Bogner Ecstacy 101A

There aren't many amps with more features than this. Gotta be a 10 here.

I bought this amp after growing dissatisfied with the ice-pick clean channel on my Soldano Lucky 13 (a great amp by the way, with a clean channel that's a little too piercing to my taste), and I have to say, this amp does still more in terms of high gain than the Soldano, and the clean channel is much warmer, pluckier, just fun to play. I have the amp set to use the Old Sound Style, Plexi mode on channel two, and I'm absolutely loving the bluesy tones I'm getting out of it on channels one and two. The lead tones on channel three are thick and complex, spooky good. I'm using a Lexicon MX200 in the effects loop for delays (digging that tape delay simulation, and the studio delay is nice as well), and for chorus. Absolutely killer tones out of any guitar -- strat, Les Paul, flying V, etc. Too much fun. I've played through and owned quite a few amps, and this thing smokes all of them. If there's a better amp out there, I don't give a damn. I've found my sound(s). Hats off to Bogner. Well done.

This thing is it. Stop looking and find one to jack into. You'll fall in love, and you'll find yourself down a few grand sooner or later. Sigh. The things we do for love.

-this amp was made 2002
-it handles all the styles i play. from jazz to fusion metal.
-3 channel amp. green=clean blue=overdrive red=lead overdrive. has effects loop. no headphone jack thats for cheap ass shitty sounding solid state amps like line 6.
-i wish it has reverb that way if i'm playing small rooms i wouldn't have to bring my rack gear.
-i've been playing small halls. i love the drop down power section. 25 watts! pure tube power!!

i play on a jackson soloist with 2 emg golds and one Fernandes sustainer in the front pickup. i play jazz to fusion metal and this amp kicks ass! only noisy if i have bad outlets from the wall. my power conitioner helps with that problem. this amp nails very sound i need! from Pat Metheney to Liquid Tension Experiment to Kings-X. clean channel is awsome! just alittle reverb let the jazz begin! blue channel is great for stuff like Liquid Tension Experiment and pat travers (heat in the street) type stuff. red channel is the king's-x realm. this not a fuzz box amp like line 6 or high gain solid state amps that hide your playing skills! if you are looking for a amp to do that, this is not for you! but if you are looking for amp that has super warm overdrive with sweet!! sustain! this is it! it will make you a better player because if you are sloppy it will show. i had to work on my sweeping skills cause this amp let me know i was sloppy with them.

no problems yet!

never talk to anyone yet. but i'd wish they would come out with a reverb upgrade.

i've been playing 30 yrs. i've own marshall, mesa boogie and i hate to say it! a host of solid state shit! this is it! BOGNER is where i'll be for a long while! if i lost this amp, yes i would right away get anoughter one! it does every thing i need. theres some stuff i haven't touched yet, like the plexi mode. i don't have a need for the plexi mode right now. i got rid of my marshall because i had to turn it up way to loud for that sound. i run this amp with 2 4x12's with vintage 30's i've got one multi effects. and this thing kicks ass! every one that i play with or heard this thing has been blown away with it! if you have the money.. go for it and you'll love what you hear. most people who write reviews for this amp and say it sucks is probley looking for what i call the bumble bee sound or super fuzz! and this amp is way out of there league! they lack skill and need something to cover there sloppy playing.

tons of features on this amp. I'm sure everyone has covered them so I'll just move on but I will say it does have alot of nice features that make this amp one of the most flexible amps I've played through.

I've got several main guitars including a Callaham Model S and Model T (basically a Strat and a Tele, respectively), a Ernie Ball Luke and a couple of random guitars. I play alot of rock, country, blues. This amp sounds great. I ran it through a 1970 Marshall 4x12 with Greenbacks. 3 channels, and each has it's own unique voice and with the little switches, you can tweak it even further. The clean is very tight, the rhythm sounds smooth but gritty and the high gain channel is a very sensitive, smooth and quiet. This is a very well built amp and professional sounding. If you're a good player, it will make you sound better.

Never had an issue.

I've been playing for about 18 years and have own quite a few amps. As much as I like this amp, I couldn't justify the $2300 for it. It's got 3 really good sounding channels but I can't say it's any better than the marshall 6100 30th anniversary heads. I won't praise the 6100 anymore but I will say, it was just as good as the Bogner in every aspect AND has midi capabilities.

