Bogner Ecstasy Classic Head

2008 Classic EL-34
Versatile for Country, Rock, Hard Rock, low-end Shred.
Channel switching is near-flawless.

Feature Request: Send and Recieve level adjustments for the Fx Loop.

If you run rack-mounted effects (f.ex: tcelectronics G Force) you get red-hot signal into Input, which clips the effects when the channel volume is at about 5-6 (out of 11)

Feature Request: Adjustable Reverb

Feature Request: Separate EQ for Mid and Lead channels (shared EQ)

Feature Request: A - A/B switch


Used in Home Studio.

Has probably too much power for my needs, but I still like it anyway :P

Summary:

For a net-add of $600-800 additional over the Ecstacy 101b, this unit should come stock with those features. Was very disappointed about the FX Loop issue - that's a no-brainer that adds a lot of value. Even my SuperSonic Combo has that- $1,000 amp vs. $4,400 Bogner, you do the math.

Mostly play RG-style dual hum mid to high-output passive pickups.

It does fine in advanced setups (dual tone, wall of sound, etc.)

Not noisy.

It has a very deep, resonate sound. Nice blend. Tweakable - more so than probably other amps.

Clean channel does get cruchier at higher volumes and (obviously) with Gain turned up. It's a very pleasing sound, though, at least to me. Well rounded non-invasive rock tone.

Lead channel is quiet, with many different sound palletes depending upon how you use the Master and other Pots in you chain.

Not even a comparison to a 6505 (5150) in terms of Gain structure. Lesser cousin to the 101b. Essentially the best description I have heard was that @ full gain the classic ends where the 101b starts.

Dependable. Short of dropping it, I doubt anything will phase it.
Buy a good road case if youre gigging.

Always bring some kind of backup and some spare tubes (duh) - I'll bring a good tube combo jic.

No opinion.

I'd like to share a piece of my mind (above) re: FX Loop - kind of vascilae between love of the amp's tones and quality sound and getting jipped on features for what is supposed to be an upgrade (and getting charged more for it). There, I said it. Now I can move on.

Playing a year (yes, I know that sounds ridiculous).
I can afford quality equipment, so I buy it. You would too.

I'm no guitar virtuoso, but I am a committed player and I play (on average) about 3-4 hours every night and more on weekends + lessons.

If it were stolen, i'd buy a 101b and have money left over for a nice 2x12 closed back cab. :p

I compared to other products. Honestly, been through a ton of gear for my "playing experience age". It was this or a 101b - tossed a coin (they didn't have a Classic to test drive).

My preference has shifted to tube combos, especially low-wattage (~20w). Unfortunately not many in the high-gain category. HJigh gain and low-wattage are an oxymoron, like Jumbo Shrimp.

I did get the sexy purple tolex, though, and a cab to match.

Cab set me back another $1,000

2008 XTC-Classic the amp has many features, great foot pedal three channels, black tolex EL-34 power tubes, every option that you can get in an XTC-Classic www.bogneramps.com

I'm using a Les paul & Strats through the XTC, Tom homes & Fralin pups. My style of music is hard rock & country with some blues. I wanted a versatile amp, one that I can take to a gig or studio and not worry. I've had it now for one year and I have to say, it has been the biggist let down! The tones are BAD? I've been playing for 35yrs and this is "JUNK!" take a look inside, crap-PCB lay out, compromised components! "WHAT ARE YOU DOING BOGNER" as long as Hype is out there, dumb people will buy?????

The transformer blew and Bogner replaced it, then it had a noise that even Bogner could not get out to this day! They were the ones who fixed it? The XTC-Classic "Over Heats?" I purchase the Bogner 4x12 & XTC together, I've done nothing other than plug it into a wall socket and turn it on! There is a defect in the design and Bogner wants people to think that people who have problems with there amps "Are Crazy?" to complain???

Rhinehold & Yorg are awlful! They talk tou you, but you can sense they just want to say what they think you want to hear? "PLEASE", I have beg them, pleaded with them to "PLEASE" just fix my "BRAND-NEW"
Bogner XTC-Classic, and they have given me the "Run-Around" one excuse after another?

