Tech 21 Power Engine 60 Reviews

lil' dave
from Low Country Blues, SC
January 11, 2013Music Background:
Pro Hobbyist, Tone Chaser, Avid Guitar Collector

Tech 21 x 2= Stereo

This is a great, very clean base power engine. To me it has a binary organic sound. I have yet to find an amp/or power engine that works as well with pedals or multi effects. Much better with a multi w/volume controls. The only negative is the volume control on rear panel.
I run a Fender Floor Multi-effects pedal into 2 tech 21 PE 60's and wow, wow. I love to hear my guitar in stereo. It may not be for the guy/gal that is in a live-loud setting. It does have XLR out for PA's
With the Fender Floor I use the foot pedal as the volume control. With some tweeking of the Fuse software I get studio quality sounds and tones. I am very pleased with this power engine. Oh! You can have more than one, run them in a chain for the live gigging musician.
We use the studio boards to clean up our sound and tone when recording. So, why not do it on the front end. I listen to music on high fidelity equipment. I want my guitar playing to sound the same.
That is why I am proud to endorse this power engine and endless possibilities. I have been searching for this tone and sound quality for near 25 years. I would recommend a Tech 21 Power Engine 60.

GARY W, BROCKWAY
from austin texas
June 10, 2012Music Background:
lead player in a country band..been playing for almost 45yrs now.

GREAT LITTLE UNIT

ITS TOTALLY AMZING PIECE OF GEAR TO USE LIVE IN ANY VENUE, IVE HAD MINE FOR ALMOST A YEAR GOTTEN GR8 REVIEWS FROM OTHER MUSICIANS.. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS..LOVE IT..

Dave Z
from Fort Wayne, IN
February 8, 2011Music Background:
Hobbyist

great with pod hd500!

Sounds fantastic with pod hd500! Thanks to sweetwater for this recommendation! When dealing with a complicated product like the pod hd500, it's nice to have a very simple power amp, one less layer of complexity to worry about. It's extremely loud if you need it, and sounds as good, or better then any of my combo amps at high volume. I initially was going to buy line 6 dt50 to go with the pod hd500, but glad i didn't waste the money.

Carp
from Ohio
September 9, 2011Music Background:
Hobbyist

Great for what I wanted

I wanted this to use with a podXT. I was never happy with the XT through the front of a tube amp, but with the PE60 it sounds great and is plenty loud and pretty quiet. I just set the controls of the power engine at 12 o'clock and I have more volume than I ever need. The speaker sounds good for any tone I require. I have tried this with a Boss ME-50 and a line 6 M13 and the volume is somewhat less than I need so I would guess that aspect has more to do with your pedal characteristics than the PE.

I wish the on off toggle and light were in a more convenient location
(like on top) as it would be easier to access as I use an amp stand and the back support is where the switch is. Other than that, it is everything I needed at a decent price.

Burke-ATL
from Atlanta, GA
September 2, 2011Music Background:
Lead guitar, student

Very Versatile, Clean Piece

Got one of these several months ago for band practice and small gigs, using a Boss ME-25 in front of it. Simple. Gets loud but not 2x12 loud so ideally live you are running direct out into a PA of some sort or you can daisy chain them if you need more on-stage oomph. Still, the 60 watts sounded great by itself in a couple small bars. Records well and very quietly, 12in speaker a requirement. EQ is very sensitive and if you are fiddling with it constantly you are doing something wrong. Same thing with vol. Run your default clean tone in and tweak the EQ. Mine's a mild scoop. Done. Vol is either practice or gig. DOES need a light in the back, however. Will slap a little LED battery powered one in there ASAP.

Rick
from Oregon
July 11, 2011Music Background:
Studio engineer, Pro Musician 30+ years

Nice, remarkably nice!

I have several Rocktron preamps (Chameleon 2000, Prophesy ll) I have used in the studio for several years and have struggled to find an adequate solution for bringing the studio sound to the live arena. From multiple guitar amps to stereo amps powering mulitple speakers, nothing could reproduce the sound I get from plugging directly into the mixing board. Finally I heard about the Tech 21 Power Engine 60, and after reading through the reviews I decided to try one out. I was very impressed with the sound reproduction that came out. It was almost identical to the studio sound.

My first live performance with it showed the one flaw (hence the 4.5 stars). Just one is really not loud enough to project a full meaty sound anywhere except in a very small club. I solved the problem by buying another one and they sound (and look) awesome now.

Alex Edwards
from Atlanta
January 10, 2011Music Background:
Guitarist

Great for Pedals!!!!!

