ENGL Blackmore?

[VanHoosen]

Anyone out there in JCF land have or have tried one of these? The few videos I can find of them on YouTube make them sound pretty good tone wise, but a lot of the recordings sound like absolute garbage. Either that or they're playing some djenty kind of stuff that I'm not into what-so-ever. That being said, the low end does sound pretty tight, and if there's one thing I like it's a tight bottom.

I am a little confused by what's in the power section of these though. They're listed as having 4 5881 power amp tubes. I'm not going to act like I know a ton about tubes, but I've never had any experience with these. Has anyone else?

I'd love to just go out and try one, but I seriously doubt any music store in Portland has anything besides JCM 2000s, 6505s, Dual Rectos, or legions of Fender combos for the indie rockers.

I currently have a 6505 that I think is like 80% there for the style of more traditional sounding metal I play, but the highs are just a little too ice-pick sounding.

Any anecdotal thoughts would be much appreciated.

[Hellbat]

5881's are beam tetrodes, similar in spec and functionality to 6L6 tubes. They are a little cleaner in the high frequencies than EL34's (Pentode) and don't produce as many complex overtones.

[VanHoosen]

Ah, I see. Yeah, I thought it sounded kind of 6L6-ish, but the Fireball and Powerball (both with a 6L6 power section) sounded a bit more fizzy, as does my 6505 to my ears.

So are the 5881s typically more dry sounding that the others? I'm a total noob here...

[sambencuda]

I changed the 6L6's in my fireball 60 to Tung-Sol 5881's and it made a huge difference. It was a little fizzy before, but I liked it. I was having the fireball trouble getting lost in the mix. After I changed, the fizzyness was gone and it boosted the upper mids. It's almost the total opposite now. It cuts through everything in the mix. i have to be really careful with it. Best tube swap I've ever done.

[jgcable]

If you are 80% happy with your 6505 and you are looking for an amp that has a similar tone and a similar tight bottom then you will hate the Blackmore. Its organic, a little loose in the bottom end and very clear. Its a fantastic amp that sounds NOTHING like a 6505.

[VanHoosen]

That's suprising to hear because the clips I've heard sound fairly tight on the low end. Maybe just because they're tuned down to like A or something? I did notice the clarity on the Blackmore and really dug it. I can't stand fizzy gain.

I might try to see if I can swap my 6L6s for some 5881s in my 6505 and see how that goes. I'd still love to hear some ENGLs in person though.

[Electric]

The Blackmore sounds fantastic, but doesn't get nearly as saturated as the 6505. The one I played was extremely tight and clear. I didn't find the bottom end to be loose at all. Cleans and medium gain sounds are great. I think for a metal amp there are better options from ENGL. The Savage 120 might be a good fit for you. Otherwise, if you haven't tried a good EQ with your 6505, I would suggest something like the MXR 10-band to tailor the highs a bit to your liking. You may be able to EQ the "ice-pick" quality out.

[VanHoosen]

I used to run an MXR 10 band but hated the added gain it would give me. It was like total distortion pedal gain. The best luck I've had for getting the highs a bit warmer is a Blackstar HT-Boost pedal. I'm still not 100% satisfied though.

Cool, I'll look more into the Savage. It sounded like the Blackmore was built off the general Savage framework anyway.

[straycat]

Here is a Fireball and a Blackmore together.These guys sounded great live.
Left side is the fireball right the Blackmore

[metalchurch79]

I'd love to try some of their heads sometime. I'm using a 1985 Engl 620 tube preamp (Four Tung Sol 12ax7's) in my rack with a Marshall 9200. Being that I'm a rack guy, I think I'd be more prone to buying the E570 preamp. I do love my Engl though, and I think they are a very reputable company and you really get what you pay for.
Did you end up getting a nice tone by doing the tube swap in your head?