Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

[Young Angus]

I might have the chance to get a Bogner Ecstasy soon which I'd like to replace my Soldano with (any objections?) and it's a 101B.

Now I don't know much about Bogners but I do know that this is probably the ultimate amp for me as far as being british tone oriented, versatile, heavy, and just plain AWESOME! The Soldano is good but I don't think it's as versatile as the Ecstasy would be...that and I'm a much bigger fan of the British sound over the American one.

Anyway this thread isn't about that, it's about asking which ones of the Ecstasys are the preferred ones and for what reasons?

Ahh the tone quest :banghead:

 

[Young Angus]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

By the way he says it's a "Classic 101B" ...weren't they two different amps?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300107229372

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

Ask him if the chassis top/back is white. If so, it's one of the best ones made in the mid 90's. I think the classic 101B is the one with more features on the back and white chassis. The modern 101B has a black chassis and less features. The 100B is an early white chassis and one of the most revered.
The 101A is a 6L6 model, and the "Classic" has a chrome face and less switches.

Out of all of them the white chassis 100B and 101B are the best, but all of them sound great. I think they're the best EL-34 amps ever made, and they slay anything you put next to it.

This morning, I plugged into all the new Marshalls, and didn't feel inspired. Then I tried a blue 30th Ann. and my Jubilee, and liked them both even more.
Since I had all those amps fresh in my mind, I plugged into my white chassis 101B, and the Bogner just annihilates all of them. It just absolutely smokes all the Marshalls in every way. It'll probably kill your ENGL, Soldano, and Komet as well.

 

[Young Angus]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

Hmm kill the Soldano you say...I'm trying to decide if I want to get rid of the Soldano for the Ecstasy. I probably will because it's just more versatile and I want something that doesn't have to be totally cranked to sound great...the Komet is bad enough!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

If you can, do it. I've played plenty of Soldanos, and wouldn't trade the Bogner for any of them. And I'm not all about highgain, I'm into the whole range of tones, and that's why the Bogner beats the others. It's got an entire clean to midgain range. The highgain is just the icing on the cake. I use it like a Twin, Hiwatt, gainy plexi, and crushing gain channel. As long as your cab is good, the Bogner will floor you.

Even before I had mine, I lusted for them for years, because I was stunned the first time I plugged into an Ecstasy halfstack. That idea everyone's had of a Twin, Plexi, and highgain all in one is more than fully realized with the XTC. Other companies try to pull it off, but something always sounds less than authentic.

 

[ksmith63]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

those amps have a scary number of features......

anyway, I have never played an Ecstasy so I cant really contribute to this thread. the only advice that i can give is: If you arent satisfied with your Soldano then you should go for something different.

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

I think Joe is right. I have compared Marshall 6100s and Jubilees, VHT's, /13's, and a ton of amps to teh Bogner XTC. My fave is the open tones of the XTC CLassic, but if you like a Soldano or more modern tones the xtra compression from the 101 is a nice touch.

The PLEXI mode is awesome if you ever have the mood to have a more open tone and to goose it with pedals. I own a PTP vintage Marshall, and I have tried the Plexi mode only to have many people agree it DOES have the classic Marshall plexi SLP mojo.

The only preferable thing about the Soldano is maybe that it has a nice cut and tons of saturation.

oh, and why don't I own one? It's all i could afford, I'd have to sell my other amps - and in the end the classic XTC user phrase - "It's too much amp for me." My latest gigs aren't even hard rock, they are pop/R&B, and singer-songwriter stuff. The Shiva always allows me to scale back for smaller gigs with ease.

Last week I played with a rock band once, and I just cranked up with the same rig. Else, I would love to have an XTC 101B/Classsic.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

A 101b just turned up in my neck of the woods. I'd have to sell my Victoria to get it, so I'll pass for now. But one day...

If the Soldano doesn't do it for you, move on. That's what I did. My soldano was fun, but not exactly what I was after. So in came the victoria.

