John Browne I’m not sure what your on about as if I said any of that. All I’m saying is your mic pre is one of the most important parts of your signal chain. Hands down the mic and pre are the most important parts of a signal chain because they can’t really be emulated. It’s far more achievable to emulate amp heads these days but still getting that Neve sound just isn’t. I mean you have one are you really gonna tell me you’d be just as happy with a $100 pre? And though it’s your video I was mostly commenting for the lament who might waste time and money chasing a tone not aware of the importance of certain gear. Shit even without a mic I would still run a DI through the Neve it’s got a color and a atmosphere that is on another level. You know you it’s hard to get context in a RUclips comment I guess I shouldn’t have phrased it as “don’t be fooled” I didn’t mean to imply you were miss representing anything just that there is a lot more to tone than most people know. Your sound regardless of what you demo is one of the cleanest and most professional I’ve ever herd on a RUclips review and I was wondering why till you mentioned your signal chain. Just found your channel a week ago but was instantly impressed with your signal clarity. That neve pre is killing the Apollo or Appogee pre’s most people use in these reviews.
My guess is that you’ve never tried a Neve. If it were a Neve 1073 I’d ran through, sure, I’d kind of understand your comments, but I ran this through a 500 series Neve 88R preamp, which is the opposite of a 1073, transparent and fast.
John Browne Do you use that pre in all of your vids? I’ve spent most of my time on SSL 9000s and 4000gs and mostly on Hip Hop or R&B. Only ever had access to the 33609 compressors as far as Neve gear. Hip Hop mainly sticks to SSL which I’m not complaining the 9000J is a dream to make music with. It might be transparent compared with the 1073 but it’s still setting your sound apart from the rest of youtube. Or maybe your clocking and converting on a higher level than the others but your sound again regardless of the amps you demo is light years above Ola and the other channels.
I alternate between a Neve 88/73, Audient ASP’s and a Stam 73, but the mic in this vid is a t bone 75, which was £25. Ultimately, any preamp is going to ‘colour’ the sound, cheap preamps are more like a colour blanket... If anything, the using of higher quality components in the chain will result in a closer representation of what the amp/item actually sounds like.
Always wanted one, never had the chance to though. Never even played through one but back when I was constantly trolling the harmony central amp/gear forums in like 2007-2009, the amp forum was constantly buzzing about the Framus Cobra. It helped that Killswitch were using Framus heads at the time, both the dragon and cobra. They do sound absolutely killer though, though frankly John anything you play sounds pretty fucking stellar. You know what amp I'd love to hear you demo? Another one that I gassed for hard back in those days, thanks in large part to the HC amp forum. The Splawn Nitro. Also an amp that KSE used at one point in time. I did get the chance to own one albeit very briefly about a decade ago, and it was one of the best amps I'd ever played through.
Dude, I always love watching your vids, the fact that you're an insanely good guitar player totally trumps the anxiety that I can only imagine comes with the visually apparent issues that come with the neck/spine issues you're dealing with. I was born with underdeveloped limbs, specifically the issue was mostly in the development of my hands and lower parts of my legs. I have slowly been able to start airing my creative juices online without creating some sort of veil I can use to protect my own mental fragility. Thanks to you and many other youtubers reminding me what really matters, and that's the sounds that we create, and not necessarily how pretty we look behind our instruments. Thanks for the inspiration and being a badass and having the sack to do what you do with no fucks given. If you're interested in chatting, as I'm curious to the circumstances of your neck issues, let me know, I'm always stoked on chatting with mates who can at least relate a bit to struggles in our chosen walks of life. On the subject of amp demos and reviews, have you ever had an opportunity to try out an Egnater Vengeance??? If it's something that is possible I would love to see this! I've been drooling over them for a while and see them pop up and then hear horror stories about transformer issues, then others tell me that Rob Egnater has guaranteed repair on a manufacturing issue. So I wanna really just wanna see an in depth look at one of the Egnater tweaker style amps but in UBER metal form. Cheers John, keep up the riffage. PS Metallica is king and James Her field is RIFFMASTER.
Yesss! Sounds huge. Might I suggest trying a Quad track - a couple of tracks with a chewy amp like a 5150, and a couple of tracks with that scooped mode Cobra underneath to really fill out the top and bottom for a wall of WIN
You've definitely become one of my favorite guitarists. I'm a bassist but I'm starting to play guitar and you're the reason I'm trying out CGCFGC tuning instead of regular Dropped C
I have one and it's funny how extremely recognizable the sound is! Like when I hear a 5150 in a youtube video it doesn't really feel like mine through all the different setups etc. Here however: yep, that's a Cobra
I heard one of these live in a club in Syracuse... Sounded like someone ripping a thick piece of canvas. So pissed off sounding, I complimented the guy when I saw him at the bar. He just got the amp, and was still on a high from it. So excited I could tell.
