Engl Powerball 100 Head

This is the newer version 2 100 watt 4 channel head. Has the usual effects loop connections, a midi custom Z-5 footswitch or 2 additional 1/4 inch connections for other outboard footswitches. Noise gate with a dedicated knob. This is the stock 6l6GC all Engl tubes in the power and preamp section. Has electronic power amp monitoring with 4 leds indicating a particular tube failure and automatically takes that tube out of the circuit to prevent red-lining the remaining tubes (very useful and advanced feature.) Has a shared gain and master for the clean/crunch channel with a treble control for each. Shared gain knob with dual mids for the open and focused mode switchable on the amp. Dual channel masters for the soft lead and heavy lead. Overall master volume with a second a/b master volume. Then global presence and a depth knob.

For guitars I am using an ESP Custom Horizon with a GFS Crunchy rails humbucker and a Usa Jackson King V with dual Emg 81s. For cabinets Im using a Mesa Mark cab with 2 black shadows and 2 EVs. No effects just guitar-cable-amp. I play technical death/black metal and neoclassical shred, and alittle classical as well.(big surprise, huh!)
Clean channel: the usual gain, middle, treble, with a bright and bottom switches. All these controls are very musical and effective at shaping just about ANY clean tone you could want- from crystal clean to jazz and country it is there. The bass does not get overbearing and the mids are smooth, the treble is not tinny- overall it is a phenomenal clean channel with excellent articulation.
Crunch channel: Shares the same gain and other controls as the clean except it has its own treble control. This channel is great at picking up where the clean left off and as you rotate the gain knob you can get a nice tight hard rock crunch loaded with sustain and harmonics. Very easy to get alot of different tones depending on your mids and treble along with the 2 switches for bright and bottom. This channel sounds great with no need to engage the noise gate. Nice liquid sustain.
Channel 3 soft lead: This channel has one dedicated gain knob and its own bottom switch as well as an open mid and focused mid knob engaging either the open or focused setting you can select. Yeah this channel is not a soft lead at all- it absolutely rips! Tons of gain available. The mids are very smooth and awesome and help change the tonal character of the distortion very well. The bottom switch adds a new level of tight bass and thickness to the tone- definitely doesnt muddy up the tone. Very quick response and articulation from this amp- it will catch your every mistake but will also reward your hard time put in practicing. You can hear and feel 32 notes and palm mutes. Also every string is clearly pronounced as you play full chords (sounds awesome for some atmospheric fast blackmetal chordal ala Dark Funeral,etc.)
Channel 4 heavy lead: Adds another gain stage and alittle more punch than channel 3. Great for leads or rhythms ( with the footswitchable contour button it adds alittle volume push and some low mids to bring your solos right out front) UNBELIEVABLE amount of gain in this channel- all very usable gain full of harmonics and tone. By far the most brutal distortion I have ever heard. Adding to further tone-tweakability is the global presence and depth knobs- they work extremely well to bring out the distortions crispness and punch. You have to play one of these amps to believe it.

We will see but I do see these amps toured quite frequently by quite a few bands that I imagine may not be able to afford a backup. german engineering- I drive a VW- I believe it is solid and engineered for the duration.

No experience with the company yet. I am looking forward to bringing it to our local amp tech and get his opinion on the solidity of the build, circuits, channel switching, etc.

Ive been playing 22 years in tons of bands and I have been gear hustling for quite some time for the quest of finding THE TONE. Ive had rack setups amps from Madison, Marshall, Peavey, Mesa. Before I got this my main rig was a older 2 channel Mesa triple rectifier and nobody could have convinced me there was a better amp for metal. Die hard mesa user. Happened to have a powerball at the local music shop- brought in my axe very skeptically and was ****in blown away by the tone and density of the powerball- it was THE TONE. Although tone is relative to each individual I dont believe it is possible for anybody to dislike this amp no matter what style of music they play. Engl puts out a top notch product that is a true musical instument.Cost aside you get what you pay for and a huge investment in such a tool to inspire art is worth spending whatever it takes and saving however long as most of us have limited means in this ****ty economy. I have no bad criticism for this amp or the price. The only thing is lack of reverb but believe it or not it doesnt even really need it-it sounds that good. Find one somewhere and try one out yourself- you might end up as surprised as I was.

Everything you need.

Dope! I run mine through a Mesa 4x12 cab and an Orange PPC 4x12 cab. I use a Esp with EMG 85 in the bridge and a ISP decimator noise gate. We tune Drop G and the tone will bring plenty of wrecking balls to any fashion show.

No problems here...

never had to deal with em.

The amp is just a monster shred machine in general, can be used for other styles, but to me its built for metal. The clean tones are super fender clean. We play spastic grindcore www.myspace.com/chyme

Follow up review after posting my 1st review on 2/7/2006

4 channel, all tube, very versatile amp.

Follow up review after posting my 1st review on 2/7/2006

Have been playing the Powerball solidly for nearly 2 years now without missing a beat. The Powerball is an awesome amp with balls and tone to spare.

It has no reverb which would have been nice for the odd occasion and my only beef is still the noisegate. It doesn't really work so I don't use it. However the amp is only noisy when you have the channel 4 gain cranked. I just hit channel 1 (clean) at the end of the song. I find most of my overdrive work is done with channel 3.

I still love this amp after all this time.

Follow up review after posting my 1st review on 2/7/2006

What can I say. The Powerball is still singing after a couple of years and shows no sign of causing any trouble.

These are well built, German made amps.

Follow up review after posting my 1st review on 2/7/2006

Haven't needed any service from the manufacturer, however I did enquire about the new Steve Morse model on the horizon. Got a prompt response with some info and possible pricing. It looks pretty amazing which is not surprising considering the company and the player.

Follow up review after posting my 1st review on 2/7/2006

Just a great powerfull workhorse.

I love this amp.

Check one out for yourself. Sure as hell you're not getting mine !!

This amp was probably made in 2006 and it has the improved built-in noisegate. I won't get in to the features in detail since my peers here, already done that.

It's a versatile amp and you can get a lot of different sounds from it. From clean to extreme distortion.

It's supposed to be a 4 channel amp, but since you don't have a separate eq for each channel, it's in my book a two-channel amp with extended tone features on those two channels.

If this amp had separate eq for each channel it would be all thumbs up.

I use it with an Engl pedalboard to switch between the channels and i'm not that excited about the switching-system. When you switch it's not "seamless" if you know what i mean. It doesn't sound natural and in my ears it's a nanosecond delay before the new channel punch in.

I use this amp for rehearsals and for gigs. It got loads of power. It's just pure brutal force!!!

I use a Gibson Les Paul Standard, Yamaha AES 620, Ibanez Iceman IC400, all loaded with Gibson Classic 57 Plus in the bridgeposition.

I play hardrock/metal with the loins from Judas Priest, Ozzy and so forth.. Before i bought this amp i used a beefed up Marshall and can only say: -Why didn't i change to this amp years ago.. The low end, the gain, the sustain.. It really shakes the foundations.. The only thing i miss, is a little more "open" sound. Sounds a little bit compressed and i can not get the guitar to sing. But maybe by tweaking the eq a bit i can get to that.

