Downsizing; suggestions? (ENGL?)

zippy

zippy

New member
Ok, so I've decided to sell my 5150ii. I don't need a 120w half stack.. it's just plain overkill! So I'm in the market for a good tube combo. I've had my heart set on a JCM800 and a pedal to boost. But lately I've been considering some of my other options. My only real beef with the JCM800 is versatility... I feel like I can get more amp for about the same price. Ideally I'm thinking something like a 50 watt 1x12. Though I'd be open to a 2x12 or even a head and 2x12 cab. Other amps I've been considering are a Mesa Rectifier, ENGL Thunder combo (the leader at this point). I'd really like to keep it under 1200 bucks. I'm mostly a metal player, but my tastes are really varied. I'm especially interested in what everyone has to say about the ENGL, since it is less than 1100 new and I've yet to really hear anything bad about them. Mostly when I hear someone talk about ENGL, it's in the same league with Bogner and VHT. Thanks in advance guys!
 
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Re: Downsizing; suggestions? (ENGL?)

Engl makes good sounding metal amps, though the build quality is a shade below your 5150. In Germany they sell for Peavey/Crate prices, and unfortunately they go for near-boutique prices everywhere else. So if roadworthiness is a big deal, go with Mesa.

As far as tone goes, the thunder and the rec are two pretty different sounding amps. do you have a certain tone you're going for?
 
Re: Downsizing; suggestions? (ENGL?)

Well, most of the time I'm looking for a good early 80's metal tone. Crunchy but not buzzy if that makes any sense. Some of my favorite tones every are Scott Ian's tone on I Am the Law (by Anthrax..) and on Metallica's Ride the Lightning album, as cliche as that sounds. I'm thinking those were both juiced Marshalls.. (?) Though versatility is definitely an issue; I'd like to be able to go from Chuck Berry to Sabbath to Metallica...
 
Re: Downsizing; suggestions? (ENGL?)

Bogner and VHT are in a different league than Engl altogether.
 
Re: Downsizing; suggestions? (ENGL?)

I doubt you're going to find even a new Single Recto combo for under $1300, used probably around $900 on ebay. But Single Recto 1x12s suck. I've never heard a worse sounding amp. I played a Dual Recto 2x12 and it was better but for my ears you need that 4x12 and head combo to get the mesa sound. The Peavy Satch amp is pretty nice but I'm not sure of the price. A Line6 Flextone III 2x12 is also a good choice but doesn't sound quite as nice as a tube amp. But it has tons of models and tweakablility for a good price. I think mine with the FBV Express floorboard was less than $800. Plenty of power too.
 
Re: Downsizing; suggestions? (ENGL?)

I just went from a Mesa Single Rectifier/Splawn 4x12 Setup and hopefully today my Orange Rocker 30 Combo will be here. Kind of a huge jump to go but you can always add a cabinet. I got mine new for a sweet deal of 1,047 Shipped with the Footswitch (which usually doesn't come with, it's usually 1,349 new without footswitch). With some searching I'm sure you could get a similar deal, if not new then definately used. In a perfect world I'd have a Rockerverb 50 Combo 2x12 but 2,000 dollars is something I don't have right now.

Versatility is the same reason I got the Orange over a JCM 800 Setup. I wanted something I could rock out at practice/gigs and still be able to carry it home without a problem so I don't have to get a "practice amp". It's just more inspiring to play on an awesome tube amp.

I will vouch for the Single Rectifier. I just never really got into the bassy/low-mid sound. Everytime I hear a tone I like, it's usually played through a marshall or orange. Dedicated Clean and Dirty each with their own EQ, effects loop (which I'm pretty sad the orange doesn't have). H8red probably knows more as I've only played mesa through a 4x12 but I think the tightness of a 2x12 is exactly what the single rectifier needs and you can get great deals on them all day long on ebay.

I thought about Engl too but it just seems like you'd be taking a huge loss on Resale. That and the only big name I've seen use them (well big to me) is the lead player of Chiodos and he switched over to Orange.
 
Re: Downsizing; suggestions? (ENGL?)

My Engl combo has travelled with me from Germany to several states in the US...U-hauls and Governemnt shippers....and that bad boy is a tank. I admit...mine is from 1995 or 96, so the build quality maybe different from newer models...

Oh...and it might be for sale pretty quickly! (think Mesa...;-)

Hot _Grits said:
Engl makes good sounding metal amps, though the build quality is a shade below your 5150. In Germany they sell for Peavey/Crate prices, and unfortunately they go for near-boutique prices everywhere else. So if roadworthiness is a big deal, go with Mesa.

As far as tone goes, the thunder and the rec are two pretty different sounding amps. do you have a certain tone you're going for?
Click to expand...
 
Re: Downsizing; suggestions? (ENGL?)

If you decide on an Engl don't go for the Thunder 50, the Screamer 50 will eat it alive. The Thunder has way more buzz and isn't as tight as the other Engls and IMO it's their weakest Amp i've Played so far.
A Screamer will give you lots and lots of tones to work with(from Jazz clean to Thrash metal). The typical, bright, aggressive and very tight Engl tone makes it Perfect for 80s Sounds and it certainly slays any Mesa in that category(also on the cleans). IMO it's way better than the Thunder and should be worth the little extra cost. It's not as High Gain as the Powerball or Savage head but it's more like a combo version of the Blackmore. Nice amp allround and if you need to do death metal you can put and OD in front of it and get really evil.
 
Re: Downsizing; suggestions? (ENGL?)

I own a gain modded JCM 800 2204 and i would still not concider it a metal amp..... my 5150 has a lot better metal gain at a lower volume then the 800...

Marshall 800's can be loud so if you are down sizing for volume sakes the 800 is still a very loud amp and needs to be pushed more then the 5150.... teh 5150 has a ton of pregain where the 800's need some power tube flare to get really distorted.....
 
Re: Downsizing; suggestions? (ENGL?)

Thanks for all your suggestions guys... I feel like I should clarify something though. The only reason I mentioned getting the ENGL new is because I can never find them used. I would much rather buy used if at all possible. (a lot of suggestions here are talking about new prices, so I just wanted to clarify that.)

I'm kind of leaning a bit toward something like a Rectoverb head and Avatar 2x12 or something along those lines. I could probably pull that off.


Are combo versions really that big of a dropoff from the heads? I figured they would generally be the same except smaller...for the most part at least.
 
Re: Downsizing; suggestions? (ENGL?)

2x12 and a decent head is a good compromise, in my opinion.
4x12's are just too darn big, and 1x12 combos just don't shift enough air.
2x12 combos tend to be just a bit to heavy (ok, so lighter than the two seperate bits, but you can do return trips).
I've tried a few Engl amps and they sound the business, they also strike me as much better made than a Marshall.
If I had the cash I'd buy one, but even in the uk I'd need £600-£700 ($1200-$1400) to buy a screamer head, and that's a bit outside my bracket.
Another fav of mine is the Rivera Quiano, pricy, not really very metal, but has such a sweet sound.
 
Re: Downsizing; suggestions? (ENGL?)

Anyone with experience with Mesa Mark III's? And how much do Tremoverb combos usually go for used? I've seen a few lightly just into my price range.
 
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