How mean is the Egnater Vengeance?

[COCK OF CHRIST]

I'm pretty much sold on getting another 6505 but... I keep hearing that the Egnater Vengeance has more balls than the 6505.this is very hard to believe. Every Egnater I've ever played sounded like a rock/blues amp. I also heard egnaters sound terrible with active pick-ups and V30's. Anybody here love their Vegeance amp? Do they really have a thick, heavy tone like 6505? Just seen a vengeance up for auction on eBay. From the looks of it... They don't have good resale value.
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?sbk=1&nav=SEARCH&itemId=111188815428

 

[vick1000]

I was rolling amps all year through GC, the Vengeance was one of them. Right away, I had to ask myself, what were the gain stages doing on the amp. Saturation was weak, and it sounded like a hotrodded Marshall to me. It was used, but I rolled the tubes, and took it back the next day. Just not enough drive, and no punch on the low end for my taste. I settled on a JSX if thats an indicator.

 

[Dawn of the Shred]

Iv heard really nothing good about these amps. I havent got to play one but i hear alot of bad things about it.

 

[Fretless]

Only played a tiny combo egg. It was really good for the size, and it was punchy for what we played as just a practice amp, but it was not worth recording with.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

The Armageddon seems to be a better amp if you want the br00tz. The Vengeance seems to get there with a boost, but the Armageddon seems to be plenty heavy on it's own.



They both don't seem like amps if you want Boogie or Peavey-style saturation. More like a very tight and dry chunk like Iced Earth or the self-titled Periphery album.

 

[will_shred]

^ I think They're the same amp, the Vengeance is just a stripped down version. The tones he was getting did sound like the kind I could get through the vengeance, in person it's not nearly as punchy as it sounds though the camera.

How mean is the Egnater Vengeance?

It's really not at all. It's a rock amp disguised as a metal amp. I owned one for right around a year, traded it for my Blackstar Series one 45, not looking back.

It gets some cool sounds, and can sound pretty epic for a kind of hair metal/80's rock kind of Marshall sound. However it lacks a lot of usable gain, and isn't really all that tight. My Blackstar is much better, it's still not my dream amp however it's the closest I've found to it. It has it's own very unique sound which is badass in it's own way.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I've talked to someone who tried the Armageddon, and he says it's a better, more versatile amp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCRj8OxfDUA&list=PLE1606AE753ED8FC9#t=121

 

[Wookieslayer]

The Vengeance is like a tube version of the T2 to my ears. It's warmer and less punchy, albeit I'm sure you could fix that with bigger tubes in the power section and possibly a boost. It is dark and saturated but not quite as clear as the Randall T2 and V2 amp heads when the gain is close to maxed or maxed, and not quite as much low end; at least not at lower volumes or with the stock tubes, in my experience.

If the 5150/6505 sound is what's in your head you will find yourself always missing it with the Vengeance mostly likely.

The Armageddon is incredibly similar; I've played them back to back. The Armageddon is more tweakable but maybe harder to dial in (not that it's hard just takes awhile to use that sweep knob / density knobs on the right cab/room).

If you need MIDI the Armageddon would be useful and of course comes with the built in G-string gate (which is ....ing awesome) but it's not like Decimators are thattt expensive. You could grab a Vengeance and a boost/graphic EQ and find your tone. Oh and of course it has one less channel but if you're looking at a 5150 I don't think you care about that extra gain channel too much.

I would consider the 5150 III if you're looking for the grind those amps are famous for but a bit more refinement. also the 50w comes with MIDI and a resonance knob so that is something to consider.

I'm sure with all the amps I mentioned you will find a tone you like but it won't quite have the rawness and high end as an original 5150. (but the cleans on the Egnaters are much better than a original 5150/6505*)

Most of these amps should be in your local GC so def try one before committing; or at least take advantage of their return policy. Don't forget to compare them with a similar cab...

 

[demoniaco]

Try the Randall Diavlo 100! Less expensive.... MUCH BETTER amp!

 

[Wookieslayer]

or you could do that! ^

 

[jd267]

Had one for a day and hatted it threw my mesa v30 cab. Returned it the next day. Sound ok at best threw the matching cab. I A/B it with my 5150 and unplugged the egnater and put it in the truck. Boosting both with a maxon 0d808

 

[Chris_ONiP]

I own a 6505+ and an Armageddon, and I like the Armageddon better in the studio but the 6505+ better on stage. The Armageddon isn't as saturated as the Peavey and doesn't have as much gain as you'd expect. It's also not super tight like the Peavey, I always run a OD in front, but it's ridiculously versatile, the cleans are lush and thick and chimey and the built in reverb is great, and the ISP noise gate is first class, works perfectly.

