ScottG • Suhr Modern Night • Set & Forget
SUHR MODERN HSH
Five presets. Same rig. Different guitar. Different universe.
Why you don't play it — and why tonight changes that.
Your Bank A presets are dialled for ML single coils at 6.5K–7.2KΩ. The Modern's pickups are a different animal: SSV neck 8KΩ V60LP mid ~6.5K SSH+ bridge ~12K+. The SSV neck is 23% hotter than the ML neck. The SSH+ bridge is a proper high-output humbucker with "pronounced mids that push the front end of a tube amp." When you plug the Modern into Bank A's settings, the hotter pickups overdrive the Badger's preamp harder, the extra midrange from the humbuckers stacks on top of the amp's mid setting, and the thicker low end from the basswood body turns to mud because the bass EQ is set for a lighter alder/single-coil guitar. The Modern sounds worse through those settings — but it's not the guitar's fault. It's the settings.
The fix: pull back the amp's bass and mids, reduce the AC+ gain (the pickups are doing more work), and open up the treble. The humbuckers need room to breathe. The SSV neck is described as having "a broad sonic aperture with very little compression" and "honk and snarl." That honk is gorgeous through the right settings — it's the voice of the guitar. The SSH+ bridge is the cutting, punchy rock pickup you're not using. And positions 2 and 4 auto-split the humbuckers when combined with the V60LP middle — giving you single-coil tones without touching a push/pull. That's the Modern's hidden superpower: it's a 5-way guitar disguised as a shredder.
Same rig. Same power-scaled Badger 18. Same AC+, Mobius, Timeline. Different amp EQ. Different AC+ settings. Different Mobius voicings. Five presets that make the Modern sing.
Badger 18 — Recalibrated for Humbuckers
Four values change from Bank A. Power and Drive stay the same — same bedroom volume. But:
• Gain 4 (was 5) — the hotter humbuckers push more signal, so less preamp gain needed. The SSV at 8K is already driving the input harder than the ML at 6.5K.
• Bass 3 (was 4) — humbuckers produce more low end than single coils. Basswood body adds warmth. The Badger 18 already has a lot of bass from the lack of negative feedback. Pull it back or it turns to mud.
• Middle 4 (was 5) — the SSH+ has "pronounced mids" baked in. Pushing amp mids on top of that = honky and nasal. Pull back and let the pickup's natural mid character come through.
• Treble 7 (was 6) — humbuckers are darker than single coils by design. More treble restores clarity and sparkle that the hum-cancelling coil structure removes. At low power-scaled volume, this also compensates for Fletcher-Munson (you perceive less treble at low volume).
* MOSFET Boost still your wildcard on any preset.
M1
Glass House
Clean humbucker tone — warm, round, bell-like. The SSV neck's "broad sonic aperture" with zero compression artifacts. No chorus here — the humbucker already has width that single coils don't. Instead, a shimmer delay adds dimension. This is the clean tone that makes you go "oh, THAT'S what humbuckers sound like clean." Jazz chords, Holdsworth-style legato, Metheny warmth.
Humbucker Clean
Xotic AC+
ActiveCh A only
Gain AMin (7 o'clock)
Volume A11 o'clock (slightly below unity)
Tone A1 o'clock (brighter than Bank A)
Boost swOff
Volume slightly below unity. The SSV pushes more signal than the MLs — pulling the AC+ volume back slightly compensates, keeping the Badger's preamp in the same clean zone you're used to. Tone at 1 o'clock — brighter than Bank A's 11 o'clock because humbuckers need more treble restoration. The AC+ adds air and definition to the SSV's warm, round character.
Mobius — Bypassed
StatusBypass
No chorus on clean humbuckers. This is the key insight — the SSV already has natural width from the dual-coil design. Adding chorus makes it washy and indistinct. Let the pickup's character speak. The clean humbucker tone IS the effect.
Timeline — Ice (Shimmer)
TypeIce
Time500ms
Repeats10 o'clock
Mix9 o'clock (~15%)
Filter12:00
Interval+1 Octave
Blend40% Ice
SmearHigh
Ice delay at low mix adds octave-up shimmer in the background — subtle crystalline sparkle behind the warm humbucker fundamental. Not the full "Frozen Architecture" wash from the Abstract Collection — just a whisper of harmonic overtone. SSV Neck Vol 6 Tone 7 Fingers
M2
Split Personality
The Modern's hidden mode — positions 2 and 4 auto-split the humbuckers when combined with the V60LP middle. You get single-coil quack and shimmer from a superstrat. Chorus comes back here because the split coils need the width. This is the Suhr Modern doing its best Strat impression — and it's surprisingly convincing. Session-grade clean with a twist.
