Engl E670 Special Edition Head

This is a 2007 model purchased from new. You should know all the features by now: 4 channels, midi, mid boosts, bass boosts etc etc. I can't think of an amp with more features - maybe a mesa roadking but that's so complicated compared to the Engl. The midi really is amazing particularly when used with the all the mid boosts this amp has. Means I can go from ACDC to Dokken to Pantera and Metallica just by hitting a button on my midi-board. This amp is also breathtakingly loud - I've played 500 seater clubs with the master on 3 and still been told to turn down!

I use Ibanez J customs and an EBMM JP3 guitar and they all sound incredible through this amp. I play in both a rock covers band as well as an original band and do everything from Led Zep through to Korn and this amp absolutely delivers. The noise gate keeps this amp really quiet. The sound quality is incredible. I use all 4 channels, channel 1 obviously for clean stuff, channel 2 for everything from ACDC to Kings X. Channel 3 for all my real heavy rhythm from Dokken to Pantera and Korn and use the mid boosts to alter between lots of mids and scooped. I use channel 4 for soloing. The clean is very clean and doesn't break up at all (unless you want it too). The distortion is absolutely brutal - akin to an Uberschall in terms of its 'wall of sound'

Have been gigging regularly with it for a year and it's never let me down yet. I usually carry along a voodu-valve rack preamp in case my main amp blows but have never had to use it live yet.

I've not dealt with Engl yet. The manual is very detailed and the amp has never gone wrong on me so have had no need to deal with them.

I've been playing for nearly 30 years and own a Framus Cobra, Bogner Ecstacy as well as a Line 6 Spider Jam. I thought the Bogner was the holy grail of versatility until I got the Engl, I now hardly ever use the Bogner - the Engl is that good. If it were stolen or lost I would get another one. The versatility and features of this amp are what make it so breathtaking - there is pretty much no musical style you can't get with this amp, from clean and blues right through to death metal and beyond. The noise gate also makes it amazingly quiet.

Mine was a 2006 EL34 version. Purchased it from Engl Amps USA. I don't believe I can add anything regarding features of the amp that hasn't been stated below. More features than you would ever need. One of the most unique features is the Tube Driver concept. Very cool idea to bypass the preamp and line directly to the power tube section. I will say that the Mega Low End option is more of a "toy" type option rather than a true tone shaping feature. I don't see how it could be a realistic tool in a band or recording environment. I did love the voicing options of hitting either the Modern/Classic button. Makes the amp infinitely more versatile.

My main guitars are: Music Man Petrucci, Gibson Les Paul Studio, Schecter Hellraiser and a PRS McCarty. I play a of different kinds of music but would classify myself as a rock guy. The SE fits the bill for every style. It covers so much ground with the 4 channels and abundant voicing options that are available. The only thing that would hold someone back from liking this amp would be the over arching Engl voicing (which I happen to like).

Channel 1- Great clean tone. Lots of headroom and tone shaping options.

Channel 2- Great for those just breaking up to classic and 80s hard rock tones. Spent the least amount of time on this one.

Channel 3- My favorite high gain channel of any Engl amp. So many options to choose from. I loved to play around on this channel with the High Gain option off. I will say that the amp delivers in spades with the High Gain option on for heavier tones. The Mid frequency shaping options with this channel made it a snap to switch from a hard driving rhythm to a searing lead tone. Awesome!

Channel 4- My least favorite channel. It is essentially channel 3 with even more gain on tap and lots of bass. To me, I found it to be overkill. It is overly compressed and would sound a tad muddy to my ears.

A terrific sounding amp!

I had zero problems with this amp. Played it for over a year and never had any reliability issues.

Never had to deal with Engl customer support.

I purposely waited to write this review so as not to be influenced unfairly. I have been playing for about 24 years. I have owned quite a few amps over the years (Peavey Butcher, Line 6 Spider, HD-147, Vetta I & Vetta II, Peavey 5150II, Peavey XXX, Engl Powerball, VHT CLX and Mesa Boogie Mark IV). I would rank this amp in my top 2 without hesitation. It was everything I wanted at the time. I loved the versatility of the amp and channel 3. I didn't like how heavy it was and felt channel 4 was useless. I would buy this amp again. I currently play the Mesa Mark IV and feel it was a better fit for me in terms of versatility, features and price. I would recommend this amp to anyone that wants tons of features and killer high gain. Personally, I feel the price should come down a bit. I would rate the overall value as follows. Here are some clips of the amp if you are interested: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=406888

ENGL Special Edition 100W tube Head, E670. I got the one with the EL34s because that was the only one available in the UK at the time. Amp looks absolutely gorgeous when on.