God please help me, all I wanted was a great amp after saving for this to happen. People lie to them selves, and keep up with the "Look I have the best there is" if this is true, how much worst can it get? People "Justify" and want to put the blaim on anyone that don't follow there opinion, and even through in the "If Bogner was so bad how do they stay in business?" from "STUPIT PEOPLE!"
that's how!!!! I wish you can see the hundreds of people that complain, that Bogner tries so hard to "COVER-UP!" Sorry Shawn, I've know you for many years, but I had to say the truth!

A lot of knobs- confusing to the average cave man lead guitarist but I am the singer and rhythm player so I can handle it.
Ha, ha,
I wish I were kidding.

each of the three channels has it's own set of knobs
pretty basic
it also has a few odd things like "pre eq" and "Excursion"

whatever

all anyone has to do is chick the switches around and see what they do
the pre eq cleans up humbuckers pretty much- takes the mud out of my super distortions a little- but No matter what you can't get a bad sound going as long as the amp is plugged into a guitar- at least I haven't.

It has a half power switch which I don't use- because then you have to set it to half the ohms of your cab or you might do damage to the amp and the club you are playing in so I just leave it on full power.

It has old and new switch in back- basically switches on half the plate within the tube or the whole plate- I always use new setting.

It has class a and class ab- it doesn't matter as much as you might think.
don't pay the extra several hundred bucks for this if you are buying it new.

The bogner exhibits class a roundness and rich harmonic structure.
luscious really
like electric velvety droplets all over the place
even in class ab
that is very hard to do and no other high powered amp does it
period.

comes with foot switch to switch channels- boost -if you leave the amp on low boost- you can switch it to high boost from the foot switch- if you leave the amp on high - as I do the foot switch boost does not change the volume or anything.

you can switch on the effects loop and standby from the switch as well.

If you are a lead player this amp is endless
you can run your effects threw the clean green channel one and it still sounds bognery.
use the blue second channel for a high gain mean rhythm and use the red third channel as you insane lead channel - whatever
set different channels to different volumes and gains- endless.

I am a rhythm player so I use no effects and basically set the green to clean- at low volume- blue to kind of dirty at medium volume- and red to kill everyone gain and volume

you can easily get away as a lead player without you effects with this amp
you are not going to improve the sound by putting your made in china pieces of crap boxes in between your guitar and the amp.

have some faith in Reinhold Bogner- He rebuilt vintage amps for eddie van halen and steve vai - I think he knows what he is doing.

I play gigs with other bands that are friends of ours.
Sometimes I let them use my classic and 101b to save set up time and space
and car drama.

I am metal and use super d's on G+L's
awesome
but recently I heard a blues dude play through my classic with an american strat with single coils- blew my mind really

this amp has such a huge lush deep vast liquid sound
electric dreams float around your head and in the air

to me this amp is more of an experience then a sound.
No way to describe what happens to you as a guitar player when you play and just listen to this amp.

guitargasm or something.

I also have a xtc 101b - that sounds a bit hotter in the gain area- and it feeds back easier. sound sightly thinner - it also has a sweet compression thing going on- Alice in chains is a perfect example of the sound of my 101b.

some people like that more

the classic has a lot more bass- and sounds bigger in a way- not as high gain in a way
serious gain- it will kill you don't get me wrong - just different from the 101b.

ON both bogs something happens between the notes on the chords you play
there is gain and velvety electric drops and color and space

yeah
space

I have never heard any amp do that
ever
and I have owned everything and I know what I am talking about
I am no kid here - wish I was

other amps like marshalls and mesa's throw out big unrefined loud electric spitty broken glass to annoy you after a while.
Hey I played a recto for ten years - it's okay for the money
they work
religious experience ?
no

my bogners are my prized companions as a musician
more than tools
friends

no problems in over two years

Sean is the best
wanna surf with him out in Cali one day
God dam I should just move out there

New York's grey winters are a drag

If you have been at this for more than ten years and you still play junk from mass market music stores- you might want to feel what it is like to play something dreamy like the bogner- but if you do - you will want to throw out your whatever you got at home.

that is a fact.

you can find a few amps that you will like- diezel herbert- bad cat- but they cost a lot too and are not as perfect of an amp- I was considering the herbert - probably the hugest metal amp on earth- but it sounds cold and german
which it is
Bogner is also german - but it sounds like warm california sunshine
emotional and dreamy

when Reinhold moved to California- it must have moved him or something
or maybe he was meant to be a surfer dude at heart and not just a cold hearted tech.

