I worked in a music store and played a lot of amps over the years. Marshalls, Peaveys, Mesas, Fenders and amps that are considered "boutique". But the one amp that really stood out for me was the Bogner Ecstasy. It not only sounds great and is extremely versatile, it has a special feel to it that is so satisfying. You need to play it to know what it feels like. No other amp i have ever played had this feel to it. Probably the best production amp money can buy.
To those who dont own an Ecstasy, you have no idea how incredible it is. The sound, the touch sensitivity, is very unique and incredible. These YT reviews only give you a general idea. Ive owned tons of high end amps and this one is the best ever. If you play one, you will find a way to come up with the 2k for a preowned model. You have no idea how incredible the 101B is...
One of the best 5 amps ever assembled. A gigging guitarist's dream amp. Infinite sustain and as loose or tight as you need it. A crushing low end, if you need it... Or tight as a drum to cut like a sword
It's funny how we always look forward toward new gear and things from back in the day that were awesome end up completely forgotten. It's a great amp. The recordings Steve Vai did with this amp were awesome! I didn't even know this amp existed until he used it. When I was a kid I had a hafler triple giant and that was the only thing I knew of from Bogner until Steve Vai used the Ecstasy. I used it with my jcm 800 that I sold my bike for and rode home on my skateboard with. Good times!
This video reminded of why this is my favorite amp ever. It literally does anything, my Metalcore/Tech Metal band’s album was reamped with one, and with the right boost, this thing can be turned into an absolute tight metal death machine from hell, but it still retains that beautiful open chewy midrange. Perfect amp.
That's a really versatile amp. At first I wasn't impressed. But then there was just one killer tone after another. Every slight adjustment seemed to bring out a new killer tone. There were some duds, but most of the tones you were getting were pretty thriller. I'm impressed.
I watched your video on the Friedman BE-100D amp and, I gotta say, I've never heard anything more expressive than this Bogner amp. So much more character and harmonically richer than the BE-100D. Nice work Michael!
I just keep coming back to this video….of all the amp videos I’ve watched over the years ….this one just stands out…can’t quite put my finger on it but your tone and playing is just the business here ……amazeballs…….
I always return to Bogner. I have Mesa Boogie , Black star, Marshall . Carvin but I always spend my time tweeking knobs. My Bogner is always ready to roll !
I've had the pleasure of trying one from the 2000 era way back and I found the tone was SO rich, organic and tube-like, unlike any other high gain multi-channel amp I've tried.
Michael you are easily one of my favourite guys to rely on for demos, especially on these higher end amps that are hard to try out before a buy. This video helped me pull the trigger on this. I have a small box and as much as I love it, I think tonally this may beat it. The plexi channel is just amazing and clear, maybe less gain as the plexi channel on the small box. The drive channels are amazing on both both the additional 2 channels on the Bogner (clean and red) really push it over for me. It’s too versatile and since I’m never going to be a rock star I’m relegated to playing covers lol , the versatility is invaluable.
Great Tone! Now I see what all the fuss was about. The distortion has a lot of complexity. Almost to the point of sounding like more than one amp. And that's over RU-vid. In that room, it must sound huge. Congrats Bro & Rock On!
They are killer studio amps. I had an XTC classic for a while but JESUS does it just get curb stomped on stage. A 50w DSL not only buried it volume output-wise but also in clarity and ability to cut through the stage mix. I played maybe 2 or 3 shows with it and sold it. Too expensive to keep just as a studio tool when I had a Kemper and nowhere near the balls on stage as my Splawn. Amp was operating 100% perfect though. 2 highly skilled amp builders both verified that there wasn't anything wrong with it to result in it not being as loud as I expected on stage. The voicing of the amp just doesn't lend itself nearly as well to being a stage monster the way the marshalls do. Hell, I bet my 50w Silver Jubilee could have smoked it. Like I said though... the XTC is a studio queen if I've ever seen one. TONS of sounds inside.
From the short time I've had this, I can totally see what you mean. It's definitely not a sledge hammer cut through kinda amp. In a 2 guitar heavy rock band, that would definitely be a concern.
