Is ENGL Savage that sharp?EVH 50w stealth? Used VHT/Fryette Sig: X

[ShiroNekoMusic]

Hello fellas! I've been a proud owner of ENGL from many years ago, the Savage being my main amp, but lately I did acoustic treatment in my studio, picked up a ENGL Pro 4x12 straight and also bought an Invader 1... And the result is that the Savage is just too sharp and weirdly voiced. The invader is just fucking awesome, but I need something a bit less dark, more Marshall-like that has a good crunch and an amazing high gain (I don't care about cleans) so I was thinking about selling the Savage and pick up either a EVH 50w stealth brand new or a used Fryette Sig X for 1300 euros in Reverb. What are your thoughts? I'm mainly a modern metal/djent player but I play a fuckton of leads and 70's rock as well. I'd love to hear your insight! Thanks!

 

[DudeManBrother]

5150 is tried and true. Will get you a great tone with minimal effort, and they’re readily available. Fryette is more versatile and a little harder to come by. You can’t really go wrong with either, but I think Steve Fryette is on the short list of best amp builders.

 

[ShiroNekoMusic]

Those were my thoughts too, the 5150 Stealth is just amazing, as long as I've heard clips and reviews, but the Sig X is there, ready for me to buy it... used on Reverb for just 1300 bucks... Damn GAS.

 

[Shoeless_jose]

Go for the Fryette. If you don't like it its easy to flip it for what you paid 5150s will always be there

 

[protest]

I would buy the Fryette. Even if you don't like it you'll still be able to get a 5150, but at least you'll have gotten to try the Fryette out at a reasonable price.

 

[diagrammatiks]

fryette. the sig:x is awesome

 

[laxu]

Are you sure it's just not the cab you are pairing with it?

 

[cwhitey2]

Fryette all day.

 

[ShiroNekoMusic]

I play quite close to the cab in my studio, it's straight and I think that it might lose some high end when I'm close to it and perhaps that's what is making the amp sound worse than it should. When I move my head around or face the cab at the same height of the speakers it just sounds killer, but with my Invader it's not that pronounced. How can I fix that?

 

[MatrixClaw]

I think it's kinda funny that the Sig:X has a good reputation now because when they originally came out, there were a lot of really mixed reviews. I always wanted to try one but since I never really got the hype for the Ultralead I owned, I never ended up buying one. Would still love to try one, but no way I'd trade a Savage for it.

 

[laxu]

I think it's kinda funny that the Sig:X has a good reputation now because when they originally came out, there were a lot of really mixed reviews. I always wanted to try one but since I never really got the hype for the Ultralead I owned, I never ended up buying one. Would still love to try one, but no way I'd trade a Savage for it.

It often happens when something comes to market that people feel is too different and then more people start to find and figure out how it performs. Just having some good YT demos can turn something from meh to desirable.

I heavily considered buying a Sig X when someone was selling one for about 1000 euros in my country.

 

[budda]

Isnt the savage 4 channels with a few switches? None of those combinations get where you want?

 

[Deadpool_25]

Although I think the stealth can be incredibly versatile, I don’t have any experience with the Fryette gear. If the Sig:X is that good a deal it might be a good idea to get that since they don’t seem to pop up all that often for good deals. Like the others said, the stealth is relatively easy to find.

 

[nightlight]

I currently own a Savage MKI and a Sig:X. I used to own a 50-watt 5150III.

I'm a little surprised you find the Savage weirdly voiced actually. What channel do you run it in? It isn't the Marshall bark, the Savage is extremely compressed but also extremely focused as a result. In a band mix, it will cut through very well. I used to think that it was anaemic in the low end, but my impression changed when I turned it up (it's a 120-watt amp) and played it through my Emperor 4x12, which is loaded with Tonkers and Governors in an X pattern. Serious low end and a very smooth and liquid mid and non-hissy top end. I usually use Channel 4 for rhythms, because I love the gain structure and how smooth it is. If I need to play a lead, I'll engage the contour button using midi.

The Sig:X is about as opposite from the Savage as you can get, in the sense that it is more Marshall-voiced. One of the coolest amps around, the cleans are gorgeous, the crunch is authoritative and the lead channel is excellent too. If you want to go into even more distortion, just run a TS through it and it could hang with pretty much any high gain amp. I especially like the fact that you have independent boost controls on the channels and can engage it with a footswitch, which almost makes it a six-channel amp.

The EVH is actually my least favourite of the three, and I sometimes wonder if it was because it was the 50-watt version. However, everything I read on most forums counters this, with most people saying the blue channel on the 50-watter is even better than the 100-watt version. Personally, I always thought the amp was a little too shrill and unrefined, though that probably is what makes it stand out in a mix and why it's ubiquitous. I'd definitely want to try one again someday, but in my experience, it was a little too aggressive sounding, which is entirely personal preference. It's not the gain, it was just a rather shrieking quality that I don't like in my amps too much.

Like everyone else, I'd suggest you first experiment with changing speakers in your cab, or perhaps the entire cab itself before selling a great amp like the Savage. Also, if you find your amp sounding a little off, maybe the tubes need a change.

