Monomyth Skeleton Key vs Bogner Helios 100 vs EVH 5150III 50 Watt EL34 (Free Bogner Helios 4x12 IR)

[@hyperbolekid]

The Monomyth SK is one of the best amps out there for sure🔥🔥🔥

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

It’s great! Ultimately, not my favorite but it was fun and much respect for what they accomplished

[@waterbuffalo4225]

You have excellent taste. I spent a few months comparing hundreds of amps from about 55 amp companies, and was looking for tonal versatility for 80s metal, 60s and 70s crunch and hard rock (especially sabbath), blues, and fender twin cleans. But I was unsatisfied with everything because when they succeeded at one area, they failed in another. Then I found the Bogner Helios 100 and was blown away. That and the Friedman BE 100 deluxe are the greatest amps ever made

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

Wow thanks for sharing your results! You have excellent taste as well. I don’t think I’ve played a BE 100 Deluxe. Helios was my favorite for many years but I think the XTC 20th EL34 has become my favorite now. Try it out if you get a chance!

[@waterbuffalo4225]

@@DrDannyMannGuitar if you love the Helios, you'll definitely love the BE 100 Deluxe. They sound close to one another but Friedman has a few different bells and whistles. Check out the Friedman SS100v2 and the Friedman JEL-100 if you get the chance. Anyone that loves Bogner will love these amps too

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

@@waterbuffalo4225 thanks for the tip! I’ve tried a couple Friedmans over the years and they never quite did it for me, but I havent tried those models

[@waterbuffalo4225]

Michael Nielson does an amazing demonstration of all the Friedman's I mentioned. It's worth looking into

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

@@waterbuffalo4225 yeah he’s great! Thanks

[@sk8125]

That Bogner low end is a real giveaway. Being a skeleton key and monomyth modded marshall owner, Sheas amp tuning was immediately recognizeable. Gotta say The evh held its own though

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

Yeah the Helios low end is its own thing. Recently owning the Uber Ultra and Ecstasys had shown that different Bogner models sound really different including low end! Im going to post some more demos soon

[@szveszs]

Would be awesome some captures for Neural Amp Modeler, but, just for the IRs alone I want to hug you lol

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

Haha big hug! The IR from this video has become my go-to. Enjoy 🤘🏼

[@Tonskiislegit]

I have very close set up! Bogner helios eclipse, 1977 JMP Monomyth Skelton key mod.

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

You have awesome amps my friend! I was happy to borrow the Monomyth briefly. Enjoy 🤘🏼

[@sisyphushappyxvx]

The Skeleton Key is a bucket list amp for me and I immediately recognized the low end reaction in Amp 2. That was probably my favorite of the bunch, but I'm a standard/6 guy, so my tastes obviously may lean in a different direction.

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

Yeah the low end is massive on the Skeleton Key. This was actually one of the more conservative settings for low end and it gets WAY huger and WAY more gain on tap. Pretty over the top!

[@ryanparker584]

@@DrDannyMannGuitar someone told me thw skelton key was for 80s rock but it sounds modern and brutal. I know it can handle baritones and 7 string drop tuned metal fine

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

@@ryanparker584 yeah I think it’s pretty modern and brutal to my ear

[@justsomerandomguyman]

The EVH sounded best to me, but I also liked the Skeleton Key. The Helios was a little too dark/warm sounding for me.

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

Yeah the evh packs a punch! It wasn’t my favorite so I ended up selling it

[@Hitemwhereithurtss]

I want em all regardless

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

This is correct

[@MK-oz2lf]

What channel of the EVH were you playing?

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

Blue

[@XChristianNoirX]

I'm surprised how close the 5150 and the Skeleton Key are.. With the Skeleton Key having a tad more clarity, but not a world of difference that couldn't be made up with an EQ in the loop either way. Maybe playing them in person is different... But that's my opinion on the sonics here.

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

Yeah these amps can sound even closer with some dialing and EQ in loop, but they can also be set to sound pretty different too! Both great amps

[@XChristianNoirX]

@@DrDannyMannGuitar also, I kinda wish they made the Skeleton Key into a smaller head. It's 50 watts and there's no reason in 2023 for an amp to be the full width of a speaker cab, even if it's 150 watts with 6 power tubes... much less 2. Now.. If there were a continuum transfunctioner in there and a flux capacitor, perhaps I'd understand.

[@DrDannyMannGuitar]

@@XChristianNoirX yeah the headshell is huge for a 50 watter!!

[@XChristianNoirX]

@@DrDannyMannGuitar I was about to get one, but I can't deal with the size. No head in 2023 should be bigger than a block letter, especially being 50 watts and not having a gazillion controls. I don't even play my Stealth 100 watter because it's an unnecessary full 30" wide, so I play the 50 watter instead. I would say that Marshall small box would be better for this amp, but even that's kinda big these days. Mesa Mark short size is what I'd go with if making amps. Even with the EVH 50 Watters, I'd make the box shorter and put a sturdy vent on top (sturdier than OG 5150 for sure lol, to keep a better proportion as compared to the full-size heads, or at least put shorter feet on them (what I might do to mine). If you don't plan on moving the amp around, I guess it's not that big of a deal, but even so, big amps take up a lot of valuable space and I'm starting to get claustrophobic. 😂 And if you plan on sticking it in top of a 2x12, it's gonna look ridiculous! I don't know what it is... It's not the 80's anymore. Bigger isn't always better. You didn't have to go nano, but a lot of us don't get enough roadies or huge trucks anymore like in the Van Halen days. I haven't resort to a smart car yet, but I have to at least fit 2 guitar players into a mini SUV. Damn... Even a Diezel VHX is smaller... And it's got almost everything you need built-in! I'm really digging the extra it gives over the EVH and think it nigh fix a couple issues I have, but my options are to implement an EQ pedal or get an amp for over $3,000 that does something really well, but is way yuuuge and has less features. MIDI is very useful, but not absolutely necessary... But if it was sized right, I'd probably get this amp yesterday.

[@Amp_Expert]

@@DrDannyMannGuitar What about the noise floor and hiss on the three?? Which one was the noisiest? Which was the most quiet?? I know the 5150 is HORRIBLE at having unusable gain above like "4" and a bee hive top end that is Horrible imo and the overall gain needs to be cut back on!