Bogner fish preamp anyone own one here?

[hippietim]

So Tim you feel the Fish is worth the money?

I don't know. I haven't gotten mine yet. I sure hope it is. I really like a lot of Bogner stuff and I LOVE the tones that Jerry Cantrell and Chris Poland get out of their rigs.

I've been through so much goddamn gear and it's really a pain in the ass. I hate having lots of amps around - lots of guitars is no problem but amps are just annoying to me. Most of the time I just like plugging into the Straub Cantus with a wah and a vibe - fuck the rest of that shit, it's such a hassle. Unfortunately, a rig that simple won't cut it for either band I play in.

I really wish I could fall in love with one of the modeling all-in-one rigs but they never have worked for me in a band setting. I'm going to give a go with the VG-99 with one band - if that rig worked out it would really help me a lot in that band.

Also ever play through a Roland JC120. I just got a head unit for real cheap and have not had a chance to play around with it yet. It is supposed to be the ultimate in clean tone.

I think JC120's are both overrated and underrated. They are the ultimate of a certain kind of clean tone. They will never touch a Fender Twin on 6 though for that warm, thick clean sound. But a JC120 is a great sounding amp in it's own way - it shimmers nicely and is surprisingly warm for a solid state amp (reminds me of the old Acoustic 150/134/135 amps in that regard). Even the distortion is surprisingly usable for the right kind of song. I almost bought a head a few months back myself - if I could find one cheap I definitely would buy it.

[P I K A]

Hey Bill will the JVM get into Uber territory? Otherwise I think you will miss that sound. Youve been into that tone for so long. Im hoping you say yes cause Ive been thinking about getting the JVM 2 channel 100 watt head myself.Or the Kerry King model.

[horns666]

Hey Bill will the JVM get into Uber territory? Otherwise I think you will miss that sound. Youve been into that tone for so long. Im hoping you say yes cause Ive been thinking about getting the JVM 2 channel 100 watt head myself.Or the Kerry King model.

Actually no, they're apples to oranges. Completely different vibes and voices...sorry.

The JVM actually sounds alot like the tone I dial up with my beloved Marshall rig. It has a bit more gain, but with that comes noise. That wouldn't be a big deal, but I'm used to running my Marshalls without a noise gate..it's kinda nice really.

The JVM is voiced like a typical Marshall..lots of definition. Lots of mids to cut thru anything..the freqs are just "right" with a Marshall. The Bogner sounds pretty mean, but its really fixated on LOTS of low mids and and "bite" no matter what tubes are in it and where the settings are. No matter what, it sounds like a Uberschall whenever its up loud over a drummer. You feel it, its big..its there, but it just doesn't feel "right"..if ya know what I mean.

I'm still playin' with it since 2002. That's the one thing I love about my Marshall. I play that amp..I don't play with it.

I like the JVM better than the KK side by side.The KK sounds like a 2203 with a stomp in the front, pretty good (LOTS of mids). The built-in noise gate is a nice feature. The JVM had way more girth and gain tho..and its a tad cheaper.

The JVM would definitely benefit from a built-in noise gate..someone send Marshall the memo.

[P I K A]

Thanks Bill . The JVM sounds like an amp I gotta check out. I always liked Marshalls . If I get a chance this week Ill check 1 out and see if I like it. I have to get another amp Im going back to an only metal player no more covers or anything I wouldnt listen to myself. I gotta see if this is the ticket. 2 amps would be ideal but dont have the funds for 2 .

[horns666]

Thanks Bill . The JVM sounds like an amp I gotta check out. I always liked Marshalls . If I get a chance this week Ill check 1 out and see if I like it. I have to get another amp Im going back to an only metal player no more covers or anything I wouldnt listen to myself. I gotta see if this is the ticket. 2 amps would be ideal but dont have the funds for 2 .

Well they originally came in a 4 channel. Now they make a 2 channel, which is best suited for me really. That should make things cheaper as well..I must check myself. I can get by with a single channel amp as long as the amp cleans up ok rolling the guitar back. The gain is completely usable, so you don't have to be that shy with the gain. I maxed it and it doesn't flub up...which is important to me.

Apparently, no matter of build issues/concerns. They don't come back for repairs often. So I'm told.

[bibz]

Love the JVM, marshall nailed that middy chug and bark perfectly. Sings with leads too.

[Strangletooth]

Oh man, this is a wide open topic. I've owned a ton of different preamps and multi-channel amps and none of them have been "it". I have a Fish on order.