You can get totally cristal clear tones to all the distortion you could ever need. I use this amp with a Marshall 1960 cabinet and this combination is very good, if your not after the modern ultra low end thud... Try Engl, Mesa Boogie, Framus or some cabinet that's built for extra low end. But for my taste it works just fine!

The amp isn't more noisy than any other amp. In fact, the opposite. The built-in noise-gate is actually quite good, but if you use the 3rd or 4th channel and backing down on the volyme it cuts the sound. An external noisegate in the effect loop would do the job i imagine.

Don't know.. But it's built in German and seams to be rock solid!!

Haven't had the need for customer support. It just works...

I've been playing for about 30 years and as i said above, I wish i would have changed to Engl earlier. I've tried the 5150/6505 and to my taste, i can't get the tone i'm after. But that's just personal taste. I didn't want to spend too much money, like a Mesa Boogie since i'm a semi-pro and for my wallet, for my taste of sound the Engl Powerball rocks! The Engl Fireball is also really, really good and if you don't need a clear/crunch sound i think the Fireball good be an option.. Don't mind it's only 60 watts. You won't hear the difference. I didn't.. :-)

For sounds, check out www.myspace.com/mobrockz.. for sound samples..

www.mobrockz.com

This thing has just about everything. 4 Channels, FX-loop and FX-loop blend control, a built in noise suppressor, deep (resonance), presence control, Low boost, a bright switch on the clean and crunch channels, a low boost on each of lead channels, a master mid-boost (i use it for solos), 2 master volumes, individual channel volumes, and hell the thing even has tube indicator LED's for each valve so when a power tube goes bad the one of the lights will go on telling you which one. The only thing I wish it had was MIDI instead of serial port for the foot switch so i could control it with my other amps that have MIDI via the Ground Control units (just in case you dont know what that is a serial port is the same I/O that a computer monitor uses to connect with the computer). other than that this beast doesn't have anything i wont use on it, ive utilized everything on it already, its amazing.

Dear lord, ive used Mesa, Marshall, Peavey, Krank, Crate, Line 6, Bogner, Soldano, H&K, and VHT... I even tested this thing against a Deizel herbet and a couple Framus amps... The powerball flat out in all price ranges killed these amps. Take a 5150 with a JJ re-tube, and then imagine making the low end much more stable and robust, the high end not so grainy (not gritty, but grainy, ha) but pristine and clear with plenty of bite, and make the mids much more defined but subtle in some ways so you dont get that nasally sound, not to mention a bit quieter in the hiss and feedback category. I cant find anything wrong with the sound of this amp... If you want my suggestions, if you play in any tuning below drop-C, dont use anything but a Vader cab. Most cabs just cant handle the power ball... I play in A on a 7 string and most cabs just cant handle the low end of the 7 and the powerball, and i keep my "deep" at about 4 and my bass at about 5, it still shakes the room, but the amp is sounds so great that even with all the low-end my notes come through clear and thats important in a death metal band

Never had a problem with it, other than not being able to play it after a certain time of day ha, thats why the band got a practice studio.

Never had to call them, but Im sure they're great. I bought the amp from rocksolidamps.com and they've answered every question ive ever had, they even took my order at 1 in the morning

I've only been playing for about 6 years not, but i study amps inside and out and i know that to look for in different amps... I may play in a death metal band but it doesnt mean that i dont know what any other good tones are... I mess around a lot and i know quality when its put in front of me and i can tell garbage as well... If you play anything from Rock to Goregrind, this is your amp.

Made in 2004 I belive. Super versitile on all ends of the spectrum. Please note that just becuase this thing cost me 1800 bucks, I am not jaded when I say that this is THE metal amp to own!! 100 watts, all tube. 6L6s and several 12AX7s. Two channels with master volume switches. Makes whirling through tones a BREEZE! LOUD, LOUD, LOUD Built in noise gate and tube monitor lights on the front (awsome) great effects loop as well. Knobs gallore so...... START TURNING!!

If you are considering purchansing a Powerball for a hard rock or metal band...... DO IT!!!! I play in a band that mixes styles of thrash, groove, doom, stoner etc. I run this baby through a BBE dual channel sonic maximizer/compressor and a TC Electronics G-major. So, you have tubes, you have a lot of power, and you have knobs... USE THEM! First, I would like to talk about the clean channel. Being a previous owner of a 5150 II, really anything could impress me here. However, I never thought that the clean channel would be so impressive. Im telling everyone who is considering this amp... The clean channel is abolutely beautiful. Big, fat, glass. Thats how I like to describe it! Sounds great when you slightly break it up with a little gain too. The crunch channel is great but if you want AMAZING crunch you should honestly look elsewhere. The brits have them beat here but never the less it is a great setting! The hi-gain channel NEVER fails to impress me. Im playing through a mesa rectifier 412 cabinet and the low end resonates like a train but is NEVER muddy (muddyness can make me ill). oh yea, CRANK THIS THING UP, IT ONLY GETS BETTER!!!

Had it for a year and have no problems. Had a few with my 5150 and that thing is considered a tank.....

never done it

been playing about 10 years. have some rack gear and a few stomps and wahs and what not. Use a jackson RR3, 7 string Schecter, Les Paul Custom, Fender standard strat, Fender Tele Deluxe, and a Jackson DKMG. Sounds great with all guitars!! In my opinion this is THE metal amp! I dont believe that metal amps are unversitile any more. Leaves boogie at the doorstep. Makes peavey look like the "training wheels" of metal amps and sounds as good or better than its more expensive buddies ( VHT, Framus, Bogner.....blah blah). If you want big, sticking, mucky, 70 dirt-bag fuzz (which I happen to love actually) buy something else or buy a Big Muff, I DID . So yea, I love this thing

The Engl Powerball is a powerhouse collection of tones aimed at the rcok to metal player.
Each of the two channels has two gain modes and two mid-range modes - which amounts to a really versatile collection of sounds from clean to ultra heavy dirt.

Excellent effects loop, intelligent switching, two master volumes, noise gate and a tube failiure monitor - some really nice 'player's' features.

The amp has plenty of volume, even when driving a 16Ohm cabinet - I use it live with my rock band every week and never found it lacking in power.

The amp is used with a PRS at gigs, and occaisonally a Vigier Expert (Str*t sytle. Cabinet is a closed back Bogner 2x12".

First up, the clean channel is good, which is always a good start for any amp. With the gain boost engaged it has enough crunch to get some killer classic rock sounds. The definition is superb, every note in a chord cuts and you can hear everything - sound engineers love it.

The high gain channel is bonkers - I've never had the gain above 11 o'clock live and that's more thn enough for heavy rock leads of the saturated Steve Vai ilk.

The bottom end it huge, but by careful control of the Depth Punch knob you can get a sound that really kicks without being overwhelmingly boomy.

Seems good so far. I have an Engl Screamer 50 as backup.