4 Channels: Clean, Crunch, Lead I and Lead II, all with separate gain boosts. Shared EQ between the Clean and Crunch and the Lead I and II channels.

It has more features than you could shake a stick at! I do not think I could ever find an amp with more features than this one!
I have found that every one of them is usable! 3 effects loops, MIDI programmable, Depth boost (keep it almost always on), Modern/Classic voicing, 2xPresence, 2xMaster Volume, integrated noise gate etc! Other ridiculous features include a cable integrity checker, a working (and in my madness I have tested it!) shut-down of the power amp when a speaker is not connected, a 100-50W switch that is MIDI programmable, an easy power amp valve biasing mechanism with LED???s, a speaker impedance check with LED???s etc. Having said this, the amp is very straight forward to operate, and I strongly recommend reading the manual (all 50+ pages of it) to get acquainted with the amp. The suggestions by Mr Lange are very helpful! Finally, as there are so many features and all of them programmable, it goes without saying that a MIDI board is a must.

There is also the Tube Driver circuit that I am adding here because there is no space left in the "Sound Quality" section :D. This is such a great feature it should not be left out of this review. I only use it with the EQ setting on, as I find the default a bit dark, but that is my preference. It is the most useful thing to have if you are trying things like preamps/pedals. This is my test ground for my distortion boxes. If I want to hear the flavor of my pedals, or I am trying to get to a specific EQ setting coming from the pedal, I will pass it through the Tube Driver circuit with almost flat EQ there, and compare sounds. I believe Randy Rhoads did something similar, just driving his power amps directly with a distortion box. It does not stop there, as this nifty 5th channel can also serve some brilliant jazz tones courtesy of the power-amp tube distortion you can force. This is something that amp manufacturers should head, as it is a tool that is very rare but really necessary.

This is a very heavy head, as it has some massive transformers in it, but is also build to last. As for power, this amp is LOUD! It is definitely beyond anything I will ever need.... EVER!

I have this amp hooked to a 2x12 ENGL VH cabinet. I will go through each channel here in some detail.

Clean Channel: You would think that the EL34s would not help, but with the 2 bright switches (to balance out the darkness of the cabinet), you can get an incredibly convincing funk sound! Add a wah and it is instant rhythmic bliss! The clean at low gain settings is so clean, it is chiming. I would compare it to my Fender Deville, with a bit more definition. With the gain higher up (over 12 o'clock) things become nastier. Still perfectly clean for smooth clean lines and some fingerpicking, but dig in with the pick and you get perfect tube breakup. Perfect dynamics! If you also engage the Gain Boost switch of the clean channel, push in the Depth Boost, and switch to neck pickup (whatever that may be) and you are rewarded with the warmest, sexiest blues tone. I can play SRV's Riviera Paradise on my Strat with a SD Quarter Pounder in the neck just by setting two clean configurations in my MIDI board and switching between them. From the chords to the soloing, it is all perfectly there! The volume knob works wonders on my guitar!

Crunch: Indeed by far the most versatile channel on the amp. You can go from almost perfectly clean to light breakup to raunchy grind to a mean lead tone just with the controls on your guitar alone. If you want to know exactly what I am talking about, have a listen to Doug Aldrich's West Coast. I can recreate that sound perfectly with this amp. I am also the happy owner of 3 Keeley moded pedals, a DS-1 Ultra, a BD-2 Phat Mod and a TS-9Flexi 4x2. With these pedals and the two channels I have just described alone I can get almost any sound I will ever probably need. With the Flexi on its own and this channel at full gain (Gain Boost switch engaged), I can plug in my Ibanez JS1000 and almost get the notorious brown sound. On my Strat, with the Flexi and the BD-2 and the amp Gain Boost disengaged, I can switch between rhythm and lead for almost all Rory Gallagher songs. Then to my Les Paul with the Reverb on high on the amp, and low gain, bass high and Mid-Boost, and I can nail the Knopfler Brothers in Arms sound, or even David Gilmour???s On An Island tone. The possibilities are endless!

Lead I: This is the channel I use the least, and what a shame that is! It is a brilliant channel all of its own. This channel is supposed to have less gain than Lead II, but it sure has more bite! Think of a Guns???N???Roses sound, and that is what you have, a very hot-rodded Marshall. With my Les Paul I can easily get the Mr Brownstone sound, and if you add any of the pedals in the mix, you are in very high gain crunch mode, perfect for heavy rhythm, grunge, and easily up to Metal. I have one setting that I just made for fun with the Hi-Gain, Depth Boost and Mega-Low Punch all engaged in this channel, and the gain is bone shattering. Metallica territory and beyond. Great channel, I need to investigate it further!

