Framus Dragon Top

i don't know what year it is, but apparently it was bought off of george lynch or something like that. the amp is extremely versatile, with a beautiful clean channel and two great dirty channels

my lead guitarists uses this head with a VHT Fat Bottom 4x12, and a Gibson SG Gothic special. the amp sounds very brittle and harsh. we wish the crunch had just more gain. we dont like to use tube screamers or boost pedals, we like it old school, plug and play. we play metal, but not ridiculous gain type metal, we have very tight crunchy tones. we love the tone on the crunch channel, but it just needs a tad bit more gain. We've tried getting the same tone out of the lead channel, but just cant get it right. we would go back to the 6505+, but that sounds a little too compressed

the amp seems really reliable, i would have no problem gigging without a backup. but just to be on the safe side, we bring the 6505+ along. we haven't had the head for to long so i cant really say that its a trooper, but it does have some years on it.

never had to deal with them

this amp is great, no doubt about it. but if its not the tone you're looking for, then its just not for you.

I picked up this Dragon off a friend of mine, I'm not 100% on the year but its serial indicates its a V5.

I play a variety of music, but tend to focus on Death Metal. I have definitely given all channels a run for their money though. A little RHCP through the clean channel will put a smile on your face just like the dirty channels will.

The Dragon has 3 channels, Clean, Crunch, Lead. It also has an Effects loop, and 2 master volumes. A unique feature is the deep knob, which not channel specific, but brings out the "chunk" in your tone nicely. All of this is Midi or oldschool foot switchable.

This amp has no reverb. If you're looking for something with reverb, you probably aren't going after an amp with this tight of a tone anyway. No bright switch either, although the ton controls can achieve fairly biting cleans just fine without it.

I use this amp in a tiny apartment. This is entirely too loud for said apartment, but worth it for the times I take it elsewhere. This thing is deafening with the master above 4 through my Framus CS 2x12 cab, I don't even want to know what it is like through a 4x12.

I'm playing it through an Ibanez 2620, with the stock Dimarzio IBZ pickups. These pickups are similar to a Dimarzio Super Distortion, and a Jazz.

You can get many different heavy tones out of this amp, but it needs a boost. Many criticize this for being low gain, for something sold as a high gain amp. I can get everything from KSE, TBDM, Some Metalcore crap, All That Remains, to some of the more saturated nu-metal crap tone. The crunch channel tends to get the most use from me, boosted with a TS9 it is tight as a... (use your imagination)

The clean channel is apparently a ripped off AC30 tonestack, and it shows, its actually amazing to find a clean this damn good in a high gain amp. Not much to say about the lead channel, its a bit smoother but can get fizzy and over saturated.

Sadly, this amp still has the original Electro Harmonix tubes in it, which are not a good mate for this amp. This means it's been going at least a year and a half on that original set of tubes without a problem. Has not broken down, would play it without a backup based on reputation, but not on personal experience.

I'm third owner, have not dealt with Framus or Warwick. Have not needed any repair work. I'm pretty sure finding an authorized service center would be very difficult considering my location, but the circuit is very very simple. Not sure on Warranty length either.

I've been playing guitar for about 15 years, on and off. I've got a Pod XT which is also great, and I've been through a couple Ibanez and Fender guitars. This is actually the first quality amplifier I've owned, the last two were cheap solid states, purchased before I knew much about what was good and what was bad.

If this was stolen or lost I would buy the same thing if it was out there available.

This product has everything I could ask for, except for reverb..But since I don't use reverb for EVERYTHING, using outboard FX is always an option. Apart from the reverb, or therefore lack of, this amp has, and is everything. Channel one is a sparkling clean to a fat, warm sounding bluesy, overgained sound. Beaute. Channel two is a crunchy rhythm/blues sound. Beaute. Channel three is anything from a crunchy rhythm/blues sound, upto a hench, sic sounding crazy metalfest. Anyone who says that there isnt enough gain is clearly an eejit, and has a desire to feedback constantly. The gain is plenty, and since I hate adding pedals/outboard distortion (I think it ruins the natural sound of valve amps and trans amps in general) it is perfect. I play mainly metal/proggy metal (influences of tesseract, meshuggah, textures, bulb, periphery and monuments) and in home, live and studio conditions; this thing is fucking crazy. I also play a lot of jazzy/indy/krunk/rock/blues stuff, and after quickly dialing in settings, this thing sounds brill. Oh and another thing I forgot, was the "Deep" pot; it changes the sound so much, and sounds amazing in context.

