Engl Ritchie Blackmore Signature

Although the Engl RB dosen't have as many features as alot of amps out there i still found it to be very versatile in its function and for what i need it for . Strangely enough i must be one of the few that actually use's this amp for playing Ritchie Blackmore's style and songs.
It has four channels in all which to me offer great versatility , it also has a contour button to bring in diffrent mid frequencys if need be ,plus it has a bright boost button for the clean channels to .
Power wise it can hold its own quite nicely , i use this into a palmer unit instead of a actual cabinet so knowing how the power of the amp acts in a open room with a cabinet i don't know but i have no problem cranking it through my gear .

Initially when i got this amp i knew i wanted it for the sheer purpose of playing Ritchie's music with it , any diffrent tones i could get from this amp would be a bonus hehe .
First of Blackmore wise i have to say this amp sounds really superb , the tones are there for his Blackmore's Night sound without a doubt and it seems the amp really loves his early Rainbow / Deep Purple sound aswell . To anyone reading this who wants Ritchie's sound , well this amp is a superb template to build from , but as all of us Blackmore fans know that Ritchie has alot of tricks in his amp/guitar setups so when i say this has a cracking sound i don't mean you will turn it on and you will sound like Blackmore , it takes abit of tweaking and i also use my own Preamp boost pedal and self built MTC unit to help towards the Blackmore sound , but its definetly a step in the right direction .
Tone wise this amp will definetly give you that early Deep Purple tone (think In Rock ) and probably very early Rainbow tone(Dio era).
For other stuff i use a Ibanez with humbuckers and it also sounds lovely through this amp to , thats the thing that is really special about the Engl RB is that it carrys its own sound and characteristics throughout , so if your looking for a amp thats gonna sound diffrent then i definetly think this is a good amp to take a look at .
Is it better then Mesa, Marshall , Peavey , Orange , Hughes & Ketner etc? who knows? simple fact is tones and sound are very subjective and we all listen for diffrent things , but i think if you like that Blackmore'ish sound then you will definetly like this amp , if you don't then perhaps you should check out one of the other amps above .
I must admit though i can find a use for every channel on this amp so far , the first clean channel is really beautiful , reminds me of Joe Satriani's Tear's In The Rain kinda sound , it especially comes to life with abit of verb or delay to , the second clean isn't that far in terms from the first but can be cranked slightly more for perhaps a slightly dirty punk sound . Then the crunch channel kinda borderlines the second clean channel which when pushed can sound alot like The Who's Won't Get Fooled ,although if you back it of it can keep a nice sparkly clean sound to .
Finally the lead channel is also a very versatile aswell , on low gain it can keep the same qualitys as the crunch channel cranked but when you crank the lead it can really hit a sweet sound which you can comfortably use for lead work no problem .
All these sounds except for the Blackmore tones are used without a distortion or overdrive pedal to , cos i think when you want info on a amp you want a idea of how it sounds naturally , im yet to try a distortion pedal on this amp but i will probably be trying a Vox Saturator with it in the coming months ,i imagine it will probably sing a sweet tune on the clean or crunch channel with a pedal .

Nothing has broken or gone wrong with it yet , fingers crossed that it won't either but this is quite a solid amp , so i imagine if you treat it with tender loving care , it will last for along time .

Same as above .

Ive been playing getting on 15yrs now and i think if the Engl RB was stolen or lost , i would breakdown and cry lol, i do love this amp and i would definetly replace it if anything did happen to it .
At the time of near purchasing this amp it was between the Engl RB and the Peavey JSX , i love both amps and was really torn between which to get but thanks to the pound diving against the euro , the JSX increased a fair amount in price so i went with Engl in the end , however i would still love to have a JSX down the line to join the Engl .

this amp is a example of a versatility...four chanels....chanel 1 clean,chanel 2 crunchi( softly ),chanel 3 lead ( like jcm800 ) chanel 4 high gain...

i use this amp for hard rock and metal

4 5881/6L6 tubes
4 ecc83/12ax7 tubes

i use this amp with ibanez, yamaha and peavey guitarsthe cabinet is a framus 2x12 v30 cabinet the sound whit diferent pickups (seymour duncan and dimarzio) is excelent, but in mi opinion is so...acute in the lead chanels,but you can adjust whit pot ''presence'' the clean chanel is clean at 6 them...brokes a very low saturation, in the chanel 3 the sound is similar to jcm800 but whit more punch and drive, in the chanel 4 the sound is hi-fi distortion...whit more drive that chanel 3, the amp have a contour and bright botoms., really is very very versatile....for rock blues hardd rock metal and trash...

really i havent a problem whit him.

it is a very good machine...for this price is perfect...

I bought this amp brand new in 2008. I play metal mostly, but wanted to have nice clean and crunch as an option and Blackmore delivered there as well. It has a shared EQ for its two channels with two modes each. Clean/Crunch has only one pot, whereas Gain channel has Lead and Volume pots.

There are additional Bright (active only on Clean and Crunch) and Contour switches. Too bad Z-5 footswitch doesn't come included with the amp, it has to be purchased separately and is somewhat pricy. It enables to choose any of the 4 work modes directly as well as switching Contour on/off and choosing between two Master Volume settings (handy for solos). Has an FX loop as well...

For its price I'd say this amp is a one damn fine offering, lots of quality sound and versatility for the dough. At its 100W it can be earsplittingly loud, as expected... I give it an 8 for the lack of separate EQ only, otherwise it's great.

I own a '98 Kramer Barreta equipped with SD JB and '59 and a Gibson Flying V which has very hot 500T and 496R ceramics. With both axes it sounds outstanding, warm and articulate, with nice dynamics and punch. It suits my bands like a glove and I figure it would do nicely many other styles...

For example if you turn up the Clean high pot it begins to add a subtle bluesy drive to it, but if you then turn the Master pot way up it begins roaring, acting very much like old Marshalls, which got more and more distortion when turned up... But at the common levels it stays in the subtle drive range. It's not a Fender clean type which stays clean at all levels, but I'm very satisfied with the way it acts...

It has lots of gain on tap, especially at Hi-Gain channel, even too much I'd say... But nobody keeps you from turning the Lead pot down :)
The distorted sound is very warm and round, it's not as aggressive as say Peavey 5150/6505, but it can really get growly and brutal.

Since I own it less than a year I couldn't comment on this. But the word is that Engls are pretty reliable and my Blackmore does look built like a tank.

I've had some inquiries with Engl service department regarding the tubes in my amp and whatnot and they always responded in a timely and polite manner, so thumbs up there! Standard warranty is 12 months, but luckily I didn't have the need to claim it...

I've been playing for almost 20 years. I've owned Marshall JCM2000 DSL before this head and Blackmore puts it to shame in every aspect possible. I'd most probably get myself another Blackmore if this one was stolen, cause it suits my needs and is pretty affordable.
I only wish there was an option for a gain boost along with Master Volume switching and that the Z-5 footswitch came with it...

I was comparing it to Peavey JSX which I also considered buying and Engl had a nicer sound in general, so since I don't care for a separate EQ (I mainly use a distorted sound) I went with Engl and haven't regretted it one tiny bit.

Made in Germany. Has one eq and seperate gain controls for the light and heavy gain sections. Two master volumes, effects loop, Lead Presence. More than one eq would be nice but it doesn't matter with this amp since setting up the eq correctly is excellent for all four channels. I'm not sure if adding another eq would matter since this thing is like my Marshall, turn it on and it sounds good.

I mainly use a gibson sg special(stock), Esp\Ltd Viper 301 with SD-Full Shred in the bridge straight and using Mesa Boogie Standard cab w\v30s. I can't tell you how much I brooded over attaining this amp after first playing it November 2007 at GC in Memphis. Keep in mind I played this right after playing a Soldano Slo-100, IMO This is the best amp currently being made. Distortion-wise the Soldano is supreme, but hit a chord with this amp and it is up there. This is an amp for players who want clarity and who play very clean. Don't believe what they say about this amp being for rock. I play Melodic Death/Black Metal or whatever you call it and this thing is perfect for aggressive riffs, articulation, chugging leads etc. This is not a real bassy amp but it is the loudest ******** thing ever! I own an original Jcm 800 also and it is great and thick sounding but both its volume and clarity pale in comparison to this thing. Let me get to the point. I need a good clean as well as heavy rhythym as well as beautiful and cutting leads. 1. this amps clean channel IS comparible to fenders. 2. Crunch channel is soaring. 3. lo-gain lead is amazing for solos and clear, crisp single note runs. 4. this channel has a little bit sucked mids for tight rhythyms but still more than enough mids to cut through.

I love this thing too much to let anything happen to it. We have a gig next month so we'll see. I've heard about the crappy construction but I take care of my equipment so screw it.

N/a

I've been playing about 9 years, everything from rock to death metal. If someone stole this particular amp I'd be upset but inevitably, I'd buy another without hesitation. I've owned a Peavey JSX, Peavey 5150, Jcm-800. I love this amp to pieces, the Jcm-800 has the big bold, old-school Marshall sound and the Engl lives up to its hype by being the greatest modern amp possible. I've always wanted a good amp with versatility and different eqs but I don't think that exists. This amp is not for the feint of heart or anyone who needs a little pull from their distortion (nothing wrong with that). This is coupled with my Marshall is the tone I've and versatility I've been looking for far too long. Now it's time to practice and write.

All the features have already been discussed so I won't bore you. However, I will say that the Blackmore certainly reflects the ideology "less is more".

I'm using this amp with a Maton J.45 Jazzbox with P90s and an Ibanez RG with Dimarzio Breeds. I bought the amp with the Engl 4x12 Standard Cab. I play a broad range of styles from ambient, electronica, jazz & blues to black and technical metal. I am able to cover all of these styles with the Blackmore with only minor adjustments to the EQ and gain.

As mentioned in previous reviews, the clean channel really is something to behold. I've never heard a Fender Blackface, I've never played a Bassman and I don't really care about twins - the Engl constantly suprises me with how beautifully the clean channel responds to my playing. When playing clean through the High-gain channel, some truly amazing blues tones can be reached. By cranking the Input gain, a very thick and smooth lead tone oozes out of the cab & is particularly suited to the neck pickup of my jazzbox.

I have found the lead channels on this amp require a bit more tweaking but reward very well with equally amazing tones. The Lo-gain Lead sound is great for rhythm and can be tweaked to produce some sickly sweet rock tones. I use this channel exclusively for jamming along to ACDC & Hendrix. This channel delivers a very "neutral" rock sound that blends into the mix very well in a band situation but can be accentuated using the "contour" switch for leads.

