Gallien-Krueger SEL 2100 Head

This solid-state stereo amp is a newer version with the vents along the bottom of the faceplate. I'm not sure offhand of the vintage. It has two channels (switchable from amp and footswitch), independent compression (A+B separate switches), preamp volumes, 4-band tone stacks (80,500,5k,10k Hz---???) noise gate (also A+B switches, fast/slow release switch, threshold knobs), gain for the dirty channel, chorus (switchable, rate, depth), reverb (level knob---in/out is on footswitch only), 100W/side. Moving around to the back, we have: footswitch jack (RFG5 only, ah,so!, is ploplietaly technology! 5-buttons: A/B, comp, 10dB boost, rev., cho., uses 1/4" TRS cable), FX loop, stereo aux in for happy practicing or other diabolical plans, mono/stereo switchable L/R XLR outs, two 8-ohm (min.)speaker jacks, heatsinks, plug socket, fuse holder, a sticker or two...yep, it's an amp head alright! It's five pounds, soaking wet! AY-YI, IS IT LOUD! I never have the master volume up more than 11:00 or so, or it will cause instantinnitus! It has more power than I'll ever even think of using...can you say "The Vicar of Volume"?! The build quality is very good, with quality components throughout, proving that good things can indeed come in small, light packages. I picked it up in my early twenties, wanting an amp to replace the Peavey Bandit and Fender solid-state monster I was lugging around the time (that had both just broken due to my red-eyed ignorance and were awaiting repair) and I liked (still do!) that Alex Lifeson/Maiden tone. A major factor was that it was 5 pounds of 200 stereo watts, which just seemed to suit my intemperate lust for favorable power-to-weight ratios! My girlfriend at the time, she no likey ampy from the get-go. I vibrated a glass off the counter when I got it home (plugged 'er into the 2-way 15"+horn PA cabs for giggles) and fired 'er up, cranking it to ear-bleeding levels for that one Tommy Chong Power Chord and assessing it: "W00T! KEWL!"! Or maybe it was me she didn't like...who knows? The amp sounded to me like Heaven and Dante's Inferno all in one trim, uber-portable package! Visions of Dungeons and Dragons danced before my eyes...and in my warp back to reality as the glass shattered, I discovered, oddly enough,...they resembled The Lady of The House...on The Flying Broom! "<WHACK> HERE! I JUST CLEANED THE KITCHEN!" "yeOw! Ok, ok!...", as steam curled from her flaring nostrils after the withering blast! I thought the amp sounded good. Her accompaniment sounded like Joe's Mother from Act I-III (Frank Zappa, RIP)! Women go ballistic over the darndest things, don't they? Especially when it's right before "that... I probably gave the poor girl a headache (yep, that's what SHE said! I can't imagine why...maybe a few over the years...me? Nawww...). Well, the amp is still with me, but she is not. She gave me a choice: band, or her! Guess who won the toss? It was a no-brainer. Anyone who really loves you will never seriously throw that choice at you. Fortunately, my current one, she liketh my music, even around "that..."That... might be a good garage band name!

Summary of features: Really light. Rackmountable. Gizmos and knobs as described above. LOUD! Shakes house. Breaks glass. Pisses off PMS-ing girlfriends. Yep, it's a keeper!

I just don't know what scale to rate its features on! I'm having a hard time with this! It's not a rack preamp with all sorts of built-in jape that I use these days, and I can't rate it on that scale-it just wouldn't be fair! So I'll try to compare it to its contemporary solid-state heads and see how that flies. Now that my disclaimer is effectively out of the way, and taking into account all of the above...:

I used to use it with an Ibanez Studio that had a brass nut, two humbuckers, and my very first coil selector wiring job, phase switch (14 years old...my soldering skills weren't quite what they are now!) and quickie 3M contact adhesive/Reynolds Wrap shielding job. Since then (the Ibe needs a fret-job, and so does my Roadhouse Strat), I have used it with mostly my Strats and a Jackson Fusion Pro with a George Lynch Screamin' Demon in the bridge position, factory pickups in the rest. Without the noise gate, the distortion channel has a surf-sound hiss in the background. It is somewhat vexingly prominent. The noise gate is there for a reason. It works fairly well, and is somewhat transparent. I'm glad it's there. Also, unless you turn the master volume all the way down before powering on/off, the characteristic G-K "thump" transient (why don't they filter the damn thing, or clamp n' dump it to ground before the output?) regales the ear with its potential speaker over-excursion! I feel it must be snubbed for this (a groaner for those who know, if you get my drift...another speaker down the drain! ok, please don't throw a spike at me! Somebody stop me before I kill again!). Many amp designs do not clamp these transients. It is always good to start and end with the master off, and the standby switch on (until it warms up)if you've got One Of Those, and I have a Few Of Those. It will make things live longer. It will make the sound man (uhh...that's me sometimes) happy. Well, look on the bright side...it provides a convenient cue if you forget! This is the kind of thing that makes you stick these things and baseline level positions on Post-It notes to the side of your rig (the "Toes Go In First" list), or on the set list, and definitely in the notebook. Of course, maybe that's a good habit to get into! You never know who's twiddling your knobs during set break!

The onboard effects are not what I prefer. I use outboard FX/EQ mostly, although there are times when the sterile reverb and chorus (Andy Summers it is not!) sounds suit the program material. Putting reverb and chorus on at the same time really dulls the attack and washes out your tone with a bucket of icewater. The compressor is not adjustable-you either goddit, or you don' goddit. For the most part, it's useful when needed. However, I wish it was adjustable. There's too much of it sometimes, and it boosts your output, so I usually use it as a boost, or generally fuggedaboudit. Putting a tube mic preamp at low level, where its title may suggest (and this thing doesn't react at all like a tube preamp getting slammed with input gain, so don't bother) sweetens things up a little (helps to drive long cord runs too), and adds a little warmer tone and compression that is actually adjustable and more natural-sounding. In the loop, you can saturate the tube, which may also be useful. It sounds good with outboard effects and EQ. As a stand-alone, it has its own signature tone, which if you like wintergreen Lysol sterility and odd-order harmonics, is likeable, it's just that I usually prefer more warmth. That signature tone is very useful for some material. It sounds really good with acoustic guitars and electric/acoustics. And mono keyboards---gee, who'd a thunk, looking at the eek-freak centers! 80? 10k? Hmm, lemme break out the pitch-shifter and givvem a workout! Godzilla meets Alvin and the Chipmunks?

It's got hidden uses. Your keyboard player can go stereo-in thru the aux, et voila! Look, Ma! It's a one-amp, two-man band! You can feed arrangements thru it, guitaraoke-style! Parallel stereo FX routing, anyone? Haven't tried that one yet. Speaking of feeding: feedback dynamics are terrible. Too harsh and unpredictable, though I can make it better with the aforementioned jape. With its chorus on, feedback is unuseable. It doesn't sing, it squeaks and squawks, and meeps and bleebles! Bleh!

The EQ section is very broadly ranged. However, I feel the frequency centers are not as well-placed as in the 250ML, which generally sounds better as a stand-alone, but lacks the features and flexibility, and sheer nads! 10K? 80Hz? Who uses that? 88-ivories kinda peeple? I'm no pianist! Bejeepers! I would rather have had the ML's tone stack in here. EQ-age in FX loop NECESSARY! I cannot find any literature about adjusting trim pots to recenter the ranges, unlike with the ML, for which info is readily available. It does not like neon bar signs or televisions at all. RFI shielding, ground isolation is a must! At least it doesn't pick up radio stations. The XLR outs need a pad switch. 10dB less would be nice. It could be a rainy-day project (I work mostly outdoors).

No matter what you do with the onboard EQ, it sounds like more or less of the signature tone. Which is really good in some areas, not so hot in others. It is very good for Alex Lifeson tones, some Iron Maiden, acoustic and keyboard work, Scotty Murawsky (Max Creek), David Gilmour, Polytone-from-Hell jazz stuff, and bone-grinding, in-your-face, solid-state, paint-peeling nastiness! In fact, it comes pretty close to some Pantera Randally dirt-bucket raunch (RIP, Dime! You are missed!) with the right jape in the loop! Thing is, it's not voiced well for warm, fat bluesy honk or Texas Tea. It's far too sterile for gritty blues harp, too; my little Ampeg or Fender Blues Jr. gets used for that (I can't play harp to save my soul, but I know someone or two who really can...).

