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.

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

've been playing for about 20 years and I have always sacrificed either a good clean or high gain tone for something else. With the cobra, its the best of both worlds.

Go to their website, 3 chn, tube/solid state

Overall this amp isn't too bad. It doesn't do much but what it does is good. Clean channel is great especially when you roll the deep off and add a reverb. The crunch is punchy and clear but the lead channel is where this amp really is at. As it has three channels it takes a fair bit to break it up. The lead is overly compressed and is one of the most brutal metal tones I have ever heard. Best amp for METAL going around!

A little noisy without a gate but you can't expect not to have that when your faced with this much gain. Oodles and oodles of it.

I have owned this amp for about 2 years now. My band tours heavily both national and international. I love this amp, unfortunately this amp is not meant to be toured heavily with. Besides blowing tubes constantly, I have experienced countless problems with the channel switching and midi controlling, which is due to framus using tiny light relay components to switch the channels. They are one of the most unusual ways to switch channels I have ever seen.

Unfortunately digital switching is very temperamental. I had to have them replaced on tour. As well as the amp casing bowing on top from too much heat.

Don't get me wrong I think this amp is great. But I think it is a great "studio" amp. This is not an amp that is reliable on tour. By tour I don't mean a 5 night club stint.

I took this thing around the world and on warped tour and it died on the 7 date, we still had 55 left.

Unfortunately too many amp companies make their amps to last out the 1 year warranty period, after that it is your fault.

I contacted Framus for the light relays and they could not help me out, I sourced them from a shop in NY. They were polite but not overly helpful. A little disappointing.

I have been playing guitar for 15 years and professionally for about 7. I have also guitar teched for Buckcherry, Parkway Drive, Thursday and Saosin for the past 2 years.

I love this amp for its clarity in the overdrive channels and love the cleans, I hate that it is built from useless components that are overly inclined to fail under stressful circumstances.

I wish it had a reverb and I wish it was built with less "bells and whistles" and more rugged parts for touring.

If it was stolen I would not buy another, probably go for a bogner ecstasy or a uberschall. Solid amps.

No Idea of year made. 3 channels (clean,crunch,and Lead).It has effects loop with an effects mix knob for less or more.I would probably only use the clean and lead channels for my style of playing. The other channel "crunch" is kinda like an old stock marshall. In other words its dirty but not too dirty. This channel would be ideal for classic rock. The lead channel is good for everything else-from Pantera, Dream Theater,Killswitch to Dimmu, even hair metal. It has 2 masters which are good for switching to a slightly louder LEAD sound live via footswitch.

I play prog rock/metal and i love the tone. Very good distortion with good clarity of soloing. I'm endorsed with Mesa Boogie, but i like the Cobra better. I have an Engl "Modern Rock" preamp that sounds great but not as good, and a Tube Works RT-2100 that also sounds great but not as good as the Cobra.I use Jackson 7 string guitars with Evolutions and Invaders and its a brutal combination with the Cobra.I've only played it at my home and even at high volumes its not feeding back. The clean channel is very clear. I run an ART ProVerb in the effects loop, and its super with the clean and great with solos.

I never gig without a backup regardless. I've only had it for a month.

I know a repair guy, but havent had any problems with it yet.

I also bought the Cora Cabinet which is sick too. I originally used a Mesa cabinet and it sounded great through that as well. What i hate about it is the price. I paid $1600 for it USED! I almost bought a 5150, and could've bought 2 of them for that price. The 5150 sounds awesome but not as tight as the Cobra.

It is a 2006 model with the standard 3 channel form. It is not a really versatile amp as it is made for styles using good amounts of gain. This means not only metal but anything requiring a good lead sound. The only thing I wish it had, is a second gain control for the lead channel. I could use it higher or lower than the first to swap from lead to rhythm playing. The footswitch should be included too.

The amp can make decent crunch sounds and pretty good clean sounds. The lead tones are its spot as it really screams with plenty of depth, dynamics and harmonics, lots of clarity and note definition as well. Heavy rhythm playing is also jaw-dropping, you can actually feel the ''punch'' of palm mutes on your stomack, it is a very tight amp and has lots of gain. People should take into consideration that it is a dry sounding amp so saturation is not there but all harmonics and tone depth are more than present, kinda like Diezel amps sound like (actually the lead channel is based on the Diezel vh4 lead sound and its pretty obvious)

I had no problems until but checking the build quality of the amp i found out that its pretty high so I dont think reliability is an issue

I had no problems with the amp but I emailed the customer support for some info and got no response. I ve also heard of others not getting a response so I think customer support sucks, thats for Europe and not for the american support center.

