Framus Cobra Top Head

This is the "old" version, without the external bias feature. I wish it had one as it is a real bitch to open, and I will deduct some points for this. You need to figure out some real tricks getting it out of it's shell.
i will seriously look into moding my amp into having an external bias function the next time I have to go in there.

Else it has all the features you would need. MIDI is ultra cool, and I will aquire one of these Behringer boards sooner or later.

Wish the internal illuminating LED's were blue though, as well as the power jewel-light on the front ;). Will mod here..

I usually run a simple chain most of the time. This will change though. But my main guitar is a Ibanez RG7620 with one Lundgren Vintage and one Model M pickup installed. The low B is droped to A. I find this enables you to use more of the 7-strings range at once; playing rhythms and simple lead patterns all at once.


The Cobra is quite responsive towards guitar and different pickups.

This amp is also very sensitive towards what cab you put it through, which is either good or bad depending on how you look at it.

Right now I am running it through a custom 2x12 cab (see Fat Cat 212T review under Tone Tools) with Celestion Century Vintage speakers.
At first I though the amp sounded a bit fuzzy and spiky with this combination, but re-biasing it made for great results. I can't understand why Framus run the bias that low stock (20mA). So please, bias the tubes to 32mA, at least! Do your self a big favour. Sounds much better, warmer. The EQ will also seem more responsive when the amp is running hoter.

And yes, the EQ is active, simular to the Recto with which it also shares some cosmetic and sonic characteristics.

Clean: Beautifull. I haven't used this as much as I should, but I did some recording with the whole amp, and its clean channel is nothing to be ashamed off. You could generalize this channel as being Fender-ish. I run gain quite low (9:00) as it breaks up easily with my extremely hot bridge pickup, but if break-up is what you want you got it too.. If you buy this amp then you are probably a metal-head, and this is the only clean you will need, but by all means it is probably quite simular to the clean channel of the Dragon.
Bright switch works.

Crunch: Main territory here, and the rhythm-channel of choice.. The clarity and brutality of this channel must be heard to be believed. Good all-rounder, and it definitely has enough gain for any style of metal, stock. Depending on volume I probably run the gain between 12:00 and 3:00. This is IMO the hot-rodded Marshall-ish channel, but the EQ being what it is, you get this low-mid Recto quality to it. Which is great, really.

Lead: As the name sais, this should be your choice for lead- and solo-work. It is smoother, sag-ier and more compressed. If you hang around this channel for your rhythm work then you are simply using this amp wrong ;), and you will hopefully learn. Character is Recto-ish.

The notch-switches adds some more depth and openeness by scooping the mids. The change is drastic, and you will need to increase the channel-volume to even compete with the channel un-notched. Probably great for 80's metal, but it's not for me, mostly. I dig the massiveness this amp provides at channel 2, un-notched, mids set to 3:00. Huge. It will definitely cut in a mix, and that's what I want to be accustomed to.

The loop seems to work fine. I like to use a bit of delay here and there. On 0 it's off, on 1/2 it's 100% parallel (and boosted), and on full it's 100% serial, or something.

The Cobra seems sturdy. The build-quality is good. Don't believe otherwise, as I have opened it up and looked.

I also accidentally ran it on 4 ohms into my 8 ohm cab, loud, for some hours, without any audiable damage. Despite that it sounded like shit during that period. The power-tubes might have gotten some lower life-time, but the output transformer still lives.

Never had to deal with Framus yet.

Been playing for 7 years now. I play some form of Extreme Metal, with doome-out dirge, psychedelia and fusion/jazz aspects. That's the plan anyway.

I love the Cobra for it's simplicity and great layout. Individual presence controlls really help shaping the way the individual channels sound. I only need three channels. And prior to owning the Cobra I was on the Engl Powerball-waggon. The Engl is a great amp, but I really disliked the way it looked, and the sound was too scooped; I found myself playing more in the Focused-mode just to cut through a drumkit. So, I figured out I needed something else, because the Powerball didn't make any sense - too many controlls that did too little - I would not know when to use which of the four channels. I am so glad I ditched it for a Cobra instead.

I liked what some other reviewer below had to say about this topic; that the Cobra is a "real mans" amp compared to the Powerball - it is so true :).

