Paul Reed Smith SE20 Amp.

[Turtlejimmy]

Hi everyone,

As a new poster on this site, I thought I'd share my experience with this very nice amp.

I've had it for 2 months now, and I'm using a Gibson SG with '57 classic humbuckers and an American Strat with Texas special single coil pickups. I should point out that I'm not much of a jazz guitar player YET (that's why I'm here ), but rather a blues and rock sort (off and on for some 30 years+). I'm planning to get an Eastman jazz guitar and will be getting a listen soon to one of them through the amp.

Overall, it's a monster for under a thousand dollars. It's not small for a 20 watt amp and weighs 53 pounds (prompting me to want to put wheels on it). It's quite loud, for 20 watts, with 2 channels. The Master Volume controls are very transparent (as they say) and I'm getting a feel for how nice that is. Overall, for each channel, you have 3 volumes (if you count the one on your guitar). The variety of tones, especially with the Strat, is amazing.

With the Gibson SG, through the lead channel, I'm getting (with just nearly straight up EQ settings) tones that remind me of Duane Allman and, more recently, Derek Trucks. These sorts of overdriven, warm, humbucking tones are easy to get and totally available. The amp doesn't have a wattage cutting device (like some) but doesn't need anything like that because it sounds great at even very low volumes.

With my American Special Strat, the range of tones is mindblowing, especially in the clean channel. I'm continuall finding new ones by tweaking this or that (without any effects units), using different pickups, etc. Also, very cool, is the continually nice experience of the guitar/amp giviing you a tone that is recognizable from this or that famous recording.

Nothing but good things to say about it. I should also point out that the one I have doesn't have a working reverb unit, so I can't comment on that yet. I have one more month before I have to take it back to get a replacement with a working reverb. It's supposed to be nice, based on the reviews.

The other two SE amps, the 30 watt one and the 50 watter, are also available, and for not much extra. They have different power tubes, and sound different. My local Gutar Center has the 30 watt version (I like the 20 quite a bit better). Haven't heard the 50 watt version yet, but it's only 4 1/2 pounds heavier than the 20.

Hope this helps.


Turtle

[mtierney]

I've tried the SE amps as well. I really enjoyed all three for rock as well as jazz. I wasn't huge on the one with EL34s (I think that's the 50...?), but I'm just not en EL 34 person.

You won't be disappointed with the reverb either.

My only complaint with them is that the gain channel doesn't have as wide a range of gain as I would like. Even with the gain turned down most of the way, it's more distorted than I would like to play rhythm blues, which forces me to turn up the gain on the clean channel. It's easy to get that barely-clipping tone on the clean channel, but then you can't really switch it to be cleaner. I don't know if you noticed something similar Turtlejimmy, that was just my impression with an hourish demo in Guitar Center (which is definitely not the prime condition to try amplifiers...)

I was using an SG with soap bars, a Grestch g5120, and an ES 335. No archtops in the store, but the amp was able to get very clean with all three of these.

[Turtlejimmy]

Mtierney,

Yes, I think I know exactly what you're talking about .... The Gibson Humbucker type pickups give a very fat and pretty hot signal ... the Fender Texas pickups are very clean by comparison and have a lower output. It's easier to get that slightly distorted sound that's still great for rhythm with the Fender, in either channel.

Also, with these amps, your volume control on the guitar becomes a major gain control ... Going for a lower volume setting on the guitar and compensating by turning UP the Master volume will give less gain.

At certain settings, you can leave the amp alone and go from rhythm to lead just by turning up the guitar's volume. Again, that's much easier with the Fender than with the Gibson.


Turtle

[mtierney]

That's such a PRS thing, too. There are multiple interviews with Paul Reed Smith where he talks about the significance of the volume control on his guitars, so I can see why he would want the guitar's volume control to have a huge impact on the amp.

I was trying it for my friend who plays the Grestch g5120 though; he's looking into getting an amp that's about that size. I'll keep posted, but he really liked it as well.