I'm Switching To ENGL (Zim Blasphemy Content!)

[guitar4tw]

How is ENGLs build quality really? What other brands would you compare them to? I didn't know they were considered poor. :/

I have heard about poor customer service in North America, though, and I think that has colored the minds of many people to believe that "the brand sucks". I highly doubt engls break down more often than most other amps, but when they do you hear much more about it because there is hardly any good repair centers to find, and as a result a lot of anger and "hate" starts to grow. You can find several threads about Peaveys breaking down, but it's not a problem because repair centers are easy to come across.

My local tech and gear dealer (in Norway) sells shitloads of amps (many of them ENGLs), and he says the brands that are returned for service most often are Fenders, Mesas and Marshalls (his words). For instance, my old Mesa f-30 had to be serviced twice in just over a year...

 

[klutvott]

How is ENGLs build quality really? What other brands would you compare them to? I didn't know they were considered poor. :/

When i bought my invader i first bought a invader 150 which broke down after two weeks. Then i got a new one that didn't work properly right out of the box. I haven't had any problems with the invader 100 i own right now. Based on my experiences i would say the build quality sucks.

 

[guitar4tw]

When i bought my invader i first bought a invader 150 which broke down after two weeks. Then i got a new one that didn't work properly right out of the box. I haven't had any problems with the invader 100 i own right now. Based on my experiences i would say the build quality sucks.

But based on that kind of experience I could draw the same conclusion about Mesas build quality. My f-30 had some voltage problems that caused the tubes to fail twice... But Mesa doesn't suck - this stuff can happen to all amps, I think.

 

[InTheRavensName]

^ I think it's all relative to how far they have to travel and how easy servicing/repair is. Over here in the UK, I've had a shit ton of problems with Peavey gear, and Randall have, or at least had, a bad rep. for reliability, as did/do Line 6, for example, whereas ENGL and Marshall and Laney are often touted as being indestructible.

 

[Scar Symmetry]

It's not blasphemy dude, you found something that is closer to the notorious "tone in your head", it's a good thing. I love finding a new amp that can get awesome tones I never imagined possible, it's a really cool moment when that happens.

Glad you found something that you're even happier with dude

 

[noob_pwn]

hahaha holy shit i never thought i'd see the day!!!!
youre right about the new fireball its pretty damn good but fuck i never thought this would happen.
And i thought you hated V30's nick? would you be using a V60 engl cab or swapping out the V30's for another speaker?

 

[DrakkarTyrannis]

I know..you went from hating Engls and V30s to using both. You sold out man

 

[guitar4tw]

^ I think it's all relative to how far they have to travel and how easy servicing/repair is. Over here in the UK, I've had a shit ton of problems with Peavey gear, and Randall have, or at least had, a bad rep. for reliability, as did/do Line 6, for example, whereas ENGL and Marshall and Laney are often touted as being indestructible.

Yeah, and judging from the talk I had with my tech I'd say ENGLs are well built (that's the feeling I got after our talk, at least). His opinion was that they are pretty solid, and one of the brands he rarely has to work on despite the fact that they sell many of them.

My invader has worked great, at least.

 

[DrakkarTyrannis]

I've heard from multiple sources (actual techs and whatnot) that Powerballs and Fireballs aren't very well made for the money they charge. They're a bit of a pain to work on, the company purposely puts out false schematics, and for the money you can definitely get better quality.

That being said, even those who say what I've mentioned don't really say they break too easily or anything and they seem to hold up well, but given the amount of money these things go for they could be better constructed. Maybe the Fireball II fixed this. I hope so seeing as though the GAS has started for one of these.

 

[guitar4tw]

I've heard from multiple sources (actual techs and whatnot) that Powerballs and Fireballs aren't very well made for the money they charge. They're a bit of a pain to work on, the company purposely puts out false schematics, and for the money you can definitely get better quality.

That being said, even those who say what I've mentioned don't really say they break too easily or anything and they seem to hold up well, but given the amount of money these things go for they could be better constructed. Maybe the Fireball II fixed this. I hope so seeing as though the GAS has started for one of these.

How is the construction of the invader, SE and the other models in that price range compared to the powerball?

 

[DrakkarTyrannis]

How is the construction of the invader, SE and the other models in that price range compared to the powerball?

Don't know. I just heard a lot about the two I mentioned because it's what people were talking about the most since they are the most affordable Engls. I'd hope the higher end ones are built a lot better.

 

[biggness]

Don't know. I just heard a lot about the two I mentioned because it's what people were talking about the most since they are the most affordable Engls. I'd hope the higher end ones are built a lot better.

