Bogner

Fat Sound's Take

My all time favorite 3 Channel amplifier taken to all new levels of perfection with a heavily tweaked tone circuit.

I bought an XTC 101B in 1994 and it was my main amp for many years, but over the past 4 or 5 years it just seemed to gradually lose some of its initial appeal and become slightly........dated sounding for lack of a better way of describing it. Still a great amp, but not as world leading as it had been for the first several years after its initial release.

The 20th Anniversary edition changes that and we now, once again, have a true world beater and class leader that I'd put up against *any* other three channel amplifier.

All three channels are remarkably improved including a Clean Channel that is absolutely gorgeous with big, bold, punchy tones that are thick yet complex with a wonderful feel. There is more shimmer up top, more glassiness and punch down low and more richness in the mids. Like combining the best of a Black Face Fender with the best of a late 60's Marshall 100 watter.

Channel 2, the channel that most folks bought the standard XTC for, is also more organic and natural with an overall, open, complex sonic quality that the previous XTC never quite achieved. None of the magic of the original's second channel has been lost, but everything about it has been improved.

Channel 3 has lost the extreme compression while retaining the infinite sustain of the XTC 101B making it much more useable and the perfect channel for singing solo work.

This is the best sounding, most versatile, multi-channel amp I have ever heard.

-Stu Carter, owner Fat Sound Guitars

Specifications

• 100 watts from four 6L6 power tubes
• 3 Channels
• Plexi Mode for Channels 2 and 3
• Vintage/Modern mode for Channel 2
• Series/Parallel selectable FX loop
• Lo Gain/Hi Gain switch for Channels 2 and 3
• EQ switch for Channels 2 and 3 to bring various amounts of added top end gain in to different frequency ranges,
• Excursion switch to adjust the tightness of the low end via speaker travel.
• Dual Presence controls with assignable second presence
• Old/New (triode/pentode) switch on rear panel
• Full power/Half power switch on rear panel
• 7 button footswitch - CH1, CH2, CH3, CH1 Boost, CH2&3 Boost, FX Loop, Mute

Fat Sound Award for Design and Sonic Excellence!

Vital Stat's

• Serial Sign: Dash / Asterisk / Up Arrow (hand-written)
• Year or production: 1993
• Cosmetic Condition: Excellent (common bluing of the metal grille)
• Operational Condition: Flawless
• Footswitch: Included - Original
• Footswitch Condition: Very Good (some scratches on bottom plate and one chip on top)

The Venerable 100B

One of the most desirable and collectable amplifiers of the modern, boutique era. Along with Michael Soldano's SLO100, Reinhold Bogner's 100 series, which included the 100A (A = American - 6L6 based) and 100B (B = British - EL34 based) are the channel switchers that heralded the New Golden Age of Multi-Channel, Modified Marshall based amplifiers. Featuring extremely high component and build quality, impressive, well thought out feature sets and revolutionary sonic qualities, 20 years later these amplifiers are still considered by many to be The Benchmarks.

This original Bogner Ecstasy 100 series of which, purportedly, only 100 were made (A and B models combined) is the more desirable B version. Its then standard black anodized, metal front and back grilles (utilized both for looks and to aid in ventilation), white powder coated chassis and large, chassis mounted heat sink along with a built-in Variac designed to aid in achieving the early Van Halen "Brown Sound" are signature features of these exceptionally rare and highly desirable early Bogner amplifiers.

The example on offer here is as clean as we've seen showing only the common bluing of the anodized, black metal grille, no tolex tears or cabinet dings and extremely minimal wear on front and rear panels.

This predecessor to the 101B model is considered by many to be the Bogner Ecstasy in its ultimate form. The 100B variants rarely come up for sale. Finding one this clean is becoming increasingly difficult. Their increased desirability began several years after the 1994 release of the 101 models which are believed by many to be more compressed, less open and not as organic sounding due, in part, to their more feature heavy design and more complex circuitry. We should point out, however, that while this is a widely held belief, player preference for the 100B over the earliest 101B, Ecstasy Classic or current 20th Anniversary models, all of which sound fantastic, is purely subjective. The higher resale value of these earliest Ecstasy models, however, is not. They have commanded a higher price than later versions for over a decade and as they become increasingly difficult to find their value continues to climb.

