Framus Cobra Top Head

3 channels,clean(fender),crunch and lead.midi interface built in,an fx loop that works!2nd naster volume(i will be heard!)4 el34(eh)=100w output also bass boost in the power amp control.external bias adjustment.

although the clean sounds as good as anything else,i would say the amp is leaning more toward the heavy end of the market.very clear but heavy distortion,you wont need a pedal just plug straight in!

i have only had it for a few weeks but all seems ok!

not a lot of info on the website but the us dealer emailed me the schematics when i asked for them!

been a boogie man for the last 15 years(dual recto)but think youll see them on ebay now!also got the cobra cab with the greenbacks in did an a/b with the recto cab.the recto cab has more low bass and the top can be a little harsh.the greenbacks (which i thought i would hate)i actually prefer.they dont have the low bass of the v30 but have more mid range punch.after all isnt the bass frequencies for the bass player!

2006, 3 channel midi, etc

To start, i am a metalhead, i use this for metal

I am not one for doin reviews, ive played for 10 years, owned tons of stuff. this head, is THEE most quality sounding thing i've ever heard in my life. It made me want to do a review.

I've owned triple rect, 5150, 5150II, marshall jcm's, tsl's, line 6, and VHT heads.

This head kills them all. my other guitarist owns a triple rect, i blow it away at practice.

I use a caparison with EMG81's, and a mesa traditional cab with this head. Replaced the power tubes with JJ E34L's and the preamp with 3 hand selected JJ's graded for gain, 1 balanced for phase inverter, and 1 regular 12ax17.

you do need a noise supressor.

The clean is beautiful. kills the rectifier

I dont use crunch at all

The lead, is amazing, SO CLEAR. You can literally hear EVERYTHING. It's literally impossible to explain how unique sounding the distortion is. i love the deep knob feature, its just like the resonance knob on the 5150 but better.

The mid knob does add ALOT of bass

I have the mid at 11 o'clock and the bass at about 9 o clock.

no problems YET..

N/A

If it was stolen i'd but it again

I want to buy another one just to have 2

I love how unique it sounds

Its uncomparble

This is a 2006 Framus Cobra Head, 3 Chanells, Midi controllable - this is outlined in detail in previous reviews so Ill leave it at that.

Ive had this amp for around 3 months now, rehearsing on a weekly basis so I think I have a good feel for the amp. I absolutely love this amp.
Clean Channel - Its true that the Cobra has a superb clean channel and its easily as good if not better than ANY high gain head available. Very lush and warm, but can be sparkly and chimey with the bright switch engaged.

Crunch Channel - This channel is absolutley brilliant! The voicing of this channel is so good - incredibly tight and articulate with a real midrange growl. Some liken it to a hotrodded Marshal sound, but it really is a darker tone to a Marshall, there really isnt any amp Ive heard that sounds like this channel - it just sounds awesome! I normally run this channel with the gain maxed out. At first I felt it lacked a touch of saturation, but its just the articulation of the voicing - their is plenty of gain. This Channel is simply stunning for heavy riffing, pure molten metal heaven!

Lead Channel - This channel has significantly more gain, is much smoother with more sag and a mesa like liquidy voicing - in other words is great for single note playing. One of the things I love about this amp is that the two gain channels (Crunch and lead) are actually voiced a little differently - not like a rectifier where you essentially have two cloned channels - here you have two distictly different channels to utilise. I just love the fat creamy tone this channel has for lead playing - sounds great with metal shredding! This channel is also great for rythms if you need something with more bottom end sag and saturation.

The stock EH preamp tubes in the Cobra give the gain channels quite a lot of top end fizz. I heard many people recomment Chinese 9th generation 12AX7's for the gain stages and I tried them in mine and it made such a difference! The fizz completely goes and it gives the crunch channel a little more gain and warmth - I highly recommend this tube swap!!!

This amp really is a metal amp. I play metal exclusively with it and I personally donth think their is anything better. However, if you play rock or pop it may not be ideal. You can get decent lower gain sounds but it doesnt really excell in this area, and its not made to.

Ive never had any problems with mine - but I treat it like gold! I think it feels pretty sturdy and well made.

I havent really had anything to do with them yet.