Then, there is the high-gain channel - a very hard sound to define. This channel has all the oozing warmth of the other channels, smothered in another layer of.....Engl. Here's a bunch of adjectives that relate to the lead sound: huge, saturated, raw, thick, articulate, singing, sustain, smooth, harmonic, clear, blunt, brutal, German, Necrophagist, filth, industrial, etc.

This channel was definately the selling point for me - very suitable for black/death/tech metal, but equally at home in rock territory. The fireball/powerball offered equally pleasing (though slightly different) clean tones, but their lead tones were too "metal" and one-dimensional for me. The Blackmore simply offered a unique lead texture that is not only applicable to metal.

Finally, despite previous reviews stating otherwise, this amp handles pedals very well. I use a plethora of sound-manipulators both in front of the amp and in the effects loop & they all sound great. Stereo effects are particularly astounding, so are lower octave pedals - the bass response of the standard cab is amazing to the point of ridiculousness.

In all seriousness, I anticipate this amplifier to outlast me. I treat the thing with respect & would not think twice about gigging without a backup. With the head and cab weighing in at over 80kg, it was obviously built with one thing in mind: German.

I have been playing for 15 years, the majority of my life. This is my first substantial musical investment and I can't see myself requiring anything more in the near future. I love the tone of this amp, I love the simplicity, I love the look and I love the name. I love that the amp sounds fairly convincing at low volumes - it is definately possible to use the Blackmore as a practice amp.

If I was able to change anything, I would ask for a little more mid-range control in the lead channels. The frequencies that the mid EQ alters are quite odd and don't drastically change the sound when using my RG. The EQ change is noticeable on a brighter-sounding guitar, but I don't have one of those. I would also ask for the Z5 footswitch to be included with the head. Having forked out $4000 for the head & cab I was only able to afford the Z4 which doesn't make full use of the amps features.

I would recommend the Blackmore to anyone within earshot.

All tube amp.
Warning: extremely loud!
-4 channels: Clean, Crunch, Soft-Lead, Heavy-Lead.
-One EQ + a contour switch for all the channels + a bright switch for the clean one and a lead presence control.
-2 master volumes.
-Parallel to series FX loop.
I use to play in a Alternative-Rock band and this amp is just perfect for that style of music.
That amp is one of the most "handy" I',ve ever played. You don't have to deal with much controls, and once you find your tone for one channel the other ones are right ok. Dealing with the presence control gives you the ability to change from sweet blues tones to heavy metal lead tones.

I use to use a Gibson Les Paul Studio and a Gibson Les Paul Studio Special Edition, both with stock pickups.My spare guitar is an Ibanez JS400(discontinued)wich often I use for the clean tones.
I got also the ENGL 4x12 pro cabinet with V30 speakers, probably the best when coupled with this amp.
When on the heavy-lead channel you got noise but it's not that problem.
The stock tubes sounded harsh and they lacked in sound stage, I had to change them to suite my playing style.
I use to use the Mullard 12AX7 pre tubes, an Harma 12AX7 STR Cryo inverter valve and the Harma 6L6GC STR Cryo Power tubes.The latter are very expensive but it's worth it, the amp gained in warmth and detail.
With this amp your sound is never muddy or overcompressed, even with the gain control all the way up!!!
If you wanna listen to the Blackmore in action please visit www.plainonline.com, this is the band I play in. All the guitar parts were recorded with this beautiful amp.
I give 9 because of the stock tubes.

This amp is built to last!
I got my own 1 year ago and had no problems.The other guitarist of the band I play in got his own 5 years ago and had no problems.

One year warranty.
Never had the need to contact Engl.

The best amp I ever played.
It has some of the character of those old Plexi amps but with greater gain and definition, impressive details and harmonic content.
Solid rock sound and ease of use.
The best amp you can get for the money!

Great amp! I think it's a good amp to make all different kinds of rock. From soft-rock to metal. It's a very no-nonsense amp, which means there no effects in this amp like delay or reverb. You have 4 different channels, clean/low - clean/high - lead/low - lead/high
I only use channel 4 (leadhigh), because it's the best for metal.

The clean is very good! you have this bright button on the amp which makes it sound very 'fenderclean'.

Well you have to know that this is a midgain amplifier.
Distortion is good, but it's a very tight almost bluntly sound.
first i used a tubescreamer to get more gain, but now i think the sound is just effected by your guitar (pickups) and the way you play. (offcourse your ampsettings are also very important)
People who say that the distortion of the blackmore sucks, can't play guitar. Because you hear every mistake you make, you can't hide behind your gain.

Well you can trust this amp.

I haven't changed the tubes yet, while i have it.. hm 3 years.

Hm no idea, and that's a good thing

I play on it with a jackson(dinky series)guitar which is blessed with a EMG81. Play most of the time metal on it (because of my band). You can check the songs on www.myspace.com/docilemetal all guitars recorded with my Blackmore.

Conclusion, the Blackmore is a good amp, looks cool, sounds great,
you just gotta get to know the amplifier to use it and get the best sound of it. if you want some settings i can mail you them.

I buyt it second hand in combination with a ENGL standard cabinet, paid hm i think 1200 euro's for it.

Mine is an '06 model with the LED's inside. 100W 4 channels total; clean, crunch, soft/low gain lead and heavy high gain lead. Bright switch for clean channel and contour switch for lead channels function as mid/treble boosts. A shared EQ for all 4 channels which is a bummer 'cause this amp can produce so many different tones. This amp would be so much more incredible if it had a seperate EQ section for the lower gain channels much like the Powerball, Invader and Savage.

You'll often hear either from other owners of this amp, people who have played it or from some of these previous reviews that this amp is only aggressive enough for '80's thrash metal or something alnog those lines. Well I'm writting this review solely to let inquiring minds know that this amp has a crushing, crisp, clear and articulate tone. Uniquely voiced yet beautiful. It wont give you "balls to the wall" gain but it certainly is no chump either. It is capable modern heavy metal gain textures with ease and everything else below it. You'll get consistently tight, focused bottom end with nice and thick sounding chugging rhythm patterns. The mids and highs add great character to your tone, especially in lead channels. The crunch and low lead channels are amazing! You can get anything from great break up like SRV, mild or modded Plexi-like crunch, all the way up to a hot rodded Marshall tone. The clean channel gets warm, round, sparkly, smooth and fluid much like a Fender Bassman or twin. I've based the review using a Schecter Tempest Custom with an EMG 81 at the bridge and a Seymour Duncan JB at the neck. I also used an Epiphone G-400 SG with a set of Dimarzio Super Distortions and a Mexi made Fender Strat with Texas Specials. The cabs I used were a Mesa Recto 4x12 loaded with V30's and a Basson 4x12 loaded with Eminence Red, White & Blues.

The amp is very solid feeling. Top quality all around except the tolex does feel a little cheap like it could easily tear or something for some strange reason. Especially 'cause the rest of the amp is built with sturdy and top notch parts. Although it's never a smart idea to NOT bring a backup amp to a gig, I would have total confidence in blasting this baby no problem without any worries of a breakdown.

It's been an absolute thrill to be an owner of this amp. I was pretty skeptical at first of it's high gain capabilities until I heard it played in a guitar store and listened to some sound clips of it on the net. I've played tons of amps in my time and I can say that this amp is one of my top 3 favorites of all time. This amp kills for any type of style of music you're going after. It can do it all. Plus it is one of the best looking amps on the market. Other than an Engl SE (EL34 or 6L6), this amp is the best sounding of the Engl line IMO.

listed.

One of the best sounds I've ever heard on the clean channel as well as on all of the other channels. Great distorion for both rhythem and leads.

Built like a tank.

never dealt with them.

Best amp I have ever owned! I have had A Marshall JCM 800 and a Mesa Dual rectifier this blows them both out of the water the only amps I have heard with better tones are other ENGLs.

about 1998 model, i had to have this amp, im the first person in u s a to have it, it arrived thru a few long distance calls to germany an hoarst langer, the designer, we will have to wire one up for you, so they did an it came, i got it for 1100bucks, amp acted up first day i got it, i really think it was dropped or somethin, is too loud by a mile an trebly, looks good though, i play bluesrock, an rainbow deep purple, skynyrd, etc, some gospel too, weighs a ton, i have the matching engl v30 cab too with 4 vintage 30,s, great cab.dont use the master b, hi gain, too loud an trebly, i use this amp in our music room, sounds killer at low volume especially, also with clean is kinda fenderish nice, especially turned up, beautiful clean, it kills with low an hi gain lead buttons both pushed in, killer extra marshally distortion, but a different character all its own.

clean as stated is great, with bright switch tht works, a little too trebly, not as sparkly , almost as blackface twin.best sound is play wireless, get 50 feet away, put clean channel on 3 o clock, and i think master a low gain on about 10 o clock, then you sorta play clean , an turn volume on guitar up for beautiful thick distortion.i use various strats, blackmore strat, which has the best ever neck, jimmy vaughn strat, really a quackin, spanky tone, really nice with it, also strat with lace sensers, beautiful, but of course blackface twin is better, sparkly, even ore huge bass, different but related too,.sometimes i push in both lo an hi clean lead gains right next to each other, an play with screamin feedback, an ztop crunchin distortion, that is on edge of painful, cause feed back as you know can be anxiety relief.als though, mine has had an issue for years no one can seem to fix, volume in all channels goes up an down a bit enough to really startle you , sometimes, i really need to get it fixed, amp is really a bit harsh an trebly at times an muddy, but can be beautiful too,i leave presence off, perioc, too harsh an ear piercing, put controls on 12 oclock, presence off, treble on about 10 o clock, but is better sounding than some amps i listened to lately, on distortion, of course you will not beat the really good fenders on clean an sparkle, but sometime fenders are too warm, they make my pick bend, like ritchie, i need an attack sound, like this engl, an some better marshalls or whatever.

very reliable, since i got new tubes years ago, an fixed a few bugs, just tube related, but still volume goes up an down, way better clean than any marshall i ever heard, even plder high priced,, prized ones,.like i said this amp arrived in early 1998, an was messed up a bit, the day i got it, had one year warranty, an all i could do was email mr. langer in germany and complain, they shoulda sent me another one,, no foot switch either, they are pricey.certain people with other amps are jealous of this amp, i gigged it in a few places in atlanta, very heavy, too loud an trebly, hard to get tone dialed in, gets thin, there is a trick to dialin i tone, its called wireless, an get 30 feet away, an have help from bass, drums at their volume etc, no amp should ever be 100 watts, this amp was created from ritchie blackmore an hoarst langer from savage 120, and his little engl soverighn combo ideas, it really kills with humbuckers, or tone zone, etc.has never shocked me , yet, once clean lead distortion went out, i fixed it loose tube or whatever it came back,.