Split Coil / Session
Xotic AC+
ActiveCh A only
Gain AMin
Volume A12:00 (unity)
Tone A12:00
Boost swOff
Volume back to unity — split coils output less than full humbuckers, closer to single-coil level. Tone at noon — split coils are brighter and thinner, so you don't need the extra treble push from M1. This is essentially your Bank A clean settings adapted for the Modern's split-coil voice.
Mobius — Chorus (Digital)
TypeChorus
ModeDigital
Speed9 o'clock
Depth12:00
Level12:00
Mix30%
Tone12:00
Digital chorus mode, not dBucket. Split coils are already thin — the dBucket's BBD character adds darkness. Digital mode is crisp and bright, adding the width back that the coil-split removes. Think 80s rack chorus clarity rather than vintage warmth.
Timeline — Digital
TypeDigital
Time375ms
Repeats10 o'clock
Mix10 o'clock (~20%)
Filter12:00
GritMin
Position 2 or 4 (auto-split) Vol 7 Tone 8 Pick or fingers
Pro tip: Position 4 (SSV split + V60LP) gives a warmer quack. Position 2 (SSH+ split + V60LP) gives a brighter, snappier quack. Both are excellent. Experiment.
M3
Knuckleduster
The SSH+ bridge humbucker into crunch. This is what the Modern was BUILT for — the SSH+ has "pronounced mids that push the front end of a tube amp" and this is where you let it do exactly that. AC+ Channel B with Hard compression into the Badger's edge of breakup. Tight, punchy, authoritative rhythm. Power chords that hit like a fist. No modulation, no hiding.
Bridge Crunch
Xotic AC+
ActiveCh B only
Gain B9 o'clock (low!)
Volume B11 o'clock
Bass9 o'clock (cut hard)
Mid11 o'clock (flat-ish)
Treble1 o'clock
CompHard
Less gain than Bank A's Torch preset. The SSH+ is already pushing the Badger harder than the MLs — you need less from the AC+. Gain at 9 o'clock is barely adding distortion; it's mostly acting as an EQ and compression stage. Bass cut aggressively — the SSH+ has "low-end punch" already, and the basswood body adds more. Mid at 11 o'clock — don't push mids on the SSH+. It already has "pronounced mids." Let the pickup's natural mid character dominate. Treble pushed to compensate for humbucker darkness.
Mobius — Bypassed
StatusBypass
Raw crunch. The SSH+ into the Badger 18's EL84s is the entire tone. No modulation. Henderson's philosophy applied to a modern humbucker guitar — direct, punchy, no hiding behind effects.
Timeline — dTape (Whisper)
TypedTape
Time350ms
Repeats8 o'clock
Mix8 o'clock (~10%)
Filter12:00
GritMin
Barely there. Just room and dimension. SSH+ Bridge Vol 8–10 Tone 6 Pick hard • Palm mutes • Power chords
M4
Liquid Metal
The SSV neck lead tone. The humbucker that made this guitar worth buying. The SSV's "honk and snarl" with "very little compression" means it stays dynamic and vocal even with the AC+ stacking gain. This is the Holdsworth / Gambale / Andy Timmons neck-humbucker lead sound — smooth, singing, with sustain that just keeps going. Vibe underneath, digital delay behind. 24 frets of playground.
Neck Lead
Xotic AC+ — Lead Stack
ActiveCh A + B
FlowA → B
Gain A9 o'clock
Volume A11 o'clock
Tone A12:00
Boost swOff
Gain B9 o'clock
Volume B1 o'clock (+6dB)
Bass9 o'clock (cut)
Mid1 o'clock
Treble1 o'clock
CompSoft (late breakup, more headroom)
Less gain than Bank A's Blaze. The SSV at 8K is already driving harder — gain on both channels at 9 o'clock is barely adding distortion. The AC+ is doing volume lift, EQ shaping, and compression. Soft clipping on Channel B — not Hard like Bank A. The SSV's "very little compression" character is one of its best features; Hard clipping would squash that. Soft clipping preserves dynamics while adding sustain. Treble and Mid both pushed on B to keep the SSV's warmth from getting muddy under gain. Boost switch OFF on A — the SSV doesn't need the extra low-mid emphasis that single coils crave.
Mobius — Vibe (Slow, Clean)
TypeVibe
ModeChorus
Speed9 o'clock
Depth11 o'clock (subtle)
Level12:00
WaveshapeLow
HeadroomMax (cleanest)
Headroom maxed. Unlike Bank A's Blaze where we pulled it back for grit, here we keep it clean. The humbucker lead tone is already harmonically rich — dirty vibe on top would turn it to mush. Clean, slow vibe adds liquid movement without adding noise or grit.
