Suhr SE-100 HW Head

[jimistheman]

This is music to my ears and EXACTLY what I was looking for in the SE. Big fan of your guitars and amps, John!!!!

Jim

I've always looked at the SE as a tone that someone with good pick control can tweak just by the way he plays.
The SE was me chasing some of my old heroes like Billy Gibbons, Old Neal Schon, Leslie West, Brian May.
I like things over the top and that gives me the ability to squeeze the tones out just by the way I play, play with a lighter touch and turn the amp up, work the volume control and explore the tones the pick can give you. There are a few schools of thought on bass.

1) Take most the bass out of the preamp and but it back in the power section.
Advantages to this is the amp is tighter, you still have bass and it is easy to play with chords and chunk rhythm, it is very forgiving on cord work with high gain.
Disadvantage, the bass isn't real, it doesn't push past the cabinet in a live situation and sometimes the tone sounds "produced" or stuck in the cabinet.
Power section is dirtier and has more harmonic distortion.
Single note solo lines are thinner sounding not as fat and 3D as alternatives.

2) Put bass in the preamp and have the power section be relatively flat (not boosting bass)
Advantages to this are the single note soloing are fat and 3D. Sweet solo tones that cut through. Friendlier with single coils.
Preamp send (effects loop) is what you get and the power section is easier used as a true power amp with effects.
In the SE the gain is substantial and the gain pot is another tone essentially, For instance, you will get a shreddy tight tone with the gain on 5 or 6 but push it up around 7 or 8 and you better have excellent pick control to deal with that fat overdrive. For the record this is basically the same circuit as Doug Aldrich's main amp he has used for Dio (live record), Whitesnake and most of his live gigs. Doug does not push the gain past 5 or 6 and prefers to boost in front for solos. Reb Beach also used this circuit for many years up until 2 years ago when he switched to PT100s. You can also hear this clearly on the Rhythm tracks of F.U.C.K on The Dream is over, those Rhythm tracks are the 3+ channel 3 before the SE (which I could put in an SE)
Disadvantage... When playing high gain settings it can get muddy if you don't control the bass but IMO the rewards come back to you 10 fold when you get a handle on the beast.

For the record the PT100 sits someplace in the middle and is a blend of those two schools of thought.

 

[Deleted member 16554]

I've always looked at the SE as a tone that someone with good pick control can tweak just by the way he plays.
The SE was me chasing some of my old heroes like Billy Gibbons, Old Neal Schon, Leslie West, Brian May.
I like things over the top and that gives me the ability to squeeze the tones out just by the way I play, play with a lighter touch and turn the amp up, work the volume control and explore the tones the pick can give you. There are a few schools of thought on bass.

1) Take most the bass out of the preamp and but it back in the power section.
Advantages to this is the amp is tighter, you still have bass and it is easy to play with chords and chunk rhythm, it is very forgiving on cord work with high gain.
Disadvantage, the bass isn't real, it doesn't push past the cabinet in a live situation and sometimes the tone sounds "produced" or stuck in the cabinet.
Power section is dirtier and has more harmonic distortion.
Single note solo lines are thinner sounding not as fat and 3D as alternatives.

2) Put bass in the preamp and have the power section be relatively flat (not boosting bass)
Advantages to this are the single note soloing are fat and 3D. Sweet solo tones that cut through. Friendlier with single coils.
Preamp send (effects loop) is what you get and the power section is easier used as a true power amp with effects.
In the SE the gain is substantial and the gain pot is another tone essentially, For instance, you will get a shreddy tight tone with the gain on 5 or 6 but push it up around 7 or 8 and you better have excellent pick control to deal with that fat overdrive. For the record this is basically the same circuit as Doug Aldrich's main amp he has used for Dio (live record), Whitesnake and most of his live gigs. Doug does not push the gain past 5 or 6 and prefers to boost in front for solos. Reb Beach also used this circuit for many years up until 2 years ago when he switched to PT100s. You can also hear this clearly on the Rhythm tracks of F.U.C.K on The Dream is over, those Rhythm tracks are the 3+ channel 3 before the SE (which I could put in an SE)
Disadvantage... When playing high gain settings it can get muddy if you don't control the bass but IMO the rewards come back to you 10 fold when you get a handle on the beast.

For the record the PT100 sits someplace in the middle and is a blend of those two schools of thought.

