Engl Raider 100 E-344 1x12

This is a brand new 2008 ENGL Raider. I ordered this through the Mad Ape in Seattle in August. It came in the first batch to arrive in North America. I was told it was one of the only hand made models and the rest were to be factory produced.

This is a professional amp for the demanding guitar player. It features two channels - clean and lead - with two modes each. This gives a total of four modes. If you set your EQ's right, you can get a unique sound out of each mode. In addition, there is a bright switch for the clean channel that kicks in some extra treble around 8 Khz and a mid-boost for the lead channel that kicks in mids around 1 Khz for solos or lead lines that need to really punch through the mix.

ENGL has also added a noise gate for the lead channel, which is well worth it especially if you are playing more modern styles with sharp staccato that need to emphasize the rest in between pulses. The crowning glory of this amp, in my opinion, is the fact that it has two channel volumes AND two master volumes so if you're too quiet you can actually make every single channel louder. It's like a volume boost pedal built right in.

I decided that it was probably worth it to invest in one of ENGL's footswitches so I payed an extra $200 to get a Z9 with it. This was well worth it. Without the Z9, the tonal possibilities of the Raider would be severely limited. The layout of the Z9 allows you to select each of the four channels with a single click of a separate button. If you double click a button, you get the second master volume (the boost). There is also a button off to the side that engages the mid boost/brightness.

Though I have not used effects with it yet, there is a MIDI out on the Z9 that allows you to use the first 10 channels on an external MIDI device like an effects processor.

Within five minutes of receiving the amp, I had the whole thing figured out. I had owned an ENGL before and they all follow a similar layout. Even so, this one is extremely intuitively layed out and aesthetically organized.

Though I don't use all the features - effects loop, external speaker, I have to give this amp a 10 for the way it goes above and beyond all other amps in what it can excel at.

Well, this is why I bought it. I had owned an ENGL 530 preamp in the past and recognized the quality of ENGL products.

I will keep this discussion brief and somewhat organized.....

I use a Warrior Black Knight with active seymour duncan blade pickups. It is absolutely necessary to use a quality instrument in front of this amp because the rawness of the ENGL's tone is shaped only by your fingers and your guitar. I plug straight into the ENGL and control it with the Z9 footswitch, as mentioned above.

This amp does exactly what I need it to do. I play progressive rock/metal with a neo-classical influence and use many different types of dynamics and timbres. All four modes and boosts are used frequently when I play.

Here's a run down of the Modes:

Channel 1/Lo Gain: Sparkling clean when the bright is engaged, otherwise it sounds saturated, round and vibrant. This clean melts my judgments everytime I listen to the clarity of each note and the way that it stays clean even when the amp is shaking the jam space. Rolling back the volume and splitting the coils gives me a great acoustic tone and rolling the volume to full gives me a distinct, punchy clean lead tone.

Channel 1/Hi Gain: With active pickups this channel is more saturated and gainy than the AC/DC tone people normally attribute this mode to be in other ENGL amps. It sounds more like Iron Maiden off of their earlier records. When I roll back the volume and change the pickups I can get a great fingerpicking/chord strumming tone that is somewhat clean with a dash of mean grit in there. I like to use this mode when I am building to the transition between soft and heavy parts.

Channel 2/Lo Gain: This is a pretty brutal amp. I won't kid anyone there. I set the gain to about 3 on this mode and it nails a great metal rhythm tone. The tone is really raw and has a lot of response to palm muting and pick dynamics. It sounds bright, tight and slightly skinny. I definately have a use for this mode but it also the one I use the least.

Channel 2/Hi gain: Talk about a defining sound in rock/metal music. This mode beats the hell out of my Triaxis. It is loose, raw, saturated, gainy beyond imagination and smooth like butter. I can use it for heavy rhythms or soaring solos that cut right through the mix. With the noise gate engaged it has a very modern sound and is very quiet when you want it to be. It effortlessly sounds like Victor Smolski's live tone, which is a very very good thing.

I should also add.... This is a very powerful amp and I've never turned it past 6 even with drums, keyboards, other guitarists and a PA system in a jam space. At the same time, I tested it out at home in my bedroom and when I turned the gain up to 8 or 9 it gave me a great low volume practice tone.

I have to give this amp a nine because it sounds very professional and kicks the crap out of most other amps. It's not a ten because it's not a legendary tone, simply an excellent tone.

This is beautiful amp that is well-made and durable. It is put together properly and the knobs are strong, functional and nice to look at.

I have only had this amp for 3 weeks and have only noticed one small thing that could have been my imagination. The first time I cranked the volume the clean channel seemed a tad quiet, I couldn't get the volume to match the lead channel. Every time I've turned it on since it's been great and both channels have been at their required volumes.

Perhaps it was my imagination or perhaps it was something that amp had to work through on its own. Whatever it was, it's working fine now.

I emailed ENGL once with a question about a suitable foot pedal to use with the Raider. Never heard from them and I don't expect to. They are a small company that has grown very quickly. I imagine that they are super busy and can't be bothered to answer simple questions.

Maybe that doesn't make us happy but that's the way it is. I have no opinion either way.

I have been playing guitar for 12 years. I also teach guitar lessons and approach playing with a sense of professionalism. My styles range from metal to classical rock, funk, jazz, classical, and blues.

Other amps that I've owned include a 1983 JCM-800, Peavey 5150 II, ENGL 530 used with a VHT 2/50/2 power amp, and a Mesa Triaxis paired with a Mesa 50/50. I have sold all of these except for the Triaxis.... It is too versatile and is incomparable with the Raider as the two are in separate dimensions of tone.

I love the way that the Raider gets such a great tone without adding anything. Normally I play with a G-major and use subtle amounts of delay, chorus, reverb, phaser to alter my guitar tone to sound more full. That's absolutely not necessary here. Maybe in the future I'll use effects to get some wild tones but right now I'm happy with the way that the ENGL sounds and cuts through in a mix without drowning anyone else out.

I was going out on a limb when I bought it as there was nothing published about it at the time. It hadn't even been released. I was just drawn to it and now I know why!

If it were lost or stolen, I'm fussy. I'd probably grumble and use my triaxis until I could afford to get the 580 MIDI rack preamp. That is the holy grail of ENGL gear. But for a combo amp, there isn't anything else in the price range that really compares. Smokes the hell out of the rectifiers and H&K. It makes the Peavey 6505 sound like a Rage 108.

Please people, remember that this review is based upon my experience, my ears and my guitar tone. I am doing this to share a few words about the Raider but in the end, it's probably a wise idea to try it out.