spellcheck...Egnater
So here's a rundown of my last 24 hours.
Last night I called the Guitar Center on 14th St NYC and asked them if they had any Egnater Rebels in stock- I was told yes, we have one. I said' i'd be there in the morning.
I called again this morning just to be sure, and they said yes, we have one in stock. I said i'd be right over. I went to GC, asked for the dude I spoke to on the phone, but he wasn't around. I told the associate I was looking for a Rebel 20, and he goes "Oh yeah, we have one floor model, but I think we blew it last night while playing it".
Uhhhh, what?
The guy I spoke to on the phone comes over, apparently he's the manager. I told him his associate told me that they might have blown the amp that I called about twice in the last 12 hours.. he says "oh, uh no.. it should be fine." Turns it on, sees the tubes light up, and he goes "right, it's fine.". I told him, "it's not the best way to start a $600 transaction, by telling me the guys were messing with it last night and it might be damaged." Regardless, I attempted to play it to get a feel for it.
Unfortunately for me, there were also 8 other guys in GC who were testing out other amps at the same time, and it was impossible to really get a feel for how the amp sounded. Plus the amp was on a little stage, on top of 2 1x12 cabinets, so I had to reach over my head just to turn the knobs. This, in addition to the 6 guitars on stands right in front of the amp, made it difficult to play with the dials while playing the guitar at the same time. I played or a bit, but got frustrated almost immediately due to the conditions in the store.
The amp sounded alright, but I really needed 15 minutes alone with it to gauge, which I obviously wasn't getting. I left the store, pissed and sweaty [I had my coat on still] and decided I didn't want an amp that wasn't new and was possibly damaged.
I then called the GC in Brooklyn, closer to my apartment. The guy on the phone told me they have one in stock, it's brand new in the box, they were going to put it on the floor, but if I want it they will hold off. So on the way home from work, I got off the subway at Atlantic Ave GC and picked up a brand new Egnater Rebel 20. Whoot!
I haven't had a chance to play it yet- my F&%@#king wife is napping on the couch and our apartment is only 800 square feet, so I can't play until she wakes up [gimme a break, im a good husband and she worked hard all day. I doubt she wants to be woken up right now by me blasting some Tool riffs on my new tube amp 20 feet from her head].
Anyway, here are my initial impressions, followed by some photos [I know you all like photos!]. I will test the amp throughout the weekend and give a more detailed rundown by the beginning of next week]. I'm also comparing it to my Orange Tiny Terror, which is my current amp for practicing. One of them will stay, one will go.
The amp is very well made. Real solid and tight. It feels like a real head, not a toy of any sort. It weighs about 16 lbs, while the TT weighs 12. It's 2 inches wide than the TT, 2 inches taller, and a bit deeper as well. It's heavy, but not HEAVY. You can carry it in the gig bag on your shoulder with no problem, unless you're a wuss.
It came with your standard carrying bag, black canvas whatever, with one pocket in the front, a handle, and a carrying strap, The bag is nothing worth writing about, but it's just fine for what it is. It also came with the power cord, natch.
Peeking into the back, you can see 2 6V6s, 2 EL84s, and 3 12AX7s. From what I hear, the tubes are JJ's rebranded by Groove Tubes. The amp needs to be biased if you replace the tubes, and they do not recommend doing this yourself unless you're a gear nerd.
One thing I'm not crazy about is the color scheme of this thing, it's a bit.. bleh.. for my tastes. Not really into the beige thing, but if it delivers, I'll survive. I'll spraypaint the mothereffer if I have to.
Once the wife wakes up, I'll set'er up and play with it. I'll report back with more info once I get an idea of how it sounds. For now, deal with the 778 words i just wrote on just buying the thing and it's cosmetics.. oh, and of course, a few pics.
spellcheck...Egnater