It's tempting to do a swap deal, though. That's the cool thing about a reasonably high-end amp: Once you have one you can swap it for another until you find something that speaks to your soul...

 

[MikeS]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

Someday, when I have a place to open it up and play it at the levels it was meant to be played, I will own a 101B. IMO the Ecstasy is the amp all Marshall clones and modified Marshalls aspire to be.

Sorry I have nothing more to add than that.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

Hmm kill the Soldano you say...I'm trying to decide if I want to get rid of the Soldano for the Ecstasy. I probably will because it's just more versatile and I want something that doesn't have to be totally cranked to sound great...the Komet is bad enough!

Woos! Komets, Bogners and the likes NEED to be cranked to get them to sound right. The 101B is an awesome amp, but I think the Komet has a little more defintion and Character to it, thats why I bought mine. I liked the way it sounded better. Some people will say that it is not as versatile, but I think the Komet has one of.... if not the best clean tones I've heard and of coarse the gain is legendary, but you absolutely have to crank it. The Master volume of Bogners, Marshalls etc. does add some volume control thats for sure. I still have and plan on keeping my Shiva (If the oppurtunity comes I would consider trading it towards a 101B).

 

[philthis]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

so with the ecstasy, can you still get the same scorching tone as you can with the ubershall? Does it have that much gain in the ecstasy? that ubershall chuga chuga's nicely. I played through the ecstasy for a minute and realy liked the plexi mode but never had time to realy dig into the high gain mode or check out its el34 clip tone with some high gain.
:beerchug:

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

The Ecstasy has as much gain as the Uberschall, but it's a little smoother, whereas the Uber is course and brutal like an angry Recto. There's no lack of heaviness in the XTC though. There's a switch on the front called Structure, and it voices the gain in either a more Marshall or more Mesa like direction.

And I love the Komet too. I wouldn't hesitate to own one, if I had the chance/money. I'm not dedicated to any one brand. I just love high quality amps.

And Hot Grits....the main drawback to the Ecstasy is it's extremely loud. It's an amp made for a loud rock band, and that's what I've used it for, but when I play rootsier/blusier styles, I either tame it down, or bring a more appropriate amp like my Chieftain or Goldtone. I don't think the XTC is something you really need. I'm sure the Victoria and others are more suitable. The Bogners are insane volume monsters, and that's the only negative I can say about them. They sound decent at lower levels, but they're only amazing when they're loud.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

And Hot Grits....the main drawback to the Ecstasy is it's extremely loud. It's an amp made for a loud rock band, and that's what I've used it for, but when I play rootsier/blusier styles, I either tame it down, or bring a more appropriate amp like my Chieftain or Goldtone. I don't think the XTC is something you really need. I'm sure the Victoria and others are more suitable. The Bogners are insane volume monsters, and that's the only negative I can say about them. They sound decent at lower levels, but they're only amazing when they're loud.

True. I'm thinking the Shiva might be more my speed, as it's more vintage oriented and less complex. As I've said before, I get suspicious when I see a second channel, let alone a bunch of switches. Owning a Victoria with three knobs has only entrenched my prejudices on that front.

I am running into some issues with my rock band, though. Our crowds are getting bigger and we're about to switch to a louder drummer, so the days of being able to comfortably use the Victoria by itself may be coming to an end. I've got a vintage 50w EL34 amp coming in this week (tell y'all about it later) as a possible solution, but I'm keeping a look out for a higher powered amp to push air on bigger stages, as I'll be touring large clubs and halls nationwide in september...

 

[Bludave]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

True. I'm thinking the Shiva might be more my speed, as it's more vintage oriented and less complex. As I've said before, I get suspicious when I see a second channel, let alone a bunch of switches. Owning a Victoria with three knobs has only entrenched my prejudices on that front.

