Bogner Ecstacy 101B

This amp is difficult to set up. The tone controls don't always work together, the shared EQ on the Blue and Red channels can be tough to work with. Honestly, it's taken me months to figure out because it's so finicky.

However, there is a reason it was designed that way. While it can be tough to get the channels to work together, it's VERY customizable! You can get many different types of sounds together, and while it takes time, it is entirely possible to get all 3 channels working together to blow you away. Moreover, the reason for the shared EQ is that a simpler board - simpler circuitry in general - provides for a more pure tone, better reliability, and better dynamics.

All things considered, it gets the job done; nothing lacks in features.

I use my amp with 3 guitars: a Fender Strat, a Gibson Les Paul, and a Jackson DK2T. I've plugged into a few different cabs and speakers - more than I will list here. All of the guitars sound great, but the thing that made this amp open up for me was to use it with the Celestion G12M Greenbacks.

There is no type of music out there that this amp can't cover. The master volume on it is amazing, so unlike many amps, you can get amazing tones at any volume level - though of course it sounds better louder! The distortion is creamy and organic, thick but not muddy, and can break through a mix with easy while leaving enough ground for others to be heard.

One of the best things about this amp is the way it plays. I find myself able to pull things off with it that would be nearly impossible on my other amps - a '99 Triple Recto and an '83 JCM 800 2203. It's extremely responsive to your playing style and how hard you hit the strings, so the feel you're trying to get across when you're playing really shines through with it!

I had a problem with the amp that turned out to be an impedance mismatch. Mesa Boogie makes their cabs available to use in a mono or stereo configuration, but the connections on the jacks they use aren't insulated. I bought a used Recto cab a little while back, and as soon as I did, my XTC went down. Still worked, but the bias resistors for the power tubes were overheating and de-soldering themselves. As I've insinuated, the connections on the cab had come together, shorting and changing the impedance to 2 ohms when it should have been 8 ohms.

The reason I mention this is because before I knew it was the cab, I was putting my Marshall and Mesa Triple Recto into it with no issues. All things considered though, I'd much rather a resister get de-soldered than an output transformer need replacing. Other than that, I've had zero issues with the XTC. Fantastic build quality and VERY good layout on the board!

Called them a few times. They don't always pick up the phone, but if you leave a message they WILL get back to you quickly. Talked to one of their techs who seemed to have all the time in the world for what I was asking. If I'm still being vague, their customer support is excellent; every bit of what you'd expect from the price tag of these amps.

There is a downside to this amp: it's difficult to set up. There are so many factors to how you can do it that it can be overwhelming, and though it's easy to get a good tone, getting a tone that will blow you away may not come for a bit, or at all with the wrong speakers. Point in case is that I'm used to having the presence control at about 11:00 on my JCM 800 and completely off on my Recto. With the Bogner, I run it at about 3:00!

Now that I've owned it for a while, I'd say there's nothing out there that can come close to what this amp can do. There may be other amps that can take on the same styles with different approaches that sound just as outstanding - Diezel, some Mesa gear, older Marshalls - but the Ecstasy is truly a unique amp.

Solid 10.

The 101B is the best overall channel switching amp I have played. Features are where it excels. Trying to compare amp with any other single channel amp is comparing apples to oranges. Bogners have a distinctive voice all their own. I would not call them a recording amp but for live performance, you cannot beat them. They cover just about any playing style and have a very nice feel. This is a player's amp. Nice clean channel, multiple eq features, 1/2 power and pentode/triode switch are subtle but noticeable to the feel. Would love a tube rectifier option as well.

Sound quality is outstanding. In live settings, the amp has a well balanced tone. At least mine is not too bright like most gain amps that I have played. I play it through a 2x EV12L cab and a 2x12Eminence cab. Has a woody tone and is not so fizzy and bright like many Marshalls gets a very thick single lines especially with P90's. Clean not as round as vintage Fender but actually is more useful as a result.

Never had a problem with it in 10 years of using it live.

