NAD-DG30 Custom Rig

Have to admit that I've been really curious about the DG30. This thread is NOT helping... haha.
 
stratlanta said:
Have to admit that I've been really curious about the DG30. This thread is NOT helping... haha.
Click to expand...

Not that I want to make the problem worse, but...

My HXDA is my "me" amp, in that it's the sound in my head after a long time playing.

However, the DG30 is in many ways a more interesting amp. First of all, it's unique. There's nothing on the market that sounds quite like it. Vintage, yes, in a Tweed kind of direction, but not completely Tweed. There are other influences I hear.

The amp is made to be used old-school; dime the Master to defeat its effect on the amp, and control the amp with the amp's gain control (labeled "volume") and the volume knob on your guitar. Simple, right?

Because the gain control and the Master are interdependent due to the PPI design of the amp, changing one affects the other. That's why it's easiest and most useful to dime the Master and get it out of the way. However, when the gain control is set pretty high - about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up - the Master sounds very good when you use it.

In Normal mode, it's not what I'd consider an overly loud amp. In Boost mode, it's loud, but it sounds great, and seems a bit gainier and raspier.

One great thing about the amp is that for some reason pedals seem to blend with it. It's hard to explain, but it seems as though the amp's gain structure is very much affected by what's in front of the amp, more so than with other amps. For example, my 100 Watt Mesa Lone Star sounds like a clean amp with a pedal in front when used with pedals. You hear the pedal, and you hear the amp, and they're separate elements.

With the DG30, the pedal and the amp merge. It's uncanny, and it's SO GOOD! It's almost as if the amp wraps its inherent tone around the pedal, and the effect with a good pedal is gorgeousness and merriment. ;)

I find that most amps either want single coils or humbuckers; not so the DG30. It doesn't care what you put in front, it always works nicely with what you're playing.

If you get a chance to try one out, do it. Just remember to dial it in correctly, or you won't be rewarded with what it can really do. Dialed in right, it's one of the best amps I've ever owned, and that includes a number of high end boutique amps like Two-Rocks, Bogners, Bad/Cats, etc., etc.

I have one of the "First 20" DG30s made. These were introduced at the 2013 PRS Experience, and what's different is that they were equipped with NOS BRIMAR preamp tubes made in England in the 60s (BRIMAR stands for "British-American").

These tubes aren't easy to get, and they're expensive if you can find them. So having a set come with the amp was a big plus, because the price was the same. The amp sounds great with them. Northeast Music has one that's still new, and I've thought often about getting it as a backup, especially since the amp went up in price since its introduction; but it's not like I really need a backup -- the amp's been trouble-free --so I haven't picked it up.
 
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LSchefman said:
Not that I want to make the problem worse, but...

My HXDA is my "me" amp, in that it's the sound in my head after a long time playing.

However, the DG30 is in many ways a more interesting amp. First of all, it's unique. There's nothing on the market that sounds quite like it. Vintage, yes, in a Tweed kind of direction, but not completely Tweed. There are other influences I hear.

The amp is made to be used old-school; dime the Master to defeat its effect on the amp, and control the amp with the amp's gain control (labeled "volume") and the volume knob on your guitar. Simple, right?

Because the gain control and the Master are interdependent due to the PPI design of the amp, changing one affects the other. That's why it's easiest and most useful to dime the Master and get it out of the way. However, when the gain control is set pretty high - about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up - the Master sounds very good when you use it.

In Normal mode, it's not what I'd consider an overly loud amp. In Boost mode, it's loud, but it sounds great, and seems a bit gainier and raspier.

One great thing about the amp is that for some reason pedals seem to blend with it. It's hard to explain, but it seems as though the amp's gain structure is very much affected by what's in front of the amp, more so than with other amps. For example, my 100 Watt Mesa Lone Star sounds like a clean amp with a pedal in front when used with pedals. You hear the pedal, and you hear the amp, and they're separate elements.

With the DG30, the pedal and the amp merge. It's uncanny, and it's SO GOOD! It's almost as if the amp wraps its inherent tone around the pedal, and the effect with a good pedal is gorgeousness and merriment. ;)

I find that most amps either want single coils or humbuckers; not so the DG30. It doesn't care what you put in front, it always works nicely with what you're playing.

