I never heard of the Pitbull Amp until your videos. That amp is insane. My new dream amp. It's one of the meanest amps I ever heard. The Engl is awesome too. Thanks for your awesome videos. 🤘
Sick riffs brother! Both amps have a unique voice which reflect on each name, The Fireball: a scorching, modern high gain amp and The Pitbull: a gnashing, in your face amp with a bark and a bite. You make both sound great. That first section with explorer is heavy as hell! I think they’d sound cool together in a mix since the pitbull is stiffer and less saturated than the fireball. Great video!
I have a Fireball 100. I use the clean channel 75% of the time, with the gain around 3 o'clock. What made a world of difference is putting reverb in the loop. I've been shopping for VHT 50cl. But I have a Splawn QR 50 due any day, so...
Had the pitbull, still have the fireball. But super clear sounding amps in different ways. Pitbull has great note separation (can hear every note in a full strummed chord with full on distortion) Fireball has fast note tracking that adds clarity while playing fast (tremelo picking, fast gallops etc) There is a difference in how they feel- Engl is more saturated and screams/sustains more, Vht translates to more harmonically rich and guitars, pickups, speakers make a huge difference. Both are amazing amps and can be used for a variety of applications. The Fireball has a grind/more aggressive distortion better suited to death/blackmetal.
Pittbull can be dialed extremely different. Par EQ, Presend, Depth, EQ, Boost, Bright, Boost, Shift. But it still remains very tight. Parametric EQ is fantastic.
the reason the VHT Ultra Lead isn't used by many artists anymore is that they're simply hard to come by, never brand new and when going on tour, if an accident were to happen and/or the amplifier dies, you can't just go down to your local guitar shop to buy a new one. plus, they don't make custom ordered signature models for artists. if you're a touring artist, you go with something sustainable, sounds killer and plentiful. plus big artists can have contracts to represent a brand they're using live and in the studio. most aren't gonna represent a brand out of sheer love of a product - but hey, that's business. i have both the Ultra lead and the 100/CL and they're absolutely crushing, in fact i can't say anything bad about them. i absolutely love them.
It's usually the Amp that I name as my Favourite for Metal/High Gain... there's a reason for that! But in some circles it does have a bad reputation for recording. I'm not in that circle and hope to never run into it haha! Cheers -Ryan
@@Crypticmaskguitar I completely agree, just thought i'd throw my 2 cents in as a fan of the VHT, too. your videos are absolutely killer, dude. thank you for these!
Yea, no. That’s complete horseshit. They aren’t used because they sound god awful recorded to a lot of people with that hollow midrange. Name ONE of your favorite records, or iconic HEAVY records that were done with this amp…. I’ll wait…. Producers and engineers who want to make the best sounding records are going to use the best gear they can. So Andy sneap will buy an SSL console but not the “amazing bestest ampz evarz” VHT? Rightttttt….
@@truckguy3 Mick Thomson recorded both Iowa and Vol.3 with his ultra lead, Greg Tribbitt recorded L.D. 50 with it, Koichi Fukuda recorded Wisconsin Death Trip with one and obviously Page Hamilton and so on. so there is very great sounding records with the amp. And I’ll explain my experience with the amp. I’m in a 5 piece band, I use both my Ultra Lead and CL/100 with my 4x12 Celestine G12K100 speakers. It sounds great within a mix and the midrange isn’t shallow at all. I’ve recorded with it and it’s sounded amazing with what we’ve done, Specifically to my ears. It comes to flavor and what your shit sandwich tastes like isn’t my business. I’m not the the only one who loves the Ultra Lead. Anyways, instead, I want you to prove to me that any known recording artist has actually stated the amp fucking sucks and it sounds horrible to record with? I’ll wait.
A venue in my city that has terrible acoustics and metal bands sound like they are in a tunnel. The best sound I have heard in the place was from the band Pro-Pain and they were using the VHT pittbulls. For some reason that amp just worked and sounded awesome live. Pretty pricey when you can find someone who will part with them. My friend has one and i bug him all the time to sell it.
I've got the synergy pitbull and the powerball modules, and a few others, but I feel like I def go to the pitbull more I like the note separation I hear when I play chords I can hear ever single note while the powerball I just don't feel like I hear anything other than the root note. Single notes are pretty wild on the engl, I think both are extremely tight, I just like the pitbull a bit more overall i really need to try speakers otherthan v30s on the engl. Love the videos and amazing songs as always!