The Ecstasy Classic was later released as an attempt to satisfy Bogner fans looking for a close approximation of this original Bogner design. The Classic option was offered with fewer features than the 101B, but at a premium price in response to escalating values of the original, less feature laden 100 series. The Classic option was recently discontinued having been replaced by the "20th Anniversary" option. A new 101B with 20th Anniversary, Metal Grille and Variable Line Out options currently sells for $4246.00. Despite Bogner's release of the Classic and 20th Anniversary options, Bogner has never built exact reproductions of the original 100 circuit.

Whether you are an amp collector or simply in the market for one of the greatest, multi channel guitar amplifiers of all time, this 100B is worth serious consideration.

Highly Recommended!!™

Specifications

• 100 Watt Head
• Adjustable Bias Class A/B
• Four EL34 Power Tubes
• Six 12AX7 Preap Tubes
• Silicon Diode Rectified
• Three Channels - Green (CH1 - Clean), Blue (CH2 - Crunch), Red (CH3 - Lead)

Front Panel

Global Controls

• Standby / Operate Switch
• Presence
• Master Volume (overall output of all three channels)
• Excursion Switch - Loose / Tight (determines the travel of the speaker for a tighter or looser low end response)

Channel One (Clean)

• Volume 1
  
• Treble
  
• Middle
  
• Bass
  
• Gain
• Pre EQ Switch - B1 (Bright 1) / N (Normal) / B2 (Bright 2)
  Selecting B1 or B2 increases apparent gain in different upper frequency ranges when channel's Gain control is set at 2:00 or lower

Channels Two (Crunch) and Three (Lead)

• Volume 3 - CH3
• Volume 2 - CH2
• Treble - CH2 & 3
• Middle - CH2 & 3
• Bass - CH2 & 3
• Gain 3 - CH3
• Gain 2 - CH2
  

Channel 2 and 3 Voicing Switches

• Gain Mode Switch CH3 - P (Plexi) / L (Lead)
• Air Switch CH2 & CH3 - L (Low) / H (High)
• Gain Structure CH2 & CH3 - L (Low) / H (High)
• Pre EQ 3 - CH3 - B (Bright) / M (Mid) / D (Dark)
• Pre EQ 2 - CH2 - B (Bright) / M (Mid) / D (Dark)
  

Rear Panel

• FX Loop - Send and Return - Series with LIne Level and Instrument Level Select Switch for Each
• Channel Select Buttons
• Line Out - Variable Levels for Each Channel)
• 4/8/16 Impedance Selector
• XLR Style Footswitch Jack
• Dual Speaker Outputs
• Sound Style Switch - New (Pentode) / Old (Triode)
• Power Amp Mute - On / Off
• Power Switch - On / Off
• Hardwired AC Power Cord
• Power Tubes Fused in Pairs for continued operation at 1/2 power
  (In the event of an untimely power tube failure)

Footswitch - 5 Button

• Anodized, Sloped Aluminum Enclosure
• Hardwired, 20' XLR Cable
• Loop - On/Off
• Boost - On/Off
• CH1 - Select
• CH2 - Select
• CH3 - Select

Fat Sound's Take

We were playing the Goldfinger 45 Head and 2x12" cab for the first time and all of us here at the shop were trying to remember if we had ever heard such a gorgeous, full clean tone from any other amplifier. We came up empty. The "Alpha" or clean channel of the Goldfinger 45 can offer up such surreal bloom and sustain that on many guitars certain notes will lift off and start to sing by merely fretting them; no attack required. Add the most gorgeously lush on-board reverb we've ever heard, high-register single notes that snap off the fingerboard with a wonderful fullness and complexity and a large, round and breathy low-end to fill out and balance the high notes perfectly and you have a clean tone that makes you completely forget about time. We found ourselves immersed in the Goldfinger's cleans, playing over our heads....extremely inspired.

Alpha is a clear winner.

Moving on to the Golfinger's "Omega" or overdrive channel we were equally blown away by this amp's range of organic, dynamic and thick crunch and singing lead tones. With the voicing switch set to the "69" mode the upper mids mimic those of a late 60's Marshall, the gain, which can be dialed in either to a true late 60's level or about 25% higher, is moderate and classic with no harshness, but has the ability to cut through brilliantly. Setting the Omega channel to the "80" mode the gain is increased, midrange overdrive shifts down in frequency and a more modern overdrive reveals itself with wonderful definition and a solid, girthy and thick tone that is incredibly easy to play and extremely satisfying.