One of the things I REALLY like about it, however, which is one main reason why I still use it from time to time, is its unforgiving dynamics! Why? Because it will make a less sloppy guitar player out of you right quick! The attack/decay envelope is not forgiving at all to mis-picked notes or bending/vibrato by Meatfinger. It is a mirror of what you're made of. No hiding behind distortion. You either flow, or it's no-go! Its crisp attack requires disciplined precision and finesse. That instant solid-state response will make you or break you! It works for me, and I work for it! I guess it's sort of like the Dumble of solid-state amps. Its sound is consistent, even at near brown-out voltages.

I am rating it based on comparison to my current working stable of sonic BBQ grilles. If I seem to be a little Scroogey, it isn't because I don't like it, because I'll never willingly part with it, but I need things that work better over a wider array of tones and styles than this thing can hand out. Which means either a bunch of presets in a rack preamp, or many amps (this one included) which just is not terribly feasible anywhere but the studio. Plus, I'm a tube snob. If I found anything that gave me everything from Danny Gatton to Robben Ford to Jerry Garcia to Jerry Cantrell to Drowning Pool to Children of Bodom and everywhere above, below, beyond, around, and between including surf music and ska with tube warmth+harmonics+feedback dynamics and solid-state reliability+consistency, I'd be there in a second!

This particular unit has been very dependable. It has been working since my mid-twenties, and it's a decade-and-a-half later. I would gig with it without a backup. I used to, all the time. But I won't any more, just for GPs. I would rate this a full 10, if the last one hadn't mysteriously died.

"Just sit right back, and you'll hear a tale..."

I had it for a year or so, and it was working fine! I gigged with it, with outboard gear, it showed me a good time!

And then one day it blew a fuse, my amp head, it was lost! My tortured mind was swelling up with nightmares of the cost! With nightmares of the cost!

I paced a furrow in the rug, my baby, she done broke! I searched in vain for the part that had let out the magic smoke! Let out the magic smoke!

(please excuse me, I have NO idea why these things pop into my head impromptu! No thinking required! Pop culture dementia!)

I made a quick trip to the local Radio Shack. After blowing two more in rapid succession (and cussing up a storm, and listening to my co-tenant buddy heckle me "You're puttin' 'em in wrong, ehehehe!", yeah, schadenfreude on this and rotate, pal!), it dawned on me "duhh, something ain't right here!" At the time, I was practically stone, stinkin' ignorant about advanced electronics diag (well, now I have Ohm's Law and the obligatory resistor color chart as part of the workbench electro-pr0n collage...and I still don't know as much as I would like to, but dammit, Jim! I'm a JOAT, not an EE! There's only so much I can fit in the ol' grey matter and it's already going "reactor critical"!), and there wasn't much I could do. I diddled around with it for an hour or two with the not-so-great meter I had at the time (rather Eeyore-ishly) before realizing I was in way over my head (horrible pun intended). So I put it back together, and boxed it up. I took it back (out of warranty) to the music store I purchased it from. They sent it to G-K, who had it for over a month. I expected the worst. Really, it's always better this way. Trust me. You can be nothing less than satisfied with the results. It's the only way to beat Murphy at his own game, because at the worst, you get to groan "I knew it", or "I told you so!", and you've prepared for the contingency. Anything above that is just peachy! It's called the Theory of the Maintenance of a Positive Attitude through the Assumption of a Negative Result. It is applicable wherever Murphy might be lurking in the shadows. Well, I got The Call on my answering machine, and went down to pick it up, trying en route to decide which arm and leg I would miss the least (picking arm, leg with bad knee, unfortunately both on right side), preparing to walk all lopsided for awhile. The store owner, bless his grumpy soul, explained to me that they couldn't figure out WTF was wrong with it, so they sent me a reman unit por nada! All I had to cough up was the shipping! YAAY! That's GREAT! Out of warranty, no less! Now THAT's customer support!

