I'm trying to decide between the fireball and the screamer I plan to use the amp with either a 1x12 or 2x12 cab. I hear the fireball has monstrous gain but I like the fact that the screamer has high and lo gain lead for a rhythm/solo switchoff kinda thing. I'm really torn here and I'd like some input.
Engl fireball 60 vs engl screamer 50
- Thread starter KiD CuDi
- Start date
Rowan
New member
Re: Engl fireball 60 vs engl screamer 50
No clue on the fireball but I can fill you in on the screamer 50.
You have two channels with two modes, footswitchable reverb and A/B volume.
Clean- Fantastic. Its good enough to do country, surf, jazz or anything that requires a pristine sound. Can distort if you turn the drive over 12' o clock, otherwise it stays clean at high volumes.
Clean/hi gain (OD) - Crap. Worthless.
Distortion/low gain - Good solid distortion channel. Lots of mid crunch. Does well for most styles of rock depending on where you set the gain. It can go from classic rock to modern rock or alternative.
Distortion/high gain - Fuller in the lows and mids than the 3rd channel. Has more white noise but more balls and power. This channel sounds great for modern music, lead playing or metal.
Reverb - Natural and lush. Can go from subtle to excessive.
Effects loop - It works. Has a knob to mix wet and dry signal.
In summary, it is a versatility machine. It's perfect for my band, which will go from funk, country and jazz to metal and heavy rock. It has plenty of gain on tap. I can get a good metal sound without turning the gain above 12'o clock. Make sure you change the stock tubes though, it will make a huge difference. I recommend JJ 6L6s and sovtek LPS for the preamp. The only downside is lack of a good OD sound and the white noise can be excessive on the high gain channel.
No clue on the fireball but I can fill you in on the screamer 50.
You have two channels with two modes, footswitchable reverb and A/B volume.
Clean- Fantastic. Its good enough to do country, surf, jazz or anything that requires a pristine sound. Can distort if you turn the drive over 12' o clock, otherwise it stays clean at high volumes.
Clean/hi gain (OD) - Crap. Worthless.
Distortion/low gain - Good solid distortion channel. Lots of mid crunch. Does well for most styles of rock depending on where you set the gain. It can go from classic rock to modern rock or alternative.
Distortion/high gain - Fuller in the lows and mids than the 3rd channel. Has more white noise but more balls and power. This channel sounds great for modern music, lead playing or metal.
Reverb - Natural and lush. Can go from subtle to excessive.
Effects loop - It works. Has a knob to mix wet and dry signal.
In summary, it is a versatility machine. It's perfect for my band, which will go from funk, country and jazz to metal and heavy rock. It has plenty of gain on tap. I can get a good metal sound without turning the gain above 12'o clock. Make sure you change the stock tubes though, it will make a huge difference. I recommend JJ 6L6s and sovtek LPS for the preamp. The only downside is lack of a good OD sound and the white noise can be excessive on the high gain channel.
Last edited:
UberMetalDood
New member
Re: Engl fireball 60 vs engl screamer 50
1. If you're going for sweet rock/metal and lead tone and incredible cleans you need to get the Screamer 50.
2. If you want searing metal tone with enough flexibility to do clean and mid gain stuff then get the Fireball.
3. If you want to do everything the Fireball and Screamer can do combined, get the Powerball II, except the Powerball isn't as sweet as the Screamer 50.
The Screamer isn't like a vintage boutique amp. It's a versatile blues, rock and metal amp. Tonewise I think the Screamer is incredible. I love the tone. It's not quite as aggressive as a Powerball or Savage but it's easily capable of metal tone. It has plenty of gain.
If I ever trade or sell my Mesa Mark V it will be for an Engl Screamer combo. I know it's not nearly as good or versatile as my Mark V but I just love the sound of it.
Engl reverb is great too so I recommend getting a Screamer with reverb. They take pedals great. I have a the new Powerball II and it loves pedals. It sounds equally good with humbuckers or single coils which is a problem I have with my Mark V. The Mark V takes some tweaking when I use single coil pickups. With my Engl I just plug in and go.
I have a feeling the Screamer is the best choice for you but without more information about what you want to achieve it's hard to say. The Fireball is also a magnificent amp.
1. If you're going for sweet rock/metal and lead tone and incredible cleans you need to get the Screamer 50.
2. If you want searing metal tone with enough flexibility to do clean and mid gain stuff then get the Fireball.
3. If you want to do everything the Fireball and Screamer can do combined, get the Powerball II, except the Powerball isn't as sweet as the Screamer 50.
The Screamer isn't like a vintage boutique amp. It's a versatile blues, rock and metal amp. Tonewise I think the Screamer is incredible. I love the tone. It's not quite as aggressive as a Powerball or Savage but it's easily capable of metal tone. It has plenty of gain.
If I ever trade or sell my Mesa Mark V it will be for an Engl Screamer combo. I know it's not nearly as good or versatile as my Mark V but I just love the sound of it.
Engl reverb is great too so I recommend getting a Screamer with reverb. They take pedals great. I have a the new Powerball II and it loves pedals. It sounds equally good with humbuckers or single coils which is a problem I have with my Mark V. The Mark V takes some tweaking when I use single coil pickups. With my Engl I just plug in and go.
I have a feeling the Screamer is the best choice for you but without more information about what you want to achieve it's hard to say. The Fireball is also a magnificent amp.
