Custom Audio Amplifiers CA-AOD-100SE+ JS Technologies USA 2012 - Black Tolex

2012 Custom Audio Amplifiers CAE OD-100 SE+ – John Suhr – 100W All-Tube Head – Mullard / TAD / JJ Valves – Original Footswitch

A very special 2012 Custom Audio Amplifiers OD-100 SE+, designed and built in the USA by John Suhr and his team at Custom Audio Amplifiers. This is a serious piece of boutique amplifier engineering, offering exceptional build quality, an incredibly versatile tonal palette and the sort of performance demanded by professional touring and recording musicians.

The OD-100 SE+ is one of the most respected high-end boutique amplifier designs, combining classic American clean tones with powerful British-inspired overdrive and modern high-gain capabilities. This particular example has been voiced to capture the muscular, harmonically rich Marshall character associated with Doug Aldrich, making it a particularly exciting proposition for players who appreciate big, authoritative rock tones.

The sound is simply exceptional.

The amplifier delivers 100 watts RMS through four EL34 power valves, providing enormous headroom, punch and dynamic response. The power section is complemented by a sophisticated six-valve 12AX7 preamp, giving the OD-100 SE+ its remarkable range of clean, crunch and high-gain sounds.

Valve complement fitted to this example:

• 4 x JJ/Tesla EL34 power valves
• 2 x Mullard ECC83 preamp valves
• 4 x TAD 12AX7C preamp valves

The combination of these valves makes for an interesting specification, with the Mullards, TADs and JJ/Tesla power section providing a quality valve complement.

The OD-100 SE+ features two completely independent, footswitchable channels, each with its own EQ and gain structure.

Channel 1 delivers beautiful American-style clean tones, with plenty of warmth, clarity and punch. At lower gain settings, it offers sparkling, articulate cleans with excellent note separation. Increase the gain and engage the boost, and it moves naturally into a thick, harmonically rich vintage-style crunch, ideal for blues, classic rock and driven rhythm work.

Channel 2 is where things become particularly exciting. Designed for serious overdrive, it covers everything from muscular classic rock crunch to saturated, high-gain lead tones. There is an impressive amount of gain available, but importantly, the sound retains excellent note definition and chord separation. It has that wonderful combination of aggression, sustain and harmonic complexity that makes a great valve amplifier so inspiring to play.

The individual Bright and Boost switching provides further tonal flexibility, allowing each channel to be tailored to suit different guitars, pickups and playing styles.

The rear panel includes the Whomp II low-midrange voicing control, Feedback adjustment for altering the feel and damping characteristics of the power section, and a tube-buffered series effects loop. The loop is particularly useful for integrating professional rack effects and pedals without compromising the amplifier's fundamental tone.

Factory specification:

• Manufacturer: Custom Audio Amplifiers / John Suhr
• Model: OD-100 SE+
• Year: 2012
• Country of manufacture: USA
• Output: 100 watts RMS
• Power section: 4 x EL34
• Preamp: 6 x 12AX7
• Channels: Two independent channels
• Channel 1: Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Level, Bright and Boost
• Channel 2: Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Level, Bright and Boost
• Additional controls: Whomp II and Feedback
• Effects loop: Tube-buffered series effects loop
• Speaker outputs: 4, 8 and 16 ohms
• Footswitching: Channel selection and Channel 2 boost
• Dimensions: 72.4cm wide x 28.6cm high x 24.1cm deep (excluding handle)
• Weight: Approximately 25kg

The construction is typical of John Suhr's approach to professional amplifier design: exceptionally robust, carefully engineered and built to withstand the demands of serious touring and studio use.

Condition is excellent, with just a few light scuffs and minor signs of use. It presents extremely well for a 2012 amplifier and has clearly been looked after.

Supplied with its original Custom Audio Amplifiers footswitch, providing remote channel selection and boost activation.

This is a rare opportunity to acquire a genuine USA-built Custom Audio Amplifiers flagship head, with a particularly interesting valve complement and a wonderfully versatile tonal character.

For players looking for something beyond the usual production-line amplifier, the OD-100 SE+ offers extraordinary sound quality, exceptional dynamics and the ability to cover an enormous amount of musical ground.

A truly professional amplifier, equally at home on a major touring stage or in a high-end recording studio. Serious guitar amplification for serious players.