IIRC, I have read that the Fireball 60 and anything 'below" it wasn't built as well as the higher end Engl stuff.

 

[DrakkarTyrannis]

IIRC, I have read that the Fireball 60 and anything 'below" it wasn't built as well as the higher end Engl stuff.

That's what I was thinking. I think it's just the lower end stuff. Mind you their build quality doesn't seem to really effect the durability..but when something goes wrong they're pains to work on.

 

[guitar4tw]

That's what I was thinking. I think it's just the lower end stuff. Mind you their build quality doesn't seem to really effect the durability..but when something goes wrong they're pains to work on.

Yeah I think that this is the main problem: when something goes wrong, and people have a hard time repairing it. Thats gotta suck.

On another note, I can't wait to hear the clips.

 

[zimbloth]

Nick,
Contact Mark at Rock Hard Cases... Rock Hard Cases - Home
His e-mail is mark@rockhardcases.com

He gave me a sweet deal on my double head case... They use rivets versus inside staples... quality stuff!

I'll look into that, thank you Bruce!

i loved the original fireball, but found some problems with it, and the new fireballs seem to have adressed all the issues i had with it, so yeah i can imagine it being a really insane metal amp! when it comes to purely metal tones with a raw and organic growly sound, then the fireball is king. somehow it also does it while being really tight and djenty even. magic!

it handles brutally low tunings with ease too, that´s a really cool feature.

as for cabs, i´d say stick with the one that you like better sound-wise. i´m guessing that´s the fryette. that´s the one i´d get too. i played the original one through an orange cab, and it sounded great, but the high end was too much with that amp. you really had to tame it. turning it way up helped, since the poweramps grilled it out, and then turning the presence way down would help too, but the high end presence of the cab would still be there. having a not-so-harsh cab would certainly bring it into awesome territory!

Yeah I owned the original Fireball before switching to VHT and I was not thrilled with it. Had a lot of qualities to it I liked but just as many I hated. The Fireball 100 however is absolutely perfect in every way. I could not be happier!

i found a used one for sale in toronto, brand spanking new and in mint condition, i hope the guy replies cus I WILL buy it

there is definitely no argument on how tight this thing plays, i can say right now, if you play death metal, YOU WILL LOVE IT. you can go from Djent to Chug on this bastard and not even have to add or touch the gate on the back of the amp.

the Knobs on this bastard i found were very responsive, there wasn't really a FINDING THE TONE phase at all, just sweeping through the different colours and stoping at what suits you best.

i left the gain and presence at Noon, and EQ-ed to taste, still undecided on keeping the mid boost engaged, or even the BOTTOM botton, although it is fun to add in and see which suits the live playing situation the best. this amp is so simple yet it's voicing and responsiveness have shocked me. it really is a very tight and punchy amp.

i also find the BKP C-Pig also suits this amp PERFECTLY, and i doubt Nick will Disagree.

only thing we would definitely disagree on is the XXL cab, i tried the Engl Pro cabs loaded with V30's or V60's and they were alright until i tried the XXL cab, and i will say this, i find extra sized cabs to normally be way to bassy/boomy sounding and it makes for a wall of mud if you ask me. the XXL cab though i found gave this really well defined low end character, i don't even have the time of day for the V60 loaded cab, it sucked, horribly, do not like it. the V30 PRO cab though is tight and still well defined, but this whole other world opened up when i A/B-ed it with the XXL cab.

seriously Nick, next XXL that comes through your doors, try it out, me thinks you might like it.


P.S. Just got a reply from the guy in Mississauga, he does indeed still have the FB100 and an Engl Z-4 footswitch with it and willing to part with it all for $1800

1) $1800 for the FB100 + Z-4 used isn't a very good deal. That's about what they are new.

2) Yep my ceramic Warpig guitar sounds monstrous through this. It sounds amazing with the Rebel Yell and Painkiller as well.

3) I have no desire for an XXL cab. My Fryette FB412 sounds amazing and the ENGL PRO V30 cab sounds great with it also. I like having a standard-sized cabs. I had an oversized Mesa 4x12 for a long time and it was a pain in the ass. The low-end I get out of my Fryette is plenty

4) In a band mix I like the bass-boost off and the bass turned up a bit. Alone I like turning the bass down and enabling the bass boost. The boost works in a band mix too but I don't want to compete with the bass player. I keep just about all the other settings around 12'clock.

5) The midboost is great for leads. I don't like using it with rhythm, I think it sounds perfect as is.

