Engl Powerball

Engl powerball (V2) 2 channel 4 modes clean,crunch, low gain ,hi gain
2 master volumes (switchable by the footswich)independant treble for clean and crunch.see other review for more detail. Ps: upgrade for v2
is Improved noise gate,logarithmic treble instead of linear one and they worked one the bug with the power tube fault light4 6l6,4 ecc83.

i use the v2 with a musicman steve morse y2d. you can do any style of music you want from liquid crystal clean to brutal high gain.
Not really noisy at all with the noise gain threshold at 12 o'clock.
i play mostly Metal,but this amp could do blues, jazz or rock.
Ive played all kind of amp in the last 10 years (mesa,marshall,krank diezel,laney just to name a few) and the powerball is by far the best amp for price on the market.It DOESN'T sound like a mesa, its much more touch sensitive and the high are much more clear.u can played at half power and have a wonderfull clean,even for those that overdrive every tube amp u won't need to. But when u bought that head the choice of cab is really important it will affect the sound in a drastic way( i didn,t bought the engl cab, not enought power,u should look at the laney gs412LA and IA.)

i would use it without a backup,German steel!Never had any problem with it but engl gives a pair of preamp tube just in case.

never deal with them but if they are like there amp it should be Really great!

im playing for 11 years now, i owned a lot of amp but now i only have a powerball v2 and a laney gh100ti (really good single chan.amp
by the way!)the presence control give u that cryspy tone that i love!
No mesa or marshall can equal that.Engl is the future of High end guitar amplifier

07 model, also own an 04 model and believe you me both amos are completly different. unfortunatly the 04model was brought second hand and had been completly dicked with including one mesa tube just being plonked in.

I have three different bands completly ranged from metal to 50's rock n roll sound. Believe me this amp can do it and youl find the craziest settings in which they do. I MUST POINT OUT THIS HEAD DOES! HAVE 4 CHANNELS LOL and if you bought the custom footswitch with it, it is alot clearer. Although having said this the reaso for a 9 is that seperate gains for each channel would be highly prefered. and before people start getting arsy about the 4 channel comment a marshall dsl is 2 channels just because it has one eq doesnt mean its single channel.

Channels are: Clean, Crunch, Lo lead, Hi lead. All channels are highly usable the clean is suprisingly good! infact the clean and crunch channel's really come into there own when you boost the volume and role back the prescence to around 2 o'clock. Lead channels are just nuts and MUST STRESS that just because it goes up to 10 dont mean you need it. Any medium to high output pick ups will have more than enough sustain at around 10 o'clock gain setting and this is a crystal clear sound.

And finally YES its powerful. Used with any front loaded cab its a killer and again YES its cuts through amos do have MID sections that CAN be used.

However this doesnt mean that one of my head sucks becuase it sounds different. The earlia model is much like a marshall dsl/tsl with the Engl flavour, Where as the 07 model is what everyone really expects from Engl, absolutly brutal.

This amp is highly responsive to picking styles and the way you play which really helps bring ur own style out.

This amp is one of the lowest noise amps youl ever play through due to the built in noise gate which can be opened and closed to specific detail. IT REALLY WORKS!

Although this amp is my true amp it will not be for everyone! and it takes a little patience to find the sound you are comfortable with i have been using them for 3 years now and I find new things all the time with various guitars.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE THIS AMP IS ONLY FOR THRASHING METALERS WITH EMGS AND GAUGE 13 STRINGS IM AFRAID YOUR SADLY MISTAKEN! although there used fothis purpose mostly and even on occasion by myself, my main touring guitars are gibson's with stock pickups or seymour duncans (custom custom) and these are relativly high output but not off your face killer sustainers!

Every time i go into the guitar shops people are in disbelief atthe fact im plugged striaght into the front with the gain on 10 o'clock its that good.

100% (noticed a tube burning bright the other day coming to the end of a year and half use so obviously was due a change) I have now rebiased the older head aswell and retubed with EL34'S.... 2 words (f$&*k me!)

I have rescently spoken to Michael Berger as i will be becoming part of the Engl family very soon. However customer support is very fast just follow the signs! www.engl-amps.com

Engl Powerball is just pure love. HOWEVER i have recently experimented wit mixing amps and if you want some killer sound mix this bad boy with a diezel herbert! UNBELIEVABLE SOUND

I have tried many other amps and they all have there time and place

I would like to point out this amp is very differnt through differnt cabs and SINSCIERLY HOPE YOU NEVER CONSIDER A MARSHALL CAB WITH THIS HEAD IT JUST DOESNT WORK.

Im sure you will be very suprised with the amp and if you wana give it a go one day i recomend you try this sound with a les paul

Hi Lead

gain- 12 o'clock
bass- 1:30
mid focused engaged- 2 o'clock
treble- 2:30
prescence- 1:30
depth- 2 o'clock

a sound like that for a grand phwoar (PLEASE NOTE THIS SOUND IS FOR USE WITH AN ENGL CAB!)

This is a two channel amp with some useful 'bright' and 'boost' buttons thrown in .
Engle ,annoyingly , seem to get a little confused about how many channels their amps have .
Reflective front panel is a complete pain .
Makes it very hard to read the labels on the controls .
Front panel buttons , should be up-down keys , not in-out buttons .
Also , the buttons are badly positioned .

Clean channel goes from warm jazz thru to Kieth Richards .
Gain channel is very useable too .
Both far better than Marshall IMO .
On sound quality ( esp. gain sounds ) , this amp is a 'keeper' .

Poorly made .
Tube sockets directly mounted on the circuit board , hence too much heat gets thru to the board itself .
Front metal grill weighs a lot and contributes pretty well nothing to case strength .
Spring clips holding in Valves are very awkward to use .
FX loop knob on the back : what's wrong with putting the controls on the front ???

Website forum has been down way too long .
They did help me by email a while ago .

I've tried Laney Marshall and others , over the years .
I go for Engl on quality of the Clean channel , together with huge 'clear' gain sound .
If stolen , I would replace it with another Powerball .

This is the V1 ENGL Powerball. Had it some time now so the honeymoon period is over and i'll submit my review :)

The amp isn't that versatile. People will say it is, but it isn't. It has a great clean channel and a great distortion channel, but very little inbetween. The crunch channel is near useless and there is very little difference between lo lead and hi lead apart from hi lead is more compressed (why you would want that is beyond me since lo lead is too compressed for me!)

If you're reading this you know what it is. 4 channels, 6L6 blahblah. Just look up ENGL's site for that stuff.

Overall, it's got lots of features. Whether they're good or not is another thing. I don't like the noise gate, but this is a V1 and apparently the V2's are better, so i won't mark on that.

ENGL Powerball 100W head (2006 build)

- 4 channels: Clean(1), Crunch(2), Low Gain Lead(3), High Gain Lead(4).
- Bright/Bottom switching
- Extra low end buttons for channels 3 & 4.
- Additional treble knob for Crunch channel.
- 2 EQs, each 4 band (One for channel 1/2, one for channel 3/4
- Presence and Depth Punch controls
- 2 Master Volumes and 4 volume controls for each channel.
- Adjustable noise gate
- Effects loop.

I've been playing this through a mahogany bodied LTD with EMG 81 pickups. The head runs through a Framus Dragon 4x12 cab with V30 speakers. No other effects or anything were used.

Channel 1 - Clean
It is commonplace for high gain amps to suffer in the cleans department, however this certainly isn't the case with the Powerball. This channel allows you to go from crystalline cleans to a low/med crunch without losing clarity. The bright and bottom buttons allow you to add a little bit extra resulting in either a sharp or warmer sound respectively. The clean channel is really important to me and Engl have done really well in this department.

Channel 2 - Crunch
You can source a surprising amount of gain out of channel 2, however as it shares the gain control with the clean channel it is better to use it for its purpose - a heavy and mean crunch! This channel comes with its own additional treble control. The bright and bottom buttons also apply to the Crunch channel to allow for extra tone shaping. An excellent channel for classic or hard rock tones.

Channel 3 - Soft Lead
This is where the fun starts. There is more gain available on this channel than most people will ever really need. I play a lot of death metal, mostly melodic, and I probably get the most use out of channel 3. The distortion absolutely rips and combined with active pickups you really won't need to use channel 4 simply because of the amount of distortion on tap.

Channel 4 - High Lead
This is basically more of the same. The gain is boosted a few knotches and it provides a slightly more modern tone than channel 3, but overall the differences are minimal besides the extra gain. I'd imagine this channel would be a black metal guitarist's dream.

This is what familiars would call a Version 2 Powerball with the improved noise gate. Honestly, this noise gate is excellent. With the noise gate turned up, there's barely the slightest of hums standing right next to my rig with this thing. I usually keep the gate at about half. Another great thing about the Powerball is that it sounds fantastic at bedroom volumes!

This is a quality built amp. It's an Engl, afterall! This thing is as solid as any other amp I've used and I'd definitely rely on it without a backup. I intend on keeping it for a very long time and I'm sure it will last without issues. I'm yet to have even the slightest problem with it.

I have never had to deal with customer support from ENGL.

I have been playing guitar for probably 8 years now and only just recently took the leap to buy a high end amp. The main contenders were the Framus Cobra and ENGL Savage 120, but I eventually settled with the Powerball. The Powerball is exactly what I had been looking for. The tones from this thing are unreal! It honestly never ceases to amaze me and was definitely worth the hefty price tag. If my Powerball was lost or stolen I would be destroyed and immediately begin saving for another.

I dont see too many followups so i thought it would be nice to post one.

Made in 2004. You know all of the details about it.
The Band that i gig with has a mixture of rock/hardrock with elements of Metal and Progressive stylings. To Hear sound samples please visit WWW.MYSPACE.COM/SUBROSAROCKS. All rhythm and lead tones done with the Powerball. All very raw and natural. No effects. True tone in samples. (A little overcompressed, from studio)

I have now had this amp for 2.5 years and continue to find more useful tones in it. I wish it was MIDI compatible so i could change all 4 channels with any MIDI controller. But instead you must purchase the Engl z-15 footswitch to do so. I run a G-Major for Midi effects. Ive performed in over 100 shows with this amp. The tone is consistent and have never had a problem. Ive more recently come across really warm lead tones (Mesa Mark Series warm) that i never thought it could achieve. but its there. There is a lot of useless gain (anything past 12 o clock) so i just keep it around 9 o clock on the lead channels. The main guitar i use is a EBMMJP 6 string. Usually in standard tuning. The other is an Ibanez Rg7620 (7 string). Both sound amazing. i only point the two guitars out because of the difference in tones. The Engl handles drop tunings beautifully. *Alot of it is in your hands, remember that*.. The lower you tune, the more gain you should drop!!!. I give it a 9 because of the MIDI issues.

Ive gotton beautiful lush sounds with the clean channel. Running it dry i *personally of course* would put it up against the cleanest of Fenders. Mix with a tad of chorus and/or flanger and wow. Beautiful.

The *crunch* channel i use a lot. Not that is the most versatile of channels but still useful. Sometimes i wish it to be warmer. but nonetheless will give you that Classic Rock tone.

Not too much difference from Ch. 3 to Ch. 4. tone wise. Both get insanely heavy. I prefer Ch. 3 for rhythm sounds. Its a tad tighter and i like to use CH. 4 for lead boost.

This amp all around sounds Fat! Huge! and is pretty versatile. Very Modern Sounding. If you want ONLY classic tones, look into the Screamer combos/heads.

Only sometimes i hear this amp as being too harsh. Other times its very very very warm and ear pleasing. All in all its one of the only amps that suit my playing style and my bands style.

2.5 years later.
100+shows.
:-)ENGL

I called Engl about MIDI issues and they were very responsive. Of course they told me to buy more of their stuff but hey. Its their job and they at least talked to me. for that i give them a good grade!

This amp still receives an A!. Maybe a 97%(or a 9.7 right?) Ive played and been around many a amp. This one just suits my style. Anyone who has ever stood in front of this amp at a show, or just whereever, has been absoultely intrigued. My tastes keep maturing but now its at a point where i am getting alot of compliments and respect from mature players. When you buy an Engl you also get a UNIQUE tone. which is important. I dont like to down manufactuers or amps because everyone likes something different. but you WILL NOT sound like a Mesa or Marshall . To me thats a good thing. Just to be original. And there is so much tweaking that can be done that you wont sound like someone else with an Engl. Very Versatile.

