Engl Powerball Head

[ravenshield56]

This or fireball? :(

[Cauldronics]

Nice amp, but any high gain amp should be able to sustain forever. I never met one that couldn't.

[MusicLeonR]

just play 

[mgdth502]

I know this might be a dumb question, but would it sound good to play an Engl head through a Marshall 1960B cab? Or would that kind of take away from the "Engl"-ness...

I'm thinking of buying the Steve Morse head and I want a straight cabinet to go with it. I love the Marshall straight cabs, just wondering if it'd sound ok. I don't really like mixing company amp gear, but I know people do often.. Please help! Thanks

[Metalfarupyourass]

I just bought this beast. Oh my god.

[Haakhe]

@Metalfarupyourass Bendik

[therealitymaster]

Holy. Fucking. Shit. Need that.

[UKToneKing]

4.42 till U hit a note, WTF

[TheAbstractmemory]

When he said lets switch to the high gain channel i was like there's more gain in this thing holy fuck!!! o_O I want it lol well the powerball 2 anyway sounds amazing

[arthurmayhem]

weve got 32 pussies here

[ecwtable]

32 is NOT GUITARISTS

[opses546]

@ecwtable nice grammar

[ecwtable]

@opses546 THANKS

[GeronimoMovies]

the rock starts at 5:55

[MorlowKing]

This amp would have better clean is he doesn't have crappy guitar. :D

[75SilentWarrior]

@MorlowKing He is using a quite expensive ESP Eclipse.

[givemeajackson]

@75SilentWarrior with emgs so it sounds like shit again...

[SnypaXoXo]

Should i get the Fireball or the Powerball for very technical metal?

[antichrist07comrad]

@SnypaXoXo powerball.

[Eddacus313]

@antichrist07comrad I'd vote for Fireball 'cause it has a bit clearer and tighter sound imo

[antichrist07comrad]

@Eddacus313 its all about personalk tastes Engl all super awesome amps , all sound great :D

[Eddacus313]

If you have money, get the Special Edition or Savage, that's what Jeff from Nevermore uses

[givemeajackson]

@Eddacus313 jeff uses powerball at the moment.

[givemeajackson]

@SnypaXoXo if you dont need crunch and versatility get the fireball.

[SnypaXoXo]

Should i get the Powerball or the Fireball for sort of nevermore sound?

[DeathMetalTim32]

I'd love if this guy played more than one kind of distortion through every amp he demos. Seems like he soaks it in distortion with no mids.

[loki8lelouch7]

this thing up close looks sick!

[Guitarplayer629]

My question is, is this head good for really heavy metal?

[pukepal]

@Guitarplayer629 yes, if you want more! brutal then get the savage 120

[bibiranger]

10:20, no sustain, thats called feedback lol:P

[falarious123]

@bibiranger actually, thats a natural harmonic you get after putting vibrato on a sustained note. Try it out sometime.

[bibiranger]

@falarious123 has nothing to do with vibrato;) pure feedback which CAUSES a harmonic (feedback = harmonic) pure physics... speaker--> string --> speaker --> string etcetc..

[falarious123]

if it was feedback, the sound would have killed off before the harmonic came in. Btw, those "physics" didn't make mush sense lol

[bibiranger]

@falarious123 sustain is when the guitar and gain make a note longer, when the amp volume is high and the guitar is close, this causes feedback and keeps vibrating the string.... try "sustaining" a note with low volume, THATS real sustain, has nothin to do with feedback....

[falarious123]

@bibiranger have you ever heard feedback? it a lot higher pitched than that. Anyways, you notice in the video that the volume on the high gain channel is barley past 1.