I am pretty happy about my amp but if I went 2 years back in time (when I bought it) I think I would keep my money and buy an Elmwood 3100 head or some other kind of amp just out of curiosity. When I considered buying an amp, I thought of Engl Powerball or Savage, Ashdown Fallen Angel 180, Koch Powertone and Laney Vh100 and Gh100. Engls were too compressed and not as expressive when it came to leads but they were great for rhythm with lots of saturation. The fallen angel is a class below the others at all points of view. The Koch was pretty good but I wanted a dryer sound with a bit more depth and smoothness. The Laneys were really warm and smooth but were too ''british'' for my taste and a bit too more ''wet'' than I needed.

I have two bands... one NU-METAL and another PUNK ROCK and ROCK... the Framus Cobra 100w head is best for me for both of these styles of playing... I use notch in first band and some additional effects in the second one like VOX distortion and delay... Nice 3 channel switching... I have FULL STACK and believe me, this wall is make me crazy when I play... I only miss some reverb but in other hand, MASTER 2 volume is very useful... nice one...

THIS HEAD IS THE ONLY ONE THAT SCREAMS OUT POWER... clean channel is well undistorted all the way to 10 points of volume, but if I give it gain little more than 6, then it becomes slightly distorted... for me this option is useful... distortion is very brutal, Marshall, MESA BOOGIE, ENLG, Peavey and other top brands can hide their distortion in compare to this baby ;) I've wired 2 amps on A/B switch... Marshall JCM 2000 Dual Lead and this baby and believe me, my baby was on 2 and it was louder then Marshall on 6... Marshall sound is more soft, but this don't mean that Cobra can't be soft... Cobra can be soft and brutal as you didn't hear it before!

It have never let me down... I have Cobra now for 3 months and I played around 25 gigs with it... it's brilliant... it's sounds like it had on the first day... brilliant... never broken... always in shape and ready to action...

I missed footswitch included, but then I ordered and I got it the very next day... nice one... in Slovenia is very good Customer Support for Framus so I'm not scared... ;) warranty is 2 years long... we have 2 authorized services in 2 biggest cities in Slovenia and both are very easy to find so I give them 10... salesmen are very kind and honest...

I've been playing guitar for the past 4 years, I'm 18 years old now, I play on DEAN Razorback Slim Bubblebee, Jackson WRMG Warrior (Update 2007) Black Edition, on some gigs I also use BOSS GT-8 but mainly I use it for home practicing on headphones without amp... I use VOX bulldog distortion and delay... very nice made effects, ouh and I use Line6 ??ber Metal effect... it's like notch on the amp but I like to hot-rod it a little bit... Marshall JCM 2000 Dual Lead Head and 4x12' Box, I would buy Cobra again if it were stolen... I LOVE THE LOOK, SOUND AND IT'S ANORMOUS POWER, i hate the wheelies... they are a little bit slow... :D
Like I said I miss Reverb a little bit and footswitch included (i had to pay 47 ??? for it)...

IN THE END, THIS BABY IS THE BEST, NOT ONLY IN IT'S CLASS, IT CAN EVEN COMPARE TO PRODUCTS WHICH ARE EXPENSIVER...

This is a late 2006 model. The features are standard eq's 3 channels blabla..... Dual master volume is handy and the notch switches also. I only use the notch switch at the crunch channel. The external bias is also handy cause you need to bias it hotter.

Nothing is great for every style. This one is good at everything but PERFECT for heavy metal. Crisp cleans, tight as nothing else crunch and lead and singing saturated tones on the lead channel. Some people say it lacks the saturation Engl's have but that is not right. With proper biasing and decent tubes, its just as smooth and full sounding. Hit a pinch harmonic and let it ring forever. The fact is that the sound is so controllable and so tight that seems like lacking saturation but it doesn't. When palm muting or soloing the saturation is obvious,try that on an Engl se and you'll not be able to hear what you're playin. Another common mistake is with the lead channels eq. Do not set the controls above 1200. The eq is active and sound loses its warmth and smoothness above that point. And never use presence control high, use it lower than 1000.

Nope, had problems with it, thats why I've given it a bad review some time ago. Yet, no problems since.

There is NO customer support.

The ultimate metal amp along with Engl Se and Diezel vh4. They all crap on Rectos, Riveras, Peaveys, Laneys, Vht......