no repair on mine except by me, none was avaulable, but now there is, they have these in the states, here now in 2007, warraty was a year, right im gonna ship it back to germany, back then, no way, over two grand in amp an cab, with shipping etc. listen to ritchie blackmores sound from duuseldorf video 1995, or palo california 195 or 97, his tone an the engl character is incredible, an beautiful, but he uses the roland strat with the savage 120 too, about the best tone i ever heard, and different , just what a different crunch, and character, especially on black masquerade, how does he do that lead, no one i know even the best, can even approach him , or teach me these things, incredible tone, .

i been playin 16 years, lost this one id be sick, wouldnt get another one, too pricey, it would be fender, or marshall, but they pricey too.i played it more than my great big crunchin 2550 marshall, which was a killer, zz top etc sound.beautiful look on engl, is better i think with humbuckers, is kinda harsh an trebly, will kill your ears even on clean, one mean loud amp.scary,,.low volume or i say red light on ,, distortion channell, an both volumes at 9 o clock, your ears will say easy there, an maybe you gettin some feedback too, clean is great, beautiful shimmering clean, an really a spanky, quacky sound, make vintage fender owners take note, especially turned up, louder it goes it sounds better, in all modes, up to the point until your dizzy an my equilibrium is cryin turn it down, im dizzy, yes i really have this problem.my 2550 wa a great amp, but could get kinda fuzzy, if you want, eggl doesnt go fuzzy, just nice an good, thick tube distortion, just watch that treble, n harchness,.

Simple, but got everything you need. The voicing of the amp is perfect to me too. No features you never use. If you don't like something in al live-situation, you'll get the sound you like within seconds...

Nevertheless, it has two switchable Master Volumes and a Contour funciont. The Contour is great I think, but I'm not using it. I play a lot with my guitar volume pot, I have a volume pedal, and I use the two master volumes. With the master I can quickly switch between "heavy-guitar-music" and music where the guitar hasn't got a big role. And I use a treble booster for my soloing. That's why I don't use the Contour switch.

Oh my god! If I compare this with other amps in the prize category, the Blackmore blows them away with ease! Even the 3000 euros amps are not better to, they just have more features which I won't use. So I got the ultimate amp I think!

As I said, the voicing is perfect to me. I don't mess a lot with the knobs, just for a sound check before a gig.

The sound is incredible... Just perfect. The clean is as smoother than smooth. The Lead is warm, full and rich, and at the same time aggressive like hell! Really, really tremendous tone. A 10+++!!!

Have it for nearly two years now, and never had a single problem. I don't have the money for a backup, but I'm always very careful with all my stuff, and especially my expensive and beloved ANGLE. I bought an expensive flightcase for it. Still have the original tubes...

Never dealt with them, so I have no idea...

I played the classical guitar for 7 years. But I always wanted to play rock, but my guitar teacher didn't want to loose me... So about 3 years ago I started the electric on my own. And it's going very well.

If my ENGL would be stolen, I would go testing (if I had enough money) more amps in the store, but I'm almost sure I would end up with the Blackmore again.

So I'm 99,5% positive about the amp. When testing, I liked some Marshalls and the ENGL Savage and Special Edition. But those were twice or even thrice as expensive, and weren't really "better" to me. Just more options. The Blackmore is like made for me, not for Ritchie Blackmore...

A pretty basic amp with not too many unnecessary features. Wich is fine, sometimes less is more.

Bought the amp with the Z-5 footswitch..
2 master volumes and the contour are perfect, when you need to get little boost for lead work. I rather try to find

ENGL says its a four channel amp but I think its more like a 2 channel amp with two different gain modes on each channel.

It can cover almost every style, except when you want to play some more dirtier rock. I would try to describe the distortion as bold and somewhat wet?/processed but stil clean..... In other words the distortion doesnt have that beatiful marshall dirt/crunch, and the clean doesnt have that fender shimmer, theres just something missing.
The lowend and the tone in general is very thick, but the attack/response is somewhat slow.

Don't get me wrong, my first impression of this amp was that it sounded great but after a while i just couldn't get along with its character and the worst thing is that you can't use distortion pedals or even connect a separate preamp thru the loop, It just sounds awful, the poweramp isnt just designed for that. On the other hand this amp wakes up on much lower volumes than other amp that I owned, my guess is that the poweramp either limits or compresses some frecuencies wich explains that with distortion pedals/preamps.

It has a wide sound, it sounds great when you play with yourself, but it doesnt cut thru in the mix when playing with a full band in my opinion, more volume isnt always a good thing, sometimes its better to find frequencies that cuts thru the mix instead.

My amp got wierd background noises after about 5 months, first I suspected a preamp tube but efter changing those I took the amp to a tech, he mentioned that the build quality was the worst he has ever seen, the PCBs were a joke according to him. I'm can't be 100% sure of this cause I havent seen it with my own eyes but I've heard enough nightmare rumours from other ENGL users, so there must be something behind that.

Just take a look at the forum on their website, totally pathetic, people asks questions and almost none of them get response. They should hire someone to respond, or they could close the forum.Same thing when you try to mail them and ask something, you won't get any answer.. or atleast It shouldnt take over a year to answer..?

Totally the opposite compared Soldanos tech support. They really take the time and answer you personally.

Well it has a good tone for the money you pay, but it doesn't matter if you can't come along with it. And if you know it could die any minute.

Z-5 had a expensive price for a simple pedal, if I can remember it correctly? but its well worth it if you want to go with this amp.
I wouldn't recommend it but the decision is yours.

Look it up

Ok, I am a metal player, more of a grindcore style kind of like Between the Burried and Me. This amp CAN pull off this style however it does not work as well as something along the lines of a much cheaper 5150. The distortion is clear and articulate, sounds amazing, great definition but there is a lack of saturation and low end that I cannot seem to fix. The voicing is very cool, very unique. For someone into old school thrash metal or metallica style music the high gain channel could easily pull that off but anything else, look for another amp. Enough about the high gain channel, the clean on this thing is AMAZING! Very Fenderish in character and the bright switch actually works hah. The low gain channels are very very nice and very responsive, the harder you play the sweeter the overdrive. To sum it all up, if you play jazz, blues, classic rock, alternative, hard rock, or classic metal... this is the amp for you. Any types of Extreme metal ala grindcore, deathmetal, doommetal, hardcore, metalcore ect. Get something else, the palm mutes dont cut it. I give it an 8 because of the extreme high quality in all of the other channels.

NA

Over all I would say this really does kill any new age marshall or mesa for jazz to classic rock to alternative to classic metal but for all out balls to the wall metal, there are many amps out there that can out perform this amps high gain channel. I would probably buy this amp again just because the over all tone is amazing and the articulation is unmatched. If I sold this I would most likely pick up an older 5150 again, or possibly a framus or a different Engl model.

This is a tube amp with 5881 tubes.An effect loop,switchable would be cool.The parallel effect with potmeterb is perfect.It's a complete sound with the same sort of overaall character.Th e high gain sound is killer.The clean sound is very good.The first high gain setting is perfect for back up riffing,

I use it with a super strat with a distortion parallel axis pick up single same.And abill lawr. in the neck.
I'm a neo classical rocker.bach paganini etcetera.
Not noisy,a bit slow action comparing with my VHT pittbull,clx.
Very good clean semi distort is very good,I think the amp sounds best with the tone controls in middle setting.controls in center perfect.I did not own any amp which sounds that good if centered.

I do own this amp to short to say anything about reliability.

I want to change it in an EL34 powertubes .I asked the Engl factory and they respont in 4 hours so.
Heard very good stories about it,
I had to buy the back plate for my 5150 amp and the suckers asked 100 euro for it.For an amp which sounds as horrible as an 5150 that is way to much.That was one of my reasons to get rid of everything which said peavey.Yakk for Peavey

I do play for 30 years.Im 41 years old.I did own numerous Marshalls(very good rock amps) ,VHT's(very good amps)Fenders .
I would buy it again.For sure.
The VHT has more subtile tones for recording especially.Thje Marshalls are killer rockers.And the ENGL is a stage monster and a perfect recording amp.Brutallier than the VHT

Mine is a 2004 fast hand motion with the el34 power tubes. The amp has a beautifully simple setup no fancy knobs and switches to get in the way, the dual master volume is a great feature as is the contour switching for helping your solos cut through the mix and with the z5 footswitch your essentially get 4 channels from the amp clean, crunch, low gain and high gain i really love this amp and i really wanted to give it a rating of 10 because of it's useability but the 2 features i wish it did have are a switchable effects loop rather than a wet/dry pot on the rear and a noise gate built in like the engl powerball for those ultra high gain moments but i understand engl are very useful in this sort of situation and for a fee (and the cost of shipping your amp to germany and back!) these sort of mods can be retro fitted, me i just make do (and it's not really a hardship with this amp)

I'm fortunate enough to have access to a great deal of guitars due to mine and the other guitarist in my bands fetish for collecting guitars i was always a big fan of dimarzio pickups in my guitars as my playing grew up on a diet of ibanez and heartfield (fenders take on the ibanez RG made in the ibanez factory)guitars the dimarzio's sound great recorded but as another review stated they just don't sound full enough for me with this amp however this amp is very responsive to different pickups and i only tried the paf pro's i have in a couple of guitars with it. Now seymour duncans are a whole different kettle of fish i play in a metallica tribute band and i use this amp with a seymour duncan invader for a bridge pickup and the gain is brutal much better live than my dual rectifier! for that hetfield style i also play in a rock band which play our own songs a kind of mix of velvet revolver, R.A.T.M and 70's rock and this amp is just the ticket with some less powerful pickups i use duncan customs for the bridge and a 59' or a jazz in the neck mainly les pauls and an old esp 400 strat (got to have a strat with a blackmore amp and i'm not a big fan of his really) The cleans are super smooth and the 4 way switching on this amp gives every sound you could need for live use just add a wah pedal and maybe a chorus and delay if the need arrises and the engl will take care of the rest in any environment it's a 100watt tube head and with a 4x12 cab it can be a bit loud for smaller venues so i use an engl screamer 50 combo essentially the same amp but with 2 less power valves and reverb instead of contour for anything small

I've had this amp for about 18 months now and it has never missed a beat it's travelled all round the country with me and been gigged extensivly without any problems and i never take a backup these things are built like tanks (spill it's pint and it'd kick your head in!)