I use a hohner arbor series with a ZW EMG set on (yes .. yes .. you may be thinking "oh..a hohner.." but this thing shreds - trust) and using the bridge pickup maily, its great for all manors of death, thrash, tech .. whatever you want really. Moving onto other styles, having middle select or the neck select, its a much warmer, thicker sound which is great for blues on this amp.
As I've already said, its so versitile for every music style, and especially (though the other model is meant to be better for it) metal.
Oh and just to itterate; this thing is brutal. The lead channel on high volume slays, and this is just on a 2x12 ENGL (i prefer it to the 4x12)

Iv never been one for backing up or being over-prepared, but with this thing I dont think i'd need to be. This thing is built like a ******* tank.

Never had to deal with them, and hope never to!

Some small background of myself..I'v only been playing four and a half years or so, but in my time i've played a lot of amps, recorded a lot of music, and played a hell of a lot. I own a gibson 1974 custom, a hohner, a custom emg-laden LP, and various acoustics and basses. Before owning this I owned various marshalls, and theve always been *****. Iv never wanted to go back to them, so I decided to go with a more obscure brand. I was tempted by mesa, diezel, orange etc, but after playing all, I decided that i would go for a Framus. And after playing both the dragon and the cobra, I decided on the dragon for the above reasons. If it were stolen id hunt the ****** down, then buy another one. I love everything about it; the colours, the green "dragon's eye" looking on-button, the depth, the brutal sound, and the shimmering cleans, which are brill for experimental. Eversince my old band shared the stage with a band called InterLock, I've craved a framus, HARD. After considdering the price though, at 16 I was thinking that I could never afford something like this.. So I sold everything I could, and came up about..??600 short haha. Thankfully right place, right time; I found it on ebay and struck up a bargain.

This head is insane. Instant classic! Well worth every penny. Three channels of love. This amp brings it everytime. Very tight.. very loud and the lows grab you deep and demand respect.

Get real. Its never noisy. The distortion is adaptable to every kind of rock music. I use sg's and les paul's through it and its a dream combo... esp with the dragon cab. Yeah.. I know.. im pretty special arent I? lol

I've used it without fail two times a week (on average) for over a year. Its awesome!

I havent had to contact them

best ever

This amp is great. It has 3 channels, all of which have their own EQ which is great when you are looking to have different sounds between channels. One of my favorite features is the volume 1/2 selector which basically gives you 6 channels as far as I'm concerned. I don't use effects, but I know it has an effects loop. Everything about this amp is super high quality. I heard these were hand made... it looks like it got a lot of TLC, because its rock solid. I must say, I have used the COBRA as well which seemed a little less road worthy, so I was happy when I tried this one out. I use 2 amps, and the amp has a Ohms selector for those days when I am too lazy to bring my second cab and I need to run the amps stereo into one cab. Lots of good features.

This amp kills babies. Its loud, its got a really heavy edge, and the "deep" knob adds a lot of depth to the sound. I actually find myself using the OD channel cranked up with the deep knob at about 7 to get a really heavy sound that has a lot of low end. For heavier, louder stuff, I go with the lead channel. To be honest, when I heard the amp by itself I was not very impressed with how the distortion sounded, but when I play it with the band, it sounds amazing.

At this point I use a Fender Prosonic and the Dragon at the same time with an AB switch and it sounds great. I think the Dragon mixes really well with other amps. For a guitar I use a PRS standard 22 with dragon 2 pick-ups. They are really middy sounding pickups, so I am sure that the sounds I get a very specific to my set-up.

