Rich - Rannoch
Member
Moonlapse said:
I think they're Celestion V30's (according to the Engl website), though I've never actually taken the back off to check.
A 'Dead Heart' vibe? Cool...just what I've been after!
Any love for the powerball in here?
- Thread starter jamesboyd
- Start date
I think they're Celestion V30's (according to the Engl website), though I've never actually taken the back off to check.
A 'Dead Heart' vibe? Cool...just what I've been after!
guys.... ESP with an EMG81 -> TSL 100 crunch channel (gain 7, bass 6 1/2, treble 5, mids 4-5, presence 4-6, deep and tone shift off, master around 3 or more) -> marshall 1960 A/B fullstack = killer metal rhythm tone
period
i still think my 2210 sounds better though. i normally eq it like this:
bass 7, mid 4, treble 4, presence 0, gain 9, channel volume 8, master 3 and more
less bottom end than the tsl, more highs, about the same gain wise, but overall a tad clearer.
powerballs....nono
period
i still think my 2210 sounds better though. i normally eq it like this:
bass 7, mid 4, treble 4, presence 0, gain 9, channel volume 8, master 3 and more
less bottom end than the tsl, more highs, about the same gain wise, but overall a tad clearer.
powerballs....nono
kaomao
Member
Rich - Rannoch said:I think they're Celestion V30's (according to the Engl website), though I've never actually taken the back off to check.
A 'Dead Heart' vibe? Cool...just what I've been after!
Standard Engl V60's
Vintage Engl V30's
Maurizio
Benny H
Degenerate
Speaking only from the end listener perspective, I don't rate the Powerball recordings I've heard over other ENGL stuff, it always seems as they're trying to mimic another typical sound but just falling short. I'd be more interested in a Savage, or one of their preamps. Some examples: Carnal Forge - please...die (Savage), Necrophagist - Epitaph (older 'Tube Rackhead 860').
It doesn't mean much just to judge by albums I guess, but those are my thoughts.
edit: I should ad that I haven't actually heard an album done with powerball.. to my knowledge. Heard a lot of clips though.
It doesn't mean much just to judge by albums I guess, but those are my thoughts.
edit: I should ad that I haven't actually heard an album done with powerball.. to my knowledge. Heard a lot of clips though.
Kazrog
Kazrog, Inc.
Moonlapse said:
Uh... the "Dead Heart" tone is one of my favorites. In fact, it's one of the main reasons I'm here!
clips don't tell anything imho. they can give you an idea regarding the gain levels etc, but i've yet to hear a clip that captured the true sound of an amp.
for example, most ENGL clips i've heared sound KICKASS. however, when actually playing them they have the abovementioned glassy high end and lack of low mids. if you listen CLOSELY to the clips you'll notice it, yes, but if you don't know what to listen for it's very difficult to tell whether you're gonna like an amp or not without playing it imho.
furthermore, there's so much stuff that plays a role when recording a clip, e.g. mic position, room size and geometry, preamp and mic quality, etc etc.
for example, most ENGL clips i've heared sound KICKASS. however, when actually playing them they have the abovementioned glassy high end and lack of low mids. if you listen CLOSELY to the clips you'll notice it, yes, but if you don't know what to listen for it's very difficult to tell whether you're gonna like an amp or not without playing it imho.
furthermore, there's so much stuff that plays a role when recording a clip, e.g. mic position, room size and geometry, preamp and mic quality, etc etc.
Benny H
Degenerate
I think saying clips don't tell anything is too strong. You can start to observe consistencies through a few clips. Of course you don't decide you love an amp based on clips alone, but they can give you some idea of what sort of character is there.
And most of the reasons always put forward for the 'clips = nothing' argument, also apply to letting the sounds on albums influence interest in a particular amp... but it's not so often someone says to ignore that.
And most of the reasons always put forward for the 'clips = nothing' argument, also apply to letting the sounds on albums influence interest in a particular amp... but it's not so often someone says to ignore that.
Kazrog
Kazrog, Inc.
Fragle said:
I bought my 6505+ based on the proven track record, where about 90% of my favorite metal guitar tones on albums have been a 5150 or 5150 II. I ordered the amp having not really played it (I don't count the time I played through one, years ago, that needed tubes, with a shitty guitar.)
