NAD: PRS SE 20 Combo

bricel24

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Joined
Feb 17, 2014
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212
Location
Sacramento/SF Bay Area
Stole it from a local GC today. Can't wait to get home and fully with play it. They lost the footswitch but for the price, I could care less.

 
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I'm very tempted to go pick up an SE50 head to complement my SE30 head. But I fear that it would be totally superflous. But that price is insane, I think it's chain-wide. For that price I almost can't justify NOT buying another.
 
I'm very tempted to go pick up an SE50 head to complement my SE30 head. But I fear that it would be totally superflous. But that price is insane, I think it's chain-wide. For that price I almost can't justify NOT buying another.
I was told there's not a whole lot of 'em around anymore in stores. Calling the GC main call center, they may tell you who has one in stock but will not give you the clearance price. You actually have to call the store and ask if they are on clearance, as it may vary with different stores.
 
I was told there's not a whole lot of 'em around anymore in stores. Calling the GC main call center, they may tell you who has one in stock but will not give you the clearance price. You actually have to call the store and ask if they are on clearance, as it may vary with different stores.

Oh there are 2 in my local GC... At least there was a few days ago, 30 and a 50! Also a Sweet 16 head for not much more than that!
 
Great lookin' amp!

I looked for one around here recently, but came up empty.

Not that I need to load up on any more amps! Haha.
 
OK, so, after going through it over the weekend, I'm not sure if this one is a keeper. As far as my ears can tell, there is definitely something not right with this particular amp.

Here are my symptoms:
Clean channel -- it's great, easy to dial in tones, UNTIL I turn the gain up past 1:00 it starts to get fizzy.
Lead channel -- no good. Low to high gain dialing gets fizzy. No warmth or punch; it's sounds like you're playing through very loud computer speakers.

It does not matter if I plugged the guitar straight to the amp. I also tried to put a dirt pedal (front and FX loop to try), same fizziness.

I do let the tubes warm up, played for a few hours a day but seems to not get any better. Should I give it some more time?

I'm trying to like the amp, I really am. But being a noob to troubleshooting tube amps, it's not my forte. I've done my homework with these SE20 combos and most I've read and heard are not like the one I have. They do sound good in reviews and demos.

Maybe a little input from you guys. Should I check for something else? I have opened up the cab and ensured and inspected the speaker and it's screws are all tight (not that it may have anything to do with the issues). I've read somewhere that the preamp tubes may be an issue?
 
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Give it some time it's a fine amp, you are dealing with a 20 watt p so the break up of the sound is going to come a lot faster then say a. 50 watt amp. I take all my new amps outside on my deck and dial them in I don't know we're you have your amp set up but it will sound different everywhere you place it. As for tubes open the back turn on amp and tap the tubes lightly with a pencil,if you hear any weird noises that tube should be investigated. Give the amp some time iam sure you will enjoy it.
I hope this help and the people on this forum are knowledgable and Iam sure we could get you through this good luck.
 
The SE amps do love volume. If you're playing with the master below 9-10:00, it will sound fizzy. Turn it up to noon or more, and they deliver the goods.
 
Thanks for the tips. Nice to know that I'm still not on the edge of really saying I hate this amp. I have played a few Fender tube combos before and I know they are OK in low volumes, so I guess I'm basing my comparison with them.

In general, I can't go past 10:00 in volume in the house. I have a newborn and I'm sure my wife won't be too happy, not that she already yelled at me yesterday when I crank it up trying to troubleshoot this issue. The only way I could really go past that is when I get it out to jam sessions but that's kinda hard to come by lately, due to our new addition.

My last amp was a solid state, and does really well in low volumes. I may consider just getting another one for home use.
 
Thanks for the tips. Nice to know that I'm still not on the edge of really saying I hate this amp. I have played a few Fender tube combos before and I know they are OK in low volumes, so I guess I'm basing my comparison with them.

In general, I can't go past 10:00 in volume in the house. I have a newborn and I'm sure my wife won't be too happy, not that she already yelled at me yesterday when I crank it up trying to troubleshoot this issue. The only way I could really test it out is when I get it out to jam sessions but that's kinda hard to come by lately, due to our new addition.

My last amp was a solid state, and does really well in low volumes. I may consider just getting another one for home use.

Yeah, as much as I love mine, I'll be the first to admit they don't sound that great whisper quiet. If you have a chance, take it out and crank it a bit, maybe with a band or something, and see how you like it there. Then maybe get a Roland Cube or Yamaha THR for home use.
 
I took your guys' advice and have been playing it more the last few days despite getting yelled at by my wife haha. I made a surprising discovery however. I plugged my main pedalboard, which consist of a Boss GT-8, Vox wah and TC Polytune, all into an SKB PS-45 powered board, for the first time in front of the amp. It sounds great, even though there's significantly low fizz especially pushing through the cleans. The distortions of the Boss GT-8 sounds round and warm.

Plugging straight or with a dirt pedal however, remains an issue with the fizziness. The dirt channel especially.

I'm glad that my board is working out well with this amp though. It's the most important thing for now.
 
Just for kicks, I'm happy with this rig, for now.

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So unfortunately, I had to give up the amp. I tried to work with it more but as stated above, the amp really shines when cranked up. Problem is I have to practice with it here at home and unable to crank it up to a certain usable level to desire being played. I found another tube amp that works well in low volumes and able to work with what I want it to do.

I traded the SE 20 at a local shop. In case you're still interested, the amp I traded for is a Hayden Peacemaker 40.

2-channel, 40W, 1x12, EL84 output, handwired in China (Hayden is a sister company of Ashdown Amps UK).

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