Excellent speedy response to enquiries.

I've been playing for 17 years and own a bunch of nice amps - Budda, Engl, Vox, Fender for a vareity of different tones.
The Engl was recommended to me by Steve at Guitar Guitar in Newcastle, UK - it meets the requirements of a gigging rock player perfectly. Very good sounds, brilliant channel and volume level switching (with the custom Z-5 floorboard) - it's just a great workhorse amp.

For blues - go buy a Fender, for all out metal, get a Diezel or a Mesa - but for a killer, super-usable rock amp with good tone this is the one to get.

(2006 improved model)This is as basic of an amplifier as you can get. The controls are straight forward and easy to use. I play mostly heavy rock and even modern metal at times and I have had few issues with the amps performance. That being said my only complaint is that I think the noise gate isn't good/smart enough for the amount of gain/feedback this thing can produce at times. I was forced to by a ISP decimator pedal and it worked excellant for me! Other things I did to the amp was changed tubes to the cleanest Sovtek 5881's and re-baised it accordingly. 5881 tubes are a readily available military equvalent of the 6L6 power tube. Knowing this I figured out that they can be a little bit quieter than your run of the mill 6L6. Needless to say I have always been a fan of 5881's for their low noise and I love their tone as well. I give the amp a 9 in the "features" area only because the noise gate is sub-par.

My findings with the sounds of this amp are: The clean channel is SUPER clean...I am talking near fender clean. I don't know what people are hearing with this amp when they say the clean is just O.K. It sparkles on my amp in a way NEITHER my marshall or even my Bogner ecstacy did. I think the key is in dialing in your gain just right. The crunch channel is O.K. I personally liked my marshall JMP-1 better for crunch sounds but the ENGL in no way is terrible at it. It has a little bit too much gain for me. The clean and crunch channels share a gain knob...therefore when you dial in the gain perfect on clean it is just a hair too much on the crunch channel for me anyways. The gain channels are BRUTAL! I have the gain on about 3-4 and it has more gain than you can EVER EVER use! I have the "depth punch" knob turned to about 9 so when you palm mute you really get kicked by the low end. I keep the presence around 5 because it can get to be a bit much if you go any further. And....last but not least....I have the volume at 2...yes 2. It is so loud that any more and I just drown out the rest of the band. I have played alone and discovered that there is a "sweet spot" in the volume....using it between 2 and say 4 the amp sounds the same....beyond that and it not only makes you deaf in 3 seconds but the amp starts to voice a little differently probably due to pushing the tubes harder. The distortion is very tight sounding similar to something your would hear from bands such as: Pantera, Helmet, Filter, NIN, etc... For a cabinet DO NOT use a marshall 1960 and expect it to sound great. It sounds like turd. I use an old Ampeg V-2 oversize cabinet with celestion v-30's and anniversary speakers in it and it sounds awesome....please remember you need a cabinet like this that is oversized and designed for the extrem low end this amp is voiced for. Crappy marshall particle board cabinets are not going to do it. Overall I love the tone of this amp...like ANY PIECE OF GEAR YOU NEED TO EXPERIMENT AND TRY OUT EVERYTHING before writing a review saying you played the amp for 2 hours and it sucks. I have owned this amp for 6 months and I love it...I traded my bogner ecstacy for this because personally the bogner was very overpriced and to tell you the truth was noisier than the ENGL powerball is. I don't regret trading at all....this amp is awesome! just remember to use it with an oversize cabinet and you will like it.

I have taken the chassis out of the cabinet once to re-bias the amp for the 5881 tubes and it looks good inside. It is not a point to point vintage style amp inside. It is all PCB construction and appears to be high quality. It seems everything thats german made these days is decent quality now, don't believe the naysayers on the HC forums that crap on ENGL....trust me they are high quality.

never had to deal with them so I cant comment on this. If you are reading this and are on the verge of buying one of these amps feel free to e-mail me...I can answer any questions you might have from a real life user and an unbiased opinion (unlike a salesman) on the powerball. Good luck!

This is a great amp for modern rock/metal. It has a great clean channet and the high gain is just brutal. That being said don't buy this amp if you play SRV, Dave Matthews, or Phish type of music an expect it to fit in...it won't! It has more gain than any human could ever need! It is priced right on with your typical Mesa Rectifiers and marshall JCM's as well, which makes it a good alternative to using something that everyone and their mother uses nowadays. Ohhhh and the red lights behind the power tubes are a nice little touch that mesa and marshall haven't caught on to yet...totally a gimmick huh! Enjoy!

I love everything about this amp, with the only exeption that I'd like to use the midi switcher to kick the FX loop on and off, I don't really have a use for the wet/dry sweep right now. Aside from that there is no built-in reverb (which is a plus for me).

Fu*king brutal!!! Studio tone. Any reviews that say "I played this thru a Marshall 1960 cab and it sucked"... This head isn't voiced for a marshall cab, and marshall is NOT the standard for the range this thing puts out. Any low-end resonant cab using 4 Vintage 30 speakers will kick the shit out of you. I personally decieded to go with the ENGL straight cab, but I played it thru a Mesa straight cab traditional (not the new taller cab) and it sounded sick!!!

All tube amps require maintenance, if you keep your gear clean and take care of it you should be good with this. These are hand made which means play it alot before you buy it. They will all be subtly made differently. The first one I checked out had a punctured preamp tube out of the box. The one I bought sounded awesome but the handle seems a bit off on it. I still wouldn't use anything else, I love this thing.

Never dealt with ENGL but my dealer in Skokie, IL is very pleasant to deal with.

Expensive, but worth every penny!!!

fair for todays standards.

been playing 42 years. toured the country a few times. had a video on mtv once. always a marshall user because of the tone and reliability they have. though i am an older rocker, i love the metal scooped mids thing, the marshall superlead on 10 thing, and just about as much saturation as i can get and stay clear. i should have known before i bought this it would not cut the mustard. dr z smoked it bad for tone. so does the superlead marshall loaded with mullards. this amp has tones of gain, but it is muddy, unclear. ibanez rgt42 with duncans and original 90s les paul produced about the same thing. preamp tube distortion never ever gets you there. though i already knew this, i guess i had hoped engl pulled off a miracle. so then the cranked power tube distortion was nothing to write home about either. this head lacks the marshall singing amplifier tone. i mean the warm fuzzy pump your chest tone. the singing leads that sustain clear and long. i tried everything at my disposal. i used 2 marshall 1960 cabs. some may say with an avatar cab it comes alive. well that may be true. but a good amplifier should sound great through any marshall 1960 cab which has been the standard for years. it's not broke so don't change it is my theory with amps and cabs. i was really pretty bent out of shape after spending $1800 for this head when all 4 of my old marshalls smoked it bad, i mean bad too. don't buy it if you want true warm distortion and a sustaining tone. buy a vintage marshall, use a variac and some good distortion pedals, and you are done for the rest of your life. as far as a clean sound goes, for $1800 it's terrible. for $399 it's great. as far as a satisfying clean, it's about half way there.

i used it for 2 hours and it survived. wow!