[bibiranger]

@falarious123 feedback is vibration from the amp causing harmonics;) can be heard in any pitch:) ur not makin sence... have u ever played live of in a band? lol

[falarious123]

@bibiranger yes, i have. Btw, your "physics" don't make mush sense lol

[bibiranger]

@falarious123 i gues you are just not that into guitar playing like i am... look for harmonics, there is a reason why they appear and same thing counts for feedback:) all physics;)

[falarious123]

@bibiranger my point is, the amps master wasn't even past 1, you can't get feedback at that low of a volume

[DarkFottloch]

@falarious123 your guys argument doesnt matter anyways concerning the playability and sound of the amp since it has a noisegate built in.

[falarious123]

@DarkFottloch which is another reason why it was a harmonic, because of the noise gate

[DarkFottloch]

@falarious123 right, simple as this: feedback sounds like shit, harmonics can be used to make nice sounds

[DaGagamel]

5:54 - 5:58 sounds like the intro of premiere guitar :D

[Permuh]

Needless to say, i jizzed while testing this monster at my local guitar shop.

[ThEZiBbeR]

STOP PLAYING CLEAN SOUNDS! :O im getting so annoyed this is a pure metal amp , sorry guys :O

[Jonybig69]

But will it Blend?

[trelol666]

Low gain ? LOOOOOOOL

[loki8lelouch7]

to think i was going to go with a line 6 bogner amp im soo glad i found this amp!

[hopefilleddream]

Do you think this fucker could put a little more reverb on this shit? What a dipshit.

[bibiranger]

@hopefilleddream no reverb issues, more of a "playin with knobs" issue for me:) when playin 2 seconds every1 knows how the setting sounds like, unlike a solo of 30 seconds....

[Stagedivedaiv]

great video man!

[codismyBxTCH]

What kind of ESP is that?

[EldubeG25]

@codismyBxTCH ESP Eclipse

[JMcDonnell91]

lets hear the low gain sound

...*SEARING HIGH GAIN ENSUES*

[mnlcovers]

I like this but i think i like the fire ball better.

[dial157]

гитару нормальную купи, а потом рекламирУй !

[not2stupidguitar]

this review sucks



[scoobaseth]

holy dooly man... this things Crunch mode puts out a gnarlier tone than my Marshall on Full gain OD Channel... time to upgrade

[feo130]

@scoobaseth I prefer Marshall amps to all others, but the Powerball has an amazingly crushing tone. It will be the next amp I get :)

[RokDAWG1]

I think this just might be the amp for me....great shit!!

[Mr23Metallica]

finally a diverse player. i hate those amp reviews where they only play blues or only play rock. this guy shows all the points

[ShreddingMetalRecord]

Check my Kissing the shadows cover if you want a real sound of the beast instead of that fuckin' "bla bla bla"

[skatallica76]

I know this is kinda of topic, but I LOVE the lick starting at 08:23!! Also, I have this amp and it's way superior to the Dual Rectifier. In my opinion of course.

[XSDarkMoonZX]

This video blows.

[eduppa69]

10:15 - FAIL, no clock XD

[legendofzelda101]

"Let's hear the low gain sound."

-infernal amounts of gain-

[austinfailz]

@legendofzelda101 By "low" gain, I think Engl means the emphasis is in the low mids.

[yakza5]

@legendofzelda101 that coment made me laugh so hard, but its true

[synthelabo]

@legendofzelda101 ahahaha, true :)

[Abyssvx]

SO much fucking gain

[Chryosoar]

I don't understand why everyone hates Line 6 so much, in my opinion they make some pretty decent gear for a relatively low price.

[MrCopperhater]

the chug sounds dosent sound like the amp does irl!

It´s so much more low bottom irl

[giovannidelcorso]

Look at Paul's happy face at 10:25

[bordasy]

He plays at 4:42

[ObscureBeast]

Dear Paul, SHUT THE HELL UP, PLAY, AND CHANGE THE SETTINGS ON THE AMP!

[stonewilliam]

the low gain channel gots more gain than my pod xt xD

[murmelswe]

Big deal.... Damm iPad posting when i didnt want to....

[murmelswe]

@rainbowkchickenfish so you're basically saying that the small group that wants to hear the clean don't matter? Just skip the part where he plays clean if it's such à

[MultiScoffer]

I just saw him do a orange dual terror video and it had sustain for days as well. But everyone should check out the new orange dark terror. It's a beast!

