Eden - What do you think?

[phyfe]

Own a Workingman's 12, looking at an Eden WTX-260. Don't know what cabinet I would use.

I've heard mixed reports about Eden stuff. Many reviews portray them as king of tone, better than Markbass. Some say reliability is a problem.

Any reason to steer clear of a WTX-260 or similar Eden product???

Thanks for your thoughts/experience.

phyfe

[PDGood]

Eden has had three different eras. The originals were great, then they were sold and that was a dreadful period in terms of quality and customer service, then they were sold again and now are made in China. There are still some of the American made products in warehouses as well. Strangely enough, quality has gone back up with the China ones as compared to the second company whose name I can't recall at the moment.
If you go to the Eden site you can gather the info on what years were from what era.

I own both Eden and Markbass and they are very similar. To my ears the treble frequencies on the Eden sound richer. I would describe them as sounding "more expensive" or "classier" than the Markbass. But otherwise they both are high quality and sound great. The Edens have a lot more features.

On my vintage Fender which isn't tonally very bright the difference in the upper frequencies of the two amps is insignificant. It's more noticeable on brighter, more modern instruments.

[diglo]

Most of the stuff I owned, the second company owned, something Music Group....anyway, two cabs and two amps had to be repaired. I love the sound, but poorly made.

[TomB]

Early Eden is great gear and mine is still going strong after hundreds of gigs, but I haven't bought a piece since '98 so I can't comment on recent eras.

[ShoeManiac]

I've got two Eden heads and an Eden cab. All told I have had pretty positive experiences with all of this gear. And I still own it all to this day.

My first purchase was an Eden D-210 XLT cab. I tried this out at a music shop in a stack with an Eden head and a 1 x 18" cab. It sounded huge...even when I asked the folks at the store to unplug the 1 x 18" from rig. I got that in the late 1990's and it has been a solid performer for me ever since on recording dates and gigs. It's a little dated now, since the speaker cabinet paradigm has shifted towards small, light-weight cabinets with single neo drivers. Especially since it weighs quite a bit. But sound wise? It's fantastic for a 2x10".

My next Eden purchase was a WT-550 head. It's a hybrid head rated for 500 watts and is based on Eden's well established World Tour amp series. The controls are basic, and the parametric EQ is quite powerful. And from a tone standpoint I've found the sound to be clean but very versatile. I've had this amp for around 12 years now and it's still a workhorse. It has been in the shop a couple of times, but that was for worn input jacks. I've heard about some people's issues with reliability of Eden products, but based on when I purchased this particular head I am pretty certain that it was from the period when David Nordschow still owned the company.

My most current Eden purchase was the Eden WTX-500 head. It's a 500 watt micro head that's essentially a more powerful version of the WTX-260 that you're considering. I've had this amp for about 18 months and I've been playing it regularly at gigs since I got it. It's super-light and I can carry that amp in a messenger bag or the front pouch of a gig bag. I've been really impressed with how adaptable it's been for different situations. I can use it with my own cabinets, house cabs in clubs, and send an XLR output from this head straight into the PA. Now, when I have to use this amp with a cabinet of my own I pair it with an EBS NEO-112. My drummer was remarking yesterday that he was amazed at how loud the WTX-500 with the EBS cabinet sounded. I have heard from some people that with some micro heads that utilize digital switching power supplies may experience some clipping. I've only experienced this on one occassion with my Eden WTX-500. And I rarely run it at a level greater than half power on the master volume.

I have also used some MarkBass gear, both in store demos and as part of some house backlines in clubs. I am not a fan. I do not care for how MarkBass voices their mids. They sound too nasal/honky for my tastes. And the aforementioned clipping from amps with digital switching power supplies? I experienced a lot more of that with MarkBass than I ever did with Eden.

[phyfe]

Wow. Some great info.

Thanks, guys, for taking the time to post so thoughtfully.

phyfe