NAD - well 3 months ago .. Suhr PT100 SE Review

rickenbacker198

Active member
About 3 months ago I picked up a like new Suhr PT100 SE from reverb.
I’m guessing my musical tastes are a mile from some on Rig Talk (I’m not so much for the chugga chugga) but I like it here, been a semi-lurker for years and I want to finally contribute with a review of this mostly off the radar amp.
I play in P&W band at church, have a hobby basement recording studio, and too many musical projects on the go.
I play wall of sound , shoegazer stuff, anything rock, as well as some emotional/ textural guitar.

My initial feeling on this amp were favourable, however
it took me a few days to really dial it in how I like it.
I’ve had different Marshall amps in the past I thought this would be a variation on that, and it is, but also so much more.

Coming from using mainly Diezel amps I only have one big complaint about the PT100SE , that the presence, depth and feedback controls are on the back of the amp, annoying when you want to tweak it on stage.. or from your chair in the studio.

Other than that it has all the features you could ask for midi/ great loop/ bright switches/ feel control /3 channels…. a built in mosfet boost circuit that can be engaged on each channel etc..

The stock tube selection is bang on.
JJ 12ax7 in V1, Shuguang 12ax7 in the rest and JJ EL34L’s.
I resisted the fact that there’s a JJ tube in V1. I loathe JJ 12ax7’s in all my other amps. But after some experimenting I do admit John Suhr has it right with his tube selections.

I’ve gone through a lot of amps , maybe not as many as some of you other nutcases, but a good number.
Of all them the Diezels are the only ones I would miss on a daily basis. The Bogs and Wiz’s are noteworthy but I didn’t like them enough to justify keeping them.
I want my amps to be deep. I want to discover new tones and textures for years… otherwise honestly I just get bored of it.
That said , the Suhr is staying for a very long time.

I usually play PRS my #1 is a stock ‘01 SAS, also regularly play ‘94 & ‘14 McCartys and another SAS loaded with DiMarzios.
I’ve tried the amp with greenbacks , V30s and H30’s.
It works well with them all , but H30+ V30 combo is my favourite.

A rundown of the channels.

Ch 1 Clean -Reminds me of every Pearl Jam song ever -
There is such variance in the tones available here.
This channel is capable of crystal clean but only with the lowest gain settings, like 2 or lower,
Increase the gain and is has such a pleasant breakup mixed with a clear jangling bell like tone.
At higher gain settings it’s all out crunch overlapping with some of channel 2 but with a much different voice.
There’s a bright switch that adds top end and more pick noise.
Also a crunch switch that adds more gain.
It’s open and dynamic on all settings.

Ch 2 - Reminds me of a killer modded plexi- except it sounds great at a reasonable volume.
Think fine toothed saw type of drive.
This channel starts out hotter than you’d think , if you want Marshall like cleans the gain needs to be below 1.5
After that mayhem , there’s much more gain available than with a stock plexi. It can be, raw, open and cutting but it’s not difficult to control.
You can dial it in dark and smooth or dark and gritty. Bright and smooth with a pleasing percussion to every chord strike or bright and aggressive.
Basically if you like the character of the drive it can be shaped in a way you want.

Ch 3 -Builds on channel 2, tweak the character slightly, add some compression, and beefy low mids.
Think slow running chainsaw type drive.
There are copious amount of gain on tap here.
At lower settings it’s still crunch, percussive and open.
By mid gain power chords are fat and chunky with some compression.
With the higher settings leads become fluid , the touch response and feeling of push pull with the amp is remarkable.

The other stuff -
Each channel has a beautiful percussion once dialed in well, not the kind that smacks you in the face, more like tickles your ears.
The Eq is responsive and extreme settings are still useful , the depth control is not nearly as aggressive as some amps, but fun nonetheless.
The boost circuit is available on each channel , it adds a boost to the amps front end, increasing gain and tightening the amp.
The feedback control changes the feel, at lower settings it feels like a plexi at higher like a JCM 800.
The presence control has a wide range and I never felt the need for more than 6 with my cabs.

This amp is organic ,it feels alive under my hands and has this tangible depth to the sound, like multiple layers at once , I’ve not experienced in other amps.
Simply inspiring, it makes me want to play more.
If you don’t want to consider this amp because it’s a signature edition, what I say is almost every amp has someone’s name on it , this one just happens to have two.
Mr Suhr and Mr Thorn you’ve created something special, Thank you!

My overall evaluation is ..
9.5/10
The only reduction is because there are controls on the back.
If tone was the only factor it’s 10/10.
If you play or enjoy anything other than extreme metal, I strongly recommend trying this amp out.
 
They're great amps, and I agree about the switches on the back, its a pet peeve of mine as well.
 
These are great amps. If you haven't tried a Koko boost up front on channel 2... try it. It sounds amazing. I think the PT100 gets sometimes forgotten or overlooked amongst all the Friedmans, Bogners, and Soldanos. It's a great modified Marshall sound and a very well made amp. I'll take one over a BE100 anyday myself.

Good review. :thumbsup:
 
Nitrobattery":33vd0kzr said:
This really isn't helping my GAS. Nice write-up!

