NAD

[ninjaraf]

Engl Fireball 100 bby!! This thing fucking rips! It's maybe like the opposite end of the same ballpark as a 5150, generally speaking. I had one briefly maybe 5-ish years ago, and really only grabbed that one to flip because I got it so cheap, but I've been wanting some Engl tone, and this seemed like the best fit for me. 2 channels, simple, built in gate (which is really good, actually...we'll see if I need to use something external with this amp on Sunday).

I do also have easy access to the FB25, so I'll include a video of that one below.

Comparing the 2, obviously the 100 is MORE. More of everything. More gain (like a shit load more haha), more low end, more beef, way more mids. The bottom and bright buttons don't exist on the 25. Bright only seems to do anything on the clean channel, and I prefer it off. Bottom ends some sub lows or something that flubs up the distorted tone, so I prefer that off, too. The mid boost on the 25 is awesome. Takes it from super scoopy to more 5150-ish, but the 100 already has way more mids, so for me, the mid boost adds TOO much. But I can for sure see how some might like that. It's not way over the top, but it's a bit much for what I like.

Anyway, the amp fucking rules! I should've kept the first one, but I really don't remember it sounding this good. I think Engls probably need V30s to really sound their best. Pretty sure I had a Vader with V12s at that time...but through the Mesa cab, fuck yeah!!





Low volume video I did last night. And then a better one from just now. Both of these are using a Shure MV88, which is an iphone condenser mic.

[greatmutah]

HNAD! I played a Fireball 100 once and it was awesome! Just pissed off, gained out aggression.

[macaronisalad]

Sweet! I've not played any Engls besides the E530 preamp, but there is a Blackmore fairly local to me that is tempting...

[ninjaraf]

I've been doing a shit ton of research in preparation for some kind of Engl purchase. I've sorta found that they have 2 families of amps, basically. The Savage/SE/Blackmore/Artist are all related, and then the PB2/FB/Ironball are all related. And they seem to be Marshall-ish and 5150-ish, respectively. My other guitar player has a PB2, and that thing is amazing. The FB100 gets pretty similar heavy and clean sounds, but doesn't have as many options/channels/features. But they aren't too far off, which is great! The PB2 and FB25 have SLIGHTLY cleaner clean channels than the FB100. The FB100 is capable of being more gained out and aggressive than the PB2. But the differences, like I said...are SUPER slight. I think the best bet with choosing an Engl is to pick the family you prefer, and then pick the one that has the features you need. Beyond that, the tones are gonna be close enough to not worry about.

[Vladimir Putin]

Congrats on the new rig! It sounds like some volume really opens it up and gets the aggression across.

This Engl knowledge drop takes me back to the hcaf days lmao

[ninjaraf]

Yeah, much like the 5150 volume taper, it gets to a point where it seems to wake up.

haha they did seem really popular for a while, then it was pretty quiet until the Savage mkii came out. The FB100 was released around 2009/2010. Seems like not much buzz around them except when new models get released.

[Guitarbilly]

Sounds amazing man. So much aggression on this tone!!!

[Maddnotez]

That thing sounds awesome, so fkn tight too.

Been trying to get the bogner like that for some fast death metal but I think Engl is where it's at for that.

Congrats. I've had some killer 50w amps but I'm convinced 100w is always better.

[ninjaraf]

Yeah, I would tend to agree these days. 100 is always better!! MOAR IS MOAR BETERER!!

Can the Uber not get that tight? The FB is for sure a tight amp, but I've played tighter. It has so much gain that it sorta has that compression bloom here and there, so you have to dial that back a bit to get it "right" for me. But if the Uber can't get close to this level of tightness, I don't think I want one!! lol. It's basically a requirement for me.

[Maddnotez]

Yeah, I would tend to agree these days. 100 is always better!! MOAR IS MOAR BETERER!!

Can the Uber not get that tight? The FB is for sure a tight amp, but I've played tighter. It has so much gain that it sorta has that compression bloom here and there, so you have to dial that back a bit to get it "right" for me. But if the Uber can't get close to this level of tightness, I don't think I want one!! lol. It's basically a requirement for me.

Honestly will have to report back once I get my cab situation taken care of. There's so many options on the Uber so maybe, I haven't gotten there yet but not much time with it.

But that Engl is fkn TIGHT so idk

Edit: mostly referring to the first low volume cut