I only delt with them once when i first bought the amp the dealers i bought it from did not have the data cable required for the z5 footswitch engl sent one out to me free of charge next day delivery so i can't complain about that and my local music store is an engl dealer so i have no problems if and when i require spares (such as valves) etc

I'd like to give this a 9.5 overall but i think it's good enough to warrant a 10 as i can't give it 9.5 it looses half a point from me for the points i mentioned in the features and the fact that the footswitch alone was #125 (and that is cheap now because they have recently put the prices up and i believe the head is now #999 and the footswitch #150 plus the obligatory engl 4x12 at #469) this is not a cheap amp but compared to how it sounds it kicks ass for an all rounder over mesa's marshall's peaveys etc i've never tried bognor's or diezel's much as i would love to because there is no one near where i live who stocks them for me to be able to try them out and i don't have time with the bands to travel just to try them out but reading others reviews i can quite believe that this will be on par if not beat them too if it were stolen i'd definatly get another i have pleanty of other amps which i use for recording but they are all a bit one horse wonders the engl does it all in one indestructable package

2001. It is the most versatile amp on the planet bar none. 4 channels that do 4 channels worth of work. I wish it had a line out other than an fx loop. I wish it had reverb. It does 100 watts like a marshall. this amp can be used on stage, in the studio or wherever you would need it. I had Electo-Harmonix tubes put in and it almost doubled the output and the tone improved dramatically. I have literally had everything out there. enough gear to piss off about every girlfreind I have ever had. this thing does not sound like ritchie blackmore to me. It does not sound like any amp I have heard. You need to get a splawn cab with it. (rocks and is clean as a whistle).

Jackson PC-1 and PRS CE-22. Crunchy and I can get Paul Gilberts tone out of it. See, I have Paul Gilbert's fingers.LOL. Its' preamp is reminicent of an ADA Pre used back in the day.(wow). I have a Splawn Quickmod and blend them together with a JCM 800. Let me put it to you like this. This is the rig that everybody wants to play thru and for good reason. Clarity and tasteful gain that moves you out of the way and keeps you there. Multiple styles. It will do whatever is asked of it.

As soon as I say it is reliable it will break so I wont comment here for carma's sake.

Have not dealt with them. I got a feeling if you buy em some kraut and liverwurst with a beer they would be very helpful to you.

20 years or so playing. If it were lost or stolen I would be crushed, but I don't gig with it for that reason. I read where another guy said that it was to pretty to gig with and that some butthead would steal it for sure and I tend to agree with him. I think it is awsome. I love the gain structure alot and it is very playable without being abrasive or mettalic sounding.

Made in 2000 or later. It does seem to be very versatile. I do play a variety of styles. It is strong if you like smooth sustainy distortion. cleans up like a twin. 4 channels. It mainly stays at home. It is too pretty to take on stage. some butthead would steal it for sure. It has the power but it is not for the marshall lover.(you know, the one that wants to get heard really well).As I said it is smoother. I definetly suggest a v-30 cab over g-12-75. Ritchie swears this amp does not do the things that he hates about marshalls. But what the hell do you think he knows? have you seen him lately?(including the tone) in my opinion it is good for the rectifier lover that likes Mesa. I prefer Marshall.

As I said before it is meant to be blended with a raw Marshall. Which I have two of. All alone it sounds different. You know like a frog that has just had it's nuts chewed off by a rattlesnake.(he just aint the same) Its like a cup of coffee that tastes like chocolate.(don't taste too much like coffee). Its like once you let that fart and your thinking about what it is gonna smell like before it gets to your nose and it turns out worse. I like dimarzio pickups with my marshalls but pickups seem to sound different with this. Disortion is wide open raw singing gain.

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I will keep it unless somebody wants to trade me a bogner extasy for it.(yeah right). I have been letting her rip for about 20 years now and have yet to get any on me. I like the fact that you can get a good sound at a low volume. You know,(don't have anybody yelling down the steps to cut that damn shit down). so I just farted and it stinks, how about that? By the way if anybody wants to trade a bogner extasy to me for my ENGL I would do it but otherwise it stays with me right here in the toilet.all bullshit aside buy one if you got a job and got your bills caught up otherwise get yourself a peavey, and then you can play freebird for real. Smoke on the water don't sound right on this thing.

10-because there`s no knob too much on it and it has two switchable Master Volumes-all I need.

I play a Fender Strat with Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck Neck pu on it, a self made Tele with Schaller Humbucker neck pu, a singlecoil old style Strato and a Gibson LP Classic with P-100 pu`s. All these guitars sound characteristic and very different on each sound mode of the amp-even at killer distortion.
The sound quality is excellent in each mode. The clean Sound is very direct, but far away from sounding hard-you can hear the quality of the parts inside.Just take a Strat and switch on the low gain channel-yeah Jimi`s here. Then for solos with the strat I step on a Boss Sustainor in that low gain channel-now it screams as hell, you can feel the sound in your teeth. The highgain solo sound is excellent-hot and mean, but rich and full of character. With the Les Paul it sounds more smooth and elegant, with the Strat with Jeff Beck pu it sounds rough and strong. All in all tons of tone, but you have to buy a good cabinet for the amp-mine is a custombuilt with 4 Celestion Vintage 30. The only amp I`ve ever played that sounded 90 per cent that good was a HughesKettner Tube 100. I play 20 years, 20-40 gigs a year Cover Rock and Blues.-AC/DC, Led Zep., Purple, ZZ-Top, Jimi, and much more-the amp fits for all this styles.

Got the amp 4 years-no problem. We had a bikers gig in a tent in January-the footswitch worked a little unreliable at that temperature.

No Idea,no problems,

The Ritchie Blackmore Signature 100W all-tube head was customised by Engl using different tubes. There are two alternatives to the Signature amp: The Engl Slow Hand Motion with 4 x 6L6GC-STR tubes and the Fast Hand Motion with 4 x EL 34 tubes.
My amp is the Slow Hand Motion and was built in 1998. I'm playing anything from Blues/Rock/Funk/Jazz to Heavy. The amp features 2 basic channels wich can be split again into high/low gain and clean/lead. So you can switch between 4 different sounds with 2 footswitches. I loop in a Boss GT-6 and it works excellent. I'm using this amp once a week for a session and plyed about 5 gigs with it already. There's definately enough power: 100W just blow your head off! Especially when using a closed(!!) Marshall 2x12 or 4x12 box, you can feel the enormous preassure from clean to lead sounds. There are only the necessary features to set up the different sounds -- not more. And that's what makes the amp so simple. Comparing to Mesa Boogies with complicated equalizers, you find the appropriate sounds within seconds.

I'm playing a custom made guitar with the following pickups: neck (2x Seym. Duncan SRV single coils, possibility to play as single coil or humbucker), middle (Seym. Duncan classic single coil), bridge (Seym. Duncan Jeff Beck humbucker). I like the sparkly SRV strat sound and the amp works quite well with it. When playing hard solos with heaps of sustain I use the bridge humbucker and the lead channel of the amp. If you wanna play the heavyest metal it's probably not the right amp for you. It's so loud this "little" bastard! Made for playing on stage, even open air. It sounds like Hendrix'/SRV clean sounds and distorted sounds sound pretty much like the Deep Purple live in Japan albums. More about the sound: Clean: sparkly, preassure, if you want heaps of bass, much treble, creamy; Crunch: SRV, Fender/Vox, very bluesy, as louder you turn it as better it sounds! Lead: endless sustain, creamy, Blackmore sound

Never broken down using it for 3 open airs and 2 indoor gigs.
I put it in a box so it is protected when I carry it around.
No probs with the tubes so far, I guess it's quite normal to change the tubes after some years, but for that tube amps sound so much better!

It's a German amp and I'm living in Germany so the Engl company isn't far away. I can't say how the service is overseas. I bought the amp used so I didn't have contact with an Engl dealer, yet.
Unfortunately you can't get the manual of the Slow Hand Motion on the Engl webpage (http://www.engl-amps.com/) cause it isn't produced any more, damn...

I'm playing the amp for 3 months now and had some good possibilities to test it (gigs, sessions). I have also a Mashall Valvestate 8080 which is a crap amp comparing to the Engl. I'm using the 80W speaker of the Marshall when I'm playing at home. I'm also owning a Hoyer Les Paul form the 70ies and a selfmade guitar which is quite similar to the Ibanez RG series. Also using the Engl to play with my Washburn acoustic guitar. As I already said, the clean sound is just stunning! I searched for an amp for about 3 months and played many different Mashall heads, Mesa Boggie heads/combos, Matchless, Vox, Fenderand Soldano. I read through many many review also here at harmony central and finally I chose the Engl Slow Hand Motion which unites the clean sound of Fender/Vox with distored sound of Mesa Boggie (Not Rectifier!)/ Marshall.
Any questions? Write me a mail!

I wanted to mention something for those who hate the metal channel. I find this necessary for those looking for a REAL AMP and not just a bashing for those who didn't like this amp. First it's not fake distortion. You just don't like it because you are a poser who counts on fuzzy or totally buzzsaw diode grit to cover up your playing technique. Fake is slapping a digital distortion pedal onto the clean channel. You just don't like a clear articulate metal sound. If you can see why this is awesome, then you are nothing. This amp shreds your ass off. RAZOR SHARP and a palm mute god amp. Again, this amp enhances your character and style of playing/technique. Just buy a peavey 5150 like the one guy said he did. LOL!!!!!!!!!! 5150 stands for the amount of losers who own one

This is basically a 4 channel head, clean, crunch, low gain lead and high gain lead. It has one E.Q. for all 4 channels, but it is voiced so that all you need is one E.Q. and the pickup switch on your guitar. It lost a point for not having a footswichable effects loop, and another for not having a midi interface but it gained a point for having the 2 footswitchable master volumes, a great feature. Overall this amp is very easy to understand and if you have the Z-5 footswitch it is the only amp you need to own.