Don't know... I have only had this amp for a month. So far so good.

I don't speak German, so I don't know about international! I did email Dana B Goods tho, which is the US distributer and I must say... they sucked. They sent me an email back and didn't even answer my question. I was disappointed.

I don't even play guitar really, I am just a drummer so my opinion is pretty much worthless, but I think this amp rocks. I would buy it again. I like my prosonic better, but its nice to have something unique.

Just a side note - this amp was originally owned by the guitar player from godsmack... good or bad... i don't know.

The Dragon has features that are perfect for rock, blues, metal, and jazz.- Three channels with gain, bass, treble, presence, middle and deep. It's versatile and you can find many tones with it. Like all quality tube amps, tweak and be rewarded. However, there is no reverb.

I used this amp for about two weeks and gigged with it once. I was rewarded with some fantastic metal/rock tones. The Dragon is very close to a Marshall when it comes to the amp breaking up and distorting. Its raw tube distortion and punchy tone that felt great to play and the Dragon had alot it. I have to say though that a major dissapointment was the lack of sustain that the amp gave me. It was like pulling teeth trying to get some and when it did, it petered out on me. That was the only dissapointment although it's a pretty big one!. I would ave given the Dragon a 10 had the sustain been a more dramatic feature.

I only used it for about three weeks. The guy who I borowed it from said he had played with it for at least a year and gigged with it and used it several times a week. I would feel good about using it if I were the owner for sure. It appears to be constructed very well and it worked fine for me. As a player for over 30 years and one who has used several amps, I can say that this amp is a quality tube powered amp and that Framus has built this line of amplifier for professionals. It's tone and functionality is strait from the construction and isn't modulated in anyway way. I could tell that the amp was constructed by a designer who also is a player and demanded quality.

I've been playing for 30 years and played my Les Paul Custom through the Dragon. I also have an American Deluxe Strat and a Marshall JCM 2000 TSL with a 1960A cab. What I loved about this amp was it's "deep" sound and it's balance with the treble strings on the crunch and lead channels. It reminded of the Marshall but didn't live up to to it as the lack of and sustain were isssues with me. I like to hold and bend notes during my solos to create tension. As a result, I had to re-activate a string. Not a big deal, but there it was. If the Dragon were less expensive, I could live with the sustain issue and I'd buy it in a second. I know I could tweek it a bit more to resolve it. The Dragon is an excellent amplifier and is a very close neighbor to, "The Marshalls." However, for the price of the Dragon, I could get a Marshall and a half stack. LOWER YOUR PRICE FRAMUS!

Great design - 3 independent channels, MIDI controllable. Same complaint as the others with the footswitch not lighting up - MIDI makes up for this. The FX loop could be a tad better. It colors the sound a bit, esp in the mids.

Here is why I am writing.

These are fine amps that compete in the Range of VHT, Bogner, Marshall and the like. The thing is you have to mess with the settings and tweak a bit.

This amp really could use an onboard EQ. It is VERY BASSY and almost hard to get right in the mix because you have to work to roll the bass back and push the highs. Otherwise, it's versatile and toneful. Nice nasty mids, huge sound, EL34 goodness - you will NEVER LACK BASS, trust me.

Here is the big part - TUBES! These ship with EH EL34s now. BAD CHOISE if you ask me. It makes the amp a bit harsh and unbalanced. The EH 12ax7s are nice and nasty but I found much better choices. I have seen that JJ EL34s add some balance and glassiness, and E34Ls add nice aggressive attitude. In the Preamp JJ's are great. I found a preference for Mesa Boogie Russian -2 12ax7s in V1 and V2 OR Chinese 9th Gen. 12AX7s in V1 or V2.

If you want more of a classic tone with nice break up, Ei 12Ax7 Elite Golds are a great choice, though you might lose some volume and they can be microphonic.

THESE TUBE CHOICES CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE TO TONE.

A solid amp with a decent range of possibilities. I still have a slight preference for brands such as Bogner over this amp.

I will say, I love that this amp gives high gain flavors while still being toneful.

