What do you think? Which one would you pick? Or if you were me and not insane, which one would you keep? Sorry about the horrendous image quality when the camera is on me during the playthrough. I need to find a better setup for that. Bear with me. That aspect is new for me!
I like how Mark 1 is more cold, aggressive, raw and evil. I like how mark 2 is more tight and controlled and less harsh. Overall I think mk1 wins as it could copy 2 more than 2 can copy the original as the mark 1 has got more gain and top end reserves. The individual gain pots on the mk2 brings them back on par though just depends what you need
Powerball 1 sounds more closer to the Fireball than it does the Powerball 2, but you fairly nailed dialling them in as almost identical. 2 is way more compressed.
Excellent video, and a great review. Thank you so much. There's a Powerball 1 that popped up locally and I found myself asking how it differed from the II. Asked, and answered. Someone else mentioned the 1 sounds more raw and aggressive and I think that's accurate. The 2 sounds more refined and balanced, but I'm not sure that's a knock on the 1, as I feel like the 1 has more top end and far more gain, and 2 doesn't expand on it much, so much as focus in on the good things from the first. Overall, both sound great and I might go for this one on the local boards. Thank you for this video. I find you to be fair, and humorous, so I'll be subscribing.
Excellent! Thank you! The scenario you described is exactly why I started making videos. I want to provide videos that are helpful in making decisions and providing references. So reading your description was very gratifying to me. Thanks!
I have a PB v1.2, and I feel like there is a lot of gain and fizz if you let it get that way, but if you dial it in without fear of extreme settings, it can sound great. The gain is perhaps a little less usable on the lead channel than on the II but I don’t mind it. It did take a long time living with it to feel comfortable though. It can get completely lost in a mix if you’re keeping the settings conservative. For the price difference I’d do a PB1 for sure.
@@TheOtherJohnBrowne Me three. Thanks for the comparison, was very curious but will keep my PB1. I always found 'extreme' settings were the way to go and it's great
I have the v1.2 and I use the Hi-lead channel with the gain at 1 o' clock. I use the bottom boost too and it sounds tight as hell, all other settings being considered
the 1st version sounds good for some early 2000s unpolished raw tones, Abbath of Immortal comes to my mind first. 2nd version sounds more refined and articulated. But the 1st version looks cooler😄
Thanks for the comparison, you've provided some perspective as I was considering the mk2. Now I may just drop the idea. I own the mk1 and I dig the aggressive tone I can achieve, but it does require a bit of tweaking to fit a mix. For live use the mid-focus seems to be a must otherwise a little thin, however tight sounding. Overall in comparison to the tones from my 6505 or my 5153 Stealth, I can get usable tones rather quickly. My cab of choice is the MESA OS 4x12 slant with a combination of v30s and DV77s. In any event, I definitely prefer the Stealth, thick soaring lead tones, but I do love my mk1 (I hate the shiny plate, however).
Thank you very much for this video, subscribed. I have a Powerball V1 (serial number 234637, so one of the later ones) and I was always looking for demos on how they compare with other ENGL amps. I will surely watch more Powerball V1 shootouts with other ENGLs amps if you'll do them. Cheers from Italy!
@@TheOtherJohnBrowne That would be great, Framus is another historical German brand, I had a guy play a Cobra in my studio but never properly tried it personally
Yeah! I love and hate mine. I love it sounds but I've spent so many hours inside of it to get it to work properly that I resent it a bit. Seen as how they are from around the same time (late 90s/early 2000s) and are both legendary German metal amps, that shootout it seems appropriate
This kind of reminds me of the Laney VH100R vs Ironheart shootout in terms of how the tones developed over time. For me it's Powerball Mk2 for the same reasons as it was the Ironheart. Though when dialed in the Mk1 surely has its own merits! Are you planning on throwing the Fireball in the mix since it's already looming over the other 2? ;) Anyways - great tones as usual - I like the new format! Cheers!
Thanks, mate! I had planned to do a Fireball vs Powerball shootout a while back but Jon at Sonic Drive Studio beat me to it and he did a very good job so I am not sure if "my" Fireball vs Powerball shootout would meet a need. If an old silver face Fireball 60 crosses my path at the right price I might shoot that out against the FB100. I kinda expect them to behave like these two to each other though. What I will be doing is shoot out the Synergy Powerball with the PB2
I think mark 1 is more full frequency response and therefore more of everything, but I'm certain scenarios would need sculpting the low end and highs etc. MK2 was tighter but a bit more boxy as a result. 🙂 Maybe?
Yupp, they sound as "cold" as I remembered them, especially the cleaner they get. At the same time, that "coldness" is what gives these amps the tightness they need in the high-gain channels - a level of tightness my Marshall JVM sometimes seems to be lacking. The ENGL's cold clean and crunch channels are the reason I wouldn't want to miss my Marshall JVM - but the tighter high-gain channels are the reason I'm likely to get a Powerball II as an additional amp one day. And yes, the Powerball I did sound fizzier to me here - closer to what I don't like about Mesa Boogie Rectifiers. The Powerball II sounded closer to the Marshall sound I'm used to, but, as I've stated, colder, darker, and tighter.
@@stephenmarsden3041 Good to know, thanks! 😉 Especially for anyone who already owns a Powerball I. I don’t, so if anything, I’m likely to go straight for the Powerball II.
@@TheOtherJohnBrowne This would be an interesting test that no one seems to have done. According to Engl, the silver and black 60W versions are the same amp with just a facelift. However do the 60W and 100W differ in tone?
I’ve read that this was done to the Powerball 1 V2 along with improvements to the noise gate and the gain structure. Powerball 1 V2 is serial numbers starting from 218233 and up until the Powerball 2 came out with bigger transformers and other improvements. This info was taken from old forums.
The clean channel on the 2 has a more 3D alive sound than the 1. The gain channels are similar when dialed in but darker and more low mid thump on the 2. I just bought a 2 for $700. Go me! Lol
I've recently been contemplating getting a I or II and now that I've seen this I realize my playing isn't good enough to notice the difference between the two. I can get the I for 650 Euro.
Or perhaps a Friedman BE or Orange rockerverb? Stores have these two as well but the other demos don’t sound like what you’re getting. Half of me thinks you’re just great at getting this sound and you can pull it from heaps of amps. Channels always pulling these sick tones. 02:56 05:20 08:33
Honestly, I am thinking probably not. I had an Invader 100 for a while and while it is a great amp, I couldn't really get the sound I wanted out of it. It's a very smooth sounding amp that doesn't have the high-mid/high end aggression that most other Engls have. I had the Invader in a shootout with my Retro Tube. If you check out that video, you might be able to hear what I mean. Euge Valovirta has a video on the Invader 2 and he makes similar statements. It's super versatile but too smooth for me.
Possibly, yes. I have a Rockerverb III and with a boost you can probably get there. It's a much thicker sounding amp but very shapeable. I have yet to play a real Friedman. I have only played the Synergy modules. Those didn't quite get to the same level of saturation but have a very pleasant tonality to them. The cab and speaker really make half the tone. Between the two, I'd probably go with the Rockerverb. Thanks for the compliment
@@TheOtherJohnBrowne oh man thanks so much for taking the time to do such an in depth reply. Your thoughts mirror my own from the demoes I’ve heard. I’ll go watch the two you mentioned!
Der Kanal macht mittlerweile richtig Laune ! Absolut geil . Scheint so als ob der pb2 etwas bedeckter klingt. Geile amp Sammlung , wann kann ich zum Kaffee kommen? 😁