Bought this amp Feb 2007 after listening to and playing everything else available including Diezel Herberts (really good but noisy and expensive), Bogner Uberschall (awesome distortion but really only a one trick pony), Krank Krankenstein (absolutely awful, far too tinny and thin), Engl Powerball and SE (nice but nothing really special soundwise).

You know the deal regarding features: 3 channels, each with its own master volume, midi, notch switch (just great for that Pantera scooped mid-sound), 100 watts, more than enough power for most venues.

Be nice if it had more midi capability but for the money is perfect for what I need.

Sound quality is where this amp really excels. The clean channel is unbelievable, I mean the Herbert's clean channel is good but this thing is amazing. From pure funk clean all the way through to jazz tones to SRV, it is just incredible. I really did not expect a clean sound this good but heh.

Now channel 2 is where this thing really scores. Without the notch switch engaged it can get all the Engl sounds without all that over-saturation. (Might sound great in your bedroom but if you want to be heard in a band situation then less is more - trust me). However if you want to get that Pantera sound or Master of Puppets sound, flip the notch switch and hey presto, you're Diamond Darrell (RIP). I couldn't get nearly as good a tone on the Krankenstein!!

Channel 3 is actually different tonally to channel 2 with even more gain and a slightly different mid-sound. This channel is so good for solos it's untrue.

If you want to sound like Killswitch Engage then this is the amp they used for As Daylight Dies and one of the reasons I bought it.

I use Jackson Soloists and Kramer Stagemasters all with Seymour Duncans which seem to suit this amp well. My guess is with EMGs you may have to knock off the gain somewhat.

I play melodic metal core, sort of cross between Killswitch Engage and Whitesnake as well as regular gigging playing rock and metal covers from Deep Purple through Dokken and up to Pantera. This amp just does it all.

This amp only gets noisy when cranked right up on channels 2 or 3. Other than that this thing really is pretty clean compared with other amps I tried.

Only owned it 3 weeks, so can't comment yet on reliability. I gig regularly so always carry a backup (rocktron voodu-valve run straight into the pa, not ideal but better than lugging around 2 heads)

Company pretty efficient in answering questions, website not as good as Diezel or Bogner.

Comes with 2 year warranty, but I have a tech who lives nearby so fairlt relaxed

Have been playing 28 years and have owned Marshalls and rack systems mainly. Decided to go back to the old half-stacks and after enormous deliberation decided on the Cobra. I'm so glad I did. It probably does not have the features of the Herbert but it's ??1000 cheaper which allowed me to buy a Bogner UberKab which just makes this puppy smoke!

If it were stolen I would claim on the insurance and buy another one...the only problem is getting hold of them in the UK

I bought this amp from Eric Ellis (Bury Your Dead) so I don't know when it was made, when it was serviced, when it was purchased, etc. I'm nearly positive though this was thee exact head he used in their live dvd, so it has some hours penciled in.

This amp is great for any style of music in my opinion. Some say it calls mostly for metal, but I think the tone is so distinct and unique that it could make any style of music sound extra special.

It's a three channel head with an effects loop and midi section. I don't put the midi section to use. The effects loop sounds great, although it would be more convenient to have the option to select the effects loop 'on' or 'off' on the footswitch (like Mesa/5150). Speaking of the footswitch, the cable is soooo long... kind of a pain in the ass sometimes. It's worth mentioning but not such a big deal.

Maybe my hearing is becoming worse and worse but I do wish this amp could go louder. Compared to a 5150, this amp doesn't have the most power as far as volume goes.

Haha, I almost forgot. It lights up red on the inside which is just plain bad ass. Come on!

Like most amps (well at least for me), it takes time to dial it in just right. My Framus took some time to get right but sure enough it came through like a champ.

Clean channel really suprised me when I first plugged it in. Crisp-As-Can-Be! I could compare it to a Fender Deville. Very warm. No extra bullshit even with active EMG 81's or 85's.

Distortion is excellent, the lead channel in particular. Sounds great with single note style riffs. Strumming a chord never felt so nice! I use the crunch channel as my 'eq' channel, so to speak, by taking out the low completely, set the mid at about 1/2ish and the treb. at about 2/3ish... sounds neat for transition parts.

The Framus has given me some unwanted feedback at times but that was when I ran in through a dbx gate/compressor, and that thing has a mind of it's own. Sometimes it works great (dead silence) and then other times the smallest thing will set it off. But all in all I don't think that is related to the Framus.