4 channel tube amp, see the other reviews...
They forgot to give this amp an D.I. output, thats sad!

esp M-II (EMG81s), Samick LP copy.
You can get very different sounds out of this amp. In dependance of your guitar its character changes a lot. With the four channels an the two mids-stettings, it`s very versatile. The open or focused mids knops also changes the character of the clean and crunch channel. IMO the clean and crunch channels are much more versatile than the lead channels. The clean channel with gain turned down stays clean. If you crank up gain it gets a nice crunch sound. Both, the clean and crunch react very well on your picking. The crunch gives you a good crunched clean (gain down), a nice medium crunch (gain on 12 o`clock), and when cranked a nice heavy crunch. They are both very quiet, if you don`t play. The two lead channels sound basicly very similar. The difference between them is that lead2 has more bottom end, lead1 got more highs. The deep boost provides you a very low end, but if you handle without care, it gets very muddy! The lead channels with gain turned down only sound good with a low output pickup. It has got much gain but it doesn`t have that grind like a mesa or krank!
But there`s a BIG problem with the lead channels: It is VERY noisy!!! You hardly can turn the gain above 1 o`clock! The noise gate isn`t very good! The people at ENGL realised this and changed the noise gate in the new powerballs.
The scooped sound doesn`t cut through the mix enough, only with the mids focused you it is possible to cut through (i play in a band with another guitarist, it is very difficould to get a differenciated sound with the powerball, it is too loud or too quiet!).
The overall volume of this amp is not that loud! I wish it had 200Watts. Maybe, the noiseproblem would be solved...
A good thing about this amp is that it sounds good at low volume. You also can use it in studio and at home.
With low volume it`s the only way to crank up the lead channel gain, otherwise (with higher volume) it would only make noise.
Another problem is to get nice fedbacks. The feedback that are wanted break very fast into noisy, much too high ear-aching feedback.
The sound of the amp varies much with the cabinet used.
With the ENGL V60s 4x12 you get a very dirty sound. With the ENGL V30 4x12 you get a very articulated and deep bottomed sound. With a 4x10 the lead channel seems to lose gain and gets into rock-sound.
With the lead channels you get many different metal and modern rock sounds!

It is not constructed very reliable!
No handwireing, simple construction.
Good parts used, but built simple, maybe cheap.
I had to change one trafo.
Handle it with care, this is NOT a marshall. I think it will break fast.

Bad, they don`t send my tech the parts he ordered!

I`ve been playing for 10 years.
I love the versatility. The distotion gets better the deeper your guitar is tuned! Around C tuning it gets the grind, other amps got at D tuning. It is built for downtuned guitars. In our band we play in Es, so it doesn`t provide me the distortion i would like to have!
But that isn`t the fault of the amp.
I think the amp is most usual in a band with one guitar. If it has to compete you another guitar, it will lose, except it is a very similar sound.
I wish it would be louder and not that noisy! I`m disappointed of the noise gate. I though that it would be possible to get the ammount of gain, it has in lower voulumes in band context, but with this noise gate it`s impossible. I hope that I will soon get the upgraded noise gate!
It sounds good when miked, but in some cases a D.I. out is very practicable. I wish it had one.
I played a hughes&kettner Tube100 before. The ENGL is better for heavier sounds, the H&K has a better mid-gain-lead sound.
Compared with a mesa or peavey the high gain is compareable with them! But it`s got basicly another sound.
I`ve often heard a Recto or 5150 in live situations. If you haven`t got a good person for the mix, they both wil only sound muddy and undifferenciated, muddy, all in all poor in high gain situations. The ENGL has this problem too. But not that much than the Recto and 5150.
You can get marshall like tones as mesa like tones our of this amp.
But that should not be the reason to but such an amp. It has its own character, you can get an individual sound, it takes time, but it`s possible.
The powerball hasn`t got the aggression of a marshall or the grind of a mesa. If you want such sounds better buy the originals.
This amp will alway remain a ENGL, it can sound like...but it has the ENGL sound, which I like a lot!

Ok...if you're serious about this amp, read the specs on the ENGL website. As no doubt if you're spending this much you know what features it has, its mainly the sound you're after...right?

In saying that, the 4 channels in this thing work great even though each pair of channels share an eq on the amp. The eq knobs work a treat!! The first amp I've ever had that happen. Amazing.

Doesn't come with footswitch which is dissapointing. Who would use this amp without a footswitch is my question.....obviously people who buy the amp are buying the footswitch, so just add it in for petes sake. That is my only gripe. Although the footswitch does enable you to access a contour change which you can't do otherwise (Z-5 controller only). This adds extra mids to whatever channel you're on. Great for cutting through in a live performance.

I'll give this an 8 due to a lack of reverb.

I play a Dean ML79 which I've placed Bill Laurance pups in....as in the hand made Bill Laurance pups, not the mass produced ones from LA (Dimebag for ever!!). Anyway....I also play a strat and a modded Ibanez RG.

I've been playing the guitar for over ten years, and have always thought Marshall was my sound as I play an old school type of rock based around classic Sabbath type riffs. Of course the first amp any music store staff member will plug you into will be the best amp they have. Let me say, as soon as I played my first notes on this amp, I knew it had to be mine. This is my ultimate sound. I've had the amp for about 6 months now and I still smile every single time I start playing. Its a dream.

Note: When purchasing one of these heads, take the time to try out different cabs. When plugged into a Marshall cab with 75s in the back, at first I thought it sounded mean as. But after having a good play I realised it as a bit too metally for me, reducing the heads versatility. I like to turn the gain back (I have it sitting just below half way), put heavy gauge strings on just to hear and feel those tubes as I play. Even at this level of gain I've got no dramas pulling out pinch harmonics at will. Mind you Dime did design his pickups for that. With this amp I seem to have 150% control over my instrument when compared to my old amp. There is truly much to be said about connecting with an amp and guitar. I settled with the ENGL cab with vintage speakers. This was after plugging into a Mesa rectifier cab too. The Mesa cab sounded insane....it really did. But looking at the price difference between that and the ENGL and the superior construction of the ENGL I matched the cab with the head. To me, the vintage speakers are capable of a little more feeling than the more metal based cabs I tried.

Then comes the clean tone. This thing sounds sweet as with my strat. It has chilli peppers written all over it....and SRV...whoa. This inspires me to play and play and play.

The crunch channel is neat too......great tube sound

All in all....this is by far the best sounding amp I've ever heard. Tone is very subjective, so you may not agree....but I will say this much, I can't believe only one store stocked these in my city. Cause everyone who has heard my band play now automatically asks what that insane looking/sounding amp (red LEDS are tops) is. 9/10 will say "huh" when I tell them its an ENGL. I love that. :)

gigged and gigged with no drama.

It is a tube amp though and must be treated as such. People writing bad reviews in here about reliability, I'm thinking aren't giving the care that is needed to this thing. Tube amps are almost living and breathing creatures...for it to sound goo, you must take care of them. End of story.

If this was stolen...I'd find someone who had the same amp and steal theirs, as I couldn't afford another one. :)

But seriously.....forget Marshall (the idea of buying a new amp and changing tubes and transformers straight away is just ridiculous to me...but then again if I had the money) and Mesa. The ENGL will win hands down.

Oh and try and find a cooler looking amp. Yeah yeah, I know, its really all about sound.....but looking cool is a bonus.

I can't believe I didn't buy one of these years ago.

WARNING: For those of you that will buy this amp, you may soon suffer from the symptoms of jealous friends and farkin sore finger tips!!!

It's a brand new and updated 2006 model (improved noise gate, modified gain-structure and the treble in the lead channel has changed from linear to logaritmic scale). 100 Watts power from 4 6L6GC tubes and four ECC83 in the preamp section. 4 channels (in fact 2 channels with 2 different gain stages), bright and bottom switch in the clean/crunch-channel, low-punch switches in the lead channels, presence and a depth-punch in the master section. Also it has two switchable master volumes.
It has two different and switchable midrange styles (open/focused) in the lead channel. Switching from open to focused causes a massive boost of the low-mid range which makes leads really stand out in live and rehearsal situations. It has a protection circuit for each of the power-amp tubes which recognizes a damaged tube and shows this with a led on the front panel. The volume drops a bit, but the amp stays operable.

There is no footswitch included when you buy the amp, nor can it handle any midi-commands - midi can be installed optionally. So for proper use of all the functions the amp offers (4 channels, 2 master volumes, open/focused) you need to buy the Z-4 Custon footswitch which costs additional 160 EUR. Only 8 points here because of that.

My main guitar is a Jackson Soloist with an EMG 81 humbucker and two EMG SA single coils which goes straight into the amp and then into an ENGL 4x12" standard cabinet (Celestion V60s).

The sound I get with this setup is just brilliant. I don't find any words to really describe the lead-sound of the Powerball. The amp has a real character of its own, it does not try to imitate the sound of other popular amps like the Mesa Rectifier etc.
The sound is tight, full and stays extremely transparent. If you want to, it delivers a ridiculous amount of gain - I have the gain-knob round about 12 'o clock and it has already more gain then many other amps around. The tone control really does its job and allows you to dial an enormous variety of sounds. Still, the amp never loses its character.

The clean and crunch channels are also very usable, even if they don't stand out like the lead sound. Definitely a rar better clean sound then a Rectifier. Clean stays really clean until you turn the gain over 12 'o clock.

It's by the way pretty simple to get that delicious lead sound out of the amp. Just dial gain and tone controls round about 12 'o clock, presence at 1 'o clock, master at 11 'o clock (if you habe tolerant neighbours...) and strike a low chord.... and there you go.
The amp really likes low tunings - I play mostely in drop C with 052-010 strings, and if you don't push the low range too much, it does not get muddy there.

Important - be sure to use a proper cabinet. A poor cabinet can make the best amp in the world sound like a vacuum cleaner.

A bit annoying are the feedbacks you get when you play a bit louder. Even with the active EMG 81, I get loads of feedback - mostly in the bass and low-mid range. The noise gate does a good job there, but nevertheless you get a deep hum here and there when you play fast an partly muted riffs.

I play mostely metal with my band and the amp suits this style perfectly. I have also gigged with it, and I had no problem cutting through the mix. The other guitarist uses a Line6 Head plus 4x12" and the Powerball simply kills this amp in band situations. He is now seriously thinking about buying something with real tubes in it...

I must give 10 points here, the amp sound simply to good to give a lower rating.

I'm using the am for about 2 months now. 3 weeks ago, one of the preamp tubes broke down and the amp got practically silent from one second to another. I took the amp back to the shop, they had a phone call with ENGL and I got a whole new and matched set of preamp tubes within 3 days - best thing, I didn't have to pay for them. Tubes can break down, so I don't think this can be counted as a real reliability problem. Since then it works perfectly again.

It is constructed very solid with a metal grill on the front (which even looks great with the illuminated tubes behind it) and weighs about 25 kilos, so I think it can withstand most of the situations a normal guitar amp is confronted with.

Becaus of the failure, I think 7 points here.

As I said, ENGL sent a complete new set of preamp-tubes immdiately and they did this under warranty (even if tubes normally are not changed under warranty). So, full points there.

I play for about 10 years now and I have owned a couple of amps since then. My last one was a Hughes & Kettner Tube50 which I also liked, but which could not give me THE sound I was always looking for. The Powerball now has exactly that kind of sound. Before buying it, I compared it to a Framus Cobra (also a great amp, was a hard decision), to a Mesa Rectifier (to expensive, no clean sound and too unoriginal) and to some Randall (lead sound was too harsh for my taste) and Line6 solid-state amps (no character at all, sounds too artificial... well, they WANT to sound artificial...).

I really love this amp an I hope that it is too heavy to get stolen that easily. Additionally I'm taking care of it like it was one of my eyeballs.

If you ever get the chance to play the amp - do it.

Full 10 points.

I won't go into to much detail here as its already been listed about 30 times. I will say that the features on this amp are very useful, especialy the effects loop mix and noise gate. However, a foot-switchable effects loop would make a lot of difference. I have invested in a Nobels loop switch which acts the same but i can sometimes end up tap dancing over my pedal board.

I mainly use a Gibson Explorer Gothic with Seymour JB/Jazz set up or my ESP Eclipse with active EMG's or my Fat-Strat which also has active EMG's. All three guitars have very distinctive tones and the Powerball handles both very well.

Most "high-gain" amps lack a good clean tone but this one covers a huge range of sounds on main channel 1.
The "clean" channel can produce crystal clear tones when i use the strat on the neck and middle pickups. Push the gain a bit and plug in something with a humbucker and the feel totally changes. You get a much more dirty sound that can go from mild break-up to AC/DC style tones.
The "crunch" channel is also very versitile. With a bit of help from the volume pot on your guitar you can get similar tones to the clean and then push right up to early Maiden territory.
Main channel 2 has some of the best tones I've ever herd. I've owned a 5150mk 2 and various bits of Mesa and Rocktron rackgear but none of them compare to the Powerball.
On the "lo lead" channel the sustain is great. There are plenty of harmonics and the clarity remains even at extreme settings. I play in a metal band (www.myspace.com/eighthnerveuk) influenced by Killswitch, Slayer, Lamb of God and Funeral for a Friend so I need a clear tone with plenty of balls. This amp provides that. I spend most of my time on this channel and its just great. The dynamics are fantastic, this amp provides a great tone and one that can be made very individual.
I don't use the "hi lead" channel much because the "lo lead" has everything. I have an H2O chorus-echo pedal in the effects loop wich provides a bit of a volume boost as well as a cry baby from hell so when i need a push i dont need the "hi lead" option.
The sounds this amp can make are just breath-taking. It could be used with any style given the right guitar and a few good pedals.

I've not had the Powerball long but it seems very well built. I dont have a backup. I'll be looking after it well so hopefully it'll last a lifetime.

I have never had to deal with them.

I have been playing for nearly 10 years and in that time I've owned vintage Marshalls, a 5150 mk 2,a Rocktron Prophesy, a Mesa/Boogie studio pre, a Mesa Rectifier power amp etc etc ....... This amp wipes the floor with them in terms of tone and versitility. The powerball is a high end amp so if you want one you need a good guitar. Get something with good pickups and made of a decent bit of wood and you can get any tone you want from this thing. I've got it insured so if it got stolen i'd get a new one a.s.a.p.

I just waht to shed light on a matter for all those who have given this amp a somewhat bad reveiew. Some of them might mean it, nothing can please all. But some of the reviews seem to be kind of a little narrow.