Thank you so much for sharing this, i'll definitely be getting one of these soon!

 

[joepete77]

I've always looked at the SE as a tone that someone with good pick control can tweak just by the way he plays.
The SE was me chasing some of my old heroes like Billy Gibbons, Old Neal Schon, Leslie West, Brian May.
I like things over the top and that gives me the ability to squeeze the tones out just by the way I play, play with a lighter touch and turn the amp up, work the volume control and explore the tones the pick can give you. There are a few schools of thought on bass.

1) Take most the bass out of the preamp and but it back in the power section.
Advantages to this is the amp is tighter, you still have bass and it is easy to play with chords and chunk rhythm, it is very forgiving on cord work with high gain.
Disadvantage, the bass isn't real, it doesn't push past the cabinet in a live situation and sometimes the tone sounds "produced" or stuck in the cabinet.
Power section is dirtier and has more harmonic distortion.
Single note solo lines are thinner sounding not as fat and 3D as alternatives.

2) Put bass in the preamp and have the power section be relatively flat (not boosting bass)
Advantages to this are the single note soloing are fat and 3D. Sweet solo tones that cut through. Friendlier with single coils.
Preamp send (effects loop) is what you get and the power section is easier used as a true power amp with effects.
In the SE the gain is substantial and the gain pot is another tone essentially, For instance, you will get a shreddy tight tone with the gain on 5 or 6 but push it up around 7 or 8 and you better have excellent pick control to deal with that fat overdrive. For the record this is basically the same circuit as Doug Aldrich's main amp he has used for Dio (live record), Whitesnake and most of his live gigs. Doug does not push the gain past 5 or 6 and prefers to boost in front for solos. Reb Beach also used this circuit for many years up until 2 years ago when he switched to PT100s. You can also hear this clearly on the Rhythm tracks of F.U.C.K on The Dream is over, those Rhythm tracks are the 3+ channel 3 before the SE (which I could put in an SE)
Disadvantage... When playing high gain settings it can get muddy if you don't control the bass but IMO the rewards come back to you 10 fold when you get a handle on the beast.

For the record the PT100 sits someplace in the middle and is a blend of those two schools of thought.

Thank you so much for sharing this, i'll definitely be getting one of these soon!

Yeah, very cool to have you share details like this as it helps paint a picture of the tones etc. I would love to try one of these out, sounds great so far!

 

[jimistheman]

Guys--just took delivery of the SE100 and just got through pummeling it through my Diezel FL 4x12 w/v30s. First off--my sincere thanks to John Suhr. This amp sounds AMAZING!!!! What's really amazing are the dynamics--when you lay into it, the amps breaks up--back off, and it cleans right up. Simply unreal. I don't understand how the amp could lack bottom end or not be perceived as tight. It sounds MASSIVE through my Diezel 4x12. In fact, with my Suhr Modern w/Aldrich humbuckers, I'm able to achieve the live Dio and Whitesnake tones with ease. No massive knob turning or tweaking--it's there! I am simply blown away. This is one of those seminal moments in my personal gear chase...first hearing a cranked Germino HR100, Diezels....playing my first Grosh Sunset 79, my Suhr Andy Wood and custom Moderns....this amp is a game changer. I'm totally blown away. The build quality is breathtaking!!!!! It can push some serious air!!! More to follow!!!!

 

[Deleted member 16554]

CLIPS CLIPS CLIPS CLIPS CLIPS

 

[jimistheman]

CLIPS CLIPS CLIPS CLIPS CLIPS

I really wish I had the ability to do clips! I wish you guys could hear what I hear in the room--it sounds incredible through my Diezel 4x12s. They really handle low end well--palm mutes are shaking the foundation--LOL!

 

[Deleted member 16554]

CLIPS CLIPS CLIPS CLIPS CLIPS

I really wish I had the ability to do clips! I wish you guys could hear what I hear in the room--it sounds incredible through my Diezel 4x12s. They really handle low end well--palm mutes are shaking the foundation--LOL!

not even crappy cell phone camera quality? im going to have a heart attack if i dont hear this amp

 

[1meanplexi]

for $3k I'll settle for this

WOW!!!!!! I must come out from under my rock. 1st time I have heard one of these. In response to your quote, I would too.

 

[Rev]

Holy crap! Dream is Over is one of my all-time favorite tones EVER!!!!

