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Hatsubai « Huge sounding but gets a bit lost »
Published on 04/04/11 at 20:41The ENGL Powerball is an extreme metal quasi-four channel amp that's meant to deliver overall brutality with no holding back. It features multiple mini switches to adjust the tone, an effects loop and a noise gate. The features are a bit slim compared to other ENGLs, but the amp was meant to be more of a "go out and play" amp versus a super versatile "do anything" amp that the other series are.
UTILIZATION
The way the ENGL laid everything out isn't bad, but I wish they made a few more features footswitchable. I also wish that every channel was fully independent. Earlier, I said the amp is a "quasi-four channel amp." It's a four channel amp in the sense that it has different volumes per channel. However, the channel EQs are shared, for the most part. There are some that have independent controls like the treble for the clean/crunch and mid open/mid focus, but it's still really a two channel amp more than a four channel.
SOUNDS
The sound of this amp is a bit lacking compared to the other ENGL amps out there. I find it to sound huge, but it's kinda woofy sounding at times. The noise gate definitely needs to be on all the time as this thing has TONS of gain. It doesn't take pedals too well, the clean is average, midgain tones are alright, and lead tones aren't too bad. Rhythm tones are pretty good, but recording them always seemed a bit of a challenge for whatever reason.
OVERALL OPINION
Since the ENGL Powerball II came out, I can't really recommend this amplifier anymore. That said, if you have one, it's still a pretty good metal amp. Don't expect to take it out to your next jazz gig, but it should be able to deliver the goods when it comes to brutal metal.
UTILIZATION
The way the ENGL laid everything out isn't bad, but I wish they made a few more features footswitchable. I also wish that every channel was fully independent. Earlier, I said the amp is a "quasi-four channel amp." It's a four channel amp in the sense that it has different volumes per channel. However, the channel EQs are shared, for the most part. There are some that have independent controls like the treble for the clean/crunch and mid open/mid focus, but it's still really a two channel amp more than a four channel.
SOUNDS
The sound of this amp is a bit lacking compared to the other ENGL amps out there. I find it to sound huge, but it's kinda woofy sounding at times. The noise gate definitely needs to be on all the time as this thing has TONS of gain. It doesn't take pedals too well, the clean is average, midgain tones are alright, and lead tones aren't too bad. Rhythm tones are pretty good, but recording them always seemed a bit of a challenge for whatever reason.
OVERALL OPINION
Since the ENGL Powerball II came out, I can't really recommend this amplifier anymore. That said, if you have one, it's still a pretty good metal amp. Don't expect to take it out to your next jazz gig, but it should be able to deliver the goods when it comes to brutal metal.