Engl Savage 60 Head

Bought it in 2003, no idea when it was made.
It's pretty versatile, since you can set it up as a 2-channel clean/drive amp, or 2-channel medium crunch/high gain amp.

The footswitch (Z-4, or any 2-button footswitch with a stereo jack) controls channel-switching and Master Hi/Lo switching. The latter is switching between 2 volumes, but the Master lo is a preset 'volume cut', which I find less useful, than when it would have a little trimpot, like on the Engl Screamer.

I like the fact that each channel has its own presence and depth-boost controls. 60W tube-power is more than enough for rehearsals (loud rock/metal band) or stage. With the channel volumes around 6-7, I never had the Master volume above 3 and I only use it with earplugs. ;-)
It has an FX-loop, which can be set dry/wet with a potmeter (100% wet=serial).
Also, note that the Gain of the Clean or "Rhythm" channel influences the Gain of the Drive or "Lead" channel as well. Each channel has its own gain-boost, so there's a huge range of tones.
-1 point for the Master Lo not being controllable.
-0,5 point for no reverb.
-0,5 point for no footswitchable gain-boosts (then the amp would be a sort of '4-channel' amp, like the Ritchie Blackmore sig!

It has quite the signature Engl-sound, which is very defined, even with high gain. Clean is nice, although not with a huge load of character, like Fenders have. It's also less 'spanky' than Fender or Mesa-clean, but nonetheless very useable.
The Clean channel can also become overdriven and this is where it's getting fun! Malcolm Young, eat your heart out! Superb light crunch can be had with the gain-boost on, and gain around 11 o' clock. Push it to 2 o' clock and you're entering JCM800 realms.

The Drive/Lead channel is slightly less 'dry' voiced; a more liquid/creamy tone, which I like. But the Clean channel, when pushed hard with the gain boost AND the gain control high, cuts better thru the mix.
It has enough distortion on the Lead channel for late 80's/90's thrash-metal, ?? la Dark Angel and Testament.

I'm using it mainly with a Les Paul Custom with GFS humbuckers as well as 2 other guitars, an Ibanez S540 with DiMarzio's (Air Norton, FS-1, Evo) and a Cort Viva Gold (similar S-styled body) with Duncans (Jazz, SSL-2 Vintage Flat although I'll replace that with an SSL-6 Custom Flat, and a JB Trembucker).
It suits my style perfectly, although with a 2x12" cab, it could use a little more low-end, but I'm not totally sure whether it's the amp or the cab. I've tried the head once on a London City 4x12" cab with Greenbacks and that was a tone to die for. My bandmates were asking me "what's with the stupid grin?" during rehearsals. "Oh nothing. Just enjoying my godly tone!" ;-D

It can get noisy a bit, but with the levels of gain & volume I'm playing then, it's to be expected. Not more noise than other similar tube amps.
-1 point for lacking a bit of range on the EQ.

Oh, I tried it once on a 1x15" bass cab. I had the depth-boost off on the Lead channel; I switched it on and the drummer was overpowered completely. I guess the depth-boost takes place around 50-75Hz then, because the effect is not as massive with 12" speakers.

Been gigging with it for 4 years in various bands and never failed me. I recently noticed the sound was getting a bit thinner, but I had never replaced the power tubes yet, so that fixed it.
I've never brought a back-up amp to gigs either. I might in the future, as I foresee more gigs with a new band.

I've mailed them a few times, but only half the times I got a reply.

Been playing for over 14 years, own a few nice guitars, a shitload of effects, but for collection purposes mostly.
I play lots of 70's/80's rock/heavy metal and some speed/thrash-metal too.
If it were stolen (I'd ...[insert tough guy-remark here]), I would probably check Ebay for a 2nd handed one in Germany, or get a different Engl amp.

