I had the original version - the cleanish channel could do a pretty good blues sound with the gain cranked. 2nd channel was very good as well and a boost mode as well.
ENGL Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter spawnofthesith
- Start date
MirrorProfiles
Rock Star
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- 3,260
had a peek at the schematics, E530 isn’t a million miles off the blackmore circuit. Savage is similar too
TheTrueZoltan!
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,802
Yes, AFAIK the E530 preamp is derived from the Blackmore, which is derived from Savage Mk I.
MirrorProfiles
Rock Star
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- 3,260
Digging it a lot, very fun piece of gear for relatively little money.
- Its very noticeably a plate driven EQ in how it behaves. Sounds best cranking stuff, you kind of lose tone if the EQ is lower.
- the higher gain mode almost feels pedal boosted in a good way, tight, bouncy, clear
- Nice and bright in a good way. Not the hugest low end, but a decent poweramp with a resonance control helps a lot.
- Contour button is weird, but in a good way. Does those ENGL tones like Soilwork - Sworn to a Great Divide
- Clean tones are quite nice, high gain tones are nice, crunch tones are sort of flat/dull.
- Mercuriall and STL both have E530 models, both sounded and behaved very close to mine. Probably even closer if I use the same poweramp
- Sounds pretty dead nuts on to the Brainworx Savage plugin, and also Helix's Fireball model. ENGL=ENGL=ENGL
- the process of dialling in is SO different with real gear. And unfortunately, just a much better experience. The way the EQ behaves was noticeable within about half a second. With plugins, Im not sure I ever even paid much attention
- Its quite cool maxing the treble control out and using the high mids as the treble. With other settings the treble can kind of act like a presence
I think sound wise, I could live with plugins, but the actual hands on experience was totally worth trying.
- Its very noticeably a plate driven EQ in how it behaves. Sounds best cranking stuff, you kind of lose tone if the EQ is lower.
- the higher gain mode almost feels pedal boosted in a good way, tight, bouncy, clear
- Nice and bright in a good way. Not the hugest low end, but a decent poweramp with a resonance control helps a lot.
- Contour button is weird, but in a good way. Does those ENGL tones like Soilwork - Sworn to a Great Divide
- Clean tones are quite nice, high gain tones are nice, crunch tones are sort of flat/dull.
- Mercuriall and STL both have E530 models, both sounded and behaved very close to mine. Probably even closer if I use the same poweramp
- Sounds pretty dead nuts on to the Brainworx Savage plugin, and also Helix's Fireball model. ENGL=ENGL=ENGL
- the process of dialling in is SO different with real gear. And unfortunately, just a much better experience. The way the EQ behaves was noticeable within about half a second. With plugins, Im not sure I ever even paid much attention
- Its quite cool maxing the treble control out and using the high mids as the treble. With other settings the treble can kind of act like a presence
I think sound wise, I could live with plugins, but the actual hands on experience was totally worth trying.
Always liked the Mercurial stuff - the new 5150 they have done sounds pretty good as well
MadAsAHatter
Roadie
- Messages
- 187
Here's my ENGL's.
I haven't rotated the Morse and Inferno in for a bit, but they're still ones I enjoy playing.
I need to redo the cover on the Morse. I like the color, but I flubbed when recovering it. I didn't get all the old glue fully off in spots so it looks bumpy in those places. I also did it before switching to a better glue so it started pulling up in some noticeable spots too.
I want to recover the Inferno too. I have some red sparkle vinyl that matches perfectly to make it all red. With other projects taking priority I haven't gotten around to that yet.
My Metalmaster 20 is a bit too scooped sounding for me on its own. I recently have been putting a 9 band EQ in the loop and have found a really good tone. Bumping the low to mid mids makes it sound pretty thick.
And finally, my Synergy Powerball and Savage modules. I was running them through the Morse' power sectipn, but switched to a Fryette PS100 Powerstation. They sound slightly different, but equally as good through each.
I haven't rotated the Morse and Inferno in for a bit, but they're still ones I enjoy playing.