Can't wait for mine to ship!!!

Dream is over; what album is this?

 

[ttosh]

for $3k I'll settle for this

WOW!!!!!! I must come out from under my rock. 1st time I have heard one of these. In response to your quote, I would too.

I want to hear more clips of the SE100, this sounds like a Bass guitar with distortion to me.

 

[Rev]

Holy crap! Dream is Over is one of my all-time favorite tones EVER!!!!

Can't wait for mine to ship!!!

Dream is over; what album is this?

Van Halen F.U.C.K.

Ah got it thx.

 

[chunktone]

What is the price?

$3200

Steve

Bullshit price. Sorry, but that's no 3200 amp.

The amp is worth whatever price people are willing to pay for it. Obviously, it isn't worth it to you, however, Mr. Suhr is no novice and I'm sure he knows how many he'll sell at this price and has made the requisite trade-offs in his head when he set it.

It says in the marketing material that John himself builds them and that may also be a factor in the pricing. That may have value to some and not to others as well...

Not directing this at you Reza, but I'm always amused by these pricing discussions as someone who has brought an amp to market myself. Most people commenting on prices have no idea how much it costs to design and build limited quantities of a high quality amp. If I was making 1000s of them, and was willing to compromise quality somewhat, of course the economics would be different.. There is not as much profit in any of this as people think for the little guy doing high quality work...

"Hey wanna know how to make a million bucks in the amp biz? Well... ya start with two million and..."

Steve

Fug it, what do I know. I play Diezels.

Yeah, and I play Hennings and the damn things are friggin' expensive!

Steve

Your amp is not cheap, but I like the tones I've heard much better than this similarly priced Suhr. Yours has a lot more features too!

 

[Deleted member 16554]

Any more insight on the amp now that you have had it for a bit???

Interested in more info as well

Rockinchippy, has your blackout shipped yet? I was hoping you'd have yours soon since suhr posted that "now shipping" video

 

[jimistheman]

Hey Guys,

The amp just gets better and better. I've been out of town for a bit, so I'll post more detailed thoughts soon. I swear, though, those looking for the live Dio and Whitesnake tones, look no further. One of the most dynamic amps I've played. Only been playing it through a Diezel FL 4x12 with vintage 30s. I want to run it through some other cabs (my other Diezel with K100s and my Friedman cab) as well as with some effects. The harmonics, complexity, and 3d nature of the tones are unparalleled. More to come!

 

[yngzaklynch]

How tight is the bottom end?

 

[jimistheman]

I certainly wouldn't consider it loose by any stretch. It's also dead quiet. Build quality is exceptional!!

 

[Deleted member 16554]

can someone explain what John is saying in the part I have highlighted/underlined/bolded from his post? does he mean that he could basically wire in a second channel? i tried pm'ing him but have not heard back and would really like to know what this option is

I've always looked at the SE as a tone that someone with good pick control can tweak just by the way he plays.
The SE was me chasing some of my old heroes like Billy Gibbons, Old Neal Schon, Leslie West, Brian May.
I like things over the top and that gives me the ability to squeeze the tones out just by the way I play, play with a lighter touch and turn the amp up, work the volume control and explore the tones the pick can give you. There are a few schools of thought on bass.

1) Take most the bass out of the preamp and but it back in the power section.
Advantages to this is the amp is tighter, you still have bass and it is easy to play with chords and chunk rhythm, it is very forgiving on cord work with high gain.
Disadvantage, the bass isn't real, it doesn't push past the cabinet in a live situation and sometimes the tone sounds "produced" or stuck in the cabinet.
Power section is dirtier and has more harmonic distortion.
Single note solo lines are thinner sounding not as fat and 3D as alternatives.

2) Put bass in the preamp and have the power section be relatively flat (not boosting bass)
Advantages to this are the single note soloing are fat and 3D. Sweet solo tones that cut through. Friendlier with single coils.
Preamp send (effects loop) is what you get and the power section is easier used as a true power amp with effects.
In the SE the gain is substantial and the gain pot is another tone essentially, For instance, you will get a shreddy tight tone with the gain on 5 or 6 but push it up around 7 or 8 and you better have excellent pick control to deal with that fat overdrive. For the record this is basically the same circuit as Doug Aldrich's main amp he has used for Dio (live record), Whitesnake and most of his live gigs. Doug does not push the gain past 5 or 6 and prefers to boost in front for solos. Reb Beach also used this circuit for many years up until 2 years ago when he switched to PT100s. Reb told me his 3+ modded Marshall amp was used on Cherry Pie. You can also hear this clearly on the Rhythm tracks of F.U.C.K on The Dream is over, those Rhythm tracks are the 3+ channel 3 before the SE (which I could put in an SE handwired or OD)
Disadvantage... When playing high gain settings it can get muddy if you don't control the bass but IMO the rewards come back to you 10 fold when you get a handle on the beast.

