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The best ENGL Guitars reviews

The reviews Audiofanzine members found the most helpful.

ENGL E650 Ritchie Blackmore Signature Head

« The Blackmore left me wanting more. »
The Engl Blackmore is a 100 watt, all tube amplifier powered by a quartet of 5881’s. It has one set of EQ controls (bass, middle, and treble), clean channel volume, overdrive channel gain, overdrive channel volume and presence. There are two master volumes; one for each channel, unless the footswitch is plugged in, then one of the master volumes can act as a boost. There is also a bright button for the clean channel and a contour button for the overdrive channel that boosts low-mid frequencies. UTILIZATION Because of the limited number of controls, and a well thought out design, it is extremely easy to get a good sound out of the Blackmore. The names of some of the knobs can seem a little ambiguous, so the manual is helpful. It is also helpful in understanding how the two channels and each channel’s “modes” work. SOUNDS I used the Engl Blackmore with a Gibson Les Paul Custom, and a pedal board consisting of a Boss TU-2, a Line 6 MM4, and a Boss NS-2. The Blackmore has four modes within its two channels; clean, crunch, lead and heavy lead. The shared EQ works extremely well on all modes. I never found myself wanting to change the EQ when I would change channels or modes, which speaks volumes for the amp’s design. The amp sounded excellent when playing alone at home, but in a band scenario I found my tone getting lost in the mix. I was either too loud or unable to be heard. This amp would be great if I was playing alone or in a recording environment, but in my band the Blackmore failed to perform. However, I have seen a Blackmore used in another band with excellent results. OVERALL OPINION Besides the tone of the Blackmore not cutting through in a band environment, when I used the Engl Z-5 controller there was a slight delay when I would change from one channel/mode to another. There wasn’t a popping sound, only a pause with no sound coming from the amp. However, I spoke with other Blackmore/Z-5 users and they did not have this same problem. Knowing what I know now I would probably not have purchased the Blackmore. I still believe it is an excellent amp with excellent tones, but it did not gel with me and my amplifier requirements.

by Everlone 1 7/5/11
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ENGL E645 PowerBall Head

« Huge sounding but gets a bit lost »
The 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.

by Hatsubai 4/4/11
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ENGL E640 Invader 150 Head

« The more organic ENGL »
The ENGL Invader 150 is one of the newer amps that ENGL offers. It features many of the features that the Powerball features, but this amp runs on EL34s. It has four completely independent channels, multiple effects loops, is fully MIDI enabled, has a line out and a preamp out jack. UTILIZATION ENGL is listening to customer opinions and finally offered a fully independent four channel amplifier. Where as the SE series has some shared controls, this has a knob for every channel. It can seem a bit daunting at first glance, but it's very easy to dial in and get a great tone. There are less mini switches on this for voicing changes, so it's also a bit easier to find a great tone than the others, in my opinion. SOUNDS This ENGL is a bit more organic than the others in the line up. I find it takes pedals better, offers a better clean and mid gain crunch as well. The amplifier really can do any tone ranging from country all the way to the most brutal death metal out there. The main difference that everyone wants to know is the difference between the 100 and 150. I haven't tried them back to back, but I hear there's a difference in the way the bright switch works. One thing I did notice, besides the 100 watter being cheaper, is that the 150 watt seems to rely more on preamp distortion, so it tends to stay a bit "cleaner" sounding where as the 100 watter actually sounds bigger thanks to the power amp distortion assisting everything. OVERALL OPINION If you're looking for one of the more versatile ENGLs out there, I recommend checking this amplifier out. I also actually recommend the 100 over the 150 as the differences are a bit minimal, aside from the price. That said, if you're looking for a "cleaner" sounding gain, the 150 will probably suit you better.

by Hatsubai 4/4/11
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ENGL E610 Savage 120 Head

« Brutality squared »
The ENGL Savage 120 is probably the amp that really made a name for ENGL. It's an extremely versatile amp that took brutality to an entirely different level. It's a four channel amp that has tons of features such as multiple effects loops, a line out, MIDI capable with an external device and tons of different switches to change the voicing. The amp is a bit different from the original SE in that it has 6550 tubes that deliver crazy output. UTILIZATION The ENGL Savage 120 does a pretty good job at being versatile. There are tons of different voicing switches you can utilize to help sculpt the tone to what's in your head. The manual also does a great job at explaining everything. That said, I find the amp to be a bit lacking in the way they laid it out. The controls are not independent. Clean and Crunch 1 share controls, as do Crunch 2 and Lead. I also wish they would have included MIDI instead of forcing you to buy an external device. SOUNDS This thing sounds phenomenal. If you play metal, this should be one of the top three amps you look at. I can't stress how absolutely brutal this amp gets. Just listen to Darkane or Dying Fetus' Descend Into Depravity. It'll show you exactly what this amp sounds like. The amplifier doesn't need a boost, so no need to worry about external pedals. Cleans are not bad, and midgain tones are pretty good for a high gain amplifier to boot. OVERALL OPINION I find the original SE to be a bit more versatile, but if you're looking for one of the most brutal amplifiers out there, this should be one of your first choices. It's versatile enough to do most any genre, but it truly excels at metal. I've heard some reliability issues with some ENGL amps, but I've never experienced any first hand, so take that for what it's worth. I just wish it had independent controls for each channel and had MIDI built in already instead of making you buy another device.

