I have to agree. I have just got the Engl Fireball and it just punches through everything. It’s hard to hear on RU-vid. I have a JVM410H and EVH 5150 III v2 and honestly the Fireball can do everything. I’m going to keep the other two but I will only play fireball it’s insane. Great video mate
Totally with ya @dnast01! As you know, when you get that Fireball pushing some serious air through the speakers, it's truly impressive and something I wish EVERY metal guitar player could experience.
I had a Fireball 100 and sold it to help pay for my Savage 120 MK2. The way I describe them is that the Fireball has a loose distorted sound while the Savage is very tight. I miss the Fireball sound & wish I hadn't sold it. But, the Savage is much more versatile Both sound & functionality-wise & I prefer the clean channel in it. So, each is good in its own way, they are just very different from each other.
I’ve had a Fireball 100 and looking for some insights of Savage. Totally agreed with your opinion about the FB and really thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Savage - very similar to mine even though I haven’t tried one yet.
Hey @moopanuwat2877, I ended up returning the Savage and kept the Fireball. However ended up selling the Fireball 100 shortly after that. I actually really missed the Savage so I just bought a Savage 120 Mk II. Will be doing some videos on it coming up. My initial experience with the Savage Mk II 2 wasn't that great however I have had time to process the amp and REALLY love it.
@@X9EricOh, thanks a lot for your kind update! May I ask one more thing please? Have you ever used your Savage 120 with a detuned 7 string guitar? I afraid that having EL34 for its power source would compromise the tightness... Haven't tried one but would like to know your input though.
After owning and selling JP2C, 6534+, Mark V, EVH EL34, Fireball, EVH Iconic, Randall V2, Marshall DSL, and a Badlander with MR Scary mod... The Fireball was the only amp I regretted selling so I just picked up another Fireball, it is here to stay, the search is over (which makes my wife happy). I am hoping Engl makes a Savage 25. Love your vids Eric and appreciate included scriptures.
Wow @tomridge7772, you have some excellent taste and amazing experience with some of my dream amps! Never went with the Boogie's, but have often wondered about them!?! I originally kept the FB from this video and sold the Savage, but ended up selling the FB and rebuying the Savage Mk2. I'm a kook. Reason was the versatility ended up winning out for me, but the Sav Mk2 does not quite give you that killer punch that the FB100 does and there are times when I am wanting the Fireball again lol! btw (my wife laughed and agreed with your wife on this topic) What guitar are you playing these days?
@@X9Eric HI ERIC!! I have a 1994 MIJ Jackson HX Stealth with SD Custom 5 (has 3 HB spots but I only use bridge/ play rhythm) and another 1996 MIJ Jackson with Custom 5 in bridge. It may seem silly to have same pickup but the Custom 5 is very similar to EMG 81 when using TS9 without the hassle of setting up for active pickup. the 1996 is very very deep as it is a heavier (weight) guitar than the 1994 which has the thinnest neck and light body. I have been out of recording but imagine double tracking them will compliment each other and so the same pickup makes sense in the long-term. Thank you for the reply and best to you and family.
Fireball player :) I used it for more than 10 years and it's fantastic: it's not so expensive and it has a killer sound! Maybe it does not have so much features, in comparison with others, but it's nothing that a pedalboard can't handle.
If it's not broken. Don't fix it! ha ha Thanks for sharing @earthshaker5882. Could totally tell you were a Fireball player with a name like earthshaker! ha ha
Very good summary. I have used both. The Fireball 100 just has that thick and raw gain - saturated, angry and punchy. Meanwhile, the Savage MKII (like the MKI) has that slimmer, sharper but refined sound. Both cut, but one sounds more aggressive and fuller, and that’s the Fireball 100. I also think that while the Savage has a wide range of tone shaping controls, and despite having a much simpler dial/control layout, one can still get a wide range of tones out of the Fireball 100 with that angry super high gain ability being it’s primary trait; it’s a straight up behemoth.
