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Scott Henderson Tone Lab

Suhr Badger 30 • Strymon Mobius • Strymon Timeline • Suhr Strat S
Signal Chain (Use Badger FX Loop)
Suhr Strat S → Badger 30 Input → FX Send → Mobius → Timeline → FX Return → Speaker Neural DSP removed from chain — Henderson's tone is amp-driven. If you want it, use only as a clean boost before the Badger input, gain below noon. Mobius & Timeline sit in the Badger's tube-buffered loop. Badger manual: "Performs equally well with pedals and line-level rack gear."
Preset 01
Glass Clean
The Henderson jazz-clean. Fat, warm, slightly compressed from the EL34 cathode bias sag. Think the opening bars of "Lagos" or clean comping on Tribal Tech records. Volume knob at 6–7.
Clean
Suhr Badger 30
10
Power
8
Drive
2.5
Gain
4
Bass
5
Middle
5
Treble
Off
Boost
Guitar: Neck pickup. Volume 6–7. Tone 7. This is Suhr's manual "Max Clean Headroom" starting point, then bass pulled back per Henderson's documented preference of low bass on amp.
Strymon Mobius — Chorus
TypeChorus
ModedBucket
Speed9 o'clock (slow)
Depth10 o'clock
Level12:00 (unity)
Mix (param)30%
Tone (param)10 o'clock (dark)
Strymon Timeline — Digital
TypeDigital
Time380ms
Repeats9 o'clock (2–3)
Mix9 o'clock (~15%)
Filter11 o'clock
GritMin (fully clean)
Mod DepthMin
Preset 02
On The Edge
Where Henderson lives 70% of the time. Clean when you back off, barks when you dig in. The "Tore Down House" rhythm tone. Guitar volume is your gain pedal. Power scaled down for earlier breakup.
Edge of Breakup
Suhr Badger 30
7
Power
8
Drive
3.5
Gain
3
Bass
7
Middle
6
Treble
Off
Boost
Guitar: Neck or Pos 4. Volume 7–8 (ride it). Tone 6–7. Henderson documented: bass on amp turned down quite a bit, tone on neck pickup at 7–8. Mids pushed — this is the vocal, nasal quality. Badger manual rule: "Keep Drive within 2 of Power."
Strymon Mobius — Vibe
TypeVibe
ModeChorus
Speed10 o'clock
Depth1 o'clock
Level12:00 (unity)
WaveshapeLow (smooth sine)
Headroom2 o'clock (clean-ish)
Strymon Timeline — dTape
TypedTape
Time340ms
Repeats9 o'clock
Mix9 o'clock (~15%)
Filter (Tape Age)11 o'clock (mild wear)
Grit9 o'clock (slight)
Mod Depth9 o'clock (subtle flutter)
Preset 03
Dog Party Crunch
The signature Henderson lead tone. Medium gain, huge mids, tight low end. Guitar wide open, picking dynamics do the talking. The "Dog Party" / "Vibe Station" solo sound that won best blues album.
Crunch / Lead
Suhr Badger 30
6
Power
6
Drive
6
Gain
2
Bass
7
Middle
5
Treble
On
Boost
Guitar: Neck pickup, wide open (Vol 10, Tone 7–8). Henderson: "I get the low midrange from the guitar by turning the tone on the neck pickup to 7 or 8." MOSFET Boost engaged for the extra push — the Badger manual says this gives "increased dynamic range and transparency." Bass at 2 per Badger manual: "As you increase Gain, dial back Bass to retain clarity."
Strymon Mobius — Off or Bypass
StatusBypassed
Henderson doesn't use modulation on his core crunch/lead tone. The amp and fingers do the work. Keep it bypassed.
Strymon Timeline — dTape
TypedTape
Time400ms
Repeats8 o'clock (minimal)
Mix8–9 o'clock (~12%)
Filter (Tape Age)12 o'clock
Grit9 o'clock
Mod DepthMin
Preset 04
Saturated Screamer
For the heavy solo moments — "Well To The Bone" territory. Full preamp gain, power section wide open for maximum headroom and punch. Henderson's documented approach: high gain, full power, low drive, bass pulled way back.
High Gain Lead
Suhr Badger 30