by Hatsubai 4/4/11
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ENGL E325 Thunder 50 Head

Audiofanzine FR's review
(Originally written by elco7/translated from Audiofanzine FR) 50 watts Original ECC83 and 5881 tubes with Engl logo Comprehensive connections: you can connect virtually any speaker cabinet and the FX loop has a dry/wet setting. V1 and V2 are used for the channels, V3 for the FX loop and V4 is the rectifier tube. Two switches (clean/crunch and crunch/lead) Gain, EQ, two volume plus one master control Not very versatile The scale of the controls goes from 0 to 12 UTILIZATION The configuration is not very easy because the crunch and lead channels share EQ and gain control. This means that you have to set the crunch channel so that you can go from clean to distortion without affecting the dynamics of your playing. You'll have to use a very high volume setting in the distortion channels and decrease the master... The crunch/lead gain turns into the clean channel's volume, but why? Why...? Because otherwise the amp would be too loud. - The problem of having common gain and EQ settings in crunch and lead modes is that if you use both modes in the same song you'll notice almost no difference at all, except for more lows, a bit more gain and more noise, like a normal boost... - And the problem of the gain control turning into a volume knob is that you won't enjoy the power tubes if you want to use all three channels... But the amp has a very rare quality: you can play with low output volumes. Lots of amps sound awful when they are set to 1 and are very loud when set to 2 (like the Mesa Single Rectifier for example). SOUNDS I play with a Strat Mexico '60, a 1960b Marshall cabinet connected with 2.5mm2 speaker cable and a big Proco Power+. 6l6 Sovtek WXT+ and mix of Engl ECC83/ EH 12AX7. The sound is very good with steady lows. The mid control is very effective, the sound is accurate and vigorous. It reminds me of a boosted Vox with an EL34 sound character. Some people might say the sound is cold but that's not the case and that's why it's versatile. The amp faithfully reproduces the attack, the twang and the dynamic of my Strat. The position of the pick and the toggle switch provide a rich sound palette. You can get many different sounds and the amp sounds modern. The clean tone doesn't sound like a duck, it's very musical. Set to 7-8, the crunch channel provides a colored clean sound and a dynamic crunch sound (because of the low output level of the alnico pickups). The lead channel doesn't interest me at all so I never use it... I like to have a sharp and aggressive sound. The lows are well-balanced and accurate. My settings the last three years have been: gain = 8, bass = 7, mid = 8, treble = 4, crunch volume = 6, lead = 0, master = 3. I can increase the master setting up to 6 and decrease the preamp level since I never use the clean mode (do you get it?) OVERALL OPINION I wanted a single channel amp and I use only one sound so this amp is perfect for me But guitarists looking for versatility should stay away from it... I wanted a basic single-channel amp with a very dynamic and accurate sound (like a VHT Delivrance, H&K Puretone and the like). Before buying it I hesitated between vintage and modern sound. The crunch sound of ENGL amps is typical rock n roll. I immediately liked its sound and I find the amp sounds much better than many others. The price is ok considering it has a more authentic sound than the new budget tube amp. This amp combines a British sound character with an American-like frequency response. Highs, mids, lows, it's simply well-balanced! Currently there's a hype for EL34 and KT66. Many manufacturers offer this sound (Mesa Stilleto, VHT Delivrance, Marshall JVM...) This amp doesn't deserve a 9 in every respect, but if you like it you won't have any reason to change it (only the tubes). On the other hand, it's also nice to hear something different from time to time.

by Audiofanzine FR 12/7/08
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ENGL E670 EL34 Special Edition Head EL34

myriam63660_en's review
- 100 watts head (4 EL34 - 5 12AX7) - 6 channels - midi controlled - hard to list all of the connections and possibilities here, have a look on ENGL website UTILIZATION - So much functions that you feel a little lost at first, really need lot of time to set it correctly but after that it's great to control simultanéously the head and your multi fx with the midi system. - The manual is very clear SOUNDS - you can do everything with that monster, each of the channels cover a great range of styles: 1/ Tube driver: leave the sound of your instrument unaffected and amplified directly by the power amp 2/ TDHQ: the same channel as above but with EQ settings for shaping, a volume and a sensitivity potentiometer (to set from clean to crunch) 3/ Clean channel: from extreme clean to overdrive 4/ Crunch channel: From slight crunch to heavy warm distorsion 5/ Lead 1 channel: a very tight and focused channel, great for hard rock or métal rhythm work (reminds me of the gun's n' roses rythm sound) - also great for soloing with neck pickup 6/ Lead 2 channel: less défined, bassier and more drive than the prévious channel. Was designed for solo work but i use it for heavy distorted rhythm. There's so much gain in the lead 1 and 2 channels that i never set the gain setting past 12 o'clock in hi gain mode ;) Once the channel is set you can choose between dozens of tone shaping options, some are really usefull, others are less depending on what type of sound you want to have OVERALL OPINION - been using it for more than one year and i'm still amazed by this head, you can do everything with it, it is designed to sound amazingly even without multi fx (the head has multiple semi-paramétric tone shaping options as well as compression mode) - This head is expensive, but it's worth every euro - There is no other amp that can match the possibilities the ENGL SE provide, it's the world best kept secret

by myriam63660_en 3/27/08
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