The thing I want to say is that amount of time spend with the amp testing, the guitar, effects, cabinets etc. have a lot to with the sound one will get. And of all the factors Iv mentioned, I think the guitar is one of the most prominent. The sound a guitar makes, whether good or bad has to do with how the guitar is put togehter and what components is used.

Strings, neck(neck-through, set neck, thin, fat..), body(alder, basswood, mahogany, one piece, ply..), bridge(fixed, floating, tune-o-matic..) pickups(singlecoil, humbucker, hight, hot, passive, active..) and many of the other things a guitar consist of has something to do with the overallsound.

Iv tried this amp for my self, but not for too long. And this amp sounded very good to me for the time I tried it.

This is either a 02/03 Model i bought in 04'
My Music Style Conisists of Power Metal thru to Black Metal
Basically 2 Channels with 2 modes. Claimed to be "4 Channels"
The only thing i'd probably like is a better in built noise gate.
I use this amp in a soundproofed room and would use for gigs if i had any :D.
Definately enough Power but sounds good at low volumes

I use an ESP Mirage and an LID Explorer
Both With EMG 85/81 and 81/89 respectively.
Fucking superb for my Music Stlye. Chunky/Chuggy/Tight thick low end.
For leads it provides a smooth liquidy tone i love when im sweeping or picking fast (trying to)

I think the Clean Channel does the job. But i dont really use it
Channel '2' holds no use for me

And yes, the distortion is Brutal (brewwwtal) (br00tal)

"NO problemo"

Thats about it.

ENGL is t3h Pwnz0r

Versatility: When i happened upon the Engl Powerball, i was amazed at the diversity of tones it got. I was looking for a real glassy, round and colorful clean with lots of bottom but with shimmering highs. i also wanted a nice, vintage rock-ish slightly overdriven channel that wasn't harsh, as well as a huge, in your face, thick, but clear distortion. i had been weighing the option of doing multiple heads in a rack as i was looking at fenders for clean and mesa or an 80's JCM800 for dirty, but that was costly for my wallet and my back. i was surprised that this amp (for roughly the same price as one of the mesa's i was looking at!) had all those things with many more feautres.

Style: i play anything from heavy, riff driven rock (a la Rage Against the Machine, Helmet, etc.) to reggae to more "classic" styles (U2, blues, etc.)

Channels: 4! more than i even wanted. Clean, Slightly distorted, lots of distortion, and crazy amounts of distortion.

Effects Loop: yes, with wet/dry mix knob, very transparent

Built in Noise Gate: this thing is amazing. with it on, it doesn't even seem like the amp is on, even when you have the hi gain channel cranked with your volume on your guitar all the way up. i keep it at around 12oclock so i can get plenty of sustain without it cutting out (and still have it be effective). the nice thing as well is that it doesn't affect channel 1 and 2, just the real hi gain channels, well thought out.

Extras:

"bottom" and "bright" buttons: for channel one and two, there is a "bottom" and "bright" button you can press in to give it even more tonal character in those areas. i dont know how they work, but they are different than what you can achieve with the actual EQ. there is also individual "bottom" buttons for each of the 2 hi gain channels. nice feature.

depth punch knob: there is also a "depth punch" knob which also gives it a bit of growl on the bottom end, this is global for all 4 channels.

Power amp LED's: there is also 4 lights that will light up when its respective power amp tube is going bad. basically an oil light for an amp...preventative maintence.

2 master volumes: there is also two master volumes, giving you more dynamic power to get creative dynamically. they can be switched via the pedal board

2 mid range settings: there are two mid range knobs for the hi gain channels, one is for scooped mids, another for boosted, so for either rhythm or lead. these can be switched via the pedal board.

Aesthetics: awesome metal mesh grill gives it a tough look and the red LED's behind the power tubes are a great touch.

Where do you use this amp? i use this amp in numerous places. mainly in a large room (stands about 800ish) with a big 1100 sq ft stage. it has plenty of volume for a full band with blaring monitors.

One thing i don't like however (sorry engl), is that even though there are 4 channels, the first 2 channels share a few of the tone knobs and the 2nd two channels share a few of the tone knobs. it would be nice to have 4 completely independant channels. however, a nice thing that engl did do is gave seperate treble and volue control for channel 1 and two (even though gain, low, mid, and presence knobs are shared). also, on the hi gain channels, the bottom boosts are seperated, which is nice, and you do get the mid shifting control as well as seperate volume control. even with the shared controls, you still get a TON of room to create some very unique from each other sounds. i'd give it a 9 simply for that feature, but that's being really nit-picky. so i say 10

Gear: i'm using a '64 SG with a 57 classic in the rhythm and a Suhr humbucker in the bridge (if you haven't heard of Suhr pickups or guitars, check them out). i also use a 71 SG with stock humbuckers, a modded 60's Jazzmaster with Dimarzio humbuckers in the bridge and 57 classics in the neck, a 335 style hollowbody. im not playing any single coil guitars at the moment, however because of the diversity of this amp, it's inspiring me to venture out into different areas of music to become a more versatile player and create differently.

I also am using a TC electronics G Major (which i also highly recommend) for effects going through the effects loop of the Engl. i use a Behringer FCB1010 to control it (which, for the money, is a great, versatile board, though its not the piece of gear im most excited about, but it gets the job done).

I play the amp through a Diezel 4x12, which again, i highly recommend. i like that its a 16ohm cab because it makes getting better tube sound at a bit lower of volume and gives you the ability to really crank the amp up to get ultimate sound.

The amp is a very quiet amp (when it comes to the unwanted sounds, that is), even at surprisingly loud volumes (thanks to the built innoise gate, but even if you prefer to not use it, it's still one of the quieter amps i've played).

I have gotten a tremendous amount of questions, comments, requests for a "demonstration" of the amps capabailities. it's a definite head turner, guitarists clue into this amazing sound and have to know what the heck it is that im playing through. i should be sponsored by Engl by now with how much i show off this amp. i get so many comments on the beautfiul, shimmery but full bodies and punchy clean (which i love) as well as the loud, thick, massive sound of the distortion. i was amazed at the ability to hear every single string even at high gain levels. very awesome.

i know i can depend on it when it gets down to it. it's built like a tank, hand wired, etc. i would gig without a backup (because of money, but when it gets down to it, nothing is perfect, so if i had a choice, i'd get a backup, but not because of anything the amp has done, just out of principle).

The amp has never broken down in the 2 years i've had it. however, a few months ago an odd intermittent "rustling" sound has starting coming from it at really low volumes just randomly. it goes away when i either switch channels or start playing. i changed the preamp tubes but it didnt help. im right in the middle of investigation...hopefully its under warranty whatever it is...ill post an update when i resolve it. i give it a 9 because of that, but only that.

I contacted Engl to have them help me with the "rustling" problem. They emailed me back immediately, and to my surprise it was an email from Horst Langer, the guy who actually designed the amp itself, so yer not just getting some guy working for $9/hr to give you answers from a troubleshooting manual. We did some back and forth emailing as he asked me to try things and report back to him. By the end of the week the problem was solved, and it was minor. Seems as though a power amp tube either had a bit of corrosion or wasn't quite settled in completely. No parts had to be replaced (not even tubes) and I didn't have to take it in. Horst was a very nice, thorough, and patient person to deal with. My only encounter with Engl was definitely a 10 (if not 11).

I've been playing for 12 years now (time flies). I play this amp through the Diezel 4x12 and they make a nice little family. i was looking at the Engl 4x12 cabs but couldnt find them here at the time, plus i think that the Diezel has a bit more warmth than the Engl 4x12.

If it were stolen or lost, i would be back at ToneMerchants in Orange Co. the next day. it's an absolutely life changing amp, and it's incredibly affordable (considering what you get). i always thought mesa boogie was the end all be all of big, loud, rockin amps, but i was so frustrated with the sounds i was hearing. they sounded a bit dull and lifeless, i didnt understand the hype. plus, i would start sounding like eveyrone else. if you want an amp with mesa or JCM 800 hugeness and growl (but way better tone...at least as far as the mesa is concerened) and a beautiful glassy, crystal clear and punchy clean (which mesas lack greatly), check out this amp. what a great all around, diverse amp. i've turned on so many people of so many styles on to this thing. no matter what you play, you'll probably be totally amazed at what it does.

Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one? i did compare it to a few amps. for clean, old modded fender bassman amps as well as newer fender amps. for distortion, modded JCM800 (and stock ones), mesa dual and trip rectifiers, and the Diezel Herbert. as far as the the clean goes i think fender does a great job, so i wont knock what i heard, but this amp had it too, with, i think, more avaiable tone crafting (a la the extra knobs and buttons). as far as the dirty goes, i fell in love with this modded JCM800 i played through, but it wasn't for sale. i figured at the end of the day, if i could find an old JCM800 and get it modded, i be looking at around 1400 bucks and just have one channel. then i'd have to get another head for clean so we're talkin another grand or so, plus a backache. that's why i was looking to settle on mesa, 3 channels in one. but i was just plain bummed on mesa. i actually went into ToneMerchants looking for a distortion pedal, the owner, Ed, heard me playing and said "as i was listening to you play i thought "i have to show this guy this amp."" i was so amazed i bought it that day, no buyers remorse here. we A/B'd the engl and the diezel, i have to say i liked the engl better (but in all honesty i didnt touch a single knob on the diezel cuz i didnt want to like it. at 4 grand i wanted to convince myself that this 1800 dollar amp was way better!). so i cant honestly critique the diezel.

so there's my big ol' review...hope it was some help. you can contact me if you have any questions, this forum and many others were a big help in helping me in my quest for great tone...now i've become addicted to tone (and the pursuit itself) and am hoping others can get really stoked on their sound.

Copy/paste from Engl-amps.com


4 channels: Clean, Crunch, Lo Gain Lead and Hi Gain Lead; 2 Gain knobs each for CH I (Clean & Crunch) and CH II (Lo Gain and Hi Gain Lead)

4 Volume knobs: Clean, Crunch, Lo Lead, Hi Lead; Bright and Bottom sound-shaping buttons for CH I;

Separate Bottom sound-shaping button for CH II Lo Lead and Hi Lead;

4-way voicing section, Bass, Middle, Treble Clean, Treble Crunch for CH I; 4-way voicing section, Bass, Mid Open, Mid Focused, Treble for Ch II;

CHI/II channel switch, Gain Lo/Hi, Sound style selector Open/Focused (affects all channels), Master A/B, switchable on the device or via two ENGL Z-4s or an ENGL Z-5 Custom Footswitch,

A and B power amp Master knobs;

Power amp Presence and Depth Punch knobs;

Electronic monitoring system for the power amp tubes;

Standby switch.



Rear panel:

2 stereo ?? jacks for the Z-4 two-way footswitch;

D-Sub 9 port for connecting the ENGL Z-5 Custom Footswitch;

Noise Gate Threshold for activating the lead channels' Noise Gate and setting the desired threshold for the Noise Gate;

F.X. Loop Send / Return with Balance knob;

Power amp outputs: 2 x 4 ohms, 2 x 8 ohms and 1 x 16 ohms;

100 watts, 4 6L6GC power amp tubes.

It's all relatively standard on amps in this price range, the four volume controls come in handy and the noise gate works excellent for me. Can't wish for anything more, it's all there except midi and bias switching ;)

for it's price, the features are superb, so I'll give it a 10.

(it should come with the Z5 footswitch as a standard though, thats why it gets a 9!!!)

I'm using an '89 Ibanez RG750 with dimarzio's and a Ran custom with EMG's in it.

With the RG I get tight and fluent leads, riffs come out sounding like monsters, the distortion channels are just simply amazing!
The Ran custom just throws it to another level, it has an EMG 85/81 setup, if you like the EMG tone, do yourself a favour and hook it up to the Powerball!

The cleans on the Powerball surprised me, I expected nothing but brutal distortion from this beast and oh boy did it provide! On the other hand, this amp has a great clean channel too, if you tweak the eq a bit you can get spranky, transparant cleans which just sounds great. Even with EMG's the cleans from the 85 are just incredible, I must say I prefer passive pickups for clean tones, but with the Powerball it doesn't really matter much, just turn down the gain a bunch and tweak with the eq for a while and you're set.

The amp is not very noisy, I use it at high volumes and the build-in noisegate does its job. I play in a metalcore/hardcore band and it suits my style just fine, if you're into metal and rock, you'de better try this amp. If you want vintage tones, walk straight past it, it's a modern tube amp which you could compare with the diezel vh4, bogner uberschall, vht pitbull, soldano slo100, H&K Triamp, Framus Cobra and ofcourse the Mesa Recto's.

In comparisson and in it's price class, I prefered it over the dual recto and triamp, the triamp is more versatile but not as brutal, still it's a great amp. Same goes for the recto but it's distortion just didn't do it for me, that's where all ENGL's shine, the distortion department.

This is my third Engl so far,an Engl 620 rack preamp and a Savage 60 (see other review) where/are my other Engl's. So you can say I'm addicted to them ;)

The question about the distortion beeing brutal? haha, try it out for yourself and be amazed!

NOTE: be very carefull which cab you pick with the powerball, it can make a world of difference, try everything you can get your hands on... (don't just settle with the v60's if you haven't heard other cabs)

I've played this amp live a couple of times, it hasn't let me down, I've played my other Engl's live too and they haven't let me down either, so I guess they're pretty reliable overall.