I ended up selling the Bogner because it was good but no single channel made me say "holy $hit!!!!!!!!!" The 6100 doesen't either but it's also less than half the price. An amp that did make me say "holy $hit!!!!!!!!!!!!!" is the Dr. Z 18 watt maz Jr. That amp has one of the best crunchy, blues/country tones I've heard.

You know the basic features. I play in a mostly original rock band covering a pretty wide range of musical styles from Toad-esque folksy stuff to Heart-esque 70's kind of rock to country-like pop to Kings X power-rock. This amp covers it all better than any other I've tried, and believe me I've tried a lot (Marshall, Boggie, Budda, Bogner Caveman, Fender, Matchless (Matchless is still the king of clean-edge jangle!) and cyber-stuff etc.)

My amp is a 101AS (S=50 watts) with the class A/AB option. You've got to use the class A option if you try one of these amps. A lot of people don't think a class A circuit can cut it for a focused high gain sound. Well, this may be true with other amps but not the 101AS. My amp also has the new/old switch, but I've found that with this amp it sounds best in the new mode. One feature I would really like to see is separate tone controls for channels 2 (Blue) and 3 (Red). I use the plexi mode on the blue channel and spend most of my time there. The Blue channel in Plexi is great! If I only had a little bit more gain ability in the pre, it would be undisputed king of amplifiers. Hey, Mr. Bogner, you're so close to tone-Nirvana..

I use several different guitars. Custom Strat w/EMGs H/S/S, Tom Anderson Hollow T classic 3 3 stacked single coils, Les Paul Standard, Rick 360. The amp has favorites and switching between the Strat and the Anderson requires I either make tone adjustments to the amp or really roll down the tone on the Anderson otherwise it gets too bright. With The Les Paul on the Red channel, it shakes the ground. The sound is big, full, rich and with plenty of smooth gain to make any Creed wanabe happy. The clean is good but I could use a bit more headroom to get the volume up enough without breaking up.

I've had the amp for about 2 years and did have a problem where a part burned up. I shipped the amp back to Bogner and they fixed it and shipped it back in about 2 weeks total. I've called several times with questions about one of my Bogners (I've also had a couple of Caveman 2x12 combos) and they are very easy to work with and will go out of their way to help.

--See Reliability comment--

Overall I would give the amp a 9 (10 if there was a little bit more gain in the blue channel when in plexi mode, and seperate tone controls for channels Blue and Red). I love the amp so much, I am looking for another XTC in a combo version for smaller clubs. You can never have enough Bogners.

I ordered this amp directly from the manufacturer, custom color and grille. Couldn't have been a better experience. Three channels, although channels 2 and 3 share an EQ and a boost, however, you can set the gain and master volume differently for each and they do sound significantly different from each other. Every feature- Half power switch (for crazy amp-on-the-verge-of-destruction sound) old or new amp switch (does what it says, squishy or bold) a brightness notch for each channel (makes your lead channel just a tad brighter) gets used. This amp is like a great rock album- after 2 records and 13 straight months on tour I'm still discovering new things it can do.

I have NEVER found a music, studio, or tone-snob that I wasn't able to convert to loving this amp after 30 seconds. Literally. Anybody into 'real rock' music and guitar sounds (AC/DC, Led Zepplin, Van Halen, etc) will absolutley love this amp. It will do modern tones six ways to sunday as well, but it's sad to say that most of the kids of my generation weaned on the Dual Rectum Friers have to hear it cranked up with my band to actually believe it. No, you will not 'get' this amp if you play it at 2 at your local music store (i guess that's why those fuzz-bomb boogies sell so well, Joe sixpack can turn it up to 1 1/2 and *bang!* instant Creed album) You must get it out with your band and turn the MF'er up. loud. then you will understand. (The half power switch really does do the trick for small venues, however) My front of house guy loves them, because they sit right in any mix. Sure you can find plexis that sound just a tad better, but you probably can't afford them, and you definitley can't afford the tech you'll have to keep around to keep them running on tour. Skip all that and get one of these. My favorite mode, acutally, is the plexi mode. If you're a real guitar player (i.e. 'all in the hands') then this mode is just sheer destruction. So much fun, this amp.

I toured with this amp for 13 months straight. It had it's share of issues, but no more than the boogies of our tour mates. All issues were fixed with a new set of tubes and/or fuses. It gets a seven for reliability, which is all I will give ANY tube amp. You want reliable, get a solid state and turn it up very loud, that way you won't hear people laughing at your crate stack.

All calls returned (within 24-48 hours), all issues solved, all shipping done correctly, with a couple of wisecracks thrown in. Great experience. Greg and the guys run a great ship.