There are also boost modes available that will take the gain channel over the top for syrupy lead tones with sustain that will have you playing legato lines all day long or simply bending a note and holding it to hear the subtle frequency shifts as the Goldfinger grabs the note and plays with it causing goose bump inducing moments of pure sonic joy.

Laden with useable features, but simple to dial in, the Goldfinger 45 is an over-the-top dual channel amp that will make any guitarist sound and play their best while offering a range of tones that is so great we can't imagine a style of music it wouldn't be perfect for.

The matching Goldfinger 2x12" cab is a must have to pair with this amp. Its compact size means increased portability while its deep and rich tone suits the Goldfinger perfectly. Featuring diagonally mounted speakers with a Celestion G12M paired with a Celestion G12H30 and an open back design which suits both channels incredibly well. The pair not only look great together, but were obviously designed and tuned to work together flawlessly.

Subjectively speaking we feel this may be the best amp yet from the ingenious mind of Reinhold Bogner and, at least for now, it is reasonably priced, but don't expect the bargain pricing to last; we hear it costs more to build a Goldfinger than it does to build a Shiva. We unanimously give the new Bogner Goldfinger our Highest Recommendation!

Customer Comment

"I absolutely love, love, LOVE it.

Stu,....I'm so glad I kept and got to know it.  The amp is really amazing, tones are just so good and so consistent.  I've gigged it three times and it's probably my best experience with an amp in a live setting.

Versatile as hell."

Billy H.
Virginia
 

From Bogner's Website

The Goldfinger is based around the rich harmonic textures of the 6V6 tube, "they have this nice warm dirt with a creamy break up at fairly low volumes, sing like EL34's but have more chime for cleaner bell like tones.

A quartet of 6V6's is used to deliver 45W of clean headroom, but power can be scaled down to 30, 18 and 9 watts.

A Guitar System?

The Goldfinger is a two channel vintage voiced guitar amplifier with the flexibility common to Bogner amplifiers. Each channel, one called Alpha, the other Omega, features multiple controls and switches to customize the sound to your personal preference. The combination of the channels with the availability of a pre and post effects loop makes this amplifier a "Guitar System" which lets you route your guitar signal as needed without degrading the original audio signal.

The post effects loop is the more commonly found loop between pre amp and power amp. This loop can be operated in series or parallel and features a level switch to be set according to the effects unit used. Parallel mode lets you mix your effects to the pure dry signal. Series takes the entire dry signal and routes it through your effects unit. Series can also be used as a volume boost.

The pre effects loop is unique and a first in amplifier designs. In 1995 Reinhold Bogner designed and produced a 60 unit run of the hand-wired Caveman Amplifier which featured a similar tube buffered pre effects loop. While this loop worked well and served its purpose for retaining a 100% pure sound you still had to plug the guitar directly in to each channel input.....no channel switching was available. After rethinking the problem Reinhold came up with the a new pre loop design which is featured for the first time in the Goldfinger. If the pre loop is not engaged the amplifier will only see the guitar straight without going through any switches or relays. This means if your guitar is plugged straight into the Goldfinger's input and any other effect pedals, units, loopers, routers etc... you would normally use between guitar and amplifier are hooked up to the loop of the Goldfinger giving you 100% pure guitar tone. Please note there is no buffer circuit involved wether the loop is on or off. This means if you do like your signal buffered through your pedals you would need to use an external unit just like you would with any other amp.

Features

• Two channel, 6V6 based Amplifier
• Choice of variable Boost or Pre FX-Loop
• Boost or Pre FX-Loop individually footswitchable for each channel
• Footswitch controllable tube buffered series or parallel Post FX-Loop
• Footswitch controllable spring reverb
• a Ch.: Bass, Middle, Treble, gain & Loudness controls, Pre & Post Bright switches
• Ω Ch.: Bass, Middle, Treble, Gain EQ, Gain & Loudness controls, 69/80 mode switch
• High and Low + Half power switch for 4 different power settings between 9 and 45 watts.
• Functions on footswitch: a/Ω ch. select, a boost/pre-fx, Ω boost/pre-fx, reverb, post-fx
• Matching 2x12 open speaker cabinet - One Celestion Greenback Reissue / Once Celestion G12H30 Anniversary

Dimension and Weight

• HEAD - 10 3/4" H x 25 1/2" W x 10 1/4" D, 42 pounds
• 2x12 Cabinet: 25 3/4" H x 25 3/4" W x 10 1/4" D, 60 pounds

Fat Sound's Award for Design and Sonic Excellence!!!