The low end of the Fireball is much more pleasing to my ears. You can tighten up the low end in a mix if you want, but you can't really add convincing low end if it wasn't there to begin with.
I had a chance to buy a Fireball 100 watt head back around 2009-2010 for $800 in immaculate condition and I passed on it because I knew nothing about tube amps..since 2014 I have mainly only bought and used tube amps so I screwed myself !! great video and sounds here..
Dude, the Fireball is the best metal amp that ENGL makes in my opinion. I sold my Savage after I got my 40th Anniversary ENGL Fireball with matching E412XXL cab.
Own a fireball after using Peavey and EVH for many years. For what I want it seemed like I had to really work with EVH amps to get what I wanted and push it. What I love about the fireball is I can just plug in and go. In a band situation I use the gate turned all the way up, a modded 808, and a 10 band EQ...just for a slight push where I would get lost otherwise and for a slight volume boost.
That's awesome @tatt2guy86! What guitar and pickups are you using to play through the head? Man I haven't experienced any other amp punch as hard as the ENGL Fireball 100! Just awesome.
Fireball 100 player. Beast of an amp, definitely prefer it over the Savage. But then again, I don't need features. I just need enormous tone, and the FB100 delivers big time. Interesting that you found the Savage smoother. I feel the opposite. If you dial the presence up to noon or so and pull the treble down to 10 o'clock-ish, the Fireball smooths out a ton, and if anything sounds even more gigantic. That's how I run mine, and it slays.
Awesome @crustophiles! Yeah the Savage to my ears just sounded thinner and more mellow. Didn't have the angry bark or low/mid sizzle of Fireball. Thank you excellent feedback on the EQ I will check it out! As you said I found the treble and presence of both of these to get WAY harsh if turned up to much and it is a balancing act to get the play together nicely, but once you do they are magic!
@@X9Eric Engl cabs are pretty dark, so their amps tend to be set up with aggressive top-end available on the dials. Definitely cranking both will cause ear bleed, LOL. What cab/speakers or speaker sim you use will make a huge difference, but I run my treble at like 10 o'clock and the presence at noon.
I purchased a brand new Savage 120 MKII and couldn't vibe with it for 3000 US dollars. I later saw the 60 watt EL34 version of the Savage Mark II and it blew me away. It is one of my favorite amps. YMMV
Thank you so much for sharing @anxiousnation3820, sounds like my experience also. I would like to check out the EL34 version someday! What is the biggest difference between for you?
@@X9Eric I have them a year apart so I cant say for sure what the difference is. It could even be the money was less and time. Guitar players are fickle and change their mind a lot. I will say i feel like it has more bite and the highs have more karang but cant be sure :)
@anxiousnation3820 weekend guitar players do that. They have to compensate for sucking and kiddie, bubblegum, drop d type, one finger playing. A real guitar player gets EVERYTHING from his hands and fingers. Good players will stick with their first or second amp for life. "Beware The Man With One Gun" type of deal.
I would sell the Savage and get an Artist Edition for 600 euro on the used market and change all the tubes. Half the price, twice as good. I re amped it against my EVH, 6505+, DSL, and Rectifier and its probably my fav amp. Its more organic than my old Fireball. Thanks for the video. Waited for weeks for this! :)
Excellent information @ronnymilianowicz5228!! Really appreciate you sharing that info, you have quite a killer collection. Sorry for taking so long to get this video out, really focused on doing the best I could to produce what I heard between the two after weeks of comparing them.
Awesome video! Love the Fireball! So angry and a sick growl. Definitely more low mids than the Savage, which really has a high mid focus. Surprised how much more I preferred the Fireball. How do you think the Fireball compares to the EVH 6L6? I've seen the EVH 6L6 on the channel, I run the Stealth 50 personally. Thanks for the work!