I am running into some issues with my rock band, though. Our crowds are getting bigger and we're about to switch to a louder drummer, so the days of being able to comfortably use the Victoria by itself may be coming to an end. I've got a vintage 50w EL34 amp coming in this week (tell y'all about it later) as a possible solution, but I'm keeping a look out for a higher powered amp to push air on bigger stages, as I'll be touring large clubs and halls nationwide in september...

IF the Victoria is giving you what you want/need, why not just Mike it better or add a 4 12" cab to it!

I have a Shiva 1 12" and it really sounds great. It would be a great choice for you. These tend to favor vintage 30's (the head version). The 1 12" combo has a Celestion 80W speaker and it sounds great considering it has just one speaker. One of these days I will plug it in to a 4 12" but GJ has already said they sound awesome with 4 12" speakers.

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

Can anyone post a list of pro recordings done with a 101? The only one that I've actually heard, that I know of, is Jonser's. It was incredible!

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

I've plugged into almost every major brand (except Deizel) and the Bogners kill them all IMO. At least if you want overdrive. For cleans I'd probably go another direction, but you just can't beat Bogner for quality of tone in a rock setting. For general purpose rock and metal that requires a variety of tones, I'd go with the Exctasy Classic 101B. And for classic rock and/or smaller clubs I'd go with the Shiva. Either way, both of those amps have a lot more character/mojo/vibe than the Soldano's I've plugged into. The Soldano seemed very homogenous and sterile to my ears.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

IF the Victoria is giving you what you want/need, why not just Mike it better or add a 4 12" cab to it!

I have a Shiva 1 12" and it really sounds great. It would be a great choice for you. These tend to favor vintage 30's (the head version). The 1 12" combo has a Celestion 80W speaker and it sounds great considering it has just one speaker. One of these days I will plug it in to a 4 12" but GJ has already said they sound awesome with 4 12" speakers.

I played a gig last night and let a friend in the support band use the double deluxe. He plugged a 70s LP custom into it and I was floored at what I heard. It was great to finally get a feel for what it does from a crowd's ear perspective.

I'm utterly happy with the Victoria. It's crazy, no-one even notices the amp, as it could pass for a very clean blues deville, but once players hear it they've gotta know what's going on. Most of them still probably think it's a fender (and, in a roundabout way they're kind of right) as a lot of the time they start peering at my pedalboard.

I'll probably borrow a 4x12 with G12H30s for the tour, which will help a bit, and 'rock' the tone up a tad. I'm also investigating plugging in a solid state rectifier, which should be good for a few extra watts. I can also take my Blue Angel out (see avatar for the full outdoor festival battle formation).

My other option is taking the 50 watt head I have coming in and rebuilding it so it's basically a 50w EL34 power stage witha a tweed deluxe front end. That would probably mix very nicely with the deluxe for larger stages.

The shiva is definitely a long-term plan. I'll get round to it eventually, but there's no rush...

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

Well, I will just chime in to attest

a Shiva with a 2x12 open back is pretty damn nice in a loud band.

A Shiva with a 4x12 V30 cab is VERY LOUD AND CAN HANG! Trust me, it can be brutal.

 

[Sherman]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

I had a 100B and Shiva (both head and 2x12 rigs) at one point. I got the 100B first. That amp had the sweetest gain channels. The blue channel was worth the price of the amp alone. Didn't use the plexi feature too much and the cleans were okay. I got the Shiva afterwards because I was hoping that it could replace the 100B because 100 watts was too much for me. The Shiva was too compressed and dark sounding to my ear and I could never get a nice spanky clean. In the end I sold both amps. The 100B went to guy that already owned and toured w/one. He was looking for a backup. I was happy that it went to someone that could really USE the amp.

I understand the 100B's design is different than the current 101B. The 100B is more open sounding and I think that contributes to it sounding more aggressive than the 101B. The 101B Classic was designed to sound more like the 100B.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Which ones are the preferred Bogner Ecstasys?

Hey Sherman,

what do you like about the %13 range? any particular faves?

-a friend of mine is importing them soon, and he's looking for recommendations on what to order...