From the late-sixties rock quintet
Roundabout to the pummeling Deep
Purple to the driving melodic rhythms
of Rainbow, legendary guitarist Ritchie
Blackmore has had a defining career in
rock and roll that few can claim to match,
let alone exceed. The prolific guitarist has
crafted some of the most infectious riffs in
the history of the genre and helped found
what is now known as heavy metal. Like
other guitarists of the time, his style was
heavily blues-based, but he incorporated
a strong classical influence that would
later serve as a foundation for modern-era
metal guitarists such as Randy Rhoads,
Zakk Wylde, Yngwie J. Malmsteen and
Dimebag Darrell.
Blackmore’s unique guitar tone was a
combination of the best of both worlds.
Originally achieved with a Fender
Stratocaster with a scalloped fretboard
(purchased from a roadie of Eric Clapton’s)
into modified Marshall Major 200-watt
heads, it had the cut and tightness of the
Strat and the heft, thickness and power of
the Marshall Major. Since 1994, Blackmore
has been using amplifiers from Engl. More
recently, his own signature model was
released to try to replicate the sheer power
of his past rig and offer a larger, more
modern tonal palette.
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Features
The E 650 head presents the player with
a relatively simple layout, consisting of a
3-band EQ section with a Presence control.
A total of four channels share this circuit,
and can also utilize the included Bright and
Contour switches (more on this later). Along
with a separate Lead Volume control and
two Master Volume Controls, each channel
setup reacts differently, depending on how
the amplifier is set. The amplifier is all tube,
running a quartet of 5881 power tubes and a
total of four ECC83 preamp tubes.
Plugging In
After setting up the head with the matching
Engl PRO series 4x12 cabinet, the
head was set with the EQ controls at the
12 o’clock positions, the clean channel
engaged, and fed with the input from a
1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom and a 2006
Fender American Stratocaster. Two words
can best describe this channel: intense
power. Older-era single channel Marshall
amps, especially the Marshall Major, had
a reputation for pushing a lot of air even
when clean. Certainly, one of the defining
characteristics of the Major was the added
headroom; it was a very difficult amplifier
to distort because it was extremely loud.
It was certainly a shock to hit an open G
chord and feel that old school non-master
volume amp punch in the chest—that
feeling that lets you know this is a healthy
amplifier with a lot of power underneath
the hood. This channel can be pushed into
a light crunch more easily than a non-master
volume amp by using the preamp gain
control knob in tandem with the Master
Volume A control, but it isn’t necessary.
Pressing the “Gain Lo-Hi” button shoved
out a killer British drive tone capable of
handling any seventies rock tone you could
want. In addition, the channel still had the
punch and cut of the stock clean channel—
the great vibration that exudes from a welldesigned
amplifier, and that you can feel
in your chest. The surprises did not stop
there, though; this amp had a lot more say
as the trial pressed on.
The lead channel section in the Blackmore
has a somewhat different feel from the
more unsoiled half. While the clean side
has a very immediate attack with an
extremely muscular tone, the lead channel
gives in, just a little, for a spongier feel. It
certainly doesn’t lose its defined punch,
clarity and grind. Rather, it makes the amp
a little easier to play, which is very nice,
considering how much gain this thing has.
For rock players of all eras, this is a great
amplifier, but it is especially so if seventies
hard rock is in order.
If more modern metal is what you’re after,
the Engl Blackmore can hold its own
against pretty much anything. The drive is
rich, thick and enormously clear, sounding
better and better as the master is turned
up. Make no mistake, the Blackmore
sounds great at low volumes, but sounds
out of this world when pushed hard. It
surely shares the tonal hi-fi ranks of other
brilliant European amp makers, such as
Diezel. It has that great British high gain
tone with perfect midrange, but melded
with modern, high fidelity circuitry and a
particularly efficient power section. In the
world of guitar tone, this is a relatively new
sound and feel. Some players don’t care
at all for the hi-fi quality of these amps,
while others have been waiting their whole
careers for something to come along that
does it. Obviously, the best bet would be
to play one in person, simply because the
Engl Ritchie Blackmore is a very punchy
and uniquely-voiced amplifier.
The lead channels are the only channels
where the Contour control has any affect
in the circuit. When pushed in, the frequencies
between 300 and 500 Hz are
boosted, providing a nice cutting edge
for the toneto make its way through the
mix, with plenty of harmonics for fast,
easy runs. The Lead channels can also be
further tweaked with the Presence and
separate Lead Volume controls, which
help add a sparkling top and balance the
levels between the two channels. When
reaching the higher gain settings, the
amp handles modern metal and thrash
tones with ease.
The Final Mojo
The Blackmore is a high gain player’s amp.
That being said, players should definitely
take warning: the impressive amount of
gain coupled with the intense clarity will
not cover up any lack of detail in the
player’s style. Considering the price of the
amplifier, the number of tones available
and the simplicity of the features, some
could easily consider it a bargain. There are
other amplifiers that have similar tones but
cost a lot more than this particular model.
Without a doubt, it will make you feel, as
Ritchie Blackmore himself put it years ago,
“like you own the stage.”
Buy if...
you want a loud, reliable, efficient
high-gain amp with a high fidelity
feel for a great price.
Skip if...
you consider the hi-fi tones too anemic,
need less power or separate
EQ control for each channel.
Rating...