Thank you so much for the kind words @gregorysmith3794! No sure about the Stealth 50, never played through one, but IMHO the EVH amps are modern versions of the 5150/6505 family. I would say the Savage is more modern than the FB and also more like the EVH. The FB is different which is why I didn't keep the Savage and kept the FB because I already have the EVH and love it. That way I could have two different sounding amps. Hope that helps,
Prefer the Savage, it's a more complex tone that cuts better. Fireball is great too though. The Fireball is smoother but the Savage has some rectifier like grit which helps in a mix.
Killer riffs. I like the Fireball. Savage has too many features, and it's too expensive. Fireball: I would use an EQ pedal in the loop, and a couple of different overdrives in front of it. If you can... I would love to see a shootout between the BadCat LYNX, and the Fireball.
I have the Fireball and use it in a deathmetal band and it's perfect. No OD/boost (actually sounds better without one) - just an EQ in the loop to help me dial it in even more, but it sounds great even without the EQ.
@@X9Eric I use 2 different guitars right now for my band. I have a Jackson Soloist with Seymour Duncan Black Winters in both Bridge and Neck Positions and an ESP LTD Blackmetal that only has a bridge pick up, which is also a Seymour Duncan Black Winter.
Suggestion. Add a mic in the room. Position where you get the best representation of what you personally hear while playing. That way we can hear what you hear while playing, instead of a mic'd up cab, which can be helpful. Sick playing, dude.
I have both and I love both, but I also love to boost amps using overdrive pedals. I would not say, the Savage sounds sterile, but you need more time to dial it in considering all its additional options. The Fireball sound always good - no matter what you do or not do. I know guys who prefer the Fireball, but also some who would take the Savage.
Hey @enuxs, wasn't sure what would be the best way to describe the Savage. Fireball = Spikey and Savage = Refined, maybe. Agreed some guys will be drawn to one over the other as they are quite different IMHO. Which one do you like the best?
@@X9Eric I should make a real side by side tone comparison, but I am currently using the Savage 120 Mark II more, also because of its capabilties e.g. four channels, MIDI, two effects loops and especially the two EQs and all these useful tone shaping options.
Very interesting. I have the Savage 60 Mk II and it sounds so much warmer than the 120. The 120 is definitely an acquired taste but the 60 is just crushing. Weird that people seem to only have the 120. Probably Engl's fault since the price difference is only $100 between the two 🤦♂️
EXCELLENT feedback!! I wish I could have played them both back to back. The 120 was very disappointing. Sounded thing like a plug in. Have you played the 120? I really want to LOVE the Savage but it just did not compare to any of the other amps I had at the time.
Appreciate the comparison. You mentioned that you also evaluated with physical mics, but we heard the CaptorX (which is awesome). I use both the X-LOAD LB-2 (fractal) and the CaptorX (two notes). I like the CaptorX for its studio utility, but the X-LOAD is more faithful to the speaker out. If you're taking the time to mic the cabinets, share the results. It doesn't need to be pretty. Anyway, I'm thinking about the Savage as an addition to my 100 watt Dual Rect. I'm really curious how they compare with minimal downstream effects.
In every comparison I did the outcome was exactly the same. Fireball raw, focused, punchy, unbelievable low-mid punch with ENGL sizzle. Savage refined, thinner and wide, with a tighter response has the ENGL sizzle to a lesser degree. I chose the audio samples in the video because I felt they captured the differences based on my experience with them. Please check out the the Savage video I made and the Fireball also as it may give you more info. Ultimately the FB won out for me and I do not have the Savage anymore. The Savage was too much money for what you actually get IMHO. Hope that helps!
@@X9Eric I gave your review another listen making sure the video res was set to 4k while listening with decent reference headphones. There's definitely a difference in the tonal quality where the Savage seems to be reproducing more detail. For the last few days, I've been evaluating a RedSeven Amp Central. Good chance I'll be shelving the CaptorX for a while. The sound now coming out of my PA is incredibly full. I'm using JBL studio monitors across 3 frequency bands, so there's virtually no dynamic that's being lost.
Damn, they are spot on! I'd say in 2nd riff the 120 has more upper midrange in the setting you have set forth. I was trying to hear the Power tubes "Grind" but hard to tell in the mix.
Your videos are fucking awesome!!!! Thank you for your excellence! Cheers! i have the Fireball and Artist Edition and other amps as well and I love the FB.
Thanks for this great review. Does the Fireball have any rumored issues cutting through in a live band mix? I have no experience with the Engle type of distortion and only know Marshall but I'm looking for something new. I tried a 5150 and felt like the scooped mids could get swallowed up.
Thank you for watching and commenting @Tatted-ne7tu! IMHO the Fireball would cut through as it has the power and eq has tons of tonal options! It does have a different kind of distortion which could make it a great change from the Marshall thing, which I love as well! As you are totally aware of that "Marshall cut" I think the either ENGL will be a great amp! What guitar are you planning to play through it? Hope that helps!
Man I've slept on the fireball. But I still gotta go savage. More refined and articulate compared to the fire. Almost sounds edited. For rawness fireball for sure
This was interesting. There's a local guy selling a Savage MK II for $2100 that I've been tempted by, but I just got rid of a Revv Generator 120 MK3 that I found too compressed and processed sounding, so worried this would be similar. I feel like it would be good for that very polished tech death sound of bands like Obscura and Beyond Creation, but I bet a plug in could get you there too, as many of those bands use Kemper profiles of Engl. Also, I have a 6505+ and EVH 5150 III 100S already, so they can pretty much get me into that territory.
Yes I found the Savage disappointing. Just sounds thin and like a plug in to my ears just as you pointed out. Plug ins are SO much more affordable also. I REALLY wanted and still want to love the Savage Mk2 but it really did not compare well in the room with either my Marshall DSL100H or not even close to the Fireball 100 or my fave the 5150 III S EL34 100 watt though. Not sure you would like it either. I am REALLY curious about Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifiers now
I love my Dual Recs. I have a '90s Tremoverb and a more recent multi watt model. They're very organic, but really benefit from a boost to tighten them up. I just spotted a local listing for a Engl Powerball mk1 for $1000, which comes with the Z9 midi footswitch, so I'm going to grab it on Tuesday. Apparently, Beyond Creation used the MK1 on all of their recordings, as did many death metal bands, so it could be fun. From what I've heard, the MK2 has that polished tone of the Savage 2, so I guess that's the direction they ate heading.
Hi Eric, I found that I get much better results with the savage when I dial the presence lower and at the same time dial back bass and middle to keep it balanced. Give my settings a try: bass 2-3, middle 4, treble 7, presence 3.5
Hey @Patrick-rf7vx, thank you so much for sharing your settings!!! What tuning are you using and are you playing a 6 or 7 or 8 string? I have this hunch that the Savage may work better for down tunings best and my E flat 6 string and drop C# just might not cut it, ha ha
@@X9Eric yeah, mostly very low stuff. The bass knob controls quite a bit of lower mids. With my settings the amp sounds very clear, but I can see that it loses some heft compared to other amps.
I have the Savage mkii (I've owned a mki, too) and really do love it. I've found that I actually really like channel 3 boosted over channel 4 - I find that the crunch channel retains more of the kind of 'raw' quality you described in the Fireball. My favorite boost in front of the Savage is the Peppers' Dirty Trees - play through an oversized Mesa 4x12 and it's gold!
Thank you so much for sharing the info on the Savage @sisyphushappyband! Makes me happy to hear people make this thing work with amazing results!!! What tuning do you use and 6 - 7 - or 8 string?
@@ronnymilianowicz5228 Most definitely. I get how some would get option paralysis or something from all the switches and everything on the mkii, but I found it easy to dial in, and the built-in noise gate is a game-changer.
I was planning to put savage 120 on top of my fireball but lately I'm leaning towards jvm410 for more defined British characteristic. I love fireball's riffs, high and bass freqs are sooo good, amp pushes lots of air even with 2x12 at lower volumes. Just brutal. I can't go back to play with my Blackstar Silverline 50w modeling amp anymore, it sounds very weak, boxy and fake comparing to fireball.
Ha ha, the Fireball just has this way of creeping to the top of my amps list the more I play it but it definitely has the unique ENGL sound IMHO. The JVM sounds like a killer amp, and would nail that British thing all day, great to have both!!!
@@X9Eric i mean physically putting an another amp on top of my fireball for more variety. Stacked heads also look cool lol. But yes, for that matter I'd say Fireball could be the best of its own kind. I can have many more amps, i can trade them etc. but I'd keep fireball there with me.
Savage has more of that upper mid cocked gnarl, and is a bit more focused. The fireball has the destructive low end balls and more balanced mids. Both great
for me it comes down to the features...the fireball wins sonically & is great in the studio, however, live, when you need 3 channels, you have to compromise with only the 1Eq. engl would be on a winner if they made a 3ch fireball with independant Eq's
I own a Savage and the power tube choice will make an obvious difference. I think the 6550 is not the best choice for that amp even el-34's will sound greatly different in that amp. My first pick for the Savage is the EL-34 TAD STR. This amp is voiced for the TAD tubes. Those amps are not like a typical Marshall where if you change the power tubes it doesn't change all that much.
Excellent point, I was really bummed about the how the Savage sounded. Never tired 6550s and not too impressed by them at all. Curious about he EL34 version but wish it had 4 EL34s making 100 watts. Did you swap out the tubes? Please share?
I tried different tubes like 6l6's, el34's and 6550. For example the JJ el34's sounded much looser even at different bias settings. I truly feel the best tubes that what comes with are the TAD el34's but you have to bias the tubes pretty low for the amp to be tight and have a punchy low response! @@X9Eric
For many, it’s not just as good, it’s potentially better. Savage is great, but this doesn’t mean that other amps are somehow lesser. Doesn’t mean that one should be disappointed with the Savage.
ok i love to try this 2 amps but for now i can afford the fireball 100, but i just play in the room and the volume i can play with my 25-50 watts amp is just around 2 volume max and that like 75db in my sound meter (Loud af) but i have a 2x12 engl cab thats why i want to pair with a longer amp cuz most of the 50watts are just half the size of my cab, the problem is if the fireball 100 could still be saturated around that volume 2 as 100 watts? or 100 watts need to be cranked so it will punch you in the face? is it saturated and full sound, still?
Hey @yousocrazy1199, I play these at low volumes and they sound awesome. The beauty of these amps are that I play them low and when I am wanting to FEEL the ground shake I can crank them up and they STILL SOUND AMAZING! LOVE 100 watt amps!
Great questions @erikanderson9119. Originally I totally intended to but unfortunately I do not have the Savage anymore as it didn't work out for me. IMHO though I found that both clean channels sounded amazing, very rich, full and warm-ish for an ENGL. I feel that part of the ENGL sound is that dry, cold, thing and again feel that the Fireball just sounds "livelier". hope that helps!
LOVE these two amps, but VERY curious about the Powerball II. Feel that it may offer the perfect split between these two. Which of these two do you like better @fernandolara2940 ?
@@X9Eric The artistic edition is the one that has been recommended to me the most and is the one that catches my attention the most, I think it is more versatile and adapts to all types of music. Your videos are very interesting... Greetings from Colombia 🇨🇴.
Wow@@highgainmaster7856 you have some AWESOME ENGL experience. How do you use your amps? Playing through 2x12 or 4x12 or? Do you record them? Reason I ask is because I am hoping to learn from you and maybe I was doing something wrong. I REALLY want to love ENGLs but after owning and testing the Ironball SE, Fireball 25, Fireball 100, and the Savage 120 MK2 on this channel I have not been able to get any of them to produce results like what I find in my Marshall DSL100H or not even close to the EVH 5150 III S 100 watt EL34 amps. The Savage Mk2 was the most disappointing because it sounded weak in the room through my 2x12 Mesa Boogie cab and provided the same results I can easily get using a plug ins when recording. Hope to learn from you! Thank you!