It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 8:05 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 32 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next
Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next
Author Message
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 7:45 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
tbazzone wrote:
Well I bought a tweeker 15 used last year. I really liked it until the transformer burnt up like a lot of them have.


Yep Tim, that seems to be Egnater's downfall.
I have a Rebel 20, but it was one of the early production runs, and it's been flawless. I run it with two Egnater 112 cabs. Sounds great, and has been reliable for over three years and I push the snot out of it.

Egnater has had a huge problem with power transformers and poor customer service. Like I've always said, I call them as I play them. At least Bruce Egnater saw the problems and came out with the Rebel MKII series late last year. He now has better transformers, thicker boards, and a few new features. The boards in my Rebel were already thick, twice the thickness of my HRDlx. All I can figure is he went the let's save a few bucks route and change suppliers. If he did it was a bad move on his part.

I'm not sure if the Tweaker line has a MKII. Bruce designs great amps. They sound great, and have lots of great unique features. But he went through some serious growing pains. I think he needs to move his manufacturing out of China completely. I don't defend unreliable gear period. I'm not a so called "fan-boy". :lol:

I always catch a load of flack because of my honesty on this forum. Especially because of my despise of the HRD series. I owned one, it was a total POS nuff said. My Rebel has been a great amp, and I can get a ton of great tones from it, but since I've built my 5e3 clone and now my Marshall 18 watt clone, the Rebel sees less and less use. I may sell it and put the money toward a new Strat or Les Paul, who knows.

desertbluesman, take all this with a grain of salt. The Tweaker is still a great amp. I have to disagree about Fender having a better feel. On my Rebel 20 with the tube mix and watts control, I can get a feel and close dynamics to what I had in a lot of my Fender amps, but with not as much headroom as my Blackface and Silverface amps, but it does respond to the touch of my playing style anyway.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 7:54 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2008 8:29 am
Posts: 4238
Location: Pgh Pa
63supro wrote:
tbazzone wrote:
Well I bought a tweeker 15 used last year. I really liked it until the transformer burnt up like a lot of them have.


Yep Tim, that seems to be Egnater's downfall.
I have a Rebel 20, but it was one of the early production runs, and it's been flawless. I run it with two Egnater 112 cabs. Sounds great, and has been reliable for over three years and I push the snot out of it.
I really liked it and I still have it someday I'm gonna get around to putting another transformer in it. I have heard that the problem has been taken care of though.

Egnater has had a huge problem with power transformers and poor customer service. Like I've always said, I call them as I play them. At least Bruce Egnater saw the problems and came out with the Rebel MKII series late last year. He now has better transformers, thicker boards, and a few new features. The boards in my Rebel were already thick, twice the thickness of my HRDlx. All I can figure is he went the let's save a few bucks route and change suppliers. If he did it was a bad move on his part.

I'm not sure if the Tweaker line has a MKII. Bruce designs great amps. They sound great, and have lots of great unique features. But he went through some serious growing pains. I think he needs to move his manufacturing out of China completely. I don't defend unreliable gear period. I'm not a so called "fan-boy". :lol:

I always catch a load of flack because of my honesty on this forum. Especially because of my despise of the HRD series. I owned one, it was a total POS nuff said. My Rebel has been a great amp, and I can get a ton of great tones from it, but since I've built my 5e3 clone and now my Marshall 18 watt clone, the Rebel sees less and less use. I may sell it and put the money toward a new Strat or Les Paul, who knows.

desertbluesman, take all this with a grain of salt. The Tweaker is still a great amp. I have to disagree about Fender having a better feel. On my Rebel 20 with the tube mix and watts control, I can get a feel and close dynamics to what I had in a lot of my Fender amps, but with not as much headroom as my Blackface and Silverface amps, but it does respond to the touch of my playing style anyway.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:12 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012 9:07 pm
Posts: 604
Rverb wrote:
The one major aspect of Fender amps that I prefer over Egnater is the feel.
My Fender amps have great sensitivity and respond great to changes in touch, awesome.
The Egnaters felt a bit stiff in comparison.


