Oh Momma
Removing the center panel on the back of the
cab only increased the tone’s breadth, increasing
its response and dimension as I turned the
gain up a little more. Honestly, there aren’t many
things cooler than controlled note feedback
with a clean tone, and the Parker Fly that I had
plugged in at this point certainly helped with its
precise vibrato system. Switching over to channel
two caused the Renegade to exhibit a more
aggressive character, more in the vein of an old
JCM800 or modded Super Lead. What set the
Renegade’s tone apart from those famous amps
was, ultimately, the voicing of the preamp itself.
The upper midrange grind that those old British
amps are known for had a unique “give,” one
that made them instantly recognizable to the
ear. The Egnater has a more modern approach,
and its voicing has more of a solid, round quality
to it, with a bigger low end.
With the Les Paul, I was amazed at the
Renegade’s ability to stay smooth and controlled
at any gain setting, especially when I was pushing
it very hard in the 18-watt mode. I love the
sound of low-wattage amps being pushed to the
brink, and there’s nothing that puts in me in a
Brian May mood more than hitting one of those
amps with a flurry of licks from a great neck pickup.
For modern metal players, the Renegade
can handle it quite nicely, especially if the music
being played is on the Tool or Mastodon side
of the tonal spectrum. If you’re more of a fan
of modern gain tones produced by American
designs, the Renegade might not satisfy your
craving, even at the full 6L6 setting. The voicing
definitely leans more to the British side in any
case, but is still capable of producing massive,
pummeling gain tones with a very tight low end.
The Final Mojo
The Renegade was designed to cover a lot of
ground, and it does that quite well. It still has
the same tonal characteristics that you’ll find
in Egnater’s other amplifiers, and sits on a nice
middle ground feature-wise between their
Rebel 30 and flagship Tourmaster amplifiers.
It’s being offered in a wide variety of configurations:
1x12, 2x12, or 4x10 combo, or as a head
with Egnater 2x12, 4x10 or 4x12 cabinets.
Guitarists looking for extreme gain tones might
want to hold out for Egnater’s forthcoming
Armageddon amp, and the clean voicing might
not be to every player’s liking. Personally, I
love it, and the gain tones definitely satisfy my
British tone jones. Not only are there a ton of
options to craft your tone, they’re all useful in
helping you get there.
Buy if...
you’re looking for a great tube
amp that covers a lot of ground
while remaining easy to use.
Skip if...
you need the most modern
high-gain tones.
Rating...