I always feel like the Pitbull (and just about any Steve Fryette design) really requires a very solid technique and consistent heavy pick attack for heavy tones. Despite having a ton of clipping, they don't have a bunch of smooth compression like a lot of other designs. I've always loved them because they make me a better player. The EQ is super versatile once you learn the ins and outs too. The Engl thing has always seemed to be a lot of smooth compression to the point where it almost feels like playing a loud monitor in a control room. They're also great but for totally different reasons. A lot more forgiving of sloppy right hands because they seem to be less dynamic on the whole. They almost remind me of a smoother high quality solid state amp in that regard. Regardless, both sound great, and honestly a solid player would do well with either. I bet they would double track and compliment each other wonderfully.
Correct! I have a Pitbull 50ST + UltraLead since 1996! And yes it made me a huge better player. I knew these amp since 1988 and always wanted one. VHT Fryette dont hide your sloppy playing beware!
There are a few left that I can so with Mesa Amps. Out of the 50 or so High Gain Shootouts that I have done, 20 are with Mesa Boogie amps, though. Cheers -Ryan
Having owned both, the fryette is so much louder in person. These studio situations it's hard to hear that. The pittbull fills a room way more. Truth is the Engl isn't even close to as loud as a 100 watt tube amp should be IMO.
I’ve owned a VHT Pittbull for over 20 years. Amazing amp. Built like a tank.
I never heard of the Pitbull Amp until your videos. That amp is insane. My new dream amp. It's one of the meanest amps I ever heard. The Engl is awesome too. Thanks for your awesome videos. 🤘
I got one I’ll sell ya for 5k
Also it’s worth mentioning that the Pittbull can make you a better player. If you are sloppy anywhere in your playing, the Pittbull will let you know.
Absolutely.
So true. Two amps make my hand hurt. Thats the UL and the Omega Granophyre.
Very true.... knew this back in 1996 when l bought the pitbull 50 ST and still have it plus the Ultra lead.
Sick riffs brother! Both amps have a unique voice which reflect on each name, The Fireball: a scorching, modern high gain amp and The Pitbull: a gnashing, in your face amp with a bark and a bite. You make both sound great. That first section with explorer is heavy as hell! I think they’d sound cool together in a mix since the pitbull is stiffer and less saturated than the fireball. Great video!
Both of these are killers. Appreciate the jams brother . Keep bringing that 🔥.
cool video brother!!! just ordered the fireball 100 to pair with my mesa mark IVB in a stereo rig...can't wait to hear it, cheers all!!!
Congrats! The Fireball 100 is an awesome amp! As is the Mesa Boogie Mark IV Rev B (I love mine!) Cheers -Ryan
Pittbull Ultra Lead the best amp for metal ever made
I have a Fireball 100. I use the clean channel 75% of the time, with the gain around 3 o'clock. What made a world of difference is putting reverb in the loop.
I've been shopping for VHT 50cl. But I have a Splawn QR 50 due any day, so...
Had the pitbull, still have the fireball. But super clear sounding amps in different ways. Pitbull has great note separation (can hear every note in a full strummed chord with full on distortion) Fireball has fast note tracking that adds clarity while playing fast (tremelo picking, fast gallops etc) There is a difference in how they feel- Engl is more saturated and screams/sustains more, Vht translates to more harmonically rich and guitars, pickups, speakers make a huge difference. Both are amazing amps and can be used for a variety of applications. The Fireball has a grind/more aggressive distortion better suited to death/blackmetal.
Hi, where you receive vht?
Pittbull can be dialed extremely different. Par EQ, Presend, Depth, EQ, Boost, Bright, Boost, Shift. But it still remains very tight. Parametric EQ is fantastic.
the reason the VHT Ultra Lead isn't used by many artists anymore is that they're simply hard to come by, never brand new and when going on tour, if an accident were to happen and/or the amplifier dies, you can't just go down to your local guitar shop to buy a new one.
plus, they don't make custom ordered signature models for artists. if you're a touring artist, you go with something sustainable, sounds killer and plentiful. plus big artists can have contracts to represent a brand they're using live and in the studio. most aren't gonna represent a brand out of sheer love of a product - but hey, that's business.
i have both the Ultra lead and the 100/CL and they're absolutely crushing, in fact i can't say anything bad about them. i absolutely love them.
It's usually the Amp that I name as my Favourite for Metal/High Gain... there's a reason for that! But in some circles it does have a bad reputation for recording. I'm not in that circle and hope to never run into it haha! Cheers -Ryan
@@Crypticmaskguitar I completely agree, just thought i'd throw my 2 cents in as a fan of the VHT, too. your videos are absolutely killer, dude. thank you for these!