I am off to GC to demo some amps. The quote above is precisely why I decided to wait until I actually demoed amps. Hearing the moving air in person is better than pulling the trigger on the basis of reviews. although I do appreciate the comments.

_________________
dbm
If it sounds good it is good.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default ... tent=music


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:41 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
desertbluesman wrote:
Rverb wrote:
The one major aspect of Fender amps that I prefer over Egnater is the feel.
My Fender amps have great sensitivity and respond great to changes in touch, awesome.
The Egnaters felt a bit stiff in comparison.


I am off to GC to demo some amps. The quote above is precisely why I decided to wait until I actually demoed amps. Hearing the moving air in person is better than pulling the trigger on the basis of reviews. although I do appreciate the comments.


desertbluesman, if you're trying some amps out, I would highly suggest bringing your own #1 guitar and try not just a Tweaker but a Rebel 20 MKII if they have one as well as Jet City and VHT amps if available. Jet City amps are rock solid amps designed by the legendary Mike Soldano and VHT amps are hand-wired and are great sounding and a great value. There's always the Peavey Classic 30 and Delta Series too. The Rebel 20 has tube mix and watts
controls to blend EL84 and 6V6 power tubes and can be dialed down to one watt.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 12:04 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2008 8:29 am
Posts: 4238
Location: Pgh Pa
The Hugh's & Kettneir tubemister is a nice one also.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 12:23 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
tbazzone wrote:
The Hugh's & Kettneir tubemister is a nice one also.


+1 Or just build your own. You'll be way better off. At least you know it's hand wired, and checked over many times along the way. :wink:

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 12:29 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2008 8:29 am
Posts: 4238
Location: Pgh Pa
63supro wrote:
tbazzone wrote:
The Hugh's & Kettneir tubemister is a nice one also.


+1 Or just build your own. You'll be way better off. At least you know it's hand wired, and checked over many times along the way. :wink:

If you can do it this is I think the best way.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 12:49 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
tbazzone wrote:
63supro wrote:
tbazzone wrote:
The Hugh's & Kettneir tubemister is a nice one also.


+1 Or just build your own. You'll be way better off. At least you know it's hand wired, and checked over many times along the way. :wink:

If you can do it this is I think the best way.


If you can read and solder well, it's well worth the effort. I've been gigging with the 5e3 I built for about a year and a half and it's been amazing. It was less than half the cost of Fender's reissue and I've had ot next to Fender's new version as well as Mojo and Weber and it sounds to my ears just as great.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 1:38 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012 9:07 pm
Posts: 604
63supro wrote:
+1 Or just build your own. You'll be way better off. At least you know it's hand wired, and checked over many times along the way. :wink:


I am not afraid of a build myself, I can solder and read instructions. Any info on build your own Amp kits? I have googled the ones that come up in on line searches.

_________________
dbm
If it sounds good it is good.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default ... tent=music


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 2:22 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
desertbluesman wrote:
63supro wrote:
+1 Or just build your own. You'll be way better off. At least you know it's hand wired, and checked over many times along the way. :wink:


I am not afraid of a build myself, I can solder and read instructions. Any info on build your own Amp kits? I have googled the ones that come up in on line searches.


I've built three tube amps so far.
two came from www.tubedepot.com The 5e3 is PCB based and a fairly easy build. It's a great sounding amp and I installed a Weber 12A125A Alnico speaker in it. It sounds just incredible and has been 100% reliable.

The one I finished last week is a clone of a Marshall 1974x 18 watt amp. Again, it was a fun build, sounds incredible but you have to drill and stake your own turret board. I found it pretty easy. The build is a little more complex than the 5e3 Tweed, but not that bad. The PCB on the Tweed is Military Spec with really wide traces, double sided with plated through holes. It's first rate. The cabs on both amps are beautiful and well made, I think they may come from Mojotone. There's no MDF Pressboard crap in the cabs.

The huge plus about the Tube Depot kits is the step by step detailed instructions with plenty of photos and even some videos on the site to get you started. You can check out the instructions before you buy the amp. The parts are high quality too.