For the record the PT100 sits someplace in the middle and is a blend of those two schools of thought.

Thats interesting, that last video they posted said now shipping so i thought you'd have yours by now...oh well, at least theres a light at the end of the tunnel!

Any more insight on the amp now that you have had it for a bit???

Interested in more info as well

Rockinchippy, has your blackout shipped yet? I was hoping you'd have yours soon since suhr posted that "now shipping" video

Nope...still waiting....Suhr customer service said that they are in the burn-in stage and that is all wired up.

 

[glip22]

can someone explain what John is saying in the part I have highlighted/underlined/bolded from his post? does he mean that he could basically wire in a second channel? i tried pm'ing him but have not heard back and would really like to know what this option is

I've always looked at the SE as a tone that someone with good pick control can tweak just by the way he plays.
The SE was me chasing some of my old heroes like Billy Gibbons, Old Neal Schon, Leslie West, Brian May.
I like things over the top and that gives me the ability to squeeze the tones out just by the way I play, play with a lighter touch and turn the amp up, work the volume control and explore the tones the pick can give you. There are a few schools of thought on bass.

1) Take most the bass out of the preamp and but it back in the power section.
Advantages to this is the amp is tighter, you still have bass and it is easy to play with chords and chunk rhythm, it is very forgiving on cord work with high gain.
Disadvantage, the bass isn't real, it doesn't push past the cabinet in a live situation and sometimes the tone sounds "produced" or stuck in the cabinet.
Power section is dirtier and has more harmonic distortion.
Single note solo lines are thinner sounding not as fat and 3D as alternatives.

2) Put bass in the preamp and have the power section be relatively flat (not boosting bass)
Advantages to this are the single note soloing are fat and 3D. Sweet solo tones that cut through. Friendlier with single coils.
Preamp send (effects loop) is what you get and the power section is easier used as a true power amp with effects.
In the SE the gain is substantial and the gain pot is another tone essentially, For instance, you will get a shreddy tight tone with the gain on 5 or 6 but push it up around 7 or 8 and you better have excellent pick control to deal with that fat overdrive. For the record this is basically the same circuit as Doug Aldrich's main amp he has used for Dio (live record), Whitesnake and most of his live gigs. Doug does not push the gain past 5 or 6 and prefers to boost in front for solos. Reb Beach also used this circuit for many years up until 2 years ago when he switched to PT100s. Reb told me his 3+ modded Marshall amp was used on Cherry Pie. You can also hear this clearly on the Rhythm tracks of F.U.C.K on The Dream is over, those Rhythm tracks are the 3+ channel 3 before the SE (which I could put in an SE handwired or OD)
Disadvantage... When playing high gain settings it can get muddy if you don't control the bass but IMO the rewards come back to you 10 fold when you get a handle on the beast.

For the record the PT100 sits someplace in the middle and is a blend of those two schools of thought.

Thats interesting, that last video they posted said now shipping so i thought you'd have yours by now...oh well, at least theres a light at the end of the tunnel!

Any more insight on the amp now that you have had it for a bit???

Interested in more info as well

Rockinchippy, has your blackout shipped yet? I was hoping you'd have yours soon since suhr posted that "now shipping" video

Nope...still waiting....Suhr customer service said that they are in the burn-in stage and that is all wired up.

It was a mod John did to the OD100 and I think on Marshalls before the SE came out. It gave channel two of the OD100 allot more gain.

 

[JTyson]

I thought it sounded great
Cleans up real nice too.
I bet it will run for 100 years, he makes great stuff

 

[Deleted member 16554]

It was a mod John did to the OD100 and I think on Marshalls before the SE came out. It gave channel two of the OD100 allot more gain.

So based on johns post he can put it into the se-100 as well? would it basically make the se-100 a two channel head? Appreciate your help glip!