?

because of the price i have to pull it down off it's high horse. if it were $399 it might be worth it. the engineers missed it on this one.

Brand New 2006 model with improved voicing and noise gate

All humbuckers. An old PRS Custom 22, Jackson KV1 Flying V, Gibson SG w/EMGs

I had it since the first of Jan 06. No problems other than way too much feedback/noise.

Went through a middle man. Cannot rage Engl's customer support

This amp delivers very high gain with a heavy low end. I have played through many amps and currently use the Powerball as my high gain channel, switching to a Marshall Silver Jubilee 50 watt for my clean channel. The Powerball clean channel is not nearly as articulate, crisp and toneful as my Marshall. The high gain channels sound great, but there is WAY too much feedback/noise. Even with the improved noise gate it just does not deliver for live shows or recording. I have done both since I got this amp. I'm forced to invest in a Decimator rack mount to solve this problem. The current noise gate on the amp is not smart enough and thus allows clipping during palm muting etc..The gain channel just as the clean channel in my opinion also lacks articulation especiall when playing in drop D or near the first fret. I have actually gone back to standard 440 tuning since I got this amp to ring out my strings and get better tone and less rumble. When playing arppegios this amp does not ring out individual strings as well as a Marshall, Bogner, VhT etc..Expect a rich low end gain that rules over many amps. Do not expect all your hard practice and shredding to be appreciated like they would with a quieter, more articulate amp. But if you need that heavy gain and low end..This amp rules..

I have owned many amps over the years and decided after reading tons of reviews to go with the Engl Powerball.I bought this amp without trying it. I did have some conversations with the owner of the company I bought it from. I was originally going to buy the Blackmore but the Powerball seemed to have more features and a little more options in the sound department.
Running it through an Avatar 212 with a 12" Vintage 30 and a G12H30.For guitars I have used this with a 97 Blackmore Strat, American STD Strat, Carvin Holdsworth and Jackson USA Fusion. I Play hard rock and Metal such as AC/DC, Zepplin, Dream Theater, Dokken, but mostly Neoclassical shred ala Malmsteen, Vinnie Moore, Joe Stump etc..
The clean Channel is beautiful, very full and clear with a little reverb I would say it competes with many Fenders I have owned.I do not use channel 2 much so I will get right down to Business on the high gain channels.
I was concerned that this amp was going to be too brutal after reading many of the reviews mainly because a lot of people using this head are playing Hard metal and thrash but I must stress for other shredders out there this amp has got it in the high gain department. The lo gain channel has great crunch and definition and yet is very fluid when playing fast.The high gain channel has that great creamy tone that allows you to just relax and fly. I can't quite explain it but the amp just has a different sound than anything else I have ever owned. I just can not help but love this thing. It just screams and more so to me with single coils,harmonics are very easy.It just plain does everything I have never been able to get another amp to do. I will probably use Engl for he rest of my life-no bull. I have never had another amp that I did not have to run an overdrive in front of to get any kind of gain. This amp has all the gain you could ever ask for but stays very articulate. It is plain amazing.

Have not had it that long so I can not say.

I have been playing for 25+ years and I am telling you there is nothing like it. Anyone who gave this head a bad rating just can not play period. There is no sound you can not dial in if you spend the time with it. I bought a Madison Divinity at the same time I bought this and I must say that is a great head too but just does not have the saturation in the gain channels that the Engl has. Truly amazing!!!!!

Just replaced a MesaBoogie LoneStar with the Powerball.

The Mesa had great features which the Powerball also has. The ONLY thing lacking is a reverb, however I'm finding that playing with a totally dry sound is pretty cool. Makes the sound very crisp and cuts through the mix nicely.

4 channels and the tube overdrive is sensational and awesomely loud.

Lots of control over individual channels and all accessible via the Z5 foot controller.

Now we get down to it.

The clean is great with plenty of head room without breaking up.
The crunch is excellent for bluesey stuff.
Low gain is very big and is what I use for most of my solos.
High gain is shredder paradise.

The A/B levels are great for kicking in a bit more volume when necessary.

My only beef is the built-in noisegate is not very effective and the saturation noise of this amp is considerable. Now it's not a problem at low volumes but on stage it's noisy and I have to make sure I switch to clean at the end of the song.
However that is a small issue considering the blistering sound I can get from this beast... and it looks mean on stage as well with the red LED's behind the main power valves.

But this amp sounds fantastic and I am very happy with it after using it on stage a few times now.

I traded my ENGL Screamer 50watt combo after gigging solidly for 2 years on the Boogie and found that I simply should not have strayed. I'm back in the ENGL fold, and it's good to be back.

Have been gigging solidly with it and had no problems. Can't say the same for the Boogie...

My old ENGL Screamer had the crap played out of it and never missed a beat.

I anticipate the same with the PowerBall.

Just remember these are valve amps and need to be treated accordingly.

Never used them

This is a great all valve kickarse amp and for the money craps on everything else.

Check one out today.

This is a version 2 Engl Powerball brand new out of the box. I play all kinds of metal and this is definately a metal amp. It is fairly versitle to other styles too. I've heard some of the best blues tones come out of thins amp IMO.
Preamp:
From the ENGL site:4 channels: Clean, Crunch, Low Gain Lead, High Gain Lead, 2 Bright/Bottom switches, Extra Crunch Treble
control, 2 EQs, each 4 band, one for channel 1/2, one for channel. Volume controls for each channel. 4 x ECC83 preamp tubes

Master Section:
100 watts (1 x ECC 83, 4 x 6L6GC power amp tubes), Master A/B, Presence, Depth Punch controls.

Outputs:
Integrated Noise Gate for high gain channels, threshold control, fx loop control (parallel to serial), 2 x Z-4 or Custom Z-5 footswitch ports, Speaker Outs (2 x 4, 2 x 8,
1 x 16 Ohms).

I just play at home right now with this amp since I just got it a few days ago, but I must say that this amp even sounds good LOUD. It gets really fucking loud.

I play USA Select Jackson KV-2's with EMG 81's in the bridge and EMG 85's in the neck. I'm using a mesa recto 4x12 cab with vintage 30's (rear loaded), but I am thinking about getting an Engl cab with celestion V 60's or their vintage 30 cab (front loaded).
With active pick ups you can get a lot of feedback if you stand too close. I use the noise gate and I also have an ISP decimator that pretty much eliminate the noise altogether. For a High gain amp, this one was the quietest I've seen so far.
The cleans are pretty good, but this amp was made for gain and thats where it shines. This is the most non muddy and plenty saturated gain I have come across. Absolutely perfect. I'm big on pinch harmonic and squeels. It is easily executable with this amp. In fact you can do a pinch harmonic on 1 fret and drag it up the fretboard atleast 5 frets before it decays. The only other amp that I've seen that can do it better is the ENGL Savage.

I haven't had it long enough. But it survive coming from Germany and Fed Ex so its got that going for it. I haven't heard too many problems with Engl amps. They seem to be built like a Panzer.

