NAD EBS Fafner 2

[JGSpector]

I purchased a pre owned EBS Fafner 2 last week and have been playing around with it for a few days now.

 

As a bit of background, back in 2012 or possibly 2013, the internal fuse in my GK 1001RB blew during sound check at a gig. Rather than trying to swap the blown fuse out for the new one that I had in my gig bag (it was busy and there was nowhere I could take myself for a bit of quiet so I could concentrate), I was going to use the venues backline amp which I think was some sort of Peavey combo.

 

The bass player from the band that was playing top of the bill learned of my plight and offered to let me use his amp. That amp was a Fafner 2. I wish I could remember his full name or even the name of his band but his first name was Greg anyway. I must admit, I was a little intimidated by the Fafner 2 initially, not least because I was very familiar with my GK’s incredibly simple layout but also because I’m completely blind and playing through unfamiliar equipment is something I try to avoid as much as possible for obvious reasons.

 

Greg was absolutely brilliant and took me through the front panel controls and told me he had no problem at all with me changing them to suit what I wanted and left me to it.

 

I won’t lie, I was fumbling around the thing and making a right hash of what I wanted out of it. Greg being the gent that he was could see I was struggling and basically came over and asked me what I was after. I told him I wanted a bass tone in the area of that on Machinehead’s Burn My Eyes album. He got me to play for maybe 2 minutes whilst he made some adjustments and then there it was, awesome!

 

Anyway, since that night I’ve wanted a Fafner 2 but definitely couldn’t afford one back then and have not been in a position to purchase any that have come up on the pre owned market over the last decade or so. Until now that is.

 

I am absolutely gobsmacked at how good this thing is! Yes it’s heavy but it’s just so punchy and articulate. There is weight to the notes and I love the parallel channel mode. It’s rated at 600w into 4ohms and 750w into 2ohms, so around 300-350w into 8ohms. I’ve only played it through my Barefaced SuperCompact so far and I haven’t managed to take the volume beyond 1, I dread to think how loud it’s going to be through my BF SuperTwin!

 

So basically I’m over the moon with the amp, it’ was clearly looked after by the previous owner, it’s actually even better than I had remembered and I cannot wait to play it at rehearsal volume on Thursday night.

 

I’m definitely going to be doing one of my amp reviews from a blind player’s perspective on this beauty.