I've never been so happy about my tone as I am now!
i usually buy amps after doing a lot of internet research, as there's pretty much no store at all that in my area that carries any decent equipment. also, i ALWAYS buy used through ebay. this way i'll do some research, look for a great deal @ the 'bay, jump on it, and if the amp doesn't work for me i can sell it without much (if any) loss - in fact, the last two amps i sold went for around 100 euro more than what i originally paid 
btw, i just scored a 5150 block letter head. gonna pick it up next week
i love my 2210, and i already played a show with a 5150 i borrowed from a bud of mine. anyways, TO me a 5150 sounds a lot like a super hotrodded 2210, but also has it's own thing going on. i'm still GASing for a 2ch recto, though mostly due to the amount of kickass sounding records, and pat o'brien's (cannibal corpse) live sound which is KILLER
luckily i'm through with engl. i really wanted to like mine, but it just didn't work out for me. its clarity and articulation was beyond belief....damn, i miss it. such a great sound at low volumes - best low volume tube amp i've ever played. just got all nasty and harsh when cranked...dammit
btw, i just scored a 5150 block letter head. gonna pick it up next week
i love my 2210, and i already played a show with a 5150 i borrowed from a bud of mine. anyways, TO me a 5150 sounds a lot like a super hotrodded 2210, but also has it's own thing going on. i'm still GASing for a 2ch recto, though
mostly due to the amount of kickass sounding records, and pat o'brien's (cannibal corpse) live sound which is KILLERluckily i'm through with engl. i really wanted to like mine, but it just didn't work out for me. its clarity and articulation was beyond belief....damn, i miss it. such a great sound at low volumes - best low volume tube amp i've ever played. just got all nasty and harsh when cranked...dammit
Hexer
Member
most ENGLs are not really made for being play with realy high volume-levels.
I have a powerball, and like it best with channel- and master-volume both set somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2. both on 1/2 is too loud for nearly everything anyway. we played a gig at a pretty big festival some weeks ago (Up From The Ground festival) where I had the volume set like this (a bit below 1/2) and it was TOO DAMN LOUD!!! (though I thought it sounded great, just too loud)
I spend some time with different amps everytime I was in a music-store last year (and before that) testing different amps and guitars. somewhen I found a used old ENGL Sovereign50 combo and tried it. I liked it better than anything I had played before.
later I got to directly compare a 5150 (dunno which exact model) and ENGL Fireball and I MUCH preferred the sound of the fireball! better clean-sound much tighter (especially with high gain settings). I also thought the sound was much more powerfull someway.
next time I got to test a Powerball and I just loved it. a lot of different sounds, very good cleans, great heavy sounds, realy tight and powerfull... all that I was searching for
now I own it!
they've also made a new Powerball-model (I think it should be available soon).
as far as I have heard, the changes are:
new noise gate
treble range changed
different gain-structure
midrange tuned
lowend tightened (though I dunno how this was possible...)
I have a powerball, and like it best with channel- and master-volume both set somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2. both on 1/2 is too loud for nearly everything anyway. we played a gig at a pretty big festival some weeks ago (Up From The Ground festival) where I had the volume set like this (a bit below 1/2) and it was TOO DAMN LOUD!!! (though I thought it sounded great, just too loud)
I spend some time with different amps everytime I was in a music-store last year (and before that) testing different amps and guitars. somewhen I found a used old ENGL Sovereign50 combo and tried it. I liked it better than anything I had played before.
later I got to directly compare a 5150 (dunno which exact model) and ENGL Fireball and I MUCH preferred the sound of the fireball! better clean-sound much tighter (especially with high gain settings). I also thought the sound was much more powerfull someway.
next time I got to test a Powerball and I just loved it. a lot of different sounds, very good cleans, great heavy sounds, realy tight and powerfull... all that I was searching for
now I own it!
they've also made a new Powerball-model (I think it should be available soon).
as far as I have heard, the changes are:
new noise gate
treble range changed
different gain-structure
midrange tuned
lowend tightened (though I dunno how this was possible...)