Your Welcome I did my best, and Thanks,
After really digging Rockinchippy’s clips of this amp, I tried to find a good review.
There are comments out there , not much more.

Clips are a start to see if the tone agrees with you but nothing like sitting down with an amp getting to know each other.
Just wanted to share my experience of that.
 
Wizard of Ozz":29twwmzr said:
These are great amps. If you haven't tried a Koko boost up front on channel 2... try it. It sounds amazing. I think the PT100 gets sometimes forgotten or overlooked amongst all the Friedmans, Bogners, and Soldanos. It's a great modified Marshall sound and a very well made amp. I'll take one over a BE100 anyday myself.

Good review. :thumbsup:

Thanks man , I’ll try to pick up a Koko and give it a shot.
Yeah I’ve had a lot of those other modified Marshall amps, every one had at least 2 or 3 great tones... sometimes killer tones.
Maybe it’s just me, I’m a picky Bytrd, but I’d usually get bored after a couple weeks because there wasn’t a huge variation away from the core sound of the amp.
This one the, PT100SE excites me, and that’s not an easy task.
 
The one amp I wanted to love...but didn't :no: Had all the features of the 'perfect amp' but in the end it just wasn't for me. I even bought some Creambacks to put in my 2X12 thinking that may be the ticket. Nope

Sucks because it was the most I ever spent on an amp. Plugged into my old beat up Splawn Quickrod and BINGO! That's the best bang for buck tone out there imo! :yes:

I ended up picking up a 20th Anniversary Shiva once I parted ways with the PT100 and I much prefer that amp as well
 
Lord Toneking":3q94za6i said:
The one amp I wanted to love...but didn't :no: Had all the features of the 'perfect amp' but in the end it just wasn't for me. I even bought some Creambacks to put in my 2X12 thinking that may be the ticket. Nope

Sucks because it was the most I ever spent on an amp. Plugged into my old beat up Splawn Quickrod and BINGO! That's the best bang for buck tone out there imo! :yes:

I ended up picking up a 20th Anniversary Shiva once I parted ways with the PT100 and I much prefer that amp as well

The PT100 SE has a definitive Plexi on Steroids vibe on channel 2&3, If you don’t like that sound you won’t get along with those channels.
Oddly enough, I have a 20th shiva KT88 sitting here that I picked up just after the PT100 SE
It’s a good amp, probably in my top 10.
Sits right in the middle between the Shur and Vh4 in terms how modern it sounds and feels.
Everyone hears differently ;) .. and my 20th Shiva is on the chopping block simply because I can cover a lot of its tonal footprint with other amps already.
 
Lord Toneking":39vxmo9i said:
The one amp I wanted to love...but didn't :no: Had all the features of the 'perfect amp' but in the end it just wasn't for me. I even bought some Creambacks to put in my 2X12 thinking that may be the ticket. Nope

Sucks because it was the most I ever spent on an amp. Plugged into my old beat up Splawn Quickrod and BINGO! That's the best bang for buck tone out there imo! :yes:

I ended up picking up a 20th Anniversary Shiva once I parted ways with the PT100 and I much prefer that amp as well

What didn't you like about the PT? I've got a QR that I really like the dirty channel of, but like you mentioned the PT has everything else that I'm looking for. I've been thinking about picking one up, but it would be a buy to try situation.
 
Nitrobattery":16hobeti said:
Lord Toneking":16hobeti said:
The one amp I wanted to love...but didn't :no: Had all the features of the 'perfect amp' but in the end it just wasn't for me. I even bought some Creambacks to put in my 2X12 thinking that may be the ticket. Nope

Sucks because it was the most I ever spent on an amp. Plugged into my old beat up Splawn Quickrod and BINGO! That's the best bang for buck tone out there imo! :yes:

I ended up picking up a 20th Anniversary Shiva once I parted ways with the PT100 and I much prefer that amp as well

What didn't you like about the PT? I've got a QR that I really like the dirty channel of, but like you mentioned the PT has everything else that I'm looking for. I've been thinking about picking one up, but it would be a buy to try situation.
I think my main complaint was that it was bright and had a weird midrange thing that my ears didn't like. It wasn't bad as a stand alone amp, but in a band mix I hated it. Which is weird because everyone says Splawn's have weird mids. The splawn just has more of an aggressiveness to it and a bigger bottom end, where as the PT was raspy to me. Idk, hard to explain. It didn't have the bounce in it, very dry and tight. I will say that the clean channel was killer
 
Overall I thought it was a nice amp. I had it dialed in with more of a MOP kind of tone, but in the end I thought it was too strong in the low mids and needed more upper mids to cut through live. It did have kind of a rasp to it (as listed above) maybe more of a wide grain in the distortion/OD if that makes sense. Great clean as everyone has stated.
Sold it to fund a Mesa JP2C which definitely stands out more live and has a clean that works just as well. My drummer was like, "I can actually hear what you're playing now." (more of the faster intricate stuff).
I also like my Wizard MCI and II better for live use and my JJ100 in the studio.
 
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