Engl Fireball Head

Two shared gain channels. 60watts, shiny faceplate.
4x12 with V60 (nothing like the V30 as i will go into later)

I wish it had 2 separate gains but its never an issue. Shared EQ is a bit worrying but still not an issue.

I like the sound of this Amp, Its dark but still very clear and punchy. I was worried about the shared EQ and gain between the 2 channels but its got a great clean where the gain is sweet on the dirt channel.

I mainly play high gain death metal, and thats pretty much what this amp does best. It can get rather noisy if you over zealous with the gain, I run it on about 11 at the most which is plenty.

The cab on the other hand is very muddy and muffled, it honestly sounds like there is a blanket over the speakers. The V60 is not a higher wattage V30, they are nothing alike. They are charging $2000au for this cab so if people knew what they were in for, They would not sell ONE!!!
Happy ending though as i bought a Marshall 1960a cab with the Celestion GT-75s in it and the amp has come to life.

Because of the Speakers they chose for the cab they missed out on a 10 here.

built like a tank, In 3 years it has never broken down. I wouldn't play in my bedroom without a backup! let alone gigging.

Its a great amp but an expensive one. If you play metal from old school thrash to deathcore this amp will cater accordingly. just avoid the standard series cabs, get the pro series with the real V30's in it!

I previously reviewed this head in November of 2006 and I still love it for its lack of features because in a live situation, I don't want to be tweaking 28 knobs. But read on for my opinion of using the Fireball live if there's another guitarist in the band.

This is probably the best sounding amp I own. It's also great for recording. The distortion rules, the clean rules, but if there's another guitarist in the band, forget about anybody hearing its bad*** tone. It just won't cut thru the mix. Period.

I'm in 3 working metal bands that range from thrash, progressive, and death. Almost every night my Fireball is up against either a Peavey 5150II, Mesa Mark VI, Engl preamp/Peavey Tube Power Amp, or an old Traynor Tube Head with a HardWire dist pedal in front. The Fireball can be heard over the Traynor, but not much.

I've owned it for nearly 3 years and have played a ton of shows with it and it has bounced all over the U.S. in a trailer under extreme hot and cold conditions. No problems. The effects loop never really worked right though. I tried to throw an ISP decimator in the loop to kill the preamp noise. It worked fine at bedroom volume, but at band volume it throws off a feedback unlike any I've ever heard. The FX mix knob does not help. While I'm at it, I'm not sure the bright and deep switches do anything to alter the sound.

If you're looking for a killer amp to record with, whether it be clean or distorted, this is the amp.

If you're looking for a killer amp to play shows with, keep looking. The Fireball doesn't play well with Peaveys and Mesas. Sure it sounds more brutal, but if nobody can hear you what's the point? I've recently purchased an original 5150 and a 6505+. I'm still using the Fireball at one of the practice spots, but only until I get another 5150 or 6505, at which point the Fireball will be confined to recording only.

60 Watts
2 Channels with a shared eq
It can cover many styles but its true strong point is metal
Wish it had separate eq for each channel but its not a huge deal
Presence control is a cool feature

Im playing this head for metal and some shimmering cleans when i need them. I usually play my Jackson DKMG dinky with EMGs and also an Epi les paul custom with carvin pickups i had installed.

It sounds pretty full even at a low volume which really pleased me. I was used to playing 100W tube heads that sound like S*** at a bedroom volume but im surprised that this one sounds decent. It has some pretty brutal dark tones for metal. If you want ballsy low end tone for detuned metal than this is your amp.

I havent had it that long but the guy i bought if from has had it for a few years i think and it seem to be built like a tank! This is by far the heaviest head i have ever tried to carry. its got to way like 60lbs or more im not even kidding. Looks and feels very sturdy.

Never dealt with them

Overall, its a badass head if you like rock - metal. If you can find a used one in good condition than buy it because they are kind of hard to come by. Sounds way better than any solid state obviously. If stolen, i would hunt the bastard down and give him what for!

I have played mesa dual rectifiers, single recs, and i have owned a Krank Krankenstein. This kills them. The only thing that bothers me is the shared eq between the drive and clean channels.