I haven't dealt with ENGL yet and hopefully I won't have to.

I've been playing for about 15 years and this is the only amp I own right now. I would never lose it, but if it were stolen I'd hunt down and kill the bastard that took it. Before I bought this, I was looking at the ENGL Savage 120 (great amp just didn't have "the Tone" that I was looking for), A Framus Cobra (I still might get one of these sooner or later),and a bogner uberschall. I chose the powerball because it had "the tone" I was looking for. I have had a VHT Ultralead (too dry sounding) amongst other amps. The Powerball delivered the goods and was the right price. The only thing that would make this amp even better would be if it had a bias switch that would let you switch between 6l6's and EL34's.

Its got alot of features, four channels and settings named depth punch and has alot of tone variations. Very heavy and well built, but I give it a 9 because it could be a little eaiser to find your sound, takes a while to find what you want.

Wow! I think this thing puts cracks in my practice room walls. ( Earth shartering!) I bought it together with the vintage box and I think its the most brutal distortion I ever heard In one word ( Pressure )Its noisy without the noise gate enguaged, but its not really an issue. Clean sounds are great, warm and subtle. Its an all around amp, but mainly for new metal styles.

I bought it on a tuesday played it the same day in practice. Wendsday I went to begin dialing in my sound. Friday it died. My band members took it to the shop and found out that it popped a fuse. Fine it can happen? The follwing saterday came back from vaction and wanted to play a bit POW!! I took it again to the shop and the guy suggested a stronger fuse. So he said play it here for a while and lets see what happens. No sooner the turned it on 5 seconds later it blew again. So I have a new one coming free of charge. German Quality my ass!

Soo far soo good.

Overall rating is a 4 because the amp sounds great and all that but who cares when its constanly broken.

This amp is versatile enough for anything I believe. It has 4 channels an effects loop, a built in noise gate, depth and bottom boost buttons, bright switch, tube monitors, and it's louder than helllllll!!!!!! I just played it last night through what I think is supposed to be the xxl cab and it blew the entire band away!!! It's a 100 watt metal monster that sounds more like a 1000 watts!!!!

I play metal. All sorts of metal...I have 10 or so guitars and most of them have 3emg's!! 6 and 7 string guitars. I've never heard a more brutal, tight, clean distortion in my life. The amp is real noisy though. You need to use the noise gate at high volumes. It also needs to be played at high volumes to get all the balls out. It is by far the best sounding amp I have ever heard or played. I use the low lead channel with gain at about 11o'clock. Everything is crystal clear and tight as hell. Supercrunch!!!

Well I've only had it 2 days so I don't know about this department yet.

I've been dealing with Engl for a few months now and have always been able to pickup the phone and call Germany, no problem. They really have taken care of me and so has Derick at Rocksolid Amps. Rocksolidamps.com

I've been playing for 15 years or so. I own many, many guitars and different amps. I've been endorsed by different amp companies and guitars. I turned down 3 different endorsements in order to play this amp. All I can say is that it's the best money I've ever spent! I will never play another amp. If this got stolen I would hire a hit man to track down and slaughter the person who did. Then I would sell thier body parts on the black market in order to buy a new one!!!! I do wish it came with the footswitch. I will be buying the fireball and another cab shortly.

4 channel 100w all tube high gain monster of a head, you've read the other reviews you know what its got!!

well what can i say i'm using it with two esp's loaded with emg 81's bridge and 85's neck a viper and an eclipse, both guitars sound similar with them using the same pickups and wiring set up, but with this amp the sound absolutely blew me away, i play mostly metal and hardcore and this amp destroyed everything else i've ever been through it made the mesa dual rec sound like a pile of s*it the gain on the lead channel is amazing on every other amp i've had the gains been cranked to 10 and i dont have to get anywhere near that to create the destructive metal sound i'm into, i literally had to fiddle about for 2 minutes before i got a range of distinctive metal tones that other amps cant get close to. It was a tough call bettween this amp and a framus cobra but this won due to i been slightly cheaper and the extra features such as bright switch for the clean/crunch channel, the depth knob and extra bottom end punch button for the lead channel, so it had more features and was cheaper but they were both very close on sound just the gain on the powerball was more destructive.............it f*cking rules in the balls department, i couldn't be happier with the sound range on this amp, even the cleans with high output active humbuckers are crystal clear but you do have to rol the guiars volume pot back a touch.

built like a tank only had a month but cant imagine anything breaking it except maybe a wrecking ball!!

N/A

i'll give it 10/10 for everything due to its versatility and the fact that its about half the price of any amp tht will even get close to it if your looking for an all round sperb amp with the extra bite for metal/hard rock go and buy this now you will not be dissapointed, amazing buy, if your thinking of buying a peavey high gain amp (6505/xxx)like i was just save a bit extra and go and try this beast.

first i must say that i am a verie bad speller but as long as you understand thats ok. This amp was made in 2005 i think. This is a very versatile amp, i mean you expect line 6 and all that digitel crap to be versatile, more so than this amp but this is a real amp with real valves and real balls! Its got to be one of the most versatile full valve amps ever made. 4 channels which can all be mid boosted or volume boosted via the foot switch. You have 16 posable tonal and dynamic choises at your feet.
1 clean
2 crunch
3 lo lead
4 hi lead
I use this amp in my bed room with volume on about 0.7 and it still sounds grate! I also play many gigs and the loudest i've needed it was about 2.2 (plenty loud)

When i first tryed this amp out it was throught the standard engl cab and it sounded good but not amazing. it was only when i put it throught the cab i already ownd that i got a feel for how much of a beast this thing realy was. I am now interested in geting a vintage 30s loader cab as they sound even better.My faverit guitar is my Ibanez prestige S! it comes with QM1/2 pick ups which are modled on di martsois and sound realy realy good. I also own an LTD gl baritone with a seymore duncan JB in the bridge and hot rails in the neck (it was a duncan desinge but i swopped it for the real deal) I also have another Ibanez (550) which i leave in drop D and a Yamaha (persifica). Ok i am a METALER thrash, doom, death, prog, black,nu, hard core and power. i love nothing more than to thrash out a brutal crushing detuned riff folled by an over the top solo! however i also love to play prog, funk, indie, rock, some pop and blues.

Channel 1: Clean, cleaner than my old marshall. Its spiky whilst staying warm and round. it is crystle clean entill you play hard on the brige pick up, then it bracks up a bit even with gain right down. Like most clean channels it sounds better with single coils.