I've been playing for over 20 years, I own several plexis, 800s, bassman heads and combos, AC15s and a 30, dual reverb, and a vibro king. Basic rawk amps. Hell, I even had a trem-o-verb and a mk IV at one point (everyone makes mistakes). The only thing I don't like about the Bogner is that you really have to use Svetlanas in it to get it to sound and work just like the way you bought it, and those tubes are not the easiest to find in nowhere, idaho. If you're gonna tour with it just make sure you bring a couple spare sets of power tubes. If you want to sound like every band on the radio today, well you know which amp to get. If you want something that actually sounds awe-inspiring, is way more unique, and just as versatile as anything else out there, get a Triple Ecstasy.

Manufactured in 2001, this amp has 3 channels: clean, blue and red. 4-5 diffret ways to customize the sound of each channel (boost, pre, plexi, excursion, full half) Amp has PLENTY of power. geez, when you turn it up past 1/2 way, the power section really gives a nice kick!
Series and Paralell effects loop with level control.

I have 2 main guitars I run through this amp, a Paul Reed Smith custom 24 w/dimarzio evolutions + Air Norton and a Hamer with a Duncan JB in the bridge. I play anything from heavy progressive rock to "metal" type riffs and lots of soloing as well. Let me just say this amp does metal/thrash/punk/heavy riffs very well. I read some reviews before that stated these 101 models were NOT suited for metal... WRONG(at least for the 101a)! Excellent clean channel too, plenty of headroom with the 6L6GC's. Blue channel is my fav, very clean and articulate gain that's not as compressed as the red channel. Red channel is your solo ripping bone crushing heavy riff channel. Sounds excellent all the way around but I must warn you of one thing about this amp!!!
Certain guitars may make this amp sound "ordinary" .. Others will make it sound amazing!! I know this sounds weird but your'e gonna have to trust me on this one.
Example: I used to have a tone zone in my PRS when I owned a Dual Rectifier, they sounded fantastic together! I sold the Mesa dn got the 101a, the Tone Zone sounded like a mid-range 52 car pile up. This amp is going to bring out everything in your guitar, so if the pickup is already a mid range favored pickup, it may not be pleasing to your ears. I spoke with Sean at Bogner and he even told me, these amps have a certain mid range quality about them.
Overall I think this amp sounds thick warm and cuts right through the mix at band practice.. Plexi mode is fun too, not alot of gain there, but you can get "punch" which is cool!

so far so good, no problems yet!

Bogner is very friendly and returns phone calls immediatley

22 years of playing everything from jazz\pop to death\thrash metal. I would buy another one if this were lost but ONLY if I got a good deal on it, no way I would pay 2700+ bucks for this amp unless I was touring and in a successful band. I don't understand why this amp is so un-popular! It is truly a beautiful sounding amp with tons of headroom. You won't get that with the 101b + el34's! Forget it!

The other reviews did a good job describing the details so I won't repeat them. I would like to say that the one feature that I think is very useful is the standby button on the footswitch. This button is really a mute button as it doesn't actually put the amp in standby. I change guitars alot so I can use this button rather than walk back to my amp. I'm not aware of another amp that has this feature.
Their are some amps that have more features than this amp and many amps that have less. For me, there are enough features, especially since every switch and knob actually does something that you can hear and feel. I don't find myself wanting more.

I play a Tom Anderson Classic with 3 single coils, PRS Custom, PRS McCarty and a home made guitar with humbuckers. This amp sounded great with all of my guitars but in my opinion this amp, having 6L6s, is voiced more for single coils. It sounded great with humbuckers but single coils just sounded better to me. Since I mostly play humbuckers I ended up swapping it for a EL-34 version (see Customer Support below) and I'll submit a review of that amp as well. I play mostly hard rock styles of music and rock blues and this amp covered those styles very well. Even though no single amp can cover every style perfectly, I think this amp would sound good, if not great, doing most any style. I played an outdoor festival and had a number of musicians come up to me and just rave about my tone. I'll save my other generic comments about Bogner amps for the review of the 101B so I don't repeat myself. Please look at that review because I have a lot more information that I think prospective buyers would like to know.
Tone is subjective so I'm not going to rate it.

The amp has a lifetime warranty which they stand behind. I don't have a backup and I don't worry about it for now. I will probably get a backup soon because something could happen that has nothing to do with the quality of the amp. My backup will definitely be another Exstacy.