I need to redo the cover on the Morse. I like the color, but I flubbed when recovering it. I didn't get all the old glue fully off in spots so it looks bumpy in those places. I also did it before switching to a better glue so it started pulling up in some noticeable spots too.
I want to recover the Inferno too. I have some red sparkle vinyl that matches perfectly to make it all red. With other projects taking priority I haven't gotten around to that yet.
My Metalmaster 20 is a bit too scooped sounding for me on its own. I recently have been putting a 9 band EQ in the loop and have found a really good tone. Bumping the low to mid mids makes it sound pretty thick.
And finally, my Synergy Powerball and Savage modules. I was running them through the Morse' power sectipn, but switched to a Fryette PS100 Powerstation. They sound slightly different, but equally as good through each.
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The other John Browne
Groupie
- Messages
- 64
I have a soft spot for Engls. The Invader was the only one I could not really bond with so I sold it. Also have a Fireball 100 as well as an Engl Powerball 1 and 2. Used to have two Ironballs too.
The Retro Tube is one of the most underrated amps ever!
The Retro Tube is one of the most underrated amps ever!
MirrorProfiles
Rock Star
- Messages
- 3,260
What didn't you like about the Invader? they seem quite divisive among people, I was offered one a while ago but passed as it seemed like a gamble...
The other John Browne
Groupie
- Messages
- 64
The clean and the crunch channel were amazing. Channel 3 was good but not great to me. Something about the high mids didn't sit right for me. It was always like there was a blanket over the cab. Just not direct and in your face enough. Kind of like an anti Marshall. Channel 4 was just weird to me but I am not a lead player. I debated keeping it for a long time because it is a cool amp but ultimately, I was never happy playing it for long. I'd always start tweaking it after a little while but never get where I wanted to end up.
Life Eats Life
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,038
Great to see another dude who takes the looks of the amplifiers seriously and gets them sorted.
HotRats
Roadie
- Messages
- 982
Played with a new band yesterday in a rehearsal space that had an Engl Savage mkI with an Engl 4x12 and I, of course, plugged my Les Paul in, being an Engl fan.
The band is a trio so had plenty of sonic space to enjoy the amp.
I used ch2 for cleanish and ch3 for crunch, pushed some buttons, turned some knobs and enjoyed the ride for 2 hours using mostly ch3 with ghain at around 10 o'clock and guitar volume and pick up configurations to get different sounds.
Surely I just scratched the surface of that beast because there are tons of tonal options, channels and obscure controls I hadn't had the time to explore.
Anyway, every time I play an Engl amp, even if it's not my favourite tone ever, I really enjoy them.
The band is a trio so had plenty of sonic space to enjoy the amp.
I used ch2 for cleanish and ch3 for crunch, pushed some buttons, turned some knobs and enjoyed the ride for 2 hours using mostly ch3 with ghain at around 10 o'clock and guitar volume and pick up configurations to get different sounds.
Surely I just scratched the surface of that beast because there are tons of tonal options, channels and obscure controls I hadn't had the time to explore.
Anyway, every time I play an Engl amp, even if it's not my favourite tone ever, I really enjoy them.
- Messages
- 4,444
Savage is definitely on the bucket list for me
JerEvil
Roadie
- Messages
- 443
I’ll make a demo this week. Neural captures and Kemper profiles as well…
MirrorProfiles
Rock Star
- Messages
- 3,260
Ha I already bought it months ago. Its cool, scratches the ENGL itch for me and I quite like being able to pair it with different kinds of power amps. Already made a ton of NAM models too actually:
JerEvil
Roadie
- Messages
- 443
Nice! Also I love the L6 Meteor. I use it all the time.
I have the Synergy Powerball module - so I'm back in the Engl camp now - a surprisingly versatile module - cleans, crunch and a loads of gain
OrganicZed
Roadie
- Messages
- 598
I played a Powerball and it was too fizzy sounding, but I had the master volume very low, so it probably just needed to breathe a bit. That same day I also played the Artist Edition and that one was awesome. I'd love to try a Savage since I like that model in the Axe-FX.
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