Ive been playing for 17 years. I use a Kramer Sustainer, Schecter Hellraiser 7 String, '73 American Strat (not really through the cobra), Maton Acoustic, Fender Twin Reverb, TC G Major effects. If it was stolen I would definately get another one. I tried all the high gain heads I could before buying the Cobra - Mesa Boogie, ENGL, Marshall, Krank, Hughes & Kettner, Sherlock Fathead etc. I really thought the Cobra killed all of them!!

Everything you really need. 3 seperate channels (clean, crunch and lead), master volume, effects loop, 100 watts, EL 34 tubes. For the Nu Metal freaks it also offers a notch switch (sounds really brutal) and depth punch.
I play the depth punch on 4 out of 10 and the seperate base of the different channels is only turned up to 5 or 6. In this setting the punch is already unbbelievable. If I would put more depth punch in, our bassist would hate me...
The only thing it is missing (compared to the only comparable amp in this price category, the Engl Powerball) is a noise gate. But this is a very unusual feature. Therefore, compared to other amps of that price category: 9

Now to the Cobra in detail (only tested with the Framus Cobra Box-Greenback 25 speakers):

The clean channel has a perfect sharp and direct sound that you know from many metal bands like In Flames, Limp Bizkit, Pantera...but, if you turn up the distortion a little bit you can also play some nice bluesy stuff (sounds best over your neck humbuckers). Combined with a delay or chorus the clean channel sounds unbelivably good. I haven't heard any other amp before that has a better clean sound than the Cobra.

The crunch channel: From Brit Rock, over Punk to 80's rock, everything sound great with that channel. Very Marshal-like, but with its own character and very variable.

The lead channel: I loovvve this channel. It is so brutal! Hitting harmonics is a pleasure! With some depth punch (believe me 5: out of 10 already kicks ass),distortion turned up (I only turn it up half, although I play in a thrash metal/hardcore band!) and a lot of presence, it sounds unbelievable!
It feels like someone would beat the sh.. out of something with a baseball bat. Only brutal! I play it without the notch switch, because it sounds more raw and original (like Slayer or Lamb of God...but with more punch). The notch switch gives it a more modern sound...more like the Engl Powerball, but screams a little bit more than the Powerball. It has still a little bit of that old school touch.

In my band, our second guitarist plays a Engl Powerball, so I can compare them all the time. Both amps sound great. I could not name my favourity. The Engl Powerball is a little bit more punchy, dry and modern sounding, the Framus Cobra a little more raw and is more sensitive. So: The amp does not makes a bad guitar player sound like a pro. But it definitely makes a good guitar player sound better. You can hear every nuance. It could experiment forever with different techniques and sounds with that amp!

I play it since 4 month. No problems so far. It looks very solid.

I don't know, but I should not be bad, because Framus belongs to Warwick since some time.

I love this amp. I don't miss anything. Looks great (at least 10 red lights inside), sounds great (all channels) and is definitely worth the money and better than many other amps on that price category.
I haven't checked out the Mesa Dual Rectifier so far (it is soo expensive, but many call it THE metal amp), but I read in a test in the Soundcheck magazine, that the Framus Cobra has the same sound quality as the Mesa at a lower price (and I think it looks a lot more evil with the red lights).

Everything you really need. 3 seperate channels (clean, crunch and lead), master volume, effects loop, 100 watts, EL 34 tubes. For the Nu Metal freaks it also offers a notch switch (sounds really brutal) and depth punch.
I play the depth punch on 4 out of 10 and the seperate base of the different channels is only turned up to 5 or 6. In this setting the punch is already unbbelievable. If I would put more depth punch in, our bassist would hate me...
The only thing it is missing (compared to the only comparable amp in this price category, the Engl Powerball) is a noise gate. But this is a very unusual feature. Therefore, compared to other amps of that price category: 9

2005 Framus Cobra Head. The highlights are 3 channels with independent bass, middle, treble, presence, gain and volume controls along with mid scoop switch on the 2 dirty channels and a bright switch on the clean.
Effects loop works well with most of my gear but when you crank the both volume knobs, stomp boxes dont always work well. Excellent build quality and switches. Uses 4 EL34s and 5 12AX7s @ 100 watts.

Stand out qualities are its definition and extended frequency capability. It has more bass, highs and mids than any other head I have ever tried. The clean is almost as good as a Marshall bluesbreaker or Fender. Very tight, clean and articulate but just not as warm as the others but maybe the best clean on any 3 channel amp. The crunch channel is similar to the lead channel except the lead channel has more bass and distortion. They are very versatile channels due to the eq ranges and mid scoop switches which dramatically changes the tone of the channel when engaged. The only criticism is that the tone wasnt as warm as some other amps like my Triamp MKI or JCM 800. I guess the active eq contributes to that but the amp is still a favorite of mine because of its aggresive tones which are remind me of a Soldano and Rectifier.