If you get a chance to try one out, do it. Just remember to dial it in correctly, or you won't be rewarded with what it can really do. Dialed in right, it's one of the best amps I've ever owned, and that includes a number of high end boutique amps like Two-Rocks, Bogners, Bad/Cats, etc., etc.

I have one of the "First 20" DG30s made. These were introduced at the 2013 PRS Experience, and what's different is that they were equipped with NOS BRIMAR preamp tubes made in England in the 60s (BRIMAR stands for "British-American").

These tubes aren't easy to get, and they're expensive if you can find them. So having a set come with the amp was a big plus, because the price was the same. The amp sounds great with them. Northeast Music has one that's still new, and I've thought often about getting it as a backup, especially since the amp went up in price since its introduction; but it's not like I really need a backup -- the amp's been trouble-free --so I haven't picked it up.
Click to expand...


Grrrr....you guys are gonna make me do something irrational!
 
No kidding. I've been telling myself I need to actually sell about 3 amps if I'm going to buy another one. But.........
 
The amp developed a unusual 'overtone' problem, even in 'clean mode'. We took to my 'Amp Master' here in Austin. He found V3(Reverb/Boost) pre-amp tube was flaky, so replaced the JJ 12AX7 with a Tung-Sol model. But here's 'the thing'. While he was in the chassis, it was discovered that many of the component solder joints weren't as factory perfect as they should be, so those were fixed too. Now the amp is dead quiet now. All bias 37 dead even across all tubes.

jsqlZcn.jpg


I also learned something I didn't know about the PRS Cabinets.
 
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My amp's dead quiet, too, but never needed a repair. Like yours, the tubes all measure the same at the bias test points. That may have more to do with the tubes being matched than the wiring.
 
would love to get my mitts on a DG30 amp and cab over here in the UK, but apparently PRS don't ship them to Europe and no dealers will send me one either. Any facilitators out there!?
 
Gibsonwarrior said:
would love to get my mitts on a DG30 amp and cab over here in the UK, but apparently PRS don't ship them to Europe and no dealers will send me one either. Any facilitators out there!?
Click to expand...
I would assume the power supply is the big reason - gotta swap that out to a 220/240 50hz variation if PRS wants to sell in UK/Europe, and similarly dealers would have to get it modified to be allowed to order/sell one under CE regulations (I suspect, at least - not a recent authority on CE regs).
 
Boogie said:
I love finding proof of foreshadowing. ;)
Click to expand...

Ha! It came and went already. I had a great trade offer that I couldn't pass up. It has since moved again, in another trade. It still resides in the area though.
 
bodia said:
Ha! It came and went already. I had a great trade offer that I couldn't pass up. It has since moved again, in another trade. It still resides in the area though.
Click to expand...

“Back in the day I knew this guy who let a Grissom amp slip through his fingers.”

“Really? I mean, they’re so...rare...and awesome. What are they worth now?”

“I dunno, man. Like...they go for more than Dumbles now.”

“Wow. I knew they went for a lot, but that’s like a zillion bucks!”

“I know. Maybe two zillion. They look so much cooler than Dumbles, too.”
 
shinksma said:
I would assume the power supply is the big reason - gotta swap that out to a 220/240 50hz variation if PRS wants to sell in UK/Europe, and similarly dealers would have to get it modified to be allowed to order/sell one under CE regulations (I suspect, at least - not a recent authority on CE regs).
Click to expand...

No different to any other USA amp sold in Europe including other PRS amps, for some reason they just dont want to import this particular model.
 
LSchefman said:
“Back in the day I knew this guy who let a Grissom amp slip through his fingers.”

“Really? I mean, they’re so...rare...and awesome. What are they worth now?”

“I dunno, man. Like...they go for more than Dumbles now.”

“Wow. I knew they went for a lot, but that’s like a zillion bucks!”

“I know. Maybe two zillion. They look so much cooler than Dumbles, too.”
Click to expand...

Hmm...valid. Hey, guy that's got it now, wanna trade?
 
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