Never needed a repair ever.

I have owned Soldano x99, Two Rock Custom, Bogner Classic, Fender Prosonic, Fender Twin, Marshall and MesaBoogie. The Bogner is the best all around workhorse for live playing hands down. The only reason I rate it an 8 rather than a 10 is that as far as a value goes, a $4K amp should be great and it is no bargain. It performs awesome for an awsome price.

2005 w/ Black tolex and metal grille option. Class A/AB switch and all the other standard options. This is amp is incredibly versatile. 3, yes 3 great channels. The boosts are a great addition to this amp, as are the power scaling options via the additional modes.

Well, this the sound I was looking for. With Marshalls you get this harsh, trebly high end, too much of a high-mid voicing and not enough low mids to round things out. I have owned a Triple Rectifier and up until a little while, owned a Soldano SLO - great amp, just not as versatile, ******* fx loop and needs to be cranked to give up the goods. The XTC delivers at low volumes with an exceptional master volume. It doesn't have the bite that the SLO had, but overall I prefer the voicing, due the chewy, fat tone I get out of it. It has a great crunch and a nice smooth high end, which is a big plus. The mids are REALLY smooth, so it wouldn't be my first choice if I played in a metal band. Rock - to hard rock though, it's hard to compete with this thing for my needs. The clean channel, once dialed in with BrentSP from the bognerampforum.informe.com forums, allows for a very nice clean - dare I say, Fender-esqe.

The blue is a great rhythm channel that has just enough sag...I use the red channel for heavier rhythms and it is tighter, after the 2004 revision that Bogner did on it. Another thing that is beautiful about this amp is that it blooms into feedback/harmonic overtones that are very musical if you hold out a chord/note.

The only shortcoming I find with the amp, is that it lacks some of the bite I'd get with a Soldano, Splawn, etc...but, you can't have an amp voiced every which way...I will be purchasing a Cameron CCV soon to cover this ground though...

No problems.

No problems...Only called Bogner once and they were real helpful and provided a wealth of detailed information regarding my simple question.

This is the most well designed amp I've played to date. The Cameron amps seem like the only ones that can give it a run for its money, for my needs. Great master volume, great versatility, great clean, great fx loop...The price is a bit expensive, but you get what you pay for, so no points lost. If you play metal, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere...this amp can do metal, but it is a pure rock machine. Another thing - the amp is dark and is voiced in the low mids...if you prefer bright amps or an amp with a more biting midrange, you'd probably want to look elsewhere. If you like a real hi-fi tone, look at Diezel, etc...this amp has a very organic nature. I don't like to give anything a 10, but in this case I feel it is deserved. If you have any questions feel free to email me.

You can really get just about any sound you want out of this amp. By far the most versatile amp I've found! 3 channels and options on every channel to find the tone you're looking for!

From clean to full metal to blues its got it. I play hard rock to metal, after hearing the Ecstacy I sold my Boogie and bought one. The low end is insane, more gain than you'll ever need, and its a clean gain, no hiss or fuzz!

So far just put tubes in it and its going strong! I had to replace a switch in the footswitch but thats it!

The best customer service anywhere! They are so happy to help, I was having a problem with what I thought was the amp and I was going to send the amp to them. They had me check some things out to try to find out what it was and it turned out to be the footswitch and I sent it to them, $25 and it was back in a week. They saved me about $140 in shipping just by talking to me and narrowing the problem down.

I have had 10 to 12 amps in the last 2 years and now I'm no longer searching! I'm a tone FREAK and after a lot of searching and wasting a lot of money my search is over! If you a chance to buy one of these heads do yourself a favor and get it, you wont be sorry! I cant say enough about this amp and how happy I am with it!!!! Thanks Bogner!!!

Few amps have more features. Incredibly flexible.