Hexer
Member
my bands name is Selaiah (we were the opener) if your one of the Final Breath -guys, you'll know me/us!
now who the hell are you?? playing ESP and Marshall.... hmmm.... sounds like Jörg... but you said something about playing together with a lead guitarist, and Jörg IS FBs lead-man so far... so you shoud be.... hmmmm..... damn... I forgot the name AGAIN!!!! (dont ask, I'm no good with remembering names)
were you the guy saying you didnt want a Powerball because it has to much gain? I'm pretty shure to know what was the problem now: EMGs! high-gain-PUs + high-gain-amp = VERY high gain!
noticed the same problem when playing with my X2N-equiped guitar
now who the hell are you?? playing ESP and Marshall.... hmmm.... sounds like Jörg... but you said something about playing together with a lead guitarist, and Jörg IS FBs lead-man so far... so you shoud be.... hmmmm..... damn... I forgot the name AGAIN!!!! (dont ask, I'm no good with remembering names)
were you the guy saying you didnt want a Powerball because it has to much gain? I'm pretty shure to know what was the problem now: EMGs! high-gain-PUs + high-gain-amp = VERY high gain!
noticed the same problem when playing with my X2N-equiped guitar
servus. jo, final breath hier. son zufall nen selaiah kollegen aufm sneap board zu finden - die welt ist ein dorf, genau wie ganz MSP auch
dennis mein name. ich spiel jackson/charvel und nicht esp, dammit! schwule esp
aber mach dir nix draus, ich kann mir namen auch nie merken. wer von selaiah bistn du? bene oder was?
sorry guys for the short german exchange
back to topic and answering the third paragraph:
yes, i'm the guy who said the powerball is not for me. yes, imho it's overgained - i mean, i'm running my jcm800 2210 with the gain at 8, and it's plenty for me! the blackmore i had was better in terms of gain, but still a bit over the top for rhythm - unfortunately the third channel didn't have enough gain for my rhythm sound, cause switching to channel 4 for leads would have been nice, but well...it's sold anyways.
and yes, my jackson king v (btw thats actually jörg's) has an 81 in the bridge. however, my main guitar is my charvel model 3 which has a dimarzio steves special in the bridge. much lower output - and btw, i definitely prefer it over the 81 which is somewhat sterile imho. the 81 lacks lowend warmth, but is very clear - however, the steves special is also VERY clear sounding, while having a "nice" sound, meaning that it's definitely not a harsh sounding pu like the 81. in addition to that, i found the frequencies to be very balanced and even. it has a SLIGHT mid scoop, which sounds great when used with a super midrangey marshall though.
bottom line is that one should definitely try the PB before buying it. it's not an amp for everybody. i've heared bands sound excellent using a PB or whatever engl for that matter, but for ME they don't cut it. period
dennis mein name. ich spiel jackson/charvel und nicht esp, dammit! schwule esp
aber mach dir nix draus, ich kann mir namen auch nie merken. wer von selaiah bistn du? bene oder was?
sorry guys for the short german exchange
back to topic and answering the third paragraph:
yes, i'm the guy who said the powerball is not for me. yes, imho it's overgained - i mean, i'm running my jcm800 2210 with the gain at 8, and it's plenty for me! the blackmore i had was better in terms of gain, but still a bit over the top for rhythm - unfortunately the third channel didn't have enough gain for my rhythm sound, cause switching to channel 4 for leads would have been nice, but well...it's sold anyways.
and yes, my jackson king v (btw thats actually jörg's) has an 81 in the bridge. however, my main guitar is my charvel model 3 which has a dimarzio steves special in the bridge. much lower output - and btw, i definitely prefer it over the 81 which is somewhat sterile imho. the 81 lacks lowend warmth, but is very clear - however, the steves special is also VERY clear sounding, while having a "nice" sound, meaning that it's definitely not a harsh sounding pu like the 81. in addition to that, i found the frequencies to be very balanced and even. it has a SLIGHT mid scoop, which sounds great when used with a super midrangey marshall though.
bottom line is that one should definitely try the PB before buying it. it's not an amp for everybody. i've heared bands sound excellent using a PB or whatever engl for that matter, but for ME they don't cut it. period
Hexer
Member
ich bin Stefan, meinst bene würde hier klar kommen mit seinem technischen verstand?? lol
you`re definitaly right: if you havent played or at least heard one live, then definitally try it before buying!
I just noticed that the great majority of the people who find the high-gain ENGLs overgained use EMGs or other high-gain stuff as PUs and then its no wonder... I have a guitar with Duncan Dimebucker and another with Dimarzio X2N, switching from dimebucker to x2n is pretty much like setting the gain-knob from 1/2 to maximum (only talking about gain here, of course they sound different) on the Powerball.
