ENGL Thunder/Screamer 50 ?

Hi there, most of my experience is with Screamers, but I’ve played the Thunder with reverb. Both amps have shared EQ sections, which to me isn’t really an issue, but it might be a consideration for you… and indeed others.

Neither the Thunder nor the Screamer have that over the top gain you'd associate with ENGL heads such as the Fireball or Powerball, and neither could go as far as say something like a Mesa Dual Rectifier. However, they would have similar amounts of gain to things like Marshall TSL/DSL amps, but with a different voicing. The ENGL amps have a more modern voicing.

In saying that, I believe the Screamer has enough gain on tap to satisfy most musical styles. It may not have the low end grunt required for Death etc, but it will do latter day Carcass. The later Carcass album’s guitars hadn't a huge amount of gain anyway. To go down the Death, older Carcass, Obituary etc route, you may need to put an EQ pedal in the loop to scoop/boost it further. A simple addition that; I dare say many people wouldn’t dream of using an amp without having some sort of EQ in the loop at all times.

ENGL describe the Screamer as having ‘tamed gain’, and this is true when you compare it to some of the other amps in their range. However, the Screamer’s gain goes to territories most other tube amps by other manufacturers in it’s class can’t get to.

Personally, I don’t believe in obliterating your tone with tons and tons of gain. In my opinion, reasonable amounts of gain or ‘tamed gain’ encourage a guitarist to play with better precision. I bet if we were to go back and look at the amp settings a lot of the metal guitarists used in the studio, you’d find gain knobs rolled back further than you may think. Easing back on the gain is a pain initially, but it does pay off once you come to terms with it…. And this is coming from a self professed sloppy guitarist!!!

I’d highly recommend the ENGL Screamer, and if you can get one used all the better. I sold one in perfect condition for 600 Euro not so long ago… There are deals to be had.

For ultimate versatility, try and score one of those Boss EQ pedals or something similar, and you’ll be able to shape the tone to achieve most any metal tone you can think of.

Finally, I’d agree with the other chaps on here regarding playing the amps. Bring your own guitar in to town, plug in, and go for it. Let your ears decide!

Best wishes,

Tony

Have you gave any consideration to the bugera amps??

Pyr0 wrote: »

Cheers for the post Tony, really insight full ! I'll have a look at the amps in town with my own guitar for sure and try them out, i wouldn't wanna buy something i'll end up regretting. If I feel it doesn't give what I'm after, what amps would ye recommend ? Budget would be 800-900 maybe a little more, second hand stuff would be considered for sure !

If you've your heart set on a combo, and you've 900 Euro to spend, I'd go for a brand new Screamer. After that, save up another 300 odd Euro, and get the ENGL E112V extension cabinet, and you've what I consider to be a completely versatile and toneful rig right there. Hard to beat that set up, believe me.

I've just got back from band practice. In the rehearsal room, I have an ENGL Fireball head running through a cheap Behringer 4x12 cab. The cab is definitely no Mesa Recto box, or an ENGL V30 loaded monster, but it does very well for what it is. I bought that head used for about 550 Euro, and I believe those Behringer cabs go for around 250 Euro brand new give or take.

If you happened to spot an ENGL Fireball head used for a good price, you could score a Behringer cab and use it as a stepping stone until you could afford an ENGL cab, or similar higher quality box. The Fireball doesn’t sound AMAZING running through it, but it’s certainly passable; my ears are ringing at the moment from standing in front of it for the past three hours!

It might be worth while checking out the Marshall JVM series amps. I’m not overly familiar with them, but I’ve read they’re pretty useful, and extremely versatile. Heard one in action too, and it was certainly no slouch. I’m not such a fan of Marshall Cabinets, but that is purely a personal preference thing. People have been using them for decades, so don’t take my opinion too seriously on that front.

However, for the kind of money you have (and it is a good amount of cash to go amp shopping on), I would personally investigate the ENGL options first. Cormac in Music Technology Ireland supplies the whole ENGL range, so once you decide on the one you want in town… You can go to him and get it at Internet prices.

Check the used market, as there are bargains to be had… but don’t get bogged down in it either. You have the cash, you can have a brand spanking new tube amp if you want it! Don’t get talked in to a transistor/solid state/hybrid amp in your price bracket. Most people who upgrade to valve amps don’t look back, and you owe it to yourself to become one of those ‘tube snobs’!

I wish you the best of luck, and hope you happen upon the amp that rocks your world.

Tony