I love the tone, the fact that it has more tone-shaping options than other 'spartan' amps and the cool looks with the iron bars. ;-)
I don't like the fact that the Master Lo (or VLS) is not variable, and to a lesser extent, that the gain boosts on each channel isn't footswitch-controllable.
I can live easily with the shared EQ (as each channel has its own Presence and Depth Boost anyway, and the Clean Channel has an extra Bright-switch), I can get by with the lack of reverb, but it sure would make it an even more interesting amp.
It gets a 9 for tone and pure coolness, but if it had reverb and 4 switchable channels like the Screamer or Blackmore, a variable VLS (2nd Master), it would be the close to being the ultimate 'small' amp.
But then again, I do feel that Engl's current flagship the S.E. *is* the ultimate amp in terms of tone-meets-versatileness (is that a word?)

Don't know when this amp was made . i've got it from ebay germany . i've played many amps bevore . the guy's of my band call me the seeker . i've got a JCM 600 a JCM 800 combo a JCM 900 superlead Top a PEAVEY Classic 50 and a JCM 2000 TSL 601 . that where all good Amplifiers but the ENGL Savage is the best amp i've ever played .
You can see the features of this amp at the reviews below . I mostly play Punk or Hardcore stuff . IF You need just a Clean-chanel and a very good distorted sound ,this is the amp you searching for . not the american mesa or the british marshall , just good german solid made walls of sound. I give a ) because I know that ther'e 4-chanel-amps outhere that's more versatile , but for me is it top .

I Play a Gibson Classic Les Paul and a Schecter 006 Blackjack .
for Punk and HC it's a very good amp , but i think this amp can fit much other styles . this amp isn't very noisy , but you better try to stay not to close . the clean is very loud and non distorted if you push the clean-boost you get a very good crhunch-sound . Distortion-chanel is very versatile you can make your ears bleeding with the treble or your'bones shakin'with the bass and everything between .this is not a marshall where you turn the knobs and nothing's happen . every single knob shapes the sound, and that was what i found amazing.

Build like Ford Knox ! Never need a backup.

Here in germany it's realy good . theyr'e answered all my questions in about a day . very good !!!

just the fucking best amp i've ever played .

Got this amp from Germany of ebay.de, for a good price. I allready had an Engl rack but loved the Savage series.


I've owned it for about half a year now,
This amp has a bunch of optoins to shape the sound, theres a few things I dislike about it though, the is having a shared gain knob. I like high gain distortion, but on cleans, the high gain messes up the nice tubey cleans you can get with this amp.

another minus is the shared eq...

The rest of the options are great, is has leds for when the fuses come out, a nice eq with a high-end supressor, seperate volumes for clean/distortion, deep switch, bright switch. Enough to get you a KILLER distortion.

with 60 watts of EL34 power you wouldn't expect it to be seriously loud, well... it is. I use this amp for band practise in a 5 man band, our other guitarist recently bought a Engl Ritchie Blackmore signature and the overall tone of the band is absolutely great now.

One thing i'de like to see changed on this top is having a standy switch on it. Mine is one of the old versions without the standby switch, I've heard the newer ones did have it, but the Savage 60 has been out of production for ages (must be really hard to find in the USA....)

I'de rate this a 10 if it came with seperate eq/s and gain knobs. I think it could use some more options, but the way you can tweak it is still great, an eight in this category

Sounds... damn, well if you have EVER tried an Engl amp before you know where it's at... the high-gain channel!

I play metal/hardcore/metalcore most of the time and this is just the amp for it, reason why a lot of metalcore bands use Engl amps (Caliban, heaven shall burn, etc..) It fits my music style perfectly.

The distortion is brutal as hell... like I said before, it's KILLER, you can dail in any kind of distortion you want, the prescence knob is a nice helper too if you want to instantly change your tone. it can get way more brutal then a cranked JCM900 or even the new JCM2000's. I've compared my top to a lot of other amps, like the bogner uberschall, vht pitbull, recto's, all JCM tops, peavey 5150's... you name it, this is just the distortion I want.

the clean channel is good at high volumes too, but then again, there comes the shared eq and gain knob again... just messes up the idea for me. the sounds you can get from this amp are a definte 10 though, I'de recommend anyone into metal to try one before buying a 5150 or JCM.