Thanks to TGP's SamTheMan for allowing us to link to one of his Goldfinger demo videos on YouTube. Be sure to check it out at the link above. You can view all of Sam's videos by clicking this link: SamTheMan on YouTube.

Fat Sound's Take

Playing the new Bogner Brixton, 12 watt, 6V6 powered combo for the first time I kept thinking 'this is like a modern blackface Princeton'. The Brixton is considerably more versatile than the mid-60's Princeton amps and capable of a whole lot more gain, but there's something about the 6V6 derived 12 watts, size of the amp and its clean tones that really remind me of Pre-CBS Fender's low-watt grab-and-go icon. It's another example of an amp that Leo might have designed in the 21st Century and in this case the Princeton would have served as his platform.

Bogner claims the Brixton is not really capable of true clean tones. Really? Since I started this review by making comparisons to a BF Princeton, obviously I disagree completely. My favorite Strat settings were: 'Bold' switch engaged, 'Standard (middle position) Voicing' with the Gain around 1:00 and the Master around 11:00. With this setting and my Thorn R/S Strat-style guitar I was certainly getting fantastic Blues Rock overdrive tones (way more gain is available though this is the highest gain level I'd personally use), but by rolling the guitar's volume control back to about 7 or 8 the amp cleaned up extremely well with very little loss of volume.

Running the Brixton with these settings and my Strat's volume back a few notches I felt that the percussive, bubbly, warm sweetness of a blackface Princeton amp was essentially what I was hearing and 'feeling' only with a bit more bloom and clean sustain. Roll the guitar's volume up to 10 and the bridge pickup tone (Thorn Pasadena '66) was crunchy, not overly bright, but enough so to cut through a mix while giving me and my aggressive right-hand a bit more gain than I would classify as Classic Rock distortion. Just bright enough for well defined rhythm with a really great Classic Rock or slightly beyond gain structure. On my R/S's neck pickup, also a Pasadena '66, I was able to achieve that fantastic, throaty, Texas Blues rhythm tone in the middle ranges of the fretboard and excellent SRV style lead tone alá Texas Flood.

The Brixton's 3 Voicing setting allow the user to take the amp to more of an aggressive crunch tone or to a more scooped and heavier sound. I haven't spent much time playing with these Voicing settings yet because I quickly found the tones I'd use in the middle ('Standard') Voicing setting.

I also found that I prefer the 'Full' power (12 watt) setting simply because the amp cleans up better via my guitar's volume, but when switching to the amp's 'Low' power mode the volume drops just enough to be beneficial for certain situations while the guitar-on-10 tone remains undiminished. While the amp doesn't clean up as much via a roll back of the guitar's volume in the 'Half' power setting, the Brixton does take on a bit more of a pushed, low-wattage Tweed character with a lower efficiency style sag and squeeze when used in this manner. A nice alternative for both slightly lower volume, high-gain playing and for an alternate "clean" tone that's more of a 50's-era, pushed 'clean' than a true clean.

This review will grow as I spend more time with the two alternate Voicing settings and after playing the Brixton with My R7 Les Paul, but initial impressions are extremely favorable!

Stay Tuned......

-Stu Carter, owner Fat Sound Guitars
July 8, 2011

Premier Guitar's Review (Rated 4 1/2 out of 5 'Picks')

The Lay of the Land
The look and features of the Brixton bear an unmistakable family resemblance to Bogner’s Mojado amplifier (now dubbed the Palermo). Its rugged aluminum chassis shines in a golden hue that’s reminiscent of the metal-faced Marshall Superleads of the ’70s and the attractive cabinet is covered with Bogner’s custom Black Comet vinyl. The head enclosure is almost twice as deep as the chassis itself, and at just 16 pounds, it provides a nice reprieve from lugging heavyweight amps and combos.

The Brixton’s miniscule weight and size are attributable in part to the fact that it really isn’t packing much feature-wise under the hood. This amp was meant to be a portable, high-gain fiend that works well in recording situations. And like the rest of the International line of amps, simplicity is the ultimate goal of the Brixton. Additional features—such as an effects loop—would have added a slight load on the circuit, affecting the amp’s natural, straight-forward tone.

The 12-watts from the Class AB power amp can be cut in half via the amp’s three-way standby switch. This doesn’t necessarily affect the volume in a majorly noticeable way, but affects more of the feel of the tone by loosening up the amp and adding more harmonic content—quite like a Variac affects the tone of an amp. Two JJ ECC83s are at the heart of the preamp.

