User Manual
Using your PRS Amplifier
IMPORTANT: Before using your amplifier, refer to the IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS insert
supplied with the product.
Powering Up:
1. Make sure your speaker cabinet is connected to the correct speaker output impedance jack with a
high quality speaker cable. Do not use guitar cords.
2. Make sure the power cord is connected to the correct grounded outlet.
3. Make sure there is at least 6 inches of clearance behind the amplifier to allow for proper cooling.
Never place the amplifier against a wall or other equipment, and keep it clear of other heat sources.
Make sure there are no flammable items, such as curtains, behind the amp. Do not drape items over
the amps that can prevent proper cooling. Do not set drinks or other liquids on top of the amp that
can spill.
4. To increase the life of the tubes, set the “On/Standby/O” switch to the STANDBY position before
powering on. Let the amp warm up for 2 minutes before seing the switch to ON. If this is the first
time you are turning on the amp, check to see if all of the tubes are glowing.
5. Plug in the guitar cable, turn the volume knob down and turn the On/Standby/O switch to ON.
Wait a few seconds for the bias to sele. Bring the volume up and play some tunes.
Over view of Amplifiers:
The SE 20 is a lile amp with a chip on its shoulder. It is perfect for home recording and small venues
due to its ability to achieve powerful, rich tones at lower volumes. The SE 20 uses 6V6 tubes and 20
was of power for the ideal mix of lullaby cleans and rude, crunchy grit.
The SE 30 oers the time-tested, perfect power and volume for live club performances and pro
recording. The 5881 tubes and 30 was give you a thick British crunch and sparkly American clean.
The SE 50 is the screamer of the bunch. Pro traveling musicians will love the extra clarity and
punch that the EL34 tubes and 50 was of power provide. The SE 50 can handle just about any
live performance you can imagine in a simple package.: Before using your amplifier, refer to the
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS insert supplied with the product.
Input: 1/4” standard guitar cord.
Lead/Clean Selector: Select your channels when not using your footswitch. Up for leads, down for
cleans. This switch is bypassed when using the footswitch.
Lead Channel
Volume: This is a vital control on the lead channel. It will add gain to allow you to go from subtle
crunch to full on “in your face” distortion. Each guitar will react dierently, and exploring this control
should be a source of great enjoyment.
Bright Switch: Adds extra shimmering highs to cut through a mix. Turn o for a round, warm crunch.
Treble: The treble control is very sensitive. Let your ears guide you to the appropriate amount of
highs to suit your style and performance.
Middle: Valuable control to go between scooped 80’s metal, or vocal solo sounds.
Bass: Use this control sparingly. Back o to 9 o’clock when experimenting with overdrive. Consider
the maximum seing around 3 o’clock.
Clean Channel
Volume: The volume control allows a ton of headroom for sparkly, chimey cleans tones. If you prefer
your cleans dirty, push the control past 1 o’clock or so. This will let you experiment with some great
overdrive.
Bright Switch: The Clean channel’s bright switch is most responsive at lower volumes. It lets extra
highs to stay in the mix as you go down the sweep of the volume.
Treble: Back o for warm, smooth tones. Dial up for more spank and cut.
Middle: On the clean channel, dial down the mids for classic blues scoop. Dial up to find unique
placement in a mix.
Bass: The Clean channel’s bass control crucial to finding just the right fatness in your clean tones. The
sweep is very sensitive, and the sweet spot seems to be around 1 o’clock.
SE 2 Channel Amplifier Front Panel Controls
Rear Panel Controls
© 2011 PRS Guitars
All rights reserved.
“Paul Reed Smith,” “PRS,” the PRS logo, the PRS Paul Reed Smith logo, the Paul Reed Smith signature, the
bird inlays, the headstock bird, the PRS headstock shape, the PRS body shape, the PRS “scoop” design,
“Singlecut”, “Mira” and the “SE” are all registered trademarks of Paul Reed Smith Guitars “Custom 24,”
“Modern Eagle,” “SE Custom,” “SC 245,” “SC 250,” “Starla”, “Tonare”, “Sewell”, “ Blue Sierra”, and “Angelus”
are all trademarks of Paul Reed Smith Guitars. The Birds, New Birds, are copyrighted by PRS Guitars.
Global Reverb: Adds universal depth to both channels at your discretion. Adjust to taste.
Lead Master: Increases the overall volume and output of your lead channel. Find just the right
seing before the neighbors call the cops!
Clean Master: Gives you incredible control to find the perfect balance of volume compared to your
Lead channel
On/Standby/O: When this switch is in STANDBY, the amplifier tubes are eectively turned o, but
are still being warmed by the filaments. Keep this switch set to STANDBY when powering on the
amplifier for at least 2 minutes to allow the tubes to warm up. This also helps extend the life of the
tubes. When set to ON, the tubes are turned on, and the amplifier can be used.
Jewel Power Indicator: If the jewel is lit, the amp is on. NOTE: An amplifier may be plugged in and
“on”, but a malfunctioning or burnt-out indicator will not show the amp is on. Check the power
cord and Power Switch if the jewel light is not on. If these are connected correctly, then check the
main fuse. If the main fuse burns out, check for proper speaker connections. If the fuses continue
to blow, the amplifier may need servicing.