Channel 2: Crunch, yes its bin based on a marshall! This channel is the worst sonnding to my ears. Its colder and weaker than the marshall its trying to be and it shares the gain controle with the clean. This means that in order to Keep the clean channel fully clean, gain needs to be set at about 3 and this makes this channel a little under distorter and weedy. That said this is not a bad sounding channel its just the least good. ;)It dose work well as a purpusly weady intro to a heathy song ie. nu metal

Channel 3: Lo Lead, well thats a lie this channel is anything but (low) gain, it starts geting high gain with gain on about 4 and keeps on going from there. This channel is sick it sounds somewhere between a marshall, a mesa and a Diezel.The high end is extream with out being too harsh and the low end is emense, you can drown out the bassist if you want but thats not what the guitar is for! The gain is thick and gloryus, it just sounds huge! Riffs kick in and sound fat, ballsy and defined whilst lead sounds smooth, liquedy and sustained. I love this channel so much. Its easy to recreat the hi gain tone of many bands with a small tweak of the gain and EQs ect. I have maneged to creat very simuler guitar sounds to Slipknot, Ramstine, (they use engl anyway) Dream Theater, Desturbed and Tool! It is also grate for pinches they just sing out thick and in your face.

Cannel 4: Hi gain, yes it is! Remember what i told you about channel 3, well its that and half again! It has even more bottom end and evan more gain. This has evan more layers of saturation and an even bigger feel. however you shold be carful because this channel can get over gained and there for a little muddy. gain should be no higher than 6.

No probs and if a tube dose go the amp will still work and an LED will show which tube needs to be replaced

NA

I have bin playing around 10 years, i know the sound i want and this is it. if it were stolen or lost i would probaly buy it again because its the best amp for that price. i think it sounds just as good as the more expencive mesa boogies. I tryed it against marshall DSL and TSL and it was deffenatly woth the extra monney! I also lisend to lanny, Fender, peavey, (Line shit), Randle, hi watt, Hughes & Kettner, cornford and ashdown. The mesas were the only amps to match the qualaty and agresion of the engl but at almost dobble the price. There is one amp I've heard that actually sounds better than the mesa or the engl and that's a diezel but they are about #4000 so slightly out of my price range!

If you only have #1100 or so and you want a hi quality hi gain amp this is an amazing buy! You minght also want to try out the peavy JSX or a different engl. I am very happy with this amp it sounds awsome on stage and in my bed room and to record! It continus to amaze me every time i hear it!

4 CHANNELS,TWO MASTERS WITCH WILL GIVE 8 CHANNELS TOTAL,MIDI CAPABLE WITH AN ENGL MIDI SWITCHER AND TWO STERIO CORDS.POWER TUBE LED TO LET YOU KNOW WHEN A TUBE IS GOING DOWN.BRITE SWITCH FOR THE CLEAN CHANNEL,LOW SWITCHES FOR THE LOW AND HIGH GAIN,DON`T LET THE LOW GAIN FOOL YA ITS MASSIVE.TWO SETS OF MID RANGE FOR THE HIGH AND LOW GAIN,REALLY SCOOPED OR VERY ARTICULLATE.ALSO BUILT IN NOISE GATE.

I USE IBANEZ 770 WITH A DIMARZIO TONE ZONE IN THE BRIDGE AND A NORTON IN THE NECK,WARMOTH STRAT WITH TWO EVOLUTIONS,GIBSON CLASSIC STOCK.ALL GUITARS SOUND AWESOME,AND 440 TUNING SOUNDS AS GOOD AS A HALF STEP DOWN AND A WHOLE STEP IS EVEN MEANER.I PLAY 80s METAL,DOKKEN,OZZY,METALLICA,RATT,WARRENT,G AND R ALONG WITH JOURNEY, STYX,VAN HALEN,AND SO ON,WORKS PERFECT.BELIEVE ME YOU CAN USE THIS HEAD FOR EVERY TYPE OF MUSIC.I HAVE READ THIS IS ONLY FOR HEAVY,(BULLSHIT)SPEND SOME TIME YOU CAN ACHEIVE ANY TONE.
CHANNEL 1 CRISP CLEAN WITH NO BREAK UP
CHANNEL 2 CAN BE DIRTY CLEAN TO ACDC TYPE GAIN
CHANNEL 3 THEY SAY LOW GAIN BUT PENDING WHERE YOU SET THE GAIN IT GOES FROM ACDC TO SLAYER
CHANNEL 4 HIGH GAIN HAS MORE GAIN THEN 3 BUT SOME ADDED LOW FOR THICKNESS,GREAT FOR LEADS WITCH I BELIEVE IT WAS DESIGNED FOR.
SOME NOISE BUT IT IS A HIGH GAIN AMP,IT HAS A BUILT IN GATE WITCH WORKS AWESOME,I JUST ADDED A NS1,QUITE AS A CHURCH MOUSE.
THIS HEAD IN MY OPINION SOUNDS LIKE A MARSHALL MEETS A RECTO,THE WARMTH OF A MARSHALL WITH THE BITE AND AGGRESSION OF A BOOGIE,WITHOUT THE NASAL HARSHNESS.CUTS THROUGH THE BAND LIKE A RAZOR.YOU WILL BE HEARD.

SO FAR SO GOOD,I DO BRING A BACK UP RIG WITCH IS A SANSAMP PS1 WITH A PEAVEY POWER AMP.I WOULD HAVE A BACK UP NO MATTER WHAT HEAD I WAS USING.A TUBE AMP CAN GO DOWN AT ANY TIME.BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY.PLUS MY BACK UP STAYS IN A RACK IN THE VAN.

N/A

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 20 YEARS AND HAVE OWNED ADA`s WITH AND WITHOUT THE 3TM MOD,ADA VOODO AMP MOD,SINGLE RECTO,PEAVEY XXX,JSX,TRIAXIS,MARSHALL 2205,2203,KRANK,BOOGIE MARKIII,AND I`M SURE I FORGOT A FEW BUT THIS HEAD BY FAR IS THE BEST IN EVERY WAY,FROM THE CONSTRUCTION TO THE AWESOME SOUND.

LISTEN GUYS AND GIRLS THIS HEAD IS THE REAL DEAL,IF YOU WANT A QUALITY AMP HERE IT IS.I PROMISE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO ANY TONE YOU WANT,ADD THE MIDI SWITCHER AND YOUR FAVORITE PROSESSOR AND YOU WILL HAVE TOTAL CONTROL WITHOUT THE TAP DANCE.I LOVE THIS AMP.

this amp is great from good clean warm tones for the jazz sort of clean ive been looking for for years, to scooped eath metal overdrive, to warm round rock and metal overdrive. the versatility offered by the open/focused midi, and teh boost settings on each channel, and teh presence etc leave infinite customzation to sound

the built in noise gate means that whatever tone u dial in, the result will always be crisp, neat and breathtaking. i would recommend an external noisegate fpor gigging thought im afraid

its built like a panzer, it weighs twice as much and it WILL NOT BREAK ive had this second hand for a year now, god knows how old it is, and the only time ive changed teh valves or had any servicing done is when it started to sound tired like ALL valve amps do on the same set of valves eventually. no matter what u do, this thing will be there with u

teh manual is utter crap to be hionest, very ambiguous. but luckily the head is self explantory, for petes sake my mother could use it, so no worries there at all. never had to u se customer service, anmd i knwo i never will

Everyone else has answered this; Engl have thrown in TONS of features. Those wanting to use the amp with a MIDI controller should know that it CAN be done, but you'd need to customise a cable - midi controller output to D-sub9 input to go into the port usually used by the foot controller.