Jörg and a jackson king v? I've only ever seen him play ESP as far as I can remember
I also have heard some great tones form different Marshall amps and have also liked some of them pretty much when i tested them in stores and so on, but I definitely prefer ENGLs, dunno, its just what I was looking for!
still have to find a Savage 120, Savage SE, Blackmore or SE that I can try though!
and I really want to try that new Powerball version!! I mean: lowend tightened even more? I'd probably shoot some holes into some walls with that when cranking it (with bass and depth-boost set pretty high)
oh yeah: thats another thing to be careful with the powerball: you can easily get it to have really massive lowend, too much for a lot of situations. Its a good tool though if you want to piss off your bassist
lolyou`re definitaly right: if you havent played or at least heard one live, then definitally try it before buying!
I just noticed that the great majority of the people who find the high-gain ENGLs overgained use EMGs or other high-gain stuff as PUs and then its no wonder... I have a guitar with Duncan Dimebucker and another with Dimarzio X2N, switching from dimebucker to x2n is pretty much like setting the gain-knob from 1/2 to maximum (only talking about gain here, of course they sound different) on the Powerball.
Jörg and a jackson king v? I've only ever seen him play ESP as far as I can remember
I also have heard some great tones form different Marshall amps and have also liked some of them pretty much when i tested them in stores and so on, but I definitely prefer ENGLs, dunno, its just what I was looking for!
still have to find a Savage 120, Savage SE, Blackmore or SE that I can try though!
and I really want to try that new Powerball version!! I mean: lowend tightened even more? I'd probably shoot some holes into some walls with that when cranking it (with bass and depth-boost set pretty high)
oh yeah: thats another thing to be careful with the powerball: you can easily get it to have really massive lowend, too much for a lot of situations. Its a good tool though if you want to piss off your bassist
my bassist can kiss my ass
honestly, i'm NEVER able to hear him, but he INSIST on having some bass on the monitors - on my side, of course..... makes the whole mix a muddy mess, really. get an 810 cab, bitch
well, seriously, i don't run a lot of lowend in my sound. interestingly, on my marshall i usually set it to 7-8 depending on the venue. on the engl i used to crank it all the way up to 10, otherwise the sound wasn't thick enough. still, even with the mids quite high, mid boost engaged, and the lows cranked, it didn't punch as well as my marshall does. i'm really excited about my 5150 - the one i used for one show was great. the resonance knob is a feature that EVERY amp should have, really.
jörg used to play this jackson during the mind explosion days iirc. i remember seeing pics of him using it for the 2003 summer breeze show. it's a decent guitar. plays well, sounds OK due to the EMG...and it's a JACKSON dammit!
honestly, i'm NEVER able to hear him, but he INSIST on having some bass on the monitors - on my side, of course..... makes the whole mix a muddy mess, really. get an 810 cab, bitch
well, seriously, i don't run a lot of lowend in my sound. interestingly, on my marshall i usually set it to 7-8 depending on the venue. on the engl i used to crank it all the way up to 10, otherwise the sound wasn't thick enough. still, even with the mids quite high, mid boost engaged, and the lows cranked, it didn't punch as well as my marshall does. i'm really excited about my 5150 - the one i used for one show was great. the resonance knob is a feature that EVERY amp should have, really.
jörg used to play this jackson during the mind explosion days iirc. i remember seeing pics of him using it for the 2003 summer breeze show. it's a decent guitar. plays well, sounds OK due to the EMG...and it's a JACKSON dammit!
Hexer
Member
hmmm, I remember him playing ESPs when Mind Explosion was on the stage..... but who cares, some love ESP, some love Jackson, Some love BC Rich, some love something else..... as far as I'm concerned: everyone has different taste when it comes to different guitars, so just play whatever works for you!!!
when I tried a 5150 in a store, I actually was quite disappointed, dunno... just didnt like it much.
On my powerball I usually have the bass at 5 and the depth-punch at around 7 (on a scale of 10).
in the rehearsal-room i can pretty much drown out our bassist and most of the drummers bassdrum when I set both on max and do some palm-muting riffs.
lol, luckily, me and my bassist are on different sides of the stage normally
when I tried a 5150 in a store, I actually was quite disappointed, dunno... just didnt like it much.
On my powerball I usually have the bass at 5 and the depth-punch at around 7 (on a scale of 10).
in the rehearsal-room i can pretty much drown out our bassist and most of the drummers bassdrum when I set both on max and do some palm-muting riffs.
lol, luckily, me and my bassist are on different sides of the stage normally