10
Power
4
Drive
9
Gain
3
Bass
6
Middle
6
Treble
On
Boost
Guitar: Neck pickup, Vol 10, Tone 6–7. This is the Badger manual's "Saturated Lead" recipe (Power 10, Drive 4, Bass 3, Mid 6, Treble 6, Gain 8–10). Drive set lower than Power here intentionally — manual says this makes it sound "brighter, like a master volume amp." Boost on for extra push. Henderson uses Maxon SD-9 or Klon here — your Badger Boost does a similar job.
Strymon Mobius — Off or Bypass
StatusBypassed
No modulation on the high-gain lead. You want every Hz of that signal uncoloured.
Strymon Timeline — Digital
TypeDigital
Time420ms
Repeats9 o'clock
Mix9–10 o'clock (~18%)
Filter10 o'clock (dark repeats)
GritMin
Smear (param)9 o'clock (slight)
Digital mode keeps repeats pristine and out of the way of all that gain. Filter rolled dark so repeats don't fight the lead tone. A touch of Smear softens the tails.
Preset 05
Lush & Dangerous
The "weird beautiful" Henderson moments — textural, washy, psychedelic. Clean amp foundation with deep modulation and long delay trails. Phaser into swell delay. For ambient breakdowns and intros where you want to go full spaceship.
Lush / Ambient
Suhr Badger 30
10
Power
7
Drive
2
Gain
5
Bass
4
Middle
6
Treble
Off
Boost
Guitar: Neck pickup. Volume 5–6 (backed off for headroom). Tone 5. Clean and full — the effects are doing the heavy lifting here. Mids scooped slightly to give the modulation and delay more room to breathe.
Strymon Mobius — Phaser
TypePhaser
Mode8 STG
Speed8–9 o'clock (very slow)
Depth2 o'clock
Level12:00 (unity)
Regen10 o'clock (moderate)
LFO WaveshapeSine
HeadroomMax (cleanest)
Mobius manual: 8-stage phaser for rich, swirly sound. Slow sine LFO for liquid movement. Regen kept moderate — you want swirl, not jet-engine. Headroom maxed per manual: "set to maximum for the cleanest phaser tones."
Strymon Timeline — Swell
TypeSwell
Time500ms
Repeats12 o'clock (~50%)
Mix1–2 o'clock (~40%)
Filter10 o'clock (warm)
Grit9 o'clock
Mod Depth11 o'clock
Swell Time (param)Slow
Timeline manual: "Variable swell time allows you to match the swell with the delay tempo. Turn up the mix and repeats for ethereal ambient effects." This is your spaceship mode.

Sources: Suhr Badger 30 User Manual (sample settings, power scaling rules, tone control behaviour, MOSFET boost specs). Strymon TimeLine User Manual Rev H (delay machine descriptions, Filter/Grit interaction, parameter menus). Strymon Mobius User Manual Rev F (mod machine modes, chorus/phaser/vibe params, headroom and regen controls). Scott Henderson gear documentation from scotthenderson.net and multiple forum posts where Henderson details his EQ philosophy, pickup wiring, and pedal approach.

Henderson's Core Principles: Bass on amp always low. Get low-midrange from the guitar's tone knob (neck at 7–8, bridge at 3–5). All pickup positions use the same output. Tone controls bypassed in positions 2 and 4 on his Suhr signature. Less gain than you think — always. Volume knob is the primary gain control.

On the Neural DSP: If you really want to use it, put it before the Badger input as a transparent clean boost only. Henderson's documented pedal approach uses Xotic RC Booster, Klon Centaur, and Maxon SD-9 for drive stacking — all before the amp. A Neural DSP amp model in the loop will fight the Badger's EL34 character. The Badger's own MOSFET Boost handles the gain staging Henderson needs.

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