This amp has an unreal range of tones. Channel one offers a nice warm clean tone that I find preferrable to the cleans on my Soldano Lucky 13, an amp known for it's spanky clean. Channel two gives you a nice crunch with the gain cranked, and it produces one of the best solo tones I've ever heard, one that starts with a bit of bite and smooths out into an amazing singing quality when I kick on my Keeley modified Tube Screamer. With the gain boost on channel two, I get a thicker rock and roll crunch, and I find myself on this tone most of the time. For a time, I owned the Ecstasy 101A, which is comparable to the 101B in most respects, perhaps a bit better on the channel one, but the 101B has a much superior channel two, at least to my ear. Channel 3 on this amp is gonzo high gain, and I don't find myself using it as much as I'd imagined, probably owing to the tamer nature of my band.

Called these folks on a couple occasions and found them responsive and informative. They're a good company.

This amp if one of the most flexible amps you'll find, and its price tag reflects this. Too bad I didn't have one of these when I was young and had all the time in the world. Youth is wasted on the young (or is that money is wasted on the old?).

There are few amps with more features.

I spent a few months in possession of 6L6-loaded Ecstasy 101A and started rethinking the importance of channel two, the blue channel, which is a bit flabbier on the 6L6 model than it is on the EL34. After spending just a few hours with the EL34-loaded 101B, I have to say the bass is definitely tighter and punchier than it is on the 6L6, and I couldn't be happier. The blue channel on the 101B really shines, has better crunch, fatness, and it's just more inspiring. I even like the clean on the 101B better somehow, and that's certainly counter-intuitive. Channel 3 on both the 101A and 101B is wicked, and there are very high gain amps that I like better (e.g. my Soldano Lucky 13, the VHT Deliverance, which I tried out the other day at Guitar Center, among others)than the Ecstasy.

If the 6L6 version gets a 9 for sound, this one gets a 10. Badass.

Called Bogner today with a few questions, and they've been pretty responsive so far. Cool company.

This is one fun amp to play. I've spent a lot of time and money trying and buying various pieces of equipment, and this thing really goes beyond my high expectations.

Year: 2006
Condition: Immaculate

If you are reading this, you probably already know the features. 3 channel head, 100 watts, class A/AB option, individual line out option, 4 x El34 tubes power tubes, basically loaded, serial/parallel effects loop, channels 2 and 3 share eq, but lots of switches to customize tones for each channel. Only giving it a 9 because of the shared eq for 2 and 3. With that said, the shared eq isn't a problem (see below).

OMG! This thing kicks serious butt!!! From sparkling, spanky cleans, to plexi era or modern Marshall tones, to the most sustaining and pure leads running the gamut from Boogie Mark II to Soldano SLO, the tones are in there. Playing it through a few Marshall 1936 2x12 cabs, one with GT-75s and the other with Vint 30s. No effects, straight in, using a 72 Gibson SG and 78 Gibson 25/50 Les Paul. With most amps it usually takes me months to find the sweet spots, but after reading through manual I had nailed it within three sessions - imagine how it will be after 6 months or more?! Reading the manual was key here, so if you're looking to buy, download it and start figuring out the various tone switches ASAP - they make all the difference!

Built like a tank! Only had it a few weeks, but it's clear that only the best parts were used. Solid construction, without any cheap metal, jacks, or wiring showing.

n/a. Hopefully I'll only have to deal with them when I order my 4x12 with 25 watt greenbacks (Heeeellllllll Yeeeeeeaaaahhhh!!!!)

In two words, it's the Holy Grail!!! I've been playing 34 years and have owned many models from Boogie, Marshall, Peavey, Roland, Yamaha, Fender, ADA, and others that aren't coming to mind. This amp hands down smokes them all, and the shared eq for channel 2 or 3 doesn't even matter. It wasn't cheap, but if I add up all the money I've wasted trying to find my tone purchasing affordable amps, it's definitely more than I paid for the Bogner. If it was stolen I would hock whatever it took to get another one. Enough said.

