ScottG • Definitive Presets • Set & Forget
BANK A — Night Session
Five presets. Power-scaled for bedroom. Sweet Landau → Filthy Henderson/Hendrix. Done.
The Rules. One amp setting for all five presets. The Badger 18 stays locked — Power 3, Drive 4 — that's your night-practice volume anchor. You never touch the amp. All tone changes come from three things: the AC+ channel switching, the Mobius preset, and the Timeline preset. You're switching between five states using your feet. The amp breathes at bedroom level with the EL84s just starting to work. The 5Y3GT rectifier sag is present even at low power. The MOSFET Boost gives you a sixth option on any preset when you need more push. This is the rig you set up once and play for months.
Badger 18 — Locked For All 5 Presets
Why these values. Power at 3 = wattage scaled down to roughly 1–2 watts. Bedroom level. Drive at 4 = within 2 of Power per Suhr's rule, feeding the output section enough to keep the EL84s working naturally without squashing. Gain at 5 = moderate preamp drive, enough to break up when pushed by the AC+ but clean when the AC+ is on low gain. Bass at 4 = Suhr's recommendation to pull bass back as gain increases, plus the Badger 18 "has a lot of bass because of the lack of negative feedback." Middle at 5 = flat. Treble at 6 = MLs' sparkle needs a touch of emphasis at low volume where high frequencies are perceived quieter (Fletcher-Munson). * Boost is your emergency solo button on ANY preset — stamp on it for +gain and dynamic range whenever you need extra push. It works independently of the five presets below.
A1
Silk
Pure Landau session clean. Shimmering, wide, three-dimensional. The chorus adds the magic. This is "Angelia" soloing at midnight. Clean, sweet, warm. No gain from anywhere except the natural kiss of the EL84s at low power.
Landau Clean
Xotic AC+
ActiveCh A only
Gain AMin (7 o'clock)
Volume A12:00 (unity)
Tone A11 o'clock
Boost swOff
AC+ as Landau's always-on Jan Ray — pure buffer warmth, zero added gain. The ML pickups' tight lows and focused mids come through transparently with just a kiss of analogue warmth from the AC+ circuit.
Mobius — Preset A
TypeChorus
ModedBucket
Speed9 o'clock
Depth1 o'clock
Level12:00
Mix35%
Tone11 o'clock
Timeline — Preset A
TypeDigital
Time375ms
Repeats10 o'clock
Mix10 o'clock (~20%)
Filter12:00
GritMin
Mod Depth9 o'clock
Neck or Pos 4 Vol 6–7 Tone 8 Fingers not pick
A2
Honey
Warm edge-of-breakup. Guitar volume rides between clean and grit. The Landau "sweet spot" crossed with Henderson's dynamic amp interaction. Vibe adds liquid movement underneath. The tone for comping, rhythm, and melodic playing that cleans up when you back off and pushes when you dig in.
Edge of Breakup
Xotic AC+
ActiveCh A only
Gain A10 o'clock
Volume A1 o'clock
Tone A11 o'clock
Boost swOn (+3dB low-mid)
A touch more gain than A1 plus the Boost switch engaged — adds +3dB low-mid emphasis and a hint of grit. This pushes the Badger's preamp (Gain at 5) just past the edge. Guitar volume at 7–8 = sweet breakup. Roll back to 5 = clean. Push to 10 = proper crunch.
Mobius — Preset A
TypeVibe
ModeChorus
Speed9 o'clock (slow)
Depth11 o'clock (subtle)
Level12:00
WaveshapeLow
Low EndMedium
Headroom2 o'clock (clean)
Timeline — Preset A
TypedTape
Time350ms
Repeats9 o'clock
Mix9 o'clock (~15%)
Filter11 o'clock
Grit9 o'clock
Mod Depth9 o'clock
Neck or Pos 2 Vol 7–8 (ride it) Tone 7 Pick or fingers
A3
Torch
The fusion crunch. Henderson's mid-gain amp character crossed with Landau's pedal-shaping. AC+ Channel B brings in the 3-band EQ for mid-push and controlled compression. No modulation — raw amp and drive. Rhythm and comping tone for when the band needs you to cut through. Hendrix "Voodoo Chile" rhythm energy at bedroom volume.
Crunch / Rhythm
Xotic AC+
ActiveCh B only
Gain B11 o'clock
Volume B12:00
Bass10 o'clock (cut)
Mid1 o'clock (push)
Treble12:00
CompHard (early breakup)
Channel B alone — the AC+'s 3-band EQ and Hard compression mode. This is a completely different voicing from A1/A2's Channel A. Hard clipping = "early breakup and smooth overdrive." Mid pushed for Henderson's vocal cut. Bass cut to keep the power-scaled Badger tight — at Power 3, the EL84s compress the low end more, so you need to compensate.
Mobius — Bypassed
StatusBypass
No modulation. Raw. Henderson's philosophy — the amp and pedal do the work, effects stay out of the way. The crunch should feel direct and immediate.
