Eden Amps quality?

[Mackluth]

I'm a newly converted bassist, and new to Talkbass (lurker for the last month). Anyways, I've always only heard good things about Eden Amps, so when I noticed the WTX-264 on Amazon for $230, I ordered it. I love the sound, it is exactly what I wanted as far as tone and I prefer it to anything I've played at guitar center.

Like I said, I've only heard good things, including about quality, however when I posted a suggestion for this amp on another thread, I got a reply saying that Eden has some serious reliability issues. I've played primarily guitar for the last ten years up until this last month, so maybe I just missed something with Eden, not being part of the bass community.

In searching this forum and the internet I wasn't able to find much as far as issues people have had with Eden, and especially the wtx264. Before I can't send it back, I guess I just want to make sure that I'm not diving into something that's going to give me misery. And is my newly established dream of someday owning a WT series Eden just plain silliness?

[nashman]

IMO - Eden makes excellent amps and cabs. Reliability is fine. Probably better - at least no worse - than any other brand. If Eden or any other company had "serious reliability issues" - how long do you think they would be in business - especially in this market? Anything electronic - man made for that matter, can and will eventually break. If you like your new Eden amp (that also has a warranty) - enjoy it knowing it's just as good or better than any other product - again, IMO.

[Tunaman]

I'm a past Eden lover & it was most likely me that made that claim. I've read a lot of stuff about that amp. I gotta find the reviews for you... its hard since its being discontinued but I'd like to back that up before I throw that out there.

I read a LOT of this stuff on the Eden Forum themselves & those guys are super fanboys but the forum has changed with the new ownership

[troy mcclure]

I have an older nemisis that has never given me a problem

[Zanderwestcoast]

I am not an expert on the subject but from what I know the Eden products that were sold under the original designer and founder before the company sold and changed hands are considered better. The WT800 is a very respected amp as are some of the cabinets.

[Roy Vogt]

I have a WTX 260. It did have a problem and was repaired under warranty and has been well-behaved ever since. It's a good, ultra-light amp. I use it for DB gigs and when space is a premium. For bigger, louder bands I use a WT-600 from 1996 and two 210 XLTs or XSTs.

[MuthaFunk]

I have had a WT-400 since 1998 and it's been an amazing amp for reliability. As I understand it, Eden went through a dark phase where the amp construction was completely moved to china and the quality control was not in place. Many amps were shipped and had issues that would have normally been caught on site and repaired before the left the factory.

Edens ownership changed hands a number of times and the warranty service suffered. There is no excuse for that happening but none the less it seems to have happened. Most recently, Marshal has taken ownership of the Eden brand so the future direction of the Eden brand is not fully clear. Many of us Eden fans are hoping for a rejuvenation of the brand much like Ampeg has been able to do.

From what I've been able to ascertain about the quality of modern Eden products is that they have been getting better and there seems to be less people complaining about their lack of warranty support. That may be due to the limited # of units they're selling now because of the earlier brand damage. I like to believe they have put a better quality control system in place and have been putting out better products. Eden's Nemesis line has always been made in China. I remember when they first released them, there were many happy owners and it seemed the Chinese made stuff would hold up like the Eden stuff would only it was much cheaper.

I have a WTX260 and WTDI and they are very nicely built units. They have both performed flawlessly and I'm confident in taking them on gigs. The WTX264 is the latest incarnation of the WTX260. I bought one of the Amazon specials as well and am looking forward to getting it. So far, the Eden products I have are excellent value for the money and built very well. I personally have no reason to question their quality. $210 for a Eden pre-amp with pre-post DI and a 260W RMS power amp is not too much of a gamble IMO.

In Canada and the US you have certain rights regarding warranties. Marshal is bound by law to provide warranty service. I've never needed to exercise that right. Looks like you should get 2 years warranty as per their company policy.

http://www.eden-electronics.com/info/warranty/index.asp

[Tunaman]

Mutha- I can't argue with you at all. They may have had a model before the 264 & that was definitely dog crap, Its been a few years so that stuff SHOULD be rectified by now.. Honestly, I'm still considering it myself. I LOVED my Eden Navigator

[Mackluth]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I feel much better about it . As mentioned, even if it goes down, its under warranty. And Tunaman, it wasn't you. The guy who made the negative comment I referred to didn't bother to substantiate said negative comment.

[Tunaman]

No sweat. I'm considering selling off my Tech21 PBDDI & picking up one of these 2. Nothing like having a backup DI & amp at the same size as just a DI box

[vin*tone]

Originally Posted by Mackluth

Thanks for the replies everyone. I feel much better about it . As mentioned, even if it goes down, its under warranty. And Tunaman, it wasn't you. The guy who made the negative comment I referred to didn't bother to substantiate said negative comment.