The sad part about these amps (and the Dragon) is the massive quality issues. Ever wonder why Rose Of Sharyn has a different guitar tone than the rest of End Of Heartache? Because the Cobra they were blending with the 5150 fucking died lol
Weren't they using a Dragon which blew up and switched to the Cobra for Rose of Sharyn or did i hear that story wrong? I know Rose of Sharyn was considered a holy grail guitar tone on the Sneap forums back in the day.
You do not know the story, the problem was bad jack pots on framus cabs (which were corrected later) and it left amp disconnected to the load - EVERY AMP WILL DIE in this scenario!
There were never any problems with the amps only faulty jacks on some cabs were problematic. I'm using a Dragon V1 and a Cobra V1 for about 18-22 years now. They are made in Germany partially handwired and work flawlessly since day 1.
Remember all the controversy with Madison divinity amps back in the day? I remember them being really sought for then something happened and people were trashing on them. That would be a good revisit.
Love your channel. Especially appreciate how you generally crank the master volume. Most demos don't do that. Personally if I'm looking for a 100 watt head I'm going to use it cranked with a band. Most demos have the master on like 1 or 2. The tone of the power amp is important to hear IMO.
Sold my Cobra when I got my Kemper it sounded great with greenbacks which is what the matching cab had. Sounded awesome with a boost. I regret letting it go, but you had to crank it.
This is definitely the BEST playthrough of any amp I seen so far on YT...thanks, John! Good to see that the Cobra obviously has been modeled very well in STLtones new ampsim (Amphub) \m/
Man. You are a down picking beast!!! I cant keep up that pace for any longer than 4min then my fore arm starts burning like fuck. Luv the vids John, thanks for sharing with us and keep up the good work mate.
I have one of these that i haven't dusted off in a while, and I was considering selling it,.. quite glad I watched this vid first, as it's changed my mind
Glad to see some love for this amp, one of my favorites!!! Had one for 5 years or so, but sold it when I got my AxeFx Standard. Really wish I had kept it! I never had any issues with it and I played a good deal of shows with mine too, I must've gotten one of the good ones.
I used one once at a gig where I wasn't using my own amp head, going for a Marshall-esque tone with it, and I remember that it sounded phenomenal. I was mega impressed with the sound I got, but it's way too big and has too many knobs for me to ever get one myself.
I was very fortunate to get myself a Cobra that was in very, very good condition and well kept. It sounds so fricken good even compared to modern day amps. The bright and notch switch actually has a pretty dramatic tone difference on mine and has been kicking hard ever since I got it like 4 years ago. I didn't even know about their quality issues though. Quite a shame. :/
Actually there were a lot of rumors spread in forums about Cobra reliability and Technical issues, but it's NOT TRUE! No more issues than with dual rectos, I have had 2 cobras for ages - great amps, well built gear!
*Reads title*. TRIGGERED! The Framus Cobra is still my main amp, and has my favorite tones. The lead channel has a lot of interaction between bass/mids and treble/presence which trips a lot of of people up. For anyone that wants a cobra tone, the kazrog Thermionik Serpent is based off of my personal amp.
Geez! This thing sounds right up my alley! I'm very glad now I own decent monitoring cans so that I can hear all these amps I fell in love with properly. It has been awesome.
I still to this day find the channel 2 crunch to be grail metal tone. Reason I haven't sold mine since I bought it new in 06. I have had friends buy them after hearing mine and sold them soon after because they said it didn't sound nearly as good as mine. Generation 1's are special for some reason. But after the years I figured out why people disagree with these, it's their speaker selection. My cab was always stuffed with G12H30 Anniversaries. This amp is CRUSHING with a Green type of speaker, but the V30 doesn't pair well with the Cobra. Most metal players have V30s in their cabs, hence the reasoning for this amps short popularity life span I think. Mine has had zero problems in the 14 years I've owned it, and I won't part with it. Cheers for having it come across so we'll through RUclips. Very recognizable tone. It's its own. 🤘
If it sounded good then, there’s no reason it shouldn’t sound good now. People still use the JCM800 and nobody questions whether or not it “still sounds good”. I think that’s a bit of a silly question to ask about an amp. Now, whether something new might sound better? That’s a different story, but it’s pretty subjective.