There's a safety feature in the Powerball, if there's something wrong, it just shuts down. this scared the hell outta me twice, due too cables not beeing connected properly.

I'll give it a 10 but I haven't been playing with it for over a year so who knows what happens when the tubes go out ;)

Good customer support as long as you're in mainland Europe, or so I've heard. they allways replied my emails in the past, even about my allready-out-of-production Savage 60 and 620 preamp.

I have no idea how long the warranty on this thing lasts, I've bought it used and do not have any papers with it (tough luck..)

the guy who sold it was using an Engl SE and had this as a backup, it was only used twice, lucky me, guess his Engl didn't break down either ;)

overall? great, just great if you're into the Engl tone and you love to rip it up, if you're into other tones, don't bother getting it, it's not really that versatile in the tone department. It can do a lot of tones but it's not a wonder machine, you just have to dig it's signature tone.

Like I said, this wasn't my first Engl amp, if it where lost or stolen I'de probably buy a Powerball again or maybe a Savage 120.
I've compared it to loads of boutique amps and this just fitted me best, the Diezel VH4, Bogner Uberschall and Soldano SLO100 are the only amps that came close for me and they where out of my price range, plus I didn't think the Bogner was that much better at all. The Diezel and Soldano really impressed me though, who knows someday in the future. For now my Powerball suits me just fine, for the cash I payed for it, I surely couldn't have bought anything better!

- two channels with boost(lo hi), so 1 : clean, crunch, 2 : distortion, ridiculous amounts of distortion :D
- 3 band passive eq on each channel, seperate treble controls for clean and crunch, seperate mid controls on ch2 for open/focused
- mid open/focused switch, affects all channels : basically a modern/vintage or rhythm/lead switch.
- bright and bottom buttons for ch1, seperate bottom buttons for ch2 lo or hi
- noise gate on ch2
- presence and depth controls
- fx loop
- 2 mastervolumes
- ch, mid, boost, mastervolume switching

Used it on rehearsal so far, with a Bogner 212 oversized V30. Loud as hell, cuts through perfectly. Have to mind the bass amounts, because I drowned out the bassplayer at first.

I have a LAG Roxanne : mahogany with hot alnico humbuckers. Have played on it with EMG equipped Jackson, and some guitars with SD's, and those worked even better. I'm getting a LAG with JB's now.

My style goes from 60's psych, prog, fusion, metal, punk, electro....
This amp, in combination with a couple of stomps and a GMajor suits it all.

The noise gate is no luxury : ch2 is noisy, very much in contrast with the Screamer I've played, and you really need good control to get the right feedback you need, and not just squeals. I've got the noise gate on max, and you need to keep more than a meter at least from the amp, but then it sings and roars like it should.

The clean can stay very clean, and it's very glassy.
The distortion is very brutal, but very transparent if you keep it under 12' o clock on the lo gain mode. Which already has more than enough gain.

It is really loud. My channel volumes are between 10 and 12' o clock, and I can't put the master past 3 without blowing eardrums and musicians against the wall. Haven't tried it on stage yet, but I'm sure it'll suffice.

I will be getting a hotplate, because it starts to really sound good from 10'. But that's too loud for practicing/recording.

Overall, it has a very tight and somewhat processed sound, which may be mistaken for SS'ish, but it sounds creamy tube, no doubt about it.

Have to see yet.

Mailing Engl itself is a waste of time, but Peerlings, the distributor is very good, and so is Bernd, the product specialist.

I must say I work in a music shop, and have pesterd my boss into becoming an Engl dealer recently. But before that, I already had contact with Bernd, and that was great.

I've been playing for more than 20 years, have owned JCM800, Kitty Hawk, Rivera, Line6, the 530 and more. Working in a music shop, I have been able to try out Marshalls, Peaveys, Mesa with loads of guitars.
This is the most versatile and cost/features most interesting one, and I prefer the sound to the others. Only Diezel surpasses it, but they're way more expensive.

This amp is versatile enough, you can play all styles, from jazz to detah metal, blues.. 4 channels ok, actually 2 divided into 4 i wil the 4 channels were totally apart (adjustable) i use it everywhere i never play others amplifire.. all tube power excellent

before this i had a 5150, the differnt between this & a 5150 for me is the 5150 is much harder, but the gain amount is almost the same & the clean channel of the powerball is much way much better.

* What guitar and pickup styles are you using it with?
all my guitars are Gibson with EMG 81/85

* How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?
From ac/dc to trashmetal death metal, lot of solo stuuf

* Is it noisy? On what settings, and in what environments?
not at all, bu i have to say that the same top on a ENGL cab sounds less noisy than the same top on other cabs

* What kind of sounds can the amp make? How much variety?
all kind of styles

* Is the clean channel distorted at high volumes?
no at all

* How brutal is the distortion?
This is the best distortion for my taste i've hear in years

* Can you depend on it? Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Yes, i dont have any backup & no money for backups

* Has the amp ever broken down? Because of neglect of regular servicing (as in tubes), or just plain neglect?
Nope i got this 3 months

No idea, but i can trust the shop were i got this top

* How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
for almost 15 years, i had a 5150 before ( i still have this ;-)

* If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
I hope this never happen, i will go for an ENGL again for sure

* what do you love about it? What do you hate?
I love it looks so good, the noisy redoctur, the midi control possibilitys.

test this machine !! with different cabs.. so you can get a better idea the different this top can sound on different cabs

I am the author of the review posted on 12/14/04. The most recent author made comments infering that in my case this amp (Engl Powerball)did not "cut through" the mix due to the fact that it was mis-applied (wrong speakers/cab and poor use of EQ). I would like to clear a few things up: (1) I have been playing guitar, both live and in recording situations for a LONG time. (2) I played this amp through several different cabs including: A Peavey 5150 4x12, a Mesa Boogie rectifier oversized 4x12 cab (the industry standard for high gain applications), a Marshall 4x12 cab made in the early eighties, a Diezel 4x12 front loaded cab and a cheap but reliable Behringer/Jensen stereo 4x12 cab. While some sounded better than others, NONE of these cabs/speakers were able to make this amp "stand out" or "cut through" the mix in a band/performance enviroment. (3) I own/have owned many amplifiers (vintage,modern,boutique,stock and modified) over the years...and I have played many 50 and 60 watt heads and combos that are twice as loud and cut through better than this Engl. (4) I know how to EQ an amplifier. I am a partial owner of a recording studio and have worked with some great producers and engineers. I am not a 12 year old NU METAL kid who scoops all the mids out of his tone while cranking the bass and treble. I really wanted to like this amp and spent a VERY long time working patiently with all the available settings. The problem with this amp is the way it is VOICED. This can not be fixed by working with the EQ settings. I will say it again: This is a decent sounding amp (probably not $1800.00 decent...but decent). It is not loud, it does not cut through the mix and is prone to noise and feedback...Please demo this amp thoroughly before you buy it. there are many better amps in the $1000.00-$2000.00 range. THANK YOU!

Mine was bought in 2004. Got a Z-5, 6 button custom footswitch as well. Look up the features on the ENGL site. Basically 4 channels, going from warm responsive clean ups to the heaviest type of Metal you can imagine. I'm not really missing anything, I thought about buying an EHX Holy Grail before I ordered it, but I never seemed to miss the reverb when I got it. I use this amp everywhere, bedroom to stage. It's got so many options, that every time I use another guitar or wish to go from let's say Progressive Rock to Lynch Mob (80's kinda Metal/Rock) it doesn't take me long to get there when playing with the knobs. I find the bottom switches on channel 2,3,4 very effective, not to mention the bright switch on the clean channel, it just enriches the cleans. The two master volumes are also very handy! ENGL did a great job!

It's a 100W but frankly, it isn't as loud as others. It's loud enough for big venues sure, but when you'd crank your Dual Recto (shitty amp might I add) to 5, it'll drown the Powerball out in volume. Mic-ing it would be an option, but honestly I don't know who would need more volume except if you were a pro and played large Arenas.

The looks simply can't be beaten, with the amp cranked it looks like it's on fire behind the grill! Built like a tank

I'm currently using a Jackson Ontario Custom Shop KE2 w/ Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz pick ups, an '87 Gibson Designer V w/ Bill Lawrence L500XL bridge and Seymour Duncan George Lynch Screamin' Demon in the neck (it's not a neck pick up, but sounds cool if you mod it a little) and a '70 Fender Strat stock. My styles can be found in George Lynch (Lynch Mob being my favorite Lynch band), Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth), Al DiMeola, Santana, Prashant Aswani (amazing funk shredder!) and Zakk Wylde. Something which is important to note, because it does influence your sound a lot, especially with the Powerball is the cab. I'm using a Mesa 1x12 loaded with a Black Shadow 90 speaker.

It suits my musical style really well, an amazing amp really! It is noisy, but it's got a noise gate which works fine for me, don't know what the previous reviewers are talking about.

Ch1: Most Dutch Powerball owners kept telling me the clean channel wasn't much to brag about, so I actually considered a Savage 120 first. I'll give them one thing, if you don't want to spent 5 minutes dialing in a great clean tone, indeed buy a Savage 120. I found an amazing clean tone after I worked the knobs for like 5 minutes. Very responsive, the Jazz pick up in my KE2 especially shines with this channel. It gives it that extra sparkle! A funny fact to note is that most of those PB owners used high output pick ups. That's about the stupidest thing one could do with a high gain amp such as the Powerball, unless they stay clear and don't break up easilly like my JB. I play a lot of Latin and DiMeola-ish stuff on this channel. It doesn't break up fast, only if you really crank the volume and gain, and again use high output pick ups.

Ch2: Basically Marshall territory. It has about as much or a maybe a tad more gain compared to the JCM800 2555SL. You can totally nail that sound as well, although purists won't agree (do they ever?), it really can. It doesn't have a ton of gain, but enough to play Guns n' Roses or Deep Purple. The bottom switch is only effective when you crank the amp. When I first tried this channel it reminded me of my old JCM800 2210, with more gain ofcourse. I use it for those slightly overdriven clean runs, but like I wrote earlier it can do so much more!

Ch3: Imagine going from 90's Metal to insane Death Metal. I usually turn the gain to 11 o'clock (4 on the indicator) and it gets me the most harmonically rich, sustaining, yet incredibly clear and ballsy high gain. If you're a bad player or don't play solos, sure you can crank it up but I need the clarity and it growls like Zakk Wylde's Les Paul w/ Black Label. Always try to find that balance between gain and volume, if you use too much gain you'll lose definition. Every guitar and pick up sounds different and palm muting is insane with the bottom switch engaged. It's like chuggah-chuggah. (artificial) Harmonics jump like crazy if you know how to do 'em. With the bottom switch off and slightly less gain I can nail George Lynch on the REH video (he uses an ENGL Straight, the Powerball is the evolved version of that amp)

Ch4: Picks up where Ch3 leaves off, more gain, more bottom end, but unfortunately it sounds more sterile if you crank the gain too much. If you turn it past 1 o'clock (6 on the indicator) and crank the volume it'll get sterile. It's the channel I play in the evening, because it's got more tube-crunch on low volumes compared to Ch3.

I want to add some VERY USEFUL ADVISE, please read this: The two previous reviewers stated the PB doesn't cut thru in band situations. If you're thinking what I'm thinking, it's the cabs and speakers. But I want to advise you not to use Vintage 30 speakers with this head (the famous speakers to cut through the mix). They'll only make the high end more fuzzy and the amp will lose a little bit of bottom end. The best speakers sounding speakers with this head are (they'll also help you cut thru in a bandsituation): Greenbacks, Eminence V12s, Classic Lead 80, or EN

Depend on it? Ofcourse! The first thing i noticed was how thick the housing of the amp was compared to my other amps. As for protection it's virtually stage-and-rooky-proof. Meaning it'll take one hell of a beating before it'll break down on you. The parts are all top-notch, and it looks beautiful as well. Sure I would've liked it to have a snake-skin tolex, but maybe it would've been over the top haha, so a 10 is in order here.

The footswitch also has a very solid housing, it'll take your 10 pound boots Metalhead ;-)!

Never dealt with them, sorry!

When I first decided to buy a new head I was thinking about the Framus Cobra (amazing amp as well, Germans sure know their stuff!), ENGL Savage 120 and Savage SE, Soldano Hot Rod 100+, Steavens Poundcake, Bogner Uberschall or VHT Pitbull CL50. The thing that scared me off about the Powerball was that many dutch people had one, people never really cheered about the clean channel (which I really needed for my Latin licks) and the stories about it being low volume. Eventually I decided I didn't care because at least half of your tone is from your fingers, I'd be willing to take a risk on that clean channel and I could always mic the amp if I needed more volume. My point being, take these reviews like a grain of salt and go to a store and test it! I tried to review mine as objectively as possible, but there'll always be people who think otherwise.
If it were stolen, I'd first laugh at the person who stole it because he had to move the Powerball in a short amount of time in order for me not to catch him (it's a heavy amp!), and pound a wall because I finally found a great tone and it was stolen!
If you're also going back and forward with the Savage 120 and Powerball, let me state the difference as simple as possible. Gainwise the Powerball is ballsier, but the Savage is tighter. Clean the Savage is more versatile, but the PB can get you very nice clean ups as well.
It can get you Bogner Uberschall tones, not dead on, but incredibly close. European players will be glad to hear that, because the price-difference is really big compared to the Bogner. The PB is more versatile, but the Bogner has that bite. If I'd buy another head it'd probably be a Framus Cobra or a Steavens Poundcake, not because they're better but because they cover other types of grounds gainwise.