When I first got the amp in the mail, I used it for about a couple of days until it kind of just 'died'. But it seems logical that that might have happened due to shipping from the opposite end of the USA. I took it to my local amp guy, he took care of it and it has worked beautifully ever since (May 06).

I play out of the Framus and the Mesa Triple Rec. both at the same time so I don't exactly have to worry about a 'back-up'. So if one breaks down, it's not such a big problem. However, the Framus (the Mesa as well) are both completely reliable. I've lugged them all around southern California and no problems.

I've never had to actually with Framus the company at all. I'm sure the warranty isn't valid anymore. Who knows where this amp has been. Either way, I have someone who can fix it if I have problems.

I've been playing for almost six years and I own a Peavey 5150 and a Mesa Triple Rectifier as well as the Framus.

All mentioned above have their great features but nothing is perfect. But something most notable about the Framus is, like I said, the distinct and unique tone. It's to the point where I can pick it out of anywhere and say, "That has to be a Framus!"

If this amp were stolen I would MOST DEFINITELY buy a new one. It's an instant classic!

Overall the Framus Cobra is one of a kind. I would recommend it to anyone who was in the market for a quality amp. While nothing is perfect, I think it stands above the rest. It is 100% worth the money.

Standard features. External bias (handy),deep control (nice), 3 channels ( clean, crunch , lead) and midi interface (stupid)parallel effects loop (really responsive to multieffect processors).

Well its an amp for heavy metal. Thick sound on the crunch channel and unmistakable tightness even at full gain. Pretty clear sounding and really low noise when using a good instrument cable. Surprisingly good clean channel though! Crystal clear cleans with chime and full bodied notes. The lead channel is horrible. Mediocre for single note playing but awefull for power chords and palm mutes. Sounds waaaaay too muddy and there are lots of cracks in the sound. Definition, clarity and tightness want to appear at the deep side of the sound but feels like something is not allowing them to do so. Maybe I'm having a technical problem with mine and I don't know what it is so if anyone knows just mail me. But then maybe it is just a horrible channel.

I think I might have bought it damaged cause of the lead channel sound.

F@cked up customer support. The official framus support center has never responded to my email for the prob with the lead channel (if it is a prob). They get lots of complaints and I'm sure about it but they never answer. They know that their products are non well built and anyone who thinks they are, should probably buy an Engl or a Diezel and he will see what well built is like.

I ve been playing for ages and owned tons of pretty expensive high end stuff. I thought this amp was great cause of the reviews at this website. But it was a waste of money. I got really dissapointed with the product and the support. Even if my cobra has a problem and is not just of poor quality, I'm sure I'll have to pay a good amount of money to get it fixed cause there is nothing wrong with the tubes or with pitty costing stuff like that.

This is a brand new 2006 Framus Cobra tube amp head. I play mostly metal but sometimes clean. This amp does both of those tones perfectly. It has 3 channels with independant eqs and a parallel effects loop.I wish it had a series/parallel effects loop and a built in noise reduction circuit like some of the Engl amps have.I mainly play this amp at home and haven't gigged with the amp yet. Its 100w which is enough for me.

The clean is what sold me on this amp. I have never owned a high gain amp that had such a wonderful clean. The gain channels are awesome as well. I like the fact that different tubes can change the cobra's sound drastically which is something to keep in mind for you tweekers out there. I think the amp sounds as brutal as any Engl or Mesa out there. I'd compare it to the Engl SE without as much saturated gain. To me, this has enough and not overkill. You will need a noise reducer if you are playing with passives since this amp can pick up a lot of those nusances, but for the most part, the amp is a lot quieter than most high gain amps out there.

The first cobra I had made unnatural (for a cobra) noise. It sounded like the ocean roaring. I believed it was damaged by UPS in shipping since it was fine when it left the distributer. Framus has since then replaced the amp with a new one and its as good as gold.

I bought the amp from Derek B at rock solid amps. He and Framus were amazing. The first amp I had, the tubes glowed bright orange and died. Framus immediately sent out new tubes free of charge. I replaced them but the amp still made a lot of noise even when nothing was plugged in. Framus sent out a new amp the next day free of charge and payed for the old amp to be shipped back. Derek B and Framus kept in-touch the whole time. This was the best customer service I have ever had. I even got emails from the headquarters in Germany to help me out. The amp has a 1 year warranty I believe.

