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Hatsubai « The better Powerball »
Published on 04/04/11 at 20:48The Powerball II is the newly revised Powerball. The features are all pretty much the same as the last Powerball, but the inside is where things got a bit different. It's still a quasi-four channel amplifier with an effects loop, noise gate and various mini switches to adjust the sound to your liking. Aside from the cosmetics and some different labels, the outside really hasn't changed that much.
UTILIZATION
This amp isn't as versatile as the other amps in the ENGL line. Where as the other amps offer things like multiple effects loops, MIDI capability, preamp/line outs and other things like that, the Powerball II mainly focuses on keeping everything on the front panel and allowing you to work on dialing in a perfect tone rather than messing around with setting everything up. This amp has the same problem as the last one, however -- the lack of fully independent channels. It's a four channel amp, but most of the controls are shared. I really wish they made this amp a true four channel amp, but some will disagree.
SOUNDS
This amp sounds a lot better than the last one. There is still tons of gain, and it's still one brutal monster of an amp. However, it seems to record better and not be as ridiculously woofy sounding. I think the gate works a bit better than the last one, but this is going from memory. The clean is decent, and mid gain tones aren't bad, but where this amp really shines is the high gain territory. It's like a much tighter and more focused Recto or Cobra.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're a fan of the Powerball series, I recommend getting this amp over the last one. It's a much better sounding amp than the last Powerball, in my opinion. That said, I still tend to recommend either the Savage 120, SE or Invader over this one. I find them to be a bit more versatile and better sounding, but that's going on my tastes. This amp is definitely no slouch, that's for sure.
UTILIZATION
This amp isn't as versatile as the other amps in the ENGL line. Where as the other amps offer things like multiple effects loops, MIDI capability, preamp/line outs and other things like that, the Powerball II mainly focuses on keeping everything on the front panel and allowing you to work on dialing in a perfect tone rather than messing around with setting everything up. This amp has the same problem as the last one, however -- the lack of fully independent channels. It's a four channel amp, but most of the controls are shared. I really wish they made this amp a true four channel amp, but some will disagree.
SOUNDS
This amp sounds a lot better than the last one. There is still tons of gain, and it's still one brutal monster of an amp. However, it seems to record better and not be as ridiculously woofy sounding. I think the gate works a bit better than the last one, but this is going from memory. The clean is decent, and mid gain tones aren't bad, but where this amp really shines is the high gain territory. It's like a much tighter and more focused Recto or Cobra.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're a fan of the Powerball series, I recommend getting this amp over the last one. It's a much better sounding amp than the last Powerball, in my opinion. That said, I still tend to recommend either the Savage 120, SE or Invader over this one. I find them to be a bit more versatile and better sounding, but that's going on my tastes. This amp is definitely no slouch, that's for sure.