German amp builder Engl has linked up with Steve Morse to cram his “distinctive sound and versatility” into a signature 20-watt amp head.
The former Deep Purple and Dixie Gregs guitarist uses an innovative wet/dry live rig, and so this small but mighty Engl has been designed to play a key role in that setup. ENGL says its resulting creation provides “the perfect combination of power, tone, and portability.”
The portability is a key reason the amp exists. In an age where digital modelers like Neural DSP’s Quad Cortex are a huge draw to guitarists wanting a compact but versatile live rig, the head’s 20-pound weight and shrunk-down sizing (34 x 14 x 22cm) offer similar benefits in tube amp form.
Granted, Morse is a champion of the Kemper, but he's sticking to Engl tube amps live as he believes there's one thing that digital modelers can never do quite as well, and so this amp was born out of a desire to rehouse the magic of his 100-watt head into a smaller package.
Its clean and overdrive channels are meant to be highly tweakable, delivering everything from clear, unblemished cleans to crunching rhythm tones and leads that will cut through the mix like a knife through hot butter. “This amp,” Engl proudly says, “can handle it all.”
Of its “super clean,” Morse says, “It's a sound that you pretty much can't get anywhere else… It doesn't fall apart when you increase the gain.”
There's a gain control for each of the two channels, and a three-band EQ shared between. In addition, the clean channel has been gifted a Presence control, while a Lead Volume dial sits alongside the Master Volume.
A built-in noise gate negates the need for an external pedal to scare off feedback and unwanted noises, and the amp offers full MIDI compatibility for integrating third-party gear.
That’s also helpful to make the most out of the delay and reverbs housed within the amp, alongside a suite of other quirks, including a 2db boost for soloing. Other features include a gain boost with additional midrange, helping give single coil guitars a sound more in line with the full-bodied power of humbuckers.
Engl and Morse have also found room within for eight IR speaker emulators. The first three are channeling a suit of Engls, the E212VHB, E412VSB, and E412XXL (all V30 models). The remaining five slots are open for users to add their preferred IRs.
Its wattage output can be rolled down to five- and one-watt settings, too. Beyond that, there's also a zero-watt setting, intended to be used with headphones, with players hearing its IR reactor in full swing.
Importantly, the amp was fine-tuned by Morse and Engl's Horst Langer on the road rather than “in a lab,” with Langer consistently providing new prototypes as Morse performance reports from show to show.
“There are characteristics of tubes that you have to design around,” says Morse on the amps blend of 12A7 and E84 tubes. “Horst Langer is great at getting the most out of each tube without having to resort to external EQ.
“This is a great example; it's all tube all the time. The idea is to be versatile, and nothing beats Engl for doing that exceptionally well.”
The Engl E658 Steve Morse Signature 20 costs $1,600.
Visit Engl to learn more.
In related news, Morse recently spoke about how he once quit music to become an airline pilot, only for Lynyrd Skynyrd to persuade him to return.