I've been playing for about 16 years and I have always sacrificed either a good clean or high gain tone for something else. With the cobra, its the best of both worlds. I would definitely get another cobra if something happened to it. Its got the perfect touch sensitivity (like a VHT), Gain (think mesa and marshall) and clean (like fender) in a one amp package. I've had Engls (great amps and would buy more), Vhts, mesas, marshalls, peaveys, and fenders. I like the cobra the most since the gain voicing is dryer with just enough saturation which gives it a pissed off raw/brutal voice. I wish it had a serial/parallel effects loop that could be switchable and a built in noise reduction circuit like certain Engls. Those would be the only things I would add.

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 =)

german hand made machine,i like the control of the deep bass,i like that its midi already no need for getting some special made box to switch channels to midi.built for the road

reminds me of my vht pitbull that did not have any ass to it,but the cobra does,and again controllable.i still love my mesa triple recto but this has a very pure tone to it.i like tones like tremonti,disturbed,godsmack...yes they are all mesa but,listen to tracii guns (laguns waking the dead)or brides of destruction,his tone was always very tight,also bill leverty from firehouse awesome tone,esp live.

i really am surprised at its toneal flexability its like have several good amps in one all beefed up.im glad i bought this,thanks tracii guns!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've owned this amp for over a year now so i think i know it well enough to give an unbiased review.
2004 model (i think), 100 watt all valve 3 channel high gain head with MIDI control and parallel FX loop, though it is not switchable. I'll go into this issue more later.
All channels have the familliar Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble and volume controls and also has a presence control to adjust the amount of high end freqeuncies going to the power amp. Bright switch on the clean channel and "Notch" mid cut switches on the Crunch and Lead channels. The master section consists of master 1 and 2 volumes, FX mix level and "Deep" control to adjuct the amount of low end frequencies going to the power amp.

I use the amp on tour and in the studio and it pretty much gives me everything i need. Plenty of volume and very flexible in tones and intergration with other gear.

The lack of aswitchable FX loop stops the amp from getting top marks

I play mainly ESP guitars with EMG's, usually 81 in the bridge and either 85/60/SAV in the neck. I play metalcore in my band but at home i like to play anything and everything from rock to ambient and experimental. I run it with a TC Electronic G Major in the loop and out through a Marshall 1960A cab (though i have a Framus Dragon cab on order) and control it all with a Behringer 1010 controler.
For the metalcore side of things the amp is superb, there's plenty of gain on tap and it's top notch. Not buzzy or fizzy sounding like a Mesa or a 5150 but very deep and full.
The clean channel is one of the best i've heard and is even more impressive considering this is a high gain head. You can get a very nice ringing tone from the controls and its pretty hard to get the channel to break up, you pretty much have to have the gain way up before that happens, which is good as it gives more options for tone shaping like having the pre gain way low and the post gain very high, and vice versa. The bright switch adds a fair amount of mid/high mid to the sound and definatley gives the channel more bite and cut. I prefere the switch off as its a little too bright for my liking.
The crunch channel has a good amount of "Sensible" gain from a mellow crunch like AC/DC to pretty thick distortion like GNR and Deftones. Again the tone controls work well and the sound is clear and precise while still being nicely distorted. The "Notch" switch, which is more or less the same as the "Scoop" swtich on Marshall's, takes out a good section from the mid frequencies. This leaves you with a very buzz-saw sound which is popular for some styles, or for hi-fi kind of sounds for dynamics. However you do loose quite a bit of volume with the notch engaged so a good bit of volume makeup is required.
The lead channel is pure molten metal, more than enough gain for anyone and cuts through brilliantly. We're talking severe amounts of gain here, think of Nile, MOP era Metallica, Slayer etc. Once again the tone controls are doing they're very best and you can get a good range of tones. I usually run the gain at 3/4 full and have bass at 11 o'clock, mid at 10 o'clock and treble at 2/3 o'clock. This is my usual stage sound and it is fucking heavy for want of a better description. I dont like to cut the mids too much as this is where the fundamentals of the guitar sound are, pinch harmonics come pelting out with this setting and sound awesome. People always compliment me on my squeelies and this amp really lets them fly out when set up well. Now for the notch switch on this channel, flip this on and we're talking classic death metal tone. Take the crunch channel with notch on and times it by 4. Pantera and Bleeding Through type tones are well within reach now, very direct and sharp sounding. Though again you loose a fair bit of volume so a quick channel volume adjust is needed.

For the other ambient and experimental stuff i like to play, i really dont have any trouble getting a sound i want. The key point here is that all the channels have alot of range within them. The clean channel is very clean for when you want that sterile kind of tone and can also be very mellow which sounds awesome with a healthy does of reverb, delay and phase for some spacey fun. The crunch can go from just a light smattering of gain for a bitey sound up to a good rhythm sound. And the lead channel will take you anywhere else you want to go. Very flexible amp.

