PlaidPlesiosaur
Member
I bought High Gain Junkie's Electra-Dyne (Thank you very much for the extremely pleasant transaction!) the other day and thought I'd post a quick review of it.
It's the 112 combo but it's in the 212 combo cabinet so it has enhanced natural depth. This one has the clean gain trim knob installed from the Mesa factory.
Channel 1 is the Clean Channel and it is based on the Fender Blackface era amps, I'm guessing the Twin Reverb because it sounds similar to my Twin and when cranked you can get some perfect SRV growl. Goes from Class A type American cleans on the 45 watt mode to perfect punch on the 90 watt Simul-Class mode.
Channel 2 is the Vintage Lo Channel and it is based on a Marshall Plexi, specifically the JTM45 to my ears. It gets hot, especially when the amp is cranked past about 9:00. I think this channel would excel at rock and metal along the lines of Sleep, but with a fuller sound.
Channel 3 is the Vintage Hi Channel and it sounds like it is based on a Marshall Super Lead 100. You can get some insane clarity even with the gain cranked on this channel with the right guitar. It goes from warm and lively cleans to full on intense distortion. It get very brutal with the right overdrive. It can definitely do metal without a boost but if you want epic high gain you can just boost it a tad and you're good.
All in all, I love this amp. It's all I need and it's dead quiet even with a boost. I chose it over a Bogner Shiva, so that says something, though I still kind of want an XTC. If you haven't tried this amp, then I highly suggest you do. If you hate Mesas, you will probably love this amp and that's probably the best way to describe it, though I doubt anyone on the Boogie Board hates Mesas! I love Mesas and I love this particular amp the most, but that's just me. I think that the 90 watt mode is the most useful in a band situation. I used it in band practice the day I got it (Thursday or Friday I believe, can't remember, it was early XD) and it didn't just cut through, it sat PERFECTLY in the right spot in the mix between the drummer, bassist, keyboardist, and myself. I have to say that this was the final piece of the puzzle that my JSX just wasn't fulfilling.
Would I buy it again? Definitely. It's the only amp I need until I can afford an Axe-FX, at which point I will probably just leave this ED at home for my own personal tonal satisfaction and use the versatility of the Axe-FX for live performances. I could play an entire show with the ED on the Vintage High mode with the gain at 2:00 just rolling the volume on my guitar up and down and it would be perfect. This amp cleans up so well with every one of my guitars I've played through it including an Agile Les Paul, Agile Tele, Ibanez RG550, Ibanez S540, and Gibson SG. To any Mark series lurkers looking to trade in to the Electra-Dyne, all I can say is that with the gain on the ED maxed it puts your right at where you would have your gain set on the Mark V for clarity and tone except with, in my opinion, a nicer voicing.
Some pictures...
And a preliminary audio clip, I'll do a better one soon I promise. - http://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/PerpetualBurn/music/play864315
It's the 112 combo but it's in the 212 combo cabinet so it has enhanced natural depth. This one has the clean gain trim knob installed from the Mesa factory.
Channel 1 is the Clean Channel and it is based on the Fender Blackface era amps, I'm guessing the Twin Reverb because it sounds similar to my Twin and when cranked you can get some perfect SRV growl. Goes from Class A type American cleans on the 45 watt mode to perfect punch on the 90 watt Simul-Class mode.
Channel 2 is the Vintage Lo Channel and it is based on a Marshall Plexi, specifically the JTM45 to my ears. It gets hot, especially when the amp is cranked past about 9:00. I think this channel would excel at rock and metal along the lines of Sleep, but with a fuller sound.
Channel 3 is the Vintage Hi Channel and it sounds like it is based on a Marshall Super Lead 100. You can get some insane clarity even with the gain cranked on this channel with the right guitar. It goes from warm and lively cleans to full on intense distortion. It get very brutal with the right overdrive. It can definitely do metal without a boost but if you want epic high gain you can just boost it a tad and you're good.
All in all, I love this amp. It's all I need and it's dead quiet even with a boost. I chose it over a Bogner Shiva, so that says something, though I still kind of want an XTC. If you haven't tried this amp, then I highly suggest you do. If you hate Mesas, you will probably love this amp and that's probably the best way to describe it, though I doubt anyone on the Boogie Board hates Mesas! I love Mesas and I love this particular amp the most, but that's just me. I think that the 90 watt mode is the most useful in a band situation. I used it in band practice the day I got it (Thursday or Friday I believe, can't remember, it was early XD) and it didn't just cut through, it sat PERFECTLY in the right spot in the mix between the drummer, bassist, keyboardist, and myself. I have to say that this was the final piece of the puzzle that my JSX just wasn't fulfilling.
Would I buy it again? Definitely. It's the only amp I need until I can afford an Axe-FX, at which point I will probably just leave this ED at home for my own personal tonal satisfaction and use the versatility of the Axe-FX for live performances. I could play an entire show with the ED on the Vintage High mode with the gain at 2:00 just rolling the volume on my guitar up and down and it would be perfect. This amp cleans up so well with every one of my guitars I've played through it including an Agile Les Paul, Agile Tele, Ibanez RG550, Ibanez S540, and Gibson SG. To any Mark series lurkers looking to trade in to the Electra-Dyne, all I can say is that with the gain on the ED maxed it puts your right at where you would have your gain set on the Mark V for clarity and tone except with, in my opinion, a nicer voicing.
Some pictures...
And a preliminary audio clip, I'll do a better one soon I promise. - http://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/PerpetualBurn/music/play864315
