Egnater Tweaker vs Mesa Mark Five:25 | Small Amp Comparison : Part 1 : The Cleans

[@1ListerofSmeg]

I dig my tweaker. I'm halfway through the video & you haven't mentioned it yet (perhaps you didn't read the manual), But.... If anyone is interested in what the Egnater manual states the mini switches (technically) do, Here it is. SWITCHES -VINTAGE/MODERN: +4dB @ 120Hz & +4dB @ 3.6KHz USA/AC/BRIT: Selects American, V-X, British TONE STACK CLEAN/HOT SWITCH: +9Db Gain Boost TIGHT SWITCH: -6dB @ 180Hz BRIGHT SWITCH: +8Db @ 4KHz MAX Seems a technical detail worth mentioning 😎

[@lorenzomcnally6629]

Thank you

[@Phoboss32]

Meaning, with a decent parametric EQ pedal you could achieve the same sound?

[@tomaszbaran]

so good to see an amp walkthrough by a guy who knows what he's doing. All your knowledge of those different amps, you compare the sounds to, is incredible. Thanks for sharing! That could be a cool and useful series, if you find the time :)

[@guitar-phantom]

You are right about the noise on the Mesa V 25. I have a Mesa Mark III and it's dead silent on both the clean and distortion channels.

[@32251]

Picked up a tweaker for $150 just for fun. Set it on the shelf. Had a 6week theater show to play. Great money. Sound said no amps in the pit, but they had a gadget that takes the output from the head, runs it through a dummy load and uses some of the signal. I didn’t want to chance my old bandmaster head so I took the tweaker,never even had used it. I let the sound guys dial in what sounded good to them in the house and I got a decent sound in my headphones. The tweaker made it through the gig and I made a lot of money. Some of you may cringe at being told what to do by our worthy opponents the sound men, but when you have been doing this over 50 years, you learn to roll with things and not get fired because of getting mad at folks. Tweaker does need some work as it was making some noise at idle. All I had to do was bump the stand by several times and the amp would get quiet. Maybe a cap or something. That’s my tweaker story. It’s now back on the shelf.

[@Allguitarinfo]

Right on. There's bedroom basement players and there's guts who make a living slinging strings..I've NEVER seen a chic dancing at a gig ask me about my gear after....purpose is to work TOGETHER and create ONE sound ..that's enjoyed by ayduence...audiences..not to try to impress the gear heads...42 years ..right on man...

[@ggman946]

Great story. Sage advice. I laughed out loud reading that the tweaker went back on the shelf. 😂

[@billhatcher9303]

@@ggman946 still on the shelf in my basement. i would have to hunt for it. will get it back out one day and "tweak" on it. if you can find one for cheap, get it. lots of knobs and switches. im sure they do something.

[@sdriza]

money well spent

[@rallyeo75]

I’ve had a Tweaker 15 for over 10 years and love it - currently running it with a 6505mh to fill in the gaps , low end and clean sounds.

[@SirLoinMagroin]

Bout time you spread those wings a bit. Your explanation is thorough of what goes on and makes them tick inside as far as design and spec are. Very insightful.

[@TheAxe4Ever]

One thing I learned from this video about these two amps is...Man! That ET65 sounds fantastic. I’ll bet combined with the Veteran 30 it sounds fantastic in the room!

[@Utube-s8m]

I love the tweaker 15 lunchbox head.

[@MEDiumInc]

Would you say Egnater has swung back to decent QC coming out of their factories? I had one once and it was DOA.

[@scozz6139]

Great comparison, very informative. I'd love to see this type of comparison with Marshalls' relatively new, (2019), Studio line of amps,... JCM800 Studio Classic 20, and the 1959 SL Studio Vintage 20.

[@petermcateer1354]

I've had a Mark V25 head for about six months now, and I'm impressed by the huge spectrum of tones available in such a tiny package...even if I'm unlikely to use the uber-high gain settings. However, having seen a few of your videos, I now feel like I'm holding a live grenade in my basement. What have you seen as the most common failures in these amps, and how long do these issues take to manifest?