Lead II: This is my favorite channel on the amp. Just beautiful, smooth, high gain. I rarely use the Hi-Gain switch on this channel, as it gets a bit noisy for my taste, but the noise gate does a decent job getting rid of some of it. What I was getting at is that you can easily get into Santana smoothness here if you tweak the EQ enough, without the need for a PRS. As the Reverb works superbly on all channels, it really shines here, giving the channel such a beautiful depth it really is an unbeatable combination. Think of it as a channel good for a few famous tones such as Steve Morse (think Purpendicular, he uses this exact amp now on stage) and Andy Timmons (Cry For You (live)), and some nice Satch tones in the mix, just by tweaking the EQ. Truly superb!

This is where things have gone a bit pear-shaped. I had an issue with my head that I had to personally resolve. I could hear a rattle coming from the amp when I played heavy bass notes. I touched around the amp while it was on and found that if I pressed on the backpanel the noise stopped. That meant, I thought, that the back panel was not screwed on all the way, but all the screws seemed really tight to me. So I looked into the head from the front (thank god for the open front) and saw that the Reverb tank was actually attached to the backpanel. I then removed the backpanel and found that of the 4 corner screws of the Reverb tank, two on the top side were missing. That meant that the tank was actually hinging on two bottom screws, and was banging against the backpanel. That was all very quickly fixed with some tape and everything was fine afterwards. Not a major issue after all.

However, I am disappointed that with a head that costs more than ??2K there would be such issues as missing screws. I know that they are hand mounted and almost entirely hand made, but that does not mean that the QC at ENGL are doing their job. Far from it, it seems. Having said that, the rest of the amp is built like a bloody German tank and no mistake. I am a qualified electronics engineer, and it is a joy looking into this amp and seeing all the components as neatly and securely placed. The head, cabinet and floor-pedal I have purchased from ENGL are some of the best made pieces of engineering I have ever seen, very professionally made. I would definitely, and without a second thought gig them without a backup.

I bought this amp from BMT Birmingham, and I would recommend them for any purchase you may have, as they treated me like royalty when I was just still asking around about amps. They were the reason I did not look any further than this ENGL (meaning that I only tested another 10 high end amps like Mesas, Marshall, Hughes & Kettner etc before purchasing it ???). They even suggested that if I did not like the EL34???s on it, they would ship me a set of ENGL 6L6???s to replace them with free of charge!!! Excellent service!!!

However, I did not get the same thing from ENGL directly. It is unfortunate they do not have any contact details on their site, other than an internet contact form you have to fill in first. I first wrote to them about the issue with the backpanel rattling, and 3 weeks later (!!!) I got a reply telling me that I should take it to a dealer to have a look at. That is not the kind of constructive advice I would like from any company, much less one that I have bought a set of equipment costing almost ??3000. I wrote them again on the reply email address I got and told them of the reverb tank thing, and also attached some pictures I had taken to prove the point. Just as a point of reference. I did not get any reply. That was 2 months ago. So this is why I rate this section so low. Just very poor customer service from such a high profile amp maker. I used to own a Marshall (along with millions of other users) and I wrote them an email and got a response two days later, and I know they must cater for thousands of emails every day. I am just disappointed with ENGL in this respect. I am only giving marks here because of BMT who were so helpful, and because I do not want any readers to think that this issue really irked me. I am just disappointed.

Having given you a description about the tone from this amp, I have to state that it is a very transparent, almost surgical tool. Even at the tremendous gain levels it is capable of, it retains such clarity and precision that it can only make a better guitarist out of the user. I know, because every little slip I make is never forgiven. To understand what I mean, this amp is so transparent and accurate that every guitar will sound exactly how it should through it. A Strat will be Strat, and a Les Paul a Les Paul. Sure, the options will allow you to shape the sound in endless ways, but the character of the guitar will always shine through. Mesas usually sound like Mesas, while this ENGL sounds like the guitar you plug into it, bringing out its better attributes and compensating for its weaknesses. I should only tell you that your tone will be different depending on whether your strings are new or old! It is that precise.

I would like to point out again that this amp can deliver almost any sound under the sun. It can go from Jazz, to Funk, to Country, to Blues, to Rock and definitely into Metal. This is not a one trick pony, and rest assured that you will not hear it at its best if you do not devote some time in setting it up and reading the manual. Having said that, almost any sound you coax out of it is immediately usable, and if not, just the press of one switch, or the turn of one knob and the sound changes dramatically. This is the one amp you will need for the rest of your life, and I believe that for the money it is one of the best pieces of musical equipment of any kind you can buy. I may have my complaints with the service I received, but that is a minor issue. I have owned and played some high end amps, and this is something unique, no wonder it is called Special Edition. I am looking forward to trying it out with 6L6???s (as recommended by ENGL), maybe it will give me a tamer version, even though I may miss the EL34 growl. I have to find out.