I got this to use with my Digitech RP500 so that I could take advantage of the amp modeling. This simple amp does exactly what it is suposed too. It can be very load if you need it. The Celestion speaker is clear and very true in sound. Since there is no pre-amp you can utilize your pedals modeling and get all the sounds you desire. I would give it a 5 if the knobs (Volume, tones) were on the top. I am totally happy with this purchase. Sweetwater is the best!!!!! They called to make sure it got here ok and everything. Class Act!!

ed englerth
from Hastings MI 49058
March 31, 2013Music Background:
guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer.

just what i needed

great box.... makes whatever I send into to it louder without twisting the tone all up. light weight, tuff. great looking. yeah!

from
September 12, 2012

Easy to use, great for guitar, lightweight, light on power.

Bought this unit to play guitar and synth through a Roland GR55 in a working band setup. On the plus side, it is light as heck, a breeze to setup and has great guitar tones ... coming directly from the Roland. With no tubes it is on the weaker side power wise. Guitar is OK, but the piano and organ patches have no more headroom .. two of these would be great and would allow for a stereo setup that is light and easy to work with. Excellent for mid size gigs for the guitarist using a full pedalboard.

Kevin
from Indiana
April 22, 2012Music Background:
Studio and song writer

Nice idea for Modeling pedal boards

I gave this 4 stars, well you still need to EQ a little and I say little cause think about it - you have an HD500 running a Bogner with a 4x12 cab - a 1x12 is not going to give you exact sound will it? But other than that it sounds really great and the size it not huge and the weight is nice too. I know so many Tube people out there do not care for modeling but to pull off really close sounds - is good enough to me. I dont know about anyone else but my ears are not that great anymore, after so much time with loud music - I have a hard time really discerning absolute tube tone versus modeled tones, so for me personally - great amp!

Rodney Kofler
from Plover, Wi
September 28, 2011Music Background:
Musician, Hobbyist Recording Engineer.

Tech 21 Power Engine/Eleven Rack

I'm completely satisfied with my Tech 21 Power Engine when used with my Avid Eleven Rack! The sounds I create in Eleven Rack come through the Tech 21 exactly as they sound in Eleven Rack, which is what I was looking for.

Mel B.
from Buffalo N.Y.
May 17, 2013Music Background:
Hobbyist

A Little Noisy

Works as advertised but I get what seems like a rushing noisy (not loud) at idle & even not connected. Good sound, Good value

Robert
from Florida
August 27, 2011Music Background:
Gigging musician in a rock/pop/worship band

Lightweight in Several Ways

I bought this for use with the HD500 for rehearsals and as a personal monitor during live performances. It weighs very little compared to most amps with a 12" speaker -- which saves visits to the chiropractor.
My biggest complaint is that all the knobs, the power switch, and the power-on light are on the back. Since the amp faces me during shows, I have to fumble around or crane my neck over the top make adjustments.
It does what I need it to do, but there are amps out there that cost less and do more.

That Dude
from Syracuse, NY
March 22, 2013Music Background:
Pro level gigging musician, recording artist, producer, engineer

Great purely for preamps, horrible for full on modelers

First I'd like to preface this review by saying that the PE60 is fantastic at what it was originally designed for - as an extension cabinet for their Trademark series of amps that feature multiple preamp types going into a clean cabinet to feature the wide array of tones that the Trademark is known for. Somewhere along the line, Tech 21's marketing department decided that they should shift their focus from that to making it appear as if it's a great solution for amp modelers from every manufacturer in the world. Take that with a grain of salt. If you have ever played a POD, GT, RP, Eleven Rack, Amplitube, Guitar Rig, etc. through a true FRFR configuration (PA speakers, floor wedges, bi-amped studio monitors), then you know you are getting the ultimate representation of your gear's tonal range and flexibility.

The Power Engine 60 sits uncomfortably in the middle ground. It's not nearly as nasty as running full modeling (models of guitar amp, speaker cabinet, mic, effects, etc) through a traditional guitar amp with pre and power amps coloring your sound, but it's not anywhere near high fidelity as running through FRFR. It sounds like someone put a thick blanket over your sound, and no amount of tweaking will get you where you want to be. You will be stuck with an awkward compromise which is neither here or there.

That being said, if you've been struggling with running a modeler through a traditional guitar amp and you want the look of a traditional guitar amp on stage with you, then the PE60 will sound worlds better than what you're used to and will certainly fit the bill. However, if you're not concerned about people asking questions as to why you want to plug straight into the PA, or having your own personal active PA speaker, or keyboard amp on stage as opposed to a real guitar amp, then kudos to you for breaking the status quo.

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