[Vince]

Originally Posted by Jan

the FIREBALL is THE best amp in the world. My opinion is based on what I have heard in the recording studio.

link? I'd love to hear those recordings. I hear the Fireball is badass, but I haven't heard a lot of good recordings of them.

[7StringofAblicK]

Originally Posted by Vince

link? I'd love to hear those recordings. I hear the Fireball is badass, but I haven't heard a lot of good recordings of them.

Do you like Scar Symmetry at all? Their newest album is all Fireball (rhythm tone).

[Shaman]

Originally Posted by Jan

Hi, I haven't had any experience with a TRIPLE but comparet to DUAL Rectifier or Stiletto the Fireball is MUCH tighter, more articulate and WAAAAY less fizzy...

Well, the infamous Rectifier fizz is in my opinion just an EQ issue and it is very easy to EQ out once you learn how to tweak the amp.

I can't really say anything about the Fireball though since I have no experience with it. It would be cool to try one out though.

[Jan]

Originally Posted by Vince

link? I'd love to hear those recordings. I hear the Fireball is badass, but I haven't heard a lot of good recordings of them.

That is NOT my band but that is my FIREBALL all the way (I lent it to them for recordings). If the mix (and perhaps musicianship) was a tad better, I bet it would sound even more awesome. It's still good though.

[budda]

Originally Posted by Jan

If the mix (and perhaps musicianship) was a tad better, I bet it would sound even more awesome.

cant you say that for.. oh.. most bands out there using good gear?

...

[Jan]

huh, I guess you're right... But this recording is just this band's first demo and not like 5th album with a top-notch production. That's what I meant.

[blackrobedone]

ENG was the tightest, fastest responding and the most articulate amp he has recorded for DEATH metal. And judging by what I have heard, I second his opinion. I really love (and envy) Mesa's snarl and sort thunderousness it shows when playing downtuned OPEN riffis. The ENGL looses here. However, for fast old In Flames-like riffs (which I mostly play) I have found DUAL RECTO much more muddled or fizzy than my FB. That's it.

Cool, man. I had just given my first impressions and I probably was a little too negative about the ENGL. After a little tweaking I did find some absolutely killer tones and the amp has at least 4 x the gain of a Triple Rectifier. I would recommend it to people thinking about a 5150, for sure.
With the gain on 2, I come closest to Triple territory (at 6). The Triple starts to fuzz out after that so that's where I stop.
I only problem (like 5150), is that you can't really back off the gain and play something cleaner. There will always be static/distortion on your tone with the Fireball. That is what makes it feel like a distortion pedal as opposed to an overdriven tube amp.

[RussAnderson]

the shared eq i have no problems with on the fireballi can easily achieve a good clean transparent tone and switch to an overdriven higain drive and vice versa .the fireball has plenty of gain on tap i ussually have my gain set less than halfway around 11 or 12 .also this amps mids needs to be opened up to get the best out of it thats when u hear the difference in the overall dynamics .refering to the quote that the dist sounds like a tubey metalzone is nothing but hillarious and totally untrue unless you smoke crack while your trying to dial in your tones .thats not hard to do as well due to the simple nature of this amp the high gain is perfectly suited to powerfully tight rhymn playing. the fireball maybe not so great for leads but i always use a nice mxr od boost and delay to sort that out.another big advantage is using a good cab with this head or you will not get the full potiental on what u can or should be achieving im using a std engl 4x12 cab wich im very pleased with .all in all a simple 2 ch amp that delivers some excellant modern metal high gain and a very decent clean channel that sounds good esp if u add a touch of reverb or delay to.its not an overly noisy amp i use a good noise gate ie isp decimator tames the fireball really well at high volumes doesn't cut the notes or sustaine.i would go as far to say this is the best metal amp in its price range,theres oviously better but costing more 2 or 3 times as much as the fb.

ps the front grill is not plastic its metal same as the back plate and the overall look is pretty damn nice with the chrome face panel, externally is a well built head very solid .no offence blackrobe done thats a pretty poor inacurrate review on this amp and not one i would advise anyone to listen to untill they test the fb out in person .go to harmony central and read the reviews on this amp they can't be all wrong or anywere else for that matter the fireball is a great amp for its money .

[zimbloth]

I liked the Fireball. It's obviously a one trick pony but it has a cool sound. As with everything though (like I mentioned in your infamous "I live in a parallel universe where the VHT Pittbull is muddy and undefined" thread ), speakers play a big role, as is how the amp is biased. What speakers are you using with the FB, and did you bias it yet?

I have to ask man, instead of buying all these amps that you're not totally happy with, why not just buy a 5150 and a nice cab and be done with it? If you're after punishing death metal tones, or old In Flames tone, that would about cover it.

Again, make sure you bias the Fireball with good tubes before judging it too harshly. Reviewing a tube-amp before biasing is like reviewing a car with a blown tire.

[RussAnderson]

I only problem (like 5150), is that you can't really back off the gain and play something cleaner. There will always be static/distortion on your tone with the Fireball. That is what makes it feel like a distortion pedal as opposed to an overdriven tube amp.


thats one of the bigest misconceptions of this amp that ive heard, this happens a lot and have always have to smile for the ovious reasons .people that cant achieve a good transparent clean are using too much gain ie you were setting the shared gain at 2' wich is a bit too much .so offcourse switching to clean isn't going to sound clear! if u backed that of around 12' u would have no problem and believe me thats more than ample a setting to achieve enough gain in the ultra mode.i can even use a clean boost at that setting and still achieve a good clean tone with plenty of clarity.as mentioned a good cab and getting the tubes biased right makers a hell of a difference to the overall performance of any amp .