I own a cobra with the original cab loaded with greenbacks. It's one of the most brutal amps I have ever owned. The amp is turning 12 years old this year. Apart from new tubes I never had issues with it. So I don't understand where all these "reliability" complaints come from. I play the thing at home, band practice and gigs. Never had an issue. The only rhing that suck is the faceplate. Mine is all grimey with no way of cleaning it properly. But it gives the amp character. Like battle scars.
John, Your neck situation is bringing back memories, and not good ones! I had my c6-c7 replaced in January, 2019. Not fun. I hope things get better for you. I don't miss the mobility problems, nerve pain and muscle atrophy.
just noticed that you anchor your fingers to the body on your picking hand. people tease me for that relentlessly and simultaneously can't figure out why my right hand is so tight. good to know i'm not alone. if it's good enough for JB, it's good enough for me. also how in the world could you EVER sell this thing? i can't find a plugin to replicate it.
There is a plugin called Thermionik Serpent by Kazrog but they discontinued it. You may find it somewhere on the interwebs. I played it and as a Cobra owner it felt like home.
Last year I bought a brand new (!) Cobra from Thomann, apparently they had received a few remnant devices from Framus. I liked the sound although it was not an easy task to learn how to dial it in. After a couple of weeks I decided to finally go full digital and wanted to sell the amp again. A guy from cologne wanted to buy it. During his 2,5 hour drive to my place, I thought I‘d say goodbye to the amp and fire it up one last time. I plugged in my guitar, switched on the amp... and it was dead. The buyer arrived and it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life when I had to tell him that his 2,5 hour drive was for nothing because I didn‘t have an amp to sell anymore.
Brennan Guernsey a similar thing happened to me recently, put something up for sale and it worked and then I tried just as it sold and it didn’t! I would be pretty mad at this situation though ^ haha
Yeah, the Cobra is 1000% the offspring of a 5150 block-letter & Dual Rectifier. At 2:40, & 4:30 even with that dark/notch switch, that clean channel is like a Recto clean tone that doesn't compress the shit out of the high-mids, it sounds really really fucking cool. Great video, can't wait to see what you do with the 8100 Valvestate in all of it's Deathy goodness
Notch switch is useful for quad tracking - you can get a really cool Swedish death metal sound going when layering things up. Definitely not to be used by itself though :')
Shame on you for selling it :P An old fave of mine. Heard a friend pair it with a Mesa Mark IV and it was a beastly combo. This is especially nice with its Greenback loaded cab,
Awesome video, as always!!! But John, what's up with the T-shirt??? Is that bullet holes or for proper ventilation? Maybe that's the big secret behind your downpicking technic Idk... I'll try later during the schredule!
My friend runs a Cobra through his PPC412. Even with microphonic powertubes and a slew of reversed modifications, it still crushes just as hard, if not harder than my modded Triple X. Now if only i could convince him to stop with the mod scoop button 😅
I had a Framus Dragon and only got around it's quirks a couple of days before letting it go. I remember that Crunch and Lead channel were fizzy if the channel volume was under 70-75% (or 2-3 o'clock if you'd like), and only on or over 75% they sounded great. Also, the effects loop mix affected the sound of the whole amp too much. When it was on 50% (or noon) the amp sounded great, punchy and clear, and any other setting sounded like it choked the whole basic sound of the amp. Mix that with the fact that the effects loop was intended for use with line level signal, not instrument level, and you're in trouble :D Still, I miss that amp, once I plugged it to the Dragon 4x12 I realized it's full potential, but that was already too late 'cause everything was arranged for it to go to the next owner.
I've heard some people say these amps suck through V30's and others say they only sound good through Greenbacks'etc. I am seeing if I can track one down.
Great vid first time I’ve seen you finger pick sounded good! Also in one of your other vids you were like what’s a clean channel hahah lol! Also great sounding amp I might get one!
I love the tone and this kind of straightforward demo. Just a suggestion: I'd have appreciated a reminder of when pedals were engaged (and I think it's good not to engage them too much). Great work anyways, thanks! You think you can get your hands on a Hiwatt "super hi 50" (not the "custom" series, very expensive and already demoed[?]) which should be based on a Fortin design?
I love the Framus Ruby Riot. It's amazing. They are a bit unreliable. Tube sockets mounted directly to the PCB. If Framus stopped building them that way, they would be super road worthy. I have played 150 shows w/ the Ruby Riot. It does everything from metal to jazz.
The Framus Cobra, Mesa Triple Rec F and the Engl Invader sound like slight variant versions of them. I certainly want one, but one that is functional and not damaged bc there are hardly maintenance places for it at least not in the SF Bay Area
Hey sir, just wanna say thank you for testing this amp! Still one of the best sounding high gain amps out there imo. Could you explain more about those "technical issues" you mentioned. Cause i'm concerning to get me a cobra head. How can i determine wether it has this technical issue or not?
These are rumors spread on forums, they are pretty reliable amps if you buy them new. If you buy second hand every amp could be a unpredictable puzzle, no matter what brand or release year!
Bought one brand new back in 06ish I think. Definitely my grail amp but I agree there were technical issues. Mine would overheat pretty consistently at practice. Ended up having to have my buddies 6505 as a backup at shows alot of the time. Dont think I ever actually needed to switch at a show but the uncertainty was always there. So it has my favorite tone to this day but not practical or dependable on my experience.
It’s a very tight open sounding amp. Like what the 5150 could have been. The notch switches are useless, and the faceplate becomes permanently discolored too easily...but it is a sweet amp. I will second the reliability issues...I have owned 2 and both had issues. Definitely not as reliable as any other amps I have had.
Do not believe these fairy tales about reliability, amp builders who saw cobra guts said it is of good quality! basically it is slo clone, but more aggressive one. Problems which KSE had with this amp was actually, bad jack connections on framus cabs, which left amps with no load. Framus corrected this, also first run of cobras had very thin PCBs, which were also corrected on latter models. As reliable as peavies or mesas👍 confirmed by many years of usage🤘
A lot of the reason this amp sounds great is the Neve pre he’s running it through!! Don’t be fooled there is much more at play than the head.
Dude if the source sound sucks and the mic position is wrong, a Neve pre isn’t going to save you.
John Browne I’m not sure what your on about as if I said any of that. All I’m saying is your mic pre is one of the most important parts of your signal chain. Hands down the mic and pre are the most important parts of a signal chain because they can’t really be emulated. It’s far more achievable to emulate amp heads these days but still getting that Neve sound just isn’t. I mean you have one are you really gonna tell me you’d be just as happy with a $100 pre? And though it’s your video I was mostly commenting for the lament who might waste time and money chasing a tone not aware of the importance of certain gear. Shit even without a mic I would still run a DI through the Neve it’s got a color and a atmosphere that is on another level. You know you it’s hard to get context in a RUclips comment I guess I shouldn’t have phrased it as “don’t be fooled” I didn’t mean to imply you were miss representing anything just that there is a lot more to tone than most people know. Your sound regardless of what you demo is one of the cleanest and most professional I’ve ever herd on a RUclips review and I was wondering why till you mentioned your signal chain. Just found your channel a week ago but was instantly impressed with your signal clarity. That neve pre is killing the Apollo or Appogee pre’s most people use in these reviews.
My guess is that you’ve never tried a Neve.
If it were a Neve 1073 I’d ran through, sure, I’d kind of understand your comments, but I ran this through a 500 series Neve 88R preamp, which is the opposite of a 1073, transparent and fast.
John Browne Do you use that pre in all of your vids? I’ve spent most of my time on SSL 9000s and 4000gs and mostly on Hip Hop or R&B. Only ever had access to the 33609 compressors as far as Neve gear. Hip Hop mainly sticks to SSL which I’m not complaining the 9000J is a dream to make music with. It might be transparent compared with the 1073 but it’s still setting your sound apart from the rest of youtube. Or maybe your clocking and converting on a higher level than the others but your sound again regardless of the amps you demo is light years above Ola and the other channels.
I alternate between a Neve 88/73, Audient ASP’s and a Stam 73, but the mic in this vid is a t bone 75, which was £25.
Ultimately, any preamp is going to ‘colour’ the sound, cheap preamps are more like a colour blanket... If anything, the using of higher quality components in the chain will result in a closer representation of what the amp/item actually sounds like.
Thanks for listening and watching! I have the VHT up next, then the Marshall 8100, the Soldano SLO30 and more!
Is it Christmas already. Someone has been a good boy this year.
I'm excited for that SLO vid. Got a feeling it's gonna be a banger
Hellllloooo! Looking forward to those reviews. Cheers dude.
With all my respect for your gear enthusiasm, it's my pleasure just listen you play.
Laney Vh 100 R please, this is underrated amp.
"It's like the instant switch to turn your amp into shit!"...I'm dead, haha. So scooped.
Lewis read this comment as he said it ... laughing my ass off haha
Went to a bury your dead show and their guitar player let me try his out. Remember thinking it sounded awesome. Back in 04-05.
Ow man, nice to know someone else, besides me is still listening to that awesome band!
Always wanted one, never had the chance to though. Never even played through one but back when I was constantly trolling the harmony central amp/gear forums in like 2007-2009, the amp forum was constantly buzzing about the Framus Cobra. It helped that Killswitch were using Framus heads at the time, both the dragon and cobra. They do sound absolutely killer though, though frankly John anything you play sounds pretty fucking stellar.
You know what amp I'd love to hear you demo? Another one that I gassed for hard back in those days, thanks in large part to the HC amp forum. The Splawn Nitro. Also an amp that KSE used at one point in time. I did get the chance to own one albeit very briefly about a decade ago, and it was one of the best amps I'd ever played through.
The nitro is the amp I’ve always wanted.
i always considered the cobra as a dual rectifier on steroids.
I would say dual recto double boosted👍 both are slo clones!
Exactly, that died of a heart attack
@@parkerohio6424 and the the second drown in mud😉
It's everything a Rectifier wants to be.
The Dragon also kicks butt! I own both Cobra and Dragon. They definitely sound best when loud.
Dude, I always love watching your vids, the fact that you're an insanely good guitar player totally trumps the anxiety that I can only imagine comes with the visually apparent issues that come with the neck/spine issues you're dealing with. I was born with underdeveloped limbs, specifically the issue was mostly in the development of my hands and lower parts of my legs. I have slowly been able to start airing my creative juices online without creating some sort of veil I can use to protect my own mental fragility. Thanks to you and many other youtubers reminding me what really matters, and that's the sounds that we create, and not necessarily how pretty we look behind our instruments. Thanks for the inspiration and being a badass and having the sack to do what you do with no fucks given. If you're interested in chatting, as I'm curious to the circumstances of your neck issues, let me know, I'm always stoked on chatting with mates who can at least relate a bit to struggles in our chosen walks of life.
On the subject of amp demos and reviews, have you ever had an opportunity to try out an Egnater Vengeance??? If it's something that is possible I would love to see this! I've been drooling over them for a while and see them pop up and then hear horror stories about transformer issues, then others tell me that Rob Egnater has guaranteed repair on a manufacturing issue. So I wanna really just wanna see an in depth look at one of the Egnater tweaker style amps but in UBER metal form. Cheers John, keep up the riffage. PS Metallica is king and James Her field is RIFFMASTER.
Yesss! Sounds huge. Might I suggest trying a Quad track - a couple of tracks with a chewy amp like a 5150, and a couple of tracks with that scooped mode Cobra underneath to really fill out the top and bottom for a wall of WIN
You've definitely become one of my favorite guitarists. I'm a bassist but I'm starting to play guitar and you're the reason I'm trying out CGCFGC tuning instead of regular Dropped C
Bought one from Ken Susi and it's a beast. I prefer my Rivera knucklehead ii. A very under rated metal amp.
How long ago was this? Because I owned a Framus Cobra years ago and was told by the previous owner it was owned by one of the Unearth guitarists.
I have one and it's funny how extremely recognizable the sound is! Like when I hear a 5150 in a youtube video it doesn't really feel like mine through all the different setups etc. Here however: yep, that's a Cobra
I have no idea about caps, amps etc. I'm just watching to hear Browne play. Man, you amaze me very time, much love
Framus should do a lunchbox of this.
I second that ngl
I heard one of these live in a club in Syracuse...
Sounded like someone ripping a thick piece of canvas.
So pissed off sounding, I complimented the guy when I saw him at the bar.
He just got the amp, and was still on a high from it. So excited I could tell.
The sad part about these amps (and the Dragon) is the massive quality issues. Ever wonder why Rose Of Sharyn has a different guitar tone than the rest of End Of Heartache? Because the Cobra they were blending with the 5150 fucking died lol
haha amazing. Big shame, this amp sounds rad.
Makes a lot of sense
Weren't they using a Dragon which blew up and switched to the Cobra for Rose of Sharyn or did i hear that story wrong? I know Rose of Sharyn was considered a holy grail guitar tone on the Sneap forums back in the day.
Well that explains why I saw one at Thomann at such a low price lol
You do not know the story, the problem was bad jack pots on framus cabs (which were corrected later) and it left amp disconnected to the load - EVERY AMP WILL DIE in this scenario!
10:17 I love this riff so much :D
There were never any problems with the amps only faulty jacks on some cabs were problematic.
I'm using a Dragon V1 and a Cobra V1 for about 18-22 years now. They are made in Germany partially handwired and work flawlessly since day 1.
Remember all the controversy with Madison divinity amps back in the day? I remember them being really sought for then something happened and people were trashing on them. That would be a good revisit.
I wanna see ya play more 7 strings with these amps. Do both. Your such a dynamic player it’s great to see you play both and the tones you get.
I loved this amp when Heaven Shall Burn used them in their antigone album, nasty ass sound and would still love to buy one someday
Would love to see what you do with a Laney IRT 120
I love the snarl of this amp. It's one of my favourites that you've tried.
Love your channel. Especially appreciate how you generally crank the master volume. Most demos don't do that. Personally if I'm looking for a 100 watt head I'm going to use it cranked with a band. Most demos have the master on like 1 or 2. The tone of the power amp is important to hear IMO.
Sold my Cobra when I got my Kemper it sounded great with greenbacks which is what the matching cab had. Sounded awesome with a boost. I regret letting it go, but you had to crank it.
@ 15:50 "And that is really quite heavy rain - isn't it?" -- I looked outside and it actually just started raining 🤔
This is definitely the BEST playthrough of any amp I seen so far on YT...thanks, John! Good to see that the Cobra obviously has been modeled very well in STLtones new ampsim (Amphub) \m/
5:50 This sound is the clean tone of My Curse by KSE =D
That was originally recorded on a fender vibrolux 👍
I will never be able to afford any of this gear, but I love hearing it, particularly in the hands of John Browne.
Oh dat riff noodling at 11:34! Thanks for the inspiration Mr. Browne!
Lamb Of God guitarist Willy Adler used this the first decade or so of the bands career.
Man. You are a down picking beast!!! I cant keep up that pace for any longer than 4min then my fore arm starts burning like fuck. Luv the vids John, thanks for sharing with us and keep up the good work mate.
I have one of these that i haven't dusted off in a while, and I was considering selling it,.. quite glad I watched this vid first, as it's changed my mind
Glad to see some love for this amp, one of my favorites!!! Had one for 5 years or so, but sold it when I got my AxeFx Standard. Really wish I had kept it! I never had any issues with it and I played a good deal of shows with mine too, I must've gotten one of the good ones.
I used one once at a gig where I wasn't using my own amp head, going for a Marshall-esque tone with it, and I remember that it sounded phenomenal. I was mega impressed with the sound I got, but it's way too big and has too many knobs for me to ever get one myself.
I was very fortunate to get myself a Cobra that was in very, very good condition and well kept. It sounds so fricken good even compared to modern day amps. The bright and notch switch actually has a pretty dramatic tone difference on mine and has been kicking hard ever since I got it like 4 years ago. I didn't even know about their quality issues though. Quite a shame. :/
Thank you for actually demoing the clean channel for more than 8 seconds.
Actually there were a lot of rumors spread in forums about Cobra reliability and Technical issues, but it's NOT TRUE! No more issues than with dual rectos, I have had 2 cobras for ages - great amps, well built gear!
That first clean riff really reminded me of Adam Jones. It was cool.
*Reads title*. TRIGGERED!
The Framus Cobra is still my main amp, and has my favorite tones. The lead channel has a lot of interaction between bass/mids and treble/presence which trips a lot of of people up. For anyone that wants a cobra tone, the kazrog Thermionik Serpent is based off of my personal amp.
Sounds killer. Gotta love that crunch channel.
Respect for your techneek, John ! I am always happy to listen your style ! Learned alot !
Geez! This thing sounds right up my alley! I'm very glad now I own decent monitoring cans so that I can hear all these amps I fell in love with properly. It has been awesome.
The saturation on this amp is amazing.
4:06 Sons of Apollo!
I still to this day find the channel 2 crunch to be grail metal tone. Reason I haven't sold mine since I bought it new in 06. I have had friends buy them after hearing mine and sold them soon after because they said it didn't sound nearly as good as mine. Generation 1's are special for some reason. But after the years I figured out why people disagree with these, it's their speaker selection. My cab was always stuffed with G12H30 Anniversaries. This amp is CRUSHING with a Green type of speaker, but the V30 doesn't pair well with the Cobra. Most metal players have V30s in their cabs, hence the reasoning for this amps short popularity life span I think. Mine has had zero problems in the 14 years I've owned it, and I won't part with it. Cheers for having it come across so we'll through RUclips. Very recognizable tone. It's its own. 🤘
I have wgs reapers. I think they're based off of the 30th anniv
Which version do you own?? Early or V5 style with external bias points??
@@DR440 V5 with bias points.
Sounds really tight! Never really heard these reviewed properly before! Great work again John
Johnee, that sweet riff from the Box of Doom demo is just beyond epic, love it!
If it sounded good then, there’s no reason it shouldn’t sound good now. People still use the JCM800 and nobody questions whether or not it “still sounds good”. I think that’s a bit of a silly question to ask about an amp.
Now, whether something new might sound better? That’s a different story, but it’s pretty subjective.
dude, would you bother trying our Diezel D-moll? :D
Oh yeh would love to!
@@JohnBrownemonuments we're waiting :D
We would love to see u one day demo a Diezel 😊
If the shipping wouldnt kill me i would love to lend my D-Moll for a demo.
Dude you’re the biggest inspiration for me to play modern metal. I love your vids. Keep being a legend! 🤟🏻 Cheers from Hungary!
Love this channel bro! All these high gain reviews are wetting my appetite for a Fractal FM3😀
Thank you for playing We Are Creating At This Moment riff, that part made my day, one of my favorite songs.
I own a cobra with the original cab loaded with greenbacks. It's one of the most brutal amps I have ever owned. The amp is turning 12 years old this year. Apart from new tubes I never had issues with it. So I don't understand where all these "reliability" complaints come from. I play the thing at home, band practice and gigs. Never had an issue. The only rhing that suck is the faceplate. Mine is all grimey with no way of cleaning it properly. But it gives the amp character. Like battle scars.
Had the Cobra Halfstack, but I never was really happy with it. Maybe a different cab could have fixed my problems.
Sounds absolutely killer here mate, you pulled a great sound from it
I'm quite suprised this is one of my favorite tones from you of recent videos!
One killer riff after another...such a juicy and tasty playing here. This amp sounds really great in your hands, cheers!
Its almost a soldano SLO, but with a Baxandall EQ, I did make a clone of it when i was 16.
Sounds great man! I'm still using my Framus 4x12 for gigging.
These are great amps very underrated. Great video sounds awesome man. All the best keep ripping. Love your studio btw.
Would also love to see you do the Laney irt15w studio head. Loved your tone with it back in the day. Would be a great amp to re visit
I dont even need to watch your vids to know youre gonna make everything you demo sound really good. But i still watch em anyway
John, Your neck situation is bringing back memories, and not good ones! I had my c6-c7 replaced in January, 2019. Not fun. I hope things get better for you. I don't miss the mobility problems, nerve pain and muscle atrophy.
Unfortunately my MRI scan came back inconclusive (two different MRIs) . No spinal or muscle issues currently. Still on the hunt.
I would give my top 2 snowballs for that amp.
🤘🏽🎩
just noticed that you anchor your fingers to the body on your picking hand. people tease me for that relentlessly and simultaneously can't figure out why my right hand is so tight. good to know i'm not alone. if it's good enough for JB, it's good enough for me.
also how in the world could you EVER sell this thing? i can't find a plugin to replicate it.
There is a plugin called Thermionik Serpent by Kazrog but they discontinued it. You may find it somewhere on the interwebs. I played it and as a Cobra owner it felt like home.
Last year I bought a brand new (!) Cobra from Thomann, apparently they had received a few remnant devices from Framus. I liked the sound although it was not an easy task to learn how to dial it in. After a couple of weeks I decided to finally go full digital and wanted to sell the amp again. A guy from cologne wanted to buy it. During his 2,5 hour drive to my place, I thought I‘d say goodbye to the amp and fire it up one last time. I plugged in my guitar, switched on the amp... and it was dead. The buyer arrived and it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life when I had to tell him that his 2,5 hour drive was for nothing because I didn‘t have an amp to sell anymore.
Why would you offer to sell something without testing it first?
Brennan Guernsey a similar thing happened to me recently, put something up for sale and it worked and then I tried just as it sold and it didn’t! I would be pretty mad at this situation though ^ haha
Brennan Guernsey The amp worked perfectly fine, it suddenly died without warning.
@@svenjeschke5025 Damn tube amps. Lol
Thanks! Cobra sounding brutal, and I really like your playing! Signed up!
Yeah, the Cobra is 1000% the offspring of a 5150 block-letter & Dual Rectifier. At 2:40, & 4:30 even with that dark/notch switch, that clean channel is like a Recto clean tone that doesn't compress the shit out of the high-mids, it sounds really really fucking cool. Great video, can't wait to see what you do with the 8100 Valvestate in all of it's Deathy goodness
Notch switch is useful for quad tracking - you can get a really cool Swedish death metal sound going when layering things up. Definitely not to be used by itself though :')
Shame on you for selling it :P An old fave of mine. Heard a friend pair it with a Mesa Mark IV and it was a beastly combo. This is especially nice with its Greenback loaded cab,
Its an incredibly cold sounding clean channel. But it has a certain quality to it.
I had one back in the day w/matching cab........when I was a youngster........before I knew how to use an amp. Wish I had it still.???
Awesome video, as always!!! But John, what's up with the T-shirt??? Is that bullet holes or for proper ventilation? Maybe that's the big secret behind your downpicking technic Idk... I'll try later during the schredule!
