ENGL e580 Preamp

[JiMoSiTY]

Does anybody have (or had) an Engl e580 preamp?
I'm considering selling a ton of my guitars / etc in order to get one of these, but I read a review from someone on the Engl message board that said they had an issue with the timing when changing patches via midi.
Since that'll be a make/break thing for me I'm really concerned about this; if anyone can help me I'd really appreciate it.
OH - and I will be controlling it via a Behringer FCB1010 midi controller, not the Midi controller that they have.

[screamindemon]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

I have the 580, I kicks butt imo. Midi changes are quick, although I did have a couple issues with patches dropping out but I had the switch on the back set to Engl controller instead of midi controller. I have it set right now and I haven't had another issue. I thing I would suggest is to change the stock preamp tubes, when I first got it I was very disapointed then I changed preamp tubes and it came to life.

[Gilbert]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

I also have an e580. And yes the program changes are very fast, nearly seamless. But there is a small catch. The preset that you are switching to will not come into its fullest for anywhere from 1-4 seconds. It is usually not noticeable as the preamp makes an almost immediate transition from preset to preset, but in cases where you are switching from a very low gain setting to a very high gain setting, you might notice that the bass freq's dont fully kick in for a couple seconds. I brought it to the attention of the amps designer Horst Langer who then tested his own e580 to find out what was causing it. Basically, the less distance between your gain and bass settings when swtiching from a clean to high gain preset, the less time it takes for the full change to occur.
But don't let this detour you from getting what is in my opinion the best preamp on the market.
Screamindemon, I also changed all the tubes in the 580. What combo did you find works best for you? So far I've been using:
V1: Mullard ecc83
V2: nos Chinese silver special
V3: 12ax7 EH
v4: RFT ecc83
As soon as the GT mullard replicas are available i'm gonna try a few of those too.

[P I K A]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

Didn't you recently get the savage se? Are you still keeping that too? Can you tell me how it compares to the savage 120? Twice the price I'm guessing cause of the versatility.Yea I got hooked on engl too I'm getting a 530 next week.

[jackson1]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

Originally posted by P I K A:
I'm getting a 530 next week.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">YOU * WON'T * BE * DISAPPOINTED! [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[piranhaguy2002a]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

How does the 530 compare to other ENGL amplifiers sound wise? Is it a rackmounted version of a particular head (ie. Savage, Fireball, Powerball, etc)? Or does it have it's own "voice"? I'm looking for something close to the sound of a Fireball with out paying the hefty price of the E580.

[jackson1]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

I think the E530 is voiced towards the Savage 120. Word is that it is not so hi-gain as the Powerball, but i think it has got plenty metal gain. Its "Lo Mid" & "Hi Mid" tone controls are very useable and very effective so you can alter your sound quite a lot. They are not comparable to a normal tone control. I use an E530 with an Ultrafex (set very moderately) and it's metal allright! [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[piranhaguy2002a]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

Does it have more gain than a Triaxis? Also, does it have the tight low end like the Fireball?

[P I K A]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

Donnie I asked Engl this question and I was told that it was the exact same as the preamp section of the blackmore head. I'll let you know how it sounds when I get it although I'll be playing it thru a mesa 20 20. How is the fireball ,I was thinking of getting 1 too cause its the cheapest engl head out there with enough gain. Hows the voicing on that?

[piranhaguy2002a]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

The Fireball is a beast! I had to sell mine unfortunately before moving to Hawaii to cut down on moving expenses. If the gain structure of the E530 is like the Blackmore head, it should give me the tone/gain I'm looking for.

[Alexi7]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

its voiced like the blackmore pre? holy shit that's music to my ears, blackmore's prolly the best sounding engl to my ears...530 is definitely going on my must buys [once they solve their friggin distribution problems in australia].
cheers

P.S, jackson1, can you post a clip of your set up? [not direct recording, but pre-power-mic-comp]
\m/

[jackson1]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

Alexi7, no i don't have any suitable microphones available. I am planning on buying a couple of MD421's though, so maybe later.

Other comments on the E530:

- most harmony central dudes say it's a noisy preamp on the higher gain settings. I do not agree. It is as noisy as any other tube amp set to high gain.

- some say it has a weak bass. Again, i do not agree. To me, the E530 has a tight sound, perfect for quick distorted palm muted runs etc. To sound tight, you can't have gigantic, never ending low end boom. And this is what i think some are missing. Ever tried this situation, where you dial in a great (big) guitar sound at home, only to discover it sucks when presented in the rehearsing room, forcing you to modify your extreme level af bass among other things? It's like the E530 is past that.


/Henrik

[JiMoSiTY]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

I just recently picked up an Engl 520 and an Engl 50/50 power amp; together they sound amazing.

Can somebody give me an idea of what an e580 costs? (US - retail)

[P I K A]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

2300 I believe

[Alexi7]

Re: ENGL e580 Preamp

Henrik, that's exactly what i wanted to hear...i guess ill be selling my chameleon pretty soon then.
cheers