I own amps by Marshall, Mesa, and Soldano, and there is no contest, the Engl blows them all away. In fact, the other guitar player in my band had been trying to talk me into a Bogner Uberschall, but when he heard the Blackmore he thought it sounded better! This is the first amp that I've ever played that can really stand on it's own. (I usually run a BBE sonic maximizer in the loop on all of my amps, if you don't have an Engl I highly reccomed the maximizer). I'm a bonifide gearhead with tons of rack gear and pedals, but I plug straight into this head and I don't miss a thing! The first thing I noticed was the clean channel, it's fat and clear and beautiful and it doesn't break up like a Rectifier does. It stays clean, no matter what volume you play at. I play in a hard rock / metal band, so I immediately jumped to the high gain lead channel, and this is where this amp is at it's best. I read some of the earlier reviews that said everything about this amp is great except this channel, and I don't know what the Hell they're talking about! This is the most tight, heavy, focused gain I have ever heard in my life. It's heavier than Marshall, and way tighter than a Boogie. I can't even put into words how this channel sounds, imagine the feel and warmth of a vintage marshall with the in you face distortion of a Boogie, but every note rings true, you can hear every note of an augmented chord ring, and palm muting is pure Heaven!! Raw like Aerosmith and tight like Megadeth rolled into one, absolutely unbelieveable. Then you kick in the mid boost and solos just scream through the mix! The crunch channel is basically the clean channel with a little gain added and is perfect for "raunchy" clean tones, Stevie Ray style blues, or Skynyrd licks. The low gain lead channel is very similar to the high gain channel, with, guess what, a little less gain. It's great for nasty rock n roll like AC/DC or Kiss, but with the tone of this amp it can actually blow away the high gain channel of most other heads out there! I know that Mr. Blackmore prefers a Strat with single coils, but I think this amp sounds best when punished with a guitar loaded with a Duncan JB in the bridge. It does get noisy on the high gain channel, but a Boss NS-2 between the guitar and amp cleaned up most of it. I've been experimenting wit that set up plus adding another NS-2 in the loop and the amp is dead silent without sacrificing tone or the AMAZING sustain and controlled feedback this bad mutha has to offer!

Built like a brick shit house, spare fuse, no frills so nothing goofy to break. I'd never gig without a backup no matter what I was playing, vbut I'd leave the backup in the truck with this one!!

I've e-mailed them on a few occasions, even before I got the Blackmore to ask tech questions and they've always been helpful and quick to reply. They would've gotten a 10 if you didn't have to ship your stuff to Germany to get it worked on.

I've been playing for around 20 years and have never played an amp that sounded this good, and it can be had for less than half the price of a Diezel or a Bogner. It's a steal, and if someone offered to trade an Uberschall or Herbert for it I wouldn't think twice about saying "no".

Easiest way to explain it is that it's a four channel amp, clean low-gain, crunch hi-gain (very bluesy), soft lead low-gain (rock rythm), heavy lead (lead)
Because of the Master volume A/B selection there's a lead sound for each of those channels very cool, though this only works if you have one of the Engl footswitches.
Also theres a mid boost and presence on the lead sounds.

Gave it 8 as its very easy to use. Would have been ten but it needs the Engl footswtch and could have done with a midi interface to stop the tap dancing on stage

10 out of 10 (and I don't even like Richie Blackmore).

I use '91 USA Strat with a Hot rails in the bridge, and a mex Standard Tele. I play anything and I mean anything.

There are three amps in here. On the clean side you got Fender'ish sounds, add the mid boost and you got Boogie sounds. Clean is very clean, I can't get it to distort. (That's what channel 2 is for!)
On the dirty side you got Marshall sounds, add the mid boost and you got Dual Rec type boogies with big bottom end.
I use it with a Marshall power brake, the more you turn it up the better it sounds.

When I Purchased the amp I had a marshall 2x12 cab, then I bought a shop soiled Engl standard 4x12 cab for #200, they're normally #550. What a difference! Engl cabs are supposed to be the best in the business, I can see why.

Never had to put a spanner on it at all. Add an engine and large gun and you got yourself a tank

Never had to use them but I've heard say they're very, very good

Ive been playing 15 years. Ive had Boogie DC5, Boogie Dual Recs, Fender "this that and the others". To be honest this is the Best Ive had so far. I think Boogie Dual recs are over rated and way tooooooo expensive. They've got a great dirty channel but the clean sound is just useless.

The sound is what made me decide to buy this amp. For six about months I kept going to the same shop, trying all the different amps next to each other. To me that is the only way to do it. The RBS beat all the other Engls', Boogies', Marshalls', Etc hands down, its just the TONE!

Lastly its the coolest looking amp I ever owned. All the power tubes have red LED's behind them, so when the lights are low on stage it glows a deep fire red. Looks just great, a real posers amp. (Did anyone mention Richie Blackmore?)

If stolen would I buy another, without a doubt. Then again I might buy a Diezel VH4! Just to see if they're as good as what everyone says they are. I could always come back to the Engl as they're so cheap! You get a hole lot of amp for your money.

What do I love about it? The sound (which is what its made for) If you play live and want a really great sound just buy one of these. Simlpe as that. Also the two master volumes what a great Idea (that's something the Diezel VH4 doesn't have!)


What do you hate about it? Nothing really, but the lack of MIDI interface buggs me a little. Engl sell one at #200 which is way to much. The Rolls "Patch mate" is way cheaper. Also the footswitch was #90! I think Engl link all their products together to sell their customers lots of stuff.

But hey no amp is perfect....but it doesn't come much better than this! Not for this monet anyway.

A 2001 model, 4 channels clean/crunch/low & Hi gain. FX send & Return. 2 switchable master volumes. contour boost. Pretty much as you see in the other reviews below. I play in a coverband with styles from Lenny Kravitz to Metallica and from Coldplay to Linkin Park. also some ska. Pretty versatile i guess. I've owned it for 2 years now.No Headphone jack, but then again: Who buys this stuff for a headphone? Only one way to connect it: to 1 or 2 412 Engl Cabs. I had it on a Marshall cab once, but didn't like it. Power enough, i gigged from small cafes to open air concerts for 5000 people, no problems there. When you put in a lot of gain and presence it might give you to much feedback. Other than that: great.

I use a gibson LP studio (special quilted maple top) and a Gibson SG special 1975 with Dimarzio's in it. Pretty raw. Check our styles above, we play very versatile, and this amp has got lots and lots of versatile sounds BUT....... The hi gain channel just seems to miss bottom / low end or something. I dont quite know how to discribe it, but i just seem to miss 'that thing'. For clean sounds its great! Crunch: no problem there! Low gain: (for like Kravitz kind of stuff) beautiful! But when you want to play punk, metal, hardrock, Nu-Metal etc: Buy something else. I know i did. I bought a Mesa Triple rectifier, and, with exception for the clean channel: that one does the trick for me. but this is not a Mesa review so i'm gonna stick to the Engl for now. The contour switch pushes up the mids for good solo sounds. a nice feature that gives you a little extra for your lead licks and stuff...
Anyway: I'm gonna rate it like this:
Clean: 9
Crunch: 9
Low Gain 8
Hi gain 7
so thats pretty much a 8.

gigged with it for 2 years, no problems at all. Made in germany. It's a not a tank, but you can roll over it with one... :)

My local store does all the import of Engl for Holland so If I had questions i went there. I mailed Engl once, but they didn't answered my mail. so they can work on that one...

I've been playing for about 10 years and owned Roland, Marshall, more marshall, this Engl and now play Mesa. One thing is clear: i'm never gonna buy a Marshall again. That stuff either breaks or dissapoints you. If you wanna play medium rock or old school rock, blues, funk, or whatever, this amp COULD be your thing. If you wanna play metal, punk, Nu-Metal buy something else. You could consider an ENGL powerball then, i did, but could get a great price on the Rectifier used so.... If i hadn't had the opportunity to buy the MESA used, I probably bought the Engl Powerball. One thing is for sure: Engl has got the looks! It really looks "porn" on stage :)!But then...you must listen, not look!

This is a Four Channel amp that ranges from very clean to very thrashy. It is definitely versatile enought for Me personally. It is a VERY LOUD 100 watt head. There is TONS of headroom available. More than any other amp I've ever heard. I'm giving it a 10 because it is more than sufficient for Me.

I use this guitar with solid-body Jacksons with Seymour Duncan pickups. I play classic Heavy Metal (Maiden, Priest) through old school Death (Death, Pessimist) and Thrash (Megadeth, Kreator). This is definitely an amp for this style of music if there ever was one. I have to say that this is the most pleasing amp I've ever played on. Go listen to Megadeth's Peace Sells... But Who's Buying to get an idea of what this amp can sound like. It will give You a good idea, but You can get a little chunkier, and a little heavier.

I've had this head for a month or two, and I've gigged with it. I always take a backup if I have one available. I bet this amp is going to be VERY reliable because it is impeccably constructed. It has very high quality components. I'll give it a 9 because I've only had it a little while.

I ordered this amp from Derek at RockSolidAmps.com and He has been nothing but helpful since I first contacted Him. I highly recommend buying Your amp from Him.

I've been playing for about 7 years now, and I've owned lots and lots of gear and guitars since then. I've finally narrowed My gear down to the essentials. Two Jacksons (one with and one without a Floyd) and this Engl Blackmore top. I compared the Blackmore top with other Engl products and decided that this was the one. And it most definitely IS!

This amp has 4 channels and two switchable volume's and fx-loop, mid, treble, bass, presence-switch, bright-switch.
I'm not an effect-guy, I like it simple, on this amp is no poti too much.
My amp is one of the earlier one's, you can't use a z-5 footswitch.
I played for two years only with clean and low-gain and it was great.
Then I bought a stereo footswitch and so I can have a clean, crunch, low-gain or high-gain sound.
The only worst thing is if you choose the crunch sound and you step on the footswitch, you get automaticly the high-gain sound and you must step again for the low-gain sound.
But on the newer amps you can use the footswitch with a switch for every channel (but this is expensive).
I never used the bright or presence switch on the amp and I mostly play with the low-gain channel.
The sound is great.
I use this amp on stage and at our rehearsalroom (cleanvol. on 5,overdrive on 6,gain on 9, master on 3 and I got a realy pushing sound, you can FEEL the power.

I use a epiphone flying V.On higher volumes in the overdrive channel, I get some feedback, but its a problem of the humbuckers and not the amp.Then I bought a Morley Wah-Pedal wich sounds very well and a Syrincs 225W 4*12Box.I tested some amps and the Engl in combinaton with the syrincs box knocked me on the wall.
It's the best sound I ever heard and the best amp I tested.
I played for two years in a deathmetal-band, we played hard and groovy(the amp has enough power for this kind of musc).
At the time we play stonerrock and this amp sounds good in every channel, a warm clear clean channel, the crunch channel with some distortioned sound and the low-gain is pushing you away.
The good thing is you can play on mastervol. 3 at the rehearsalroom and it sound very good and you can go on stage and play at vol. 9 and it sounds even better.

I play this amp for 3 or 4 years and had no problems.

Don't need it.

