ENGL Amplification have recently announced a new collaboration with Steve Morse, the guitarist best known for his work with acts such as Deep Purple and Dixie Dregs. The resulting amp, the E658 Steve Morse Signature 20, is said to be ideal for players seeking out the precise and clear tone that Morse is renowned for.
The amp is a two-channel design that the company say features an articulate and warm-sounding clean channel, along with a lead channel that delivers classic rock tones that offer just the right amount of grit. A set of front-panel controls provide per-channel gain controls along with a three-band EQ, while the clean channel benefits from a Presence knob. You get a dedicated volume control for the lead channel, as well as a Master volume that governs the amp’s overall output level.
The amp's rear panel houses a set of additional controls for the built-in effects, noise gate, power soak and IR loading.Despite its apparently simple set of controls, the amp has a few more tricks up its sleeve courtesy of a set of front-panel toggle switches and rear-panel controls. You get built-in delay with Mix, Time and Feedback parameters, along with a one-knob reverb effect and an onboard noise gate designed for fans of high-gain tones.
There’s also a built-in power soak which offers 20, 5 and 1 Watt settings as well as a Speaker Off function, and the amp is capable of hosting impulse responses which can be used alongside its balanced line-level and headphone outputs.
Further connectivity options include a buffered effects loop, a USB port for loading impulse response files, a MIDI input on a standard five-pin DIN connector and a quarter-inch TS footswitch socket.
Pricing & Availability
The E658 Steve Morse Signature 20 is available now, priced at $1600£1245 including VAT.
www.engl-amps.com/shop/heads/engl-e658-steve-morse-signature-20