 

[ShiroNekoMusic]

I don't mind too much about versatility to be honest. Changing the cab seems impossible but I think those V30s might be a bit ice pick-ish, plus it's for studio so I don't crank the hell out of it, but the Invader sounds damn good through it. It being straight instead of slanted makes the tone a bit weird in the highs while being too close to the cab, there are some issues I'd like to fix because the overall feel of the amp is killer and I wouldn't like to get rid of it tbh. Channel 4 just sounds weird, but channel 2 is so Marshall-like with a touch of ENGL personality, I love it. I should say that I boost my Savage with a Precision Drive to tighten the low end and making it sharper, perhaps too sharp, but it's my favourite boost in every single amp. I think the main problem comes from the Speakers+Precision Drive+Savage natural tightness all mixed together. Should I get new speakers? Lift the cab a bit? Buy a new OD and let the PD for the Invader? Thank you all for your responses, you're just too kind.

 

[DudeManBrother]

Yeah you should definitely grab a different OD. They’re inexpensive and can transform your tone. The SD-1 is a great compliment to Marshall style amps, and the Maxon OD808 is a classic that works really well with a lot of amps.

 

[The Thing Upstairs]

I currently own a Savage MKI and a Sig:X. I used to own a 50-watt 5150III.

I'm a little surprised you find the Savage weirdly voiced actually. What channel do you run it in? It isn't the Marshall bark, the Savage is extremely compressed but also extremely focused as a result. In a band mix, it will cut through very well. I used to think that it was anaemic in the low end, but my impression changed when I turned it up (it's a 120-watt amp) and played it through my Emperor 4x12, which is loaded with Tonkers and Governors in an X pattern. Serious low end and a very smooth and liquid mid and non-hissy top end. I usually use Channel 4 for rhythms, because I love the gain structure and how smooth it is. If I need to play a lead, I'll engage the contour button using midi.

The Sig:X is about as opposite from the Savage as you can get, in the sense that it is more Marshall-voiced. One of the coolest amps around, the cleans are gorgeous, the crunch is authoritative and the lead channel is excellent too. If you want to go into even more distortion, just run a TS through it and it could hang with pretty much any high gain amp. I especially like the fact that you have independent boost controls on the channels and can engage it with a footswitch, which almost makes it a six-channel amp.

The EVH is actually my least favourite of the three, and I sometimes wonder if it was because it was the 50-watt version. However, everything I read on most forums counters this, with most people saying the blue channel on the 50-watter is even better than the 100-watt version. Personally, I always thought the amp was a little too shrill and unrefined, though that probably is what makes it stand out in a mix and why it's ubiquitous. I'd definitely want to try one again someday, but in my experience, it was a little too aggressive sounding, which is entirely personal preference. It's not the gain, it was just a rather shrieking quality that I don't like in my amps too much.

Like everyone else, I'd suggest you first experiment with changing speakers in your cab, or perhaps the entire cab itself before selling a great amp like the Savage. Also, if you find your amp sounding a little off, maybe the tubes need a change.

I’ve got the 6l6 and el34 versions of the 5153.

For the 6l6, a boost on blue is glorious. Never liked the red on either until I changed two valves that manage the gain on red.
cant remember which valves I swapped and for what, but it made a huge difference.

That’s a long winded way of saying experiment with some lower gain valves, you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[The Thing Upstairs]

OP - I voted other.
Keep the savage

get something very different - Orange TH or DD, Boogie DR or Roadster, G20 etc

 

[protest]

I have a Steve Morse sig and borrowed a buddy's Savage MKII recently. The Savage is super sharp on it's own. That was through a Recto compact 2x12 and KSR 2x12 with Creamback H75's. The Morse started out as an Invader and it's much smoother than the Savage. It works really well with the Mesa. The Savage worked well too, but was super sharp.

I think the amp isn't a good match for your cab, but the OD probably is making it worse. Try getting all your gain from the amp, messing with the Treble and Presence and running the Precision drive with the bright below noon and the level at basically unity gain. Use the attack knob to tighten it rather than hitting the front end harder.

 

[Boris_VTR]

I don't mind too much about versatility to be honest. Changing the cab seems impossible but I think those V30s might be a bit ice pick-ish, plus it's for studio so I don't crank the hell out of it, but the Invader sounds damn good through it. It being straight instead of slanted makes the tone a bit weird in the highs while being too close to the cab, there are some issues I'd like to fix because the overall feel of the amp is killer and I wouldn't like to get rid of it tbh. Channel 4 just sounds weird, but channel 2 is so Marshall-like with a touch of ENGL personality, I love it. I should say that I boost my Savage with a Precision Drive to tighten the low end and making it sharper, perhaps too sharp, but it's my favourite boost in every single amp. I think the main problem comes from the Speakers+Precision Drive+Savage natural tightness all mixed together. Should I get new speakers? Lift the cab a bit? Buy a new OD and let the PD for the Invader? Thank you all for your responses, you're just too kind.

Probably Savage just dont work well with that boost. Remove the boost and see if amp still has this wierd sound that anoys you. Try engaging lead boost on channel 4 as it work similar to TS. some pedals just dont work with some amps. I dont like to boost amps but sometimes just for fun I would use MXR M77 custom badass o.d. It works perfect with savage. I set both gains to 12 o'clock. When I engage boost I have more tight modern sound (channel 3 for more cutting in mix and channel 4 for more full sound when playing alone). When boost is off I have more lower gain sound for old heavy metal songs (judas priest, twisted sister, black sabbath, etc). I use orange 412 ppc.