It is only noisy on the Lead channel, which is to be expected. The clean channel and the Crunch channel, depending on the gain setting, are very quiet indeed.

Now for what is really my only gripe, the FX loop. Since it is a line level set loop designed to be used with rack equipment you cant stick your favourite stomp boxes into the loop since they run a different signal level, also like for modulation fx you'd need the loop mix on full which does sap a bit of power. While i've managed to get the amp to run well with my TC unit since its all midi controlled and all channel and patch settings change together and in time, i really think it would of been better to have a switchable series loop. With all the FX boxes and processors on the market today they are all felxible enough to have their own level controls to set the effect rather than having to run it more or less on full mix then using the amp mix control to bring the sound in. It just seems limiting and silly to have essentially 2 mix level's, one on the effect and one on the amp. Plus the fact that the processor is always in the signal chain even if you have it bypassed or are not using it for for any sounds. I would like to see an updated cobra with a switchable loop or maybe dual loops for pre and post gain effects. In my mind this would make it the ultimate amp for flexibility and overal intergration of FX since you could have all stomp box and other FX that are best run in front of the amp, like EQ, Phaser, Flanger and so on and still have rack quality FX for Reverb, Delay, Chorus after the preamp. This would be a truly phenominal setup.

I'll give it 9 because, FX loop aside since it doesnt actually produce any tone, the sounds available from the amp are superb and wide ranging.

Well i've had it out on tour for over a year and its never once crapped out on me. I thought it did once cos it kept turning on and off all the time, but we found out it was a dodgy power socket at the venue.

One issue i was having for a while was alot of breakup in the clean channel, no matter how lightly i played or how low the gain was it would still do it, it was driving me mad. So after asking about on the HC boards i was advised to try removing the clean channel tube and re-seating it. Hey presto problem solved and all i had was a pure clean channel :o)

Never had to deal with Framus

I've been playing for nearly 13 years and have owned many amps over the years including the Triple XXX, 5150II, Marshall JMP-1 with EL34 100/100 amp, Trace Elliot and some other's. Since i've owned a good couple of the typical metal amps i can fairly judge them all against each other. The 5150II is a great amp for the price and gets a very nice tone. The Triple XXX was nice but i found to be a bit fizzy and underpowered compared to the 510 for some reason. The Marshall setup was probably my second favourite after the Cobra, that too was a flexible amp and was only changed for the Cobra due to its weight and large size since it needed to be flight cased.

If it were stolen i think i would get another one.

I love the wide range of tones available in it but as i said before the lack of a switch for the loop does annoy me sometimes. Im telling you Framus, come up with a Cobra Plus or a new model called the Python or something and give it dual FX loop's for post and pre amp FX and you will be laughing very hard.

Ragazzi, leggo un sacco di opinioni al riguardo...
Ho comprato la testata ieri e mi sono catapultato a lasciare un commento qui. La testata non e versatile, DI PIU'!!! Non solo e la piu bella testata per il rock, ma molto buona per sonorita in ambito di blues contemporaneo, fusion, jazz, nu-metal... Insomma una bomba!!!! Ha tre canali, con tre switching ciascuna... bright per il clean, e scooped (notch) per gli altri due (crunch e lead). Inoltre ha due volumi indipendenti generali da assegnar ad ogni canale!!!
Poi il pot per il deep(bassi) il MIDI... un sogno!!!!
P.S. Anche esteticamente e stupenda e progettata benissimo... veramente bella anche per i leds rossi che splendono internamente quando accesa!!!

Suono con due tipi di chitarre:
- Brian Moore MC/1 senza piezo
- Music Man Petrucci - JP6 con il piezo
Suono prevalentemente Rock-Fusion, ma mi piace avere il suono giusto per ogni 'eventualita'.
E' la testata Hi-Gain piu silenziosa che abbia mai sentito e ho provato e avuto... Laney, Marshall, Hughes and Kettner, Mesa Boogie, Soldano, ecc...
I Vari canali:

1-Clean: Il migliore pulito del mondo!!! Una sorta di mix tra il pulito vox ac30,marshall plexi(panciuto-medioso) e il fender blackface(piu cristallino) ma con una originalita che non ha eguali e che a differenza di altre testate non distorge se non lo vuoi (vedi volume a 5,6,7 in su)!!!