Have fun with your Powerball, and mail me if you need to know anything. It might take me a while to reply but I always do! A lot of people seem to mail me and that's ok with me, I'm here to help!

You know the features. One thing I would like to say is that "four channels" is a deceptive statement at best. This is actually a two channel head that is split into four. I would still consider it somewhat versitile.

This amp is made for heavy music. It does, however have a very good clean for a high gain head. The medium gain sounds are reasonable and the high gain sounds are decent. I was not "blown away" by any of the tones found in this amp. OK here's the deal: this is a bedroom amp...period. It sounds good at low volumes and will remain "tight" and articulate with loads of gain. BUT TRY THIS AMP WITH A BAND AND YOU HAVE PROBLEMS. (1)Unbelievebly noisey...feedback for days, and yes it's true, the built noise-gate does nothing. (2) This amp does not "cut through" the mix in a band enviroment...AT ALL. Because of the understated mid-voice of this amp it gets absolutely destroyed in a live/rehersal situation. (3) This amp is NOT LOUD. I have never heard a 100 watt head that lacks this much power and punch. (4) As you turn this amp up...you loose tone. The powerball begins to sound very compressed and artificial at higher volume settings...bummer.

It seemed durable for the two months that I owned it.

I have had no dealings with ENGL.

If you play at home, at low volumes this is a decent amp (maybe not $1600.00 decent) but I consider it almost useless for anything else, with the possible exception of recording...look around, very few pro musicians are playing this over-hyped amp live, there is a reason for that. My honest recomondation is if you are into this type of super high-gain tone...save some $$$ and get a Peavey 5150 II...and if you want that 5150 II to sound "boutique" and articulate then send it to Trace at Voodoo amps. Sorry ENGL...this amp needs to go back to the drawing board.

I had a chance to play with the Powerball,Savage 120, Blackmore, Screamer, Fireball and Thunder 50 heads. They all seem to sound great when playing at the store. Although out of all the ones I've tried the Thunder 50 and Blackmore were the ones that sounded the most impressive. There tones were more organic....I'm thinking because they have less circuitry affecting the natural tone of the amp. Less knobs the better! But, I want to cut to the chase and I have to agree with the previous reviewer. I wasn't as impressed with the amp during a band situation. I'll have to be honest I had the Thunder 50 as oppose to the Powerball but, I certainly played the PB quite a few times at the store at high volumes as well as the Thunder 50, both are very similar in terms of sound and volume. I think it's fair to state my opinion on it. The Engl amps including the Powerball don't have a certain presence that cut through the mix during band rehearsals or possibly even gigs, while it's going to be miced up majority of the times I still don't think it's going to cut the mustard as well as it should. I could be wrong though. But, I remember one time watching a band and this guitarist using a Screamer and I'll be honest again...I had a hard time hearing his amp...maybe bad live sound from the sound guy or whatever but, needless to say I was able to hear the next band guitar amps as oppose to the Screamer...and the guy was using a Marshall MG100 series head...go figured????. From my experience the sound did not pierce through heavy drums and thick bass very well. It seems the sound dissipates around everything instead of cutting through like the other British amps. I noticed that British amps like Marshall, Orange, and Laney are not only very loud but has great midrange that always peirce through the mix like an arrow. I remember also that I almost maxed the volume on my amp . For a tube amp. You should not have to do that at all! You should have plenty of volume to spare! Anyway, I believe that the Powerball overly hyped amps and you certainly need to take the time to listen for yourself before you buy it and while you're testing it out. Make sure you get a return policy from them so you can return it back if you don't want it. And if they don't have a return policy I would strongly suggest you blast the amp and give it the works! Don't buy into sound clips..sure it may sound great but, the real test is to make sure that it can sound strong and clear when playing loud with your band. Unless you don't have one or any desire to be in a band. But, then why even bother with a hundred watt head.

2004 Engl Powerball
Many features that have already been mentioned in previous reviews. Ill rate it at 8 because some of the features are more "usable" than others and because the footswitch is a close to $200 option.

I am In 2 touring bands and play very progressive , technical Metalcore. I Used a Gibson Lespaul Standard, studio and a G&L Comanche while I had this amp. (operative word being "had") Although this amp has many tonal varieties and some interesting features it wasnt particularly well suited for my playing style. The first problem I had with this amp was that it was by far the noisiest Hi-gain amplifier that I have ever owned. The Onboard Noise gate was totally useless at high gain/high volume levels. Playing music with dynamic starts and stops the noise levels and feedback were unmanagable without an external noise suppressor. But, employing an external noise suppressor made switching between channels akward because the threshold had to be set very Hi and would adversly affect the sound quality of the Lo gain and clean channel. SO youd have too first switch channels then switch off the Noise gate.
The clean channel was by far the best clean channel on a modern hi-gain amplifier that Ive played, very glassy and articulate with lots of headroom. Breakup began after rolling the gain knob past 12 o'clock. The Crunch channel also had many useful applications and was very marshall like in its tone and gain structure, I Did use these channels frequently in recent recording sessions. channel 3 and 4 the high gain and lead channel respectivly, were lacking. Although the overall tones were Good they were lacking. First off the powerball isnt as overtly aggressive as other popular high-gain amplifiers and that might be desirable to some (not to me): notes do ring out with clarity. there are many tone sculpting options. but overall the amp lacks "presence" and I don't mean the EQ variety of presence, but rather stage presence: I have never had to turn an amp as loud as the powerball in order to be merely audible. I had to max it out just to compete with the other guitarplayers triple rectifier which was turned up to "4". Also I found the Bottom end to be grossly embelished by Engl. It wasnt nearly as tight and profound as was stated and it had a wholly un-organic sound to it, very artificial and compressed.

I didnt have it long enough to really find out, but to Engl's credit it does seem to be well built.

This is where my biggest problem with Engl was. When I originally called Engl USA to inquire about the MSRP I was told that it was $1599, But when I called 3 weeks later ( after doing research about the Powerball) and was ready to order I was told that the price had gone up to $1839, after protesting, the somewhat disheveled sounding sales associate offered it to me at $1700 which I accepted, after all I was very interested after reading scores of positive reviews and despite my wariness to purchase an amplifier without playing it first. The Amp shipped quickly and was well packed. After playing the Powerball for 3 days I called EnglUSA to express my dissatisfaction with it and told of my intent to return it to them. The same associate told me that the amp was not returnable, he asked me what the specific problem with it was, and then proceeded to tell me that the cabinets I tried it with (mesa rectifier 4X12) was "horrible" and to try it with a marshall (which I did, and big surprise didnt make me love the powerball anymore), and If I was still dissatisfied with it I should have no problem selling it on ebay. Not in my opinion great customer service.

After keeping it for 3 months and really trying to make it work for me I did end up selling it on ebay for $1325. I lost $375 on an amp that was only 3 months old and in mint condition but I learned a valuable lesson: Never buy an amp based on hype Alone!! Always try an amp out with your Own guitar in order to make sure it suits all of your needs. After getting rid of the powerball I bought a Mesa triple Rectifier a Bogner Uberschall and plan on buying an Ecstacy to A/b with the uberschall. All 3 much better sounding amps. Hopefully this review will be helpful to others.

I've had my Powerball for around 2 years.Tons of knobs an stuff. Too many features if you ask me. It is too easy to forget about tone and even playing to worry about all the settings and using them all. The fact that it has such a big pedal is a little much for me. I am a little ADHD and am switching to a Thunder 50 combo for several reasons: one being the simplicity.
Very versatile.

I use all kinds of electric guitars. They all sound great. This Thing sounds amazing. The clean channel sounds fantastic. Amazing. Fom crystal clean to a nice crunch w/ the gain all the way up. The Crunch channel gets really Marshally. The power amp distro on this thing is awesome. The soft lead channel is great too. It is the main channel I use. I don't use all of the gain though. I 've begun to appreciate power amp istortion in my old age.
The Heavy Lead channel is ridiculous!! I never use it any more. It is too much distortion. Too much. It sounds good and all but why would anyone need this?
As I said before I am going for a Thunder Combo as it is lighter,simpler almost as loud and has all the sounds that I need and use.
Blows away Mesa Distortion (no pedal needed)and Marshall crunch. No contest.
BTW I play i through a Marshall 1936 2x12 w/ vintage 30s.

Never had a problem except for the jack input rattling loose after a couple of years. I put a washer under it and have not had a problem since. I've gigged it about 20 times and have never had a problem

These guys never respond to email. Ever! The folks at at Engl USA are a little clueless. I asked about the Moffatt Thunder 50 Combo and they said they were discontinued. Then I called Scott Splawn at Splawn guitars he said they were listed as being available. He said he would email them to make sure. They hadn't gotten back to him in a few days so I called Germany and they assured me that getting a Moffatt Thunder 50 was "no problem"

I've been playing 20 years or so. I love the fact that it sounds bad ass but hate that it is so big and heavy and anytime I want to play a small part in the studio or go somewhere to gig or practice I have to lug the entire rig around.I am selling the head and the z5 switch for $1500. Contact me if you want to buy it. I am currently in Mesa AZ. Too many folks think they are rock stars and need a huge rig. I know I am not but I also know that a good 50 watt combo can hang on ANY stage miced or run through an extension cab.I am getting a Thunder combo. Engl rules!!!!

Mine is the 2004 version. 100W all-tube with 4 x 6L6GC's lit with bright red LEDs behind them (looks very nice in the dark). Channel 1 is the clean one and it has a very nice pristine clear sound. Over to Channel 2, it adds a bit of british crunch into it and sounds excellent for that AC/DC or Iron Maiden style stuff. Channel 3 pushes the gain to metal levels, and proves to be an excellent lead channel with very nice midrange tone. Channel 4 is where all hell breaks loose, where most metalheads will spend their time on. It's just incredible (more on that later).

It has 4 channels, as just mentioned, and you can either switch channels via the front control panel, or with an external switch pedal (such as the ENGL Z-5). It has an FX loop with a balance control knob (Dry - Wet). No headphone jack (heh, you'd probably turn deaf anyways). I do wish it would have a line-out for those late-night recording sessions, but I guess you can't have all for such a nice price. It also features a noise gate knob in the back, which activates when you turn it past 9 o'clock. It works very well, though at times it can go on and off (*chk* *chk* *silence* *chk* *silence*) if it's not turned up a bit more. As far as I hear, it doesn't affect the amp tone at all, which is a big plus. Certainly usable at loud volumes, if you don't want that idle hissing with big gain levels.

I use this amp mainly at home and in band training, and of course the occasional live moments. It sounds unusally good even at bedroom levels for a tube amp, and it manages to maintain a big portion of the natural chunk associated with tube amps. Very nice, ENGL!

As for features, it really does what it has to, perfectly. I don't want an amp with cheap-o effects built into it. I can get some better effects as pedals or rack effects, if I want them. By itself, it has very nice features.

I have to take away one point from the lack of line-out, though. Consider this a 10 if you don't need a line-out.

I use my Jackson DX7 7-string for playing (mainly Fear Factory, Meshuggah, Opeth, Dream Theater) and they all sound incredible with this baby. Palm mute shredding has elevated into a completely new level compared to my previous Peavey Studio Pro 112. As for that deep palm mute *chunnngggggggggg*, you just have to hear it in person - loud. I don't see how anything could beat this, this is The Exact Tone I've been looking for all my life.

The amp can be a bit noisy on Channel 4 with gain at around 5 / 10 (PLENTY on this one!), but the noise gate fixes the majority of that. Clean sounds are extremely clean even at high volumes, which is very nice.

Going through all 4 channels at various gain levels, you can go from Led Zeppelin to AC/DC to Joe Satriani to Metallica to Gary Moore to Fear Factory to Emperor. This baby has it all. Add your favorite fuzz / ProCo Rat and you'll get an incredible Electric Wizard style stoner rock tone.

As with anything German, this amp will most likely survive a nuclear war and sound even better after that. The amp weighs 21 kg and will go for a small morning excercise by moving it around a bit. Built from full wood and with an iron front grille + stainless steel control panel plate (you won't find plastic in this one!), this is one of the sturdiest things I've ever seen in the music instrument area.

I don't really see any ways for you to destroy this except misuse, like playing cold tubes or dropping it during use. But those would kill anything anyways.

I'm definitely gigging with this without any backups.

Haven't dealt with them yet.

I've been playing electric guitar since January 2000 and acoustic since 1997, and this is the best amp I've heard so far (including recorded album ones). This is most likely the only amp you'll need during your lifetime, even when you go the full road from a beginner to multi-million selling artist. Sure it costs a lot, but this will last a lifetime and you won't be even thinking about other amps after playing this.

2004, 4 channel, built in noise gate, FX loop
Tubes!!! Nice, pretty red tubes.

I use an American Jackson (RR-1) with EMG81 - 85 setup.
Clean: Crisp, singing with tone. I'm in a melodic metal band and I play a lot neo classical, but, this clean tone is so good it made me start to want to write complete songs in this channel.
Crunch: Similar to clean actually lol, if you lower your gain significantly to get a perfectly clean tone the crunch channel isnt far off, but, with a twist of your gain knob it becomes great for classic rock and all the sort.
Lead channels: All I can say is this amp roars; it doesnt crush, it doesnt kill and most importantly it doesnt butcher.
It Epitomizes what crisp high gain should sound like.
There is but one problem....NOISE it is without a doubt the noisiest amp I've ever heard. On the hi lead channel(4) Gain has to be around 12 o' clock with the presence down etc to kill all noise, noise gate is errr kind of worthless. However, with an NS-2 Noise suppressor and the built in gate functioning I've performed live with the gain at 9 and the volume cranked with no noise. So, if you want really good metal tone, you'll be needing an external gate.