I play since 12 years (Peavey,Marshall with any problems) and I'm a fan of ENGL, I love this amp, this is the sound I want.
I tested Marshalls, Peavey, Laney, Rath and only the Engl could convince me, so I came back for a second time, tried it again and bought it in combination with the syrincs-box.
If you have the chance test it (with a good cab).
If it were stolen, I would test all ENGL-Amps I can get and buy some of them again.

Super Versitile.. 100 watts, german made.

ok.... i noticed someone gave this amp a 6 and chose a 5150 over it. WOW i cant imagine that... If you like that buzzsaw undefined sloppy loose bottom end fuzzy gain over this sort of distortion than more power to you. but anyone who apreciates articulate amplifiers should love this amp. Very good for all styles of music but once again if you like that buzzsaw sound that is horrific to my ears then go buy a peavey. this thing cuts through easy and its super fucking loud. Ive owned marshalls and peaveys befor buying this and let me tell you this thing has by far the best distortion i have ever heard. its high gain but not to the point where you cant even hear the notes. if you are a good player you will sound good through this amp, if you are not... then you might hate the amp. kind of like a VHT imo. get the right pickups and the right cab and it can be metal heaven. with a far better clean than any marshall i have ever heard. go try one out somehow. it will be worth your time.

only had it a couple months

Probably the most real sounding amp out there under 2k. this can easily compare with the bogners and the VHT's and the soldanos. its got a very original voicing that will set you apart from all of todays buzzy nu metal acts. If you are not good at guitar then spend your money on lessons and a cheap practice amp befor you buy this amp. I am now an Engl man. if i get a different amp it would definatly be either an Engl savage or a powerball. but for now this amp rips.

For what I do and what I need it for, it's features are great. In my opinion, lots of features are good on an amp, but when the features are too hard to use, then that just defise the purpose of having the features. I don't have this problem with the Blackmore.

Great crunchy distortion, great tone, and the Valves Seem to love punishment.

I've had one for about 7 months and never had a problem with it.

Never had to deal with them. But from what I've heard they are very helpful.

As I said before, I've had the amp seven months, and I've played nearly 100 gigs with it. I've been playing for about 20 years and I've used numerous marshall, peavey, and fender amps. But this one is by far the best amp I've used. The day I tried it was the day I bought it, I sold my 5150 to buy it. I was told I was mad, by I've had the last laugh. If it was stolen, I would buy another. But just in case, I have insurance.

Brand new bought from the store in Helsinki. Finally I got what I wanted. With Z5-footswicth you can switch from clean to crunch and from soft lead to solo lead or in whatever order you want to dial in. Contour is excellent for lead work. Despite the fact that eq-settings are the same so what, the AMP is so responsive and versatile. Frankly enough and not too much controls for my purposes. Besides what's the point if you're dancing on the stage in front of huge pedalboard. With this you can concentrate on essential.

I plugged in a Les Paul in a soundproof playing room. ENGL Standard 4x12 cab used as a load. Salesman chose the lead channel right away. I took an opening chord of Collective Soul's Why Pt.2. There it was!! The search was finally over! This one chord proved following: Mouth watering distortion, very accurate, punchy low end, a long sustain, crystal clear harmonies. Repeats every note you play in an organic way. The sound has character and colour. One cannot play sloppy it won't forgive wrong notes. Few solos and licks then for five minutes only to get used to machine. If there is god he is there inside this setup I walked out with stupid smile on my face (still there today). At the moment I use an ESP KH-502, Fender Strat Lone star, Gibson Epiphone Les Paul. I can play all styles of music with those axes and this head. Maybe only changing the bass pot/middle for each of them, so easy. The amp is very quiet even in lead mode while not playing.

Looks like built like a tank or MB. Could use it without a backup no problemo...

Have had it few months only no experience yet. Looking for contacting them have heard so much good of their support.

I've been playing for 18 years now. Have had AC30 (still have), Mesas, Marshalls, Music Mans, Rolands etc but this fullfills all needs now. If it one was stolen I'd buy a new one immediately no doubt at all.

2000,model,4 channel,no reverb (why!),all tube 100 watt head.I use this amp on stage and in the studio.

the clean can be crystle clear,and also very crunchy,depending on how you set the eq and clean gain knob.the crunch channel is a little compressed but i like that sound.the lo gain is very marshall sounding,again depending on how you set the controls.the hi gain channel is just amazing.a winner in every aspect.

no problems to speak of .giged for over a year.

never had to deal with them.

been playing for 25 years ,this amp is easily the best overall amp i have ever heard.it does everything from jazz to funk to rock to metal.i love it.i would buy it again in a heart beat.

I believe my amp is a 2001 model.4 channels 2 master volume pots,standard eq,contour switch for solos(mid boost),bright switch for clean channel,effects loop,no reverb,100 watt all tube head,all you need to produce some truley unique sounds without all the b.s.

Lets just say ,if there is a god ,he has camped out inside my amp.Let me tell you a story about how I came about buying this amp.Richie Fliegler,(amp guru)once wrote that you would know if you like an amp in the first 5 seconds of plugging in.He also said that you would probobly only like one of the channels,and that you probobly would not find an amp that would do both well.Well Rich,all has changed.I went to the guitar center to try out some new sounds.I realy liked a used club royale and considered buying this amp.Then by luck in a corner I spotted Her.I plugged in a 139.00 lotus strat copy and strummed one cord.It was over.The price for this used head and cab was 2200.00 so I graciously turned it off.Moments later a friend was considering buying a gibson firebird so i said "lets hear that on this"and pointed to the engl.again I strummed one cord and asked the manager what he could do for me .He said 1750.00 is the best I can do for the amp and cabinet,I said Ill take it.the funny thing is that I did not even hear the gain channel until I got home.After a few weeks with her all I can say is that I have found my tonal soul mate.O.k.enough of that.The clean channel is super punchy and warm.The crunch channel is bluesy and fat.The low gain channel is dark and gritty.The high gain channel is over the top.This amp is so responsive that I had to adjust all my pickups and also the tone pots on all my guitars.This is a good thing,for tonal variations are endless.I use a variety of single coils and humbuckers ,all sound awesome through this amp.My only gripe is that it is so loud and i'm peeling paint off my walls .This amp can produce tones for all styles of music.One friend said when I was playing that the tone was so clear tht it sounded like it was coming from a cd.Another said it sounded like it was already mixed and coming through a P.A.If you are a tone monster like most guitar players are you must try one of these.You wont be disappointed.

dont know only had it for a few weeks.all things must break sometime.a

n/a

Been playing for 20 years.I also own a class a vc30 that I love.I play a home made strat,a yamaha sg 2000,a yamaha image,an epiphone doubleneck,and les paul.I just cant get over how articulate this amp is.Sometimes trying to play a shuffle rhythm ala stevie ray,its just not sloppy enough.Maybe a tube screamer in the crunch channel can cure that.Compared to a marshall this amp squeezes its ass.Boggie owners could take lessons from engl.Combos are in a different ball park so I dont think its fair to compare.If stolen I would drag the culprit to bagdad ,stick his head in the sand and tatoo an american flag on his ass.You must give a listen its that good.

I must admit that I don't like to fiddle around with a truckload of controls (used to play that ol' marshall with the british setting) - the volumeknob on the guitar must do.

This amp sounds even better than the mesa rectifiers, the soldanos or Reussenzehns. Great distortion, even at moderate levels - this is indeed the first amp at all that doesn't need to have its poweramp driven into saturation to produce a powerful and dynamic distortion!
This amp has tone and character, while a marshall is just loud.

Built like a mercedes-benz. Even a brainless roadie will have a hard time breaking it.

Very kind and interested, I talked to the guy who designed this wonderful amp, he made no secret out of the details I wanted to know. Great!

I think this is the best Amp for around 1000 bucks, if mine would get lost I#d have to get a new one immediatedly.

The RB is one of the most versatile and easy to use amps I have ever played through. I play in a variety of different styles, ranging from stoner/punk rock through to detuned metal/industrial/ambient hip hop, and this amp suits each to a tee. Although all four channels run off the same eq on the front, each has a distinctive (and EXTREMELY powerful) sound. Although I don't use the effects loop in my live setup at the moment, I have played around with it. It's simple to use and allows you to control the effect input level. A seperate input for the clean and dirty channels would be nice as I tend to use a lot of effects on my clean sound, and few (if any) for the dirty stuff. The lack of a reverb unit, again especially for clean playing, is also a limitation. For this reason I have to AB to my old Fender for clean stuff with effects, which is a shame, because I actually prefer the tone on the Engl.

This amp is, quite simply, MONSTROUS! The clean channel is crystal- clear, even at high volume settings, the low gain and crunch channels are plenty warm and bouncy, and the high gain channel simply has to be heard to be believed. I like to use a lot of chord inversions rather than just bashing out power chords, and with the RB, each note in the chord can be heard clearly, even using heavy distortion. The bottom end is about the fattest thing I've ever heard, and notes on the top end of the scale just sparkle out at you. Because of its clarity, as previous reviewers have noted, it is extremely unforgiving and every mistake sticks out like dogs' balls, but the last time I checked, an amp is only responsible for what comes out of it, not what goes in. You can't really fault it for the shortcomings of its player. It does have a tendency to be somewhat noisy in live situations, but I think this is more to do with my guitar and pickups. I'm currently using an ESP Viper 100 with Duncan designed pickups. I plan to upgrade to EMGs sometime soon, which should eliminate some of the noise. Until then, a simple noise suppressor on my Korg multi-effects unit does the job nicely.

I've only been gigging with this amp for a couple of months now, so it's hard to say just how reliable it is, but it's built pretty tough, and the simplicity of the design significantly reduces the risk of minor technical hiccups. The Engl 4x12 box would take an antitank missile to take it out!

I haven't had to deal with the Engl people yet. I'm hoping that I'll be able to find a qualified tech in Australia.

I've been playing for 15 years and this is far away the best amp I've ever used, or even heard. I was previously using a very nice Marshall JCM 800 that needed a whole string of effects to get anywhere near the sound that the Engl gets straight from the guitar. The only thing I've used that's even close to the RB is a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier. It's a close call, but I have to say I'd choose the Engl if given the choice again. Since I started gigging with this amp, I have never received so many complements on my sound. Love it!

Four differnt gain stages a very tasteful EQ and a footswitchable contour that boosts the mids for solos.... It's a working mans dream. Simple and A Monster when it comes to pure tone and hi gain without the mud. Add to that footswitchable master volumes and you've got every combination you'd could aask for. It's possibly the ludest amp I've ever played. Very sesitive.