Timeline — Digital (Clear)
TypeDigital
Time450ms
Repeats10 o'clock
Mix10 o'clock (~20%)
Filter11 o'clock
GritMin
Smear9 o'clock
SSV Neck Vol 10 Tone 6–7 Legato • Bends • Vibrato • Use all 24 frets
This is why the Modern has 24 frets and a sculpted heel. Get up there. The SSV stays clear and defined all the way to the 24th fret — that's the "broad sonic aperture" doing its job.
M5
Event Horizon
The Modern going full superstrat. SSH+ bridge into heavy gain with the Badger Boost engaged, Rotary speaker spinning, Dual delay creating stereo width. This is the tone the guitar was designed for — Pete Thorn, Reb Beach, Andy Wood territory. Aggressive, cutting, harmonically dense, with depth and dimension from the effects. The SSH+ bridge lives for this.
High Gain / Modern
Xotic AC+ — Reversed Stack
ActiveCh A + B
FlowB → A
Gain A10 o'clock
Volume A12:00
Tone A12:00
Boost swOff
Gain B11 o'clock
Volume B12:00
Bass8 o'clock (minimum)
Mid12:00
Treble2 o'clock
CompHard
B→A reversed flow + Badger MOSFET Boost ON. Channel B shapes and compresses first — treble pushed high, bass cut to minimum (the SSH+ into a boosted amp will generate a wall of low end otherwise), Hard compression for tight, focused gain. Channel A adds smooth second-stage saturation on top. This plus the Badger's MOSFET Boost = three gain stages. Bass cut to absolute minimum on the AC+ is non-negotiable — SSH+ bridge + basswood body + EL84 amp + three gain stages = low-end catastrophe without aggressive bass management.
Mobius — Rotary (Fast)
TypeRotary
SpeedFast (tremolo speed)
Depth12:00
Level12:00
Horn LevelHigh
Preamp DriveMin
Rotary at speed gives Doppler swirl to the heavy gain tone — like a Leslie on fast. Horn Level high emphasises the high-frequency swirl. Preamp Drive at minimum — you've already got plenty of gain from the AC+ and Badger. This adds dimension and movement to what would otherwise be a flat wall of gain.
Timeline — Dual
TypeDual
Time 1300ms
Time 2500ms
ConfigParallel (L/R split)
Repeats9 o'clock
Mix10 o'clock (~18%)
Filter11 o'clock (dark)
GritMin
Dual delay at two different times creates stereo width and depth — two independent delay lines at 300ms and 500ms in parallel. Even through a mono chain, the two offset times create a sense of space. Dark filter keeps repeats from fighting the aggressive lead tone. SSH+ Bridge Vol 10 Tone 5–6 Alternate picking • Tapping • Shred • MOSFET Boost ON
Quick Reference — Modern Night vs Bank A
M1 Glass House: AC+ A (low vol) • Mobius bypass • Timeline Ice shimmer • SSV Neck vol 6
M2 Split Personality: AC+ A (unity) • Mobius Digital Chorus • Timeline Digital • Pos 2 or 4 (auto-split) vol 7
M3 Knuckleduster: AC+ B only (low gain, Hard comp) • Mobius bypass • Timeline dTape whisper • SSH+ Bridge vol 8–10
M4 Liquid Metal: AC+ A+B (A→B, Soft comp) • Mobius Vibe clean • Timeline Digital • SSV Neck vol 10
M5 Event Horizon: AC+ A+B (B→A) + Badger Boost ON • Mobius Rotary fast • Timeline Dual • SSH+ Bridge vol 10
The four changes from Bank A: Gain 4 (was 5), Bass 3 (was 4), Middle 4 (was 5), Treble 7 (was 6). Everything else adapts through the AC+ and effects. Swap guitars, change four knobs on the amp, play.
Why you'll play the Modern tonight.
The reason it's been gathering dust is that you've been hearing it through Strat settings. The MLs at 6.5K and the SSV/SSH+ at 8K–12K+ are different instruments that need different treatment. The Modern's hotter humbuckers were overwhelming a preamp dialled for single coils, the extra midrange from the humbuckers was stacking on top of an amp mid setting designed for thinner pickups, and the basswood body's warmth was turning to mud through settings that added bass for a lighter alder body.
With the amp recalibrated — less bass, less mids, more treble, less preamp gain — the Modern's character comes through: the SSH+'s punch and authority on rhythm, the SSV's honk and vocal quality on leads, and the coil-split trick on positions 2 and 4 that gives you unexpected Strat-like tones from a guitar that looks like it only does metal.
The Modern is a five-guitars-in-one instrument. You just needed the amp to get out of the way and let it be that.