Timeline — Preset B
TypedTape
Time400ms
Repeats8 o'clock (minimal)
Mix8 o'clock (~10%)
Filter12:00
Grit9 o'clock
Barely-there tape delay. Just enough to add room and dimension without washing out the crunch. Bridge or Pos 2 Vol 8–10 Tone 6 Dig in hard
A4
Blaze
The singing lead. AC+ both channels stacked for maximum sustain and harmonic richness. Vibe swirling underneath for liquid, vocal lead character. This is the Henderson "Dog Party" solo energy crossed with Hendrix "Machine Gun" sustain — at a volume your partner won't divorce you over. The notes bloom and sing from the EL84 sag + double-stacked AC+ gain.
Fusion Lead
Xotic AC+ — Full Stack
ActiveCh A + B
FlowA → B
Gain A10 o'clock
Volume A12:00
Tone A11 o'clock
Boost swOn
Gain B10 o'clock
Volume B1 o'clock (+6dB)
Bass9 o'clock (cut hard)
Mid2 o'clock (push)
Treble12:00
CompHard
Both channels, A→B. Ch A adds warm body + Boost switch low-mid emphasis. Ch B adds volume lift (+6dB), mid push, hard compression for sustain. Bass cut aggressively on B — two gain stages into a power-scaled amp will multiply low end fast. This is the Landau pedal-stacking philosophy meeting Henderson's mid-forward lead voice. At Power 3 on the Badger, the EL84s are compressing beautifully — the AC+ stack pushes them into singing sustain territory without excessive volume.
Mobius — Preset B
TypeVibe
ModeChorus
Speed10 o'clock
Depth1–2 o'clock
Level12:00
WaveshapeLow
Low EndHigh (fat)
Headroom1 o'clock
Timeline — Preset B
TypeDigital
Time420ms
Repeats9 o'clock
Mix10 o'clock (~18%)
Filter11 o'clock (dark repeats)
GritMin
Smear9 o'clock
Digital delay for clarity behind the saturated lead. Dark filter so repeats don't fight the mid-pushed lead tone. Smear softens tails. Neck Vol 10 Tone 7 Dig in • Vibrato • Bends
A5
Fever Dream
The full Hendrix psychedelic rip at night volume. AC+ both channels reversed (B→A) for a thicker, more compressed saturation. Barber Pole phaser rising infinitely while reverse delay ghosts come from the future. This is "Star Spangled Banner" meets "1983 (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" in your bedroom at midnight. The Badger 18's MOSFET Boost is your extra gain injection — stamp on it for the climax.
Psychedelic
Xotic AC+ — Reversed Stack
ActiveCh A + B
FlowB → A (!)
Gain A11 o'clock
Volume A12:00
Tone A10 o'clock (dark)
Boost swOn
Gain B12:00
Volume B12:00
Bass10 o'clock
Mid12:00
Treble1 o'clock
CompHard
B→A flow reversal. Channel B's EQ and Hard compression shapes the signal first — treble pushed for Hendrix brightness through the psychedelic wash, bass cut. Then Channel A's smoother circuit adds a second saturation layer with the Tone rolled dark (10 o'clock) + Boost switch for low-mid fatness. Different harmonic character from A→B — thicker, more compressed, more sustain, darker overall. Stamp on the Badger's MOSFET Boost for the climax moments.
Mobius — Preset B
TypePhaser
ModeBARBER
WaveshapeRAMP (rising)
Speed9 o'clock (slow)
DepthMax
Level12:00
Regen12:00
Infinitely rising Barber Pole phaser — the Shepard tone illusion. Sounds like it's ascending forever. Slow speed for a hypnotic, disorienting quality that builds underneath the overdriven signal. Regen at noon for moderate intensity — enough to hear the sweep clearly without overwhelming the guitar.
Timeline — Preset B
TypeReverse
Time500ms
Repeats11 o'clock
Mix1 o'clock (~35%)
Filter1 o'clock (dark)
Grit10 o'clock
SmearHigh
Reverse delay — your notes come back at you backwards, ghosting behind every phrase. Higher mix than the other presets — this is an effect, not just depth. Dark filter + grit + high smear = warm, degraded reverse tails that sound like a tape machine being played in reverse. Anywhere Vol 7 (ride to 10 for feedback) Tone 5 (dark) Sustain • Single notes • Let it ring
Quick Reference — What Changes Per Preset
A1 Silk: AC+ Ch A (clean buffer) • Mobius Chorus dBucket • Timeline Digital • Guitar vol 6–7
A2 Honey: AC+ Ch A (light gain + Boost sw) • Mobius Vibe subtle • Timeline dTape • Guitar vol 7–8 (ride)
A3 Torch: AC+ Ch B only (Hard comp, mid push) • Mobius bypass • Timeline dTape minimal • Guitar vol 8–10
A4 Blaze: AC+ A+B stacked (A→B) • Mobius Vibe deep • Timeline Digital dark • Guitar vol 10
A5 Fever Dream: AC+ A+B reversed (B→A) • Mobius Barber Pole • Timeline Reverse • Guitar vol 7 (ride for feedback)
The Badger never changes. Your feet and guitar volume do everything. The MOSFET Boost on the amp is your wildcard — works on any preset for an extra gain injection. Save the Mobius and Timeline presets to Banks A and B respectively, switch between them with the footswitches. The AC+ channel switching is manual but you only change it when switching presets, not mid-song.