I've been a Marshall player for nearly 20 years and I've got a new tone partner. ENGL. This Ritchie Blackmore model is flawless . I play in a rock cover band we cover music from Van Halen to Stevie Ray Pink FLoyd to Willie Nelson and this amp covers every tone I need. The footswitchable contour is the greatest feature for leads. I've read a few other reviews and I can see where this isn't the amp for some players. If your sloppy and want to hide wi a quagmire of distortion this isn't the amp for you. But for ringing clean tones and tight warm singing leads this is the amp for you. The crunch is great on AC/DC covers and ZZ Top like rhythm playing. And the Lead tone is mouth watering. I mean there's presence and bottom. and the middle frequencies cut right through the mix . I've never had so many complements on my sound as I did tonight. Our first night together. IT's THE BEST AMP I"VE EVER PLAYED

Tonight was our first gig together. But it's built like a tank. I'm sure she'll last for years to come

I don't know but I've heard there very prompt and professional about dealling with there US dealers

This is the tone I've always wanted but didn't think I could afford. It's a great deal.

This is an update to my previous review, for I had the amp modified by Horst Langer himself.
First, I had the boost-ratio from Lo-Gain to Hi-Gain modified, Mr. Langer installed a control-pot on the backside of the amp so now I'm able to adjust the increase of gain to the amount really needed (which is mostly less than the standard increase when switching from Lo to Hi.) This makes the amp even more versatile - very useful.
Second, I had different Master Volume pots (now logarithmic) installed, which makes the amp easier to adjust loudnesswise at low to medium-level volumes. Note: This mod isn't necessary for the MK II models, which are recognizable by the Z-5 footswitch port - they've got a completely different circuit and already include a similar mod.

As far as I could notice, the boost-ratio mod seems to have warmed up the high-gain setting a bit, which is not bad. I really enjoy this modification for it gives me the possibility to give me a nice fat rhythm sound in normal lead mode with a slight "extra-kick" when switching to high-gain lead (more useful than just using the midboost for soloing)

Mr. Langer has made good efforts to make this modification very reliable, he used lots of silicone to secure the new parts & cables inside the amp - looks pretty stable. This is even more amazing for it isn't so easy to modify printed circuits. Congrats here!

AAA-Grade Customer support. Mr. Koch (Engl-Distributor) sent me a original Blackmore Amp package set via UPS and arranged all UPs tranports via UPS - I just had to be there to give UPS the amp, which made it very easy to get the amp safe to Engl and back. Contact via phone and e-mail was excellent both with Mr. Koch and Mr. Langer.

...

One of the first Engl Blackmore 100s, made in 1996. Two channels with Low Gain/High Gain function, etc... (see other reviews).
The only thing I don't like about the older Blackmore model is that it doesn't have the Z-5 footswitch port, so either you have to do tapdancing on two stereo footswitches or to get the Z-11 midi switcher to use this amp with a midi controller. aLso, you can't update the older models, so this amp gets a only a 7 for features due to usability.

Even with only one EQ for 4 sounds this amp is quite versatile. Depending on what cabinet you use. With a closed back 4x12 Vintage 30 you get excellent hardrocking and bluesy sounds out of it, while played via a 2x12 open back with JBLs this amp does nice twangy country sounds as well. The high-gain lead is nice for "metal" for it has lots of gain, but setting gain too high will lead to uncontrollable feedback, so beware.
Interesting is than this amp retains his own character, no matter how you adjust it. So the clean is no "Fender Clean", the Lead is no "Marshall or Mesa Lead", it is "Engl" all the time. It fits most guitars, but you have to adjust the EQ carefully to get the best out of it. The EQ is - in contrast to the last review - very effective imho. If you had set the EQ for playing with your favorite Strat, you won't be pleased when changing to your Les Paul and vice versa.
Originally this amp came with Sovtek 5881, but I replaced them with 6L6GC-STR for chimier highs and a rounder sound. (This change is highly recommended). The nice thing about the sound is that it sounds very "honest" i.e. it doesn't allow you to play sloppy. This amp won't make you sound good if you have a bad tone. Kind of "nowhere to run, nowhere to hide" amp. You if you don't like to work on your playing, get another amp!
For the high-gain leadsound is sometimes not creamy enough for my taste, this amp get a 9 here, for it produces lots of very usable sounds depending on the cabinet used.

The amp has never broken down, but as it is a tube amp I'd always take some replacement fuses & tubes to a gig. (or my rack for emergency cases). The only problem I had once was the input jack, it broke once when I stumbled ove the cable. Easy fix.

Here it comes, the big 10. Engls distributor, the Erich Koch GmbH is among such class acts as Bill &Becky Lawrence, Rockinger and Reverend.
Great service, very friendly and very easy to deal with. I've dealt several times with them and also never heard any bad story about the Engl service from others.

I've been playing for about 11 years, although that doesn't mean anything. I buy my gear for tone, and not for the name on it. And this amp has tone for two. As long as you adjust it correctly. Imho this amp works best with medium to low-output pickups, a quality cable and a quality cabinet. No FX necessary. Don't kill the preamp section with too much input - let the amp do the work. and don't put the Lead Gain on ten, let the amp breathe and you will get very nice result.
This amp is a very nice alternative to the classic Marshall/Mesa Stuff. Not only feature wise, but soundwise. I won't sell this one, for I will always have an Engl to be able to really "hear" my playing. If I got lost, I'd get another Engl, perhaps not a Blackmore, for Engl produces lots of other nice toys.

Good clean and low gain sound. But if you need a classic overdrive saw, choose another amp. In fact you can turn it on and you'll find a high gain setting. If you do so, the amp sounds strange. (fender tele U.S.A. or Kramer). To much mids that you can't get rid of and like very heavily compressed. That means the attacs get thinner the louder the amp is (it's hard to describe). The heavy sound is also very clear; too clear! Altough there is much sustain, you'll hear any little mistake.

The Engl R. B. got a lot of differnt settings that change the sound-characteristics. But one thing I didn't like at all. The EQ - potis (Bass, mid, treb, pres) are too weak. Let me say it's a homoopathic feature on this amp. Specially the mid selection does not change anything

This is an update to my earlier review, and i just wanted to add that my rig has changed a little.
First of all I bought another cabinet and - tadah - the amp sounds even better with it. The Standard marshall 4x12" i had before just wasn't a good match for the amp. I tried several cabinets, the one I wanted should be lightweight, cheap and full sounding, not too many highs. I found the Rathamp TW 412, wich weighs only about 33kg, costs under 1000DEM and comes pretty close to the vintage ENGL cabinet. and plus, it is much better built than those marshall cabinets.
Second, I changed my guitars: I still have my SG Special Ltd. Ed., but now equipped with a P498T. Plus I made a real bargain with a SG '90 in best condition. Unfortunately it didn't come with the original PU, and I still search for a suiting PU. This guitar sounds a little bit muddy compared to the SG special, but has more punch. The ENGL can handle either guitar, and shows clearly the sounds of both guitars.
3. I bought a replifex and an ENGL midi footcontroller. I use a Nobels ms-4 midi switcher and now I have the perfect rig. the FX-loop is perfect, the footboard built like a tank, and I can remote control every desired sound.
All in all a great amp, it has four basic sounds, that vary with th guitar used. everything is possible with just one EQ. Damn cool !!

a few months ago the green master high indicator LED broke. I haven't had the time to fix it. But the amp still runs, of course.
I believe it has still its original tubes in it, only one of the preamp tubes had to be changed one time the amp started to have brittling, sizzling sounds now and then. but thats no big deal...

Made in 2000, Germany. It has got two individual channels, wich can be divided into low and high gain settings. So basically a 4-channel... Effectsloop can be serial or parallel. Has a contour switch for soloing. No reverb. The amp is an all tube 100 Watt head and that will definitely do in ANY situation. If not, you should check an eardoctor!!! Has gain-controls on both channels, and a master for each channel. Only prob: there's no EQ for the clean channel, so you'll have to fix that on your guitar or with your FX-unit. I wish it had that, though. And for the price, I think that it should have a Reverb!!! I wish that the amp had a stereo effectsreturn so I could put my Roland VG-88 into it, but what the hell, it's the sound that matters right?!

I play all kinds of music, and I need a good bottom end clean and a VERY tight and high gain distortion. And that's what it does. The clean stays clean a long way up and the distortion nearly gave me a hard-%n!! Nowadays everybody uses either a Marshall or a Mesa, and everybody sounds the same. This amp wil cure you of that, and will give you a very distinct sound. Oh, PA-people will love you because it cuts through perfectly in a live-situation. Not like those f**ked up Marshalls wich they can only put softer or louder (preferably softer :) ) The clean is very "alive" (good for Jazz and melodic chords and strumming) and with the bright switch on you can play funk with it, or some bluesy shit. The lead-channel will lead you from blueswork to rock ala scorpions to really raunchy (death)metal. I play this with a custom shop Ibanez JEM90HAM (THE work of art!!!) with DiMarzio Evolutions, an Ibanez RG7620 7-string with DiMarzio Blaze's and a Yamaha RGX112. This machine wails!!!! And it is VERY, VERY loud (thank God!!!).

It is built like a German tank, with the steel bars on front that give you sight on all of the glowing tubes. Behind the tubes there a red LED's that shine through the tubes wich looks really spectacular. You can't kill this amp. Never had a problem with it. Neither did a friend of mine that has one too. And we play outdoors, indoors, wet, dry, cold, warm, etc... Built to last!!!

Haven't had the need to contact them yet. Only problem is their website is down a lot.

I've been playing for 10 years know, and I've done a lot of tone-searching. My gear: Ibanez JEM90HAM, Ibanez RG7620 7-string, Yamaha RGX112, Jackson JRR94 (randy rhoads prototype!!!), BC Rich Bich, Roland VG-88, Peavey Classic 60/60 Stereo tube poweramp, Marshall 1960A 4x12 Cab and soon the Engl 4x12 with Celestion V30's. I've owned all kinds of shit especially crap Marshalls (with one exception: a beautiful 1970 JMP 50 Watt head that I sold, and I still regret.....). This amp delivers that what I ask. For REALLY clean sounds, for example for acoustic guitars I use the Roland straight into the Peavey poweramp, but for insane but defined distortions, this is the amp to have. Really distinct sound, killer looks, and built to last. You'll fall in love with it, I promise!

Quite a lot, the amp is versatile. It has two gain selectors, one for lead and another one fot low gain sounds.

I don't like this amp at all. The clean channel is good, but the distorsions are shitty. I gave it back to the store where I bought it and got a Peavy 5150. I don't like its distorsions because they sound like.....mmmm, I don't know, kind of false, or fake, it's hard to tell. I just thought it was too much money money for this sounds. I mean, they are not bad, but you''ll feel strange with this distorsions.