[lookmanostrings]

What? Ads? Gay!

[jw11432]

4:47 when he actually stops talking and starts playing.

[frogjim]

Good Demo and nice licks!

[rainbowchickenfish]

who honestly gives a shit about the clean sound? why cant people review the distortion first so i dont have to sit through the whole video for what i want

[murmelswe]

@rainbowchickenfish Because not everyone plays with the gain at 11 all the time.

Retarded comment is retarded.

[rainbowchickenfish]

@murmelswe who the hell plays the gain at 11? i certainly never said it should be at 11 most people just want to hear the gain sound not what it sounds like clean. why should the majority of the target audience have to wait for the minority before getting what they came here for?

Retarded replier is retarded.

[JgHaverty]

@rainbowchickenfish You came to an ENGL review to hear a clean tone? Lol

[JohnTheRipper2]

@rainbowchickenfish people give a crap about clean because some of us don't want to spend big bucks on an amp that can only do high gain. I, for one, look for that almost breaking up sound in an amp. If that bluesy clean sounds good, the amp will surely sound amazing, crisp and detailed even at high gain. Don't be so ignorant next time, ok? some might not like it

[ILoveallguitars]

Paul i'm proud of you. your pinch harmonics sound good :)

[varisk9]

the sustain is like fucking 10000000 miles long

[juddrizzo]

I, definitely, like the tone better w/out the "focus" on. Thanks for the demo, Guitar World.

[bjm355]

@metalpride15 Tubes/ good Solid State manufacture= real high wattage focus and power. Digital "modeling" amps are for kids trying to impress their friends. They have no business on a stage. Period.

[daradidam]

skip to 04:48 to cut the crap and hear paul start playing.

[guitarmurakami]

hey can someone give me an idea of what kind of speakers paul is running this through? he probably has this amp mic'd as well so i am guessing no one can answer what kind of mic preamp he is using either, eh? :P

[NayNay2304lyfe]

i can't chose between engl powerball head and line 6 flextone iii help plz :(

[ILoveallguitars]

@NayNay2304lyfe Powerball rips on anything line 6 has ever done. if you can afford the powerball get it.

[NayNay2304lyfe]

@ILoveallguitars thnx alot :) ur the best

[xD0NKEYx]

@metalpride15

Which version?

I'd agree that the older ones are horrible and can't even chug right; but I've got this Spider valve amp and when I crank it and play properly on it, the tone is beautiful. Sure those amps do stand above it, but don't fool yourself into thinking there is some huge gap when it's not as large as you think. There is a gap nonetheless but definitely not as far as you portray it and I still believe it to be inexperience on your part.

[xD0NKEYx]

@metalpride15

You're incorrect. I can't get the exact tone because the modulation is slightly different; but they sound pretty similar. It's all in technique-- if you don't understand this then it's definitely inexperience on your part.

[dokken555]

I had to stop the video come 7:25 as i was frightened to hear that lead channel! Man this amp rocks!

[eddieward666]

Scott Ian can`t play solos, Paul can`t play metal.

[cl250675]

That crunch channel sounds awesome.



[VisualThoughts4U]

Cool review

[CyValkarion]

Nice amp, shitty pickups ruin it.

[TheWasabi39]

How much does sound change by changing bottom 4x12 cabinet speakers to for example between ENGL and Marshall? Huge tone difference is Head correct?

[Sucklessguitarvids]

I used to love Paul's vids, but idk... recently it seems like he doesn't show you the diverse range of each channel.

[nickofzo]

talk talk talk... always the same ..

[DRUGFREEG]

blablabla marshall plexi and I'm over and out.

[sgt1337]

I need that guitar....... 0_o

[Airakobra]

Lol 3:46 ! Veeeery simple, veeeery intuitive. Oh Yea, Right ;-)

[mazingguitar]

that was called Low Gain Sound?? Shit, I'm wasted...