You should do the goodbye video with "I've Had The Time Of My Life" from Dirty Dancing in the background.

Haha.

So this awesomeness is achieved with guitar > cable > amp only? No boost?

And this Engl cab you speak of, is it the XXL? If so, take out back insurance. Those things weigh 14 tons.

Yeah the amp is one of the only ones I've ever played where I don't think it needs a boost. The effect of having the boost on is very subtle with this amp. It just smooths things out a bit, tightens it up just a tad (not much to tighten up, you know). With hotter pickups I don't think it needs a boost at all. With more medium output pickups like the Rebel Yell in one of my guitars, I felt the boost helped it (the attack was almost too clean without it).

Standard size cab, but again I'm still using my VHT cab. I was just saying it sounds great through the ENGL cab also. I will be doing more comparisons but I doubt I'll ditch the FatBottom cab, its glorious.

Damn, Nick. You've always been so adamant on using VHTs...this makes me want an FB100 so bad. The only thing keeping me from going out on a hunt for one this second is ENGL's North American customer service and their build quality...

Could you take a few shots of the inside? I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I don't want to pay ~$2000 for an amp only to have half of the components hot-glued..

I've never played a Blackmore, I'm really not concerned about the build quality or reliability of this amp. I never had a problem with my Fireball 60 when I had it and I don't anticipate a problem here as well. I realize ENGLs aren't built to the same quality as a Diezel Herbert or Hughes & Kettner Triamp, but it's still well made and sounds AMAZING. I do not abuse my gear so I don't foresee any problems.

If there were any problems or if you got one from me and there was an issue, I'd take care of it. I'm a dealer and I have a good relationship with ENGL.

It's not blasphemy dude, you found something that is closer to the notorious "tone in your head", it's a good thing. I love finding a new amp that can get awesome tones I never imagined possible, it's a really cool moment when that happens.

Glad you found something that you're even happier with dude

Thanks dude. I was only kidding about the 'blasphemy' part. I'm all about whatever sounds best. I've always told people that if I ever found anything I liked more than my Pittbull I'd switch without hesitation, despite my loyalty to them. The problem was nothing I'd pit against it did the job for me until now!

And yep it is a good feeling, getting tones you never imagined possible. Really inspiring

hahaha holy shit i never thought i'd see the day!!!!
youre right about the new fireball its pretty damn good but fuck i never thought this would happen.
And i thought you hated V30's nick? would you be using a V60 engl cab or swapping out the V30's for another speaker?

I do hate V30s Josh. I'm using my Fryette FB412 slant cab still, but these amps do seem to be voiced with V30s in mind because the ENGL cab I have at the store sounds amazing with both this and the Invader 100.

I know..you went from hating Engls and V30s to using both. You sold out man

Again, still rocking the FatBottom w/ P50Es for now

 

[Sepultorture]

it is a deal when retail here in Ontario Engl Fireball 100's go for $2150 Canadian before taxes, and that's without a footswitch

 

[zimbloth]

it is a deal when retail here in Ontario Engl Fireball 100's go for $2150 Canadian before taxes, and that's without a footswitch

Well... then you know what to do... I know a guy

 

[Cheesebuiscut]

I wouldn't be so hasty to sell off the VHT. I'd wait till after the honeymoon with the FB so the romantic notions can go away etc etc.

I'ma pack rat though so I have trouble getting rid of anything. Especially something that I've been attached to for 5 years.

Though I'm sure your in a situation where if you change your mind you can just get a new one xD

 

[zimbloth]

I wouldn't be so hasty to sell off the VHT. I'd wait till after the honeymoon with the FB so the romantic notions can go away etc etc.

I'ma pack rat though so I have trouble getting rid of anything. Especially something that I've been attached to for 5 years.

Though I'm sure your in a situation where if you change your mind you can just get a new one xD

That's good advice, and yeah I'm not in any rush to sell my VHT. I haven't posted it anywhere yet. I'm fully aware of the whole 'honeymoon' concept, but honestly in my position as a shop owner (and a lifelong gearhead) I've played just about everything and know what I like. The Fireball 100 was so stunning that I can't imagine I would all of a sudden sour on it. I played it for a week at my store, then put it through its paces with my band on two occasions, it just keeps getting better and better!

The only thing that perhaps could happen someday is that I'd just miss the VHT sound, in which case I'd just try to get one again but not necessarily to replace the FB100. I love the thing

 

[Hollowway]

Nice. So what do you like about that over the Invader? I always figured I'd eventually get an Invader or Sig:X based on the flexibility. But how does the tone differ on the FB100?