This German survives a lot better than the ones in world war II

I've never had to deal with them. But, I'm sure they are fine.

I've been playing about 5 years; I have went through many pieces of modern gear that are known to suit my style (MesaBoogie, Marshall, XXX) Nothing comes close to clarity and singing tones you receive from the Powerball.
If it were stolen I would cry... for a long time and beg my grandma to buy me a new one.
I wish it had some reverb to add warmth to the leads, but, no amp is perfect though this one comes the closest.

I baught the amp brand new so it should be a 2004 model. It's very versatile and you can get great sounds out of it right away. It's not like one of those amps that frustrate you until you get a perfect setting. There are already many reviews that talk about the feautres and aslo the ENGL website has it's features, so I'm not going to write about the features here. But it's basically 4 channels and has enough features to get a huge range of sounds and settings. Another great thing about it is, even though it's a very loud 100 watt amp, it sounds great at bedroom levels.

I baught an Ibanez Jem7vwh a week before buying the Powerball, and that guitar sounds amazing through it. And i use the ENGL Vintage 412 cab. I really like the clean channel. It sounds very nicely balanced, highs mids and lows ring out perfectly with a very clear organic sound. The crunch channel (ch. 2) is also great. with the gain and presence turned up a bit, it sounds very Marshall like. This channel can do from Pink Floyd to AC/DC and more.. The low lead channel (ch. 3) is just amazing, before I baught this amp my main concern was that the Powerball might not be so good for leads, but now i have no doubts, i love this channel for both lead and rhythm playing, it gives great feedback. The high lead channel (chn. 4) is pretty similar to the lo lead, except it sounds more compressed and has a little more gain. I don't really use this channel as much as chn. 3 because chn. 3 already has more than enough gain for me, i have the gain set at around 12:00 and thats pretty much all the gain i need for what i usually play. But if you ever want that chunky, compressed, over the top distortion then channel 4 will take good care of you. so it's definitely useful. This amp is also very quiet for a high gain amp, it only gets a small hiss at mid to high volumes on channels 3 and 4, but the noise gate in the back takes care of it...

I've only had it for 8 days, so i can't tell.

When I decided to buy an amp, i went out and tried a whole bunch of great amps including Soldano SLO 100; Bogner Uberschall; Mesa Boogie Single/Dual/Triple Rectifiers, Mark III and Mark IV; Marshall JCM 800, TSL 100, DSL 100, Marshall Mode 4; Bad Cat HotCat; Framus Cobra; Peavy XXX; Carvin Legacy; H&K TriAmp MK2; and some others , and all of these amps are great at their own right, but i think it's safe to say that the ENGL Powerball is by far the best overall sounding amp for me and it's very simple to use yet as versatile as it gets. I also recommend the ENGL Vintage 412 cab and the Z5 footswitch.

This particular head is a brand new 2004 model. Nothing different from the 2003 but what can i say. i like the shiny stuff. This is by far the most versatile tube amp every produced. You dont need a rack full of effects to make it scream. It takes care of itself. Channel by channel... I wont put all the deets in here as you cud just scroll up and read the technicals, but the clean is crystal and piercing. the mild crunch channel has unbelievable versatility. the low lead channel is confusing (b/c you wonder why it says low gain *simply amazing*) and last but not the least, channel 4. the high lead channel. Brutal and MASSIVE SOUND! The Powerball sounds way beyond 100 watts. There is no need to turn the volume up to any extremes. equipped with 4 6L6's (RED ONES MUAHAHAHA) This is all the light show you will need for the stage. Also a genius noise gate that you will appreciate more than the sound itself.

Our band plays progressive music. Dream Theater influenced. Alot of Melody and alot of need for versatility. The other guitarist in my band bought a Marshall Mode Four which i like alot. it also has 4 channels and as far as options, compares to the Engl. *keep in mind i love pure tube tone so i stuck with Engl* I use an Ibanez JS1000(fred pickups), Ernie Ball/MM John Petrucci 7 string(w/ piezio option-*which soundz unbelievably amazing on this amp*.), and 2 Schecter Omen 6's ...so basically i have very high output guitars. I put my gain at about 1-2 o clock. which is a little over half way up. which right there is MIND BOGGLING BRUTAL DISTORTION That is unheard of on any amplifier i have every played. *keep in mind i have played EVERY high gain amplifier that is available* i have also played this amp side by side with the Bogner Uberschall. Now of course i love the Uberschall. BUT!!! the uberschall does not have 4 channels. nor duz it have the noise gate, nor do i have the money to buy such a beast. The Powerball's clean channel stood out WAY MORE than the Bogner's. And unbelievably i loved the lead channels a bit more. One was not raunchier than the other. the Powerball just has more of a general GREAT TONE. and it has massive bottom end. oh yes and the four channels made my decision a bit easier. The reason i talk about comparing alot is that i had my heart set on an uberschall. i even had the money in my pocket to go buy one that day. Thankfully i listened to the Newly acquired Engl and made the better buy. This is perhaps the loudest head i have ever heard. The clean stays pristine even at the highest volumes. and u will NEVER EVER EVER EVER HEAR of the distortion bogging out. even with low tunings *baritones and 7 strings are your best friends when playing with this amp* I believe this amp could satisfy ANYONE with ANY style they played... I love brutal tones and ear piercing cleans. this amp does it all, and then some.

this thing is so thick *verbally and physically* The way this thing was built puts a sign of relief on my face thats for sure. i had a Hughes and Kettner Tube 100 that i barely dropped and it blew up so i am a little more careful with this one. although im sure it cud take SOME abuse *dont try at home* I have only had this for a month or so. No problems yet.

I think ENGL really respects their customers. They even put you on their website if u have a pic *haha im on there* this massive beast has a SIX YEAR WARRANTY! while our marshall 350MF has a 6 month warranty. hmmm?? lol id like to think Andrew and Jeff at showcase music for their help and support. i wud die if something were to happen to this thing. i wud CERTAINLY buy a new one.

Im only 15. I feel that i am experienced enuff to have a respected opinion though. i have more knowledge of guitar's and amplifiers than some of those who actually build them. i just want you to listen to this opinion. i have owned and played some amazing amplifiers. Some that come to mind are the Bogner Uberschall(sweet), Ecstacy(nice options), and Shiva(love to have it for small gigs), the Marshall Mode Four(nuff said), JCM 800 and 2000, Hughes and Kettner Tube 100(great head), and other H&K combos*bleh*, Genz Benz El Diablo(still forming opinion), Crate Blue Voodoo(dont tempt urself to buy crap) Peavey 5150II(um neh)...The Mesa Rectos i like to an extent but wouldnt buy one unless i bought the Road King *groovy lil amp right there* that and the C+'s.. THE ENGL POWERBALL is a better amp than all of these mentioned in some form or fashion. I cannot honestly say i want nething more out of this amp. i cannot ask for more gain...i cant ask for a better clean. WAIT!!! i can say that the Reverb on this is not to my liking. but then again i dont use any straight from the amp. id go effects anyway. For once in my career i dont want an effect to *hop up* my head. I am suprized that i didnt pay more forthis amp. You must get this. You will be satisfied and u will never want another head to replace it.

Very veratile, replacing my VHT Pitbull 50CL for that reason, I need a good clean sound and crunch, lead and bonkers lead with simplicity as I sing as well. The features have already been listed many times below. It is plenty loud enough but sounds really good at any volume, perfect for me as we play some small pubs as well as big shows. I use it with an intellifex in the loop, the only thing I wish it had was a button on the footswitch for the loop on/off. Thats why it gets a 9. As I am the lead singer and guitarist I can't tapdance too much.

I use a Musicman Luke (with the vintage trem), a 2003 Les Paul Standard 50's neck with Burstbuckers, and a fender Strat with Bareknuckle Trilogy suite pups. I have a dunlop rotovibe, crybaby and tubescreamer in front of the amp and the Intellifex in the loop.

Clean : Lovely full, fat clean sound with a really sweet ring to it, perfect with chorus for arpeggio ryth parts like parisienne walkways etc. With the "focused" mid switched you can really get that clean but sustaining BB King sound. Swith the contour off and you are bach to Nothing else matters etc.

Crunch : Great for classic rock AC-DC sounds woderfull, with the tube screamer you could use this for a classic rock gig all night as it cleans up great with guitar's volume control.

Lead Low Gain : Low gain ? this channel has loads of gain more than the red channel on the Pittbull. It has an incredible bite to the sound but is still fat and smooth, it sings not like the rectifier I had which sounded "scratchy" rather than singing smooth. With the "mid open" you get a great hard rock sound from metallica to Gary Moore depending on the mid setting, with the focussed mid you get from Gary Moore to Eric Johnson without a fuzzface it's really that fat but never looses definition.

Lead Hi Gain : Bonkers more of the above but nuts amount of gain, you cad get a great Steve Luckather type lead sound with the open mid setting with the mid at about half. I tend to use this channel the least as Lo Gain lead has more than enough and I like a lot of gain.

Looks very well made, as good as the VHT. Enough said.

No reason to deal with them, but I hear it is good.

I got it for the versatility and the amazingly big sound, I hate amps with too much treble. I am a fan of Gary Moore, Steve Luckather, AC-DC and The Darkness. I play this music in a band every weekend, the rest of the band thought I was nuts to sell my Pittbull, but it was just not verstile or loud enough clean as it was only the 50. When they heard this they were blown away, as was I. They are still not too well know but believe the hype they sound wonderful and you can tell ahuge amount of thought has gone into the design of the controls. Oh I nearly foregot the ultra bight red LEDs behind the power valves, looks really cool on stage and yes we guitarists are very shallow in that respect aren't we ?
the thing I find the most amazing is how ENGL can sell this amp at this price. The VHT was a great amp and better at some sounds than the ENGL, but for a "do it all with one amp" solution this is the best on the market in my opinion. Definitly the best value and the footswitch is a work of art.

This is a follow-up. I hadn't actually heard the Genz-Benz cabs before I wrote the review. (I bought them based on reviews on this site.) THEY ABSOLUTELY SUCK!! No mids or highs. So, I'm using the Powerball with a Peavey 5150 cab until I get get a Mesa or Diezel cab. The amp still rules!

Mine is a 2003 model with 6L6 power tubes.It's basically a 4-ch amp: clean/crunch/high gain/extreme gain via channel selection and boosting options. Has a built-in noise gate (why don't other manufacturers offer this?), power tube monitor LED's(again, more companies should offer this),and a fx loop with adjustable mix level. The tone controls offer a wide range of available sounds. The red glow (from LED's) looks killer! MIDI switching would be nice.

I'm using a custom 7-string GMW with EMG 707 pickups, two Genz-Benz G-Flex 2x12 cabs, and a TC Electronic G-Major. For my extreme metal(picture a mix of Morbid Angel and Cryptopsy!) it simply kills! More gain than anyone could ever use, and a very tight/in your face distortion. It totally bitch-slaps every Mesa/Marshall/Peavey I have ever owned. No Mesa mush here! The Bogner Uberschall is its closest competitor, but since the Powerball is $800-900 less, it's the better buy.

I rarely use the clean, but it is very full and doesn't seem to distort easily.

It's farily noisey at high gain levels, but the noise gate nicely handles it.

There is no "perfect" amp, so it gets a 9. (For comparison, I'd give my 5150II a 6 or 7...)

So far, so good. Seems very rugged.

Warranty is 6 years. Haven't had to deal with them yet.

I've played for 20 years and owned more gear than I care to admit!
It has more gain and definition than Rectifiers/Peavey 5150's/Marshall 2000 amps and simply sounds more aggressive. For the same price of Mesa Triple Rec or Marshall TSL 2000, you'll have a superior amp.
I'd definitely buy another if it were stolen--after catching the thief and burning him alive.

Like mentioned before its a four channel head without any of those shitty "built in effects" that seems to be so popular(?) these days.
Line 6 spider can suck it :)

Im using it together with my Gibson Sg special and my Ibanez rgt42, sounds great! It canbe quite noisy, like all amps, but the brilliant germans have included a noise gate, so where the problem?

The clean channel is real smoth, good for all kinds of stuff.
The crunch channel is the rock n roll channel, nothing that i use often but nice to have though.

The dist-channel is fucking unbeliavable! very powerfull and raw, but with a great clarity that cant be compared with no other amp. i tried the peavey xxl and the mode four, which are to very hyped models right now and they are lightyears from this baby!
I costs quite a bit, but if you want high quality gear then start saving. The best amp ever? for now is surelly is!

Ive just had it for a couple of days, so its hard to say, but that steel'grill really gives a sturdy impression. A friend of mine has had a fireball for two years and he has never had any problems with it, so i will just wait and see .

The people at engl seems to very nice, took me half a day to get answers from them when i mailed them.
I never got a reply from marshall.

This is the one. Buy it if you want great sound.

This is essentially a 4 channel head with all the channels and solo boost footswitchable from the Engl custom 6 button footswitch, which is essential for live work. The features are well covered below, all I can say is that it has everything you need. It is extremely flexible and there is not a sound or tone you cannot get, with a bit of tweaking. Reverb would have been nice though. I just love the look, especially the illuminated interior, even though it does remind me of my Uncle Bills electric fire with simulated flame effect. There is another feature not previously mentioned, you could make toast on it !!...just remove the top vent plate and drop your bread in.

