PRS SE amps, were they good?

DK1984

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Mar 2, 2020
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I never played on an SE amp before they got discontinued, but they seemed like they would've been good quality considering PRS had their name on it.

I see them used a lot though.
 
Their quality was fantastic, by far the best overseas made amp I've ever owned.

They had a LOT of bass available, to the point that it could be hard to tame using a 2x12 or 4x12 closed back. I never ran my head into an open back cab, but would've liked to, I think I would've preferred it.
 
I was a Rivera guy for 25 years. I played an SE30 and LOVED it. It gave me a cool tone that seemed between the Rivera and a Budda. I wish I had gotten one, but I had a ton of amps at that time and was still supported by Rivera, so I didn't.
 
Except for the weight, my 2 channel SE 30 is my all time favorite. It was one of the last batch to leave the factory, and was put in a regular 2 channel cabinet. Doug Sewell told me Paul got in the factory early one morning, and did something to the last ten, but no one seems to know what. It is louder than hell, and has overdrive for the gods. If there are no stairs to go up, it’s the first amp out. It weighs AT LEAST 60 pounds, and I’m north of 65. I keep a collapsible hand truck in the car.
 
Except for the weight, my 2 channel SE 30 is my all time favorite. It was one of the last batch to leave the factory, and was put in a regular 2 channel cabinet. Doug Sewell told me Paul got in the factory early one morning, and did something to the last ten, but no one seems to know what. It is louder than hell, and has overdrive for the gods. If there are no stairs to go up, it’s the first amp out. It weighs AT LEAST 60 pounds, and I’m north of 65. I keep a collapsible hand truck in the car.
yer killin' me.... There was one of those on Craigs List in my area, for $250. Probably not a "last 10" but great shape and the cabinet looked like my H And Custom 50 cab.
 
The clean on SEs was nice, but the overdrive was bloated and unfocused. A few judicious interstage coupling caps may have been all the SE circuit needed. The SE was not designed by Doug. It was designed by the same engineering team that used to design Crate amps.
 
I had one gor a while. I didn't care for the OD tone of the amp but the clean side was a great pedal platform. Ive seen them going ridiculously cheap used.
 
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