The things that set it apart and are worth highlighting are the Deep knob, Presence knob for all three channels, MIDI implementation, and on my newest model and external bias so I don't have to take it out of the chasis.Also the footswitch that comes with it is great. No pops or delays when switching and it does exactly what you would expect it to.I guess it would be nice to be able to activate the loop from the footswitch but you can do that through MIDI with a MIDI footcontroller.

I have waited a good amount of time before I wrote the review for the amp so the newness would wear off and I could be as critical as possible. Here it goes.
Clean channel is perfect. Lots of headroom and a good 3-D sparkling Clean tone with a decent amount of Bottom end.I couldn't really get this channel to break up ever with the Gain dimed. I'm using A PRS custom 22 with the Dragon 2 pickups. I assume people with EMGs or a similar ultra high output pickup could get this to happen sooner. I like the fact that I can turn the amp up loud and still get a clean sound in a band situation. I use a tubescreamer set as a Boost to get the clean to break up and it's a beautiful just slightly overdriven sound. Very articulate and smooth.
The Crunch channel is what you buy this thing for.No need for a boost here it seems like it is already built in. It reminds me of what would happen if you bred a JCM800 with a Dual Rectifier. This would be the evil offspring. The amount of gain on this channel is perfect.It's exactly the amount you need. This channels is very tight in the bass register and has a crushing low end. Just a pure addictive sound for palm mutes. I wouldn't change anything on this channel Except maybe how you have to reconfigure the EQ and volume when you use the Notch switch. I don't use it on this channel but I have noticed that you have to redial everything when using the notch on this channel and the Lead channel.
The Best thing about this head is probably the deep knob. If your sound is becoming flubby back off a little on the Channel bass and dial in the deep knob. This will introduce bass from the Power section and it will stay tight sounding. Great feature. One thing I have noticed that really helps the sound come alive Is turning up the Channel master atleast to 3oclock and using the Master volume for your actual volume level. At around 3oclock the notes start to saturate and feedback musically when you sustain them. Really brings out the low end too.
The lead channel has alot of gain on tap and it is voiced for lead playing in that it has a little more Sag to it which contributes to a more expressive feel for leads. It is about a tight sounding as a Dual recto here. Notch is pure Metallica "and justice for all" sounding when dialed in right and you can achieve and much tigher sound this way.

I've heard of people having issues but it usually turns out to be a bad tube or something similar. I haven't had any problems.

Well, they're in Germany so it's tough to talk to them because of the time difference. Dana B goods is the US distributor and I've heard they're pretty good to deal with but they are on the West Coast. I wish they had an east Coast rep.

This is a real solid amp and for the price it beats out alot of it's higher priced competition. All in all you can't go wrong if you play heavier styles of music. There isn't many heads that can come close stock to the Brutal low end this thing has. I'd have to EQ the piss out of a Marshall to even come close to the way this thi sounds. I guess you could say it's the best Mesa Dual rectifier you've ever heard. That's somewhat accurate but it has some Marshall and even 5150 in it's blood line.Overall a great amp.

All stated by the previous reviews... all the features you need, the midi funcionality is nice

I use a Godin LGXT w/ seymour duncan custom custom custom (yeah lol) in the bridge, and jazz in the neck. All I can say is WOW! The clean is very nice (read: boogie clean = crap), and the distortion is amazing... more gain than u ever need, but not muddy boogie recto tone, but a tight, refined, clear wall of tone. The high gain sounds cant be matched!

Been Great... just the usual servicing...

I havnt dealt with them so cant comment

Ive been playin bout 7 years, and I reckon I know good tone... ive heard many amps over the years, but this beast is simply awesome, the beast amp I have heard for high gain sounds. And it looks awesome... trust me, there's nothing cooler than the red glow from inside the metal grille of the amp in the dark... and the TONE!!!!

2004 Framus Cobra Head: 100 watts of pure tube tone, EL-34 in the Power section. This amp is perfect for what I need it for. Two gain channels and a Clean Channel. I play Mostly Metal essp. with my band. As I am the sole guitarist, the Amps really THICK tone helps thicken the bands sound alot. I will play this amp live and use it in the studio with my band. The notch switch scoops out all the mids to give you a scooped thrash tone. I, however, run the Notch switch off because the mids on this amp are very Thick and Chunky.

