Members JoeyD Posted October 27, 2003 Members Share Posted October 27, 2003 I've been playing a 101B for about a year now, and wanted to expand my tonal capabilities by switching between the XTC, and an outboard preamp, back into my XTC return. I decided on, and located a 3+SE. It's a 91 with the SE mod done in 93.I'm using my GRX4 to switch between it, and my XTC pre section. On first comparison, the CAE makes the Bogner pre sound like there is a pillow in front of the speakers... Man what clarity! The gain is similar, with the exception of the typical Bogner honk in the midrange, but the CAE has a Marshally top end that cuts nicer. The clean is unreal. The XTC clean was never that good anyway, but this is a beautiful sound, and I don't even have the Blackface mod! I don't even know where to begin with channels 2 and 3. They both sound great, so far. I need to figure out how I'm gonna use my 5 channels (Bogner red and blue, and CAE all 3) for which sounds. I have a lot of playing and tweaking to do, which is a GOOD thing, so I'll add more tomorrow... Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr Ten Posted October 27, 2003 Members Share Posted October 27, 2003 cool to hear, now just mod your sig to say "CAE 3+SE has arrived!" and you'll be set. My guess in using the cae + xtc together is that you'll have to pull the gain back on both quite a bit to get a fat blend going on. sounds like a fun setup, good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoeyD Posted October 27, 2003 Author Members Share Posted October 27, 2003 Signature is now fixed!!Thanks Ten. BTW, I'm not running them together at the same time, I'm switching between them for a total of 6 channels, all with possibility of eq/gain boosts... Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nickdahl Posted October 28, 2003 Members Share Posted October 28, 2003 It still surprises me that John Suhr's tranny mod can make the 3+SE sound even better than it does already. I've had mine for six months and I'm perfectly content with the tones. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tonedoctor1 Posted October 28, 2003 Members Share Posted October 28, 2003 Originally posted by nickdahl It still surprises me that John Suhr's tranny mod can make the 3+SE sound even better than it does already. I've had mine for six months and I'm perfectly content with the tones.Nick First of all, Congradulations Joe. The preamp is just a killer piece top to bottom, very articulate and extremely precise. It`s also just the most responsive of anything I`ve ever played thru. All of these are things I`m sure you finding out in short order. Secondly, although it surprises you Nick, it`s still very much true. The tranny mod just takes the preamp to another place. It`s doesn`t completely change the sound of the preamp and why would anyone want to do that. It already sounds great. The new tranny just makes it sound smoother and feel more like a head. The great thing is it still retains the articulation and precision. My preamp was the one that John kept for several months and him and Bob W. did the experimenting with and found a couple of additional things besides the tranny mod. I had an orginal 3+ that was modded to SE specs by Bradshaw years ago, and now with John`s mods it`s incredible. I`ve had the preamp for many years now but I can tell you this is the best it`s ever sounded.John said when he got done he could hear no difference between my preamp running into the OD100 power section and the OD100 lead chnl. Enjoy Joe, I think you will have many great years of service and enjoyment from the preamp. I know I have and still have no intentions of ever letting it go. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nickdahl Posted October 28, 2003 Members Share Posted October 28, 2003 I think that what it is...is that I'm trying to convince myself I don't need the mods done. You know how it is in that inevitable quest for tone? To think that I found it in the 3+SE and then to realize that it could be even "so much" better:eek: I'm positive the mods work well for the preamp: everyone who's had them done says so. I'm just trying to find any angle to rationalize why I don't need them done! Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoeyD Posted October 28, 2003 Author Members Share Posted October 28, 2003 Thanks for the warm welcome to the club guys!I've only had it for a day, and I can't imagine parting with it long enough to have the mods done...As Nick said, it sounds so good now, I can't imagine how much better it can possibly get! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoeyD Posted October 28, 2003 Author Members Share Posted October 28, 2003 BTW, are any of you guys using something besides Chinese tubes in the CAE? Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tonedoctor1 Posted October 28, 2003 Members Share Posted October 28, 2003 Nick and Joe, Yeah, I know what you mean. It was hard for me to part with mine and especially for the length of time. I can only tell you it was well worth the wait.The preamp does however sound stellar without the mods. Also, I can say I used it with much success and satisfaction for many years before the mods came along. I most assuredly understand how you guys feel. The timing was only good for me because my rig was down for a major redo. I`m now in the process of getting it back up. Joe,looks like you`re discovering just how open and detailed that preamp is really. The other really nice thing is it`s so responsive that you can pull of so many sounds with just the 3 channels. Who the heck needs a midi preamp with this thing. As far as tubes, I`ve found this is yet another area that this preamp is highly responsive. It really reacts to every tube change just as one might expect. The nature of each tube compliment is reflected quite well in the change in sound. I have found that NOS tubes are the most expensive but yield the best results. You may begin by trying some the various phillips or rca`s out there and then move towards the mullards and telefunken`s. All have a different character and quality.I can send you a breakdown of each tube position and what channel/s it affects via email if you like. The key is to experiment with different combinations until you find what suits your personal tastes best. You`ll need to which slots do what to accomplish this.Just let me know.(pm me with your email) Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GITTarzann Posted October 28, 2003 Members Share Posted October 28, 2003 Have any of you compared the CAE to a VHT GP3 or maybe played a GP3 what are your thoughts?I have been tossing up trying one, I have 2 XTC heads right now and am thinking of trading one or selling one. I am running a GP3 and the XTC into a Switchblade and then either using both or one at a time, it sounds pretty damn good, but I might want to try something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hurnsradi Posted October 29, 2003 Members Share Posted October 29, 2003 Joey you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tonedoctor1 Posted October 30, 2003 Members Share Posted October 30, 2003 Joe, You have mail. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoeyD Posted October 30, 2003 Author Members Share Posted October 30, 2003 Thanks Tom!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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