[@lorenzomcnally6629]

My Tweaker 40 rules. New transformer and a fan makes it really cool and stable amp. I've successfully Tweaked at least 4-5 distinct useable Tones out this head. It takes different cabs and speakers as well as adjusting the EQ. The 6L6 is the perfect tube to do all of this. Everything is born from the American 6L6 tube design. It begins with the robust and stable low end frequencies which contains all the seeds of sounds above. Just like black coal produces all the colors of the rainbow in modern dyes. 6L6 magic and a Fender Bassman circuit.

[@geomusicmove]

I may have an unpopular opinion but I don't like the Mesa Mark V 25. At all. Another pet hate of mine is the mini Rectifier 25, I couldn't sell mine fast enough.

[@Cheguebuddha]

My settings on the Egnater Tweaker 15 into a Jensen P12R is Deep, Normal, Gain at 3 oclock, Clean, Bass 1 oclock, Mids almost off, Treble at 11 oclock, USA, Master to taste, Vintage. (Telecaster Baja and Tele Lollar Special Ts)

[@marshallohio5512]

Gee, I played a Tweaker for years at clubs !! I used an EQ in the loop !! No worries !! Remember, if your tone sucks, then it's in the mirror not the gear 👍 Besides, these are two completely different amps with completely different internal electronic components and functionality ! 👍

[@ulimatewar4164]

Would the Egnater tweaker amp be good for doing any kind of gigs?

[@jasonweidner3274]

Lyle, looking for the follow up vid to this but can't seem to find it

[@ricdale7813]

The Egnaters are Good low buck tube amps. A Tweaker 15 can be had for $250 or less. Add a couple pedals and you have a Nice sounding low $$$ small room tone machine. For the 2 k the Boogie goes for it should definitely do more and do it better. Also I dont think Egnater amps like the Tweakers and Rebels,etc.. have been produced under Bruce in many years. His Egnater amp brand was bought out a few years back from him. Bruce Egnaters hand made amp line in 2023 is E3 Audio/Bruce Egnater.

[@defh2o]

Mercury mag makes a drop in PT for the 40. It's an easy replacement,

[@johnwilliamson467]

The blue light modulated very slowly on the video . I would venture that the voltage is swinging a good bit to cause that . Worth measuring it must be near the knee of the curve on those LED not a good thing as it is an indication of other problems . I say that it to me is not the camera as it is off angle however the camera could be doing it but why a slow rate around a third of hz once every three seconds then later up to 8 seconds . That is some of the slowest motorboating I can remember . Regards.

[@PsionicAudio]

Hey John, notice it does it when playing the Boogie too. It's the phone camera moving ever so slightly from the vibrations, causing the blue shift. It also does it when I cast a slight shadow.

[@johnwilliamson467]

@@PsionicAudio did not see on the mesa are the same time in the second video . The rate of change from 3 to 8 to 6 seconds is what I am seeing on the video . This could be a much ado about nothing . Worth checking the voltage to that light without the schematic I am being just a bit pedantic on this .

[@retread1083]

@@johnwilliamson467 I don't think the change in brightness of the Tweaker's led is caused by a change in voltage. I'm not 100% certain, but I do think it may be caused by the frame rate of the camera being a *near* multiple of 120Hz and it's not locked into the line frequency. I suspect you wouldn't see that if you were there in person, only when viewing through the camera. The (apparent) change in brightness is slow (about 6 seconds), smooth, and consistent even when there's no playing. That led is connected to the heater circuit (AC). The pilot light of the Mesa is connected to a DC supply.

[@johnwilliamson467]

@@retread1083 I can se it being a sink problem with the camera . As I said may be a bit pedantic to point it out . since it AC heater not a big deal .

[@retread1083]

@@johnwilliamson467 I don't think you were being pedantic at all. If that was real and not just an artifact of the video, it would be some serious shiznit worth investigating.

[@rjschmirler3794]

Beauty video...

[@edgeofeternity101]

I had a Tweaker for a short time with a 112 cab. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. One of the worst tube amps I ever had. I can't think of one thing I liked about it. I found one setting that I could tolerate, and that is where it stayed.

[@lorenzomcnally6629]

Quack, quack,..,quack.....BANG...zzzzzzzzzxz

[@PerryCodes]

This seems like a very odd pairing/comparison... Two very different... well - everything.