I had this amp for about a year. I actually bought the amp without hearing it based on reviews at this site. Stupid I know, but fortunately for me the previous reviewers were accurate. I really wanted an EL-34 amp but was not patient enough to wait for one and ended up getting the 6L6 version. I was playing a Mesa Boogie Mark IV at the time and in my opinion the Bogner was much, much better. However, I found myself wanting a little less smoothness when playing humbuckers. Bogner worked out a swap for me. I had to pay a little bit but it was nothing close to what a music store would have charged me or what I would have lost had I sold the amp out right. They really wanted me to be happy. I'm not aware of another company that would do that. There is more that I can say but, once again, I saved it for the review of the 101B so please check out that review.

I've been playing for 16 years. I recently went on a quest to see if there was anything else out there that I liked better. I played alot of amps (most of them boutique amps) and for me the Ecstacy has what I was looking for.

3 channel, all tube amp. Excellent effects loop, half power switch, new/old amp switch, line out, 3 way eq switches for each channel for extra tone shaping, adjustable gain structure switch for each channel, dual presence, channel assignable plexi mode, and a great footswitch with boost for each channel, as well as a standby and switchable effects loop. A truly professional and well thought out machine.

Although I have many different guitars, I mostly use a Music Man Axis with this amp and find it to be the best match. The custom pickups in these guitars really work great with these amps. Channel one is a clean channel that covers the Fender-esque spectrum pretty well. Stays very clean and by using the pre EQ switches you can attain a nice sparkly jangle for top end stuff or warm it up to be nice and round. Channel 2 is the Marshall-esque zone and is where I spend most of my time. I have played dozens of Marshalls over the years and this channel tops them all when it comes to a sweet, full sound with no harsh or thin ear ache tones. The actual timbre of this channel is very sweet and responds excellent to playing dynamics and volume control changes. Level of gain for this channel is way more than I would ever use and is fully adjustable again using the pre EQ switch. Channel 3 moves into a scary world of Hi gain tones that are fat and warm. I guess you could compare the gain levels to that of a Soldano, 5150, or Mesa. Mega gain with low noise. How'd he do it? I rarely use this channel and save it only for a couple of leads a night, but when I kick it on this channel, heads turn and other players start coming over to eyeball my rig to figure out where the HUGE tone is coming from. This channel can be dialed for the modern VH tone or Alice in Chains etc.

I had some problems at first that freaked me out. I invested in the Ecstasy after a trouble filled year of amp problems with other types of amps, and since I play for a living in some high profile situations, I needed the most dependable amp I could get. I bought my first head in October of '98 and it had to go back after 4 weeks. Apparently a wire was missing a small part of insulation and caused the clean channel to short out. I had just gotten the amp figured out and sounding righteous when this happened. While it was gone I had to go back to my backup amp, which was a 5150 at the time, and I was miserable. After playing through the Bogner, it sounded like I was playing through a Rat pedal plugged directly into the board. I couldn't have this happen again in the future so I bought another Ecstasy head. That should be a testimony to how good these amps sound. Even though it had failed me, I was willing to take a chance on another one because of the quality of tone. Unbelievably, the second amp failed me within just a few days also and had to go back. It was just a simple switching relay or something. The amp had gotten locked up in the 3rd channel and wouldn't switch out. I was pretty freaked by this time especially since everyone else I knew and talked to had never had a single problem with theirs.

Because of my initial problems, I got to experience the customer support in depth! Sean was almost incredulous but really spent a lot of time on the phones with me. He was truly concerned and let me know that they would make it right no matter what. The first amp was fixed and returned to me within about 8 days along with a check to cover my return shipping. With the second amp, they just made me a new one. Even though it was only a switching problem, Sean told me that Reinhold had listened to the amp and didn't think it was lively enough, so he made a new one from scratch. Again, the new amp was sent to me along with a check to cover my return shipping and insurance costs. Even though the problems were a hassle, getting to know how much these guys stand behind their product was encouraging. My dealer, Guitar Oasis, was also very helpful in the process.