My amp cost 4 grand new - value ?
Well If you spend the rest of your life searching for an amp that is this dreamy you will spend a lot more

just get this and shut up
trust me

Standard features:

- Serial or Parallel effects loop, serial mode engages master volume on front of amp for dialing in effects verses dry volume level. Can be used as a boost, since it is separate from the channel volumes.

- Half power switch, for cooking the power tubes in smaller clubs. You need to half the speaker ohms too if used (16oms now becomes 8ohms) but the advantage is it cuts it down to 60 watts, where the power tubes can be driven failry hard even at smaller clubs.

-Old New switch, puts amp into triode mode, cuts power down, thickens the sound.

- Excursion switch for tightening or loosening the overall speaker bass response.

-Plexi mode switch, for setting either blue or red channel up with the old 60s/70s low gain brighter tone that when cranked or driven by a pedal has that early AC/DC & Free sound. Great stuff.

-Each channel has a 3 way bright switch, Normal, B1, B2 which brings out more high end but also changes the tightness of the overall sound a bit. Also very usefull ...

-Each channel has its own volume AND gain knob.

-Each channel has a boost mode for adding gain and thickness and volume. The blue/red channel share the boost switch, the green/clean channel has its own.

-Fast and non-popping channel switches from entirely clean to soaring amounts of gain and distortion. Pro quality, all the way.

-The only XTC with a chrome face plate, which has a meaner and cleaner look than cloth or black anodized paint.

-Line out with volume control.

This version favors that old time power tube crunch, the compression added over the years to make low level playing more enjoyable has been removed. What this means is you will get a better (yes, better) distortion at gig volumes, as the preamp tubes will not screw as much with the power tube crunch and mush it out as much.

This is just an addition to my last post, I am sure it will help having the features listed on the latest submission instead of hunting for them.

The best amp IMHO.

Less features than the standard 101B, but really all you could ever want. A real tone shaping machine. Name another amp that has 3 channels, does excellent clean to very high gain sounds, and can be switched into plexi mode for that desirable early AC/DC clear crunch? The few extremely low reviews on here did not keep me from buying one, too many sound sampes on the net to trust some sabotaging fool who thinks musicians will believe a Bogner sounds as bad as the scores they left. Let me tell you, these are at the top of the custom amp field, not necessarilly the best of the best for every person, since that is personal choice. But saying these don't have features or tone is like saying you think guitar is a crappy instrument.

Lots of amps out there, maybe you need a Line6 to sound good, but then there are the people who actually make the records and put out those sounds that you want to copy. These amps are for those people who make the songs, who get the killer tones, whos leads scream and whose rhythm parts explode. There are amps with different power tubes, different amounts of gain, etc.. but this amp does it all for both studio work and playing live. Great clean tones, great plexi authority, clear but raucous distortion if needed on the red channel, and the blue channel ... ahh, what can be said about that channel that gets those tones you always wanted. Like you finally got that old Marshall to roll over and do the tricks you wanted, but with tons more tone and high gain if you want it. For me, the best amp. It drips tone. I can shred or play 70s Clasic rock on the same amp, and sound like a zillion bucks doing it. Go figure.

As good as a tube amp gets.

I have talked to them directly several times. What else is there? They will fix whatever comes along, which is historically hardly a thing.

I don't give 10s out unless the amp is in the upper tier of high end amps. The XTC Classic is one of those amps. I will say that it is expensive, and maybe tough to demo in person since dealers hardly ever have one in stock. As a 35 year player I enjoy this amp and my resulting playing more than I can describe in these short paragraphs.

Don't be fooled into a war between the XTC Classics and 101Bs, they are basically the same amp. Here is a simple way to choose: If you like the sound of modern metal and Mesa amps, you will lean towards the 101B. If you like the sound of 70s rock up through 90s early metal, you will like the more open Classic model. Both are outstanding, both make you sound like a rock god, both have more than enough gain and distortion to shred until the sun burns out. The Classic is just a more refined, less compressed tone, so your notes can be heard better above the band noise. That may not be your bag, maybe you like more compression and your notes not to stick out. That is really up to you and your own tastes.