Eden went through a bit of a rough patch. A few bad reports and a bit of mob mentality turned them into Satan's spawn for a while there.

[TimmyP]

I've been inside a lot of "major brand" amps. I hate to say it, but from an engineering standpoint, the best I've seen so far was a Carvin.

[57pbass]

I have an Eden WT 550 and have used in on countless shows...no problems.....great sounding bass gear...Eden and Mesa are my two favorites....

[esa372]

I've had two WT800s (still have one), several Eden cabs, and I'm about to buy a WP100 pre-amp.

I've never had any problem with any Eden gear I've owned - workhorses, every one. I've heard about bad customer service while they were owned by US Music Corp, but I have never experienced it personally.

And, now that Eden is owned by Marshall, I expect great things to come...

[Mike Tac]

I have a 4-10 cab and have only used it a couple of times. I don't really like the sound compared to my Mesa Boogie 4-10. Sorry to be the only guy here that doesn't like it, I guess its just me. I have a friend who bought an Amp and Bottom rig and the amp just did not have enough power to push the cab. He upgraded the amp to higher watts and it sounded a lot better. Just my humble opinion.
PEACE

[gregbackstrom]

Originally Posted by Mackluth

I'm a newly converted bassist, and new to Talkbass (lurker for the last month). Anyways, I've always only heard good things about Eden Amps, so when I noticed the WTX-264 on Amazon for $230, I ordered it. I love the sound, it is exactly what I wanted as far as tone and I prefer it to anything I've played at guitar center.

Like I said, I've only heard good things, including about quality, however when I posted a suggestion for this amp on another thread, I got a reply saying that Eden has some serious reliability issues. I've played primarily guitar for the last ten years up until this last month, so maybe I just missed something with Eden, not being part of the bass community.

In searching this forum and the internet I wasn't able to find much as far as issues people have had with Eden, and especially the wtx264. Before I can't send it back, I guess I just want to make sure that I'm not diving into something that's going to give me misery. And is my newly established dream of someday owning a WT series Eden just plain silliness?

Only since you asked ...

The only Eden's I've owned were a 1205 and a 405, both of which I bought new. The 1205 spent more time at the factory during the year I owned it than it did with me. Heat, noise, oscillation and gain problems.

The 405 was a more-recent purchase. First the relay started tripping mid-gig, then the fan stopped working.

Your Eden experience will undoubtedly be better. I'm not gonna take another chance on them.

[Tunaman]

DI is always post EQ on the Eden, that for me seals the GK MB200 as the guy to get

although,,,

GK MB200 Hiss

hit or miss with hiss

[MrLenny1]

I have a WT-400 purchased new in 1997.
Great amp, no issues at all.
My friend runs an old Nemesis with no issues also.
There may have been a few issues when the new outfit took over.

[steve_rolfeca]

I had an ENX260 (Nemesis-branded version of the WTX with a couple of the front-panel switching options deleted).

Great little amp with the trademark Eden sound, although it felt a little underpowered for it's rating due to the inability to defeat the rather heavy-handed compressor (the comp is defeatable on the other models in the line). There was a problem with the mute switch on many of the early ones, but the distributor was apparently fixing that under warranty in the States.

I checked into parts availability and support in Canada at the time, because I wanted to retrofit the compressor switch. This was a couple of years ago. At the time, there was no distributorship in Canada, but the authorized repair guy in Ontario was able to get parts from the then-new owners within a week. I couldn't get warranty on my amp (mail ordered from a non-authorized US seller), but at least it was repairable, and prices were quite reasonable.

However, the brand doesn't seem to have recovered in Canada. The dealer list on the Eden website is short, and a couple of the supposed dealers (including Steve's Music) don't list Eden as one of their brands.

I haven't gone there recently, but the Eden forum was full of crickets when I was frequenting it. A lot of hopeful Eden fans, but not much in the way of action. I also noted that a lot of Eden amp reviews on Musicians Friend, were from owners of older product.

I got the impression at the time, that the new ownership was trying to re-position the brand at a lower price point, with the E-series heads and cabs.

Hopefully, with the sale of the brand (again!) to Marshall, and the success of the WTDI, the company will rise to prominence again. Nothing else sounds like an Eden head.

If you can find a dealer in your area, Eden seems to still be selling the WT550, WT800 and the Navigator preamp, arguably their best products ever. The 550 and 800 are 2-ohm capable, which is getting more and more rare these days...

[Ric5]

Eden makes good stuff.