Ok so I know I've hadother amp threads that didn't get too far yet but this is where I stand right now. I'm happy to know that I have found the sound in my head 100% which is something a lot of people spend years trying to do (including me), and this is an Ibanez through an Ecstasy. Now for a head and cab costing over $4000, its more of a dream than anything. What I need to know is by those who have played these amps and others what is in the same field as this. And I mean close enough. For example, people say my XXX and the JSX sound like a Marshall and I couldn't disagree more. They're very different IMO. Any opinions?
Well obviously an ecstasy is expensive and I would like to find something cheaper then maybe use that as a backup when I do get a bogner one day, but I can't find anything stock that is close to being as smooth yet marshally like the ecstasy. I've tried the jcm2000 about 7 times now and yet to not find it brittle and harsh as wel as bright. Never tried a JCM800 or 900 but are they smoother? Can they be made smoother or useable at low volumes and have a decent clean?
I can think of at least one high-end amp collector who sold his Exctacy after buying a Mesa Stilleto Series II, because he thought the Mesa was the better amp. As a long time "Alien Love Secrets" fan, I'm SERIOUSLY curious to try one now.
The JCM800 is totally unusable at low volumes. the Clean's OK, but the gain sounds are just fizzy crap. Wind it up a bit, and, well, I've never liked Marshalls but the first time I played a JCM800, I wanted one. the problem is, they're louder than god. :lol:
I tried the ecstasy and stiletto II and IMO the ecstasy was 'it', the stiletto was dry and mesa sounding, not as much a marshall sound as i had been exprecting. Not a bad sound but definitely not ALS sound (thats my grail too btw). I think I mite give the legacy a chance since the price is very good and take advantage of the 10-day money back guarantee. I know its not a bedroom amp but thats a sacrifice i and my neighbors will have to make haha.
I tried the ecstasy and stiletto II and IMO the ecstasy was 'it', the stiletto was dry and mesa sounding, not as much a marshall sound as i had been exprecting.
The last time I played an ecstacy, i was completely floored at how good it sounded. The store was wildwestguitars.com and they had every top end amp imaginable in there including Mesa's, Matchless, Marshall, everything e.t.c. and the Bogner was easily the best amp in there. It just sounded so fat and warm, I couldn't get a bad sound out of it. If I were to ever really go all out and buy my dream amp, it would definetely be the Bogner Ecstacy 101b.
Try a Rivera K-Tre, or the KR-100 in the Knucklehead series if you can find one. It's the first EL34 amp I've heard that has a Fender worthy clean channel that can be boosted into Plexi territory.
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