Cae 3+ SE Lead Tips

CAE 3+ Lead

This amp has great tone right out of the gate. Any high gain player will want to check it out. This list of tweaks I think is the key to getting this amp from "good" to "great" territory.

• Start by setting everything at noon. This obviously does not include the presence control which should be set at roughly 6.
• Unlike a lot of high gain amps, the 3+ doesn't really benefit from a drive in front of it. Some may like to try it but I think it introduces fizz
• The 3+ (at least through my system) has a fair amount of fizz that some won't like. The easiest way to get rid of this is the high cut parameter, which I like to set at 14000
• The low cut doesn't do much for this amp. You can try turning it up but I find any more than 45 hz takes away some balls
• The mid control on this amp is very important. Don't be afraid to raise it up quite high. It opens up the sound.
• I usually keep the bass and treble at noon but it's fine to boost or cut them if the application calls for it.
• to make the 3+ more squishy, simply lower the damp knob. And inversely, raise it to make the amp tighter. I personally like it at noon.
• The master likes to stay between 4 and 5. Any higher and the amp starts getting rough like a Marshall.
• The power tube bias, if raised will make the amp more jangly. But for most purposes, it should be left alone.
• Raising the Xformer match to about 6.5 seems to add some mojo to the amp. Try it and see for yourself.