Reliability hmm.. it's german, didn't ever break down during band practise and gigs, casing is really solid, it's pretty heavy for a small top but it's quality build, like all Engl amps (it's not my only one..)

I would gig with it without a backup (in fact, I did.)

Engl has a nice website with manuals, even of the old types (and of this savage 60 too.)

the service here is great, but in america it would probably suck because they're german ;)

they've been great for me though, they kindly showed me the link to the manuals and answered all my questions.

I've been playing for a bunch of years, since I was a kid, I own another Engl 620 rack preamp and I'm planning on buying the new powerball this month (I'll have a review up on that aswell sometime soon)

I play an Ibanez RG750 with tone zone's and guitars with EMG's, I compared this amp to many other high gain amps and I just loved this. Even more then the fireball because it has more options to shape the distortion. Great little top, and plenty loud too.

If it were stolen or lost... damn, I don't ever keep my eyes of it to be honest, but if it would be stolen I would probably buy its bigger brother, the savage 120, because of the extra eq options per channel and the extra wattage.

if you have any questions about this amp or other Engl amps, feel free to contact me, I've played 90% of their models.

60 W all-tube w/ 4 12ax7 and 2 EL34. Bought this amp in 2000 when it was about to get discontinued so I got it for rather cheap, but I don't remember the exact sum of money.
As the other reviews have already mentioned: Two channels with boostable gain, so you get four different sounds. Shared EQ, but enough pushbuttons controls to tailor each channel to need. The hi range supressor thingy offers a surprising variety of sounds from smooth to hard (or even harsh). Usable freqency-corrected line out, though I tend to mic my amp if necessary. Can't comment on the quality of the fx loop because I never use it. The earlier models didn't have a standby switch, which is a bummer of course. A nice feature is the emergency circuit which ensures that the amp continues to run on half power when a single power tube fails.
It has most of the features that I need in an amp, though I wish the boost feature for each of the two channels could be operated by footswitch. (But then again, I hate doing the step dance on stage.) And I wish it had a pot to bias the powertubes.

My main axe is a heavily modded Tokai lawsuit love rock junior w/ a single emg 81. Other guitars: a Gibson Studio with Duncans and a Hamer Eclipse w/ Duncan mini hums. I play this amp through a Mesa Recto 4/12 cab.
I play in a punkska band (think Suicide Machines , Operation Ivy/Rancid etc.) and help out regularly in a Cajun / Zydeco / alternative country band (with a reverb box slammed in front). This amp is very versatile and indeed great for all the styles I play (even though the country dudes always sneer at the heavy metal looks of my setup. Oh well.)
The overall style of the amp is that of a hotrodded Marshall, but with a very own character, too.
The clean is way better than the cleans of all the Marshalls I have owned or played on. Not a Fender clean, of course, but enough headroom to do the ska thing with emg81s without the slightest breakup, for example. Nice chicken-picking is possible, too, and I also like to play the surf guitar on it. Quite surprising for an amp with EL34s.
The boosted clean ranges from a slight crunch into old school hard rock territory. Very ballsy, very articulate. Stunnig.
Lead channel (non-boosted): This is the channel/voicing I use the least, mainly because the boosted lead is so great, and I can't be bothered to push the pushbutton. Maybe not enough bass response. Don't get me wrong - it is nice, just not my cup of tea.
Boosted Lead: Everything from AC/DC to the heaviest heavy metal. Noisy, but not overly so (and not at all with the emg pup). More gain than I 'll ever need. It is not a new-metal amp though (you should get a Recto or an Engl Powerball if you are into scooped mids), it defenitely has a 80ies/early 90ies appeal to it. Wonderful for rhythm and lead. Cuts through the mix easily. A guy from a supportband even managed to nail the Soldano sound with my rig, but maybe that was due to his guitar or to the way he played.
This amp has so many sweet spots that I have to give it a 10. I don't do that normally.
BTW: I absolutely disagree with the guy who claims that you need Engl tubes for this amp. I currently run it on EH 12ax7 and EH EL34s and think they sound better then the factory setup.