2-Crunch: Che c'e da dire... Puoi ottenere tutte le sonorita che hanno reso famoso questo stupendo strumento (complice anche il nocht switch) dal suono dei vecchi plexi ai triple rectifire al fender tweed!!! Incredibile.

3-Lead: Anche qui si sfiora il capolavoro... Non ho mai provato il canale 3 della Diezel Vh4 ma dagli artisti che la utilizzano (es. Richard Hallebeek)la Cobra non ha niente da invidiare alla suddetta testata!!! Per le altre in commercio (Soldano SLO100 e Mesa Boogie MkIIc++ comprese, anche se stupende!!) mi dispiace ma non c'e proprio confronto (Bogner in primis). La distorsione e progressiva ma naturale e con una dinamica che spaventa!! Suono meraviglioso!!

In Italia si trova tranquillamente... Ottimo!!! ;-D

Non so ancora perche la testata l'ho acquistata ieri e la Framus e una giovane marca!!!Ma la warwick so essere una grande compagnia professionale... E la testata e un carroarmato (magari un po' pesantina (18,5 Kg) ma a vista sembra indistruttibile!!!

E' la piu bella testata che abbia mai sentito con una versatilita (bias compreso) e dei suoni senza precedenti!!
Preferisco combinarla con una Cassa 4x12 Soldano con dei Vintage 30 dentro. Ultimamente per versatilita (ma non per suono, lontano dalla 'vivacita' di una testata) avevo un triaxis con il 2:90 della Mesa Boogie ma questa testata me lo ha fatto riporre in soffitta!!! Che dire di piu!! La Framus ha FATTO CENTRO! OTTIMO prezzo(La meta della maggior parte delle altre testate)! OTTIMI componenti! OTTIMI suoni! OTTIMA costruzione! Veramente NOISELESS!! Cosa si vuole di PIU'?! A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ok after literally months of research and downloading sound clips i decided to go with framus over bogner,vht,soldano etc.its a 2005 model and i also bought a matching cabinet.now that the amp is in good working condition[i will explain later]i feel like i can give an honest review.this is a very versatile amp with alot of features and all are very very sensitive,if you turn the knob you get results.effects loop is awesome with an adjustment knob.make no mistake about this amp its incredibaly loud so if you are looking for power dont worry you got it.i play metal and i play loud.i give the features a 10 because this is a very giggable amp,just make sure you get the footswitch[i got mine thrown in with the deal,$2350 for the half stack]3 channels with 2 volumes all footswitchable.also the crunch and lead channels have knotch switches which scoop your mids and the clean channel has a bright switch.the amp also has a universal deep swith which helps control the bass response.

i play a gibson les paul special with an emg 81 in the bridge[i dont use the neck pick up at all]

clean:incredible clean channel,even though i dont play alot of clean stuff this thing makes me wanna use it more,very warm sounding and quiet.i give the clean channel a 10

crunch:this is the channel i use the most and to be honest i can not get the sound i want without using a ts 808 tube screamer and an eq through the effects loop.but with those 2 combined it will make you wanna smack your mama.without the pedals the amp is just too bright for me[i also tried it through my friends marshall 1960av with vintage 30's and it was still too bright]just so you will know my ideal rhythem sound is in the line of shadows fall,zakk wylde,killswitch engage,which i can get but not without the effects.the notch switch is not for me,it just doesnt cut through like i like it.its really fat and trebly with it on[i like more growl]
i did change all the tubes and had it rebiased to 30ma which made a huge difference before that it was too much fizz,sounded like a really good dual rectifier,but for the money this thing was suppose to kill right outta the box,and it didnt.i bought this amp without trying 1 out as well so take it from me try 1 out b4 you buy.i did try out a bogner ubershall,vht and both kranks[i have no idea why the krank amps are so expensive,i would rather play a solid state crate,they really sound horrible]the only reason i didnt buy a bogner was the features,you cant adjust the volume levels and there is no lead boost,but that thing has the most unreal brutal distortion i have ever heard and if i had to do it over again i would probably save my money for another year and get it.bogner is a 10 ,framus is a 9 with effects and a high 7 without on this channel.

lead channel:again without effects it just doesnt cut it,not enouh sustain and too bright.

