Krank Amplification Krankenstein +

2008 krank krankenstein plus, Im kind of a gear-aholic so I dont think I could ever be happy with just one kind of amp, but it definitaley is fun primarily for metal. 2-channels 1 high gain 2- clean w/ footswitch and effects loop on back of head. footswitch has 2- buttons, one for channel switching and one for master volumes 1 and 2( basically a lead boost). A footswitchable effects loop and eq would be cool if I could wish fo something else, as well as a direct recording out. Primarily use it for home recording, 120 watts is probably (ok definately ) overkill, but I live in the boonies so I can get loud and annoy woodland creatures. This new model uses 6550 tubes I believe, as opposed to 5881 tubes used in the first version. Not a lot of fancy gizmo features but basically I just want a good sounding rythm tone. oh yeah, some kind of reverb would be a bonus. Im giving it an 8 for features,

I have two usa gibson les paul standards, one w/ burstbuckers and one w/ emg 81/85's, a 1986 Esp m-1 w/ emg 81, Fender usa 60th anniversary strat w/ duncan distortion/lil' screamin demon/duncan distortion and coil tap. This amp is obviously geared toward the metal player ie high gain, plenty chugga chugga, nice harmonics, tight airy bass, glassy highs, and quick dynamic responsive feel. it does have a nice clean channel but I dont think this is going to be the main selling point if you know what I mean. For a high gain amp it is relatively quiet which is nice for percussive rythm playing. I guess you would describe my style as melodic black metal meets american metal. My other amp is a mesa triple rectifier which I love, but it kinda has a loose bottom end and I think the krankenstein has a more open, musical sound to its distortion. If you play cowboy chords with the gain up on the distortion channel you can still hear every note. The clean channel breaks up at higher volumes, but I think it is supposed to. I should also note that I am playing it through a mesa 4x12 rectifier cabinet.Overall the distortion is why I bought it, I know its not everyones cup of tea, but I dig it. Brutal, tight, and lively, slightly compressed sounding distortion.

Hasent made me mad yet. Id gig it locally w/ out a backup.

havent had to deal w/ the company or get it repaired. Comes with the usual warranty, if you break it doing something stupid sounds like your on your own!

ive been playing about 15 years, had a variety of guitars, now I mostly like my Gibsons ( tremolo's are a pain). I have a mesa boogie triple rectifier half-stack, a marshall valvestate and various rack gear/ pedals. I love its distortion and like its simplicity.I got turned on to krank because my brother has one and when we would record he has a more dynamic sound as opposed to the triple I was using, generally they both are brutal but the krankenstein has a warmer sound. My brothers is an original krankenstein 100 watt with the 5881's. I want to get together with him and a/b the amps to see if there is a difference in tone. downside is these are a little pricey