The S-Gear Amps

S-Gear includes three original amp designs which together, put a huge range of guitar tones at your fingertips. Mike Scuffham gives some insight into the inspiration behind each of these amps in his own words... 

The Duke

I have always loved the Robben Ford guitar tone, whiplash snappy rhythm and beautiful dynamic, articulate leads - always warm and full of soul. This is my benchmark and starting point for The Duke.

The Duke's tone stack has a subtle mid-range scoop and warm treble lift, giving the amp a sweet tone even when driven with a bridge single coil pickup. Three voicings on the overdrive channel (Normal, Thick and Bright) provide extra versatility.

Like all the S-Gear amps, the Duke really shines when you control the amp with the guitar volume. Back-off and indulge in those complex in-between tones, then bring back the volume and dig in to a singing lead overdrive.
 

The Stealer

Don't be misled by the gold front panel - the Stealer is a very versatile amp. Back in my days at Marshall Amps, we had an old red Park 75 Head that sounded like no other amp you have ever heard - like an un-teathered wild horse with screaming tones and a great dynamic. My memory of this Park amp serves as an influence for the Stealer.

This is a simple design, keeping the signal path pure in order to extract as much as possible from the guitar pickups. Raw and wild, this amp is at home with Texas blues as it is with classic British rock.  

An important design feature is the 'Bright Contour' pot; this lets you tailor the bright slope of the amp independently of the gain, allowing you to push the power amp hard with whatever level of brightness you choose. Raise the bright slope, select the middle pickup on your Strat, then roll back the guitar tone - you are in serious SRV territory!  On the other hand, plug in a Les Paul, dial back the Bright Contour and enjoy some classic British rock tones.

The Jackal

Our take on the modern high gain amp. I guess the purple tolex is a nod in the direction of Mike Soldano's classic amp of the 80's. The Jackal flies the flag with super crunch and outrageous liquid leads.

Multiple gain stages, and the crucial 'cold biased' tube stage, deliver a very articulate and responsive high gain sound. Keep adding treble and the amp will just overdrive more - without crushing your tone.  But this amp has subtlety too, back off the gain and roll back the volume on your guitar - there are some lovely blues tones to be enjoyed.