Zwengel Banshee Head

The Features are as previously stated - the biggest difference is that my head is the "HI-GAIN MOD" Version...

Vintage Channel - Surprisingly clean for a high gain amp - the vintage channel can dial in some hot pushed tones as well. the "brite" and "mid" switches give alot a options - one eq supports both channels. I feel this is the best "clean" i have heard - not that it compares to a fender jazz clean but the flexibility here is unmatched
Modern - I don;t think there is a better hi-gain channel available(period!) great pushed, driven tone-just with a Heritage H150 (which is not METAL axe) this thing screams but none of the dual recoto buzz..at the setting of 5 there is enought gain even for me :) the gain is almost three dimensional but the drive, sustain and tone is outstanding
for a "hi-gain" head this thing has the best combination of flexibility, quality, tone and GAIN i have seen

I have no idea about schematics, etc, etc but in my conversations with Carl i have no doubt that he will accomodate any concerns...

see above - Carl is very accessible - even to a no-name novice like myself

at the price of this head - there are no other choices in my opinion. i have not heard the non modded version but i suspect they are awesome as well. the only thing i miss is a seperate eq for each channel - but that has not been a drawback so far...my expectations increase for each dollar i spend - no second guessing here!

2002, Banshee 50, Two channel head with vintage/modern voicing switch. Footswitch control for clean to distortion channel. Line Level Adjustable Parallel/Serial selectable effects loop. A slave/line out would be nice no biggie. Enough features to be useful without being a reliabilty nightmare. I play in a cover Rock band. My band mates thought it was a 100 watt head volume wise. It features two 6l6GC Svetlana, Ruby tested power tubes with 4 JJ/ RUby tested,12ax7/ecc83 preamp tubes. All tube design.

I play old Kramers with a Seymour duncan Seymorizer II and an Ernie Ball Axis. I play mostly classic rock to newer radio rock like Creed, Godsmack typical Bar Rock. I own the following amps, Marshall 100 watt 2203, Mesa Dual Recto, THD Univalve. These pretty much cover all type of current gain structures found in all popular amplification. All reaching their signature tones in their own way. As you can tell I really enjoy pure Output tubes distortion that become a part of your playing where every nuance is dynamic comes through. The Mesa crunched great but I was always wanting for a sustaining lead voice that didn't sound buzzy. Even with the gain turned down it sounded this way to my ears 10 feet away in a live mix with a band. It just didn't become a part of your playing the way a dimed Plexi or Superlead does. The banshee on the other hand is extremely touch sensitive and every nuance of your playing good or bad is reproduced. The distortion has big , fat, girthy output tube type qualities in a Master volume design. Not possible you say! That's what I said, then I played the amp! Play this amp! The note separation is astounding, no matter how fast you pick each sounded note is descernible. I could not believe how it tracked through my scaling. Play hard with a strong attack the amp responds. Roll the volume back it cleans up like an old PLexi hold a closed note and it erupts into a beautiful controllable harmonic feedback. For classic rock gain wise it can stand on its own. It is not a metal amp, a great rock amp! To shove it into Metal type like Megadeth/Ozzy a clean boosted overdrive pedal does the trick. Don't get me wrong the Dual Recto is great at alot of sounds. My taste for the lead voicing with the Dual recto just did not agree. The Banshees low end is very tight/percussive, not boomy and mids are punchy I thought it lacked just a little bit of high end bite. I am tying to rectify this with additional EQ and Carl has offered to tweak the voicing a little. Again It doesn't have the extreme massive low frequency focus the Dual Recto has but the recto doesn't have the mid punch and dynamic response the Banshee has. It is a trade off and I love the Banshee for lead work. You SRV blues and speed players need to try this amp. Beautiful, chimey, full clean sounds as well. How much do I like it? The Dual Recto has been sold and the Zwengel is my main gigging amp now!

The amp is a master volume design with the best electronic parts available today. Carl's transformers are custom made to his specifications. The layout and wiring of this amp is ARTWORK! The circuit board is Point to Point. Carl takes pride in his art and it shows. The tubes sockets are chassis mounted like amps should be. the Layout is service friendly. The mesa Dual Recto has PC board mounted sockets, everything crammed in there, that scares me. There alot of features relay/ switches to go wrong with the MESA as it ages. The banshee is very basic. Carl handbuilds these from start to finish. This amp screams RELIABILITY!

Carl will work with you to give you what you want like voicing the amp if need be or custom work. A 10 year warranty. WOW. He doesn't rush off the phone as he is a player as well as an amp builder. He has a degree in Electonics/Electrical Engineering of some sort with technical expertise as well.

I feel I have made a purchase for a lifetime that will serve me well. I love the marshally voicing of this amp with it own unique twist. I would like a little more bite to the high end but I am not done dialing it in yet. You classic rocker/blues/ hell even metal lead players out there need to check out this amp. Zwengel amplification is just getting off the ground and I believe when the qualites of this amp get known demand will grow. Give him a call and take one of these Banshees for a test drive. Where can you find a completely handbuilt PTP amp for 1,500 bucks in this cookie cutter world of ours.

Two channel head, vintage and modern, effects loop , footswitchable,bright switch for channel 1 and mid boost switch for both channels, damping pot on the back to dial in a tighter response from the speaker.

The vintage channel sounds like a tweed fender, very chimy and alive. Its not as clean as a twin but very good if you keep the volume on your guitar about 5. The modern or overdrive channel is very warm and spongy. It really sings. Any note will go into feedback even at lower settings. This channel will clean up pretty good when backing down volume on the guitar. The amp feels easy to play and is very responsive.

The workmanship inside is very good.

Carl addressed a few concerns I had. I wanted the mid switch to have more emphasis. A simple change of a cap got me what I wanted. I bought the amp from Steve Snider at tonedogs and his service was great.

I compared this with my Diezel and they are both great amps in their own way. The Zwengel is a bit warmer and spongier and a bit more touch sensitive but not as versatile as the Diezel. The Zwengel took me some time to dial in. I was not used to having the gain control on the clean channel affect the tone . For my tastes I needed the gain almost all the way up to get the low end to be similar to the overdrive channnel. Also it would be great if the clean channel had a bit more headroom but it sounds very good if you keep the guitar volume down. I really like the amp. Its fun to play. Its a great value for the cost.