View other reviews for this product:
Hatsubai « Brutality squared »
Published on 04/04/11 at 20:18The 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.
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.