You know what it has...I bought it in 2006

I love the sound of this amp...I am not going to compare it to anything out there...don't care too...I just know that the first time I played this amp back about 4 years ago, that I couldn't stop thinking about it! I have played out with and recorded with a Peavey 5150 combo (my first amp) "liked it", a Marshall DSL100 "liked it", Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier "liked it", and a CAE 3+SE to Marshall 50/50 "man i loved that amp, but my rack was getting out of hand and was so damn heavy!" Finally I got the guts and a new job..haha...and bought the Ecstasy! I can say that this amp is defently my favorite amp! This thing can cover a lot of ground and move tons of air!

I have had no troubles with it or my other amps...I treat them special...

They seem like they care...Haven't really delt with them that much yet...

I've been playing/recording for around 10 years now and this is defently my go-to-amp!

1998 Bogner Ecstacy 101B, The usual array of 101B features. The one feature I miss in my other amps is the Line Level outs.

I spent 8 years getting to know my 101B as my only amp. To tell the truth I have really mixed feelings about the 101B. If you're looking for a hot-rodded Marshall, I really feel that the Bogner has a voicing that is more focused in the lower mids than a Marshall. Granted, it cuts out some of the harshness that you can get with a marshall, but it cuts out some of the goodies too. It's sort of a safe Marshall voicing, but it definitely has it's own personality too.
I guess my bottom line is that I know when I'm happy with my guitar sound when I can plug in and play without feeling like I need to turn around and tweak the amp every 5 minutes. That's pretty much what I did with the Bogner for 8 years! I was always trying to find what the Bogner didn't have. I currently have 2 amps that I can plug into, forget about the settings, and just get lost in tone for 2 hours. One is a Splawn QuickRod, The other one, and I know I'm gonna take alot of crap for this, is a Marshall DSL100 that on it's own is allright, but front end it with a A Fulltone OCD or good overdirve, crank it loud and I'll stack it up against a Bogner anyday, and smoke it.
THe Bogner was a funny animal, Just listening to it on its own, it sounds like the best amp ever made, but put it in a live playing situation, it can be mud. Brutal mud at that! My Singer is glad the Bogner is gone too, she felt like it was muddy, and totally noticed the difference the day the Splawn and Marshall arrived.
I will say that I got some great Studio sounds out of the Bogner. It took treble boosters in the front end really well, and I got some amazing sounds with them. In fact, if you go to http://www.myspace.com/skoorbeedoo , the first solo clip is recorded live with the Bogner, and the 3rd and 4th songs were studio recordings where I front ended the amp with a treble booster.
I don't mean to rain on the Bogner parade, they are frickin' amazing amps and I totally respect the company and what Rheinhold is doing. It's just that I want to balance out the reviews a little with the opinion that even though it's a great amp, it still just may not be the amp for you.

Amazingly well built!

Ass-Kickin'! One of the pleasures of owning a Bogner (and my Splawn is in this category too) is just being able to pick up the phone and being able to really talk to someone who cares about what's going on with YOUR amp!

These are pricey Buggers. I'm huge into my guitar sounds, but if I Knew now what I knew then, I would've not spent this much on the Bogner. I get sounds out of cheaper amps that I'm happier with.
I used to play the Bogner and actually get bored playing through it after a few minutes. It just didn't really inspire me. The Splawn and Marshall inspire me to forget what I'm doing and play for hours.
That's just me though, I know this amp is gold for others.

A lot of features. Some would say too many. Not to me. I like the fact that I can see 20 different guitar players using this same amp and we can all have our own unique tone. Of course, regardless our tones would be different, but the possibilities are extreme/endless with this amp. I rate no opinion, because what I wrote is myopinion and it is not a number rating kind of thing.

If I sold my soul to the devil for the ultimate guitar tone... he'd give me an Ecstasy 101b. And I'd be happy with the deal.

German. Need I say more...

I have called for specific requests on amps. Very helpful and easy to reach. Since I never had a real problem to deal with I will not give a number rating for this either.

See my response in the sound section. That sums it up.