Michael Man it's a year late to the party, I love my Bogner Helios and you have a stellar amp here! You have the Big Three of the amp world as we move through this era in guitar. Steven Fryette, Dave Friedman, and Reinhold Bogner. Are there many other great ones? Yes, certainly. But these artisans of amp technology are really something to behold and wield. Kind of like the current Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Rafael at list in my mind.
Dude you just made me get over Friedman completly. No offense to Dave's amazing products, but this is pure Ecstasy (pun intended!). Sounds so warm, so fat, but without sacrificing clarity. Amazing, this might be the amp that I was seeking.
Weirdest thing, I was at guitar center tonight playing a BE50 through a Friedman 4x12 cab. I was doing an A/B back-and-forth comparison between a Bogner Helios 100 watt head.and the BE50.At first I thought the Friedman was amazing but after a while it felt like it only really offered one idea and it did that really well. When I moved over to the Bogner Helios it did not have the same kind of heavy gain but I looked at the salesman and said the Bogner seems to have “more voice” than the Friedman. I walked out and pulled up RU-vid for the drive home and this came up.
I had a friend that thought i made the wrong decision, and he is all about the Friedman BE 100 deluxe that just came out. This video makes me happy to have gone for the Bogner Ecstacy 101 B with EL 34's. Yes it may take 2 or 3 weeks to figure it all out, but this video gives me a great head start. When it comes to amps i want to be like Michael..
Wow! Awesome tones! I just wish I could have experienced it live to really hear and feel this amp in all it's glory! I haven't heard that amp for 10 years. In college, one of the guitar teachers (sadly never had him) was always acting like a big shot, sunglasses and cigars even in dark freezing winter, big ego and all that and this guy had tons of high end gear but his main gigging & studio sessions amp was a Bogner Xtasy. He used to play for Celine Dion whenever she came back in Quebec (I'm from Montreal) and man... If I had that Amp, it would go a long way towards giving me the same kind of confidence, attitude and coolness that my college's teacher had going. Even with all-white hair early fifties and a little bit of a belly (well he always wore tight white T-shirts so it didn't help...), the guy really had something special going on and this kind of guitar tone surely had a lot to do with it!
This video was put together so well with the annotations. Someone who has watched a lot of these you really put all the things i wish other people did in this video. Nicely done!
Michael Nielsen On the Red and Blue channels turn the gain lower so that the bright eq switches will function more. At max gain they are pretty much inaudible. Red channel with gain at about 1o'clock with B1 and Treble at 1-2 o'clock starts getting cut like a modded marshall. Same with the Blue, you can go from JCM800 to a Lead models with the Bright caps on the Pre EQ switches. 470pf and 4700pf caps like the marshalls have. Treble pot is Audio not Linear so you will have to turn it up more for it to reach the same level as on a Marshall or Friedman to get similar cut. cut. On the Clean and on Plexi modes, crank the Volume and use the Gain as the actual volume and this will give you pristine cleans.
Red and Blue through Plexi mode hit with a properly set Klon, it’s Ecstasy! Great demo Michael! This amp is super deep. Really takes years to get to know. You made it sound amazing upon first glance. The clean was the most particular to dial out.
I have a Zoom GN3 pedal with Ecstasy Blue as one of the amps. It sounded great on their digital emulation, so I thought I would search and see what the real amp was. I'm not very familiar with Bogner. That is a great sounding amp!!! Glad you posted this. Michael, you always know how to get the best sound out of any amp.
That 1/2 second shot of Bogner to prove your aesthetic point... LOL. But, geez, i completely agree. His amps are just righteous and the ecstacy is my favorite of them all. One of my all time favorite leads is a demo that was on the Bogner website that I downloaded and have kept ever since. Friedman's are nice too, but they have their own thing going on... almost sounds like there is a touch of wah in them sometimes. Thanks for the video as always.
