G_3_3_k_
Probably diddling an Oni
As many of you know I went insane several months ago and acquired a monumental amount of gear. At the core of those purchases were two amps. A Bogner Shiva 20th, and a Bugner Uber Ultra. As a result a lot of my expectations were met. Many of them exceeded.
I’ll start with the Shiva 20th:
This amp is all business. KT88s. Two channels. Both sound great no matter how you dial them in. The boost does what it’s supposed to. The modern mode is cool too for a little variation. It’s very Marshall. Like a JCM with some polish but still VERY angry. Two things surprised me. First…. The cleans on this amp are absolutely stellar. Like… the hair on the back of your neck standing up stellar. I would but again, just for the clean channel. Second surprise. The voicing on the gain channel is very unique. There’s a forwardness to some of the mids that is very aggressive. It matches really well with an EMG equipped guitar. But sounds great to me with anything. It needs low end management below C standard. But most amps do. This mid range character doesn’t really dial out though. So if you’re into it, you’ll adore this amp. If you’re not, you’ll hate it. For what my band does, it sounds fantastic. I could use this one only and be stoked about my tone.
Now the Uber Ultra:
Two channels, global boost, several modes for each channel and one set of modes for the power section, knobs that dial in the amount of said modes. KT88s. 150 watts. This amp also surprised me. I’ll start with the cleans. The cleans are good. Versatile, usable, but not worth keeping the amp for like the Shiva. Which is fine. The cleans on this amp aren’t why you get this amp. The sound much better when you use the amps boost feature. As far as gain is concerned, this amp has something for everyone. From edge of breakup, to the most liquid, searing gain. It can be thick, flabby, dark, and sludgy, or laser focused and tight. This amp doesn’t need a boost. Honestly. You can play a 9 string on it without one and it’s not just a serviceable tone, it’s a great one. This is a tweakers amp. You can spend days messing with it. I don’t, I set and forget. But it’s there if that’s you. I use this one the most with my band because it’s got the gain I want. Could I be happy with the Shiva were I to let this amp go?? Yes. But that will never fucking happen. I’ve had both of these since October. The honeymoon phase is over I still love them both. Dearly. I might add some things at some point like a JC120, AC30, or or some other niche thing that does only what it does. But I will die owning these two.
Here’s the UU in context with my band. Playing a Dunable Minotaur with a Direwolf in the bridge. I’ve since thanked that to a Hell Worm. Direwolf is a little dark, and Bogners are on the smooth side. I wanted something with a little more upper mid bite and hotter. It was a good choice. Those it sounded great before.
I’ll start with the Shiva 20th:
This amp is all business. KT88s. Two channels. Both sound great no matter how you dial them in. The boost does what it’s supposed to. The modern mode is cool too for a little variation. It’s very Marshall. Like a JCM with some polish but still VERY angry. Two things surprised me. First…. The cleans on this amp are absolutely stellar. Like… the hair on the back of your neck standing up stellar. I would but again, just for the clean channel. Second surprise. The voicing on the gain channel is very unique. There’s a forwardness to some of the mids that is very aggressive. It matches really well with an EMG equipped guitar. But sounds great to me with anything. It needs low end management below C standard. But most amps do. This mid range character doesn’t really dial out though. So if you’re into it, you’ll adore this amp. If you’re not, you’ll hate it. For what my band does, it sounds fantastic. I could use this one only and be stoked about my tone.
Now the Uber Ultra:
Two channels, global boost, several modes for each channel and one set of modes for the power section, knobs that dial in the amount of said modes. KT88s. 150 watts. This amp also surprised me. I’ll start with the cleans. The cleans are good. Versatile, usable, but not worth keeping the amp for like the Shiva. Which is fine. The cleans on this amp aren’t why you get this amp. The sound much better when you use the amps boost feature. As far as gain is concerned, this amp has something for everyone. From edge of breakup, to the most liquid, searing gain. It can be thick, flabby, dark, and sludgy, or laser focused and tight. This amp doesn’t need a boost. Honestly. You can play a 9 string on it without one and it’s not just a serviceable tone, it’s a great one. This is a tweakers amp. You can spend days messing with it. I don’t, I set and forget. But it’s there if that’s you. I use this one the most with my band because it’s got the gain I want. Could I be happy with the Shiva were I to let this amp go?? Yes. But that will never fucking happen. I’ve had both of these since October. The honeymoon phase is over I still love them both. Dearly. I might add some things at some point like a JC120, AC30, or or some other niche thing that does only what it does. But I will die owning these two.
Here’s the UU in context with my band. Playing a Dunable Minotaur with a Direwolf in the bridge. I’ve since thanked that to a Hell Worm. Direwolf is a little dark, and Bogners are on the smooth side. I wanted something with a little more upper mid bite and hotter. It was a good choice. Those it sounded great before.