I think yo can depend on it. German amps are well bulit, they are hard. The matter us whether oyu like its sound or not.

did not need it.

The same as i wrote above

The amp was built back in 1997 or 1998 and has got two channels, which could be both divided into two gain modes, so you get clean/crunch and low gain/high gain. There are also two switchable independent master volumes, a x-tra volume for the lead channel and gain for each channel (clean / lead). About this it has got a classic eq, with presence available for lead channel only. At the back side you will find a pot for fx level, where the fx loop is in parallel and tube driven.
I use the amp for playing rock styles, variing from clean Rock ballads up to heavy metal sounds, like Metallica. The features are ok to me, but I miss two more gain pots, one for each channel. This time you have to find compromise for use of gain settings.
The power rating (100 watts through four 5881) is ok to me. The amp got punch at the low end and even the low end sounds very clear. The preamp section is realized by four ECC83, one for the fx loop.

I played the amp with a selfmade Stratocaster, full scalloped neck and Seymour Duncans Quarter Pounds on it (in general, a Ritchie Blackmore Strat) and I got what I expected: hard sounding riffs and fattened lead sounds, just at the low gain lead channel. It is Ritchies amp, you guess it.
The distortion could have a bit more of an old Marshall Plexi (rough and dirty), but if you are in heavier tones, it is satisfying your needs. The clean channel is almost clean, so the amp gives very clean sounds at very high volumes and it gives you the possibility to play with power amp distortion instead of preamp distortion. The crunch mode gives a range from real crunchy (like Tom Petty) up to distortion of old master volume Marshall and a bit more.
The sounds bandwidth of the amp is very big. You can play from classic Rock style through British Rock up to heaviest Heavy Metal and shape the sound to fit by turning only the mid pot.

I played the amp for about one year without any breakdowns, without any noise of the amp (no clicks and no craz of the pots or the switches, relays). I never used a backup amp, like I did with my Marshalls. The cover of Engl seems to be more weak than the cover of Marshall (elevant grain), but that's all.
Everything looks like built for heavy use and hard treatment, just for use allday on the road.

I am interested in tube amp circuitry and in oposite of Marshalls, Engl amps are not so popular, maybe they will become much more in the future. I could not find a schem so I ask Engl via email to send me one and got it a couple of days later on.
A friend of mine had question concerning his modded Engl Fast Hand (mod by the Engl engineer themselves) and got answer within one day and a very attractive offer for redesigning the amp to original values (100.- DEM ~ $40).
Catalog orders are very easy and they send all the advertisment stuff along you can think off. I never had a serious problem with the amp, so there was no need to contact the support. Compared to other big manufacturers they have got a 10+ support.

In comparison to Marshalls new models (JCM900 series and newer) the amp sounds more direct, true, so to say. It is what you expect of an alltube amplifier: sound, sound, and sound. No x-tra ordinary features, noone will use and noone will miss, no buttons for bass boost, double bass boost and double double bass boost and so on. Just the things installed you need for a live gig to give your play a comfortable range of sounds for soloing and playing riffs.
I also play some Marshalls (hotrodded) and in comparison to them, I miss less sound while playing the Engl. I am used to take several amps and each ones best characteristics and to be true, most times you find only one good characteristic - this amp got more than one and that counts.
I would by it again, as I would by other Engl products, if I will loose the amp. On the other hand side, I think the amp feels sort of lonesome and needs a little brother like Engls Savage 60...

I guess my amp is one of the early series (maby in 1998), it has black plastic corners (instead of chrome corners now). And it lacks the new multi-access footboard jack.
Features: 4 channels, better: gain stages, 3 band -EQ with presence knob for the two Lead modes and bright switch for clean/crunch. two switchable MV's, parallel FX loop, TRUE alltube design. 100W , 4x 5881, 4x ECC 83
All in all not plenty of features, I don't use the FX loop, although it functions very well, but versatile enough without a messy front panel, very nice looking (http://www.engl-amps.com/engl-amps/gear/pics/e650_big.jpg)
only thing what I'd like to have is a speaker-emulating rec. line out

I play a SG and a Flying V (both with Gibson P490 R/T PU's) and a few stomp boxes before the amp. It's a very modern sounding Amp with its own character. It seems to unite Marshall and Rectifier characteristics in its distortion sounds. Very suitable for the style of music I'm playing (softer melodic new metal x-over with samples&loops, check out www.unlearn.de :-))). Crunch Mode is a bit disharmonic and harsh - thats why I give it a 9. VERY loud, very versatile, inspite of its limited adjustment possibilities. nice, honest Clean Sounds. Distortion sounds are honestly, too, although with tons of sustain.

Had to fix an input jack because I misused my guitar cable's plug as a lever...;-))) I've had it opened - very well-built, although I think it is difficult to disassemble in case of a breakdown e.g. ...

I kicked off a potentiometer, as the amp stood on the floor. No problem: they sent me a new pot - for free !! Although it was my fault !! Plus: I had several questions concerning ENGL amps, cabinets and their specs - the ampdesigner himself answered, always helpful and interested.

I give it a 10, because it delivers first quality tube sounds, suitable for many styles, at a reasonable price. No real minus, well built, killer optic, after 5 years of Marshalls now the Amp that beats all I've heard before. BTW: I've compared it to Trace Elliot Speed Twin, Crate Blue Voodoo, Laney VH100R, Marshall DSL 50, Dual Rectifier: The ENGL was my personal winner of all !!

Based on the Savage-line, but less controlls. Nine knobs: Clean(Gain), Lead (Gain), Bass, Middle, Treble, Lead presence, Lead Volume, Mastervolume A, Mastervolume B. Four switches: Bright, Contour, Hi/Lo Gain, Clean/Lead channel. Input jack, powerswitch, standbyswitch. On the back there is a FX-Loop with balance control (par -> ser, 0-100%), output jacks 2x4, 2x8, 1x16 Ohms, 2x dual footswitch jacks. The Hi/Lo, Clean/Lead, VolA/B and Contour controls are switchable with a optionally footcontroller. This monster is a tube top with 4 channels (well actually it's a 2 channel top with nearly 4 channel flexibility). The preamp works with 3 ECC83 triods, the 100W poweramp with one ECC83 and four 5581 pentods. Pretty cool design, black leathercover with metallic front and the unique ENGL-lattice-front. The knobs are chickenhead shaped. Man, this thing looks like terminator meets vintage (just the design the sound is all but not vintage). Unforunatley the red glow inside the amp (like the Savagemodels have) is only available with the 120W model. But who needs it. The reason I only give a 9 is that you can't switch the FX-loop with the footcontroller. The "Contour" footswitchability is not very useful, a switchable FX-loop makes defenetly more sense. That's why I only give a 9.

Wow, best Amp ever played (except the Mese/Boogie Rectifier). The sound is amazing. In the clean channel you get really clean tone, I mean REALLY CLEAN. Not this Marshall-pseudoclean. With passive pickups the clean tone is stable over the 12 o'clock position, after that is slight crunchy. The Bright-switch is very useful, nomen est omen. Hey the EQ is great, very wide range of sounds, the tone changes very audible when you move this knobs. Even one step more or less produces an new sound. The Contour-switch changes the sound your strat will be a Paula. I don't like it too much, 'caus I don't like the sound of a Paula. But I'm sure blues players will. With the Clean channel + Hi-Gain function you can produce a very crunchy sound. But now the Lead section: it kicks ass. The Gain reserves are incredible, but a bit too noisy for palm muted "chungachunga" sound at the upper levels. Don't turn the knob over 3 o'clock, or you have to scoope the highs. I play most heavy metal, and unsing the Lead channel for lead purposes, for this palm-muted riff sound I use a Korg 104ds. Nevertheless I get all sounds I want out of it. You can easyly produce harmonics, chords are still transparent at high gain settings. It feels good to play this Amp, everything is so smooth, you can't stop once startet. When playing in high gain mode and Lead at 3 o'clock, simply switch to low gain and you have the old school ac/dc like rock sound. The internal EQ-shaping when switching between Hi- and Lo-gain is perfect. Btw, the Lead-Presence knob controlls the amount of treble of the powerampsection in lead-mode. Another tool to set the sound form "ear piercing"-screaming to "in the other room"-damped sound. I give this amp a 10. In my opinion the wide range of sounds outweights the bit noisy ultragain setting. Also this baby has no reverb - but who the hell cares. Ah, my setup is as follows: Ibanez RG507 with EMG-81 Humbuckers, Cry-Baby, Korg 104s Hyper distortion, Engl Blackmore Amp. In the FX-Loop I placed a Rocktron Hush SuperC (not as good as the price). One 4x12 Marshall JMC800Lead cab. Hey, if someone has questions or/and figured out soundsettings from Hammerfall or Blind Guardian, feel free to email me.

It's a ENGL. One could say it's heavy duty quality, but it is. The weight is 19kg. Very solid an durable construction with thik wooden walls, big metal edges, stable grip. The back is closed with a wood plate. Now I have the amp for 6 month but I think it will habe a long live. But you never now, so the rating is only 9. Have you seen the ENGL Cabs ? You need a fork-lift truck to move this things.

never needed them

"This amphead is geared for truly discriminating tone connoisseurs. The power trubes and the different channel's preamp tubes are selected, performance-matched and fine-tuned to ensure smooth, harmonious transition from sparkling clean to ripping hi-gain lead tone. These amp deliver a wide range of killer tone in an exceptionally easy-to-handle package; a sound fanatic dream come true." These are the words of the ENGL-promotion, an it's the very truth. It suits for all kind of music blues, rock, pop, hardrock, heavymetal, etc. Bevore I buyed this baby I testet different amps, thisone beats them all. Marshall is not as good as the reputation, I testet the DSL2000, which is the same price class -at least in germany- forget it. If you want a NAME buy the Marshall, if you want TONE buy the Engl. Ok, Mesa/Boogie sounds little better as the Engl (to me) but its much more expensive. Hughes and Kettner is ok, but the Engl is better. But just go to the music store an test it, take a ENGL, Peavy, or Marshall cab for testing. At least many artists choose ENGL, not for the name - for the tone: Ritchie Blackmore, Blind Guardian, Hammerfall, Rudolf Schenker ... to mention a few. My overall rating is 10, many pluses less minuses - pure sound. This is my best buy ever. If someone stole my this amp ? Well I would really have drillparty in a fintness-center, buy one of of this ENGL 12"Cabs and brake it over the fuckin bastards head. And of course I would buy it again, if I can afford (or maby a Savage Edition Amp, but it's very expensive).