The front panel prominently features one Gain and one Master volume control, though much of the amp’s tone is tailored from its Deep and Voice switches. Flipping on the Deep switch switches the amp from a tight and focused overdrive to a deeper, more bass-heavy mode with a less pronounced attack. The Voice switch alters the tone even further by brightening up the highs in its right position, or increasing the compression and gain in its left position. This voicing mode was tailored for players who want to play the Brixton at its most extreme gain settings at lower volumes.

Rockers Riot
For a lot of players, the Bogner name is synonymous with thick, aggressive overdrive tones, and the Brixton is certainly no exception. This amp is a fire-breathing monster and I was able to achieve some very impressive tones using a 2008 Fender American Telecaster—achieving astonishing note separation and bounce no matter how high I had the Gain control turned up. The Brixton’s three-way Voice switch flipped to the right provided an ample amount of brightness for lower gain settings. The attack had similarities to that of the overdrive channel in Bogner’s impressive 20th Anniversary Shiva—very present and natural, with a nice give when striking the strings. Flipping on the Deep switch slowed the attack ever so slightly, and also provided a not-too-boomy, low-end boost.

The attack had similarities to that of the overdrive channel in Bogner’s impressive 20th Anniversary Shiva—very present and natural, with a nice give when striking the strings.

Pristine cleans are not really in the Brixton’s bag. I was only able to achieve a clean tone when I had the Gain control set to a hair above 7 o’clock and the Master Volume below 9 o’clock, and even then the mid range remained pretty growly. (Crystal clean tone connoisseurs should check out the Bogner Barcelona review in the upcoming July print edition.)

Lovers of liquid British-style gain will feel completely at home with this amp, as I did when I plugged in a 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom with Tom Anderson humbucking pickups. Wanting to hear just how far I could take the Brixton, I cranked Gain up to the 2:30 position, engaged the Deep switch, and flipped to the leftmost setting on the Voice switch. I was treated to a wall of blistering overdrive, perfect for ’80s and early ’90s hard rock. It should be noted that the amp’s volume was lowered quite a bit due to the added compression of this voicing mode, so further adjustments of the master volume were necessary to get it back up to a truly usable volume.

Most impressively, the tone retained every bit of character and definition that it had in less dirty modes. Backing off the volume knob on the guitar yielded a sparkly, purring overdrive that played well with my varying fingerpicking attack, getting grittier or cleaner depending on how hard I would snap the strings with my fingertips.

The Verdict
For high gain tone aficionados, the Bogner Brixton is a sure winner. The quintessential high gain tone Bogner is famous for is here in spades, but at convenient volume levels and an attractive price. The simple design means features and frills are pretty much nonexistent. And users of time-based effects such as delay and reverb will have to put up with running them through the main input, rather than the cleaner method of using an effects loop. But for those who prefer the simplicity of just plugging in and getting out their hard rock kicks, the Brixton is just what the doctor ordered.

Buy if...
you need unbelievable high gain tones that record well in the studio.
Skip if...
chimey, unspoiled cleans are an absolute must.
Rating...4.5 out of 5

Features and Specifications

• 12 Watt, Class AB, 1x12" Combo
• 1/2 Power Switch
• Two 6V6 Power Tubes
• Two JJ EC883 Preamp Tubes
• Volume Control
• Gain Control
• 2 Position 'Deep' Switch
• 3 Position 'Voicing' Switch
• Celestion G12-H30 Anniversary
• 'Comet' vinyl covering
• Salt and Pepper Grille
• Gold Metal Panels (reminiscent of the 70's Marshall panels) 

Don't let this amp's small size or low weight fool you; it's a serious tone machine offering perfect Texas Blues sounds with a Stratocaster® from pushed, fat cleans to girthy rhythm. The humbucker and P-90 tones are more aggressive with that Classic 70's Rock sound.

15 watts from a pair of 6V6 power tubes and designed to be used as s stand-alone amp or as a slave power amp for use in a stereo rig via its power amp input jack.

The controls couldn't be more simplistic. You have a Volume knob and a 4 position Schizo control which increases the amps overall mid thickness as you raise its position.

Celestion G12H30

42 Pounds

20.5"w x 10.5"d x 17.5"h

Fat Sound Award for Sonic Excellence!