I have been playing for a good 10 years now, and I am always seeking a very distinct sound. I always try to come up with some new tone that will make my day, and I end up just picking up my Strat, plugging it in to the Clean channel, just tweaking the EQ, and I forget what I was supposed to do! Until I remember and devote another few minutes setting it up to be blown away again. This amp will do it all for you, guaranteed. It is a fantastic piece of kit, and I am grateful I saved enough to buy it. If it got damaged or stolen, I would not worry too much because I have it doubly insured. I would buy it again in an instant if I could not get it back. I hope you are as lucky as myself and find it in a shop and try it, and then you will not want to listen to any other amp in the market. It beats all competition hands down!

Brand new 2006, latest rev. EL34
I compared it tightly to Diezel and Mesa Roadking II, as I wanted to add one modern monster head to my ever growing collection of guitar heads.
As other top contenders ENGL offers 4(+1) multiple channels with variations on each, multiple effects loops, reverb and controlability.
In said respect, ENGL is better engineered and implemented, it has no unecessary functions or buttons (as sometime I felt by Roadking II), still it has more necessary functions than Diezel.
Noise gate and tube biasing are ice on the cake.
To rate it 10 would mean Roadking II-8, Diesel-7

Surely, this is what counts the most.
It's matter of taste to say that Roadking II or Diezel have lesser or better sounds. I liked them all, but in smooth overdrive department Diezel and ENGL were clear winner over Mesa.
I liked cleans of Mesa, but ENGL were a bit nicer here, too.
As in my previous ezperience with Mesa Boogie, it's quite difficult to diel in right sound, there are lot of tweaking that can worsen it. With Diezel it was less and with ENGL I almost never heard sound that is less than stellar.
I think that Diezel had little les noise than Roadking II or ENGL, but ENGL's noise-gate helped alot.
My main axes are PRS Modern Eagle and Suhr's Strat.
I like different vibes and it was obvious that ENGL covers way more grounds with absolutely the best sounds than competition.
If I rate ENGL 10, than Diezel - 9. Roadking II -8

I believe all three are quite reliable amps, but I have no clue how roadwothy they are (no experience, as I'm home studio guy)

From the past I know that ENGL support is exemplarly, don't have experience with others (MESA is slow with responds)

With more than 25 years experience, I think I can differ what is real gerat head compared to just good heads.
ENGL SE is Maybach among guitar heads where Diezel is Mercedes Benz.
I was surprized the Roadking II is simply somehow overly complicated in wiring/combinations and as result something wrong is quite often going on with its sound (it might take tremendous time on tweaking).
It's probably ultimate design and instant classic. It can play similarly like plenty of very famous and beloved heads, but still has some very own sounds that are simply impossible to get elswhere.
MIDI footswith (biggest one - 15) works smoothly with all imaginable functions.
I can recommend it over all the best heavyweighters on the market.

As can be understood from all reviews so far, this is one of the most versatile amps in today's market. It's a different step from ENGL (well known for hi-gain amps) towards more classic/vintage sounding demands. Full of channels and features. Nominally the amp has 4 channels (the usual structure of clean, crunch, (rather British) Lead I and (more American) Lead II. Clean/crucnh and LeadI/II share a common eq but each one has its dedicated treble control. Considering programmable sound-shaping options 9see below), you can really dig different sound shapes, even with bass/mid controls in common.
Further, the amp has this magnificant tube driver, accessible from the rear panel, with a fine dedicated eq, that makes an independent 5th channel, which offers the quintessential pure tube tone. I guess purists would use only that channel. To buy such an apparatus (no, this is not a regular amp..) only for that channel could be a little too much, but it's there if you need it, and I do (you read more about it below).
Further upon, there is a handfull of usable, all MIDI storable and switchable features, such as (only a few mentioned):
1. Classic/modern sound shape for all 4 main channels,
2. Hi/low gain, that acts on the most options (crunch, lead I classic, Lead II classic) with NO output level change, and that's pretty handy, 'cause the user can immediately change from hi to lo gain
3. Lots of Depth punches, Bright/Ultra bright (for clean & crunch ch.), Mid boost/contour shape (for lead I & II ch.), etc.
4. Noise Gate
5. 3 Loops
6. Hi/Lo power option
7. A/B speaker option
8. A/B Presence
9. A/B master level
10. Spring reverb
After all this, you got an amp on which you can store all main options, channel selections, gain categories, loops, speakers, presence, etc. on a MIDI board, and then fine shape the sound of every channel with the normal pots, tailoring it to every venue/stage/band. That's to me the most powerful feature of this amp, a combination of MIDI storage and manual sound shape. Of course you need a MIDI board to take advantage of all these features, and that's why I give a 9. I this price category, at least a simple switchboard could be included (as, e.g. for the MESA amps)