This amp is set as simple as it gets. 2 channels; Clean and Ultra Lead. A single EQ set for both channels; Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, 2 master volumes, plus a bright switch, depth switch, and an ultra gain switch. It's simple, yet it still gives you many tonal options.
This amp is only 60 watts, but boy is it LOUD. It feels alot louder than my previous 100 watt amps, this will handle any live show venue you throw at it!
Not that it needs it, but I would have loved a built-in EQ like on a VHT. However it does have an fx loop, so adding an EQ pedal is an easy option.
Also comes with a great Z-4 footswitch, if you don't have one, I highly advise getting one.

This amp is built for hard rock / metal, it covers many tones with a very simple EQ range. I mainly play progressive death metal, and for this style it couldn't get any better, the tone is crushing! It has been compared to a 5150, but as an ex-5150 owner, this amp out does it in every way. The clean channel is nice, the shared EQ means you have lose a little to get a little between the channels. It could defo use a chorus to make it shine. The Ultra Lead channel needs no help at all, like a 5150 it is brutal, it is very clear and tight, so no room for bad playing! It is a little noisy on the lead channel, so a noise supressor is advised. I use high output passive pickups, but i can image this amp loves actives, guess I'll have to move on to them soon!

all good so far!

Never needed it!

I've owned several amps; Peavey 5150, XXX, Soldano Hot Rod, River Knucklehead, Framus Dragon, Randall RM100. For hard rock / metal tones EnGL amps deliver the goods, it's what they do best! At the price these are sold for, it's a steal!

I'm sure you very well know the features of this amp by now. They amp is more versatile than some people give it credit for, it has nice clean, crunch and high gain tones. I don't mind the shared EQ between the Ultra Gain and the Clean channels, i just wish the clean channel had a separate gain control.

The Depth and Bright switches are both useful in their own ways, it really depends on your guitar and pickups as to how you use them. It has more than enough gain for any (and i mean any) type of music. The EQ is fairly responsive, but not too touchy.
The amp is very loud at 60 watts, plenty for just about any gig paired with my G-Flex 2x12.
The effects loop works great, though, i only use an EQ in the loop.

I'm currently using a cheap basswood Schecter with an X2N in the bridge and a Tone Zone in the neck. I'm running it through a G-Flex 2x12 cabinet with the stock speakers. I just have an ISP Decimator in front and an MXR 10-band Equalizer in the effects loop.

For the type of music i play (Death metal/Grindcore/Black Metal), i really haven't played a better amp in the price range. I'm sure some people may prefer the more gritty and aggressive 5150, but i find the Fireball to be a smoother and thicker. It still retains some of the aggressive qualities of the 5150 though. It stays tighter than the 5150 as well. It is also a lot quieter than most high gain amps in it's price range, even without the Decimator.
The clean is surprisingly pleasant on this amp, can get really warm and bassy jazz tones to chimey, bright, Fender-like tones. My one gripe is that if you are playing with the gain over about 4 (i play with it on 6), the clean channel breaks up fairly easy, but you can just roll back the volume knob on your guitar to fix that.

Overall this amp just has a crushingly thick and aggressive high gain tone, perfect for any metal player. The clean is also a really nice complement, but i really think this amp is best suited for straight up metal playing.

I've had this amp for about 6 months and had no problems at all. The previous owner had it for a year with no problems as well.

That is all i can really say about the reliability at this point.

Never had to deal with Engl so far.

I had a 5150 before this amp. For me, the Fireball just crushes it in my opinion. This is an amp i can see myself using for quite sometime, i never want to sell it. The tone for death metal just slays and i love the clean sounds with the neck pickup on my guitar.
My only gripe is the shared gain control for both channels.

One of the best metal amps in the $1k range.

