Questions about 6506 combos vs Engl Screamer

[Chris]

Hello, I've had an Engl Screamer 50 combo for a few years, and I love the amp, but recently as my musical tastes are evolving I'm feeling the need for a higher gain amp.  Many years ago I had one of the original 5150 combos, and loved it, but checking out the current version, the 6505, I see there are two versions, a 1x12" and a 2x12".  Now the price difference between the two combos is dramatic, the 2x12" is more than double the price of the 1x12", so I guess there must be more difference than just the speaker.  So, to my questions:

1.  Does anybody have any experience of both/either of the 6505 combos?  Do they sound similar or is there a significant difference between them?

2.  Do they sound just like the old 5150 combo I had?  Or are the new versions somewhat different?

3.  If I'm going to sell my Engl to fund the 6505 I'm wondering whether the 6505 can do cleaner sounds as well as the Engl?

Ideally I'd go and try the amps out rather than just asking for the opinions of you guys, but I can't find anywhere that sells them locally.

In case you couldn't pick up from this post I know very little about amps!   :lol:

[Roobubba]

I've got a 5150-II head, but I know a mate with a 6505 combo 2x12"

I don't know whether the 2x12 and the 1x12 are electronically the same (though they're both listed as 60W 2x 6L6 power stages with the usual 5150 5x12AX7 preamp stage).
The 6505 is identical to the 5150, so yes, expect it to sound the same.
However, if you want cleans to match the ENGL, you'll struggle. The 6505+ (= 5150-II) has better cleans than the original model, though the high gain channel is slightly different, I'm led to believe. I personally love my 5150-II (though I can't shake the GAS for a DAR Amps FBM100 but hey ho).

Not quite all your questions answered, but I hope it's helpful.

Roo

[Chris]

Thanks for the reply, that's useful - it confirms a lot of what I already thought.  I've been searching youtube for sound clips and demos of the amps, but I haven't found any that have been recorded well yet - I'll keep on searching, because I'm almost certain that I want to invest in one of these amps now - just not sure which one.

[MDV]

The 5150 really cant touch the screamers cleans. Its miles off. +/II or not.

otoh I'll take a 5150s high gain sound over the screamers any day.

If you want an amp that can do both well then look at a powerball, invader or savage.

[Madsakre]

powerball II

[Chris]

The powerball looks awesome, but I'm really looking for a combo and probably couldn't afford the powerball tbh.  I guess I'm willing to sacrifice on the clean channel if necessary - as long as the clean channel on the 6505s is not awful. 

I can get a 6505 112 combo for £399, which will be awesome if it does indeed sound like the old 5150 combo I used to have, but I'm starting to find a lot of comments when searching the web saying that the 6505 212 combo is the equivalent of the old 5150 and that the 112 combo sounds different.  Hhmmm...

[dave_mc]

The 5150 really cant touch the screamers cleans. Its miles off. +/II or not.

otoh I'll take a 5150s high gain sound over the screamers any day.

If you want an amp that can do both well then look at a powerball, invader or savage.

+1, pretty much (though i haven't tried teh invader, have only tried teh savage se, and haven't tried the newest version of the powerball- to me the older powerball isn't as versatile as some of the other engls).

the screamer is a jack of all trades amp which will do metal too, but it won't do it as well as a metal-orientated amp (like teh 6505).

Oh and the 112 6505+ combo is made in china, that's why it's so much cheaper.

No idea how it compares, I've only tried the US-made ones (and only teh head versions at that).

personally i'd keep the screamer, but i guess it depends on how badly you need to bring teh br00tz :lol:

[Chris]

Oh and the 112 6505+ combo is made in china, that's why it's so much cheaper.

That explains it!

personally i'd keep the screamer, but i guess it depends on how badly you need to bring teh br00tz

I guess the other option would be to keep the screamer and try to use pedals and effects to get the heavier sound I'm after, although I know even less about effects than I do about amps  :lol:

[dave_mc]

do you already use an overdrive pedal? if you don't, i'd get one... i pretty much can't live without mine now, and even if you do decide to get a different amp you'll be able to use it with it, too.

[Chris]

I've got a Keeley DS1 Ultra, which is great for a smooth lead sound, but I can't get the raw, metallic sound with it that I loved my old 5150 for.  Not sure whether any pedal can do that as I believe the sound I'm after comes from the valves...  then again I really don't know much about effects so maybe it's possible - I'll have to do a bit of research I think.

[dave_mc]

i dunno, in my experience if you hit most reasonably high gain tube amps with an od they'll sound fairly metal. Not to say metal-orientated ones won't sound more so, of course, but yeah.

are you using the ds1 as a boost or as a standalone pedal into teh clean channel?

when i say use an od, i mean dial in the amp to already have a pretty heavy sound and then hit it with a boost to make it brootal :lol:

[Roobubba]

To clarify that last point, use the pedal as a clean boost, high level, no drive/gain. Pushing the front end hard means you can get brutal sounds which are properly tight with more ease. I use my 5150-II with a preamp gain of about 2, but I slam it with big, long scale-length strings with an aftermath and a bodenhamer bloody murder (TS9-type) clean boosting the front end.