Bogners.. the difference between EL34 / 6l6 Shiva?

[foo3001]

Well the title just about says it.

I´ve been looking for a versatile 2x12 combo amp for a while now, and right now the winner seems to be the Dr.Z sr38. A great amp, not exactly very versatile but the way it handles pedals makes it pretty useful for almost any style of music. The EL84 crunch is beautiful. But I really love the 6L6 too. And the EL34 could be a nice change.

So I just remembered the Bogner. And the Shiva in particular. Now there aren´t any around where I live (guess it´s those new RoHs - regulations that makes importing gear to the EU a bit difficult) so I´m unable to test one myself. However, I´m pretty sure the store that used to sell Bogner would order one for a test run if asked nicely.

So which one should I ask for? The 6l6 or the EL34 version?

I´m looking for an amp with decent headroom (I do a lot of clean work too) and it must handle pedals well. A decent dirty channel would be a nice touch aswell.

Opinions?

 

[Bludave]

Re: Bogners.. the difference between EL34 / 6l6 Shiva?

I own a Bogner Shiva EL 34 1 12" Combo. Prior to me buying this amp I was using a Marshall 900 2 12" combo and a 1968 Fender Super Reverb A/B'd. The Fender Marshall thing was a great setup, but a lot to carry. I was looking for something to get me simialr to the same tones in one box. The EL 34 Shiva does this and more. The cleans on the Shiva are the best I have ever had. (I still own my Super Reverb and a 1967 Deluxe Reverb). They shimmer with beautiful reverb and with 3 volume controls and 80W you can dial in a very clean sound at any volume.

The Drive Channel is equally powerful. It took me a little more time to dial in the tone I was after, but now that I have spent a lot of time with it..... its there. The Drive is not as gainy as my 900, but it has much more harmonics. It sounds more natural than the Marshall. The gain is more loose than the 900 somewhat reminisant of a Plexi (I would imagine with 4 12" speakers it would be there).

My Pedal board is set up very basic. I use a CE2 Chorus, a DD3 Delay, a Ibanez TS9 (in the clean channel) and a Wah. This amp does take pedals very well, but I don't use effects to much. I use the DD3 , Chorus and TS9 in the clean channel only, so I don't run these effects thru the loop. I run everything straight in. When I turn the gain on the TS9 all the way down it works like a clean boost. Sometimes I can dial in a really good OD sound in the clean channel with the TS9 also. The way I use the TS9 is like a clean boost and a 3rd drive channel depending on how I have it set. My TS9 was modded by our own StratDeluxer97, so a stock TS9 won't sound quite as good but it will work well with this amp also(I have one of these also).

The basic difference between the EL34 and the 6L6 is the highs on the 6L6 version are a little crisper and the bottom a tad looser.

I have no experience with Dr.Z, however I like what I hear from them!/

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Bogners.. the difference between EL34 / 6l6 Shiva?

Dr. Z and Bogner amps have a different vibe. Dr. Z's tend to be wide open sounding with a harder feel under the fingers. The Bogner always sounds cranked and warm, with some compression that gives a nice feel under the fingers and great sustain.

Bogners are basically Marshalls that were designed so well, they're better than the guys they copied. Because they're basically a boutique Marshall, EL-34's are the more appropriate sounding tube for them. On Bogners, you cannot interchange EL-34s and 6L6's. You're forced to buy one or the other.
There's nothing at all wrong with buying a 6L6 Shiva, and some players might prefer that, but the majority of those who test drive Bogners end up coming home with an EL-34 version. Don't worry about cleans....some of the best cleans come from EL-34 amps, and the Bogner Shiva is at the top of that list.
Personally, I think the gain channel on the EL-34 version sounds better too, and that's one of the primary reasons for buying a Bogner....the gain.

I need to find a place where I can try out a Bogner Duende 6V6. I still haven't heard one, besides the clips on their site.