NAD: The BE100D has landed

Joel...great rig brotha. I've watched your videos for years. When you had the EVH and Mesa cab with the TC Gmajor 2 and WCR pickups. Your current rig looks spot on perfect. I have a somewhat similar effects running through my rig. Sounds inspiring by those tones. That's what gear is about to me. If it inspires you to sit down and play, then it's worth it!
 
I have to admit that amp sounds really damn good.

I just got a stealth and have the modded Marshall thing covered with my 74 and my aldrich, but neither also offer astounding cleans with their own EQ.

What does the BED do that the stealth didn’t? Why didn’t you keep both?
 
glpg80 said:
I have to admit that amp sounds really damn good.

I just got a stealth and have the modded Marshall thing covered with my 74 and my aldrich, but neither also offer astounding cleans with their own EQ.

What does the BED do that the stealth didn’t? Why didn’t you keep both?
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Years ago, I had an original EVH 5150 III 100-watt head. It was my main amp for a few years. I ran across a deal on a used 2005 Splawn Quick Rod and picked it up. As soon as I plugged into that amp I knew that modded Marshall tones were my jam. lol! Earlier this year when the Quick Rod went down, I happened to find a deal on a used 5150 III 50-watt Stealth... so I picked it up. It is a nice amp, but I no longer find those tones inspiring. I like that Marshallesq mid-range. The 5150 series just doesn't have that. Honestly, it wasn't designed to- so not the amp's fault. The BE100 has a chewiness and growl in the mids that is simply addictive.

I currently still have the 50S, but it is going up for sale shortly. In part to help with the cost of the BE100. Since I started down the digital rig wormhole last year, I have done several shows with the AxeFx and thought it sounded killer through the mains. The Kemper brought it to a new level for me personally. In all honesty, I could gig that and no one would know the difference. However, digital doesn't feel the same under the fingers. (Though the Kemper is damn close.)

Never did I imagine that I would own a BE100. I have played a few, and always thought they sounded really good. And I have very publicly scoffed at the price tag on this forum and several others. $4k is a lot of money. And truth be told- at 50, I am a weekend warrior player. However, the more I homed in on what I really wanted in an amplifier, the clearer it was to me that I was going to have to suck it up and buy the BE. It has three really outstanding channels that I could actually use. It has an effects loop that doesn't suck the life out of the amp. (Because I am addicted to delay and cannot give it up...lol!) Controlling it with my current switcher would not involve any additional hardware.

This is a luxury purchase for me. This is what I hope will be the amp I play for the rest of my life. I can't think of a situation where I couldn't make this work for any project that I would do. And while I don't make a living playing music, I like to sound like a pro player. It really is a game of percentages, and with this amp, I feel like I have that last 5% of that tone I hear in my head. Granted, I am fully in the honeymoon phase, but I usually know within a few chords if I'm going to like an amp or guitar.
 
Very nice SFW!:2thumbsup: The amp sounds really good! It should fit you style quite easily and you don't seem to be fighting the amp whatsover plus now you have a killer clean channel to boot as well as the BE and HBE channels!:yes:
 
Congrats! After owning the various versions,The deluxe is my favorite of the BE's. I find myself using the sat switch on and off quite a bit.I love both settings. I wish those switches on the back would be footswitchable,but that obviously would put the already astronomical price into another galaxy. Great amp for sure.One that I bet someday will be higly sought after and collectable.
 
Little B said:
Congrats! After owning the various versions,The deluxe is my favorite of the BE's. I find myself using the sat switch on and off quite a bit.I love both settings. I wish those switches on the back would be footswitchable,but that obviously would put the already astronomical price into another galaxy. Great amp for sure.One that I bet someday will be higly sought after and collectable.
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For my main project, the SAT switch will be pinned on. Lol. For the covers band I jam with, I’ll probably turn it off. As the other guitar player loves a shit ton of gain. Lol.
 
I
SFW said:
Well, I am happy to be back in the Marshall flavored world. The effects loop on the Friedman is miles better than the Splawn.

Tone wise, I they have some similarities and some differences. The BE is definitely more versatile. My Splawn was a 2005 model, which is a lot different from the current model. My QR was very aggressive on the top end, and the "clean" channel was tied to the gain channel. So, I really didn't have a clean channel. lol.. Both amps are a muscular modded Marshall vibe. The BE breaths better. With the SAT switch engaged, it definitely has a nod of Jose. Which I really like. The ability to have a crunch channel and then a fire breathing channel is super cool. I love the plexi channel. While I will most likely run it as an actual clean channel, it definitely cops that AC/DC vibe when you crank the gain knob.

The Splawn definitely had a rawer tone, but I am enjoying the more polished tone of the Friedman. My Splawn always felt like a really good amp, while the Friedman feels like a "professional" amp... if that makes sense...? Here is a short clip that I made just after getting everything setup. This is with my Les Paul CLassic loaderd with a Suhr Aldrich set. It's a poor iphone recording, but you get the idea. This thing sounds HUGE!!

