ragingkitty

Couldn't resist the silly pun.

Just received the Premier Guitar mailer and I saw that ENGL has a mini amp coming out, the Ironball (quite frankly, the first thing that jumped to mind was the likely tag line they'll put on the ads "Have you got the balls?" or "Balls of Iron!")

In any case, it sounds like a contender against the Mini Rectifer. Roughly same wattage, supposed to be "tonally flexible", somewhat similar styling etc etc.

Of course the typical divide between these two would be "do you want a recto sound or zee German sound" etc.

But the Ironball has a shared EQ vs the dedicated EQ for the Mini Recto.

Anyone else find that a shared EQ between a clean and a gain channel would be a turn-off from buying?

I've always had amps with dedicated EQ sections, but I wanted to know based on user experience, does this shared EQ usually mean a compromise between your clean and gain channels, or am I just nit-picking?

TL;DR
Shared EQ: Is a compromise always needed between the clean and gain channels, or does the voicing of the amp mean that EQ settings would generally work dandy on both channels.

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R45VT

There are clips on you tube from ENGL.

Sounds like a real amp.

I dug it. I missed hearing it in person at NAMM.

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ragingkitty

Heard the clip, and I know it sounds huge... although I'm not certain about the sound and characteristic of the gain. its on my list of amps to try for my next low wattage amps, and the gain sound would be a key thing to look out for me.

I liked the clean sound, the ENGL clip sounded very nice with a slight scoop but with enough mids. I liked that their mids in the clip wasn't overly strong. The gain in that clip sounded... I dunno... overweight I guess. It wasn't dark or that one frequency overpowered the others.... I dunno... I guess the gain felt a bit "obese" in that clip.

Don't pounce on my description of the gain tone. That's just how it feels like to me right now.

Also based on the sound, I'm not sure if it'll cut through the mix. Not that that is a major consideration for me at this moment.

However, my question lies with current user experience.

Has anyone with a shared EQ amp feel that there's always a compromise between you clean and gain sounds when setting your EQ. Do you just live with it and have to sacrifice something from both channels, or does the shared EQ just work well?

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R45VT

I have played 2 amps with a shared EQ- the 5150 and the ASG Hybris- worked well on both those amps.

Everyone likes different cleans though.

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ihartfood

my classic 50 has a shared EQ and it doesn't bother me really. sometimes I wish my gain channel was a little brighter but I just kick in my blues driver.

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ragingkitty

So from there, the Hybris seems like the closest comparison, as the EQ is shared between the clean and the gain channel, whereas the 5153's shared EQ is for the first and second channel.

So, I know everyone likes different cleans. I like mine slightly scooped
B: 6
M: 3
T:6.5 ~ 7

But for my gain, I do go from dark wall of sound, to a dark percussive, to a mid crunch, to a brighter gain etc etc.

I was just wondering if such a difference in tone means that I'll always be reaching over to fiddle with knobs.



Does a preamp pedal bring you within range of what you want, or can you get a spot on tone?

I guess a clean boost will help in this context.

Anyone else care to share?

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R45VT

I was talking about the original 5150 as there is only 1 EQ for all 3 channels.

I have not played the 5153.

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311ZOSOVHJH

does this count?

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ragingkitty

Oh, my bad. Thanks. I get your views on the shared EQ bit. Helps to know that it's not always a bad point.

When you buy an amp, would a shared EQ be a deal breaker to you?

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R45VT

I played the Hybris for over a half hour at NAMM and fell in love with it.

The shared EQ does not hold that amp back for a minute.



It all depends on how the amp is designed. It would need to be played in person, and switch between the channel and re-EQ for optimum to see if it is held back at all.

I wish I could have played it at NAMM.

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Charvel1995

Shared EQ is a bit of a downside for me.

I hate fiddling with knobs, I find my settings once, never touch the knobs again. And my clean settings are VASTLY different from my crunch/distorted settings. It really depends on how close you can get the settings so that the fiddling is minimal, for me at least.

Although, Hybris is one amp i can say I would buy and not give two shits about it's shared EQ. That thing is a beast. Never played it. But from what I've heard I'd buy it.

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BradIon1995

My Ibanez TSA has a shared EQ, and it doesn't hold it back at all. At the end of the day, it's the frequencies that matter, and there's always the guitar's controls to play with if you don't like the difference between the clean and the distortion.

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deadsmileyface

I dont mind a shared EQ at all. I very rarely play clean.

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ALL HAIL THE WIZARD

ragingkitty

Isn't that a dedicated EQ?




That's what I'm talking about. I don't want a case where what sounds good on the gain channel would sound bad on the clean or vice versa.

That said, there's no indication on the Ironball just yet.



Its not so much about holding back or not. As mentioned earlier, it does depend on the amp's design.

One good example is the Mesa MkV, within each channel, I need to adjust the EQ when I'm switching models. What sounds good on the Clean mode will not sound good on the Tweed mode. Both modes are in the same channel, but the circuitry significantly impacts the sound.

Simple as it may be, I don't wanna reach down or reach over to fiddle with a knob everytime I switch a channel.

I wanted to know if this would be a similar experience for other users with a shared EQ.

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311ZOSOVHJH

i'm drunk and felt like posting something....but yeah


now...my Vypyr 60? Def takes a shared EQ well

which makes things easier

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R45VT

I have a Mark V as well. I know what you mean- however a shared EQ amp is typically designed differently in the EQ section. It's probably a bit of a compromise to an extent, but you can't compare modes of the Mark V to a shared EQ amplifier. They aren't intended to be in the same range at all, namely because they are different preamps when you flick the mode switch, intended to give vastly different sounds.

The 5150 works decently. The Hybris was fantastic with single EQ. Obviously I wasn't able to play it in a band situation but I did play it loud enough.

If the designer takes their times they can minimize the compromises. I was worried about the Hybris but I was proved wrong.


I like the fact the Ironball sounds like a real amp in a lunch box package- but I would have to play it to see if there are any draw backs with shared EQ. It all depends on the way it was designed. Time will tell.

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ragingkitty

Go home 311. You're drunk.



You're probably more right than I am, part of where I am coming from is that I can't simply flip a switch a still sound good on the MkV. Thanks for chiming in, at least part of my question is answered.

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R45VT

No. We like drunks here at UG. Sober people not welcome.

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cdr_salamander

****in A

Trade me the Mark V for the Rectoverb.