PRODUCT REVIEW
compressed result. When I was using it to jam
with a band, the sound was very expansive,
great for hard rock with a spongy midrange.
While the Shiva’s overdrive certainly can
sound mean and assertive, its natural organic
nature prevents it from achieving thrashier,
modern American-voiced metal tones, à
la Exodus and Testament. Some players
might view this as a blessing, as the Shiva’s
overdrive channel high-end frequencies don’t
exhibit the razor-sharp tendencies that those
extreme genres command.
diminutive size, the amount of low end that it
could project was too intense at times. When
the bass got to be too much, I simply turned it
down without losing any of the heft.
a 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom with Tom
Anderson pickups, and a 2008 Fender American
Stratocaster. After letting the amp warm up and
plugging in the Gibson, I noticed a feature on
the footswitch that a lot of amp manufacturers
should take note of: a standby switch. This is a
fantastic idea, especially for recording musicians
with their amps in isolation rooms. Being able
to put the amp in standby from the footswitch
seems like a minor feature, but it really is
convenient—I’m surprised that it hasn’t been
implemented in more amps.
It could cut through with the right settings,
but when used for rhythm it sat perfectly in
the mix, hitting all the right frequencies to be
heard and felt (and not drowned out by my
pounding drummer). This was an issue with an
older Marshall head that I had with KT88s in
it—I just had to keep turning it up to be heard.
Eventually, I was overpowering everyone else.
Bogner got the voicing just right with this one,
and it was fantastic. Finally, an Excursion knob
on the back of the amp allows the player to
adjust the bass response for their cabinet and
get a less congested (but full) tone at lower
volumes. The matching 2x12 cabinet (loaded
with Celestion Vintage 30s) had amazing
response and definition (absolutely stellar for a
pair of twelve inch speakers), but even with its
Ecstasy
With its reputation as one of the most versatile
modern amplifiers ever made, it seems only
fitting that Bogner’s flagship amp, the Ecstasy,
would receive the 20th Anniversary treatment.
It’s an intimidating-looking beast for sure, with
a total of fourteen control knobs and ten micro
switches on the faceplate alone. Reinhold
has a reputation for constantly revising and
improving his designs even after the product is
released, and the Ecstasy has been one of his
most laborious endeavors to date. For the 20th
Anniversary model, he went with a brand new
preamp circuit that differs from the Classic model
that most Bogner players are familiar with.
I tested the head with its matching 4x12
cabinet, loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s,
The clean channel has a simple three-band EQ,
and an assortment of tone-shaping switches.
A three-position Pre-EQ switch—designed to
react like a Bright switch on an old Twin—works
in tandem with the Gain control. The lower the
gain, the more effect the Pre-EQ setting will
have. Eventually, I found a really great blues
clean with the switch at B1, and the Gain just
barely on the edge of breakup. On this setting
the Ecstasy becomes very sensitive to pick
incredible cleans and a versatile,
punchy overdrive is what’s
needed.
Buy If...
Skip If...
you’re in need of a more modern
metal tone.
Rating...
4. 5
ONTHEWeb
Click here to hear sound samples
of the amp in action at
premierguitar.com
Bogner Custom Amplification
MSRP $3889 (Head + 2x12 Cabinet)
bogneramplification.com
