[Karl Hungus]

You know, recently I've been thinking that this board is a little bit too opinionated, and even a little confrontational. I think the fact of the matter is, that tone is subjective, and people won't always hear the same thing. Hell, tone is a personal thing!

My biggest piece of advice, is simply to trust your ears. Looking for a new amp? It's good to get some recommendations, but always try 'em out. See what sounds best to your ears. Whatever you like best is the right answer.

Always and ever, try stuff. Because opinions vary vastly, you'll often get disagreements. My previous amp, a Mesa Boogie Nomad 45, I bought blindly without knowing what they sound like, I had read about it online and it seemed that it would be enough for my needs, but as great as the little fellow was, it just wasn't quite what I was looking for. Drew and Leon here are big fans of the Nomad, and they certainly get what they're after out of it. Does this mean that they're wrong, or that I'm wrong? Nah, it just means that we don't get the same thing from the amp.

So, last year, I was looking to see what amp would suit me better, and I tested out a few of them, untill I came to an ENGL Fireball, and *BAM* that was the one. I've tried Rectos and 5150s, and they were nothing compared to the Fireball, it absolutely smoked them.

I'm sure that if I was to read a load of reviews, either the Recto or 5150 would've been the one that sounded closest to my needs, but after testing them, and trusting my ears, I decided that the Fireball was for me.

Anyway, moral of the story, trust your ears. I cannot state that enough: Trust your ears, because they won't fail you. It's you who has to live with the amp, not someone online you don't even know who says "This thing slays omglol!" so just trust in yourself.

[Hawksmoor]

+1

I've been saying this since 1999, but it's like fighting a drunken fight...

[LordOVchaoS]

Originally Posted by Karl Hungus

I've tried Rectos and 5150s, and they were nothing compared to the Fireball, it absolutely smoked them.

Probably would've been best to leave that part out.

I see that you don't mean it but it's statements like this from you and Zimbloth stating that ENGL's ARE better than everything else that leads to the confrontations you speak of.

That said, the rest of your post is spot on and I whole-heartedly agree with all of it.

[urklvt]

Amen brother! I've heard people sound phenomenal through various amps and when I've plugged into them I've hated the way I sounded through them. I'm still looking for my Holy Grail. The Mesa Mark IV came closest for me, but there's still a 'je ne sais quoi' about it that leaves me wanting more. More what? Fuck if I know. My ears will tell me what they're looking for some day. The Fireball is sounding more and more interesting every time I read one of you guys' posts about it though. And those sound clips on rocksolidamps.com are the shiznit. My wife straight up told me to buy one after hearing them.

[Karl Hungus]

Originally Posted by LordOVchaoS

Probably would've been best to leave that part out.

I only mean to illustrate how I trusted my ears in this reguard, and was much better off, you dig?

[urklvt]

Hey, if a retard can escape, maybe he's not that retarded after all! lol

[Karl Hungus]

Originally Posted by urklvt

Hey, if a retard can escape, maybe he's not that retarded after all! lol

Nah, it was the guard's fault. He left the door open, and turned his back, then I lunged at him, bit off his ear, and took his gun.

[urklvt]

Trust your ears! lol

[JJ Rodriguez]

Trusting your ears is all well and good, but there isn't a Mesa dealer for at least an 8 hour drive, and they might not even stock them. Same for Engl. I've never seen a 5150 in this city for sale either. The same goes for guitars, there's Ibanez dealers, but they don't stock 7's, same for the Schecter dealers. Trusting your ears sometime's isn't an option. If I want to try a tube amp, my only option is a Marshall.

[Drew]

Serves you right for living in canada!