Now here's where the real deal is, because, after all these features, if the basic sound(s) of the amp is simply average, then the whole story could be a fiasco... But, far way from that, the sound of the amp is superb. After lots of talk with the people from Music store, Cologne/D, I chose the EL-34 version, as I like more edged, "British" sounds. I use it either with a 2x12 cab (celestion Vintage 30's) or my old marshall TV (4x12', with Greenbacks in it). My guitars are strats (mainly) with Kinman pups, Tellys, a Les Paul standard and a PRS custom.
Lets' keep an eye on the channels each by each:
1. Clean. Simply sweet! Incredible dynamics, absolutely American style brillance, especially the ultra brite option brings you to Tweed heaven. Played loud it gives lots of punch and low end, but no harshness, mud or shrillnes. A nice option here, if you use for this channel a separate open-back cab. Very articulate, you got to play some guitar on that if you like to be heard...

2. Crunch. Hellllllllloooooo old Plexis!? You got message: There is a clone of you inside that amp, and a real good one... far from the jokes, the channel is by far the more versatile on that amp, especially with that lo/hi gain option. You can go from clean/crunch, through crunch/SRV, up to real hi-driven plexi sounds... I chose a low position on the crunch gain-pot, and swap (with lo/hi gain switch) between Light crunch (SRV, Skynyrd - Ultra bright enabled), and Plexi low-drive (those EL-34s give the ultimate british texture). Both sounds are full of dynamics, playing loud you get controlled feedback even on the lo-crucnh mode! Simply superb!!!

3. Lead I. Now that's where things become more dangerous, as this channels has more attack and edge. In a classic mode, this channel delivers a higher gained British sound, edged and full. I personally find the Plexi abilities of the crunch channel's classic mode by far better (see above), that's why I use Lead I with the modern option. The sound is not that modern (as a recto or SLO, etc.), I'd say it's more towards a modern JCM800/900/2000 (remember those EL-34s, that's the real fact here, and elsewhere on my amp). With a moderate gain, and using the favorite Hi/lo gain switch, I can switch from Low gained modern British to a Hi gain hammer tone. Mid boost and/or contour are a little too much for the Hi-gain option here, but in the Lo gain one, they fit perfect and offer more texture!!!

4. Lead II. This is the more American channel: Less attack, more punch, more modern sounding, by far more gain... Hi gain & modern mode here means an inferno of power, distortion, sustain and...feedback. Here is definitely hidden, that ENGL tradition from Savage and Powerball. I use this only on Low gain, modern mode, for some special driven sounds, with a gain that lies between Lead I's Lo- and Hi-gain positions.

5. Tube driver. For those who like the absolute pureness of a Class A amp, this is the channel. It can be driven straight forward to the poweramp (no eq), or with its dedicated 3-band passive eq, and a switch for more mid contoured sound. This channel is really the opposite to clean channel (which is more American sounding). Absolute British Tube 100%. Though, I use this channel slightly overdriven, with a BSM treble Booster (HS custom) in front and get the ultimate Rithie Blackmore sound. It can't get any better!!!

Amp's noise is held in limits. Volume is tremendous and scary... I can't turn Master higher than 2-3, so that my drummer can be heard (classic rock, loud band). Above 4 you need ear protection, and a large, durable stage...
All in all the sounds this amp can deliver are quasi snapshots on the history of guitar amp sounds. If you can dig sounds, this amp will never let you down, whatever you play. It's obviously designed for the professional, versatile musician of today.

Here are a little bit strange things. I first got the sovereign combo, but it worked crap: No MIDI function, no Presence funciton. I sent it back and after lots of discussion I got this one. Though it was checked before sent, the serial Loop does not function properly (thank God I don't need it). I think there must be done something with ENGL's final control...

Not dealt with them yet.

Played for 25 years, own some other stuff (rack units, poweramps, combos), but this is the most professional unit I got. If stolen, I would like to purchase once more, don't know if I'll had the money for that. All in all it's by far the best amp that I had.

I believe this is a 2005 model. This is the EL-34 version of the amp. As far as I know this is the most versatile amp on the market. The amp has 4 "channels" clean, crunch, lead 1 and lead 2. I play this amp at home, in band practice and of course for all live situations. I think this is one of the true gems on the amp market right now and as far as features are concerned I can't imagine needing something that the SE does not give you.

