BOGNER AMPLIFICATION
BARCELONA
BY JORDAN WAGNER
Reinhold Bogner has a reputation as a master builder of great-sounding,
loud amps such as the Ecstasy, Shiva, and
Überschall—each of which is a legend
in the hard-rock and metal worlds. But
Bogner says he’s always had an ear for the
magic of a little amp, and that has made
him well positioned to leverage the en
vogue status of smaller rigs. Bogner and the
company that bears his name entered this
game a couple of years ago with the 18-watt
Mojado (which has since been replaced
by the Palermo), but he’s since gone on to
introduce even more diminutive amps in
the new International Series—a line of big-toned, low-wattage amps that includes the
Barcelona combo reviewed here.
The International Series is inspired more
by a “compact is good” ethos than a single
approach to design, circuitry, or tube type.
Its models vary in voice and character, with
something for just about any player not
seeking high-gain tones. With 40 watts of
6CA7 power, the Barcelona speaks with
a ’60s British accent, loads of clean headroom, and a defined punch that’s less typical of Anglo amps.
A League of Its Own
At its core, the Class AB Barcelona is a very
simple amplifier. It’s among the most powerful amps in the International line in terms of
wattage, though the 40 watts can be throttled back to 20 watts via the amp’s standby
switch. This portion of the circuit works in
tandem with a power transformer that’s cus-tom-wound exclusively for an 8 Ω speaker
load (in this case, a Celestion Vintage 30).
A trio of JJ 12AX7 tubes is the core of the
amp’s single preamp channel. Instead of a tra-
ditional three-band EQ section, the preamp
employs Treble and Bass knobs and a 3-way
Mid EQ switch that flips between scooped,
flat, and boosted midrange voicings. And
while the Barcelona is built principally for
crystal-clean headroom, Bogner also threw in
a Gain control for added versatility. Pulling
that control out kicks in the amp’s Fat mode,
which boosts the gain and bass.
Herculean Tone
When you boil it down, the Barcelona is
geared for ’60s British jangle and punch.
There’s a percussive snap in the attack,
combined with Bogner’s signature muscu-
larity and smooth midrange voicing that’s
reminiscent of a healthy vintage Marshall
JTM45—but with a little more aggres-
sion. With a Strat at one end of the cable
and all of the amp’s controls at noon, the
Barcelona sounded simply brilliant, with
a nice, thick low end supporting each
plucked note. The tone had a surprisingly
monstrous body—much bigger and round-
er than what I’d expect from a 1x12 open-
back cabinet. The Bass and Treble controls
each have a wide range, but careful use of
the Master Volume is just as important in
the quest for sweet tones. Punchy, brash
tones issued forth when it was dialed to
about 3 o’clock, but below that the amp
took on a jazzier, darker voice—perfect for
both the Strat’s neck pickup and the neck
and middle pickups together.
