Elmwood Modena 60

I have the stained red birch 2008 model. The Elmwood Modena M60 is an all-tube amplifier running 12AX7s and EL-34s. It is equipped with 2 channels, each with independent EQ, volume and gain controls. Each channel features a gain-boost, with adjustable gain controls - so in essence, it is a 4 channel amp. In the master section, there is a post-EQ in the form of a presence ('Edge') and a resonance ('Fat') control to help round out the overall tone. There are two master volumes and an effects loop with a 'mix' control. Finally, the amp can be set to 'Pentode' mode (60w) or 'Triode' mode (30w), making it ideal for recording and playing at lower volumes. This is a very well thought out design, where the player can genuinely take advantage of all the features, not just a few.

This amp gets a 10, because it has all the features I need, and I cannot think of anything more this amp could have that I would want. This is a big deal to me, as I definitely consider myself to be pretty demanding in that department. Above all, it comes in a very attractive and stylish package which vehemently testifies to the class, care and attention to detail that Elmwood exudes.

The guitars I primarily use are: a Musicman Silhouette Special, equipped with 2 DiMarzio Area '58s and a DiMarzio Tone Zone in the bridge (my extreme Strat). I also have an American Deluxe Tele, with a Callaham bridge, a DiMarzio Chopper T (Bridge) and a DiMarzio Area T (Neck) pickup. Finally, my Gibson Les Paul Classic is equipped with a DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAF in the neck, with the stock Gibson 500 in the bridge.

I play mostly hard rock and roots music (blues, country, surf, rockabilly etc.) in an instrumental guitar format. This amp can handle these styles with remarkable ease and with great aplomb. Each guitar's intrinsic qualities really come out with this amp.

The clean channel can compete with the best of them, and that includes Top Hat, Matchless, Fender, Dr Z and Divided By 13. It retains its clarity and sparkle at high volumes, while not sounding thin. Boosting the clean channel will take you from shotglass blues to moderate crunch that is very reminiscent of the JTM sound. It is a highly responsive amplifier, where every nuance of your playing is projected to the listener.

The high gain channels for me, are where this amp really shines. The EQ and other controls are all highly sensitive and can provide a vast palette of tones to choose from. Each EQ control plays off the others (as a good EQ section should), rather than 'statically' increase or decrease set frequencies. It is almost parametric in that respect.

The distortion to me is that of a hot-rodded plexi, with a dose of its own tone for good measure. It is important to run this thing through a good cab. Fortunately, I am running mine through an Elmwood closed back 2x12. The distortion can get VERY brutal, however I don't ever have to set it that high. I set my gain at 50%, which gives me plenty of growl, fire and just tonal bliss. It is a very clean distortion which rapidly cleans up with the volume pot of a well equipped guitar. I can go from devastating leads to sparkle with all my guitars, except for my darker sounding Les Paul - which yields more of a 'woody' type of clean.

Even at low volumes, this amp can nail the best of the hard rock tones that are prevalent today. That includes Jeff Kollman, Blues Saraceno and Andy Timmons. Both channels are voiced consistently and can produce the fattest surf twang to coolest glassy blues tones all the way up to raunchy rhythm and liquid leads. The Elmwood Modena M60 to me is the perfect amplifier. That being said, it is highly responsive and therefore does require tweaking to meet the needs of the player.

I have no doubt that this thing can nail all the 'metal' sounds for the metal heads out there, but that isn't something I do, nor can speak to.

I have not owned this amp long enough to make that determination, but so far so good.

Having met with the folks at Elmwood, namely Peter, Jan and the other gentleman, whom I cannot remember the name of - I can truly say that they are among the friendliest and most knowledgeable in the business. Furthermore, unlike many of their contemporaries, they are totally in touch with the needs of today's demanding guitar player, exemplified by the very design of this amplifier.

My emails have been replied to with utmost professionalism and prompt alacrity.

I can categorically state that this is the most outstanding amplifier I've ever heard let alone owned in my life. I've been playing for almost 25 years, and have owned several high-end models in my time. While I do not wish to sound like the 'kid' reviewers who are all giddy over their first Mesa or Line 6 and give a 10 on every category without thinking - I do know amplifiers, and I do know good tone. However I cannot and will not underplay what this incredible amp has to offer in the interest of appearing as a 'realist'. The grades that this amp gets from me are all well deserved.

