Suhr Badger 30 Head

One Bodacious Badger

Wildwoodians, we are proud to present the Suhr Badger 30, an amp head that combines classic British tones with modern power-scaling technology to give you supreme sonic flexibility. This blend of old and new allows you to get rich, organic power-amp distortion at neighbor-friendly volumes--though you can certainly crank it up and tear some heads off if you want! At any volume level, you get the sort of tone that puts you in touch with the simple, visceral joy of making music. Let’s journey further into the land of vacuum tubes and discover the reasons why the Badger 18 has such an incredible power to inspire.

Power Scaling Explained

Even if the Badger 18 didn’t have any innovative technology in its circuit, it would still be a ripping tube amp capable of laying waste to entire cities with its rock and roll power. However, the key to unlocking its full functionality is understanding how the Drive and Power knobs work. Turning both knobs all the way up removes them from the amp’s circuit completely, allowing it to function like an old-school non-master volume amp. You get the full wattage of the amp, and the Gain knob acts as your volume control. This configuration works beautifully in situations that require lots of volume, like gigs in big rooms or when your drummer hits like John Bonham.

If you keep the Power knob at 10 and roll back the Drive knob, the Drive knob functions as a Master volume, allowing you to get more distortion at lower levels. In this setting, the Badger 18 works like a typical modern amplifier, and its voice brightens up as you get more preamp distortion, allowing you to cut through a dense mix with ease. But, the real magic starts when you begin playing with the Power knob, too.

Lowering the Power knob reduces the amount of voltage going to the power section, reducing the wattage of the amp and lowering the overall volume. When this happens, the power section “breaks up” and overdrives at lower volumes. This allows you to get thick, rich, organic distortion and overdrive at manageable volumes. Even if you run the Badger at one watt, it responds to your playing the same way it would if you were playing at full wattage with the volume dimed. All in all, it allows you to get a natural sound with pleasant-sounding compression at low volumes without any of the squashiness that comes when you use a load box or attenuator.

An Aptly-Named Amp

"Badger” is a fitting name for this amp, because it’s reminiscent of the meanest species in the animal kingdom: the honey badger, a tiny tough guy renowned for its tenacity and ability to take down bigger animals. When you don’t engage the power-scaling function, it sings out with a big, powerful voice. But, when its wattage scales down, the Badger 30 doesn’t lose an ounce of ferocity or fullness. It provides inspirational tone at any volume level, so you can always get the sound you need no matter the situation. We invite you to try one of these incredible amps and experience their glorious tone firsthand. Once you do, we’re sure that you’ll find that this Badger is your spirit animal!

OUTPUT: 25 Watts
PREAMP TUBES: 3x 12AX7
POWER TUBES: 2x EL34
RECTIFIER: Solid State Rectifier
EFFECTS LOOP: Tube driven, buffered, series effects loop
PANEL CONTROLS: On/Off, Standby, Power, Drive, Bass, Middle, Treble
SPEAKER OUTPUTS: Dual speaker outputs: Selectable between 4Ω, 8Ω & 16Ω impedance
INCLUDED ACCESSORIES: Slip Cover, Footswitch
DIMENSIONS: 20.5" (W) x 8.25” (D) x 9.25” (H)
WEIGHT: 31 lbs.