Synergy introduces high-gain Engl Powerball preamp module
Compact version of classic head is ideal for direct recording and lower-volume setups

Last year, Synergy introduced the Engl Savage preamp module, and now the company has unveiled a second Engl collaboration, the all-tube Powerball guitar amp module.
Custom-designed by Engl’s Horst Langer, the unit features a pair of 12AX7 preamp tubes with two channels (blue and red) that offer switching between overdrive and high-gain distortion.
Controls include volume and gain and a three-band EQ, and there are also two Gain Lo/Hi and Mid Boost switches per channel.
Other features include a Dual/Single switch that allows the module to be used with older Egnater and Randall hardware, and a three-position cathode select switch to configure the input tube bias setting for optimum input gain and bass response.
The Engl Powerball preamp module is available for $399.99. For more information, head to Synergy Amps.
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Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.

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