My other amp is a Bogner Ecstasy 101B, running into a Bogner oversized 2x12 cab - to give you an idea of what kind of sound I'm into. The Elmwood Modena M60 just sounds better, has much more tonal diversity between channels, cleans up better with the guitar's volume pot, is much more dynamic and responsive than the Ecstasy. Its a much smaller form factor than the Ecstasy and others in that class. The 2x12 cab by Elmwood is a phenomenon unto itself. I highly recommend it as the perfect compliment to this incredible amplifier.

My advice is to take a few hours to work with the amplifier, try it in different areas of the room - dial in the sounds you're looking for (zeroing out the EQ and adjusting upwards works well). Understand the amplifier and how each control reacts with the others. You WILL experience the tonal bliss this amp consistently and effortlessly delivers. This amp is alive.

I have the stained red birch 2008 model. The Elmwood Modena M60 is an all-tube amplifier running 12AX7s and EL-34s. It is equipped with 2 channels, each with independent EQ, volume and gain controls. Each channel features a gain-boost, with adjustable gain controls - so in essence, it is a 4 channel amp. In the master section, there is a post-EQ in the form of a presence ('Edge') and a resonance ('Fat') control to help round out the overall tone. There are two master volumes and an effects loop with a 'mix' control. Finally, the amp can be set to 'Pentode' mode (60w) or 'Triode' mode (30w), making it ideal for recording and playing at lower volumes. This is a very well thought out design, where the player can genuinely take advantage of all the features, not just a few.

This amp gets a 10, because it has all the features I need, and I cannot think of anything more this amp could have that I would want. This is a big deal to me, as I definitely consider myself to be pretty demanding in that department. Above all, it comes in a very attractive and stylish package which vehemently testifies to the class, care and attention to detail that Elmwood exudes.

The guitars I primarily use are: a Musicman Silhouette Special, equipped with 2 DiMarzio Area '58s and a DiMarzio Tone Zone in the bridge (my extreme Strat). I also have an American Deluxe Tele, with a Callaham bridge, a DiMarzio Chopper T (Bridge) and a DiMarzio Area T (Neck) pickup. Finally, my Gibson Les Paul Classic is equipped with a DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAF in the neck, with the stock Gibson 500 in the bridge.

I play mostly hard rock and roots music (blues, country, surf, rockabilly etc.) in an instrumental guitar format. This amp can handle these styles with remarkable ease and with great aplomb. Each guitar's intrinsic qualities really come out with this amp.

The clean channel can compete with the best of them, and that includes Top Hat, Matchless, Fender, Dr Z and Divided By 13. It retains its clarity and sparkle at high volumes, while not sounding thin. Boosting the clean channel will take you from shotglass blues to moderate crunch that is very reminiscent of the JTM sound. It is a highly responsive amplifier, where every nuance of your playing is projected to the listener.

The high gain channels for me, are where this amp really shines. The EQ and other controls are all highly sensitive and can provide a vast palette of tones to choose from. Each EQ control plays off the others (as a good EQ section should), rather than 'statically' increase or decrease set frequencies. It is almost parametric in that respect.

The distortion to me is that of a hot-rodded plexi, with a dose of its own tone for good measure. It is important to run this thing through a good cab. Fortunately, I am running mine through an Elmwood closed back 2x12. The distortion can get VERY brutal, however I don't ever have to set it that high. I set my gain at 50%, which gives me plenty of growl, fire and just tonal bliss. It is a very clean distortion which rapidly cleans up with the volume pot of a well equipped guitar. I can go from devastating leads to sparkle with all my guitars, except for my darker sounding Les Paul - which yields more of a 'woody' type of clean.

Even at low volumes, this amp can nail the best of the hard rock tones that are prevalent today. That includes Jeff Kollman, Blues Saraceno and Andy Timmons. Both channels are voiced consistently and can produce the fattest surf twang to coolest glassy blues tones all the way up to raunchy rhythm and liquid leads. The Elmwood Modena M60 to me is the perfect amplifier. That being said, it is highly responsive and therefore does require tweaking to meet the needs of the player.

I have no doubt that this thing can nail all the 'metal' sounds for the metal heads out there, but that isn't something I do, nor can speak to.

I have not owned this amp long enough to make that determination.

Having met with the folks at Elmwood, namely Peter, Jan and the other gentleman, whom I cannot remember the name of - I can truly say that they are among the friendliest and most knowledgeable in the business. Furthermore, unlike many of their contemporaries, they are totally in touch with the needs of today's demanding guitar player, exemplified by the very design of this amplifier.

My emails have been replied to with utmost professionalism and prompt alacrity.

