Are you intrigued by the mythical Marshall amps that dominated rock records for decades? Large black tolex wrapped boxes pictured behind so many guitar legends. Ritchie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Paul Kassof, Edward Van Halen, AC/DC, Slayer! From the late 60’s to the 80’s it was the only real rock amp to own. Sure there were other brands, but Marshall was most popular for rock. As the 80’s progressed, players started asking for modifications, usually involving more gain, or a change in tone. All this just added to complexity of choices. How do you find a good Marshall? Do you mod it, if you find a decent one? This concept spawned quite a few amp companies. Instead of hunting down decent Marshalls and taking a chance modifying them, just buy a new amp already capable of high gain tones. Over the years, these great companies started popping up, in the late 80s to early 90s. There was already Mesa Boogie and Randalls, but the real drool worthy amps were, Soldano, VHT, and later Bogner.
Ever since hearing and loving the first Bogner rig on a stage, some time in the mid 90s. I’ve been following Reinhold Bogner’s designs. Waiting to see what I can afford and acquire. Waiting for the right one.
If the Helios didn’t exist, I’d probably be content with the Shiva. As usual, I can’t remember the year, but one Amp Show (Van Nuys, CA), everyone seemed to be making incredible Marshall type amps. End game kind of stuff. Friedman and Metropoulos were releasing outstanding amps that year. Scumback was hitting it out the park with greenback type speakers and cabs. Right down the hall, Bogner had something quietly cooking. Not only did he give the people what they want, he included a variety of his own, useful modifications.
Behold the Helios! Is it a vintage plexi? Yes. Is it a modified hi-gain Marshall? Yes. Can you still get lower gain classic tones? Yes. It’s basically like owning a history book of Marshall tones.
At the time, I was without my VHT rig and need to buy a combo. Instead of a combo, I bought a Bogner 1×12 and the Helios 50 Head. Guess what? it’s awesome together, even if it looks a little funny. (See above) I’ve owned this amp for a few years, I never grow tired of it. It always delivers, always gets the job done.
First thing that strikes you is the aesthetics. Like running into Reinhold himself, the amp has style like no other. The faceplate, is a work of art. Second thing, is the versatility. As you experiment with switches and knobs, its’ obvious this amp will get any tone you can think of. For me, I tend to dial in one channel like Van Halen (of course), but the second channel has kind of a classic JTM 45 type thing going on. Which is basically, my two favorite tones. The Variac switch on the back actually works. Slightly increasing the gain and changing the feel of the amp. The “Bottom” knob, located on the back, is also great, for dialing in whatever type of cab you happen to be using.
I don’t know if anyone else has listed out the the switches, so here’s my quick, cheat-sheet.
From left to right:
- EQ/11 – Bypasses the Bass, Middle, and Treble tone controls. When, 11 is engaged. Only Presence works.
- 80/70 – 80’s adds and gain stage, that is obvious in the upper frequencies. Volume drops slightly. 70’s is basic vintage plexi marshall. Both are great.
- B2/N/B1 – Reinholds mods to the input gain stages. They all become less effective, the more Gain is increased. So, if the gain is maxed out, you will hear no difference. B2 Boost mids and gain, while shelving off some low end. I love this one. N is for Normal. B1, is a light top end increase.
Summing it all up
I love this amp and will probably never part with it. It can recreate any classic tone I ever wanted. It’s far more versatile then it first appears. The more time you spend with it, the more you begin to unravel the beauty hidden within. Burn through the sky with Helios!
rePtile like Me 