Yea, no. That’s complete horseshit. They aren’t used because they sound god awful recorded to a lot of people with that hollow midrange. Name ONE of your favorite records, or iconic HEAVY records that were done with this amp…. I’ll wait…. Producers and engineers who want to make the best sounding records are going to use the best gear they can. So Andy sneap will buy an SSL console but not the “amazing bestest ampz evarz” VHT? Rightttttt….
John Christ and Mick Thomson used them.
@@truckguy3 Mick Thomson recorded both Iowa and Vol.3 with his ultra lead, Greg Tribbitt recorded L.D. 50 with it, Koichi Fukuda recorded Wisconsin Death Trip with one and obviously Page Hamilton and so on. so there is very great sounding records with the amp.
And I’ll explain my experience with the amp. I’m in a 5 piece band, I use both my Ultra Lead and CL/100 with my 4x12 Celestine G12K100 speakers. It sounds great within a mix and the midrange isn’t shallow at all.
I’ve recorded with it and it’s sounded amazing with what we’ve done, Specifically to my ears. It comes to flavor and what your shit sandwich tastes like isn’t my business. I’m not the the only one who loves the Ultra Lead.
Anyways, instead, I want you to prove to me that any known recording artist has actually stated the amp fucking sucks and it sounds horrible to record with? I’ll wait.
Excellent comparison and video.
A venue in my city that has terrible acoustics and metal bands sound like they are in a tunnel. The best sound I have heard in the place was from the band Pro-Pain and they were using the VHT pittbulls. For some reason that amp just worked and sounded awesome live. Pretty pricey when you can find someone who will part with them. My friend has one and i bug him all the time to sell it.
That's the only annoying thing about owning a Pittbull... EVERYONE wants to buy it from you. Hahaha! Cheers -Ryan
@@Crypticmaskguitar LOL yes.
I own a VHT Ultra Lead the best amp purchase over any Bogner l own.
I've got the synergy pitbull and the powerball modules, and a few others, but I feel like I def go to the pitbull more I like the note separation I hear when I play chords I can hear ever single note while the powerball I just don't feel like I hear anything other than the root note. Single notes are pretty wild on the engl, I think both are extremely tight, I just like the pitbull a bit more overall i really need to try speakers otherthan v30s on the engl. Love the videos and amazing songs as always!
I always feel like the Pitbull (and just about any Steve Fryette design) really requires a very solid technique and consistent heavy pick attack for heavy tones. Despite having a ton of clipping, they don't have a bunch of smooth compression like a lot of other designs. I've always loved them because they make me a better player. The EQ is super versatile once you learn the ins and outs too.
The Engl thing has always seemed to be a lot of smooth compression to the point where it almost feels like playing a loud monitor in a control room. They're also great but for totally different reasons. A lot more forgiving of sloppy right hands because they seem to be less dynamic on the whole. They almost remind me of a smoother high quality solid state amp in that regard.
Regardless, both sound great, and honestly a solid player would do well with either. I bet they would double track and compliment each other wonderfully.
Should've compared the pitbull to the savage mk2
I only use amps that I own. I haven’t bought a Savage as of yet. Cheers -Ryan
Both sound great to me. BTW what pickups are in that Explorer? Thanks!
Correct! I have a Pitbull 50ST + UltraLead since 1996! And yes it made me a huge better player. I knew these amp since 1988 and always wanted one. VHT Fryette dont hide your sloppy playing beware!
both were very good . but I prefer the PITTBULL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The explorer FTW
Fireball sounds better to me. I've played 2 Pitbulls and they are ok. Boatload of low end. But just not for me.
Just don't understand why you don't have hundreds of thousands of subs
Very kind comment! Tons of reasons, though! hahaha! Cheers -Ryan
More Mesa Boogie videos please 😊
There are a few left that I can so with Mesa Amps. Out of the 50 or so High Gain Shootouts that I have done, 20 are with Mesa Boogie amps, though. Cheers -Ryan
i like the fireball. pitbull has no lows
Any chance the Pittbull is for sale?
Hahahahahaha! Dear lord NO! Best of luck in finding one though! Cheers -Ryan
Figured it was a long shot. Wish I had never sold mine. There's a few on Reverb, but no one is willing to ship. Thanks for the reply.
Why do you have the wah pedal in the chain?
If I use a Wah pedal… it will be in the chain. Cheers -Ryan
@@Crypticmaskguitar ok, i didn't know if there was a slight change in tone or boost it was providing.
Wow, the Ultra Lead is the worst head I've ever played and it's not even close!!!!!
LoL
Having owned both, the fryette is so much louder in person. These studio situations it's hard to hear that. The pittbull fills a room way more. Truth is the Engl isn't even close to as loud as a 100 watt tube amp should be IMO.