So here's my list of not "it" rigs off the top of my head and in no particular order:


Heads:

• Carvin Legacy - too dark for a lot of stuff unless you play bright guitars and pedals like Vai does
• Soldano SLO - this thing sounded absolutely fucking amazing on six or higher - way too fucking loud to be usable and no good cleans out of the clean channel at equivalent volume
• Bogner Ecstacy - oh so close - never quite bonded with the one I borrowed - it had this wierd harmonic ringing thing on certain notes that drove me nuts
• Diezel Herbert - it was ridiculously loud and did not sound special at reasonable volumes. Incredibly versatile and flexible with loops and programmability.
• Marshall 1987x - I brought it to Scott Splawn for his mods - best sounding Marshall I've ever played through. I sold it to buy the Quickrod which was supposed to be the same with an extra channel. HUGE mistake. I would love this amp back. This is the only amp I've ever regretted selling.
• Splawn Quickrod - this was just disappointing - I just didn't bond with it.
• Marshall JCM 800 50 watt - love. Pure love. Will get one again someday. I thought I wanted something else at the time. I was wrong.
• Carvin X100B - great cleans, gain channel was OK.
• Randall RM100B - very cool. Only sold this to move into the rack world.
• Straub Cantus - the second best sounding Marshall type amp I've ever played through. Heck, this may even be better than the Splawn modded 1987x. I still have this one. It's just one channel. One glorious channel though.
• Suhr CAA/OD-100 SH/SE - Best clean tone on a multi-channel amp ever. Never could bond with the dirty.
• Suhr CAA/OD-50 - Same clean channel as the OD-100, same problem with the dirty (although this has a different voicing on the dirty channel).
• Elmwood Modena M90 - Second best clean tone on a multi-channel amp ever. Dirty stuff didn't start sounding good until the amp was fucking loud. It's being boxed up tonight and shipped out.
• EVH 5150 III - this did everything very well but nothing stellar.
• Rivera TBR-1 - fantastic cleans, sterile dirty tones.
• Dr. Z Carmen Ghia - great cleans, the only way to get really dirty was with a pedal.
• Dr. Z KT45 - killer Hiwatt style head. I'd like to get one of these again.
• Soldano Hot Rod 50 - meh. It was ok. I got it stupid cheap but sold it as soon as I got the Marshall 1987x (unmodded).

Preamps:

• VHT Valulator - this thing just sucked. I don't know how anyone found good stuff with this.
• Brunetti Mille - best hot-rodded Marshall preamp I've heard to date - tons of gain - fair clean channel.
• CAE 3+SE - fantastic clean channel. Very difficult to dial in the good stuff with the other two channels but it was there eventually. Lots of interaction with the EQ.
• Voodoo Lab Preamp - I've been using this lately - it's *really* thick. Thickest clean channel I've had ever. Unfortunately channel 2 is fucked up and it's got to go out for service.
• Soldano SP77 - very cool moderate gain preamp. Could stand to have a bit more gain though for certain things.
• Hafler Triple Giant - extremely cool preamp. Needs the right preamp tubes though - this is a real sleeper - kind of wish I kept it.
• Marshall JMP-1 - just OK. Not great, not bad.

There's more, I'm tired of thinking...

Tim, curious on this list, are you using any other components with these devices/heads? Or is it just straight?

[hippietim]

Tim, curious on this list, are you using any other components with these devices/heads? Or is it just straight?

My evaluation ends up being pretty straightforward: any rig I use has to work with a Crybaby, Deja-Vibe, Eventide Eclipse or TC gizmo, V30 or Greenback cab, and a Tele, Strat, Les Paul and Floyded SuperStrat.

[Cleveland Metal]

What sucks about going through a ton of amps is that you may never reallllly milk them for what they are worth.

If I wasn't forced to work my CAE3+se for 5 months.... I would have tossed it fast. After learning how to get the sound I wanted, and it took a lot of unorthodox methods, I have it years later still. Not sure if I'll ever sell it unless I "HAVE" to. Just wish it had a better grind/chug/chunk for the metal I do. It is very alive and very organic smooth polished sounding.. A bit too much.

Plenty of stuff I wish I still had just to see if I might have missed a diamond in the rough. And I have owned a lot of shit...

[AK47]

I bought a Fish preamp and I still dont sound like Jerry.

Seller refuses to refund me. Help!








j/k bumping the thread to see if anyone has played the new Bogner reissue I am considering pulling the trigger...

[SpiralArchitect]

A CAE 3+Se
is a Custom Audio Electronics 3+se
that's what they were called before the name change to Custom Audio Amplifiers

It's the same thing.

C

There's a reason it is the most coveted preamp in the world.

Tone Merchants still has the last one or two that don't have a home, so if you want one, better get on it.

The owner says:

"Chris Poland played at Tone Merchants last night and before sound check, he told me that he got a new Fish a few days ago. He told me that it sounds much better than the fish he has been using for years. He told me he noticed a big difference in the Shark channel. He asked Reinhold or Yorg if anything new had been done and to the preamp. They said no. So Chris thinks he just might need a new transformer in his old Fish. Anyways, its great to hear from a guy like Chris who has been playing a Fish everyday for years, say the new one sounds better. Also, Jerry Cantrell just got 2 of new ones."



What's a CAE 3+ SE?

The CAA 3+ SE (SUHR) has 3 separate channels with an EQ section and versatility for switchers. The amp does any kind of music easily.

The Fish has 4 channels, all of which sounds pristine.

I don't see what either amp could possibly be limited to that would make them obsolete compared to most modern amps that can't do half these things.