Oh, and it looks SERIOUS. I'd be terrified of running into this amp on a dark night.

Used with Parker Fly Deluxe, Wolfgang and Les Paul Custom.

Ok, let's get one thing clear. DESPITE all the features, this is an amp for heavy modern rock. It's VERY good at it.

Four channels:

channel one - crystal clear very sharp clean; a bit sterile if you need expressive jazzy runs
channel two - tries to impersonate 70s rock but in fairness is too cold;
channel three - excellent for thrash, nu-metal etc
channel four - is this much truly savage distortion ever needed??? who cares, it's FUN!

I think the problem here is that all the channels are very cold sounding, which immediately pigeon-holes the amp, despite its plethora of features. Don't be fooled, lots of features don't always equal one-stop tonal shop.

Now, I play jazz, funk, metal (of course), rock and all sorts. Bottom line: PERFECT, 10/10 for metal after 1985; but a 7/10 for 70s rock as it's just very sterile and cold, not quite sweet enough.

Oh, and 0/10 if you want it for jazz. But if you are, why are you looking at this amp?

I'm going for a 7 here, purely because with the number of featuures it has, I think it could do better.

On the plus side, it definitely has its own sound, and if you're looking for a death metal amp with Recto-eating distortion, bring it on...

Oh, one word of warning. It feeds back a LOT at volume, even with humbuckers etc.
Use a noise gate.

If this thing is well cared for and breaks down, I'll eat my labrador. (Figure of speech, don't worry Fido...)

Gig this without a backup? Well, I'm a paranoiac, but this is as close as I'd come to saying "yeah".

Never dealt with them. See "reliability".

Been playing 10 yrs, played through Soldano, Line 6 AX212, Hughes and Kettner Triamp II, Mesa Lonestar, Fender Ultimate Chorus (you have to start somewhere, and I was into Nirvana...), TC G-System, couple of Snarling Dogs pedals, Electric Mistress, Soldano GTO Supercharger, and more effects as necessary...

This is a fantastic (and good-looking) metal amp, but there are better choices if you want classic rock or warmer cleans. Built to last, and very keenly priced.

I bought this amp in January 04'. It's a tube amp. 12ax7 pres and 6L6 power tubes. 100 watts, 4 channels, has an effects loop that I use which has a wet/dry blend knob so you can blend it to your taste. I love the noise gate. You can set the threshold to however sensitive you want it to be. It is especially handy in high gain situations. The amp is internally backlit by red led's behind the tubes. It looks wicked awesome. One of the coolest features it has is led indicators that tell you when a tube goes, and which one it is. The only reason I'm giving it an 8 here is because I wish it had reverb. I did buy the optional upgraded footswitch, which is almost essential if you wanna use this thing live.

I play modern rock with my band, the Shard Project (www.shardband.com). I am using a custom 4x12 cab made for me by Scott Splawn, who does excellent Marshall mods btw. The cab has 2 celestion vintage 30s and 2 G75Ts in an X pattern similar to the setup of the Bogner Ubershall's cab. I'm using a Rickenbacker 650D (excellent guitar), and I am thrilled with the sounds I am getting. This amp has got some serious balls. I like the way this thing sounds different with different guitars, unlike some amps, but its always sounded good no matter what I plugged into it. This amp will move some air. It really feels alive and responsive. It is very honest though. It will make you become a better guitarist, because it will amplify your mistakes too. It picks up little subtle thing about my playing not heard on other amps I've played

Channel 1- The clean channel is the best i have ever heard on a high gain amp. This is a must for me, because I need that kind of versatility. The cleans are sparkling and chimey, and will break up very smoothly if you push the pre gain. Takes effects very nicely.

Channel 2- The overdrive channel is pretty good, although it shares the same gain control setting as channel 1, so sometimes you are limited here. This channel can go all the way from smooth break up to a pretty good crunch sound, depending on where you set the gain. You can nail some classic rock tones with this channel.

Channel 3- This channel is heavenly. It's the reason I love this amp so much. You can easily get modern rock and metal tones from this channel. More gain than you can imagine. In fact I keep the gain on this channel at about 12 o'clock, and it is still crucial. This thing eats a triple rectifier for breakfast. It's got a much tighter bottom end than the flubby muddy mesas do. This thing really has clarity in the lower frequencies. You can really tell this when palm muting. It puts a smile on my face everytime. It doesn't sound buzzy or barky in the mids and highs like the mesa either. A very pleasant tone here.

Channel 4- I don't use this channel much. It is similar to channel 3 but more compressed, and slightly more gain and bottom end. This channel is really more than I need. I actually only use it to play solos

I have never played or heard a better sounding amp for high gain work. Everytime I play live, I get tons of compliments from other guitarists, and it always draws some attention. I can honestly say that out of every gig I've played, I have a better sounding amp than anyone in the building. This amp is definitely suited for heavy styles of music. This thing even sounds better than the tones I heard in my head, so it has even exceeded my expectations.

It hasn't given me any problems yet, but it is a tube amp. I have gigged it without a backup, because it's all I have that can do what I need right now. I haven't had to replace the tubes yet, I'm going to buy some spares to take with me. It's made in Germany, and seems to be built with top quality materials and craftsmenship. I'm giving an 8 here because while it has given me 100% trouble-free performance, it is a tube amp.

never dealt with them. Haven't needed to, but I hear they are good. Its a small company in Germany

I've been playing for almost 6 years. I have played Bogners (nice but expensive), Soldanos (also expensive), Marshalls, Mesas, Peaveys, and the like. None of them can compare. The only amps I have heard that do hold a candle to this are the Diezels and the Framus Cobra, but the diezel is almost 3 times the cost, and the Framus is almost double. At around $1600 this amp is an exceptional value. I would replace it in a heartbeat if it were stolen. It has served me well, and given me an awesome and unique sound. If you don't want to sound like everyone else, and are tired of run of the mill stuff, then try this. If you like high gain distortion, I garantee this amp will make you happy. I don't see how these other reviewers can honestly say it sucked. Easily the best I've played.

This amp has everything I need! It is so crisp and loud and the cut-through is absolutely amazing. I owned the Marshall Slash Signature JCM800 and the Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier (modded by Voodoo Amps). And I have to say this amp blows every amp I have ever owned, played, or heard completely out of the water! The clean sounds really warm and great for jazz. The distortion is so intensely brutal it is like a mix of Cannibal Corpse - Galley of Suicide era meets Fear Factory - Obsolete era tone. I cannot praise this amp enough! I have EMG 707 in my Schecter Custom 7-string and the clean sounds crisp and warm through those pickups, normally cleans through those pickups tend to distort. The clean sounds like a Fender V-Twin. I shit you not!

I use a Schecter Custom Shop 7-String with dual EMG 707's. I play grindcore/metal/tech and this amp has made my band (The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza) about 3 notches heavier than before. I bought the ISP Decimator pedal to keep down on the noise because it is an extremely high gain amp and I do recommend it. When I tap or hit sweep arpeggios in the midst of all of the chaotic shit my band goes through, the notes cut through! The distortion is the most brutal distortion I have ever heard in person!