This is a 2005 Ecstacy Classic 101b - The classic has a modified circuit wherein it's less overall compression in favor of bloom and more vintage sound.
It's a 3-channel amp with 1/2 power switch to go from 100 to 50 watt (2 output tubes), also has a pentode to triode option that offers more tonal variation and cuts power in 1/2 as well, resulting in as low as 25 watt output (impedences change, so settings must change to properly match the speaker load.

This is easily the best channel-switching amp to be had. I read a couple of the "ding" reviews that counter with the solid 10's - and had to respond as this is plain injustice to the users of H-C, as well as Bogner. Seem like plants from competitors... 3 for sound? Come on, clearly not an objective review - or perhaps all the staffers at major publications, as well as tonequest, and countless pros who rely upon Bogner, and specifically the Ecstacy classic in many instances -- perhaps all these guys are just lying, and the bitter 3 ratings are for real. Scoff... Anyway, as you'll see, I'm also a veteran player and have owned almost every high-end amp out there (still own many) - I have no reason, monetary or other, for inflating my opinions here.
10 for being the most versatile channel-switching tone machine to be had at any price.

First, amps I own or owned simultaneously with my Ecstasy but sold, for point of reference in my review here.
Soldano SLO-100 - Fuchs TripleDrive Supreme - Fargen Bordeaux -
'74 HiWatt 100 DR-504 - Marshall: JTM-45 (65), TSL-60, 30th Anniv, JVM410H - '73 Carlsbro 50 watt - Cornford MK50H, Harlequin -
Carr Slant 6V, Mercury combos - VooDoo V-Plex 50MV -
Mesa: Road King, Lonestar combo, Stiletto Trident, Express 5:25 (fav little combo right now!) - Gibson Goldtone (50) (gr8 amp)

In this class of amp - channel switching Rock/Hard-Rock arena, the clean channel is unparalleled, really beautiful and capable of a lot of variation with tone stack, boost, etc.. The crunch (blue) channel takes over as you'd expect can go from crunchy-clean to vintage hard rock, esp. with boost. Kind'a "Marshall-ey" as one would expect, but with less high-end rasp that many Marshall's exhibit - fantastic tone. Lead (red) channel takes over and goes from very crunchy to searing, singing tones with tons of bloom and lush harmonics. Again, with the classic option, the tone, even on the red channel stays more "open" or "airy", woody and blooming very nicely, with less compression than the pack of high-gain amps in general. A fantastic sounding amp with tons of tonal variety, covering nearly all the bases. Oh, the "plexi" mode which can be setup to occupy either channel blue/red (2/3) so you can switch in your choice of 2 or 3 with the plexi mode. It's bright, very harmonically rich, not as gainy as many old plexis and plexi clones, until you really crank it up. Then it is a very convincing plexi tone, and anyone who has owned or used plexis knows that tone between any 4 or 5 of them can vary greatly - that said, the plexi-mode on the Ecstasy, well-cranked, sounds GREAT. The VooDoo V-Plex is the only amp I've heard (and own) that does plexi better, and it's _different_ more than better... it's a gainy (low low headroom) plexi, like some old Marshalls - fantastic at it, but different more than better. The original plexi's almost always had a gain-box (o/d or dist) in front of them back in the day for uber-scream, dimed they were/are at their best, and the Ecstasy's plexi-mode goes that way too

I have a/b'd the Ecstacy with a few other high-end amps for hours... I loved the Fuchs, and the SLO-100, but kept the Ecstasy and eventually sold both of those. Reason: TONE Sweet, singing, harmonic tone - from clean to scream. No honest person who played this amp (unless it was faulty - a documented extreme RARITY for a Bogner) could rate it's tone as low as some have here. Something smells real bad about a couple of those clearly out-of-line reviews.
The Ecstasy is a 3-channel classic-to-hard rock amp that does country well-enough to be on many pro recording artists stages.. Best multi-channel amp ever imho, and that's not just _my_ opinion, and it DEFINITELY is not just hype.

Bogners are generally known for being highly-reliable road-warriors. This thing seems built like a tank, although it does not have metal corners (or even plastic) like so many others. If you own a Bogner Ecstasy, you buy a good road-case before even thinking about touring or gigging much... Backup? With a backup set of EL34s and several 12ax7s, the backup would probably never see action - but, imho you don't gig without a backup amp (or guitar, etc.. for that matter, but the amp most of all). As is this has seen regular heavy rotation for a couple years and works perfectly - replaced power tubes once just cuz it was time. Still - don't think any tube amp can rate a 10 for reliability...