Pieces also available separately

• Head Price Only - $2727.00
• Oversized 212, Closed Back cab - $789.00

"Not only is this variant the best sounding Bogner I have ever heard, but it is easily one of the best channel switching amps I've ever had the pleasure of plugging in to. I find it extremely addictive and inspirational.....and....I've purchased one for myself.

If you are local, feel free to come by and plug in to my personal 20th Anniversary Shiva head and cab and hear this beast for yourself.

The combination of the standard Shiva's dual reverb control circuitry with the Anniversary Edition's KT88 power section, rear panel Excursion control, re-voiced preamp section and new "Modern" mode gives this amp a depth of tone, low-end breath and presence and versatility that is simply astounding.

From huge, glassy cleans with enormous low end to Classic Rock Crunch and all the way to Classic and Modern Metal this amp does it all with absolute perfection.

I can't recommend an amp any more highly than I recommend this one."

-Stu Carter, owner Fat Sound Guitars

Specifications

* Dual KT88 power section for huge, full and punchy clean tones as well as smooth overdrive without being overly compressed even at highest gain settings
* 12AX7 preamp section
* Plexi front panel (20th Anniversary package only)
* Rear Panel Excursion control for fine tuning low end resonance and overall fullness. Great for matching the head to your cabinet/speaker combination
* Vintage/Modern switch takes the voicing from a more Classic British midrange tonality to a more modified, modern British tone
* Bright switches for each channel
* Adjustable boost control for CH2
* Independent foot switchable reverb for each channel (not shown in photos above)
* 3 button foot switch: Channel, Reverb on/off, Boost

Fat Sound Award for Sonic Excellence!

"Not only is this variant the best sounding Bogner I have ever heard, but it is easily one of the best channel switching amps I've ever had the pleasure of plugging in to. I find it extremely addictive and inspirational.....and....I've purchased one for myself.

If you are local, feel free to come by and plug in to my personal 20th Anniversary Shiva head and cab and hear this beast for yourself.

The combination of the standard Shiva's dual reverb control circuitry with the Anniversary Edition's KT88 power section, rear panel Excursion control, re-voiced preamp section and new "Modern" mode gives this amp a depth of tone, low-end breath and presence and versatility that is simply astounding.

From huge, glassy cleans with enormous low end to Classic Rock Crunch and all the way to Classic and Modern Metal this amp does it all with absolute perfection."

-Stu Carter, owner Fat Sound Guitars

Specifications

• Dual KT88 power section for huge, full and punchy clean tones as well as smooth overdrive without being overly compressed even at highest gain settings
• 12AX7 preamp section
• Plexi front panel (20th Anniversary package only)
• Rear Panel Excursion control for fine tuning low end resonance and overall fullness. Great for matching the head to your cabinet/speaker combination
• Vintage/Modern switch takes the voicing from a more Classic British midrange tonality to a more modified, modern British tone
• Bright switches for each channel
• Adjustable boost control for CH2
• Independent foot switchable reverb for each channel
• 3 button foot switch: Channel, Reverb on/off, Boost

Fat Sound Award for Sonic Excellence!

Note: This rig has the Custom Covering, Two-Tone with Piping upcharge which adds $389.00 per piece

Fat Sound's Take

"Not only is this variant the best sounding Bogner I have ever heard, but it is easily one of the best channel switching amps I've ever had the pleasure of plugging in to. I find it extremely addictive and inspirational.

If you are local, feel free to come by and plug in to my personal 20th Anniversary Shiva head and cab and hear this beast for yourself.

The combination of the standard Shiva's dual reverb control circuitry with the Anniversary Edition's KT88 power section, rear panel Excursion control, re-voiced preamp section and new "Modern" mode gives this amp a depth of tone, low-end breath and presence and versatility that is simply astounding.

From huge, glassy cleans with enormous low end to Classic Rock Crunch and all the way to Classic and Modern Metal this amp does it all with absolute perfection.

I can't recommend an amp any more highly than I recommend this one."

-Stu Carter, owner Fat Sound Guitars

Specifications

• Dual KT88 power section for huge, full and punchy clean tones as well as smooth overdrive without being overly compressed even at highest gain settings
• 12AX7 preamp section
• Plexi front panel (20th Anniversary package only)
• Oxblood Knobs
• Rear Panel Excursion control for fine tuning low end resonance and overall fullness. Great for matching the head to your cabinet/speaker combination
• Vintage/Modern switch takes the voicing from a more Classic British midrange tonality to a more modified, modern British tone
• Bright switches for each channel
• Adjustable boost control for CH2
• Independent foot switchable reverb for each channel (not shown in photos above)
• 3 button foot switch: Channel, Reverb on/off, Boost

Fat Sound Award for Sonic Excellence!