The reman was this here new-fangled unit with the vents on the faceplate my old one didn't have, some extra ones on the top, and they had liberally spooged thermal grease on the important areas, which was lacking on the older one. It has yet to break.

I don't have much to say in favor of the G-K site design. No offense, guys, some things really suck about it, to put it bluntly. Even I could do better, and that ain't saying much! If I wasn't busy preparing for spring season, I'd be tempted to offer to fix it gratis for better accessibility! I have to fish the manuals out of the IE temp cache---they only open in Adobe IE extension, I can't just right-click and save them. And for some peculiar reason, the "Discontinued Products" selection fails to open a submenu. Maybe I could find a way to fix it on my end, but FFS, why should I have to? Practically everyone else worth mentioning likes right-clicks. Active scripting, etc. required, and that's not how I like to use IE at all, and I'm behind a 2 layers of hardware NAT and a firewall with a packet-sniffer after the cable modem! Microsoft is about as secure as a Woody Allen caricature! The manual is now harder to find than boobs on a bull! Ok, guys! Where are you hiding it? Pleez? It's not funny any more! I don wanna pway wit you meanies! I'm going home! WAA! Perhaps it's my cookie-blocking? Fortunately, I don't really need the damn thing, and if I did by now, well, I prolly would be off drooling in my brain bucket somewhere. Besides, I'm not really pissy about it: the original pamphlet is in my gear manual filing cabinet (please read that: large cardboard box in the basement). But I will give them no pluses for this, because although they took care of me, and I really, really, reallyreallyreallyreally appreciate what they did, their site is not nearly as user-friendly as it could be, and this inconveniences me a little, and probably some other people too. No problemo finding gear manuals for most of the rest of all of the shtuff! Big, wet, sticky razzberry!

In their defense, however, emailing them may have more of the desired result, but I haven't done it yet, because I haven't really had to yet, so I don't really know! So I am deducting TWO POINTS for this impertinence! Whhhh-TSSSH!

I have been playing for somewhat of a long time, and I own way too much gear. <slaps side of head> Waitaminnit! What the hell is "way too much gear"? There's still room! This thing ain't going anywhere, that's for sure! Not until it croaks, and then it'll be fixed! If it got stolen (very doubtful! They'd go for the Marshall first), I'll bet the would-be thief's early mortality it won't leave this house unless it comes with me! And if it happens anyway...HA! Good luck finding the manual online!

Well, now that I've reviewed it (perhaps this review is just pre-empting the inevitable), I think I'm gonna hook this thing back up and see how it sounds with Paganini arpeggio shred until "up pops the devil", and Doom 2 until IDDQD! Alice In Chains covered "Barrels O' Fun" (Them Bones), me cover "Entryway". Sounds great stretched out on the rack, now let's see what this bantamweight heavy-hitter Mini-Me can do with it!

I'd give it another point overall, but I don't use it so much anymore, due to that insufferable nano-peckersnout Valvius Snobbius who now has squatters' rights in my ear...it's all HIS fault those JJs sound so good, yeah, thatsit...

I think this digital stereo amp was made in the late 80's. Has a whole load of features, 4 band eq on the clean and drive channel, built in compression, stereo chorus and reverb and noise reduction. It also has a mind melting 200w of stereo power, 100w per side at 8ohm. Also came with a stereo footswitch which allows you to select channel, turn on/off compression, chorus and reverb, it also has a gain boost switch which adds simply more gain not volume. This amp is so versatile, i use it mainly for rock and metal but it could easily be used for any style of music. I use this live through two 2x12 marshall jcm800 cabs and the sound is huge, especially when you use the stereo effects.

I'm using an Ibanez Jem and RG both fitted with evolution pickups. The reason i bought this amp is because i'm a huge Iron Maiden fan. Dave Murray and Adrian Smith both used this amp on the Seventh Son world tour, anyone who has watched the Maiden Egland video will know what this amp can do. On the drive channel it has a great smooth valve like tone with so much gain, the tone is fluid and harmonics just fly out of my speakers. You can adjust the eq on the drive channel to get any type of distortion, having high and low mid control is great allowing for one hell of a thrash/death metal tone or with a slight adjustment it will do the Maiden sound. I belive Alex Lifeson from Rush used this amp as well.
The clean channel is artic wasteland clean, cleaner than mineral water, quite simply it is the best clean channel on any amp i have come across and it does not distort. Once again you have control over high/low mid allowing loads of variations. Add some stereo chorus and reverb, wow!!
My band do a whole range of covers from 80's metal bands and this amp is perfect. Being solid state it retains definition and articulation at high volume levels and sits in to the mix fantastically.

I bought this amp second hand off ebay in the states (i'm based in the UK), spoke to a tech at Gallien Krueger who said it can be altered to UK voltage. I just had to move a few Jumper switches and change a varistor and fuse and it works great. I have heard a few horror stories about these amps exploding and breaking down, but i think if you treat your equipment carefully and with respect generally you will be ok. I have mine in a well constructed rack (by the way this amp is only 2u and weighs hardly anything, i can't belive something so small can chuck out so much power)
It is fantastic condition for nearly a 20 year old amp, the last onwer obviously looked after it very well.
As a precaution i downloaded all the circuit diagrams and test procedures off the net in case it should develop a fault.

The tech at Gallien was so helpful, i kept bugging him with emails and he talked me through what i needed to know with no fuss, these guys have the best customer support i have ever experienced.

I have been playing guitar for about 15 years, i have (as well a the Krueger) a GK 2000 cpl pre amp, a 1986 Marshall JCM800 (probably one of the best amps i have ever owned) some cabs and a whole room full of effects pedals and other bits and pieces.
This amp has been part of a quest i started, ever since i heared Dave and Adrian's tone on the Seventh Son tour.
I eventually tracked this amp down after loads of research and it is a truely stunning bit of kit, equal to my marshall, but completely diffent in sound and tone.
If it broke or was stolen, i would get another one in a shot, they are that good!!
It is a real shame GK don't make these anymore, if anything does go wrong i know a great tech who hopefully will help me out, but (fingers crossed) it still has plenty of years of rocking left!

Made in the 90s Two channels seperate eqs, built in noise gate for both channels, compressor both channels, reverb, chorus, effects loop, XLR outs,headphone jacks. It even has a stereo out to hook up a cd player to jam with CDs!! I can't think of another thing you'd need. Solid state stereo 200 watts 100 per side. It can run 4!! 4x12 cabinets. 2 per channel.
AMAZING SOUND A KILLER OF AN AMP!

I have a Charvel 475, ESP Explorer EMG 81/60 pups, a modified Jackson, Les Paul, all with EMGS except the Charvel. Metal, Blues, Jazz. I play Iron Maiden, Ozzy, blues and everything under the sun. I use the 2100 with a Rivera 212 cabinet (a killer cab by the way.)
Quiet, no noises the sound gate takes care of any noises it would make. This amp is a incredible tone machine, I can get ANY sound I want. Clean stays clean and clear as a bell even cranked. Clean shimmering chorus very clean no noise on the clean side. The distortion is SICK! It can be brutal and death metal sounding and then clean up to a cool blues crunch. It does the Iron Maiden Somewhere In Time sound (Which is way I like it so much) it also has fantastic chunch to it. Think of a distortion and this one will do it! Also its LOUD I mean LOUD like watch the birds fall out of trees and open you mouth when you play so your head doesn't explode loud.

Like all GK amps of which I am lucky enough to have (250ml 206e)its a tank. Steel construction, tough, little brusier. Got it a while ago but haven't had a problem (knock on wood) but if it broke I would spend whatever it took to fix it! Seems reliable for being about 15 years old.

Gallien Krueger is by far the BEST customer support ever! Fast e mails sent me a Manual for this and they don't even make it anymore. Which is tragic, given all the over rated junk out there now. I wish they would re issue these I would buy another in a second. And they send me new speakers for my 250 and I had them in 3 days! Always great!

Been playing for about 16 years and have used a lot of amps, and this little gem is it for me! If it was stolen I would hunt down another one as fast as I could. Comparing it to a my 250 and 206 I have to say it is far more powerful, of course it has way more power than those. Interesting to think how advanced GKs are for their age. There's nothing else I'd want or need with this one. Can't tell I love it huh? :)