Emailed a couple times and Reinhold personally responded within a day. Not sure if this is normal, but in early '06 he was all over it - very devoted to his customers and their happiness with his stuff.

35 years playing - since 10 yrs old. I'd get another one for sure (if I parted with it for any reason - like say, to put food on the table... or if stolen) asap.

With an Ecstasy I can get swept in to all-day sessions until the fingers are near to bleeding - and usually without breaking for lunch. It DEFINITELY has "that magic something" and don't listen to the anti-hype elsewhere in these pages. Go check one out for yourself - and don't skimp on speakers either. An amp like the Ecstasy deserves a quality 4x12 to work it's magic. Single-speaker combos have their place, but - you cannot get the full experience of any amp through just a single speaker... Anyway - the Ecstasy is definitely my desert island amp, bar none - and I have played through a lot of amps. That's it. Why 9 instead of 10? Well - these are frickin expensive and... 10 means "Fantastic Value"... My recent purchase of a Mesa Express 5:25 gets a 10, but it cost me an even grand.... and, yes, I stack it on a mesa 1x12 for a 2x12 stack "thang"... The Ecstasy - it's the best, but you pay for it. NO HYPE.

you want versitality this amp does it all from con try to blues to jazz and rock heavy metal you name it it can do it..

in the past 2 years iv had my chare of amps 5150,,jsx,,mesa recto 3 channel,,engl thunder,,mesa stiletto,,demeter tga 100,,splawn pro mod,,vht,,custom audio amplifier od100se,,soldano decatone,,and more,,now comes the xtc classic and im done searchin this amp sounds better then anny of those amps looks better as well,,is more versitile then anny of them too,,this is the shit if your like me buying amps after amps looking for that special one look no more get a bogner and be done...it actualy sounds good on all channels unlike most other amps,,i love it...

i dont think this will ever break..

this is the amp no other can compare to...

I submitted the last xtc classic review- just wanted to add that I paid 2650 for it used.
I got it from Frank Kraus- super cool dude- who had this and a 101b.
I myself, just got a 101b to go with my classic- so I dropped 5650 on bogner xtc amp heads within one month !

already said- perfect

I will use without a backup- my lead guitarist is using the new 101b- the bogner is a tank- I am getting a custom amp road case made for it with wheels- holy crap our set up destroys !

I have spoken to all the bogner guys quite a few times about speaker wiring, tubes, prices, and you name it - I was a little parnoid dropping tons of cash - I did my homework.
Everyone I spoke to was laid back- California- is different from New York- we are truly NOT laid back, totally helpful and really cool. Not customer support - any customer support - that I have ever encountered.

this amp is as great as an amp can get- very expensive but drop the cash - it's your life, your music, think about it. If you are reading this you are not in it for a hobby.
If it were stolen- I would be in jail for murder.
I guess it's a value considering it's better than buying a bunch of amps you don't love.

Don't know when it was made. I got it from a dude who had an original 101b and this. That is insane ! He said he got this as a back up. To my it looks like it has never been out of the house- it is in perfect shape.
Almost too many features- Three channels - I just got it but I can tell you it has plenty of stuff I will never use.
It has a speaker dampening switch that has loose, medium, and tight. It only sounds good on loose and medium. Tight it sounds totally congested. Maybe Marshalls and Boogies are stuck on an internal "tight" dampening setting. Maybe if they changed that in their design they would be fantastic, killer amps- I don't know- I am not an amp designer- but this amp sounds totally different - in a bad way- with it set on "tight".
I will gig and record with this amp. It will blow your head off with no problem- I use it on half power.
It doesn't have the two big tube rectifiers like my boogie had but I didn't like the sound when I used them anyway. So it doesn't matter.
This amp is built nicely and it is very heavy. I was shocked howevever, that the power cable was not detachable - I hate that ! I have some great crown and luxman power amps that also do not have detachable cords as well so there must be some good reason for it.
-but that still pisses me off-
Also the switches on the back are crappy plastic and feel like garbage- they should not be on a product of this price. There are better switches on amps that cost lunch money. That- to me- is total," crap -suckers!" I agree with another reviewer that said it was not built as well as the Soldano Slo - it is not - but I hate the sound of the Slo- so who cares.

