Ok, I think that after over five years of pure joy playing this beast, Mr. Bogner deserves this! So, there you go, the Bogner Ecstasy Red overdrive pedal is without a doubt the most organic, dynamic, touch sensitive, amp-like, high-gain overdrive pedal I have ever played. As I mentioned, I've been using it for over five years as my main high-gain pedal at home and in sessions. I tried it through several different #Marshall and #Fender amps, a Bugera and few others, as well as several guitars including a Les Pau, a Telecaster, a G&L Legacy and a #Duesenberg Starplayer TV and it has never failed me. I originally bought this pedal because I needed a consistent high-gain sound in sessions, where you never know which amp you are going to find yourself plugging into and I ended up using it as my primary high-gain sound, even when I'm connected to my personal Marshall at home.
Gain Range
The Ecstasy Red is a high-gain overdrive pedal period. It does not do low gain well, although it is incredibly dynamic and touch sensitive. To be fair, I will add that in the mellow mode, you can get some very tasty darker low gain sounds, but the mellow mode provides a very specific color, so it's not a general purpose low gain overdrive sound.
The pedal reacts extremely well to input signal strength and therefore gives you a lot of control using the guitar volume, volume pedals and boost pedals - more than any other overdrive I have ever used. Anyway, even when it cleans up, you can still feel the power bubbling underneath... It is just a high-gain beast, and boy it does that so well it will melt your ears...
Tone Stack
The pedal is equipped with a very responsive three band EQ, similar to that you'd expect to find in a full size amp. I have nothing much to say about this, other than that it does just what you expect it to.
Versatile & Adaptive
In addition to the more common volume, gain and EQ knobs, the Ecstasy Red offers a generous array of switches that allow you to shape your sound. To me these switches are primarily tools that allows me to adapt the pedal to the guitar I'm currently using. Once I set them for a specific guitar, I would normally just leave them at the same position until I switch instrument.
Variac
on - saggy, smooth, tube rectifier, spongier bass - feels like an old tube amp
off - modern gain structure, aggressive, more defined
Mode
tight - tight bass, great for metal
mellow - lowers the gain, darker sounding - great with Telecaster bridge
full - fuller frequency response, useful with single coil pickups in general
Pre EQ
b1 - bump in the top end
n - flat, probably more natural
b2 - bump in the top and mid range
Structure
101 - whatever, I never use it
100 - whatever, I never use it
20th - fuller and great - the only setting I ever use
Flexible Dual Channel Operation
The Ecstasy has two foot switches, one says "on" and the other says "boost". Well, there is more to it than just a boost and I'll explain. There are two small pots below the volume and gain knobs. These two little pots allow you to choose how much volume and/or gain you want to add when the "boost" is engaged. So, you can use the boost to add only gain, only volume, both volume and gain and everything in between - amazing! In sessions and live situations I would normally set the boost function to add a good amount of volume for solos and leave the gain as is. To get more gain for specific parts, I would sometimes use a separate boost pedal to push the front of the Ecstasy - just like I would do with a tube amp (because it reacts like one).
Construction
The Ecstasy build quality and packaging match its price tag pretty well. It is housed in a thick metal case that feels solid and sturdy. It is finished in metallic red, which gives it a fresh modern look (not my taste...). The dual channel action requires some extra space, so you'll have to make some room on your board to host this guy. If that's a deal breaker for you, consider the mini version, which drops the boost along with some other features, but is still a great high gain overdrive.
Verdict
After over five years with this pedal, I think it easily has at least another five in it and as long as it works, I'll be rocking it as hard as I can. It really is a phenomenal piece of gear for what it does - a true amp in a box!
Anyways, don't believe to what you read or hear in demo videos. If you are looking for a high-gain organic overdrive pedal go and try one now!
Oh and yes, I will definitely get another one if it got lost or stolen. It is not a cheap piece of gear (~250-300$), but it worth the investment, if you value quality.
Ecstasy Red Official Demo Video
The Blue
If the Red is too much for you, it's worth mentioning its brother, the Ecstasy Blue, which packs the same feature with lighter gain.
Ecstasy Blue Official Demo Video