Egnater - Seems to be a hot amp

[Devine]

Okay-

* * I know Jay has purchased two and Andy is looking into a Rocktron Vendetta: why? *Any samples floating around? If not, can someone post some? *Also, what is the reasoning behind the move? *Could you please compare the Egnaters you own to a Fender Deluxe Reverb, a Hughes and Kettner TriAmp, a Mesa Mark IV, a Marshall TSL and, of course, the Legacy.

* * I guess purpose dictates purpose, but the Fender is far and away the clean standard; that should be a difficult comparison. *Distortion, well that seems to be less discrete. *If you have the time, just a short synopsis of why Egnater amps fit your need.

Thanks.

-Devin

[jay ratkowski]

I will try and give a detailed analysis later on today/tonight... as soon as my chores are done.

[bluenote]

i can help you out with your question......being the resident egnater maniac here.....i cant compare them to all of the amps you listed but ill list all the amps i own and the ones i used to own.....

amps i currently own:
* * egnater tol100(pre-rock) w/ el34
* * egnater tol100(pre-rock) w/ 6l6
* * egnater ie4 preamp(pre-rock)
* * budda sd30
* * marshall 68 plexi
* * vht 2150

amps i used to own
* * marshall jcm 900
* * marshall jcm 800/ modded
* * vht pittbull ultra lead
* * bogner xtc 101b
* * bogner shiva
* * bogner fish preamp
* * ada mp1
* * ada power amp

ill tell you this, as soon as i got the tol100 in my hands, i sold all my bogner gear....totally ate its lunch....the egnater is so versatile its scary...bruce really knows what he is doing...basically, the channels are as follows in a tol100

channel 1.....fender clean...you can get it to break up if you want, but its one of the best clean channels ive heard....it also has a "twang" setting.....great for acoustic sounds all the way to country and blues

channel2 ....SRV all the way.....texas blues channel....like the channel 1 but with balls....nice punch....it can be dialed in to break up and get a country rock tone.....perfect for blues or country solos....i even use it for that tone you get when you roll off of the high gain channel for quieter but distorted tone.....alot easier to press a button than to roll off the volume

channel 3.....marshall vintage on steroids....also has a modern or vintage sweet switch......can get either a vintage marshall tone or a high gain rythem tone....very glassy

channel 4 .....forgitaboutit.......high gain nirvana.....this can be used to capture the classic EVH brown sound all the way to speedmetal icepick in your face stuff....

now, keep in mind that many pre-rocktron models were custom made for the person ordering.....so many are different and do a little different things.....but, they are all pretty similar to what i just described....some of the differences are gain and some have different functions for the 2 sweet switches.....

as for comparisons...you cant really compare it...all those amps you listed have totally different tone characteristics.....

oh, and if you buy a pre-rocktron model and its not your bag, ill always buy it off of you.....or hook you up with someone that wants it....i always have a few people asking me to find them one...........

im curious about the vendetta, *looks like a tol100...but i havent really talked to bruce about it yet.....they seem to be a little high in the price

[Andy J Dampier]

I'll be posting a detailed post on the Vendetta head probably by the weekend or a little after.

I will be able to compare it the Legacy and the Fender....

[rickboot]

More Egnater info:

There is a review of the Egnater M4 preamp in the August issue of Guitar Player.

The results were:

Tone: 4.5 picks
Workmanship: 4.5 picks
Features: 5 picks
Vibe: 4 picks
Value: 4 picks

Overall the reviewer was impressed. I'm glad to hear that because I have one on order and should get it within 2-4 weeks. I ordered the Fender Twin, Fender Deluxe (SRV-ized for me), IE4 channel 3, and Modern High Gain modules. I'll post a review when I get it.

BTW, I just got a VHT Two Fifty Two power amp to go with the M4. The VHT power amp sounds MUCH better than my previous amp - a Mesa 20/20. I was surprised how much difference a good power amp makes.

Rick

[Devine]

Rick-

* * Mind if I ask a personal question? *How much did the VHT power and the M4 pre-amp run you? *What *cab are you running through?

Thanks.