This is a update on a review I did 7 years ago. I bought this amp at the 2002 NAMM in Anaheim. It is still a great amp for what I like (metal) but can also do rock and cleans very well. I run this head through a ENGL 4x12 slant vintage 30s ( very nice ). I just retubed the amp with JJ Electronics tubes and the gain is back were it should be. 7 year old tubes tend to sound crappy (HA HA) The one thing I have changed in my opinon is I like EMG pickups much better with this amp than passive. I would like to play this amp louder but I live in a condo. I still would not replace this amp. No other amp can touch the high gain and it sounds awesome at bedroom levels. Notice on the price of $997.00 and it came with a footswitch and footswitch cord (25ft). I love the great deals at name.

I use 2 LTD Eclipses with EMGs, Dean Black Gold Z, Fender Strat with Dimarzio HS3s. The only amps I thick could replace this one is other ENGL products, Deizel, and they all cost too much for my budget.

This amp has never had a problem. When I first bought this amp no one I knew had heard of ENGL and I had no idea where to go for service back then. Now everybody has heard of them and I can't image it would be hard to get fixed.

Never needed it.

I have thought of selling this a couple of times since I am not in a band and at the time of purchase alot of amps I owned such as Hughes & Kettner, Mesa, Carvin, Soldano SL60 didn't quite have what I thought I wanted. They were all great amps but kind of hard to play at lower volumes. I do regret selling all the other amps, I do enjoy collecting them. I realized when I put this up for sale all the guys calling wanting it to replace some other good amps and it made me thick twice.

If you're reading this you probably already know what the amps control panel looks like :p One EQ for both channels, 2 master volumes, brightness and depth switches, presence knob, and a power tube monitoring system. It has an FX loop, a footswitch input, and several outputs on the back for a variety of ohms and speaker dimensions.LEDS make the Tubes glow RED!!!

I'm using a Fender American Fat Strat(Tonezone, Blue velvet, Texas Special) and a Mesa Boogie 2x12 closed back recitfier cab with V30's.

I play alternative metal and melodic death metal with alot of complex rhythms and higher chords that need to shine through clearly to sound well. This amp produces everything I need. First off, the Ultra Gain channel sounds pretty much amazing at any EQ setting. When you adjust the EQ properly with your guitar, you can open the pearley gates to DJENT and CHUG Heaven and produce some of the sickest artificial harmonics ever. The amps BASS is an incredible punch in the nads and with an over-sized mesa cab that already produces bass you can keep it leveled down on the amp so that your bass player doesn't feel useless. The MIDS are the best I have ever heard on a hi-gain amp and you would have to be toneTARDED to scoop it unless you're playing Cradle of Filth or something equally irritating(which the amp is also good for). The HIGHS bring alot of clarity to the overall sound, but you need to keep them under control or they can turn your tone into a squealing fuzzy mess. The Presence knob breathes life into the distortion and basically decides if your tone will cut through in a concert setting.
With the ToneZone in the Strat I can get just the right amount of distortion and clarity without going overkill. The reason this is helpful is because I can always switch over to clean tone and the b/t tonezone and blue velvet postiiton on the guitar and get the most gorgeous poppy cleans I have ever heard on such a "Metal" amp. Considering the fact that this amp ony has one EQ for both channels, you may not get the advantage of 2 beautiful tones (on the same EQ settings) if you use insanely high output pickup like EMG's that would sound fantastic for distrotion but would cause unpleasant breakup on the clean channel. This is just for convenience (I'm sure the high output pickup guys also have this amp figured out to a science and can make both channels sound amazing aswell)
Just like alot of the other reviewers, I have also played on 5150's, Rectifiers, Marshalls, and several other Hi-gain amps. They all have amazing tonal qualities but I think that for the price, the Fireball is the coolest sounding and the easiest to use. I'm very proud of my Boogie cab but I've also heard that Orange, Vader, and Marshall 1960A cabs sound amazing with this amp.

I would definitely take this amp to any show (why else would I have gotten it?:O???) I have had absolutley ZERO problems with this amp and it is very sturdy. I would use it at a gig without a backup (because i don't own one), but it is always good to have a backup people!!!

A store in Texas sent me the amp and it was missing the spare tubes that the company promised in the instruction manual. The store contacted Engl who quicly sent me a package with tubes, stickers, postcards, a carribeaner and other cool Engl stuff. I trust this companies service but hope that I don't need it for anything any time soon.

