SE amps. (pic)

[danktat]

I have both the SE20 and her big sister the SE50. I like the sound of both. I typically play though a Fender Hot Rod DeVille, or my Epiphone Blues Custom 30, but, depending on the situation, those little SE amps do sound nice to my ears. They sound better pushed through a cab that has more than just one 12 inch speaker to me, but, that isn't the circuit's fault. That is just that I have combos for the most part. I notice that in most places, the SE amp line never really got any love. I love mine. Just wondering about other's experiences with them.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I've never played one, or heard one, but... my friend who works at a music store had one in stock about 4-5 years ago. This was before I had any PRS amps and he kept telling me that I should buy the 50 SE. He said he wanted it but had another required purchase at the time that he needed funds for. (Trombone player in the Philadelphia Orchestra). Anyway, he wanted that amp BAD! Said "if the Custom amps are even better than this, I need to hear one, but for this money, this is the best amp I've heard." I think he hoped I'd buy it and he could later buy it from me. BTW, I'm 3 hours from his store and only get there a few times a year.

But, he kept telling everyone how great it was. One of his other customers came in to buy a Marshall DSL 100 and he told him to try the 50SE. The guy left with it. When I got my first H and told him I liked it, then the Custom 50 and Archon, he always remarks that if they're even better than the 50SE they must be great amps.

 

[andy474x]

I had the 30 watt for a few years, the only reason I sold it was because I got the Custom 50. It was a very nice amp, I loved the way it recorded. Just something about the gain channel, it was modern and raw, the Custom 50 is slightly more vintage voiced. Both very good things, definitely the same family of amp with a different twist.

The 30’s weak point, specifically in my situation, was that it was quite bassy, and to further that, the tone lost focus and top/mid definition when it was cranked all the way up. I had the matching SE 2x12, which was oversized and very low/high focused without the strong mid push of say a V30 or Greenback. Someone using it at a more reasonable volume, with perhaps a different cab than I was using, would love it.

I (stupidly) traded it in for some money to put toward another amp. Definitely didn’t get what it was worth, and for a time, wished I had it back for that recording tone. But now I have the MT15, between that and the Custom 50 I have all my bases covered again. Still miss the build and features of that SE30 though, it was a hell of an amp, and I now have more cabinets that probably would’ve rocked with it.

 

[danktat]

I've never played one, or heard one, but... my friend who works at a music store had one in stock about 4-5 years ago. This was before I had any PRS amps and he kept telling me that I should buy the 50 SE. He said he wanted it but had another required purchase at the time that he needed funds for. (Trombone player in the Philadelphia Orchestra). Anyway, he wanted that amp BAD! Said "if the Custom amps are even better than this, I need to hear one, but for this money, this is the best amp I've heard." I think he hoped I'd buy it and he could later buy it from me. BTW, I'm 3 hours from his store and only get there a few times a year.

But, he kept telling everyone how great it was. One of his other customers came in to buy a Marshall DSL 100 and he told him to try the 50SE. The guy left with it. When I got my first H and told him I liked it, then the Custom 50 and Archon, he always remarks that if they're even better than the 50SE they must be great amps.

Yeah man. These two amps really have nice cleans (though not quite as shimmery/transparent as the Fender kind of clean). The drive channel is quite usable on both of them too. And I typically prefer pedals to the preamp type gain in many amps that have a channel for dirt, but I use the SE dirty channel moderately and stack it on my overdrive pedals (TS9 and TS-mini) for a nice, full, creamy overdrive that borders on distortion. All in all, for what I paid for them, they are some of the better amps I've owned.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I wasn't here when these came out, but I "heard on the internet" that it was basically an overseas made version of the 2 Channel H. If that's the case, it should be good.