I play melodic thrash metal in my band and also many other styles at home. I play various Jackson USA models some with EMG's and some with the JB/Jazz combo. The clean channel is beautiful, for a high gain amp it really is impressive and the reverb, while not world class, is beyond sufficient. I dont do much with the crunch channel but it has a good punchy and vintage tone that many would enjoy and, the voicing is well suited to sit in the mid range portion of the mix and make sure you are heard distinctly. My main rhythm tone is lead 1/hi-gain/depth boost/contour with the gain about 9 o'clock and a 12at7 in the 1st gain stage to "tone it down" a bit. These settings sound like a musical sledgehammer, tight, punchy, agressive, dominant and the distortion is very harmonic while being the perfect blend of saturated and dry/tight/defined. Lead 2 has a bit more bass some compression and smooth feel that when combined with the channel specific reveb is the tone for neck pickup sweeps, legato, and tapping. At loud volumes it is noisy in a way that is consistent with most of the other high gain amps I've had. However the SE has noise gte built in so... Absolutely no complaints as far as the variety and quality of the tone I can produce with this amp. Hate to be a shill but this category is a solid 10 as well.

Well it's been an absolute champ so far but all the features and circuitry built in to this amp do leave some questions about roadworthiness. However, I've had it for a year with no problems, and have also seen other bands (Necrophagist) tour with this same amp. I don't want skew the rating on this category by rating on suspicion but I would say my confidence in this amp on tour is a 8 or 9 out of 10. So far it's a 10.

So far the vendors, company, and service providers have given me all the support I have asked for but I 've had no real reason to deal extensively with them.

I have a Framus Cobra, an Orange RV100 and a VHT 2150 as well as a an Orange 4x12 and a VHT FB 4x12. I have owned and sold Soldano, Rivera, Bogner, VHT, Zinky, and Mesa amps. All the high gain models you've heard about. Great stuff, I'm very fortunate and thankfull. The Engl SE is the crown jewel of the equipment that I own and have owned. It's overall tone edges out the VHT Ultra Lead as my favorite guitar tone. It's a top tier amp that sounds amazing live and is good at bedroom volumes as well. The SE is worth the price if you need the versatility, are very discerning and want to sound great live or just a gear whore. If you want a tone that is close in quality to the SE but don't want to shell out this much try a Framus Cobra WITH A BOOST in front or a modded Mesa T-verb. They will get you close enough to feel happy with your tone but honestly not the equal of the ENGL. Email me with any questions about this review I'm MORE THAN HAPPY to talk tone and help others in the buying process when this much cash is at stake.

First of all: This is the EL34 Version

Well, I guess you all know the Features of this amazing Amp. If not, download the manual from the engl-site. Its not neccessary, that I write down this book in here. So I tell you things which engl not tells. First of all are most of the sound you can produce with this amp really nice. You have much tones and all are good. When my addition was you have nearly 128 combinations of knobs like gain boost, mid edge, modern, mega low punch. Most of this sound make sense. Some do not which is obvious like unsing in the clean channel the deeth boost and mega low punch.
So this amp is amazingly flexible just like an modeling Amp but this amp sounds good.
The contra of this features is, that you need to spend a lot of money to control all this stuff.
For this Amp you MUST have a midi footswitch!Everything else wound not make sense.

You can use this amp with every guitar! It will allways sound great! I will never play anything else. Is has this typical valve sound, which is warm and rich of overtones. In addition to that you have thousands of different possibilties to use it. Interessting is the modern/classic switch which offer with other switches a large collection of sounds!
The sound is awesome. It sound honestly and direct. Just what a guitarist needs.
You can use this amp for jazz to rock and from fusion to metal. It will do it without making compromises!
It stay calm if you're not playing there is no hum. In high gain modes, you can use the noise gate so the mighty power stay under you control!The clean channel is very nice! It distorts if you want to, if you dont want that it will not. The gain resources are so giant that you can keep the switch on 12 o'clock in the lead channels.

I dont know didn't have problems. But this amp is from germany so there wont proberbly be any problems

Never dealt with them!

I would get mad if this thing would be stolen, but just because the money I spent on it. But it would be stolen and I would buy it again of course. But I hope that will never happen!
The only bad thing about this amp is, that the switches for mids, bass and treble are share between to channels.
Its the most beautiful and beautiful sounding amp i've hear and senn in my live!

This grat amp is made in 2004. The amp is more versatile than all other amps I've checked in the last 20 Years! I play Rock, Blues, Funk, Pop and Heavy Metal with many different guitars, in every situation this amp sounds great! This amp is Midi ready, just plug a midi cable from your EFX to the amp and all is under your control.
The amp has 4 Channels but brings 20 different settings (all MIDI progamable !!!)
Check out the ENGL Home Page!