-Devin

[bluenote]

i may have to break down and get the m4 preamp soon too....i dont know if you are going to like the ie4 channel 3 though......its not very "hot"......channel 2 of the ie4 is the way to go.......so many options, id have to get all the modules......there may also be some designer series modules in the future

im interested in hearing about the vendetta....id like to get a side by side comparison, but i dont think ill ever buy one

[rickboot]

Devine,

The VHT Two Fifty Two lists for $1295. I got a few good quotes for $899 but nobody had one in stock! I finally got mine for $906 from Eddie at www.IndoorStorm.com. Eddie is great to deal with. If you want to order one, give him a call.

The Egnater M4 lists for $2000 and the dealers aren't discounting much yet because there isn't much margin. Prices may come down somewhat once production ramps up and Egnater gets a better handle on their costs. In the mean time, I highly suggest you email Egnater directly if to find out more about pricing and availability.

Rick

[bluenote]

yeah, bruce is really cool to deal with....always answers his emails quickly and will even talk to you on the phone....watch out for frank though, he can talk for hours.......


those vht 2-50-2 keep a high resale value.......id like to get one but they get expensive.....compared to $750 that a used 2150 goes for anyway......


i am about to break down and buy a few of the new egnater cabs...if they are made as well as the old ones, ill be stylin....which means another 2 hour call to frank....sheesh

[rickboot]

Blue,

In your opinion can IE4 channels 2 and 4 cover the bases of channels 1 and 3 by simply backing off the gain?

The reason, I ask is because I'd like to get the clean Fender sound and the SRV sound but I don't know if I want to get to module in order to do this. Likewise I would like to get a classic Hendrix era Marshall sound but I don't know if I want to dedicated a module to this. I'd prefer to get two high-gain channels ala IE4 channel 4 and then clean one up when I want *a less distorted tone.

Any suggestions?

Rick

[bluenote]

hmmmm....good question......you definately want the ie4 channel2...that IS SRV all the way.....you can definately clean it up to a fendery tone....remember, its a true 2 channel amp....so channel 1&2 are linked as well as 3&4.....one thing you may want to do(which was my master plan) is to buy an old ie4 and get the m4.....youll come out better in the long run....that is of course you are like me and have to have all the modules

but, back to your question.......get the fender or whatever clean module you want......grab the channel 2 ie4....and call bruce for advice on the rest.....he has a new higher modern gain module( which i cant imagine anything higher than channel 4)...you may want channel 3 then.....i use it for that jake e lee badlands stuff and for blues rock....i just didnt want you to think it was something that it wasnt.......on the preamp, its my least fave channel...on the head, it rocks....go figure....bruce and i are still arguing that the 2 heads i have sound different.....i say they do, he says they dont.....and they do *:P......he doesnt believe there is a sound difference in any of his heads.....well there is....besides, most were custom built.....anyway

i havent taken that plunge into the module stuff yet.....i know its just a matter of time......i did pick up another pre-rocktron cab though...cant wait to get that

[bluenote]

i know a guy who is selling his pre-rocktron egnater tol100 head if anyone is interested drop me an email and ill hook you up with him....it was originally a studio amp

[ashlock]

I've been playing every week with my POD direct to the PA for a few months now. *After deciding that it just wasn't as good as the real thing I decided to go back to a 'real' amp. *I tried a Tech 21 trademark 60 but couldn't get a good clean and a good distortion without having to tweak the eq when I wanted to change channels (anyone want it for $400 with cover?). *Then I found a guy who had an Egnater (rocktron) TOL50 212. *

These things can be easily rebiased yourself, so he tried to fenderize it by replacing the EL34's with 6L6's. *He came to the conclusion that it wasn't Fendery enough, so he traded me straight up for my '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue. *I will get the 75 lb monster next week. *From all the hype I've recieved, this is supposed to be one monster of an amp.

[jay ratkowski]

Egnater with 6L6s is my favorite sound. *Channel 2 will rock your world.

[bluenote]

i prefere my el34 egnater head over the 6l6 one.....i find it a little more raw....which i like..