I use two G+L legacy guitars with just one pick- up. A super D in the bridge. I play hard- rock / metal in the band- Rayz Hell. I sold my recto to my lead guitarist who is amazing and deserves this amp more then I do - but too bad for him. We both use Bogner Uberschall 4-12's I now hate the recto and want to throw it off a building !- it sounds like cardbord next to the xtc- really. I would not call it quiet but it is not too bad. Just keep this amp in your rehearsal space or studio- if you dare. It sounds bad at low volumes. If you play this at home your neighbors will shoot you. It sounds better and clearer at higher volumes. You will need a different amp for your house. This amp is for the battlefield.
You can get clean or dirty all over the place, tear down walls, and destroy the planet with all channels - I have no idea what the other guys are saying about this amp not being brutal enough - you have got to be kidding !

just got it but it's now my only head so I will indeed use it without a back -up - If I bought another head - you know who- would kill me! Oh by the way - stay single- freedow is precious air- ask your married friends if you don't believe me.

just got it

I have been playing for along time. I have alot of studio gear but not much guitar swag. I hate petals and gadgets. I have two fine g+ls and a Bogner 4-12. I sold my rectifier and mesa 2-12, borrowed, and quarrelled for this amp. To me- even used- it cost a ton ! sure I have owned- a 1997- two channel rectifier,a 1984- 50 watt one channel jcm 800, a 1970 something fender twin, peavey heritage, 50 watt Laney tube head with laney 4-12, and some various solid state garbage when I was a kid. Some of these amps I got for free or close to it and that was cool. I have played everything- one time a played a tiny Matchless lightning that simply dripped gorgeous tone-wow! Other amps get the job done but hey let's face it the Bogner xtc classic is a Bentley - other amps are Toyotas, Hondas, and Buicks.
I love everything about this amp. I hate that it cost an insane amount of money ! You can't compare it to other amps. The sound is so huge and clear that other amps sound like broken glass next to it. I was going to get a shiva, which I also love, but it doesn't have enough gain for me. I have a religion called," Anti-petal" , you rockers should join me and make rock a better place. If you drop a h-bomb of change on your guitar and amp only to put your signal through a hundred dollar, shrill, feedback stomp- box piece of crap you should lay off the glue- seriously...
There is no way you can call any amp that cost this much a fantastic value- no matter how great it sounds. But it is the god of beauty and power of all rock amps. If you don't like the sound of this amp you just have not dialed in the right settings that's all. It is a tricky amp in that way.

Bought the amp through Ebay/ w reciepts in MINT recently. Second owner. Got it from a guy who seldom used it in his home studio. Tube Buffered/Series or Parallel Loop. Came with Svetlana EL34s and 9th gen. Chinese 12ax7s which seem to be Bogners choice of Tubes in March of 05' when this amp was bought new. Tubes still sound great. I will replace them after a while with NOS SIEMENS EL34s after theyve lost their "edge".

THis amp has three very usable channels. I had some reference points to start with through an acquaintence who owned one of these amps previously as well as ripping off the settings from Steve Vais website so I had some starting points of referance but needed to get my take on it (Check his live rig from "World Tour 1993-1994"). This amp has everything anyone could want from an amp and more. Xtremely versatile. 3 CHannels (Clean, Rhythm, Lead) Has a "Plexi" mode as well although I wouldnt say it sounds exactly like a Marshall plexi but has more its own special "vibe" happening here.

Let me start by saying that after reading one very positive review to a very negative review and then 10 very positive reviews and 2 negative reviews and on and on.... I was very confused. I had a head start however. A friend of mine had owned a Bogner XTC 101b and the amp had the "Classic Mod" installed after the fact to bring it to the Ecstacy Classic specs. I have a T.C. Electronic G Force which I also had bought from the same individual. He had also done all the hard work of dialing the G FORCE in with his Bogner Classic for weeks on end dialing in the most important settings and tweaking the High/Low Filtering of the G Force respectively (Reverb, Delay, Smart Pitch Harmonizer, Chorus, Phasor, Octave, Etc.)-> creating a nice "pallet" of effects which was setup through the Bogner in "series" mode. SOunded transparant and wonderful with NO tone degradation that I could hear what so ever.

