

[Deathbringer769]

ENGL's do sound good at low volumes

Indeed . My Invader 150 still sounds totally massive and clear at whisper quiet volumes. You'll be able to play at any volume with it and sound great without an attenuator.