Had an Engl Screamer before this which was superb. Normally get my Engl stuff from Spectrum Music but got this one in an as new condition off ebay ...sorry guys.

I use a Powerhouse Strat with a Duncan Hotrail in the bridge and a 2002 Les Paul Std both of which sound amazing through this amp. It is a truly amazing piece of kit, it can produce the whole range of sounds and tones from awesome brutal distortion to sparkling clean and everything in-between. It has an absolutely huge big, big, sound...it really kicks ass. I have had them all Marshall, Boogie, Fender, Laney, Cornford, but this monster kicks them all into touch. I use this with a Marshall 1936 2x12 with V30s and it sounds mega, cant imagine how it will sound with a 4x12...thats gotta be good.

Like I said I had a Screamer and gigged it solid for over a year without any problems.

I needed some Engl matched valves for my Screamer when one packed up once, and they depatched them airmail from Germany and I had them in 3 days, and not too expensive at #32 for two....good service. But I must also say that I emailed their service dept twice to ask if I needed rebias and didnt get a reply, not even a 'kiss my arse'.

If this were stolen I would replace it in an instance. Fantastic build quality.

If you are thinking of buying a Marshall TSL or DSL head ( and dont get me wrong I normally love Marshall ) or a Boogie head, please give this a listen first, I promise you you will be amazed. It gets even better when you have had it for a few weeks and you get know it more.

Price paid including the footswitch (10)
You know the facts!

I'm using an ESP with emg 81s and a Samick les paul copy.
This Amp is really versatile, you can get round brilliant clean ( as far as you can get clean sounds with the 81!), nice buttery or hard crunch and there are these two amazing distortion channels. With the mid- switsh you can get scooped or full mid sounds on the two distortion channels. The switch slightly influences the clean and crunch- channel also. It really sounds great!
...But it is noisy, fucking noisy, although there is anoise gate, you can get rid of these fucking bad fedbacks while you try to get your guitar quiet, you can only handle it with a volume knob. I know that the EMgs ain`t the quietest pickups, but even with the samick, which has changed pickups (PAF- style pickups) this amp can`t hold his freat when you want it to! Its a real problem! I love the sound but HATE its noise!!!! Of course the noise problem only appears on higher volumes, but compared with MANY other amps it noises too early!
Because of this the amp mustn`d get a 10 on sound evaluation!

My first gig with this amp will be in january, I hope that I can handle the noise , I think it`s reliable , I`ll play without backup!

This is a 2003 tube amp, 100W, 4 channels, 6l6GC power tubes, ECC83 preamp tubes.
This amp IS very versatile. It is a Metal monster, but can do more than that, trust me ! All the channels really shine.
It is easy to use, and each fonction is here for a certain reason. you can shape your tone easily. I can't see something missing on this amp, everything you need is here.
It's also switchable, and accepts 4, 8 and 16 ohms cabinets.

This amp sounds awesome, really. I can't think of a amp that sounds as good, with such versatiliy.

The clean channel is really great for a high gain amp. And when i say clean, it's clean, unlike some other high gain amps, like peavey 5150 for exemple.

The crunch channel is very good, you can dial a lot of tones if you use well the eq.

the lead channels are perfection to me. it's just a matter of taste, but you can't say the quality isn't here? it sounds like a "marshall on steroids", they have the marshall roar, but also some elements of mesa, and not the bad points.
pick the both of these two brands, and you have the powerball. you can dial metallica or slayer tones very easily. it plays great downtuned, and also is good for nu-metal types of music.
This amp IS brutal ...
It's a bit noisy, but there is a noise gate in the amp, so it's not a problem.

I put 10 here, because for me no critics can be made, it just depends if you like the voicing of the amp or not.

This amp is a tank. It's a german amp ... really well built, looks killer, and the construction is what i expected. as good as the sound of the amp.

I did send emails to engl, to ask about their amps, they did reply a few days later. they really are here if you need help.

This amp is one of the best high gain heads. i can't find something missing, or a weak point in the sound or the construction.

like i said before, the only thing that could stop you into buying this amp is if you don't like how it sounds, that's all.

2002 made, 100 Watt: 4 6L6GC power amp tubes. 4 channels: Clean, crunch, Lo gain and High gain. Seperate gain knobs for the two lead channels. Crunch and clean gain are combined. 4 Volume controls (!)

Sound shaping buttons: Bright and Bottom switches for channel 1/2, and open/focussed, presence and depth punch controls. Switchable volume controls (a/b). Electronic monitoring system for the tubes.

Footswitch inputs, Noise Gate, Effects loop with balance control.

The Lead EQ consists of 2 Mid controls: Open mids and Focussed mids.
Honestly, this Amp has everything it should have. And then some more. The seperate soundstyle selection buttons (open, focussed, depth punch) are things you will have a hard time finding on any amp. They totally change the style of the produced sound, making it one of the most versatile hardrock amps I've ever seen. But then again, The clean and crunch are of almost the highest quality I've ever heard, making it cover more ground than I'd need it to.

The interior behind the grill is beautifully red illuminated, creating a pretty mean look on the amp.

The sound is incredible. The first time you plug this in a 4x12" v30 Engl cab, you will really stop to listen just to a single chord being translated into a brutal assault of sonic quality by this amp's excellent lead channels. It sounds huge! The gain structure will immediatly remind you of Marshall and Mesa: It has the agressive bite of a marshall, and the low end depth and quality of a mesa... It really is the best of both worlds. Palm muted notes and chords are tight as can be, with massive low end chunk, while that brutal growl cuts over it. Excellent. The only minus is that you can only choose to have this agressiveness in the lead channels, they are very adjustable, but will never be anything easy and mellow. Pure power.

But then I checked out the Clean and Crunch channels. I'm trying not to sound biased, but the clean just is beautiful. Glassy smooth responsive cleans. It's better than Mesa's cleans, closer to a Fender.
Crunch is a very versatile channel, mess with the EQ and gain controls and there is a huge difference in sound styles you can create. And there is plenty of gain. It can go from just slightly breaking up all the way to an actual distortion. I remember a resemblance with marshall's jcm800 2203zw head's gain. Adding a reverb to the Powerball made this channel sing so much.

The amp's versatility in sound is excellent. If you don't like one trick pony's and do want quality, the powerball is for you. I find myself playing Pink Floyd through the crunch one momemt, and any style of heavy metal through the leads another moment. It sings, it roars, and thanks to the noise gate, it's quiet at command.

Engl builds very reliable amps, however I would never rate a tube amp 10 in reliability. The monitoring system is cool though, it will see when a tube is about to break up.

Not dealt with at all, other than asking some advice. They replied, although it took a while. On the other hand, I've seen an Engl used by a friend of mine break a tube, and Engl sent a new SET of tubes within a matter of days. Excellent warranty.

I've been playing for a long time. I kick myself for buying so much gear before trying this one. I would choose exactly the same amp if I ever lost this one. If you're on a budget, choose the Engl Screamer or Thunder, even those little 'cheap' amps produce so much sound! Engl is something else for sure. You recognize their sound in every last one of their amps... It's all that same quality distortion.

I compared it to Marshall JCM800, JCM800zw, JCM2000, the Mesa Dual and Triple Rectifiers, Peavey XXX, Peavey 5150, Several Mesa Boogie Poweramp/Preamp rack combinations (including the Triaxis preamp), Hughes & Kettner, Line 6, and last but not least, Soldano. As you can see I really look hard for a sound that fits me rather than just choosing what everybody chooses... I need to feel at home with an amp, and that tower of power with the Engl logo on it just kept pulling me away from the other amps.

I believe this amp was made in 2003. I like to play death metal to shred to things like Tool and Soulfly. But I also need good clean sounds and good crunch sounds since I grew up on AC/DC. It has four channels that are distinctive. I wish it had more to allow each channel to be tweaked, but that's just nitpicking. It can pretty much do whatever I need to do. The noise gate is a pretty cool feature as well.

I have an Ibanez RG and a US Jackson Soloist with EMG's. These guitars just sound mega BRUTAL through this amp. The gain channels can be somewhat noisy, but the noise gate can get it to super quiet when you stop playing, even with highest gain settings.

The distortion sound is simply the BEST and the most BRUTAL I've ever heard out of an amp. This amp just KILLS!!! It has such a mean edge to it without sounding fizzy and it punches with a mega force. There's a lot of variety when you adjust the EQ and switch in between the "Open" mode and the "Focus" mode. Really cool. The mids are thick yet clear and articulate. The bottom is big yet tight and very punchy. It is the most brutal distortion sound that I've ever heard and I've tried them all. The Powerball is just an awesome amplifier.

I've had it for about 4 months now and it's been very, very reliable. Haven't even had any tube problems yet. I have a Laney that I use once in a while but it won't be able to back up this monster.

Never had to deal with them but I'm sure they're easy to deal with.

I've been playing about 10 years and have tried a bunch of amps and guitars. If this got lost or stolen (Heaven Forbid!!!), I'll get another one right away. I love almost everything about this amp. It could do it all without a forest of knobs and switches. I compared this to the Bogner Uberschall and the Mesa Dual Rectifier. I was willing to spend a lot more if the Bogner or the Mesa had a better sound. But the Powerball just killed them all. It can do so much more and do all of them better. A LOT BETTER! I wish this amp could do MIDI like the Savage 120. Overall, this is the best amp I've ever owned. I'm sure that I'll own this for a long, long time to come.

This is a modern ultra high-gain amp aimed at a very specific segment of guitar players. This amp may not have certaub features of certain "do-it-all" multi-channel amps, but it can do a lot for high-gain players who do not really need every kind of sound and features out there. The features have been well outlined by other reviews, but being able to switch between the "open" and "focused" modes along with two master volumes make this a very flexible and versatile amp.

I mainly use humbuckers and my main guitar is a PRS Custom 24. I like ultra heavy sounds for modern metal as well as fat lead sounds for shred. The Powerball can cover both as well as any other amp out there. I, for one, am convinced that it does both better than anything else out there. The distortion is thick and raw. It's got a lot of punchy mids and the bottom is huge and tight. It's not an Uberschall or Rivera sub-woofer kind of huge, but really big and better balanced with the thick mids and the highs.

The thing about this amp is how focused and punchy it is. Amps with thick mids tend to sound muddy and get lost in the mix, but the Powerball punches through like no other amp I've ever heard. The palm-mute chunk is just awesome. Some other amps' palm-mute sounds break up and "dissipate", but the Powerball is extremely well-defined and retains the chunk even at high-speed riffing. In the "open" mode, which is the scooped kind of sound, the amp loses some volume but that can be compensated with the second master volume. It's a huge modern metal rhythm sound that never sounds boomy or fake like so many big bottom amps.

The killer thing about this amp is that not only does it get the modern doomsday metal rhythm sounds, but it can also get great fat shredding and singing lead sounds. And you can set up the amp to switch between chunky rhythm sounds and searing lead sounds instantly without graphic EQ's and other outboard junk. In the high-gain channels' "focus" mode, you can set it to get a screaming lead sound that is big, fat, smooth or searing with plenty of bite, cut, and defintion. It's just impossible to do this on amps like the DR or the Uberschall and neither has the punch and the definition of the Powerball.

Haven't had it long enough to really form an opinion but it looks as solid as a rock and seems very well-built. As someone else said, the thing is made in Germany. I don't worry about this amp failing on me. I would love to get another for a backup and to keep at the rehearsal studio.

I've emailed Engl and they've been very helpful. I think they'll do whatever it takes to make their customers happy.

I've had all kinds of amps and tried a bunch more in search of the ultimate high-gain amp and this one is THE BOMB, folks. It took a while to get around to it cuz I've been reading about this amp for so long. But it seemed I couldn't do no wrong buying it sight unseen and with a 48-hour trial period. I had tried the Uberschall, the VHT UL, the Rivera Knucklehead Reverb and the Knucklehead 2. I got to try out someone's Diezel VH4 but I don't need all those sounds and loops and didn't have that kind of money anyway. I wanted to try the Herbert but decided that, "What'd be the point? Can't afford it anyway." And I've read things from people who've tried both preferring the Powerball for the over-the-top high-gain sounds and felt that I couldn't go wrong at $1600. Well, I was right. The Powerball is just a mind-boggling value and sounds a lot better than a few $2500 amps that I've tried. Powerball is an awesome amp regardless of price. Don't let the price fool you. This amp simply slays the competition. It feels like I got a Mercedes or a Ferrari for the price of a Toyota.

Elegant setup which has been discussed before. Two channel design that has a shared EQ except that Channel 1 has separate treble controls for hi and lo gain (clean/crunch) and Channel 2 (lo lead/hi lead)has two mid voicings Open and Focused with separate controls for each. This allows you to set for example a scooped rhythym and a mid-spiked lead within channel 2. Other nice additions include a built in noisegate (excellent for staccato riffing), simple parallel effects loop and trip switches that allow the amp to continue at half power if a tube fails. Presence control to shape overall hi-frequency response, depth punch for low-frequency response, two master volumes (for solo boosts) as well as a bottom buttons for lo lead and hi lead when you really have to cause minor earthquakes. Last but not least, the interior is illuminated in a lovely blood-red glow, complimenting those lil' tubes of glowing goodness (purely aesthetic but is a good conversation stopper).