I use a Jackson Usa King V with EMG 81 in the bridge and 85 in the neck. This amp is not noisy at all. I use a boss NS-2 so that nothing gets through when I am not playing. The Amp has a great clean channel, very clear. Channel 2 has a nice ammount of gain and sounds nice for a rock/hard tone. Channel 3 has alot of gain on tap. It can get messy at hight volumes when the gain is cranked...sounds great with it at 3-o'clock. The distortion is very brutal and "new-age" sounding. The amp's low-end is tight. I run this amp with its matching cab. The cab has greenbacks in it and they really help the amp's mids and highs shine and help keep the low-end tight. The amp's over character is dark, so the cab helps brighten it up also.

I would gig with this, I have had no porblems with this amp.

N/a

I have been playing for 7 years now. This is my second tube amp. I had a 5150II prior to this, but didnt like its over tone character. The amp I have been using for the past 3-1/2 years is a Line6 Flextone II head through a mArshall 1960a cab. I still have this setup. The Cobra has a similar feel to the 5150 in the sense that the lead notes or single notes feel thick. I played every amp that I could, Mesa, Marshall, PEavey, Crate etc. This amp has a similar low-mid voicing like a MEsa Rectifire. MY freind has a dual Recto, of which we had put these two amps side by side and comapred. THe Framus can sound like the mesa if you want it too, yet it will sound alot thicker. There is an insane ammount of Bass on this amp also. I also compared this to my other rig..>That rig doesnt compare to how brutal the framus rig sounds.

100watt all tube head. Three completely independent channels w/ gain, presence, volume, bass, mid and treble controls. The clean channel has a bright switch, and the crunch and lead channels have "notch" switches, which scoop the mids for all you nu-metal folk out there. It runs the standard 12AX7s in the pre amp (with one as an effects loop buffer) and EL34s in the power section. There are two master volumes, effects mix control and a "Deep" control for boosting or backing off on the over all bass of the amp and also speaker impedance selector. The amp also has fantastic a built in MIDI interface.

There is no built in reverb in this head, but it doesnt really need it. There also isnt any half power switching, but as a previous reviewer mentioned, the clean channel really stands out because it has heaps of headroom.

The only features that i think would benefit this amp would be; making the effects loop foot switchable and perhaps fixed bias, or easier access for re-biasing.

All in all though, virtually everything that you could want in a tube head.

Im using this amp with a Reverend Rocco Custom w/ custom humbuckers. I really have no idea where to start with this. After owning a Mesa Rectifier for quite some time i'd come to accept that it was perfectly reasonable to expect that any high gain head would have absolutely dire cleans... and quite honestly, ive never been more wrong!

Channel One. [clean]
The clean channel on this amp, especially with the bright switch engaged is absolutely beautiful! Until i bought this amp i really thought the only way i'd get good cleans would be to A/B switch with a Fender Twin. The 100 watts of power gives plenty of headroom to let this channel get very loud before it starts breaking up. I normally have the gain on this channel at 12:00, the volume at 1:00 and the master volume at 12:00 and it still stays crystal clear.
If you want to push it tho, just bring up the gain and back off on the channel volume and you can get some very nice vintage sounds.

Channel Two. [crunch]
Calling this channel "crunch" really doesnt do it justice! Sure, if you want a Plexi or JCM800 type crunch, it can do that type of sound quite easily with the gain set between 7:30 and 10 o'clock. However, once you start taking the gain up and past 12:00 this channel really shows you why these amps reatil at about #1,600! The low end is thickasyoulike! With the bass set at around 12:00 you could wake the dead at 500 paces! The mids really do shine through with heaps of punch and the high ends have an amazing clarity that has to be heard to be believed! The gain on this channel is completely useable at all settings, i kept rolling it up, waiting to get the same loss of tone i got with my Mesa, and it never happened, i just got more gain. With the notch switch flipped up and on, you get a very scooped sound, and lose all the mids without losing definition. Personally i absolutely HATE scooped out distorted guitars so i never use it, but i still have to take my hat off and admire how well this amp can handle it.

Channel Three. [lead]
This channel is quite similar to the crunch channel, but there is SO much gain! and every bit of it is completely useable! I could talk into next week about how much gain this channel has. When i first got this amp i decided that the best way to start setting up my tones would be to set all the dials to 12:00 and work from there... even before i changed a single thing it sounded fantastic, with a little tweaking (as cheesy as it sounds, and everyone says it) i really did have the high gain tone i've been hearing in my head, but unable to create until now. Flip the notch swtich again, and scoop-o-rama, you hit the sounds that Mesa only wish you could dial from their amps, you can get their trademark fizz but still retail all the definition.