I've been playing for 8 years and have definitely heard and used my fair share of terrible amplifiers, pedals and guitars that could get nowhere near the sound I wanted. This amp is a dream-come-true and I would definitely go with Engl again if I lost it.

The ENGL Fireball is one of the best amps around for metal and death metal. The price is very fair considering the amps that sound this good are much more at retail price new. Why don't people go somewhere else to waste time writing bogus reviews, haters who don't have anything but jealousy and leave bogus names for their bogus review. I have been playing for over 20 years and have now, a Peavey 5150, 6505plus, 1986 Marshall JCM800 50watt and the Engl Fireball. I had a dual rectifier and sold it, my mistake. I don't rag on other brands of amps, the ones I can't afford or are jealous of. I would love to own a Bogner Ecstacy or Diezel but need to sell some of the amps I have and save some more money. The Engl Fireball regardless of prices, is the closest thing you will get to the sound of those botique HIGH GAIN amps. Plug in a hold on. Really. I have had the Engl for about 8 months. I don't use any of the other amps I own anymore and am probably going to sell the two peaveys to freinds that play in bands locally. Where I live there is a huge metal and hardcore scene and people here love to go see live bands. I can gig with the Fireball and cut through even in the worst club acoustics, (the club with metal walls and roof in a industrial building) as far as 60 watts, its just as loud as my JCM800 and its 50watts (and louder than the peaveys). Volume? No problem. You can find the truth in a review in a second when someone says you can find 'tons' of Fireballs on eBay. Oh really? not. Go look, that comment is for those who read on. And do...There are some REAL, really good reviews from REAL Fireball owners on this page, you just have to cut through the B.S. People who know what a Fireball is, or know enought to come here looking for a review know that they are not found in every music store in the city, in fact its often difficult to get them. Even though MF is now stocking them they probably are on backorder. If you want a killer amp for a great price that can rival any metal amp out there, get a ENGL Fireball. Its got hotter gain than the other Engls, if that is what you seek, you will find. This is a amp you won't be tired of in a month. Like I said, 20 years I have been buying equipment, I wont sell my Fireball any time soon. The other amps I own you CAN find on eBay all day long. Does that mean they suck, hell no. They rule, I am glad I have spent my hard earned money on good equipment instead of wasting it. Engl Fireballs hold value. If they were not great amps that are sought after they wouldn't sell for half price as used. And you can save money, you won't need any boost, overdrive or metal pedals in front of this amp, just your guitar, a cord and some talent to go with a party on attitude. Forget being a hater.

The best amp I own of 2 peavey heads, JCM800 and used to have a dual rectifier I owned for 9 years. Now I play guitar through my Fireball every day. The others sit and probably will be sold. Like another reviewer said, its like a dual rectifier but tighter, I find that very true. A good thing, not to knock dual rectifiers, I should have not sold mine, and will get another one. I want to get a new one so its taking time save that much change from the couch. It will be welcome, Fireballs and DRs sound very good together.

I gig local small clubs with it and don't take a backup amp. I do take backup tubes with me. The power in clubs fluctuates considerably and I never know when those tubes will get too much juice. The ENGL is german made, it has tough pots for the knobs and a grill front. The back is ENTIRELY closed up with a sheet metal plate. You won't accidently break tubes having stuff piled up in the back of the truck that carries everyones crap. The engl head is huge and tough enuf.

Warranty for the ENGL is great, but it doesn't really matter. I won't need to use it. The ENGL line of amps are NOT known as lemons or for being in and out of the shop like 2 major manuf amps that cost much much more. My main reason for parting with other brands of amps.

There are better reviews than this skip this and go down a few. Don't bother with haters. They won't own a Engl but its not because they don't want one.

I owned this in 2007 for two weeks. It was not versatile at all, as the gain at 2 was metal and from 2-10 was garbage. The clean is slightly better than plugging directly into a sound board. This amp had a midrange knob but lacked midrange. Also, it may be because it's 60 watts, but it has no punch. It sounds like a solid state amp, where the sound is all blaring noise, and no power.

