Engl EP635 Fireball IR

The Engl EP635 Fireball IR is a two-channel preamp pedal from ENGL, designed after the company's Fireball tube amplifier and built to deliver what ENGL calls "the unmistakable high-gain aggression and clarity that ENGL fans love" in a compact pedal format¹. Where a plain distortion pedal only colors your signal, the EP635 is a full preamp: it replaces your amp's front end, adds digital Impulse Response cab sims so you can run it straight to a mixer, interface or headphones, and carries a noise gate and mid boost like a complete amp channel section².

ENGL announced the pedal on 25 April 2025, and it was available from launch²³. Guitar.com described it as a two-channel preamp pedal that ENGL says is ideal for players "seeking high-gain perfection with modern digital convenience"⁴.

What it is and where it came from

The EP635 is a preamp pedal that puts a complete amp voicing on a pedalboard. ENGL describes it as a 2-channel preamp pedal delivering the Fireball tone, and MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley noted that it is based on Engl's classic Fireball tube amp head¹². ENGL says the EP635 delivers "the unmistakable high-gain aggression and clarity that ENGL fans love"¹, and describes it as ideal for players "seeking high-gain perfection with modern digital convenience"⁴.

Guitar Pedal X lists the pedal as a "Dual Channel High Gain Distortion Preamp + Mid Boost with IR outputs," which captures how it sits between a distortion pedal and a full amp replacement⁶. The pedal comes in a fire engine red colourway that Horsley found fitting for its character².

The controls and footswitches

The control layout follows an amp rather than a typical stompbox. As Horsley described it: "There are Bass, Middle and Treble controls aligned across the top, underneath, Volume and Gain, just like an amp"². ENGL's product page lists Volume, Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble and Presence knobs for tonal shaping¹.

The two channels are independent, and each channel's knob settings are saved independently, so you can set up two different rhythm and lead voices and switch between them from the pedal itself¹.

There are two footswitches. The left one is the channel switcher. The right one is a bypass footswitch that, as Horsley put it, "pulls a double-shift engaging the mid-boost and engaging/bypassing the pedal," with a button to select the footswitch mode². The built-in Midboost is a switch ENGL positions for cutting through the mix with extra punch¹.

Guitar Pedal X's review flagged the switching as the pedal's one rough edge, calling it "a little marred by how tap-dancy the footswitch actions are"⁶.

The IR cab sims and connections

The digital side of the pedal is the IR section. Three ENGL cab IRs are onboard: the E212VHB V30, the E414VSB V30 and the E4122XXL V30, selectable from the control panel, with an IR Output On/Off switch so you can bypass the cab sim and feed a real amp or cab⁶. A USB-C port handles IR management².

The rear panel carries a 1/4 inch input, a 1/4 inch output, a 1/8 inch headphone jack and USB-C¹⁵. The headphone output is there, as Horsley noted, "so you can practise silently or monitor when recording"². All the connections are mounted on the top of the pedal, along with the power input².

Power and connections: 9V, 300mA

The EP635 runs on 9V DC, center negative, drawing 300mA, and the power supply is sold separately¹. MusicRadar specified it as a standard pedalboard power supply input needing a minimum of 300mA².

What reviewers said

Reactions from the press were positive on the concept. Gearnews called it "an authentic Fireball experience in a compact pedal format" and concluded: "If you want high-gain tones, this is one to check out this year. It has many great features that will give players an amp-like experience"³. Guitar Pedal X's year-end roundup of 2025 distortion pedals included it, describing it as "a pretty cool sounding high gain distortion," with the caveat about the footswitch actions already noted⁶.

Price

MusicRadar listed the EP635 at £209/$249 street at launch in April 2025². Gearnews gave it as €239 / £209³¹, and a retailer listing showed $209.00 / £189.00 / 222.00 euro³. ENGL's own product page lists it at € 239,99¹. Street prices vary by region and retailer, so treat these as launch-era figures.

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