I'll have to comment on this again once i've toured with this amp. However, i bought it second hand, with an almighty ding in the front of it which i was assured hadnt damaged the amp itself. After testing it at the time i bought it i was convinced it was fine. After getting it home and running it with my band, i knew that there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. I wish i could post a picture here of the dent it has so that you could all see what kind of whallop this thing will take without dying. Rock solid German engineering.

Now this is unfortunately what lets this company down. I've emailed a few times with technical questions about the factory bias, foot switching, wiring in effect loop foot switching etc. It seems that about 70% of email is answered with:-
"Contact your local dealer. Thanks!"
I am however giving them a 7 for this, because a few months back they were really helpful, and hell most amp companies dont even send a reply!

I've been playing for about 5 years now. I've owned rack gear, mesa boogies, laneys, peaveys and line6 - this amp beats seventy shades of shit out of every last one of them! I hate reading reviews of gear that dont highlight any bad points, so, i really do wish this amp had a footswitch with it and i REALLY wish it had a switchable fixed bias like the rectifier (only warmer) so i could put 6L6s in if the mood took me. The lack of a footswitchable effects loop is a bit of a pain, but with mild tap dancing skills it doesnt cause too much hassle. All that in mind, this is still by far the best guitar head that i have ever owned. I could quite happily say that i would only ever use these heads for the rest of my playing years. No one would dare steal this amp from me, lest they feel my unfathomable wrath!

Long story short, if you want a high gain head that doesnt force you into buying a Fender or Vox to A/B switch to for cleans and retains defination across all its channels and their settings then this is for you. If you want an amp with only one useable sound from the gain channel and a clean sound that is quite simply "crap" go and buy a rectifier!

I haven't head this amp long enough to give a full review, just wanted to give people who're interested in this amp or people who have already given reviews a little piece of information. Some here have complained that the bright switch doesn't do anything. Well, stock it only has a minimal effect and you have to listen really close. I had my amp biased because the factory bias is really cold (about 23 mA per tube), now it's around 35 mA. If you raise it the bright switch does indeed make a noticable difference in sound. It will add a nice ringing, chimey sound. BEAUTIFUL! Do it, you'll be surprised.

3 independent channels each with gain, presence, volume, bass, mid, treble. Switches for channel 2 and 3 to engage a mid frequency "notch" (oooohh yeah) and ch 1 has a bright switch. Switchable master volumes, effects mix, line out 4, 8 and 16 ohm jacks, full midi implementation. Packed with features while maintaining an "understated" vibe. Best bit - the midi and the fact that there is no last minute tacky reverb. Kudos to Framus for this!
Could have used a floorboard but I guess Framus figures if a lot of people have a midi pedal already to run it with there's no need. (Looks AWESOME in the dark!)

Holy crap! Let me just say that before picking this baby up I was running a Mesa Nomad 100. This amp squat pisses tone and versatility all over that piece of junk. Sorry Randall, I'm over it!

I'm going to make comparisons to my Nomad 100 and the rectos in this review to give you an idea of how this amp sounds compared with something you're probably familiar with (ie the point of a review).
The tone controls are a breath of fresh air - they work extremely well. So much variation and shaping possibilities. While I learned to live with the mesa art of tweaking and balancing at the end of the day it's good to just show up for a gig, plug this in and just turn up and rock! The thing I love about this amp is its overall "sparkle". I think a reviewer below used the word "sizzle" and I guess that's pretty appropriate. Such a welcome change after the thin darkness of that Mesa gear. Also, the gain and how it is structured; so fluid and harmonically rich! THIS is how all hi gain amps should sound! With the Nomad I was always digging in to coax the preamp out of its polite little slumber. Harmonics? Solos? Forget about it on the Mesa. Here they shine. The midrange in this amp is quite something especially on the gain channels. So musical and smooth without being boxy and harsh. And when you flick that notch switch you'll eat Rectos on channel 2 let alone the lead channel. There's gain for days...and guess what? It's useable. Wind the gain on the Mesa up past 2 oclock and you're greeted with the most flubby piece of dark undefined shit you've ever heard. The Framus is far more tolerant and musical in its approach to extreme gain settings. I'd say that gain wise the crunch channel on the Framus at about 1/3 gain does everything my Nomad can do but better (thanks to that harmonic richness). This thing is thunderous. Like the best and most versatile Marshall you could imagine crossed with how you THOUGHT your Mesa stuff should sound. Sweet/shimmery/brutal and rich all rolled into one! 10.