I have played the Vengeance too but the one I tried just didn't have the same bite and presence as the Armageddon. I'm sure with a tube swap, OD and maybe EQ the Vengeance would be a killer amp, but better value than a 6505? I've gotta say no.

 

[Blasphemer]

Its not very mean. It doesn't really get a 5150 sound. That being said, I have one, and I freaking love it. It's better for a smoother style gain, not an aggressive one such as a 5150

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

I own a 6505+ and an Armageddon, and I like the Armageddon better in the studio but the 6505+ better on stage. The Armageddon isn't as saturated as the Peavey and doesn't have as much gain as you'd expect. It's also not super tight like the Peavey, I always run a OD in front, but it's ridiculously versatile, the cleans are lush and thick and chimey and the built in reverb is great, and the ISP noise gate is first class, works perfectly.

I have played the Vengeance too but the one I tried just didn't have the same bite and presence as the Armageddon. I'm sure with a tube swap, OD and maybe EQ the Vengeance would be a killer amp, but better value than a 6505? I've gotta say no.

A big +1 to all of this. I'd get the 6505+ myself. I've played both the Vengence and Armageddon extensively... and both sit firmly in the modified Marshall high-gain voicing camp. Not the modern saturated heavy high gain sound many might expect from such amps.

 

[nothingleft09]

I honestly loved my Vengeance... til I got a 60 watt 5150 (combo modded to a head, thanks Lee!) yesterday. Way better tone, no comparison on volume. The 60 watt 5150 blows the Vengeance on 120 watt mode away. The only way I've gotten it close on volume is to crank the FX loop controls on the Vengeance full bore which honestly ups the balls and chunk of the Vengeance but it's nowhere close.

 

[bloodnail]

Its true even only being 60 watts they are loud as hell and I'm gonna agree that its hard to beat a 5150 for metal.your welcome Micheal.

 

[karjim]

If you like Egnater, Laney GH100 make dry sound, hot rodded mlarshall boosted distortion, and with an Od, it's tight as fvck !
Sometimes you see these amps on E-bay for 300$
Otherwise, guys are right, go Randall, most Brutal amps of the earth for a bunch of money.
No boost, no eq, just a guitar and a cable = Crushing Chunk Chuggah Chuggah

 

[nothingleft09]

One thing I am going to try soon is changing up my preamp and power tubes. It has Egnater/Ruby 12AX7's in it and a lot of research shows there are better preamp tubes with more gain to them I want to try. As for power tubes I was contemplating a KT77 and 6V6 setup today after looking at a bunch of comparisons. Mine has 6L6's in it currently. It still won't touch the 5150 but I do like the fact that I can experiment like hell with power tubes. If I don't like the KT77/6V6 I may go the route Ola and Fortin went with the Satan and try some KT88's and Tung-Sol 6L6's. lol Shits and giggles.

 

[vick1000]

One thing I am going to try soon is changing up my preamp and power tubes. It has Egnater/Ruby 12AX7's in it and a lot of research shows there are better preamp tubes with more gain to them I want to try. As for power tubes I was contemplating a KT77 and 6V6 setup today after looking at a bunch of comparisons. Mine has 6L6's in it currently. It still won't touch the 5150 but I do like the fact that I can experiment like hell with power tubes. If I don't like the KT77/6V6 I may go the route Ola and Fortin went with the Satan and try some KT88's and Tung-Sol 6L6's. lol Shits and giggles.

I don't think 6V6s would be an option, unless you are modding the plate voltage somehow.

 

[COCK OF CHRIST]

Had one for a day and hatted it threw my mesa v30 cab. Returned it the next day. Sound ok at best threw the matching cab. I A/B it with my 5150 and unplugged the egnater and put it in the truck. Boosting both with a maxon 0d808

i know this guy!!! he tried to win my vengeance on ebay. after he lost, i told him that the vengeance sucked ass with V30's. he went out the next day and bought one on clearance. .... he returned it the next day lol. egnater amps sound like pure trash with any cab loaded with V30's. i learned my lesson well... dont buy an amp without trying it first!