Framus Dragon 100 watt EL-34 tube amp:

Made in July 2005, I bought it used on New Years Eve 2005. Serial number 704!
I was a bit skeptical about buying an amp I hadn't yet played, and whether it would have enough gain. I like alot of thrash and death metal. The old Metallica sound, Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage (whom I understand recorded "End of Heartache" with a Dragon), Meshuggah, Death, Pantera etc. etc. This amp is great for all of them. I really wonder how the Cobra compares. the Lead channel has more than enough gain. I keep the bass and the Deep knob low, because the bass is wow....tons of it. The Crunch Channel sounds like a pushed JCM 900, great for 80s metal, blues, rock, etc. I like the Clean channel, its sparkly. I like Chorus on my cleans, and havent had the chance to use it yet, but im sure it'll be sweet. Anyway it has Midi in/out, FX loop, line out and an ohm switch 4/8/16. Another cool thing about it is the fact that it has dual Master volumes which are footswitchable.

I really wish that it had a bias switch to use other tubes, and reverb would be great. Also if there was a loop on/off button. If it had a parametric EQ or perhaps a better midsweep thatd be useful.

I use the amp at home.I havent had a chance to gig it, but I plan on it. Its got more than enough power. At level 5 with the master volume all the way up, it seems to have its best tone....the tubes sound absolutely immaculate

My main guitars are an

- 83 Gibson Flying V with aftermarket Seymour Duncans
- 87 ESP Maverick (M-II pre-lawsuit model, with a Jackson shaped neck?), DiMarzio Super Distortion and ESP Hotrails in neck.
- Les Paul with EMG 81s

My style is mostly of a metal nature. My guitars sound great through the amp. The Seymours tend to be a bit quieter than the EMGs, but they still have great sound. The EMGs have a bit more clarity, and bring out some pretty sweet pinched harmonics. The DiMarzio Superdistortion is a brutal &^$%#@! pickup....loads of bass, it just destroys.

The amp is quiet as a mouse. You turn it up to 5 or 6 and you couldnt even tell it was on. I mean, it makes a little bit of noise, but nothing like any other amps out there. For the amount of gain it produces, it sleeps like a baby when you palm mute.

The amp has alot of variety, from your clean sound to a kind of bluesy sound with the distortion all the way up. On the Crunch channel it goes from a JCM 800 to a pushed 900. It has a very fair amount of gain....i like to play Iron Maiden, Eric Clapton and general classic rock/blues/80s metal on this channel. The lead channel is metal up your ass bliss. The tubes just scream on this channel. I can't quite describe the sound, but theres alot of clarity and it just makes you want to jizz yourself as the amp assaults your ears. Despite what you'll read on here and elsewhere, this is a great metal amp, it will accomodate even the heaviest of sounds. It has a distortion of its own.

I feel very comfortable with this amp. I would gig it without a backup and feel at ease. I've only had it for about 2 and a half months, but it sounds great like when I first bought it. Tubes are still very stong.

Haven't talked to them yet, but for the price the amp runs for, you'd expect them to come to your house, fix it, and return it on a silver platter.

I bought it used, so, I don't have a warranty on it.

I've been playing for about 7 years.
I've gone through several amplifiers searching for the one that I can call my tone;

Crate GX-2200H, Crate 212, Randall Warhead, Marshall Mode Four, Marshall JCM 2000 DSL, B-52 AT-100, Mesa Triple Rectifier 2 channel, Line 6 Spyder II... I really liked the Mesa Triple Recto, but I thought it was really loud when palm muted and I needed a 3 channel amp (and I hear that the 2 channels were made better....but i cant verify that for sure).
If the Randall Warhead was a tube amp, and it didn't suck so much with all the constant bugs it has, that would be a great amp...it had some of the most brutal distortion, but it was very problematic; It produced an insane amount of feedback.

Anyway, I still have the Triple Recto, but I have to sell it to pay off the Dragon.