I practice two or three times a week and gig regularly with my amp - no probs in the 3 1/2 years that I own it. Though I wouldn't gig without a backup guitar I can't be arsed to carry a second amp with me. No need for it.

Never had to deal with them so far, so I can't comment on it. Good manual though.

I've been playing for twenty years or so. I have owned / or played extensively on (in the studio that is) Marshalls, Boogies, Oranges, Hughes and Kettners and Fenders. Still have a JCM 800 sitting in my practice room, but it never gets used. I'm a gearhead like most of us guitarists, but this is a keeper -- I haven't had the urge to buy a new amp ever since I came across this little baby. I is an important part of my sound (and, sad to say, of my life). I love it.
If it were stolen I'd try to get another one. They are probably rather cheap at the moment because everybody is buying new metal amps nowadays.

everything s written above
2 channels + boostable + presence
1 EQ
...
-1:footswitch don t switch the boosts
-1:1 EQ

excellent everywhere
clean: beautiful delicious
crunch: same
lo lead: same
hi lead: same

never played another amp that had this sound, if you play rock and metal you will LOVE it.
you have to try cause he got a real typical personnality that I love, no comparison to any other amp I play (and I had a Mesa dual rect...so)
for its price it s a bargain

it s ENGL it s made in germany no problem with it, it looks solid

did not have any support

the perfect amp for me, I would rebuy it if it were stolen cause i need this sound so much

its personnality is strong and I prefer it to the screamer and the powerball that I tried before buying it!

see http://www.engl-amps.com

The Features can not be compared to a savage 120 ... but they are enough for the music the amp was designed for -> Rock 'n Roll

I use Strats and Les Pauls with Seymour Duncan JB, PAF, Distortion. My Style is everything in between Rock - from Blues to Nu.

I use the Savage as Poweramp and Head in combination with a Engl 530 and a 620 Preamp. With this Lineup i can do every Sound I like. The Head allone sounds very aggressive with a lot og punch. I use the 2X12 Vintage Cab from Engl - yes, all engl :-)

If you use only the Head, I'm sure you get in trouble if you would like to get two really good sounds with it's eq. Good Clean, good Crunch, good Lead but not two on a time. I did some modifications to switch the boost funktions by footswitch - then you can get a real Setup for 2 or more good sounds.

It is my only and the only one! Never broke down in 5 Years and I've played it on a lot of gigs. Yes, this little thing is real "made in germany!"

Absolutely Perfect! You get everything from engl! Just write a mail or call them - no problem. A special thanks to Bernd Aufermann - he helped me a lot with my sounds (you remember the washburn with the twaengy OBL L500....)

I play for (oh shit) over 25 years
If it would be stolen - I would catch the thief and ......
I love the Outfit (special made - snakeskin in red)
I hate the weight!

It have just one shared eq ..but you can see this before buying, that it?s kind of amp that are many with the same eq solution ..so mark is mark of one shared eq amp. Have nice features like double volume + master, sth. like double 2 levels gain ..but could have ?real? two gains. Fx loop have potentiometer (dry ? effect) ..and great is line out with 4x12 cab simulation (cannon input) ..i like it veeery much ..i?ve never use H&K RedBox ..but it?s better than box simulation in SansAmp GT2 that I had (but clean I prefer fender GT2 settings ..that I used on JC120 ..but this is clean sound first league). But one big minus ..there is no standby!!! ..it?s wired ..I?ve heard about Engl protect tube system ..but it only helps when tube is broken (you can use half power than, and led shows that sth. smashed) ..i was looking for sth. like savage 120 ..but not 120 ..and savage 60 seems great ..but I didn?t check one thing ..and I?m so shame (I bought it at eBay) ..power tubes ..here are EL34 ..in savage 120 are 2-6550's ..that?s are 6L6 clones ..so s60 have more ?British? sound ..but I didn?t play s120 ..so I don?t really know how big ..and even if is.. difference. There is no reverb ..but let say that it?s the same thing like with shared eq ..you know it before buying too ..so 8 is ?3 because of no standby and no footswitch ?and +1 of lineout & fx loop ..for me that amp with standby and 6L6GC or 5881 could be ?THAT? amp ..and maybe with tube driven spring reverb :)
Rest you can check here:
http://www.engl-amps.com/engl-amps/ (E630-om.pdf file)

