Hows the engl fireball100 compares to vh140, 5150, dual rec? (NOT a VS thread)

[Gmork]

This isnt about which is "better". they are all incredible. I ask about those amps specifically because ive owned them all and thus make a good reference when talking about and comparing the tones of the fireball100 (NOT THE 60)
Thanks

Things im interested in...
-thickness of overall tone.
-tightness.
-graininess of the gain.
-percusive "thump/punch" of the lowend.
-how well in cuts live.
-build quality/reliability.
-how good is its built in gate?
-any experiences or other cool or not so cool facts about the fireball 100 !

Thanks!

 

[Gmork]

Well ive officially bought the FB100 and itll be shipped off monday!! Im selling off a bunch of cool gear to help lessen the financial blow, peavey vtm120, peavey rockmaster rack preamp, crate xlp rack pre and fx etc.
For the stuff i play i think it will serve me better though i will miss all that cool gear.

 

[gunch]

If I hadn't just bought an interface I'd be trying to score that XLP

 

[oneblackened]

This isnt about which is "better". they are all incredible. I ask about those amps specifically because ive owned them all and thus make a good reference when talking about and comparing the tones of the fireball100 (NOT THE 60)
Thanks

Things im interested in...
-thickness of overall tone. Relatively thick but not really in the same league as the other 2 - for an Engl it's thick though.
-tightness. Easily the tightest of the 3 - super compressed like most Engls. Doesn't tend to like boosts.
-graininess of the gain. Least grainy - no cold clipper or anything.
-percusive "thump/punch" of the lowend. Not quite as percussive as either the Mesa or the Peavey.
-how well in cuts live. Gets eaten alive by 6505s/Rectos/etc in a band setting - all Engls do, it's just the nature of the beast. Fine as long as they're not competing with a bigger sounding amp.
-build quality/reliability. Meh. Engl isn't known for amazing build quality.
-how good is its built in gate? Not great.
-any experiences or other cool or not so cool facts about the fireball 100 !

Thanks!

Answers in bold.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

All engls get eaten alive by rectos/5150

the savage cuts like a mofo, don't lump it in with other engls.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

oops

 

[Gmork]

the savage cuts like a mofo, don't lump it in with other engls.

ive read so much good of the FB100 though?!?

Also NGL, I debated on getting one of these when I was hunting down a Triple Recto a year ago. It was between this a Framus Cobra, and a Triple Recto. Making me glad I didn't pull the trigger.

which, the FB100?

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

ive read so much good of the FB100 though?!?

which, the FB100?

Fuck, wrong thread. Sorry dude.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

ive read so much good of the FB100 though?!?

which, the FB100?

i can't comment on the fireball because i've never heard one in person, but the savage most definitely cuts through the mix from what i've heard in person.

 

[oneblackened]

the savage cuts like a mofo, don't lump it in with other engls.

Eh, they cut OK. They're still not going to be heard super well next to a less compressed amp. Super-compressed amps just don't cut as well in general, it's not just Engl, though engl doesn't help things with that super smooth-ish top end thing that they do.

 

[Gmork]

Eh, they cut OK. They're still not going to be heard super well next to a less compressed amp. Super-compressed amps just don't cut as well in general, it's not just Engl, though engl doesn't help things with that super smooth-ish top end thing that they do.

Not cutting enough, turn it up until it does! lol

 

[USMarine75]

Answers in bold.

Spot on. I've had (or have) all of the amps mentioned. The FB100 is the darkest sounding and has a real smooth and compressed distortion. Not harsh, throaty, or brash like a 5150 or Marshall. It is very articulate. The built-in NG is awesome. I've said before it is kind of a one (or two) trick pony, not a ton of tones on tap like a JVM410H, but what it does it does aces! It has a unique low-mid sound that honestly is probably the best of it's kind if you like that kind of tone (which I do). Most amps live in the higher mids (i.e. Marshall).