If the Dragon were stolen, I would hunt down the *&^%$# and *insert violent things here*, and then I would likely buy another, or better yet, id shell out a few extra hundred bucks and get the Cobra. Im really interested in a Mesa Mark IV too.

I saw that Lamb of God stopped using the Mesa Mark IVs and switched to Framus amps. I initially read that Killswitch Engage plays them....and very intrigued by their pinched harmonics, I looked into the Framus line. Once again, if it had reverb, an FX loop switch, and a bias switch, that'd make this a much cooler amp, but im extremely happy with it as is. I think if it were combined with a Mesa Triple Recto, it would be unbeatable. You'd have just about everything you want in one amp.
This amp usualy runs for $2399 and i got it on ebay for about 1300 shipped, so I can't complain.

+ Made in 2004
+ 3 Channels plus two Masters
+ MIDI for the Channelswitching and Master 1/2 (very easy to handle)
+ Use it for GrungeRock

- No Bright-Switch

Guitars: PRS Singlecut with Duncan HB, Strat with Duncan SC and HB, Ibanez SZ 520

I use the Dragon with a Boogie 4 X 12 Rectifier Cabinet

Clean Channel:

I do not use the clean channel very often. For this reason I can live with it. I miss a Bright switch! But it is ok for every kind of rock

Crunch Channel:

This is the sound I have searched for so long time! Real Crunch! You can go from little crispy to a brutal Rythm Crunch Sound and play even Lead with it! The Gain is enough! Better than a Double Recty

Lead Channel:

How can I say - too much Gain :) I don?t do Santana solos and other crab like this - the Lead Channel is ONLY good for Lead - no way to get another Crunch-Channel with different sound. Ok it is a Lead Channel.... I will bring it to a Tube Pro and turn down the Gain a little.

Overall Sound: As I said before - I do Grunge / Rock / Hard and this amp is extremly versatile for what I do.

Compare to other Heads I have tried and played in my life (the ones I remember):

Engl Powerball = More brutal, more Heavy
Groove Tubes Solo 75 = Better Clean Channel
Engl Savage 60 = More Mids and much more noisy
Engl Fireball = More cracklig sound, more hi
Marshall DSL = Crunch sucks, Clean is more thin
Boogie Double Recty = Much better Clean Sounds, Lead is nearly the same sound

Noise:

The Dragon is really a noisless Tubehead! Ok, if you put alot of gain on the Lead channel there is noise - but compared to other amps it is no noise!!

It is looking very solid! I use it with a case and handle my equipment with care.

I would like allways to have a backup but without the backup money....

Here the big minus is coming! I have asked for a blueprint by email and didn?t got a answer! Due to this was my first contact - a 5!

@Framus! Your german homepage tells lies about the Dragon :-) !!! Think it is the Cobra Description!

This is my amp (for now)! I would recommend this amp for Grunge Rock to Hard Rock - not for Metal and not for really bluesy or funky music. It is a real Rocker with the right Character for this.

DONT use it with a Marshall Cab! It sucks! Best experience with the Boogie 4 X 12 (even better than the Framus)

I think you already know the main features, three independent channels, two master volumes, all midi-switchable, FX-way, deep-switch...
Most versatile amp I've ever played! Don't know the year the amp was made, bought it used.

I'm using exclusively Framus Guitars (Camarillo Custom, Panthera Studio Custom) and this amp kicks ass with both of them! I've never heard a warmer clean sound before and the crunch channel beats every Marshall in my opinion. The lead channel also sounds great. I play mostly hard rock to metal and it has great gain reserves so that everything is possible. For death metal the distortion might be to "soft", but with an EQ in the loop everything is possible!

This Amp is built like a tank, I just need a new quad of power amp tubes.

Very nice people, never had problems with them!

I'm playing now since five years and owned many amps like Marshall 8100, Laney GH100L, Engl Screamer 50 and this amp is the holy grail of tone for me! I was always searching for an amp that fits my style and this amp's got everything I need!
If it was stolen I'd find the bastard and beat the hell out of him before I'd get another one!
For me it's the ultimate amp!