I can categorically state that this is the most outstanding amplifier I've ever heard let alone owned in my life. I've been playing for almost 25 years, and have owned several high-end models in my time. While I do not wish to sound like the 'kid' reviewers who are all giddy over their first Mesa or Line 6 and give a 10 on every category without thinking - I do know amplifiers, and I do know good tone. However I cannot and will not underplay what this incredible amp has to offer in the interest of appearing as a 'realist'. The grades that this amp gets from me are all well deserved.

My other amp is a Bogner Ecstasy 101B, running into a Bogner oversized 2x12 cab - to give you an idea of what kind of sound I'm into. The Elmwood Modena M60 just sounds better, has much more tonal diversity between channels, cleans up better with the guitar's volume pot, is much more dynamic and responsive than the Ecstasy. Its a much smaller form factor than the Ecstasy and others in that class. The 2x12 cab by Elmwood is a phenomenon unto itself. I highly recommend it as the perfect compliment to this incredible amplifier.

I suggest you take a few days to work with the amplifier, try it in different areas of the room - dial in the sounds you're looking for (zeroing out the EQ and adjusting upwards works well). Understand the amplifier and how each control reacts with the others, including the volumes, gains and the post-eq. I promise you that you will experience the tonal riches this amp will effortlessly provide. It's expensive, but worth it.

I bought this amp head via a Greek Dealer (Hi-Gain), but the amp was delivered direct from the factory in Sweden.
It's a 60w 2 channel valve amp with 2 gain stages per channel, so essentially that's clean, crunch, mid-gain and high gain, all footswitchable. It has 2 master volumes, also footswitchable.
For those who care, it uses ECC83's in the pre-amp, and EL34's in the poweramp.
It also has pentode/triode options, which in triode drops the power to about 30w.
Each channel has its own tone controls, and separete volume and gain knobs.
The chassis is rugged, and either comes in black vinyl or stained birch (at extra cost, and to be honest it's not what you want in a gigging amp).
Also, there are separate low and high frequency master knobs on the back, if needed, and a series-to-parallel FX loop (ie it has a blend control).
There isn't a reverb (which I wouldn't use anyway), and the FX loop isn't footswitchable, which is a bit of a shame, but apart from that this is a very versatile amp.

My main guitar is a G&L Invader, so quite high output, and via a Marshall 1936 2x12 cab.
The clean channel is nice and rich, begins to break up at around 11 o'clock, and cleans up nicely when you back off the guitar volume.
Engage the crunch, adjust the separate volume knob to match volume, fiddle with the gain, and it's AC/DC-land. Very '70's sound when playing lead using the bridge pick-up, and more bluesy with the neck. Backing off the guitar volume creates a nice soft crunch, and lighter picking makes a big difference too.
It doesn't sustain for too long, but some sort of Tubescreamer-ish boost would probably correct that.
Channel 2 is a more modern gain sound, extremely rich, superb tone. There isn't a massive difference in tone between the two gain options, but the highest one sustains more, and you can do all the John Sykes/Zakk Wylde squeals and harmonics. You can also get a close approximation to Santana by backing off the tone on the guitar.
Again, the guitar volume changes things nicely.
You can reach into the realms of metal by altering the tone settings. In fact, the tone controls make a substantial difference to the sound, so there's a lot of experimenting possible.
Triode setting is quieter, and subtly changes the tone. Channel 1 breaks up a bit earlier, for example, and channel 2 isn't quite as rich. Still a very usable option though.
The real bonus is that in either setting, this amp sounds really good at low volumes, so you don't have to deafen the neighbours.

Only had it for just over a month, so too soon to tell, but played it several times a week and no problems so far.

Emailed the factory several times, quick replies each time, and very helpful.

Been playing for over 25 years, gone throuhg a variety of rigs, but this is the first valve amp I've owned. Tried loads of heads in the process of choosing, and if I had to make a comparison I'd pick the Mesa Boogie Single Rectifier.
Except
The Modena 60 has a richer sound, doesn't have a top end "fizz" (which can be really annoying), and even at high gain is surprisingly quiet.
So it's better in every department. And it leaves Marshall at the starting line.
And there isn't that much difference in price, at least over in Europe.
So far I've not needed any effects at all, and I've used it for things as diverse as Country, Disco, Pop, AOR and Hard Rock.
And Santana.
Don't play much metal, but this baby can do that too.
The two master volumes are ideal for a lead boost, and you can set it so that when you increase the gain, the master volume changes up too.
Apart from the lack of a switchable FX loop, this is just about my perfect amp. Better sound than Mesa, more versatile than Cornford, higher gain than Orange...what more do you want?