[1978djd]

This is a modern extreme metal amp. It does one job and does it absolutely perfectly. There is no versatility, if you want that get your wallet out to buy something else aswell. Same as it ever was.

[doyengicp]

@1978djd actually, the powerballs responds extremely well to the personality of the guitar thats plugged in.. here, and ESP with EMG pickups will only make it sound metal.. hit it with a LP or a tele, and you'll see its extremely versatile. Actually its overkill with single coils :)

[bjm355]

@doyengicp I agree. To anyone that thinks amps like the Engl or the Mesa Rectifier series are "one trick ponies", you are very wrong. They are extremely flexable and responsive...and they can roar. You might be supprized at the different tones that can be covered by heads like that. In fact, even with the guitar shown, that head could sing the blues, or even enter into a "Blues Breaker" type sound. Those dials and switches aren't painted on!

[dimebaglives890]

i want this fucking amp !!!

[juako811]

Damn! This amp sounds like eveything I want in a guitar amp. Prestine clean, losts of gain with a bright sound to it! : )

[juku223]

hey paul , do necrophagist



[Sean2592]

I've never heard of this Engl brand before but after watching this i'm a believer

[TheGreensuperman]

i tried this amp today, this engl powerball head is insane for metal, i reccomend you all try it out

[DDKFILMS]

ummmmmm why am i gonna pay 2000 dollars for an amp and then have to buy a couple footswitches to make it better? ill just stick with marshall.

[messersd1]

@DDKFILMS he's not trying to sell you on it, he's just doing a review there champ

[thanatos71209]

@messersd1 he's just sayin why buy this for 2k when you can get a good marshall for less there champ

[Feileiks]

@thanatos71209 Dude, Marshall is very overpriced. The clean and crunch sounds might be okay, but for some nice tight metal tones there´s nothing better than an ENGL Powerball or Savage.

[thanatos71209]

@Feileiks that.. is so dumb.. think about your argument..

you say marshall is overpriced, and only sounds "ok". Engl is like $1000 more, and sounds better. this makes makes marshall overpriced how?

[primus696969]

@hereticmilitia well my friend i found one on ebay for 500 quid or 490 dollars whic ever way you look at it :)

[hereticmilitia]

a 10 minute video on an amp that none of us can afford

[peg4444]

in this video what effect do you use and the pot of balance effect how is set?? thankss

[paulsenification]

wam wom wam wam...... there´s almost no attack or punch on the high gain settings!

[Behemoth941]

You dont use an ENGL for crunch..you use it for Heavy Metal and Really Fucking Heavy Metal

[TachoSJ]

They should just let Kerry King do amp reviews

[brucejenkins71]

too much talkin just shut up and play that motherfucker. if your experienced enough to know you want a half million dollar head then im sure you can figure how to work the fucker while your playin it!! god damn after he shuts up and plays this fucker sounds damn good!!!

[brucejenkins71]

too much talkin just shut up and play that motherfucker. if your experienced enough to know you want a half million dollar head then im sure you can figure how to work the fucker while your playin it!!

[missinglink27]

cool amp! but $2000 for this head! lol!

[ryjeek]

SOTP TALKING !!! plaaaayyyyyyyyy

[ChucklesMginty]

@ryjeek It's going to sound nothing fucking like the video when you play it with your guitar, your fingers, in a different room, possibly different cabinet and your ears. He's actually giving you some information about the amp so you can decide if it's your kind of thing.

A blank sound clip with zero information is useless.

[pukepal]

@darkjediguy123 I own both and still think they both have there own great moments for metal.

[JakeBeatdown]

whats the difference between the e645 powerball and the powerball ii?

[AusMetalMitch]

Ok Guitarworld, can you please get someone that plays metal do reviews on every metal product that is going to be reviewed. OK thanks.

[96lolstar]

At 10:13 Man behind demos: "STOP!" Paul: okay

[sampe50]

At 5:58 i actually thought he was gonna play "Under the oak" by Candlemass, but no cigar :/

[elevenorchids]

If you guys already know everything, why do you even watch these videos and bitch about how there wrong and they suck at playing. I mean you find the stupidist shit and are like "it,s not a cord it,s a cable fucking duech." Damn, chill out and enjoy. The real difference is he's getting paid for his comments.

[StillRottenToTheGore]

LOW GAIN IS SO HIGH

[AnOddMusician]

OH FUCK.

this amp sounds amazing........

[SxTxFAN]

omg what if this amp broke 0.o



[sunnyjim98]

10:16 nigga stole my watch! XD

[sfh113]

waiiiiiiiiiiiiittttt i dont understand this: does it matter what amp i buy if i have my tone coming through a line 6 pod x3 live because cant you make any tone from it pretty much so you dont need to worry about the amps tone? like i have my guitar plugged into a line 6 pod x3 live and and then an amp... i just need to make the perfect tone on the pod x3, not worry about the amp?

[sunnyjim98]

@sfh113 not if youve got a pod. but if you play an amp like this, youll understand why the pod is shit!

ive stopped using effects, except for maybe a good chorus pedal or flange for some VH, because ive got a good amp, and its not that great when compared to this or some of the marshalls!

[rickyjshiznit]

they should have gotten some better lighting in there, i cant see anything on the front of the amp.

[richogem]

holy shit! an emg 81 has enough output to sustain and feedback notes for alot of time??

do us a favor paul, its the pickup. not the head.

[TheRealFremmed]

My brain hurts...

[Englanto]

Wow so geil sound....

[skatallica76]

I'm thinking about replacing my Dual Rectifier with this one

[MrDarinWarren]

Plenty of gain for sure. Not alot of "color" or life though. Seems to be defiantly a metal amp.

[Surgeon314]

Is there a big tone difference between this and the fireball?

[MuscleMemory462]

What a effin douchbag... *throws up in mouth a bit

[Alabamahick99]

his guitar play stinks and hes sounds and acts gay. atleast theres nothin wrong about being gay though

GREAT U MADE GREAT AMP SOUND LIKE COMPLETE SHIT. THATS WHAT SHITTY PLAYERS DO.

[cedrikDGAF]

yeaaaa... i'll just stick with my Orange amp

[gjunki]

wow very nice head what cabinet is he using? or just the head?

[SnopElsker]

With the channel with the most gain, WHY do they always play a fucking solo? I wanna hear some chugging, man!

[birdcube1]

@SnopElsker Generally on Hi-Gain amps those channels are called lead channels for doing lead lines, if you do rhythm with massive gain you just get crazy noise.

[xD0NKEYx]

@SnopElsker

No one wants to hear shitty ass chugs. Any amp can do that; I can get some awesome chugs from my line 6 but it's solo tone can't even touch Engl's.

If you're going to buy an Engl just to chug, that's the same as buying a race car and taking it for 20 km/hr country drives.

[SevenStringShredHead]

@xD0NKEYx Engl has become synonymous with djent tone, so yes, when you look at an engl demo, you wanna hear some chugging

[xD0NKEYx]

@SevenStringShredHead

Too bad just a great amp has become synonymous with chugs, just goes to show how narrow minded musicians are becoming today.

Luckily Engl has some good musicians using them (Loomis, Broderick...etc)

[SevenStringShredHead]

@xD0NKEYx did i say it's become synonymous with chugs? or did i say it's become synonymous with djent TONE?

seriously, lrn2read

also, you criticize narrow minded musicians, and then try and generalize all "chugging" as bad?

lrn2logic

[xD0NKEYx]

@SevenStringShredHead

Yeah totally man, chugging and djent are NOT narrowminded in the slightest. Who would dare think otherwise!

lrn2logic

[SevenStringShredHead]

@xD0NKEYx did i say chugging and djent weren't narrow minded in the slightest, or did I say GENERALIZING it all as bad was narrow minded?