My rig is:
Gibson SG all American I (500T super ceramic pickup) -> Dunlop Jimi Hendrix JH-1 -> Electro Harmonix Small Stone -> Engl savage 60 ^ BBE Sonic Maximizer 422A in loop ^ Marshall 1922 2x12? 150W cab.
I wondered what to buy ..I had choice between Mesa/Boogie ..cal50+, Peavey 5150 and this beauty ..and maybe Marshall JCM800 and H&K Tube 100 ..but I forget about them quickly.
I play Soulfly/Mudvayne like band with Polish folk figures ..it?s ..hmm maybe perfect (I have it with cab first day ..but I?m so excited ..so must write ;))
?few days later
I decided not to send review until I roll and roll all knobs so

Rhythm/Clean channel:
Hmm ..you know ..i?d used JC120 before ..so it?s not so good, but I must say true that in JC120 I?d always use built in stereo chorus for clean sounds ..so maybe I?m not so justice. Clean I nice ..but not fenderish for me ..here you can hear that 6L6 tubes could help and make sound warmer ..and maybe little muddier ..but especially in clean settings I like it. ..when I was buying that 1922 marshall cab ..I check s60 with Roctron voodoo ..so clean works excellent ..but using just s60 power amp ..so maybe EL34 are fine too.

Lead channel:
Yeah! ..brutal distortion ..maybe it never will sound like dual recto (mean type of sound not quality) ..but it?s not bad side, it has own sound ..not muddy like Mesa DR ..but there is nice bottom end ..so if you like Mesa bottom end ..and don?t like mud ..you have what you want and can safe 1000$. Truly ..it?s not amp that beat all others in the world ..but it rocks. Here is in hi range sandy distortion (I don?t like), but I think it?s because of marshall cab.
After 3 hour of seating and rolling I find sounds I like ?and don?t expect and surely will find more. With BBE maximizer it kick ass, without is little more subtle but very natural that I like. And I find some ?growl? distortion I looking for, first I have problems with finding it ?but I find, maybe it?s not that from my dreams ?but I like it so much.
And dynamics ?I feel that it can play what I think before my fingers get that info, I don?t need to ?fight? with guitar to achieve dynamics in sound.

Before buing I?ve heard some that it?s little delicate ..but it?s no true ..it?s very solid, I like smooth of knobs rolling ..and ?it?s most beautiful amp I?ve ever seen ..only savage 120 is more beauty ..but it depends on taste
No backup with this.

I?d asked some Engl service before buying it about savage and thunder sound ..i couldn?t check here s60 ..because is out of production ..and I don?t know people whose have it here ?they didn?t answered me :( ..next I asked about changing tubes for 6L6 and fit in standby ?they didn?t answered me too

I always was afraid about EL34 amps ?British? sound ..but here it works great (Bogner use EL34 too ?so German engineers knows how makes it sound fat) ..and ..if you wonder what choose ..think that Engl (and especially savage line) you could compare (and maybe Engl not always wins) with Mesa/Boogie, Peavey 5150 ..but with Bogner, Diezel and others exclusive marks too. So for that price you can only make mistake not buying this (if you wont fat, hi-gain brutal distortion, and nice clean)
So if it were stolen ..i would surely buy another one (or Engl Fireball) ..hope that maybe could afford for savage 120

For controls and feature list see other post(s).