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I wanted to bump this and say how impressive this amp is. Tons of mids and just layers and layers of great overtones. I’d take it over the newest 2023 Bogner if I had to choose between the two.

I can see how the Marshall tone is just more inspiring especially when the deluxe sounds like a great all in one modded Marshall platform. It seems well tuned so I can imagine with the features that the price is justified. $4k is a lot of quid for an amp, but I just paid 2700 for my 5150 iii stealth 100W which to me is a lot of amp for the money which is why I wanted one - more gig friendly features at a reasonable cost basis and a more modern sounding baseline 5150 tone.

My OG 5150 II won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. I have a plan for my 5150 III that I think many people will love.
 
311splawndude said:
^ I'd like to know too. I'm guessing a bit more relaxed and easier to play?

Congrats SFW. I'm too OCD for the Friedman offset (original Marshall) thing but it is still a thing of beauty.
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Would you mind embellishing on your condition and how it relates to amp topology? 😂
 
glpg80 said:
I

I wanted to bump this and say how impressive this amp is. Tons of mids and just layers and layers of great overtones. I’d take it over the newest 2023 Bogner if I had to choose between the two.

I can see how the Marshall tone is just more inspiring especially when the deluxe sounds like a great all in one modded Marshall platform. It seems well tuned so I can imagine with the features that the price is justified. $4k is a lot of quid for an amp, but I just paid 2700 for my 5150 iii stealth 100W which to me is a lot of amp for the money which is why I wanted one - more gig friendly features at a reasonable cost basis and a more modern sounding baseline 5150 tone.

My OG 5150 II won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. I have a plan for my 5150 III that I think many people will love.
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Dave is hitting a lick. Navarro is on board, as is Shiflett. He is king.
 
SFW said:
$3,999 plus tax. This is by far the most expensive gear purchase that I have ever made. For years I said that I would never spend this much money on music gear. lol! Then I finally broke down and decided that I wanted a really good amp that would last. As far are prices go, they have been hovering around the $4k mark here in the States for as long as I can remember. This will hopefully be the last tube amp that I ever buy. Between this and my Kemper, I am completely happy with the tones that I can get.


It sounds glorious in the room! :rawk:
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I bought mine February 2020 for 3100 Euro (new price was 4000 Euro) , it was 3 months old. About 6 months ago it was still 4000 Euro here in Europe but now 4750 Euro.
I see you have similar gear, I also have a Kemper, couple of LP's and Strats. And a Friedman Cali, that has a Charvel vibe...
Congrats on the Friedman purchase!
 
SFW said:
Years ago, I had an original EVH 5150 III 100-watt head. It was my main amp for a few years. I ran across a deal on a used 2005 Splawn Quick Rod and picked it up. As soon as I plugged into that amp I knew that modded Marshall tones were my jam. lol! Earlier this year when the Quick Rod went down, I happened to find a deal on a used 5150 III 50-watt Stealth... so I picked it up. It is a nice amp, but I no longer find those tones inspiring. I like that Marshallesq mid-range. The 5150 series just doesn't have that. Honestly, it wasn't designed to- so not the amp's fault. The BE100 has a chewiness and growl in the mids that is simply addictive.

I currently still have the 50S, but it is going up for sale shortly. In part to help with the cost of the BE100. Since I started down the digital rig wormhole last year, I have done several shows with the AxeFx and thought it sounded killer through the mains. The Kemper brought it to a new level for me personally. In all honesty, I could gig that and no one would know the difference. However, digital doesn't feel the same under the fingers. (Though the Kemper is damn close.)

Never did I imagine that I would own a BE100. I have played a few, and always thought they sounded really good. And I have very publicly scoffed at the price tag on this forum and several others. $4k is a lot of money. And truth be told- at 50, I am a weekend warrior player. However, the more I homed in on what I really wanted in an amplifier, the clearer it was to me that I was going to have to suck it up and buy the BE. It has three really outstanding channels that I could actually use. It has an effects loop that doesn't suck the life out of the amp. (Because I am addicted to delay and cannot give it up...lol!) Controlling it with my current switcher would not involve any additional hardware.

This is a luxury purchase for me. This is what I hope will be the amp I play for the rest of my life. I can't think of a situation where I couldn't make this work for any project that I would do. And while I don't make a living playing music, I like to sound like a pro player. It really is a game of percentages, and with this amp, I feel like I have that last 5% of that tone I hear in my head. Granted, I am fully in the honeymoon phase, but I usually know within a few chords if I'm going to like an amp or guitar.
Click to expand...
Good stuff and well done finding what you need.
Most notable, is you mention the cost $4k..
(reality).
Better really know what you want AND need.
Respect.
 
Dino 939 said:
Good stuff and well done finding what you need.
Most notable, is you mention the cost $4k..
(reality).
Better really know what you want AND need.
Respect.
Click to expand...
These days you have to know. Lol. We live in a grand age, where music gear is stellar. But it comes at a steep cost. Over the last few years I’ve kinda moved into a buy once cry once philosophy when it comes to gear.

Though I have to I say that I have purchased my last >$150 pickup. That market is too full of bullshit.
 
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