2nd hand - holding up well so far

Yeah the website is pretty limited but I guess they might be more interested in r&d than market and hype. Guys at the local distributor do the trick.

For years I had lusted after Boogie Dual Recs, Nomads, Marks etc. After owning the Nomad and having extensive experience with the Dual and a few singles and Mark III and IVs, I was always left searching for the - sorry about the cliche - "tone in my head". The Framus well and truly delivers and delivers with ease. I think that pretty soon you'll start seeing these amps popping up more reguarly around the place on their way to becoming the most respected hi gain amp out there. Hype? No...Expensive Ads? No... Just bucketloads of tone and gain that can be shaped and refined to suit most players tastes. If you're feeling like there's a bit more to life you're not quite getting...try this amp and never look back!

3 CHANNEL AMP WITH VERSATILITY RANGING FROM A REALLY NICE CLEAN TO A MEAN LOW THUMPING GAIN CHANNEL.THIS AMP'S LOW END IS THE BEST I'VE EVER HEARD AND IT'S EVEN BETTER THAN MY DIEZEL VH-4.IT HAS A SEND AND RETURN, MIDI IN THRU/OUT AND HAS 100 WATTS.IT HAS 4 EL34'S AND CAN USE 6L6'S/5881 ALSO.THIS AMP IS ONE OF THE VERY BEST AMPS MADE IN MY OPINION WITH ONLY THE VH-4 DIEZEL BEING BETTER.I'LL GIVE IT A 9 BECAUSE THE DIEZEL HAS 4 CHANNELS,AND SEND AND RETURNS ON EACH CHANNEL.

THIS AMP IS SUITED FOR HEAVY CHUNKY RHYTHM PLAYING AND SINGING LEAD TONES AND CRYSTAL CLEAR CLEAN SOUNDS.IT CAN DO ALL THREE OF THESE VERY EFFECTIVELY AND YOU CAN USE ANY MIDI FLOOR DEVISE TO FLIP THROUGH THE THREE CHANNELS.THIS AMP IS A 2003 AND IT IS A CUSTOM COLOR RED.

NO PROBLEMS AT ALL WITH THIS HEAD.

NEVER DEALT WITH THEM OR EMAILED THEM FOR ANY REASON.

25+ YEARS,I'VE BEEN PLAYING SINCE 1979.I USE JACKSON'S & IBANEZ'S & WASHBURN'S & ESP GUITARS MAINLY.I OWN MORE THAN 40 GUITARS AND HAVE SEVERAL BASS GUITARS AND BASS AMPS TOO.I OWN ALLOT OF ROCKTRON GEAR,POWER AMPS AND PREAMPS,COMPRESSORS,AND ENHANCMENT PROCESSORS AND A DIEZEL VH-4 HEAD, ENGL POWERBALL & SAVAGE 120, MESA BOOGIE MARK 4, KRANK REVOLUTION SERIES ONE, CARVIN X100B MARSHALL/SPLAWN MODIFIED HEAD AND A FEW OTHERS AND OF COURSE THE FRAMUS COBRA HEAD.GREAT AMP AND I REALLY LOVE THIS HEAD ALMOST AS MUCH AS MY DIEZEL.I WOULD GIVE THIS ABOUT 9.5, SO I'LL ROUND IT OFF TO A 10,SINCE I THINK THIS AMP IS THE SECOND BEST OUT THERE.CHEAPER TOO ESPECIALLY ON EBAY.....

Rest of the reveiws on here cover the features. Thing I like the most is you can control this amp with a midi pedal and preset your sound. Now thats awsome!

I play instrumental melodic metal - sort of like Michael Schenker speeded up. I also use a lot of arrpegios so articulation is important. I have a Jackson PC1 as my main gutar. I was using a Dimarzio Super Distortion 3 and now use a Gibson Dirty Finger pick up.
All the other reviews on here sum up this amp. There are very few amps that can touch this one. Bogner is way more dark sounding and not as tight. I have had Mesa Boogie and Marshalls and they don't compare. This is a true "boutique" quality amplifier.
Hums a little like most high gain amps do but not too noisey.