I play my Strat in the classic mode and have the greatest SRV Sound you can imagine....
I play a Les Paul or a PRS in the classic mode and have a range from a superb AC/DC or ZEP Sound (with activated contour shape) to a real smoothy Santana Sound (with activated mid edge). No problem to have a smooth Lukather tone in this mode also.
When I change from classic to modern mode the sound is more Haevy, more Bass and Treble, less mids. This is only the princip. Don't forget you have features like midboost to have a "creamy" tone also in this mode.
When I put all "Bass push options" like Bass Depht, Contour shape and Mega Lo Punch, the amp produce a Wall of Metal Tone you never heard before. The Boogie Dual Rectifier brings the Half of Bass Power, not even more!!! I don't use this Thunder Sound because I have a Bass player in my Band....
One word to the clean channel: Just great
One word to the Tube Driver direct channel: perfect for a pure Tone (like a staight class A Amp)
Yoe have the choice between 5881 or EL 34 Power Walves. Both are sounding great, the EL 34 Version is my favorite because the sound is more dirthy with this Types.

Never had technical problems with this Amp! Midi works perfect!

The customer support is perfect! If you have any questions go to the ENGL Website and contact the ENGL Team. I've done and the chif personally sent me a mail back!!!

Again: This amp is perfect !!!

Can be very short about this one, there simply isn't an amp out there that has more features, some highlights:

- integrated noisegate with threshold and mute depth adjustable;
- cable damage checker / ohmage checker for connecting speakers;
- tube driver channel;
- 3 EFX loops
- bias system with LED's and two bias pots (general and fine tuning);
- integrated midi interface;
- phantom power for ENGL midi pedals from the gead unit via midi cable;

etc etc etc.....

The SE is basically one of the most versatile heads out there, it basically has 4 channels and the tube driver channel on the backpanel, so you could see it as a 5 channel head.

OVERALL:

AMp has two basic modes "modern" and "classic" the "classic" mode has warmer, rounder tone with far less gain. the "modern mode" is obviously based on the Powerball but takes it one step further, tight, defined, if desired biting modern ultra gain tone.

Halfpower mode is switchable fron the front panel and midi programmable so very useable as a tone shaping option, e.g. switch from lead 1 channel in halfpower mode for your rhythm tone to lead 2 channel in full power mode for leads. Noise gate is also midi programmable and switchable from the front panel.

The amp has two presence and mastervolume controls, depth punch and mega lo poweramp tone controls all midi switchable. AMp has two poweramp outputs which allow totally different ohmages so you can basically drive two rigs from the SE. e.g. a full stack with 2 412 cabs loaded with V30's for the heavy stuff and a half (or full) stack with a nice 410 cab for the mellower stuff, poweramp outputs are also midi assignable to any desired midi preset.

Clean/crunch channel (1 & 2) have a gain boost feature which afects both channels bright and ultra bright mini switches that also affect both channels.

Clean:

Awesome clean channel, with bright and ultra bright switches, still have to hear better clean from a channel swither. With humbuckers you'll have to set the gain low though to prevent a slight overdrive. The ultra bright switch comes in hande when using dark sounding humbuckers to still give em a little "twang".

crunch:

takes you from slightly overdriven blues tone to hardrock heaven with the gain boost engaged. say SRV to AC/DC to Van Halen or even Sabbath. both the low gain channels have a dedicated reverb which is a very nice and warm sounding accutronics spring reverb. Just add a little of that, gain boost engaged gain set to 12 o clock and you'll be in AC/DC paradise!

Lead 1:

WOW this is where it's really taking of, in "classic" mode with "high gain" engaged this would be the equivalent of a hotrodded Marshall, early to mid 80's metal/hardrock tone. The overall voicing is ultra tight like a VHT UL but not as dry and not as hard to saturate. this is definately full blown metal tone with the "modern" mode engaged in "high gain" setting. I basically play thrash stuff a la TESTAMENT, EXODUS, SLAYER, SODOM or KREATOR and in this mode you won't have to set the gain past 11 o clock (sick!!!) to get a killer punchy ultra gain tone. This definately took ENGL to another level taking the best properties of the Powerball, SAVAGE 120 and the older Savage SE to melt it into the best metal amp this world has ever seen.