The first amp I built came from http://www.modkitsdiy.com/
All their kits including amps and pedals are true point to point meaning, no board is used at all. It's very old school. It's a little harder to build that way, but it pretty cool. I use alligator clips to hold the parts in place before soldering. I've built a lot of their pedals as well as the 102 five watt amp, and all their stuff sounds really good and inexpensive too.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions you can PM me too.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 7:18 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012 9:07 pm
Posts: 604
Thanks for the info I will check it out.

_________________
dbm
If it sounds good it is good.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default ... tent=music


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:15 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 2:07 pm
Posts: 303
tbazzone wrote:
Well I bought a tweeker 15 used last year. I really liked it until the transformer burnt up like a lot of them have.


It happens.
The first 68 CDR I bought had a major failure within days.
Out of the box worked great, then like the next day or so done, no good.

But I didn't give up on Fender.
The "tube blend" on the Rebel and other Egnater amps is really cool.
Bruce designs some really cool things that imo are fresh and modern yet sound sound great.
Fender can use some innovation as they rely on the same thing over and over.
Some would say why change what works, but adding something cool doesn't mean throwing out the old.
Quieter operation, amps that don't make loud CLACK sounds when put into standby, no increased hum when turning up the reverb, effects loop, easy access bias test/adjust, and actual channel switching isn't exactly ground breaking innovation, but it would go a good way to modernizing some Fender amps. :)


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 11:11 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:58 pm
Posts: 385
Location: Montana
Quote:
Quieter operation, amps that don't make loud CLACK sounds when put into standby, no increased hum when turning up the reverb, effects loop, easy access bias test/adjust, and actual channel switching isn't exactly ground breaking innovation, but it would go a good way to modernizing some Fender amps. :)


++++1 :mrgreen:

_________________
In the hands of the right people it can change the world. Not bad for a hunk of ash, a few magnets, and some wire.
Band Site
http://www.reverbnation.com/bigskybluesband
Demos
http://www.youtube.com/user/bigskybluesband


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2015 5:17 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Rverb wrote:
tbazzone wrote:
Well I bought a tweeker 15 used last year. I really liked it until the transformer burnt up like a lot of them have.


It happens.
The first 68 CDR I bought had a major failure within days.
Out of the box worked great, then like the next day or so done, no good.

But I didn't give up on Fender.
The "tube blend" on the Rebel and other Egnater amps is really cool.
Bruce designs some really cool things that imo are fresh and modern yet sound sound great.
Fender can use some innovation as they rely on the same thing over and over.
Some would say why change what works, but adding something cool doesn't mean throwing out the old.
Quieter operation, amps that don't make loud CLACK sounds when put into standby, no increased hum when turning up the reverb, effects loop, easy access bias test/adjust, and actual channel switching isn't exactly ground breaking innovation, but it would go a good way to modernizing some Fender amps. :)


The problem is that Fender tries to be innovative and drop the ball nearly every single time. The original designs were innovative and are timeless. Bells and whistles don't really impress me in the least. Bruce Egnater has been at this a long time. His problem isn't design it's execution. Fender's problem is design AND execution. Fender has never been great at amps with high gain and fancy features. As soon as they "customize" an smp, they ruin it. Part of the problem is cheap components and construction shortcuts like ribbon connectors and spade connectors. There's nothing wrong with that if quality parts are used, but they aren't. IMO, IC's don't belong in tube amps, neither do ribbon connectors. Not if you're looking for great tone for a long period of time. I can get more tonal variation with a 5e3 and the channels jumpered than any of the bells and whistles "customized" amps Fender has. My rig won't do high gain metal, but I have no interest in that anyway an if I did, Marshall, Mesa, Bogner and a few others would be my first choice.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Well I dunnit I pulled the trigger on a new 15 watt Egna
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2015 6:21 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012 9:07 pm
Posts: 604
The More I think about it, The more I desire an amp with one volume control, bass, mids, treble, and presence controls, end of story. I can effect it better than anyone seems to (at least to my personal tonal taste) with a tube distortion stomp, and a digital reverb pedal in front. An amp just like my old 50 watt black face bassman head (my very first guitar amp)

_________________
dbm
If it sounds good it is good.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default ... tent=music


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 32 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next
Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: