Great video! I’ve had the Soldano for about 6 months and the Engl FB25 KT77 for about 2 months. I agree mostly with what’s been said. Soldano way better for classic rock crunch, has more channels and sounds you can get out of it, Engl more specialized for metal and reigns supreme there. I actually just sold my Boogie MkVII this week because I preferred the Engl even at 1/3 the cost. Both Soldano and Engl have incredible cleans. Would be hard to choose just one. Not mentioned here, or many places at all is the 50 watt Bogner Ecstacy 3534 which I’ve had for a year I’d actually take over either of these if I had to pick one. It’s close though. So many great small amps to choose from these days!
Great comparison! Nicely explained what you do and how the amps are set. I have 2 Fireballs, the normal 6L6 one for a few years now and recently i bought the KT77 aswell so i have one which i can leave at home. I like them so much i'm about to sell my 4 channel midi switchable Engl Invader 100 because i prefer the Fireball 25. It's easier to set up, delivers great sounds in every situation without struggle and i bought the Engl gigbag for it so i can easily carry a Fireball with me all the time.
Based on what I hear, the Fireball is the only production amp that competes with the EVH stealth in terms of aggressive high gain. Thanks for the video!
For what it's worth,I have both the fireball and ironball se and I don't tell much of a difference between the two for aggressiveness. I had the ironball se first then bought the fireball because of youtube reviews stating it is more aggressive for metal playing. I'm sorry,I just don't see it, to me they both sound the same, oh well, they look different at least, a little lol
The ENGL definitely sounds more brutal and it sounds good overall (and I lean more towards the classic sounds). The JEL sounds great both dirty no boost and boosted. I really liked the Astro in your other videos and on its own, but when you compare it to others, it seems like there's a blanket on the cabinet but also very forward sounding. Great comparison as always Jarrod!
I own a fireball 25 and a runt 20, and have been really wanting an astro 20. Thankfully, I liked the fireball 25 best in this shootout, because I really cannot afford to be buying another amp at the moment.
I think all 3 sound great ! To me it’s all about the flavor ! I own the EVH 5150iii EL34 so the Friedman seemed like a nice change ! Still love my Old Faithful Mesa Rectoverb 50 watt head w/212 cab too ! That’s definitely one of the better Sounding Engl amps I’ve heard thus far ! Great review , thanks ! 👊👍🫵
😂 that arnold voice man hahaha, i have a Engl FB 25 6l6 its all you need amp adtually for bedroom, it can go loud or room sound still got the saturation. with pedal and active pups its heaven in my ears . say that with Arnold voice haha cool vid.
For me it's between the JEL and the Fireball based on this comparison. If I were playing more doom-y or stoner type stuff I might like the Soldano. Thanks for the comparison, really cool to hear the amps and hear your thoughts on them!
Thanks as always. As for shootouts…I think many of us are looking for something similar and I keep coming back to 5 amps. I can’t have a room full, so it really needs to be the ONE. I want; Brutality. Metal. I want classic. Crunch. I want glorious cleans to showcase my many pedals and multi/effects. I want loud…should I ever need it (or be able to use it:) but I need apartment volume (no not headphones, ever!!) So…. Engl FB 25 (kt77) Revv d50 PRS Archon Soldano Astro EVH III stealth These seem to be the best options at $2000-ish. We would love a shootout? And your opinions as one who has likely played all of these..
Interesting, went into this thinking the Astro would be best. But I liked the FB25 most! ENGL FB25 is also like 1000€ vs €1900 and €2400 for the JEL and Astro respectively. Price is also something to worth considering!
I’ve had ENGLs, Mesas, but currently own a 50W Stealth, Friedman Little Sister and Peavey Invective, a few Marshalls so although I liked the Engl best, I found the mixed Soldano very good and present. Lots of money for what it is imo… do I need one?
Hey man! Thanx for the video! I know that some time ago you had the Boogie MKV 25 and you really liked it. How does the Fireball 25 feel in comparison to the Mark V 25? Does it feel just as big and full? I used to have the Boogie and I loved but I had to sell it. Considering the Fireball now.
Great job as always Jarrod! I still stand by my decision to get the Astro! I love the versatility and the all the features plus the foot switch is awesome! What were your settings on the MudKiller? I’m going to compare what your settings are to what I use
I think that Fireball 6L6 version is the best one :) KT77 seems like all the bass and all the treble. It would be interesting to hear it maybe with EL34. Soldano really surprised in the mix.
I have yet to play a real fireball, but all of them that I've heard in videos sound great, and I think from what I've played the Line 6 version is the best amp in the helix. I really wish there were more good captures of some of the Engle amps for tonex. I don't know if it's just me, but literally every capture I've played of a Powerball sounds like weak crappy ass. I've been trying to convince John from SDS to make a capture of his special edition founders edition, lol. Everyone says it's supposed to be the best engl amp, but literally no captures. I'll be getting the jel 20 and Savage captures soon; if I can drag myself away from badlander. Really appreciate you doing what you do, Jarrod.
Thanks so much for commenting and for the kind words. The Savage captures that I did for tonex came out really good. I'm sure these will come out great as well. Stay tuned.
Please add the ability on your site to create our own amp capture bundles! I would buy today, but for example there is a $40 bundle with one amp I want and the other 3-5 that are in that bundle I simply don’t want/need. If I could choose singles ala-carte and or 3-5 for a bundle price…now we’re talking.
As a FRIEDMAN and JEL 20 freak i have to admit that FIREBALL was the best sounding for being the most evil, brutal growling amp of the group. For stuff like Mick Thompson riffs or bands like Behemoth i pick that ENGL Fireball! It may even rival the EVH Stealth?
The Soldano utilizes just one knob to manage the EQ of the clean channel (labeled as the “tone” knob). For my taste, having a really crisp and chimey clean channel is crucial, and I feel that at the $2k price range, Soldano fails to deliver on that.
For the money I just don’t see the value in the Soldano over the JEL. Nobody would Ever play a JEL20 and say “man but I wish I had that Soldano Astro”. I own the JEL and have played the Soldano. Soldano is a peer, but not better imo, unless you really need 3 channel switch or the IRs.
Clean channel on the Soldano is like apple products. Not a lot of selection, but generally better than competition. The green channel on the Astro is very very good.
I told my momma I want the new Fireball lunchbox for my first day of school this year lol. The Fireball is your meat head short tempered drunken best friend you can't take anywhere because he's slamming rails in the bathroom just before he decide "NOW" is the optimal time to let the dude with the hottest chick in the bars husband that she should come with him lol. That amp is meant for one thing, but it does that one thing better than anyone! You're right though, the Fireball 100 is a bit fizzy, but that's why I love it for Drop tuned guitars. You can boost that bastard in Drop A or Drop A and it's just a MADMAN!
All far too expensive. Couple simple mods to an MT15 gets you perfectly good tones. The O/T upgrade to get 50watts. And the master volume pot has that wicked taper, another simple fix. I use the MXR Smartgate in the fx loop and bludgeon myself to death on the regular. Doesn't seem to matter what guitar I use either. Can get punishing tones within seconds.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video! I’ve had the Soldano for about 6 months and the Engl FB25 KT77 for about 2 months. I agree mostly with what’s been said. Soldano way better for classic rock crunch, has more channels and sounds you can get out of it, Engl more specialized for metal and reigns supreme there. I actually just sold my Boogie MkVII this week because I preferred the Engl even at 1/3 the cost. Both Soldano and Engl have incredible cleans. Would be hard to choose just one. Not mentioned here, or many places at all is the 50 watt Bogner Ecstacy 3534 which I’ve had for a year I’d actually take over either of these if I had to pick one. It’s close though. So many great small amps to choose from these days!
That Fireball sounds awesome.
Great comparison! Nicely explained what you do and how the amps are set.
I have 2 Fireballs, the normal 6L6 one for a few years now and recently i bought the KT77 aswell so i have one which i can leave at home. I like them so much i'm about to sell my 4 channel midi switchable Engl Invader 100 because i prefer the Fireball 25. It's easier to set up, delivers great sounds in every situation without struggle and i bought the Engl gigbag for it so i can easily carry a Fireball with me all the time.
Which bag holds the fireball? I've been searching but can't find the right one.
@@didamnesia3575 "Engl Gigbag for Engl 15W-30W Heads", got that from Thomann.
@Zwidawurzn thank you. I appreciate you helping out.
Edit: Found it! Thanks again
Thanks for the video man. Very informative. 👍
I wouldn’t say no to any of these amps. They all sound great!
Based on what I hear, the Fireball is the only production amp that competes with the EVH stealth in terms of aggressive high gain. Thanks for the video!
For what it's worth,I have both the fireball and ironball se and I don't tell much of a difference between the two for aggressiveness. I had the ironball se first then bought the fireball because of youtube reviews stating it is more aggressive for metal playing. I'm sorry,I just don't see it, to me they both sound the same, oh well, they look different at least, a little lol
@HVACRTECH-83 right on.
The ENGL definitely sounds more brutal and it sounds good overall (and I lean more towards the classic sounds). The JEL sounds great both dirty no boost and boosted. I really liked the Astro in your other videos and on its own, but when you compare it to others, it seems like there's a blanket on the cabinet but also very forward sounding.
Great comparison as always Jarrod!
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I was also surprised at how dark the Astros sounded in comparison
I own a fireball 25 and a runt 20, and have been really wanting an astro 20. Thankfully, I liked the fireball 25 best in this shootout, because I really cannot afford to be buying another amp at the moment.
They all sound great!
I think all 3 sound great ! To me it’s all about the flavor ! I own the EVH 5150iii EL34 so the Friedman seemed like a nice change ! Still love my Old Faithful Mesa Rectoverb 50 watt head w/212 cab too ! That’s definitely one of the better Sounding Engl amps I’ve heard thus far ! Great review , thanks ! 👊👍🫵
Fireball for me. Nice jamming dude!
Thank you!!
😂 that arnold voice man hahaha, i have a Engl FB 25 6l6 its all you need amp adtually for bedroom, it can go loud or room sound still got the saturation. with pedal and active pups its heaven in my ears . say that with Arnold voice haha cool vid.
Lol, thanks for commenting. (Arnold voice) im glad you liked the video
Jel ftw to me for tone.. Engl for the looks. ❤
For me it's between the JEL and the Fireball based on this comparison. If I were playing more doom-y or stoner type stuff I might like the Soldano. Thanks for the comparison, really cool to hear the amps and hear your thoughts on them!
Just put a lichtlaerm pedal in front of the SLO. Problem solved.
Thanks as always. As for shootouts…I think many of us are looking for something similar and I keep coming back to 5 amps. I can’t have a room full, so it really needs to be the ONE.
I want;
Brutality. Metal.
I want classic. Crunch.
I want glorious cleans to showcase my many pedals and multi/effects.
I want loud…should I ever need it (or be able to use it:) but I need apartment volume (no not headphones, ever!!)
So….
Engl FB 25 (kt77)
Revv d50
PRS Archon
Soldano Astro
EVH III stealth
These seem to be the best options at $2000-ish.
We would love a shootout? And your opinions as one who has likely played all of these..
Thanks for commenting. I'll respond to your comment in tomorrow's riffs and responses video
Interesting, went into this thinking the Astro would be best. But I liked the FB25 most! ENGL FB25 is also like 1000€ vs €1900 and €2400 for the JEL and Astro respectively. Price is also something to worth considering!
1900E for the Jel20? Wow wow wow. $1700 in the US. But the Fireball is $1350 in the US. So yeah... tradeoffs across the pond
Very entertaining vid, I wouldn't turn any of those three off.
I’ve had ENGLs, Mesas, but currently own a 50W Stealth, Friedman Little Sister and Peavey Invective, a few Marshalls so although I liked the Engl best, I found the mixed Soldano very good and present. Lots of money for what it is imo… do I need one?
Ya, I’m half way through the ENGL is just on a different level!
Hey man! Thanx for the video! I know that some time ago you had the Boogie MKV 25 and you really liked it. How does the Fireball 25 feel in comparison to the Mark V 25? Does it feel just as big and full? I used to have the Boogie and I loved but I had to sell it. Considering the Fireball now.
@@sergejkrynycky728 I'm glad you liked the content. I'll do a quick demo of the fireball 25 in today's riffs and responses video for you.
Shouldn't for Highgain the purple galaxy on the Astro more fitting?
Great job as always Jarrod! I still stand by my decision to get the Astro! I love the versatility and the all the features plus the foot switch is awesome! What were your settings on the MudKiller? I’m going to compare what your settings are to what I use
all sound great but ive been wanting a fireball for a while.....preferably 100 watt version but that 25 is fire all sounded great tho
IMHO the 25 sounds a bit better than the 100.
I think that Fireball 6L6 version is the best one :) KT77 seems like all the bass and all the treble. It would be interesting to hear it maybe with EL34. Soldano really surprised in the mix.
Fireball all the way! I just picked up the 6L6 version though, so maybe a bit biased and in my own honeymoon phase
I have yet to play a real fireball, but all of them that I've heard in videos sound great, and I think from what I've played the Line 6 version is the best amp in the helix.
I really wish there were more good captures of some of the Engle amps for tonex. I don't know if it's just me, but literally every capture I've played of a Powerball sounds like weak crappy ass.
I've been trying to convince John from SDS to make a capture of his special edition founders edition, lol. Everyone says it's supposed to be the best engl amp, but literally no captures.
I'll be getting the jel 20 and Savage captures soon; if I can drag myself away from badlander. Really appreciate you doing what you do, Jarrod.
Thanks so much for commenting and for the kind words. The Savage captures that I did for tonex came out really good. I'm sure these will come out great as well. Stay tuned.
@@TONEWARSgearshow oh dude, you're going to capture the fireball? Sold!
Fireball or bluguitar iridium ?
I actually like the Engl without the boost. The Engl and the JEL sound great but the Engl to me sounds best.
Would love to see the Fireball go up against the MT15!
Jared, which boost did you say you were using for the Friedman and the Engl?
I believe it was the Odd Box
Please add the ability on your site to create our own amp capture bundles!
I would buy today, but for example there is a $40 bundle with one amp I want and the other 3-5 that are in that bundle I simply don’t want/need.
If I could choose singles ala-carte and or 3-5 for a bundle price…now we’re talking.
friedman sounds awesome but i think i'll go with the engl
💪Which way to the beach ?
Gotta smack the chords on the clean channel.
Hit that thing !
For brtualz? ENGL Fireball easily! i am not even a Engl user or fan really but i know a great amp when i hear one! 😁
I like them all lol....off topic but I would love to see a schecter AM6 or AM7 on your channel !!
The problem is, all of them sound great but the Fireball would be my first choice!
The Video is killer. I like the 🔥🔥🔥🔥⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️😊
As a FRIEDMAN and JEL 20 freak i have to admit that FIREBALL was the best sounding for being the most evil, brutal growling amp of the group.
For stuff like Mick Thompson riffs or bands like Behemoth i pick that ENGL Fireball! It may even rival the EVH Stealth?
The Soldano utilizes just one knob to manage the EQ of the clean channel (labeled as the “tone” knob). For my taste, having a really crisp and chimey clean channel is crucial, and I feel that at the $2k price range, Soldano fails to deliver on that.
For the money I just don’t see the value in the Soldano over the JEL. Nobody would Ever play a JEL20 and say “man but I wish I had that Soldano Astro”. I own the JEL and have played the Soldano. Soldano is a peer, but not better imo, unless you really need 3 channel switch or the IRs.
There is also the 3 position bright toggle. You have actually a great range of control.
Clean channel on the Soldano is like apple products. Not a lot of selection, but generally better than competition. The green channel on the Astro is very very good.
Still waiting for a Revv G50 review 😊
Doesn't boutique mean not mass produced and mostly hand wired?
ENGL never disappoints.
Before I even watch I can tell you that it’s the ENGL and it’s not close. But I am gonna watch because I love your videos.
A true comparison would be using the same tubes in the same order in each amp.
Feel free to go ahead and do that
I told my momma I want the new Fireball lunchbox for my first day of school this year lol. The Fireball is your meat head short tempered drunken best friend you can't take anywhere because he's slamming rails in the bathroom just before he decide "NOW" is the optimal time to let the dude with the hottest chick in the bars husband that she should come with him lol. That amp is meant for one thing, but it does that one thing better than anyone! You're right though, the Fireball 100 is a bit fizzy, but that's why I love it for Drop tuned guitars. You can boost that bastard in Drop A or Drop A and it's just a MADMAN!
SLO 100 vs Fireball 100 😅
Engl for me.
My mom made a naked ( not Friedman ) video shooting out the same amps but she played Strandberg lunchbox guitar for the riffage.
Friedman is a all rounder
the fireball is the most brutal,sell the friedman and the soldano
All far too expensive. Couple simple mods to an MT15 gets you perfectly good tones. The O/T upgrade to get 50watts. And the master volume pot has that wicked taper, another simple fix. I use the MXR Smartgate in the fx loop and bludgeon myself to death on the regular. Doesn't seem to matter what guitar I use either. Can get punishing tones within seconds.
You can't complain about cost/expense and then immediately suggest modding an amp. That's another added cost!
ENGL ALL FREAKING DAY!!
The JEL is just beautiful!