Too early to judge but it looks to be better made than most other heads. The build quality looks excellent to me but I am not a tech.

Tried contacting them once before through email but got no response. Who knows if they received the email.

Overall I enjoy playing the Cobra because it offers a different tonal palate. The distortion is tight and defined which may make it sound a bit cold the first time you play it but the sound is certainly unique. The Triamp has more sag and is warmer. The JCM 800 is a perfect balance to all the frequencies without being overweight in one category. As far as which has more gain, the Cobra (lead ch only), Triamp, and then the JCM 800. The voicings are different with the Cobra being the thickest followed by the Triamp then the JCM 800. Which one is best, I like them all and play them regularly. One tip is to use celestion speakers. They are the best for hard rock/metal. Again I have a variety of them that I switch into my cabs.

this is a tube amp... very high gain tube amp. i use jj tubes 12 AX 7's in the preamp and JJE34L ( EL34) in the power amp. has a midi interface which is sweet if i ever needed to use it. can be ran 4 8 16 OHM. 2 speaker jacks... fx loop. the coolest thing is the red LED lights that light up with you turn it on. but each channel has : gain; presence; volume; low; mid; high... but the best one is the deep knob... that gives you bass from the power tubes which is freaking awsome... i have it half way up and by bass knob on my crunch and lead channels at 3 o clock and this thing shacks the room. i actually cant put my head on my cab because with that mesa boogie oversized cab... it rattles my head and it came halfway off my cab the other day and i bout had a heart attack when i turned back and realized... so i have it setting off to the side on my rack unit... scared me at first... but then i was just down right impressed... ive never had an amp push so much bass ( not muddy bass tight bass) and rattle itself off the cab... unreal... just as much bass as there is gain on this amp...

I use Jackson guitars both with emg 81's and i dont use the neck pickup. this head runs through a mesa boogie oversized cab with Vintage 30's... (this cab has balls). i have a dbx compressor, rocktron hush super C noise gate (must have with a high gain head) and a dbx dual 31 band eq. i play metal as i just said and this amp is beautiful. most amps have plain ol distortion ... but this amps got amazing distortion... clean distortion if that makes any sense at all. it doesnt break up and get fizzy it just delivers tone. i see where the bad reviews are coming from..i got this amp out of the box and it was weak sounding... but i had expected that it would be... so i had my service tech retube it with JJ 12AX 7 and JJ E34L in the power. he bias'd it waaay up to run red hot with these E34L's (EL34) i think he said he got it running up to almost 50 Ma. he said at 32 Ma on the scope it was still running really cold and he bumped it up and got rid of the nos dist. i played on it at practice the night before i took it to my tech and when i got it back the next day... it was like night and day... this amp just came to life... i am soo pleased with the sound now... the bottom end is just so crunchy... you can dial in soo much bass on this amp and its never too much or muddy... you get warm thick tones all throughout your guitars fret board. i like the sounds of killswitch engage which they use these amps which is the reason i even looked into them and man its the best ive ever sounded.... i tried out all kinds of marshalls (in store) i own a peavey 5150 ( gunna get sold soon!) and have owned tons of mesa boogie's.. mark IV (which is excellent but not enough distortion for me) dual triple recto's ... even the road king didnt have the tightness in sound this does... mesa's are nerd amps... too much going on in the chassis, its too intricate in design... the more stuff you have in it the more there is to go wrong. but with the framus its a simpler design..i cant get over the tone on this amp... i blows my mind ... im soo looking forward to studio time next week... this amp has so much presence...you hear everything that you play with ease... mistakes come out front as well ... so this isnt for a beginner guitarist this for someone serious about playing.but hearing mistakes while your playing makes you a much better player in the long run. all in all... i would never think twice about getting another cobra... hell i might just buy another one just for shits and giggles....

well nothings gone wrong on me... but when i was having it retubed and bias'd ... my tech called me and said there was something wrong and the the pront panel displays were locked up and the amp blew 2 fuses and wasnt working... i was like WTF!! but then as he was on the phone he tried it again and it was fine... i called framus and they said it could be a loose power tube socket... but ive played on it since and no problems...

