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Hatsubai « A bit dark »
Published on 06/23/11 at 12:56Framus has two main amps -- the Dragon and the Cobra. The Cobra tends to be a bit more popular, but the Dragon isn't too bad. The amp has three channels with 100 watts of power (EL34s), 5 12AX7 tubes, a parallel effects loop, MIDI, switchable master volumes, independent EQs, and a deep control.
UTILIZATION
The amp is laid out EXTREMELY well. In fact, this is how every amp should be. It's fully MIDI functional, so you can control everything with your own MIDI board if you'd like. Each channel has its own EQ, which in this day and age is a must. It has a pretty nice parallel loop, delivers tons of power and is perfect for touring. The only real issue is that the tolex on these models can be a bit thin, so the tolex might rip if you handle it roughly.
SOUNDS
The Dragon tends to not be as popular as the Cobra, and I can see why. The channels are all pretty nice sounding. Clean is good, crunch is good, lead is good. The problem is that the amp itself is fairly dark. I can't get a totally chimey clean channel, and I find myself really cranking the presence on the crunch and lead channels to get that bite that I tend to look for. It takes boosts nicely, and it can really tighten up this amp to bring it into another dimension.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a nice head on the cheap, check out one of these amps. Just the fact that it has three fully independent channels with MIDI built in is ridiculous considering how cheap these go on the used market. I think Framus has a marketing issue as these are some real steals on the market. Just be sure you like darker tones as the amp is voiced pretty dark.
UTILIZATION
The amp is laid out EXTREMELY well. In fact, this is how every amp should be. It's fully MIDI functional, so you can control everything with your own MIDI board if you'd like. Each channel has its own EQ, which in this day and age is a must. It has a pretty nice parallel loop, delivers tons of power and is perfect for touring. The only real issue is that the tolex on these models can be a bit thin, so the tolex might rip if you handle it roughly.
SOUNDS
The Dragon tends to not be as popular as the Cobra, and I can see why. The channels are all pretty nice sounding. Clean is good, crunch is good, lead is good. The problem is that the amp itself is fairly dark. I can't get a totally chimey clean channel, and I find myself really cranking the presence on the crunch and lead channels to get that bite that I tend to look for. It takes boosts nicely, and it can really tighten up this amp to bring it into another dimension.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a nice head on the cheap, check out one of these amps. Just the fact that it has three fully independent channels with MIDI built in is ridiculous considering how cheap these go on the used market. I think Framus has a marketing issue as these are some real steals on the market. Just be sure you like darker tones as the amp is voiced pretty dark.