I have only had this amp for about a week now but it seems to be built like a tank. Extremely heavy! It is even heavier than the Mesa Boogie Triple Rec and the Recto extended cab. It is a biggan!

I have not had to deal with Engl yet and I hope I dont have to. But I am sure if I do have a problem I will call Derek from Rocksolidamps.com. He was extremely nice and patient and gave him his recommendations and worked with me in the price category.

I have been playing for 10 years now and I am a tone and gear freak. I for once I can say I am completely satisfied with my setup. If this amp was stolen like my last was..... I would be heartbroken. But I would buy it time and time and time again and again and again. IT RULES IN SO MANY WAYS!

100 Watt, 2/4 Channels (clean & crunch, lo & high gain), 2 Switchable master volumes. All tube, Switchable low boost (both channels) and high boost (channel 1). Built in noise gate on lead channels, effects loop, global presence and depth controls (great for if you are using different cabs if you go on tour). This is a proffesional quality amp, and I don't think I will ever part with it.

The only other thing I would like to see is some kind of stereo capability (but this is only because I recently bought some stereo effects).

I play a variety of styles, mostly hardcore (melodic crust/thrash) occasional metal/ metalcore, a lot of blues and jazz, and the occasional shoegazer noise/ drone thing.

Mine was made in '03. I would have to say this is the most versatile head i have ever used. I have used it in the studio, on stage, and in my loungeroom.

Oh yeah, this amp is LOUD!

This predominantly gets used with my Ibanez AXS32 which has been completely customised with a Mastertone SPA-2 in the bridge position and an EMG81 in the neck. I play through a standard Marshall 1960a cab. With this particular guitar and amp combo I have had people walk into the rehearsal room that I was in just to see what I was using.

For heavy atypical sounds, this amp is amazing. I can't approximate the Marshall sound, I have found that I can't pull out the midrange woofiness that Marshalls have, but this amp is it's own unique machine and I think it will be a benchmark in years to come. I prefer to have a unique sound, and this amp delivers, complex chords don't turn to mush in (extreme) high gain situations, fast runs sound fluid and the distortion is a thing to behold. The only problem I have had with this setup is that I can get a really annoying microphonic feedback if I'm palm muting a lot. I have learned through trial and error how to solve this problem and it's more to do with my proximity to the amp than anything else.

The cleaner channels are fantastic for blues, I use my '74 Hagstrom Swede and a Line 6 Flextone 2x12" cab and I can nail a 50's Chicago Blues kind of tone with no drama. If I had a criticism I would say that the clean sounds of this amp are not quite warm enough for jazz, though I think that if the amp was warmer sounding, it would become mushy sounding at high gain.

I've never considered the need for a backup for this amp, I've opened it up and had a look inside and it's a work of art, very clean and precision made throughout. I hasn't broken down, but I like tube amps for the fact that they are generally easy to repair.

Warranty on this amp is 12 months. I've never had to deal with the company regarding my amp, but I have dealt with them on behalf of customers and they were really helpful.

I've been playing for 14 years, and I have the gear mentioned above (Hagstrom, Ibanez, cabinets) and a Boss DD-6, Line 6 Modulation Modeller, Pacifix LTD Stampede SDT-1.

If this amp was stolen, I would definately get another one, I tried about 20 different amps (Marshalls, Fenders, Mesas, Peaveys, Laneys, Crates) to get the sound I wanted. In the end I used a Mashall TSL100 with a rack compressor and 31 band EQ. I took the ENGL and the marshall & rack to practise, and the next day I traded the marshall and the rack in and I've never looked back.

This amp has all the power and tone I think I will ever need, and I am completely satisfied with what it has to offer.

The closest comparison I can get is a Dual Rectifier, but they are very difficult to get a good sound out of and are really inconsistent. This amp is $1000 dollars cheaper than the Dual Rec in Australia, and I was not that impressed to shell out the extra just to get a "name" amp. If I was offered a choice, I still would have chosen the Engl, because it sounded great straight away, whereas I have seen people struggle with the Mesa for half an hour and still not be satisfied. I also think that the construction of the Mesas leaves a lot to be desired. I also looked at the Engl Ritchie BLackmore, but I really liked the seperate EQ's on the Powerball. This amp has a unique sound, and subsequently, you will either love it or hate it, but as far as I am concerned, it is really hard to make it sound bad.

I bought this amp new in the summer of 2003, plus the matching Engl Floorboard Z 5. It has 4 all tube Channels: Clean, Crunch, High Gain 1 and 2. You can also select between two Master Volumes and you can add some more mid punch. So - as I play rock with some excursions into fields like funk, blues and even jazz - it gives me all I need. I mostly use it to play live in clubs and open air festivals and of course in our rehersal bunker.
On the backside of the amp, there's the usual stuff, effects out/in, and a noise gate that works well enough, even with high gain sounds - at least for my kind of music. I do not use this amp at extrem volumes in some kind of high-end-audiophile setup at home. So I do not care if there is a slight hum at volumes that blow your eardrums, because people wouldn't notice anyway.
The only thins that would be nice (on the floorboard) is an on/off switch for the effect loop.
With its 100 Watts (tube) is has more than enough power for me. I paid about 1600 Euros for the head incl. the Z 5 footswitch.

I tested this amp against an armada of other heads. I wanted brutal yet defined high gain sounds, cutting crunch sounds and crisp clean sounds even at unbearable voumens and an easy handling for somebody who likes to play and is no electronics wizard. In the end it was a tight race between the Engl Powerball and the Diezel Herbert. In the end Engl was the winner (does that tell you enough).
I use it with all kinds of guitars, from an ES 335 and various Hamer, Ibanez, Heritage, Gibson guitars of all styles to my beloved Frankenstein-Fenders, set up with Tozz-Humbuckers (bidge) made by german pickup-genius Harry Haeussel.
As I said, I play Rock and Metal with a wide variety of influences, and the Powerball can do it all. If you want more variety, I guess you have to get one of those modeling amps.
Oh, and bay the way: If you want, the distortion is brutal. Very much so. If you push one of the extra-bass-buttons on the frontside of the amp even more so. And if you turn up "depth punch", there's even more brutality.

I had it for 1 1/2 Years. This is my main amp, I use ist always, almost every day, I take it to gigs, and it has never let me down.
It looks extremely well done. First I could believe what I saw: A versatile, loud, great sounding amp handmade in Germay for this price!!!!!

I guess the amp will not break down, so I hope I never need the Engl people. But from my experience and waht I heard about the company, they are supposed bo be as helpful as their products.

I have been plying in bands for about 20 Years. In the last 1 1/2 I used the Powerball exclusively (well, if I do a little blues or jazz session at somebodys home, I usually bring something smaller. You don't go duck hunting with a bazooka.
If sometbody would steal it, I would find the guy who did it (and i WOULD bring the bazooka) and get it back.
So far, I haven't seen a guitar player whose equipment made me re-think my decision to buy this amp.