I play mainly HardRock/Metal style music. This Amp suits perfectly if you only need 2 Channles. The A/B Master Volume Boost is good for Solos but the boost could be a little more (louder and more presence).

One Word: ENGL! The sound is awesome for the style I play. Not muddy, very clear. You can get descent tone out of it at low volume levels too. But for Poweramp distortion you need to crank up the lead volume - but that will be _very_ loud. I use a Ruby Silencer with in the practice room and Master is at 1 o'clock. Lead volume at 2 o clock and it's still damned loud. You can get almost every sound out of it via the different shaping buttons and the EQ. But you can only recall 2 sounds by footswitch (at 2 differnt master volumes, normal and a fixed stepped up boost). That's kinda limiting on stage if you want to reacall different sounds for differnt songs. However I give the Sound a 10 because that's what comes out of it at a time. I use ist with standard engl 4x12 cab (Cel. V60) with Jackson Kellys USA (SD Pickups) and Japan (EMG 81s). This one sounds better with the SD Pickups whereas the Engl Blackmore sounds slight better with the EMGs, imho. I think you'll hardly find an all tube amp for this price that compares to the ENGL.

BE AWARE: Only use ENGL Selected Tubes. They are matched exactly for the amp and sound best. I tried different brands and quality levels (from cheap Sovtek to expensive Ruby) the ENGL ones turned out to sound best with this amp.

Never hand any problems. I would never gig without a backup. But that does not depend on the amp manufacturer. Tubes can always blow suddenly. It never broken it's built like a rock. Heavy duty quality.

Erich Koch is the distributor, even phoned with an amp tech one day. Both were very friendly and helpful. Emails are answerd quickly and professional. Very kind.

I've been playing for 5 years now and I owned a Engl Blackmore Signature before, but sold it (i'll never forgive me this). If it would be stolen I'd not buy this model again unless I'd get if for a very hot price. Howevever I'd buy the next bigger model the Savage 120 or the 530 Preamp + Poweramp because of the limitation that you can recall only 2 sound settings at a time.

-pre -amp gain (sensitivity control)
-lead channel gain
-b/m/t
-hi-range supressor (goes together with treble)

-each channel seperate volume
-master volume
-each channel prescence

more options:
-prescence depth boost on both channels
-rhythm and lead boost
-bright switch

ok here we go, I play 'emo' rock music, like, to name a few, Hot Rod Circuit, Hot Water Music, Thursday, Hey Mercedes and Farside, but also heavier stuff like Strike Anywere.
I also own a Mesa Single Rectifier 50 Solo head, but after I heard the ENGL distortion I was amazed how much transparancy and clearness this amp has....
To start with the lead channel:
To my taste the distortion is much better than the Mesa, but that is just taste,..... can get from very 'bluesy' to very 'nasty' (metal-like) but it never gets 'muddy', far more personel than a Mesa, this amp has a more transparant sound compared to the Mesa, which is a little 'muddy' (I don't say it's bad, cause it actually is really good, perhaps too perfect, but it's just a matter of taste), even with less gain....

Clean channel:
It's not a Mesa, on this point I agree, the Mesa is just better, more clear, transparent, but then again; NOTHING!!! beats a Mesa on this point.....but I'm comparing two amps here with a big difference in price, so, but ......we're discussing the ENGL here, lots of headroom and clearness, bright with the bright button on, you can get very 'jazzy', soft, dark, thick, to very 'funky' clean, thin, bla,bla.....
It's good, very good.....but not a Mesa. The Mesa would be a 10, I'll rate this amp 9

no idea, I just got it...

1 year warranty, but i don't think i'll need it, it looks solid.

I own a Marshall 4x12 1960 A cabinet, a Gibson Standard SG and a Fender Strat, I played the Mesa for about a two years, and it's still a great amp but very expensive, the ENGL costed half of the Mesa's price and sounds almost as good (distorted it does sound better)
So, better value for the money.......check it out !!!!
If it were stolen I would buy another one, something I can't do with the Mesa because of its price.