ok here is what im not sure about.this was a brand new right out of the box framus cobra.i have been playing for about 18 years and i could tell something wasnt quite right with it,so i took it to a pro amp repair guy who hand makes and repairs tube amps,to get it rebiased and change the crappy eh tubes.he immediatly told me that he couldnt get a read on the number 1 power tube and the other 3 was at 59 ma[and he showed me on the scope or what ever that thing was]i called the store i bought it from and he told me to call the distibuter.more below

when i called the tech department i did get somebody on the phone[i was still at the amp shop]he ask me what was wrong and i told him that the repair guy couldnt get a reading on the number 1 power tube.he told me dont worry about it that he could still bias it off the other 3 tubes.he said that he had run across many with that problem because the wire wasn't hooked up,but you could still bias it.i ask my repair guy to talk to him cause i really didnt understand what he was talking about.my repair guy told him that the amp wasnt right and he couldnt bias it in its condition bvecause he couldnt get a reading.the framus distributer told him to tell me to send it to repair and he would have it looked at.[bottom line he wasnt going to authorize any money or refund,i was irate]i called the store i bought it from and he said he would send me another 1 or i could let my guy fix it and he would pay for it.i got my guy to fix it and retube it.the problem was a loose screw rattling around inside and was causing shorts.2 day old head cost $290.00 to fix.if the store i dealt with hadnt picked up the tab i really believe i would have been screwed.i would have to pay for shipping to and from california and then wait on them to fix it[about 3-4 weeks]if you buy 1 beware of this because my amp wasnt the first 1 with this problem.

now that my technical problems with this amp is over,i am going to give this amp an overall rating of 8[if it doesnt blow up]i have owned rectifiers,5150 II,crate blue voo doo,carvin legacy and line 6 and this amp is better than any of those]if it were stolen or lost i wouldnt buy another 1 only because of the warranty and the troubles i had.if money wasnt a problem i would get a bogner uber for the dirt and a line 6 for the clean and a a/b box.my guess is these amps are getting more and more popular and they are probably shipping them out too quickly to keep up with the demand.take my advice on this,only buy the exact amp you try out,dont try 1 at a store then go to a catalougue and get 1 shipped to you it might save you some trouble and money.my overall rating is based on it now not before repairs.oh yeh it has tung sol tubes.

This is the older model without the external bias. Great versatility, 3 channels with three independent EQs, deep knob, midi control which is killer.

I've owned this amp for a year now so I think I've had some time to let its sound sink in, and can submit a genuine review. Amps Ive owned in the past are: 73 fender super reverb, mesa tremoverb 100 watt dual rec head, marshall mode four head, marshall JMP-1 with 9200 marshall monoblock power amp, and finally the cobra. All heads played through a 4x12 marshall with greenbacks, and a f-in les paul standard with a 498t in the bridge instead of the burstbucker.

The sound took a little getting used to since all I've ever owned were 6L6 or 5881 powered heads. I really never got used to the EH 12AX7preamp sound on this amp. The clean with these tubes was out of this world, but the distortion was not to my liking. Hard to explain, both the lead and crunch had a low-midrange quality that was hard for me to dial in. It just didn't have the clarity/tone I wanted. I play technical jazz metal ala the fucking champs, dysrythmia, dazzling killmen, keelhaul, etc. I need a sound with balls, yet with a great well rounded tone. One day I bought the groove tube reissue of the original mullard preamp tubes to give them a try. Pretty much got the distortion sounding exactly as i wanted; tight, edgy, and clear with hella low end punch. Just the right amount of breakup, not the fizz.

I dont play the lead channel to much, it has a more dark tone, but i can see how some bands might like it. Can get a serious low end for down tune or whatever.

Crunch channel is where its at. Keep the gain from 12-2 oclock and this channel smokes any amp out there.

The clean isn't as clear as when it had the electro harmonix tubes, but its still stellar.

All in all the tone on this amp is hard to beat. My other guitarist plays a Marshall TSL 60, and that amp sounded pretty damn good believe it or not, but with the framus and the GT mullards, its eating dust. I also played it against a triple rec. The clarity of this amp really highlighted the fizzyness in the mesa.

I give it a nine since I'm sure a high dollar amp like bogner or diezel would beat it.

No probs yet, seems way sturdy and good fabrication. 9 since its only been a year. Never bring backups to gigs.

Never needed them. I think they offer a 6 month warranty.

I'm 28, and I've been playing since I was 5. I've owned a butt-load of equip and have played blues and metal. If it were stolen I'd buy another one, and make the same mod with the tubes. I always get asked about it, and the midi control opens doors if you use midi effects. Its a damn good amp, without the outrageous price tag like engls, bogners, and diezels. Don't be a mesa/marshall clone. Go framus and smoke em.