The FB100 is SIGNIFICANTLY better at cutting through a mix. It is not as good as the Savage or Morse at this, but... it is light years better than the PB100.

It does not take a boost well nor does it need it. It is plenty tight all by itself. You could try different boosts that are more subtle maybe, but it doesn't like something with a bold midhump like a TS from my experience.

It sounds incredible by itself. Maybe one of the best I've ever heard. But like many Engl amps it can get lost in a mix. My recommendation is you have settings for jamming by yourself but then make sure to find different settings that work with your live situation. Let the 5150's carve out the higher mids with rolled off bass and treble. The low mids and high end is where you can live in the mix. I think that is mostly the issue (myself included!)... we find tones we like when jamming by our self, and then wonder wtf happened when we jam with a buddy or a band. I remember the bottom and mid boost buttons made a BIG difference between how it sounded with a band mix. IIRC bottom on and midboost off sounded best in the room alone to me, but bottom off and midboost on cut better live?

Also depends on the rest of your rig. I'd make sure you match a good cab to it. Something that is 3D sounding with some nice mids (v30) and not something dark to begin with.

Anyways, for what these things go for used (~$900) they are one of the BEST and most fun amps for jamming by yourself. Just incredible tones. My recommendation - Put some time in dialing it in with a live mix and I think you'll be happy. Have someone else chugg with the band playing too, while you just sit back and listen and dial the knobs!

Not cutting enough, turn it up until it does! lol

I can't emphasize enough, especially with these amps... less is more. Turn down the gain and turn up the volume! The enemy of cutting through a mix is saturation and compression, which Engl has in spades. Also try turning up your treble, these amps naturally have rolled off high end which sounds smooth and great by yourself, but also makes it hard to cut.

tl;dr Remember many real guitar tones sound like shiite without the full band mix! [bedroom tones =/= band mix tones]

 

[MetalHead40]

Owned the FB100, and currently own a MW Dual Recto and the VH140c.

Compared to the Recto the FB100 is smooth and tighter on the low end. Mids on the FB100 are definitely darker and smoother than the Recto. The gain structure between the two couldn't be more different IMO. FB100=smooth, compressed, fairly "processed" sounding while the Recto=raw, gritty, grinding. Both awesome but different. I liked smacking the front end of the FB100 with a ts type OD just to tighten it further. Gain on the amp from 10-noon and clean boosted really gave it a more raw cutting tone. The mid boost is great but even with mid boost off and mids knob maxed the amp still sounded good. Not an upper mid voiced amp but with the right pups and a mid hump based ts type OD up front it can liven up the mids.

Compared to the VH140c, the FB100 is still much darker in the mids. The VH140c has tremendous upper mid content when the ultra mids knob is cranked. Both are fairly compressed gain structures, but the VH140c is more raw/less smooth IMO than the FB100. I couldn't use the VH140c without an OD clean boosting to tighten it up. The FB100 I could enjoy without a boost when the amp was cranked up and with the right pickup, but still preferred the FB100 clean boosted.

The gain on the FB100 is damn near 100% usable even when maxed if your into that much compression. It's fun to play with gain around 2 o'clock with death metal stuff! But turn the gain down to 10-11-12 o'clock and clean boost it with a ts type pedal, crank the volume and look the fuck out. It's a BEAST!!

I still like the Savage 120 better though

Congrats!!! It's one hell of an amp!

 

[Gmork]

Ill be running it either into my mesa OS 4x12 or dual mesa 2x12. Wilil use my ironlabal 8 with emg808, ibanez fanned 8 with blackouts or my custom 8 with tosin fishmans.

I always use different setting when playing with my band, less gain, less bass, more mids, more highs.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Someone here got some killer sounds with the FB100, but he ran some really crazy settings. Also that was in a studio environment.

 

[oneblackened]

Okay, ran the Fireball next to a 5153 50w today. The 5153 had waaaaay more midrange available - it felt much more present and alive.