Re: bogner shiva
Hey Holydirt, I know you're on the prowl for a new amp after getting that other unit for so cheap... here's my $0.02 on the units you seem to be interested in thus far:
Bogner Shiva - One of the guys I work with swears by it. He plays it with an Orange 4x12 and a Les Paul Custom, and loves it. Personally, I think it's somewhat undefined and just "lacking" a little, but that could also be my playing style/ability as well. A few of the other guys I work with kind of share my thoughts, though.. For what it's worth..
Bogner Uberschall - These are pretty cool.. a helluva lot of gain, a little too gritty for my tastes, but they still sound pretty damn good. A lot of guys don't like the cleans on 'em. Personally, I think the cleans sound nice.
Marshall JCM series - I've grown to like the sound of Marshalls these past few months.. I really dig on the JCM 2000 DSL (I know there are others that don't really care for it, but it's kind of become my go-to head in the shop. I really like it). Marshalls have a really nice sound to em, I don't think you'd go wrong with one.
A few other (less common) amps to consider would be
Laney (I own a Laney VH100R, and it's a VERY cool and good sounding 100W tube amp for a reasonable price),
Orange (the new Rockerverb is nice.. think vintage tones, but with a bit more oomph and some added gain. Good sound),
Guytron (
http://www.guytron.com/ A customer came in and played a PRS through his Guytron GT-100 and a Bogner cab, and it was one of THE most amazing sounds I had heard in a long time. Definately worth a look if you know someone who has one or there's a dealer in your area. I'll tell you from personal experience that these can do a heavier sound as well as a cool bluesy sound), or something by Hughes and Kettner (the TriAmp seemed like a cool head.. I didn't dig on it personally, but I heard other guys getting some cool tones out of it).
Just some food for thought. Good luck in the quest. :smoker: