Egnater Renegade 65 Watt Head
So I have had a day or two to test drive this thing and wow! An absolute tone monster, there isn’t a bad setting on this amp. It is loaded with options that are aimed at sculpting your tone to get exactly what you want out of it. There are two channels with the added option of a Master 2 (footswitchable) setting that basically allows you to get a volume boost off channel 1 or 2 (selectable on the footswitch). Very cool feature.
Channel 1: Basically a clean channel and it is very clean indeed. An enormous amount of headroom even with the gain cranked up all the way. The first thing I always try out on an amp is the clean channel and this one does not disappoint. It is tight and clean and you can go anywhere from shimmering clean to slightly overdriven blues. If there was one criticism of it I would say that the amount of headroom is almost excessive, although, I did read on the Egnater website that this was meant to be a very “clean” channel. Really nice especially once you start to mess around with the tight/deep and bright/normal switches that are available on both channels. I have found these relatively useless on a lot of other amps but these really cut/add the frequencies and allow you to explore all sorts of different tones. Add that to the universal presence and density controls and I think you can find whatever tone you want if you try. Also very cool is the tube mix knob available on each channel. You can blend the 2xEL34 tubes with the 2X6L6’s and again change the scope of your tone. I messed with it a bit and noticed that the difference is much more noticeable add higher volumes. Very cool feature.
Channel 2: This one is a gem. You can go anywhere from fairly clean blues to warm overdrive all the way on up to metal. I was worried about the amount of gain on tap but there is plenty to be had. This amp can handle anything around Metallica/Tool/Alice in Chains with no problems. I suppose anything harder than that may need a boost but there is more than enough there to keep me and my band mates happy. I had it cranked up last night and noticed that the tight switch really tightens up the bottom end at higher volumes. The bright switch does exactly what is says it does. I had the tube mix knob turned over to the EL34 side and got an amazing chunky rhythm tone that I think I will be sticking with. The gain knob lets you explore all kinds of tones and really seems to expand your sound as you increase it. I really like the Master 2 volume option. Essentially, you can set your Channel 1 for cleans, Channel 2 for rythym, and then use the Master 2 setting as a volume boost on Channel 2 (or vice versa). Very nice feature.
Outside of the two channels, the amp features a Master 1 and Master 2 volume, density and presence controls, channel 1 and channel 2 reverb controls (also controllable via the footswitch), and selectable wattage 65/18 on each channel. Very useful if you like the cleans on 65 watts and then a nice overdriven sound at an intimate volume on channel 2 with 18 watts. Also noteable is that although the reverb is digital, it is very deep and you could have fooled me if you told me it was a spring reverb. It also has a spillover effects that allows you to transition nicely from one channel to the next without an awkward cutout or increase.
The back of the amp might be my favorite part. You can bias the tubes from the back panel allowing you to use nearly any combination of tubes in this amp. There is a main speaker output and an extra output for an extension. You can adjust the power setting via a nifty slider that lets you move from 100-230 AC based on your location in the world. Also, there is an Ohm selector that allows 4, 8, or 16 Ohms. Finally, there is a direct recording line out that I have not been able to try yet but that I am sure will be put to good use. The effects loop can also be controlled via the footswitch.
All in all I couldn’t be happier. For the price ($999) I feel like it holds up to anything in that price range. The tonal possibilities are endless and the footswitch that it ships with is fantastic, allowing you to control everything on the amp at each channel. I love the Master 2 function and the fact that you can control the reverb at each channel and the effects loop just adds to the functionality of the footswitch.
As an afterthought, I also purchased the Tourmaster 212 Cab and though I haven’t had time to break it in, I have been very impressed so far. Very tight and loud! You can also remove a panel from the back which really opens up the sound. Pretty heavy at 70 lbs or so but it has three handles on it so it is fairly easy to get around.
Attached is a picture of it. Pretty sexy if I don't say so myself.