Using this amp primarily for Gothenberg-style metal (think Soilwork etc), using a Recto Standard 4x12 cab. With the noisegate on, this is probably the quietest valve amp around, no pops when you change channel, very little hiss at hi-gain settings. The amp is emminently tweakable, and very hard to get a bad sound out of it.

1) Clean can range from ultra-glassy to warm with a lot of headroom which surprised me for a hi-gain amp. Even a country player may find something useable in this setting (just don't expect Fender Bassman).

2) Crunch, old school Marshall territory if you're into AC/DC crank the master, dial in the crunch and let rip with your best Angus Young licks.

3) Lead 1, this where the PB starts to come into it's own. Perfect for fluid leads and more than enough gain on tap for palm-muted rhythym work or for old-school metal.

4) Lead 2, sickness. Ludicrous amounts of gain, with enough bottom end to cause tectonic plate movement. Not big, not clever but seriously grin-inducing.

OK now a word of warning, if you have read the magazine reviews and are expecting a "poor-man's Recto" keep saving the pennies or buy a XXX. I've owned a triple channel Recto and the two sound nothing like each other. The PB has a mid-atlantic sort of sound, with the huge bottom end you'd expect from a Recto or VHT Ultralead combined with a Marshall'esque roar.

From those I've spoken to, I shouldn't expect any problems. They're made in Germany......'nuff 'said.

Never had to deal with Engl themselves. Bought it online from Aire Guitars who delivered it next day (thumbs up).

I got rid of my Line 6 Flextone 2 after getting the opportunity to buy a Recto half-stack at trade. Let's just say I bought into the Mesa hype and was very underwhelmed (not to say the Recto was a bad amp I just couldn't get a sound I liked out of it). Needless to say the Recto now has a new owner. I would have to say that the PB represents the best bang for the buck hi-gain amp on the market IMHO.

2003 Powerball. 2 channel amp each with 2 modes. A loud 100w 6L6 driven power section. Noise gate and an awsome effects loop. Check the web site for full feeatures. Only thing I would like is seperate gain controls for each mode - clean, crunch, lo lead, hi lead but what the hell, this thing rocks!!!!

I use the amp at home and at two 5 hour band rehearsals per week. Im using an ESP Eclipse limited edition custom guitar through it with EMG 81/85 and the tone is devastating, simply awsome. Before the purchase I owned: mesa triaxis -> VHT 2/90/2, mesa single recto, mesa tremoverb and marshall dsl 50. I can honestly it is hands down a better amp in my opinion. By far the best clean sound ive ever heard, very glassy and just beatiful. The crunch channel has an awsome biting slightly over driven sound which cleans up very well with guitar volume rolled back, this channel needs to be cranked and heard in the mix of a band to be appreciated fully. Channel 3 is simply brutal, some awsome tones in this thing. The amp has more gain than anybody will ever need and it stays focused and never mushes out. Great lead tone too, aswell as the best metal rythm sound ive heard. Channel 4 sounds a bit like the powerball and is great too. For the money there is no better amp in my opinion. I was always a marshall guy and loved the way they felt to play, the powerball has that kind of feel but is twice as brutal. The most important thing to me is how it fits in the mix. I was never too happy with my mesas and they were kinda flabby, the powerball cuts great and the compliments roll in.

had it a couple months and not a problem so far. I can say the construction quality of this thing is top notch.

asked them a few questions and got a couple of replys. Seemed as if they avoided my questions asking about tubes and technical stuff, only answered simple stuff so I have to give a 7

What more can I say, this amp is definately up there with the best VHT, Diezel, Bogner. After searching endlessly I've finally found a keeper. The amp is flawless

4-channel tube amp.Lot of cool features("mid open" versus-"focused")deep switch,noise gate,...)See website ENGL for all feat.
No reverb(otherwhise,it would be a 10)

Well,the funny thing with musicians is that all Europeans are crazy about all them great American amps(Bogner,Soldano,Boogie,...,)that go for INCREDIBLE prices here,and that all Americans want to play an European amp(Diezel,ENGL,H&K,Framus,...),also very expensive overthere.I tried many of these amps,and must say, they all have superb qualities,and the differences in sound are very personal.So,is the Bogner a "better" amp then the ENGL,or is a Framus cobra "better" then a Soldano? In my opinion,all are great boutique-amps,but no-way an U.S.made amp sounds 1000 dollar better then an Euro-amp,and American musicians should be crazy to pay 1000 dollar more for a EUROPEAN-amp(IT IS ALL IN THE IMPORT-TAXES,protection,you know,...)
Believe me,the Powerball has an incredible soundpallet.Personally i like channel 3( low-gain)most because of its versatility(from Gary Moore to Petrucci),but all the other channels sound super too

Time will tell.Although,is very,very well constructed.

Fantastic!!I mailed the designer(Horst Langer)with questions about Powerball versus Savage,and for my style he recommended the Powerball(beeing 400 euro cheaper)Great choice!

Playing for 15 years,i have a lot of gear.This is one of the best heads i have heard(especially for the price)If i swam in money i maybe buy a Diezel,who was (for me)the only better sounding amp.

The powerball is a VERY well equipped amp.

It has two main channels and 4 footswitchable basic sound and thus advertising it as a 4 channel amp.

it has switches for bright and bottom boost on the clean and chruch channel.

and seperate switches for bottom on the Lo Lead and Hi Lead channel which provide massive bottom end.

Also it has got poweramp tube monitoring per tube (4 leds) on the front side of the amp.

On the Hi and Lo Lead channel it has got a switching possibilty for focussed and open, also these modes have seperate assiged mid EQ knobs, so when you switch to open you can adjust the mid EQ with the "mid open" knob, and when switched to "focussed" you can adjust the mid EQ with the "mid focused" knob.

The amp has a great built in noise gate on the back side of the amphead, this is a kich ass feature and makes this amp the most silent I have ever played!

Also the presence and depth punch knobe to adjust the treble and bass response of the poweramp tubes is great and really involved.

A nice visual feature are the red leds behind the poweramp tubes wich makes the amp's interior illuminated with a blood red shine.

Clean:

Best I have ever heard on a nigh gain head, lots of headroom and a very warm sound, should be geat for jazz or counrty.

I don't use it a lot but it is indeed impressive.

Crunch:

You can easily get a nice rochsound out of it, where a lot of high gain head suffer from not having these in between overdive sounds, this one definately has these too!

You can get a nice Marshall crunch sound: AC/DC, led zeppelin, and blues are no problem!

Lo Lead:

This channel is already very high gain and best suited for rhythm guiatr I think, I use this one most.

very tight and defined distortion, one of the best I heard togheter with the mesa dual recto(although this amp is far too expensive for what you get!! because it certainly isn't better than the peavey or teh ENGL) and the peavey Triple XXX.

Hi Lead:

Logically this channel togheter with the focused sound palette is best suited for soaring leads!

Sounds killer!

Built from the highest quality materials, steel frontgrille, chrome frontplate with all the controls, look killer too!

Selected and matched tubes come stock, and sound good, poweramp 6L6GC X 4 and Preamp ECC 83 X 4!

Buit to last definately better than many other amps, and comparable with the most high end boutique amps!

never had o deal with them!

Best amp I have played, a close call with the peavey Triple XXX though, but this amp has some features like the noise gate which make this amp have the advantage above the triple XXX.

This amp has 4 Channels of pure pleasure : a clean, a crunch, a lo-lead and a hi-lead channel. It outputs it's 100 watts out of the 6L6-tubes like a monster.

The 4 channels are split-up in two basic channels (clean & crunch ; lo-lead & hi-lead). Every mode has it's own sound settings (although bass and mid are shared).

Some extra features include : depth punch, a great presence knob, bottom-buttons (adds some real cool feeling); and so much more.

The backside includes a lot of different outputs for speakers, a noise gate button (!!!!), and some FX-loop inputs and footswitch-stuff.

I'm using this guitar with my 7-string Ibanez. It fits just great. I love the low B's through this amp. I've been playing for years with a Digitech RP-series effects unit and a Marshall 9200, but ever since I use this ENGL, I'm very satisfied.

This sound has never been produced before. I just love the tone. And anyone who comes listening over here says the same : this amp rocks.

The distortion blows away all distortions I've ever heard... I can't put it higher than half or it just cranks my Marshall cabinet. Haha. No, it has a lot of distortion (and the distortion remains clean and clear!!).

This amp feels like a tank. It sounds like a stealth bomber. It weighs like a AEGIS missile cruiser and it looks like a killer B-1 Bomber.

No idea! :-)

I've been playing for 10 years right now. I used a Laney Linebacker when I started, switched to my Marshall 9200, and now the ENGL is the only thing I use.

If it were stolen, I'd probably rather die.

I compared the amp with a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (which costs more) and a Marshall and a Diezel. My choice was made very easily : this ENGL is much better than all the rest.

I only wish it had some better options for the footswitch! If I connect my one-knob switch, it can't go into clean mode, so I need to buy a two-knob switch. But that's just a teardrop in an ocean comparing the price of this amp and the price of the switch. :-)

One of the most versatile amps around! no faffing around with effects, just ultra guitar tone - This amp has 4 channels (each with its own configuration), clean, distorted clean, light crunch, full bore in your face channel!. You can go from mansons sweet dreams to sabbaths iron man, to pantera - to slayer - to cannibal corpse - amazing!! - this thing is LOUD! louder than you`d ever need it lets put it that way.

- would be a ten but no reverb, but most good amps don`t need reverb, also, don`t effects to play around with, but you kno..who cares!

I`m using this engl powerball through a Bc rich warlock with emg 81 pickups. what can i say, their a perfect match - screw you king, dimebag - my tone is the best in the world haha. Yea i play some heavy shit, i shred - i play thrash, i play your bog standard rock n roll, everything! this amp suits me just fine, i want to get a gibson sg for it, see how that sounds, i bet its awsome. The tone on this amp is truly amazing, with its own noise gate it gives u so much flexibilty in your playing.

its awsome, you have to giv it time to warm up to get 100% pour metal (or is that just me) anyways, its fine, no probs.

perfect - if the tubes r damaged or not performing to 100% the amp will prompt you with an amp. no problems - if anything did fvck up, i`d just bring it back, no probs there.

I`ve been playing for 8 years and have not came across a better amp, this truly is amazing, i`ve used marshall and laney, and quite frankly marshall and mesa and laney can get off their high horses, engl have come in, and they have produced an awsome amp. If you want a pour sick metal tone or any tone at that, buy this amp - you will nto regret it. And if anyone stole my amp? i`d break their knees and still ask for more. Bleed engl!!

This one is the most versatile amp, I've ever played with.
What I like best, is the 2 (via footswitch) switchable master-volume knobs.
The only "not-so-good" thing is, that it has no switchable effectloop. You have to turn it on and off at the backside of the amp.
For everything else ... www.engl-amps.com

This beast really kicks asses!
Let's start with the clean sounds.
Have you ever tried a Marshall? Yes? Now add bass, wormth (is that an english word? I'm from Austria, you know!) and you could get an idea of how this clean channel sounds. Really great.

The crunch channel is perfect for blues and so on. Nothing to say about that (I'm from the hardrock-fraction)

Lead channel has more gain than any marshall amp on this planet.
Very cool.
The knob "depth punch" adds so much pressure, unbelievable. All in all, it's THE Sound i was looking for. For all rectifier-lovers or people who buy a Powerball to use it as a cheaper rectifier, DON'T buy it. It's not a recto and ENGL didn't want to rebuild a MESA-Top.
It has it's own sound. Well, it's rectifier-like, but it has it's own character.

Well, my english is not as good as it should be to describe the Heavy-Lead Channel.
Brilliant! From simple Rock over Heavy-Metal to Death- and Blackmetal.
It can give you everything. Turn on the knobs, it will really change the sound (don't expect that from a Marshall ;-) )
Find your own sound!
MINE HAS BALLS!

Don't know. Baught it a month ago. No problems yet.
But I know two other people well who have ENGL amps too, and they have never had problems with them. So I give it a 9, because I have no experiences with it.

Don't know either.
Didn't need it yet.

I own a Gibson Les Paul Studio and it really sounds great through my Engl amp and the Engl Vintage Box (4x12'').
I'd suggest to buy this one, cause it was built to sound fat (as the Powerball was too).
The vintage is more expensive than the normal box, but shit on that!

ok as far as features go this has a shed load. theres to many to mention just check out the spec at www.engl-amps.com

this thing is a bomb !! if you play metal and have found that you like the boogie sound but want the tight definition and huge bottom end of a VHT this amp kills both ! especially being a third of the price ! the only bad point i would make is that it could be the best amp in the world if it was 200 watts instead of 100 watts because i have to run it at practily full volume which kills a lot of the great definition this amp can provide we want head room !! and a stereo fx loop would of been an advantage too. but i will say this... this ha just fuckin with ya, seriously, if you want the ultamite in metal crunch with an bottom end that can wake the dead this is the puppy ! especially for recording !!! the only thing that comes close is a hafler !! if this thing was 200 watts and had a mid shelving eq it would definatly get a 10

iv only had it for a couple of gigs but so far its been solid

if this amp ever got stolen they would find out exactly why my nick name is the wall !!! all i can say is WOW !!! come on engl make me a 200 watt version or find me a quite drummer !! oh also forgot to mention get the engl cab with it because its great and very loud compared to mesa,marshall, peavey etc