I used this guitar with 6 and 7 string guitars with humbuckers. It is a good amp for a beginner playing noisy heavy metal. It is not a good amp for people who like good tone. I believe you could get this tone out of a distortion pedal - and that probably sounds better to some than a Triple Rectifier distortion without a boost.
The distortion is brutal like a 5150 but the 5150 sounds much better. These are in great supply used on ebay if you haven't noticed - that's because they are for beginners who get their first amp and then either quit playing or need an upgrade.
In my experience, any pedals (overdrive, wah, etc.) sounded horrible with this amp - like it was a distortion pedal or a solid state amp.

There is no roundness to the lead tone at all. It's razor sharp like an ice pick in your ear.

Worked fine.

No dealings with ENGL.

I've been playing for 18 years. I own lots of guitars and have owned many amps like Triple Rectifier, 5150, JCM 800, Soldano Avenger, VHT Pittbull, Rivera Knucklehead, DSL 2000.

I wanted to balance these reviews out because according to most of the reviewers this is the best amp ever. No chance. It's getting the same ratings as an Engl Invader which is far better to my ears. Check out the sound clips at rocksolidamps for more proof.

Be careful listening to the kids here who say it is the best amp, and has Fender cleans and all that crap. If you go from a processor and this is your first tube amp, then yes, it is great. Once you've been playing awhile and have played different amps this will not cut it. If you have $1200 for an Engl keep saving and get something better.

Some people get upset when you criticize an amp that they own. No offense. But the same thing happens and the GAS cycle continues: one day you'll play a gig where someone in another band has something like an overdriven Marshall, or a Soldano, and you will be ashamed of your fizzy digital sounding tone, and your Fireball will be history.

2007 ENGL Fireball 60watt Head.

Two channels, footswitchable, along with two master volumes also footswitchable.

The only feature I wish this had was a seperate EQ for the clean channel, however I am finding that I rarely use the clean channel anymore and am instead just rolling off the volume of my guitar.

I find the features it has to be more than enough to many useable sounds in the hard rock/heavy guitar realm.

Guitar: Les Paul w/ Seymour Duncan JB & Jazz

Music Style: Hard Rock

NOISE: Can get noisy if you EQ it terribly. The EQ settings are quite different from a marshall, more similar to Mesa. If you apply only small boosts and cuts you will achieve a great tone with minimal noise. That said a noise suppressor never hurts..

SOUNDS: Very unique sounding amp, great midrange which should not be scooped! An EQ pedal brings this amp alive, especially in a live situation. This amp was primarily made for the studio I think, as the bass frequencies are quite thick and detailed. This fact, however, can reduce the amp's ability to 'cut' in a band situation, as alot of power is dedicated to this area. Using an EQ pedal to cut some of the very low bass frequencies and perhaps slightly boosting the mid range solved this problem for me. Not much required, just a bit of careful EQing. Definately loud enough to bring home the bacon at any size gig.

CLEAN: Heaps of headroom, can pull of bluesy tones with an overdrive pedal, but not on its own. One of the better clean channels of the high0gain amps.

DISTORTION: Very unique, very raw, very awesome! This amp loves the studio, it is almost impossible to make it sound bad. Sound good live too, unlike many Mesas I have heard.. I run the gain at 2.5/10, with the master volume at around 8/10. Some of the best tones I have ever heard!

Amp has never broke down, but I feel it is not the most solid amp I have ever picked up.

Doesn't feel like it's going to break at any second, don't get me wrong, I'm probably just being paranoid cuz I would hate to drop it!

Would gig without a backup, has a system that isolates power amp tubes in case one blows up, never experienced this in practice though..

Never dealt with them.

I would highly recommend this amplifier for anyone seeking a unique sounding amp for hard rock or metal appliances.

The kind of music I play would be more likened to Tool, Stone Temple Pilots, kinda stuff. Easily pulls of these dark, bassy, crunchy tones with the right EQing.

Buy one and love it.