Lead 2:

This channel has a slightly looser and more liquid voicing specially suitabel for playing lead. the two high gain channels also have a dedicated reverb which sound darn good on it's own, I even abolished my 19" EFX processor because this one sounded just as good. This channel also has mini switches for "contour" and "mid edge" the latter works very well for lead 1 and cuts like a knife through a band mix. The "mid edge" can also be used as a little volume boost whereas the "contour" adds more definition to your lead tone which is a very cool feature.

ENGLs are built like tanks, made in Germany with high grade components. I tested this amp out and was actually out there because I was interested in the DIEZEL HERBERT, VH4 or the FRAMUS COBRA. BUt whereas I played those amps exstensively and took me some time to get a nice tone (didn't succees on the COBRA at all) the SE sounded right from the moment I plugged in. I'd say the DIEZEL is probably the most solidly built amp I ever saw, but the ENGLs have proven themselves in roadworthiness over the past 2 decades as well.

I had a SAVAGE 120 from 1994 which showed no signs of technical wear whatsoever after 11 years and I am confident the SE is every bit as good!

ERIC KOCH (ENGL) is a very good company, even if your warranty has expired they will do everything to make you satisfied. I luckily haven't got any experiences myself but I heard a dozen of good stories about them.

I have been playing for 10 years now, had dozens of amps like several Marshall JCM 800's, Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier and Mark III, Peavey 5150, XXX, Randall Cyclone, Crate Blue Voodoo BH 150H, ENGL Powerball, ENGL Savage 120. PLayed the Diezel Herbert and VH-4 exstensively as well as the Bogner Uberschall and the Framus Cobra but overall the SE just breathes metal and has much nicer and tighter tone than all off those other "big shots". I own the SE with EL34's and this amp takes the agression of the Powerball and the Uberschall, the features of the Herbert (and then some!), the tightness and punch of the VHT Ultra Lead and still has that killer ENGL voicing somewhere in there with the EL34 growl we all know and love!

BTW I'd definately can say this ENGL is the loudest ENGL I have played to date, it is considderably louder than the SAVAGE 120 and the Powerball and almost as loud as my Mesa Boogie Mark III (which probably is teh loudest amp I have ever had!). It would be too loud for most band situation, big plus is also the SE, like most ENGLs, sounds very good at low volumes. definately no need for a powerbrake or hotplate!

Last but not leats we gotta give ENGL props on the styling department too, it's hard to make an amp with so many buttons look good but I'd say they succeeded! Shame the SE doesn't get so much attention from the media out there and the public, the latter probably becaus eof it's pricetag but I can assure you it's worth it!!

I bought this amp just a few days ago and have spent some time working on the settings etc. Its a complex product to get right - Ive used triaxis etc for years and they too are difficult to get right, but once you do the result is great - and so is the case on the 670. The 670 is a VERY versatile amp, Ive also owned a road king, and the 670 eats it alive - mainly because the sounds are in my opinion better and the amp is easier to set up than a road king.

There are up to 6 channels if you're sneaky with a 670, the manual sort of suggests this but it does make you think for a while.

The 670 has some very unique lead tones and the bottom end makes a rectifier (all the sorts) seem thin - if thats what you want of course... I personally dont go that far - there is more bottom end than I can take so I keep it off a little. There are also vintage and modern voicings which are very useful.

I swithc (with a ground control unit) between many different settings including 50/100 watts on the fly and this can be useful for those cool overdriven tube sounds. There are too many features on this thing to list them all here, suffice that there are more than you need!

I use strats (sometimes), Ibanez always and Gibson and PRS occasionally - if you play rock this amp is very sweet indeed. Sounds go from completely clean to more drive than you can imagine (and remember I also use the road king AND a triaxis/2:90) so this amp can cover thelot - although being of German origin there is no doubt whatsoever that this was made for rock - which is what I play so it's very cool.

Sound wise this is it!

New amp. However, right out of the box the front faceplate had to be glued back on - not too much of a job, just remove the chassis and refit - but this should really not be on an amp that in Europe typically fetches ober Euro 3000.00 or #2000.00 - this is boogie territory (boogies are cheap in the USA) so Engl need to smarten up a little.

It's not often you can actually speak directly with the designers... but I have - and the man (Horst) is extremely helpful. Moreso than boogie distributors in the UK - they are very bad - so I think the Engl support will be reasonably ok - but I'm not sure about the uk support - never tried it - I would probably ship back to engl and use something else in the mean time.

Ive covered most things above, but why not visit my website - Ive got some great info for guitarists - www.tonymckenzie.com - and I'm going to review this amp directly against a Road King, a Marshall TSL100 and a Triaxis setup over the next couple of months... it should be worth reading...

My overall rating for the 670 has got to be 9+ but the cost remains high.. but that's the way good things are... buy 3 or 4 other amps or buy one... I guess that says it all