Special order Cream and Burgundy 2-Tone with Oxblood Knobs: $349.00 options, but absolutely gorgeous.

"Not only is this variant the best sounding Bogner I have ever heard, but it is easily one of the best channel switching amps I've ever had the pleasure of plugging in to. I find it extremely addictive and inspirational.....and....I've purchased one for myself.

If you are local, feel free to come by and plug in to my personal 20th Anniversary Shiva head and cab and hear this beast for yourself.

The combination of the standard Shiva's dual reverb control circuitry with the Anniversary Edition's KT88 power section, rear panel Excursion control, re-voiced preamp section and new "Modern" mode gives this amp a depth of tone, low-end breath and presence and versatility that is simply astounding.

From huge, glassy cleans with enormous low end to Classic Rock Crunch and all the way to Classic and Modern Metal this amp does it all with absolute perfection.

I can't recommend an amp any more highly than I recommend this one."

-Stu Carter, owner Fat Sound Guitars

Specifications

• Dual KT88 power section for huge, full and punchy clean tones as well as smooth overdrive without being overly compressed even at highest gain settings
• 12AX7 preamp section
• Plexi front panel (20th Anniversary package only)
• Rear Panel Excursion control for fine tuning low end resonance and overall fullness. Great for matching the head to your cabinet/speaker combination
• Vintage/Modern switch takes the voicing from a more Classic British midrange tonality to a more modified, modern British tone
• Bright switches for each channel
• Adjustable boost control for CH2
• Independent foot switchable reverb for each channel (not shown in photos above)
• 3 button foot switch: Channel, Reverb on/off, Boost

Itemized Pricing

• Shiva Head with KT88, 20th Anniversary Package $2398.00
• Dual, foot switchable reverb option $319.00
• Two-Tone custom color and piping option $349.00

Fat Sound Award for Sonic Excellence!

This is an NOS piece from last year's limited run that we discovered tucked away in the storage room while doing inventory. Total play time consists of our standard play test.

Limited Run of exact recreations of the original 4-Channel Fish preamp.

Pair it with one of our Mesa Engineering Simul 2:90 power amps and a pair of Port City OS 112 Wave cabs for one awesome stereo rig or run it in to the fx loop return of any good, tube amplifier. All of our audio clips were recorded with my personal Fish run in to the fx loop return of my '94 Bogner Ecstasy.

Considered by many, including myself, to be the best preamp ever built, The Fish offers four channels ranging from some of the absolute best cleans you've ever heard to extreme shred and essentially everything in between.

Approximately 200 of these were built in the early days of Bogner between 1991 and 1993. I remember reading and re-reading the Guitar Player review of this preamp about 80 times just wishing I could afford one.

From Bogner

Features

• 4 Channel all tube design with master volume and presence controls (back panel)
• Eight 12AX7 preamp tubes.
• Blue Anodized Front with white Chicken head knobs
• One front and one rear input, parallel dual outputs on back.

Country

• Volume
• Treble
• Middle
• Bass
• 3-position bright switch
• Sparkling clean sound for all musical styles.

Shark

• Balls (Gain)
• Treble
• Bass
• Volume
• 3-position bright switch
• Lower to Moderate gain. Very open sounding.

Strato

• Gain
• Volume
• Shared Treble, Middle and Bass controls with Brown channel
• High gain aggressive, tight

Brown

• Gain
• Volume
• Shared Treble, Middle and Bass controls with Strato channel
• Sound wise you can take a guess what Brown means. Fat high gain.

Artists

Like with all of Bogner's amplifiers, the “Fish” is used by a broad palette of different artists throughout all musical styles. Perhaps the most famous memory is that first “Alice in Chains” album, that opening opening riff…, Jerry Cantrell still uses the “Fish” today besides the Shiva and Uberschall. Heavy Rockers Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer, Queensrych; Producers Mike Clink, Dave Jerden ; Country Nashville studio ace Brent Mason; Fusion - Jazzers Alan Holdsworth, Norman Brown, Larry Carlton all were on a “seafood diet” with the “Fish” . Larry Carlton even named one of his songs “Bogner” on his 1991 release “Renegade Gentleman”.