I’ve had 3 versions of the Ecstasy: Classic, 101B, and 20th Anniversary (6L6), and by far the 101B was my fave - for that Blue channel that just isn’t the same in the others
i was going to go for the 20th anniversary model with the 6L6's, but your comment here changed my mind, and i am also happier with the EL 34 British Tone..
That does sound nice, congrats on the purchase. Both clean and dirty sound really nice. That was amazing self-control on the unpacking. I'm usually tearing at tape and breaking it with my bare hands rather than waste time looking for a knife whenever I buy something.
More Marshall than Marshall. I built a 50w clone with Shiva clean and Ecstasy Plexi & Blue channels. It's the only amp that's ever "spoken" to me. Ecstasy blue is amazing. It's like the gain of a JCM with the soul of a Plexi.
If you set the presence high the high gain tones will cut just fine, it will even do proper metal. Better on post 2004 models which had the gain changed for CH 3. New....Pentode Old......Triode If you got it used and question gain levels check what pre’s are loaded. Someone may have put in an AT7 etc to lower gain
I agree that it sounds like the amp has a lot of lower mids. It sounds really sweet and full. I was expecting more gain but I guess that's what the Uberschall is for.
I own an El34 Bogner Shiva Head and it is the best amp I've ever played. Every time I plug in that amp is like the first time. Sounds amazing. I imagine how good the xtc is.
I saw a 90s cover band and the guitarist was using this amp and they sounded great. I liked it so much I had to buy a Bogner and ended up getting an Uber, which is now my fav metal amp. Uber is great for high gain leads also.
Best friend of mine (RIP unfortunately ) who got me into actually playing the guitar instead of just wishing I could play guitar always did the jaw thing like Mike. I think it's why they are way better players than me.
My tips - set 'pre eq's' 2 & 3 to N. Set gain boost to H. Structure to H. Plexi mode to 0. Pre EQ1 to B2. Gain boost1 to H. Presence B to 0. Excursion B to L. Excursion A to T. Adjust knobs to taste. Also note - the presence only works if the loop is engaged & the master volume on the rear is activated. A light will come on to show its activated. Luke used these settings when he was using the XTC.
I own and love this amp. BUT i hate the pre eq set to N. Sounds dull as if there's a blanket over the cab. I have the matching 4x12 Bogner cab and i've tried it with other cabs. With that switch on B1 or B2, i LOVE it. I have mine set to B1 and it's glorious. Amazing amp
Best straight up rock amp money can buy. Buck stops here. It’s the best amp built off the Plexi bloodline that I’ve ever gotten to play. Does it metal? Classic metal, sure! It just lacks the wiry tightness of like a Friedman or the super super compressed tightness of a Diezel to pull off modern stuff. The Ecstasy is great for late 90s Metallica instead of something like Meshuggah
Aquiles Zaluar BE100 ain’t all that great. I just played one the other day. Was so stoked! But, Was not impressed after playing. Especially for the price range they’re in.
@@DestinationUnknownBandSinger Respectfully, opinions vary.....the BE100 ended my tone search after decades. Not only does is sound killer, but it probably has the best feel of any amp I've ever played.
I thought Lukather sounded the best EVER when he switched to this amp. Not sure why he recently switched to another Bogner model. Never used one but enjoy having poor man Bogner Blue on pedalboard 👍🎸
When he switched to the Ecstasy he was using a newer model that has a different gain stage. After 2005 Bogner changed the gain on the 3rd channel, made it sound more liquid, compressed. This one is a 90s Ecstasy so it'll sound different. Good but different.
I talked a bit to him about it. He liked the Plexi tone of the Helios a lot and that was that. Luke sounds great through any amp. I dig both his first tones with the Exctasy and later the Helios.
Awesome amp. I’d love to have one. I’ve got the ecstasy blue pedal and it’s the best od pedal I’ve ever had. That and the Bogner Burnley. Burnley is close to an actual distortion pedal though. Super awesome
Yeah, it is nice when you can find an amp that handles the mid range well and also has a decent enough low end to complement. I’m listening through headphones, and it sounds great. I always wanted an Ecstasy to double up next to my Carvin Legacy.