I had the "game" rigged a little by having my buddies favorite settings in the Red Channel or High Gain 3rd Channel as it is. I ran the Pre-Eq switched off. The Bogners EQs really open up and sound very lively around 2 oclock across the board. I ran the Gain at about 3 oclock. I like it WET and juicy. Indeed it is. I then plugged in the G Force in series to one of my favorite settings "Lead Guitar- Delay/verb" Just a bit of ambiance. Let me say this. WHo ever wrote a negative review about this amp is on glue or something or they simply dont like a "Marshall tone" because my friends thats EXACTLY what this is. A very Marshall master volume type tone. I should know. I have been playing early 80s JCM800s for 20 years and currently own an 81' JCM800 2203 100 watt head.!

I was so impressed right away having the "secret settings" for Channel 3 so to speak. I did some tweaking along the way kicking the mids back a bit and so on. The key to the High Gain channel is to run the amp FULL POWER / New STYLE, NO pre eq switch (Turn it off) let your regular EQing on the front of the amp do the talking. CHannel 2 shares the same EQ as the High Gain 3rd Channel. I was pleasanty srprised when I simply channel switched on over to it and cranked the amp up. The "Plexi" option I chose to use with this channel and It is a wonderful and chewy option. I really love it. After some old school funk and some aggressive passing tonal blues shredding I dealt with the clean channel. Let me just say a medium or low output pickup sounds best to me in this channel. I like the sound of the cleans here. Again I started with some stock settings off of the BOgner WEbsite this time and tweaked from there. It really comes down to all the ingrediants surrounding thisamp head. YOur SPeakers FIRST and FOREMOST. Then I would say the type pickups you use and the woods your guitar is made from all obviously will affect the tones your amp produce.

This was something I thought long and hard about. I have always been partial to the old 1980s straight 4x12" Marshall cabs with the G12T75s. I happened to stumble onto one not so long back and have had it at my house collecting dust . I actually use a Bogner UberKAb with my 1981 Marshall JCM800 2203. For me anyway who plays guitar instrumental shred type music, heavy groove, drop D and E flat tunings, aggressive blues and old school funk, odd meter time stuff to Vai, Black Crowes, Pink Floyd, Steve Morse, Satch, Ace Frehley, Lynch, Chili Peppers, Tool, Rage Against the MAchine and on and on I feel this amp suits my needs to a tee. It is just plain fun to play on and brings a smile to my face. I would buy it again if it were stolen or lost. I need more time with it and that will come but for having some of the settings meticulously dialed in by my tone guru buddy as well as the G Force being ready to go and just plug and play with the Bogner I feel I had a head start. I will discover many wonderful options with this amp as time goes by im sure with trial and error and out of sheer curiosity.

Have only owned the amp a short while. Maybe in the future will post again. I will say BOgner Customer Service are great for I have dealt with them when I owned my BOgner Uberschall this past year. Ive owned the BOgner Uberschall and it was to much gain for me al lbe it it is an incredible amp if you play veryu aggressive music. I have mainly played Marshalls over the years as well as Fender, the Uberschall, a Soldano and

As stated above. Only owned a short time

So here it is, MY RIG IS FINISHED!! I oewn a 1981 Marshall JCM800 2203/Uberkab/Klon Centaur which I run DRY. ALongside this beast I now own my 05'Bogner XTC CLassic/80s Marshall striahgt cab w/G12T75s and a TC Electronic G Force. I AB/Y these two rigs. Sometimes using both of the amp rigs blending their sounds together. At other times I will simply use the BOgner only for CLean tones. Again I will kick off the Klon Centaur and mix the "plexi" mode of my BOgner with the "stock " sound of my 81' Marshall JCM800 2203. Again, A wonderful thing of beauty!! ALl in all, I love Marshalls and now I love BOgners !!If you like a MArshall tone then the Bogner is for you.! I suppose the few negative posts they just didnt spend enough time with the amp, they didnt use the right formulae i.e speaker type used, guitar used, pickup type, etc. REMEMBER THIS ONE THING. It is a delicate formula here and you must try differant speaker cab configurations and wattages as well as differant guitars, pickups as well as whther or not you want to use digital effects. Again you need to have those dialed in correctly as well for if you dont they can kill tone to. If you match all the ingrediants correctly something special will happen to you. As did me. I thank those who inspired me previous to decide on this rig as well as my bud for dialing in the G Force and recommending certain settings and doing the so called "hard work" fpor me! ITs a great amp!