Clean is good enough for about anything you might do. Can set the gain high on it to get a little distortion if you like.

I agree with the other reviews here - the second channel is magic. Simply awsome sounding. Harmonically rich. I actually use it for both rhythm and lead and switch between the two master volume controls. Great crunch sounds also.

Third Channel - High Gain - More depth than the second channel but not as crisp and clear. I use this one when I need extra punch.

More distortion possibilities than you can use on this thing. Brutal is a good word to discribe how much gain you can acheive.

I don't scoop the mids because the sound is so big with the switches in the down or normal setting. More fuzz and compression it seems when you use the mid scoop switches but I am sure there are applications for it.

I switched the pre-amp tubes and it sounds better than the original tubes that came with it (although I can't remember what I put in).
Less hi-fi sound with the new tubes. I am also getting some Groove Tube EL34-LS quartets. They have not arrived yet but it should sound better still with the Groove Tubes.

Also agree with the other reviews here that the range of sounds you can get on this thing covers about any style you would play - although if you don't need such a high gain amp for any reason you may consider something else.

Put all the controls on 12 o'clock and then start experimenting. That's what I did. I am still experimenting. I have had the amp for about 6 months now.

Have not had any problems so far. Have replaced the tubes (voluntary) to modify the sound a little. Weighs about 45 lbs. Would not want to drop it but seems to be built very well.

N/A

Been playing almost 30 years. Have had many guitars and amps. The only other amp I would consider at this time would be a Diezel Herbert but I would not want to pay $4K for an amp. The Framus really cuts through the mix and has all of the features I need. The only thing that might be nice would be a reverb.

Enough said in former reviews. No foot switch included! I wish it had an additional serial FX-Loop like my Marshall 6100. On the other hand less features make it more simple and reliable. I run this head with a lexicon G2 and the R1 foot controller, so I don't need the FS.
Best feature is the red LED-Lighting inside!!!

I have some Framus Diablo guitars and some customs with the same PUs and electronics (Jeff Beck and Hot Rails). That seems to fit very well to this amp.
Clean Channel: Great from funky to jazzy. The bright switch seems to have no effect but I have the Gain turned all the way up, because I like the clean sound a little compressed and breaking up. The best thing is, that you have a presence knob for EACH channel.
Crunch Channel: Punchy with tons of gain. Brutal like a Recto but with more chunky mids, I think this is because of the EL34s. Sounds more like the best hod-rodded Marshall you can get with tons of tight low end. I don't use the notch. I'm not that much into NU-metal tunes. Could use a volume make up if you engage the notch switch, like the Herbert has. This is the sound I play 90% in m band.
Ultra Channel: You can make it sound like the crunch channel with even more gain, or you engage the notch switch or different eq-ing to have a different sound.
This amp is NOT versaitle!! This is definitly an amp to crank it up. I'd say from heavy rock to death metal. Or you play funk and use the clean channel only.
One drawback: Feedback noise according to the place you stand.

Seems build very well. Some details to improve: As with their guitars Framus seem to save money with little part. The new guitars have no shielding, the first series have. Evrey cheap Marshall has tube retainers (I think this is where the feedback noise comes from). The preamp tubes have no caps! When I put in my new selected preamp tubes I was astonished that the screws holding the back panel are driven right into the wood. Some details could have been more service friendly and road-proof. Apart from that I will trust the rest of the amp. Knock on wood and I'll give it a 7.

When I asked them to send me a whammy bar for one of my guitars, I sent them a CD of my band with the note: This was done with your guitars, thank you. They replied: Contact your local dealer, that's it. Warranty is o.k. but they don't seem to get it. Haven't talked to them since then, so maybe it's better now.

Awesome. I had the Marshall 6100 anniversary head before. I'm not a total gain freak, but the Marshall had not enough and not that punch and definition. Cutting through in the band mix is a little more difficult than with Marshall but lightyears better than a recto. This one gets often compared to Mesa. But it's somewhere in between with the EL34 power amping. Maybe the Stiletto comes close, but not in price. Compared to the very popular Engl stuff it's more cutting and agressive, less compressed and singing. This is a real man's amp!