My friend runs a Cobra through his PPC412. Even with microphonic powertubes and a slew of reversed modifications, it still crushes just as hard, if not harder than my modded Triple X. Now if only i could convince him to stop with the mod scoop button 😅
I had a Framus Dragon and only got around it's quirks a couple of days before letting it go. I remember that Crunch and Lead channel were fizzy if the channel volume was under 70-75% (or 2-3 o'clock if you'd like), and only on or over 75% they sounded great. Also, the effects loop mix affected the sound of the whole amp too much. When it was on 50% (or noon) the amp sounded great, punchy and clear, and any other setting sounded like it choked the whole basic sound of the amp. Mix that with the fact that the effects loop was intended for use with line level signal, not instrument level, and you're in trouble :D
Still, I miss that amp, once I plugged it to the Dragon 4x12 I realized it's full potential, but that was already too late 'cause everything was arranged for it to go to the next owner.
Reminds me a bit of a german amp like a diezel or a bogner uberschall. lots of bottom end and attitude. Cool amp!
Man that 2.0 looks so dang good without the solid paint
Cobra and dragon .. those the amps that I only see on guitar magazine when I was a kid.
thanks 4 the great demo
Heavvvvvyyyyyyyyy man
I've heard some people say these amps suck through V30's and others say they only sound good through Greenbacks'etc. I am seeing if I can track one down.
I owned one of these bad boys from 2005-2008 and loved it. Always told myself id but one again when I can afford it.
It sounds kinda half way between a Recto and a Hughes and Kettner
Cobra is More aggressive and tighter than both
@@stingcarlsson7988 Than a recto, yes. Channel 3A or 3B on a Triamp? Nope.
Great vid first time I’ve seen you finger pick sounded good! Also in one of your other vids you were like what’s a clean channel hahah lol! Also great sounding amp I might get one!
I love the tone and this kind of straightforward demo. Just a suggestion: I'd have appreciated a reminder of when pedals were engaged (and I think it's good not to engage them too much). Great work anyways, thanks! You think you can get your hands on a Hiwatt "super hi 50" (not the "custom" series, very expensive and already demoed[?]) which should be based on a Fortin design?
I love the Framus Ruby Riot. It's amazing. They are a bit unreliable. Tube sockets mounted directly to the PCB. If Framus stopped building them that way, they would be super road worthy. I have played 150 shows w/ the Ruby Riot. It does everything from metal to jazz.
That amp really fits your playing well!
This amp wasnt on my need list but just got a preamp module that is going for this amp. And I hope I get these sounds great sound and playing
Impressed by you're picking technique
The Framus Cobra, Mesa Triple Rec F and the Engl Invader sound like slight variant versions of them. I certainly want one, but one that is functional and not damaged bc there are hardly maintenance places for it at least not in the SF Bay Area
Recommendations for future testings: Budda Superdrive 30, Splawn Nitro, Rivera Knucklehead, ENGL Artist Edition!!!
My dream amp! Amazing tones!
Hey sir, just wanna say thank you for testing this amp! Still one of the best sounding high gain amps out there imo. Could you explain more about those "technical issues" you mentioned. Cause i'm concerning to get me a cobra head. How can i determine wether it has this technical issue or not?
These are rumors spread on forums, they are pretty reliable amps if you buy them new. If you buy second hand every amp could be a unpredictable puzzle, no matter what brand or release year!
Bought one brand new back in 06ish I think. Definitely my grail amp but I agree there were technical issues. Mine would overheat pretty consistently at practice. Ended up having to have my buddies 6505 as a backup at shows alot of the time. Dont think I ever actually needed to switch at a show but the uncertainty was always there. So it has my favorite tone to this day but not practical or dependable on my experience.
So you just thought so? Or your fears told this?
It’s a very tight open sounding amp. Like what the 5150 could have been. The notch switches are useless, and the faceplate becomes permanently discolored too easily...but it is a sweet amp.
I will second the reliability issues...I have owned 2 and both had issues. Definitely not as reliable as any other amps I have had.
Great sounding amp. Love Brownes playing and that mayones and bare knuckles and that amps great combo
Speechless and I usually dont have that comment for equipment video's.
Framus anything will always be relevant and the Cobra is no exception!
Do not believe these fairy tales about reliability, amp builders who saw cobra guts said it is of good quality! basically it is slo clone, but more aggressive one. Problems which KSE had with this amp was actually, bad jack connections on framus cabs, which left amps with no load. Framus corrected this, also first run of cobras had very thin PCBs, which were also corrected on latter models. As reliable as peavies or mesas👍 confirmed by many years of usage🤘
Nice Amp! Sounds good
This Amp is a Beast, way underrated