framus took me a few calls to get to talk to somone but once i did they helped me out as best as they could...

this is the best piece of gear ive botten so far ...this amp is wroth ever pennie... all the bad reviews on here are because the owners tech needs to hot rod this amp up a bit and wake its ass up... all you bad reviewers out there... take you amp and have it bias'd correctly... you'll hear the difference... i promise

My cobra is built in 2005 and has the external measure points for bias,it has 3 indipendent channels with parallel effect loop that affect all the channels, midi ( I love this feature ), deep controll that put the low in the power amp.
The clan channel have the bright switch and the 2 dirty channel have the notch switch. ( if the notch is angaged, you get a mid scooped sound ).
The cobra came with stock Electro harmonics power tubes ( 4 el34 ) and 5 preamp tubes.
The cobra have all the features that I need

I use all Jackson guitars tuned in low B with emg active pickups, and I play death-trash, and I Think that this amp is made for this type of music.
The clean channel is beatiful, and is very clean!!! I like it when I play Opeth style clean parts.
The crunch channel is perfect to play fuckin metal, and I enjoy this channel without bost it. The lead is full of gain and is very clear when i play my solos.
I rebiased the head at 30mA becouse tha cobra came with a little cold bias ( 24-25mA) , with the exernal trim and measure points to adjust the bias ia not a pain.
For my personal taste the cobra have a brutal distortion, but with a lot of definition, and is perfect to low tunned stuff.
The crunch channel with the propper settings and with the notch switch of have a very full tone.
Actually I play the cobra with a standard 4X12 marshall with gt 75, I think to replace it with a mesa std recto cab or a framus dragon 4x12 cab.

I have no problem with my cobra, is built like a tank

I e-mailed at the tecnical support for ifos about bias, and I have all the support that I need.

2005 model - i use this amp in an ambient metal band - ok features - except that you cant control the effects loop from a footswitch - that pisses me off.

i use a shecter c-1 elite with seymour duncan invader pickups - its loud - but it sounds horrible. i dont see how anyone could enjoy this amp with its characterisic hiss in its tone. too much presence and not enough mids, at all. the clean is an ok channel but i still prefer fender or peavey clean. i own a hot rodded peavey xxx as well (EL34 svetlana tubes instead of the stock 6L6) that blows this thing out of the water as far as a live sound that cuts. its got mad distortion and presence and waaaayyy to much low end for a good live sound. the best way to get around this is by taking all of the bass out of the power amps and using the amount needed through the pre amp.

shit - this thing is like a piece of glass. its gone out on me plenty of times, and believe me, after paying 2,300 on it - i took DAMN good care of this amp - custom case and all.

good luck getting it fixed, or finding an authorized repairman near you.

ive had it for a year. i dont like a single thing about this amp besides its punch. i figured this site needed a bad review of this amp. i prefer the ENGL SE or the DIEZEL VH4 over this amp by far. if you want this amp and have never played it in person - dont get it. i call it my 2000 dollar mistake.

Had this amp for a year or so. I would never use this amp for other styles then metal, couse that is what it's made for. And remember to re-bias the amp. My amp had 17 ma and now it's 27 ma...much better sound.

I have been playing guitar for 25 years now and owned a lot of amps like Bogner, Soldano, Rectifiers, Marshalls. I use mostly PRS Custom 22, and MacCarthy models. My music is modern/Nu-metal. Use it with Peavy 5151 or Framus Cobra 4x12...i start to like the greenbacks in Cobra better and better...more midrange in the Cobra cabinet.

Clean channel: sounds really good, use it with some TC units, great sound.

Crunch channel: like so many other have said before....THIS IS WHY YOU BUY THIS AMP....It's absolutly brutal, it has so much punch and attack you ever gonna need. I use this channel with the notch switch engage.
I tell you, my old Dual Rectifier don't even come close to this sound.

Lead channel: great sustain and tone for solos, a little muddy and un-focused for rythm...but this is the lead channel =)

This amp want's to be play'd loud, on low volumes the sound is thin and cold....but when you put some volume on it..it screams like hell.

Had some trouble with the channel swith a couple of times now. What's happend is like the signal only make like 75% to the power tubes and sound very cold, thin and boring.

Great amp for my kind of music..if i need to play some classic rock tunes or somthing else, i simply put my PODxt in the loop return, or changing for a less brutal amp =)