Footswitch Operation
Speaker Cabinet
Tube Chart - 2 Channel C and H
The footswitch is used to control 2 things. The left
switch controls which channel is active. The right
switch is used to control the reverb as either on or o.
When the LED above the left switch is on, the Gain
Channel is selected. Then the LED above the left
switch is o, the Clean Channel is selected.
When the LED above the right switch is on, the reverb
is turned on. When the LED above the right switch is
o, the reverb is bypassed.
Speakers: 2 each 12 inch, 16 ohm, 50 Wa.
Speaker cabinet is a 100 Wa Cabinet at 8 Ohms
Fuses: Blown fuses may indicate that the amplifier needs servicing. Use only the type and rating
specified on the back of the amplifier. See the section on Service Notes for proper fuse servicing
and replacement.
B+ Fuse: High Voltage Fuse - located on the underside of the chassis near the bias adjustment.
Fuse: Main Fuses (See Technical Specs for Proper Fuse Type and Rating) - located in the power inlet
module.
Eects Loop Description and Tips: The 2 Channel features an Eects Loop that is integral to the
overall sound of the amp. This lets your amp’s tone stay pure whether you choose to use and
eects chain, or plug straight in and rock. There is no need for a bypass.
Loop Return: Input for the end of your eect chain.
Loop Send: Input for the front of your eects chain.
Loop Level Switch: Select ‘instrument’ for typical foot pedals/stomp boxes (-20db) and ‘line’ for
0db studio gear.
Bias Jacks: For reading and adjusting the bias of your power tubes (6V6, 5881, EL34). Review
the information on the back of this manual for guidance on replacing tubes. Biasing and tube
replacement should be performed only by a qualified technician.
Ext Jack: Output for an auxiliary speaker cabinet. Only use high-quality speaker cables. Never use a
guitar cord to connect speakers. See “Impedance Selector” instructions below.
Spkr Out: Main output for primary speaker cabinet. Make sure to use a high-quality speaker cable.
Never use a guitar cord. See “Impedance Selector” instructions below.
Impedance Selector: Use this switch to match the amp to the impedance of your speaker
cabinet(s). The total speaker impedance must be determined before connecting to the amp. It is
not recommended to exceed 2 total speaker cabinets. Be sure to only use cabinets with the same
impedance rating. Failure to do so can damage the amp. The combined value of 2 matching cabinet
impedances is half of the value of one cabinet’s impedance.
Examples: Two 8 ohm cabinets combine to create a 4 ohm combined impedance. If using two 16
ohm cabs, set the Impedance Selector to 8. When using a single cab with an 8 ohm impedance, set
the Impedance Selector to 8.
Note: Confirm the total impedance of your choice of cabinets, and adjust your Impedance Selector
accordingly. Failure to do so can cause arcs on the tube sockets, failure of power tubes, or even
failure of the amp.
Footswitch Jack: Connect the included footswitch to control channel switching and global reverb.
This bypasses your Lead/Clean Selector on the front of your amp. The footswitch cables is a “TRS”
Stereo 1/4 inch M-M cable.
panel 1 panel 2 panel 3 panel 4
In the summer of 2010, we started talking about how to expand our ampli-
fier offerings to satisfy a new customer. I knew that PRS had a great business
model already with the SE guitar line and that the price/quality ratio was
in my opinion the highest in the industry. So, by applying well-developed
concepts from the SE line, we set about the process of bringing a lower cost yet
high quality amp line to market.
e features we wanted to offer were somewhat of a departure for us. We
wanted two channels with separate EQ, an effects loop, and reverb. After sev-
eral weeks of tweaking, we had a working prototype that was extensively field-
tested, and we were very happy with our results. is hand wired prototype
with high-end components and fairly labor intensive layout was used as a tonal
“quality” and functional baseline for the actual SE amp models. At this point
things became interesting as the prototype was so impressive we decided to of-
fer it as a model. We called it the 2 Channel “C” and offered it at the 2010 PRS
Experience. e “C” and the “H” subsequently became very popular models.
Working with consultants and experts completely versed in cost effective tube
amplifier design, we designed a “manufacturing friendly” clone of the prototype.
After many weeks of tweaking and developing their own tonal signatures, the
final family of PRS SE amps was approved for manufacture. ere is a great
boutique attitude pervasive with the design and construction of these amps
that make me very proud to be part of the project. Some of the features include
custom wound transformers, .090 aluminum chassis, high-end “on-on-on”
switches, the best sounding NNS tubes at any price, custom-voiced speakers,
custom knobs, etc.
I cannot effectively describe the sense of teamwork, passion, and hard work as-
sociated with this endeavor but I feel it will be very evident in the final product.
I would like to commend everyone that worked on it-- each person did a fan-
tastic job. e process has been delightful from start to finish and I personally
cannot wait until I can purchase my own, or more realistically one of each!
anks for your support,
_