Yet another amp on my list to add to the stable was an ENGL of some kind. I’m not really that well versed in ENGL amps, while I know the popular models I have very little experience with how they sound or what models are designed for different things, besides the obvious ones (Retro Tube 50 for example).
However, I love the tones from the ENGL Savage I’ve heard in Ola Englund’s youtube videos (back when it was Fearedse).
On a random search of the Guitar Center used listings, this combo amp popped up with a huge price reduction. I didn’t know much about it, but I was tempted to find out. It’s not a very popular model and didn’t sell that well, but it is a top of the line combo so I figured it couldn’t be that bad.
Sadly it arrived missing the footswitch and with one spring broken in the spring reverb tank. Luckily I was able to work out a deal over the phone for a partial refund, repaired the reverb tank spring, and ordered a replacement Z-9 footswitch online (quite expensive).
What a great sounding amp - there are some really great tones in here and it’s 4* channel design covers a tone of ground. The footswitch is programmable yet still uses a standard guitar cable which is great. Buttons 1-4 can be used to select the channels, pressing it a second time engages the 2nd master volume, and it does remember which volume is selected if you choose another channel and come back. That’s great because my favorite setting for Channel 2 is with the gain maxed, but that makes Channel 1’s clean far too loud to use the same volume. Instead, I set up channels 1, 3 and 4 to use the 1st volume control, and channel 2 set to volume 2. This keeps them balanced in volume.
I always feel I should put an asterisk when calling this a 4* channel amp. Channels 1 and 2 share the same gain, EQ, and reverb controls. The only difference is the “high gain” switch is turned on automatically on channel 2 - and 4 for that matter since channels 3 & 4 also share controls. Since the gain and EQ can’t be set separately, it does limit the options somewhat as a channel switcher.
That said, Channel 1 is a fantastic clean channel though I have it set with some dirt because I love channel 2 with the gain maxed. It has a nice natural mid scoop but is still very thick in the low mids and is great for classic rock tones. Channel 3 picks up where 2 left off with a similar amount of gain around 6-7, but a bit darker, less scooped, and much tighter/bouncier low end. Channel 4 is just channel 3 with the high gain switch on, adding more gain and saturation to the same core tone.
Channels 3 and 4 are the essential ENGL sound, which is what I was after in the first place. High gain palm mutes are saturated and have a quality that is hard to describe but distinctly ENGL. It’s the same type of glorious palm mutes I hear in the aforementioned Ola video that made me so interested in this type of amp to begin with. I’ll link the video below do demonstrate what I’m talking about.
Another great feature is a built in, adjustable noise gate that is active on channels 3 and 4. This gate works perfectly and I set it one time and totally forgot about it from that point forward. It’s threshold is adjusted on the back panel.
Overall this is one heck of an amp and I can’t help but think it just wasn’t advertised that well or perhaps the form factor and lack of a direct head equivalent killed this one before it even got going. The Sovereign combo amp is similar in design but geared more towards metal players and thus sold a little better to the usual ENGL shoppers. I think if there were a raider head, or if they’d just made this as a Powerball combo or Savage combo it would’ve sold much better. Either way, I won’t complain because those amps sell for double what I paid for this combo amp, but the tones are nearly the same!
Listen to these palm mutes - amazing.