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Post subject: PAINFUL ADMISSION: 63Supro was right !!
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 2:53 pm
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So I'll close the circle here:

In a series of posts here in the Amps section of this Forum, I explored you guys' recommendations regarding Fender tube amps and competing amps.
Thanks, dvlsadvc8t, for your awesome, thorough Post on one of those threads (re: Fender & Carvin amps).

And -- alas -- I have to give the Winner's Trophy to 63Supro, whose passion for Egnater amps caused me to give that "unknown" a closer look.

So here's "The Rest of the Story" :

After trying it in-store, I brought home a Fender Blues Deluxe Reverb Sunday night. In the quiet of my home (as opposed to the cacaphony that is Guitar Center's showroom), the Blues Deluxe had unacceptably high levels of both hissssss and hummmmm. Worse yet -- and a deal-killer -- the Bass range was terribly over-boomy, even with all bass controls dialed to a minimum.

Took it back yesterday. I commandeered GC's quiet dedicated Acoustic Guitar room. After side-by-side tests with other same-model amps, and with "lesser" competing amps (including several Egnaters), the verdict was crystal-clear -- literally.

The Egnater Rebel-30 Combo amp is much more versatile than the Fender, has a cleaner "clean," can get 'waaay more "dirty" than the Fender, has lots more detailed variability within the clean and the dirty ranges. Far more controllability, a selectable/blendable option of both 6V6 and EL84 tubes, and has frankly much better overall build quality than the Fender. Perhaps best of all, that Egnater had NONE of the bass-boominess of the Fender ... except that it is possible to adjust it to a point where it will duplicate that boominess (though I can't imagine why you'd want to.)

It's all-tube (except the reverb) and supremely tweakable. What's not to like?

To my ear, that Egnater 30 does "Fender" better than Fender does. I played it for several hours last night, and am still smiling.

Thanks, 63Supro !!
I ain't sayin' "You da Man" -- but I'm definitely saying "Dat's Da Amp !!" :!:

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Last edited by bobwords on Sat Dec 11, 2010 2:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 3:02 pm
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Great to see that you found your amp.

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Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 3:16 pm
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63supro has been using Fender amps a long time and when he recommends another amp over a particular series of Fenders you can take his word on it. A respected member for sure.

Congratulations on your new amp!! :wink:


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Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 3:16 pm
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Bobwords,
Welcome to the "Brotherhood of the Egnater".

Actually, Bruce Egnater has been a custom amp builder for over 30 years. He pioneered the "Module" amps. I knew about Egnater when I was a kid and the man was legendary for unique designs, but I could never afford his stuff. He was boutique before boutique. Yes there is a real Egnater with a face and a voice not some huge corporation. He also posts on Rig Talk under the Egnater section. I talked to him personally when I bought my Rebel 20 and he answered some questions for me. I liked the 30 but I was looking for a head not a combo, then a few months later a Rebel 30 head came out.

If you put the tube mix control at noon, you'll get a volume boost when all four power tubes kick in. It's fun stuff. I still can't get the smile off my face after a year when I play mine. :D

Play around with the tube mix and watts settings and you'll be able to mimic quite a few amps. The watts control effects the headroom which is cool though it's not really an attenuator. I believe the 30 has a silent record out. If you get to use it, let me know how you like it.

And Guys, thanks for the kind words. :oops:

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Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 4:04 pm
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Congrats bobwords!

Nothing painful about that at all. :lol: Sounds to me that it turned out to be rather pleasurable for you. I also checked out the Rebel 30 based on 63supro's recommendation. It did sound great! I plan on that being my next big amp purchase, I like the separate head instead of the combo. Great amp, enjoy! After you've played it awhile and broken it in, please post some feedback. :)

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Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 5:28 pm
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I chose the combo version for one very simple reason: the "mini-stack" version was substantially more expensive, and I was stretching the price-envelope already, considering that I'd planned to "cap" my expenditure for a "practice"-mostly amp at $600, and so was initially pondering which of the Hot Rod Blues Jr. amps would be best (answer: prolly the Blues Jr.III, then swap out the speaker for an Eminence Swamp Thing or that Texas speaker).

Slippery incline -- once the Blues Deluxe ReIssue got me to $750, it was still a long reach to the Rebel-30. Seemed better balanced than the Rebel-20 (the R30 combo was only $70 more than the in-store R-20) ... but by the time I'd explained my way from $600 to $900, it was time to do the deal and get back to happily playing.

also: since the R-30 combo is 8# lighter than the Blues Deluxe 40w, at 42 pounds it's easy enough to carry in one hand, with my guitar case in the other. A one-trip wonder -- darned important when the guitar case has that super-valuable vintage Gibson in it . . .


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Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 6:17 pm
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Got to chime in and score +1 on that Supro guy. I to followed along on many amplifier posts...thought I wanted a Blues Jr and after I took the Egnater Tweaker test drive it was no contest hands down we have a winner and it is the Tweaker in my case.

Even as a newbie at this whole guitar thing the fun I am having and the sounds that come out of that device are amazing. No end to the experimentation. Love the comment about Egnater doing Fender better than Fender.LOL

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06 American Deluxe Ash Tele (Butterscotch)
09 American Dekuxe Ash Strat (Tobacco Burst)
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Egnater Tweaker
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Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 1:46 am
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Almost forgot to mention:

Since I do occasionally do some acoustic stuff, I tested the Rebel-30 at GC with a $3000 Martin dreadnaught with internal pre-amp. I was having so much fun I overlooked testing it "against" a Fishman Loudbox 100 that was sitting nearby, but I will say that the Loudbox would have to produce an operating-room-clean sound to beat the Egnater. Obviously my extraordinary playing ability was a major factor :roll: , but at the cleanest settings (on the "Overdrive" channel, which has more tweakability), that Martin+Egnater pair produced a sound ranging anywhere from early CSNY acoustic to current James Taylor stuff. Amazing "acoustic" sound for an amp that can get so down 'n dirty when asked!

Aaaaand -- from clean to Krunch-O-Fuzzzzz, whatever "sound" I chose was available at most any volume level I wanted. Literally -- I played daylong-sustain heavy metal stuff nice 'n quiet, sitting next to my wife while she watched a crime drama on TV.

I've played Fenders & other "classic" amps that could only produce that super-heavy, overdriven sound at really high volume levels -- a phenomenon that has spawned a whole aftermarket of final-stage attenuation boxes (Omnisonic & upscale cousins.) The Egnater just gives you that sound at whatever volume level you desire: how cool is that?? 8)


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Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 4:41 am
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Congrats bobwords. It's always cool to hear the excitement when someone finds the gear that gives them the sound they hear in their head. Glad that I could help you out with that Carvin decision.


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Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 3:02 pm
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The Rebel 20 and 30 are two very different amps. I liked the voicing a little better on the 20. Plus I only wanted a single channel amp. Money really wasn't a problem when I bought mine. I play more for fun than money these days. It may change though, just depends on how bored I get. I like closed back cabs too. It just depends on your personal taste and guitars you use. I'm just a basic Blues guy. I can do so much with that one channel it's crazy.

Any way you look at it the Egnaters are IMO light years ahead of any of the HRD series in build quality, usable features and tone. On a real budget, the Jet City amp are really nice too.

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Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 3:53 pm
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dvlsadvc8t wrote:
Congrats bobwords. It's always cool to hear the excitement when someone finds the gear that gives them the sound they hear in their head. Glad that I could help you out with that Carvin decision.


Yeah. Again: thanks. Carvin's reputation 'round here is that it's a very, very well-made line of amps (guitars too), with an "excellent, but not superlative" sound. Had I been able to play/play-with a range of Carvin amps -- side by side with the Egnaters -- I might well have chosen a Carvin.

Does Carvin have a cool little inexpensive SS amp w/headphone options -- that you've played and like? I could use such a little guy at the office, as an practice amp to "unwind" between appointments. I've played a little Peavey or two over the years that would serve well for that job, but haven't kept abreast of their stuff for a long time.


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