Opinions on the ENGL Screamer 50?

[Erlend_G]

Hi guys!

I just came back from 5 days in Bergen city, where i got to try a ENGL Screamer 50 1x12" combo.

Well, i'm looking for opinions, advice and reviews about this amp. Personally, i really liked it, except for a few things which i'll mention later. Excuse the total nonsense in this post, anyway i'm gonna list up my positive and negative thougths about this amp, so you can correct me if i've misunderstood something... or something like that!

Pro's:

-Cheap! Just about $2000USD here, less than a Marshall TSL combo!
-Very loud! Couldn't turn it up past 3\10 in the demo room.
-Beautiful sounding clean channel... proably because of the 6l6 output valves and class A configuration. Chime, brilliance and punch.
-The distortion channel when playing heavy rhythm just ROARS, like a wall of heavy, thick sound!

Con's: (important!)
-It picks up norwegian pop music over the radio.... VERY loud!!! A problem when recording i guess, on 1\10 on the volume, i could hear all the lyrics clearly!
-It sounded VERY fizzy, thin and harsh on the thinner strings, regardless of guitar and amp channel. Could this be because of the "low" volume i tried it on?
-The Reverb was kind of distant, dark and wierd sounding.
-It sounded "loose", like there was serious resonance in the speaker cab, and also there was a "SAG" before each note, which made Fast palm muted stuff really "muddy" sounding!

Things i'm unsure of:
-It has 6L6 valves. As far as i know, these valves have a very narrow "breakup" threshold, which results in a very brittle, loose sound once you get over a certain volume, rigth?
-Class A... as far as i know, this design makes the output valves burn out faster, and it also gives a more "unfocused" sound?
-Would it sound better once i get over "3\10" on the volume? It had a very unpleasant, thin fizzy tone on the higher strings when i tried it.

So, help me out here guys! I know Marinblues have one of these... could you please give me some advice mate?

Thanks alot,
-Erlend

 

[RGN]

Re: Opinions on the ENGL Screamer 50?

I think it is a fantastic 1X12 combo. The ONLY 1X12 I'd maybe consider over it would be the Diezel Einstein which is over twice its price. I don't think the thinner strings sound harsh. You should be able to dial that out with the EQ. The one thing I don't like that much is the shared EQ but that isn't enough to keep me from buying one. It is built like a tank and will last forever. The footswitch (the nice one) allows you to IN/OUT gain stages which gives a lot of tone options. Overall, I really love this amp. I would own one right now if I didn't blow my bankroll on a couple other things... I am planning on picking one up sometime soon for something portable.

 

[vinterland]

Re: Opinions on the ENGL Screamer 50?

Pro's:

-Cheap! Just about $2000USD here, less than a Marshall TSL combo!

dannggggg these import prices always amaze me.

 

[slash857]

Re: Opinions on the ENGL Screamer 50?

ive heard nothing but good things about those screamers.

 

[proxy]

Re: Opinions on the ENGL Screamer 50?

As far as your own application of the amp, if you aren't going to be getting it above 3 regularly, I would look into a attenuator or fewer watts.

 

[Erlend_G]

Re: Opinions on the ENGL Screamer 50?

Thanks alot, friends!

Well, maybe i'm just expecting too much from the amp... the cleans are wonderful, but i expected the overdrive channel to be more "Soldano SLO-100 Dual Overdrive", meatier, thicker and more "roar".

I guess i gotta face the fact that even though it's a ENGL, valve amp, it ain't gonna sound perfect, rigth?

...either that, or the demo amp must have been broken!

 

[Burkwieser]

Re: Opinions on the ENGL Screamer 50?

Powerball

 

[Erlend_G]

Re: Opinions on the ENGL Screamer 50?

Err... i tried the $5000USD Powerball head too... but man, i couldn't turn the volume over 0.5!

 

[tone?]

Re: Opinions on the ENGL Screamer 50?

i actually posted a similar thread a while ago cause i found a screamer here in greece for 600 euro used. yes 600 euro.
i have heard that ENGLS are good and thought it would be a great deal.
so i went to hear them new at the store, which by the way they cost 1300Euro new.
Sorry but i didnt like them. I found the amp to be buzzy. i sat there with a guy demo-ing the amp for like over a half hour cause i thought it was a great deal for a tube amp.
but i couldnt find a sound that i liked. buzzy and didnt have that punch that is assosiated with a real sweet Marshall.

how come stuff is so expensive over there?
i can get a new VHT 50/12 combo over here which is what i want and i think it sounds TONS better!

just my two cents.

on the flip side of it i have heard that they are bullet-proof as far as depandibility goes.

i just think they have a tone of their own and arent tuned to Marshallesque tones which i love.

 

[Marinblues]

Re: Opinions on the ENGL Screamer 50?

Engls are German i.e. European and its normal that they cost less in Europe. Likewise, Mesa amps are cheap in the US judging by our standards.

The Screamer being harsh....?

Well, it is a bit edgy, but then I think of all those Marshall fans who are swapping out their stock preamp tubes with 12ax7EH's in order to get a "brighter" sound...

The Engl has a very effective "Presence" knob and I advise to keep it as low as possble when playing at low volume. When the amp gets louder it loses a bit of the edginess.

The screamer needs to heat up for at least 20-30 minutes before it starts sounding good. A lot of the folks try it in shops and it hasn't had the time to warm up. It does sound harsh when it's cold. The clean channel always sound good.

A few things can be done to improve its sound: put some JJ preamp tubes in there. It will reduce the overall distortion, but the sound sound will be warmer. I've just put in some Svetlana power amp tubes as well and it really sings with them....

Also, use the reverb sparingly, it tends to add some sparkle to the sound.
I haven't been using it for recording lately since there is some constant hum coming out of which I don't know if it's due to my new flat or the amp. I just haven't got the time to have it fixed....

Overall, there are better amps out there, but I couldn't find one at the price of the Engl (1000 Euro's + 180Euro's for the fancy switch).

It is a versatile little amp. If you want separate EQ for clean and OD, you can consider the Sovereign 100, but it costs almost double.

Marin