New amp time: ENGL, Mesa?

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TheSandman
Looking to get another amp. I preiviously had a mesa rectoverb 50w combo amp, altough I liked the distortion of it, I want a more tighter crunch, that and the mesa cleans, weren't the best. I heard people rave about the Mark IV, and am thinking of going with this maybe, or was thinking about the ENGL fireball? Probably will get either of these used to save money. The only downfall to the fireball is that it's single channel, but from the clips I've heard, the distortion sounds pretty nasty, in a good way. What do you guys think? BTW, not 5150 or 6505 fan, sorry..........
Deadpulse

the Fireball has 2 channels, but one global eq

HateEvent

Budget?

chevy Z 302

yea because saying fireball makes me think low but the mkiv isn't cheap either.

i'd say buy my powerball:lol

in all seriousness, it depends on what you want. Any would be great choices, i really dug the MKIV when i had it and i love my pb to death. Fireball is not my thing, i'd prefer the extra stuff the pb has to offer mainly. Haven't had a 5150 but heard great things for a metal amp.

i've had my pb for a few years now and even though im ready for something new, i still love the amp to death. Its killer.

Skully-osis

I didn't like the 5150, thought it wasn't that great.. I bought a Framus Cobra instead. Killer distortion yet it has amazing articulation. I also have a Peavey triple xxx, that I really had a hard time getting a great sound from untill I added a Seymour Duncan invader to the bridge. By the way, I tried the 5150 with an Ibanez from the store with stock pickups and one of my own axes with EMG's ( 81 and 85 neck) and it just seemed sloppy to me. Just my opinion. Maybe I didn't spend enough time with it...liked the Mesa triple rec. because of all the choices it had , but went with the Framus. Can't say enough about the sound of the amp...Love it, love it...I also got a used Laney GH 50 I think it is, and it is great for that hard rock sound, not so much metal. But is killer for 80's type rock.

Monologous

yeah I'd say a powerball.

riku

I've got a Fireball and it's great. It needs to be used with a noise gate though.
It only has 1 eq and 1 gain control for both channels. Only having 1 eq is ok, but only having one gain control isn't ideal. I'm going to mod mine to have 2 seperate ones when i get the time.

TheSandman

well I guess I'm kind of on a budget, I know the Mark IV is even expensive used, but I've heard it's the most versitile amp out there. I've heard the powerball's nice, if I could one used for a decent price, then I may jump on it. There's no ENGL's or Mark IV's around me so I have no idea how they sound.

Chevy Z 302, how much do you want for your powerball?

ESPimperium

If you wait, rumor has it that there is a ENGL Invater 50W coming out, with a 1X12 cab variatnt.

chevy Z 302

I was thinking 1550 shipped, its a V1 with the Z5 footswtich and cable. Relativly new JJ tubes all around, i'll gladly give the original engl tubes as well as the spare JJ preamp tube that i have as well. I think it was a preamp tube that was bad, thus the swap, and i just decided to change it all. I've since tried the orignal engl power tubes with the jj preamp and they worked fine so thus why i came to the conclusion it had to be a preamp tube. I dont know the life left in the original tubes but the bias was not far off at all in terms of jj to engl original. I'd be glad to talk more or go more in depth if you want, here or email, whichever. :)

Metallikid

Mesa = Metal
Engl = Hard Rock

arsiscode

Mesa = Killer
Engl = Killer
Me = Fail

Fixed.

BrazilianBootyLover

Mesa = Metal
Engl = Hard Rock

fail

ENGL destroys mesa's. Engl's are the perfect metal amp. Mesa's are all fiss and buzz. Engl is aggressive and has massive low end that will make your balls shake.

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JeanPaul du Vinnie

Mesa = Metal
Engl = Hard Rock

WTF.:|

JMad81

Mesa = Metal
Engl = Hard Rock

WHAT? Engls are brutal. Both are great amps, but Engls are definitely metal.

FYI - Mesas are used all the time in hard rock.

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Skully-osis

What cab are you running the Engl through? Cabs have a great impact on the sound as well. I tried my triple xxx through a mesa cab and it sounded way better than it does through the triple xxx cab. Just as an example. Not sure if it's construction or speaker selection. You may not like an amp you have until you try a different cab with different speakers in it, or swap the speakers you have. I've never tried an Engl, for lack of a dealer near me, but I didn't like the mesa I tried as much as I thought I would. My point is you may get either amp and not like it because of the cab you have.

EchoSix

I want a more tighter crunch

That pretty much spells out Mark IV. If you are using EMG's the cleans will sound great but probably not as good as some of the other passive pickups out there. If your mainly playing on the lead channel it won't be a problem and you could always add a chorus or delay to the clean to make it sound more "open" I guess :confused:

I never tried the powerball so I can't say anything but just know that you'll be extremely happy if you go for the MK IV.

Kane C.

If you like tighter distortion and aren't impressed with the Mesa's cleans, the Mark IV or ENGL Fireball might be good options. ENGL Fireball has strong distortion but only one channel. The Mark IV is highly praised and has a lot of versatility. Choose either based on your personal preferences.

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