Sean called me when the new amp was finished and left a most inspiring message on my machine about how great it sounded. He thought it was the best sounding 6L6 model that they had ever made. It arrived and has lived up to that reputation. I thought my first head was amazing, but the newer one was unreal. Super resposive and reactive. I have not used my older head since, but keep it on stage as a backup. I have now put 6 months of heavy use on the amp without another problem and feel much more confident that my problems were a fluke. I really waited to review these amps until I could be sure that I had put them to the road test and experienced all the nuances of their character. They are worth the money and worth the waiting. I have owned Boogies, Marshalls, 5150s, a Tone-Master, and a Soldano HR50, and these amps are light years ahead of those when it comes to flexiblilty and tone. The only amp that was close was the Tone-Master. The tones are complex and chewy and the best adjective I can think of to describe these amps is: musical. The frequencies are sweet and pleasing to the ear and the quality of sound improved my whole band. These are world class amps that give you the sound and flexibility to sound like the best recorded amp tones you hear on hit records. Most importantly to me is how consistent they are. Every single night they sound almost exactly the same and stay tight and focused from the first note of the show to the last with a string articulation that is just amazing. I just put them to the test in the recording studio as well and the results were superb. Check out my band's website at www.damnthetorpedoes.com for information on hearing what these amps can do. I hate to give all 10s in rating these amps, but if ever an amp deserved it, it would have to be the Ecstasy. If you're serious about tone and want a relationship with a professional company that offers personal attention, contact Bogner. 818 765-8929

THIS IS SIMPLY PUT THE BEST SOUNDING AMP ON THE MARKET. I HAVE RESEARCHED MOST OF THE HIGH END AMPLIFIERS FROM DIAZ TO MESA BOOGIE TO MATCHLESS TO FATBOYS. THIS AMP TOASTS ALL OF THEM. EXTREMELY VERSATILE AMP WITH SEPARATE EQS FOR EACH CHANNEL.MANY DIP SWITCHES ALLOW YOU TO CHANGE TONAL CHARACTERISTICS. IT HAS A BOOST FOR EACH CHANNEL SO EVEN THOUGH IT IS LISTED AS HAVING THREE CHANNELS YOU CAN ALTER YOUR TONES WHERE IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE 6 CHANNELS. SOUNDS LIKE OVERKILL? YOU HAVE TO HEAR THIS AMP! YOU CAN GET AN OLD FENDER TWIN CLEAN SOUND AND ADD A LITTLE GAIN FOR THAT SLIGHT BREAK UP KIND OF SOUND YOU HEAR WITH BLUES PLAYERS AND IS CHARACTERISTIC OF THE OLDER SOUNDING AMPS. THE SECOND CHANNEL IS A BROWN SOUND OR AN OLD PLEXI MARSHALL SOUND. AND WHEN I SAY OLD PLEXI MARSHALL I DON'T MEAN IT IS LIKE I MEAN IT IS AN OLD PLEXI MARSHALL. THE 3RD CHANNEL IS THE SHARPEST ALL OUT HEAVIER DISTORTION THAT YOU USUALLY FIND WHEN YOU TUBE AMP IS ON 10. BUT WITH THE MASTER VOLUME YOU CAN GET THOSE KILLER SOUNDS AT LOW VOLUMES. EACH CHANNEL IS ALL TONE.

THIS AMP CAN SUIT ANY MUSICAL STYLE, IF YOU PLAY BLUES, COUNTRY, HARD ROCK, HEAVY METAL. THIS AMP REALLY CAN DO IT ALL. SOMEBODY FINALLY GOT IT RIGHT.

I PLAY OUT REGULARLY AND SINCE I'M A SESSION PLAYER IN NY. IT GETS PLENTY OF RECORDING USE. NEVER EVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT SINCE I'VE HAD IT WHICH IS ABOUT A YEAR.

I CALLED BOGNER TO FIND OUT ABOUT SOME OF THEIR OTHER AMPS BECAUSE I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH. I FOUND OUT THAT THIS AMP HAS A LIFETIME GUARANTEE. WHEN I ACTUALLY TALKED TO REINHELD BOGNER HE SAID IF THE AMP BLEW UP I WILL MAKE YOU A BRAND NEW ONE. ONLY 4 PEOPLE WORK FOR THIS COMPANY SO THEY ARE SMALL ENOUGH THAT YOU WILL GET INDIVIDUAL PERSONAL ATTENTION WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR PRODUCT.

I WOULD BUY THIS AMP IN A HEARTBEAT AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO ANY ONE WHO COULD AFFORD IT. I'M RUNNING THIS AMP WITH A LEXICON MPX 1 CONNECTED TO THE EFFECTS LOOP AND IT SOUNDS DEVASTATING. KILLER KILLER STUFF. IF YOU CAN CHECK IT OUT, EVEN IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD IT, IT IS WORTH IT TO JUST CHECK IT OUT ANYWAY. UNBELIEVABLE!