Please, Sir, May I Have Some More?

Boogie said:
I've been successfully dodging this threat for over 30 years. That success is hinged upon my ability to, a.) keep my gear where it has been approved by management, and, b.) no noticeable accumulation of crap occurs, regardless of price, as dictated by management. The only tolerated deviations have come from my boys rotating some of their gear in and out of the house, hence allowing thtose rules to be bent as necessary. So, when I feel the need, I buy "my boys" a new amp/guitar/pedal/DMX light controller/digital audio interface. (I pray to the guitar-gods that she doesn't have an account here)

:D
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My wife doesn't really threaten, so I'm safe. As far as she's concerned, the gear is just stuff I use in my work, and she puts up with it.

But...I do get veiled disapproval indications when new stuff arrives like, "Don't you already have (insert number) of those?"

Fortunately, I'm as OCD about clutter as she is, so the only bone of contention is that I like to keep my guitars in my den. So there are a few guitar cases that kind of stick out against the decor. I mean, they're nice cases, but...

She thinks it's unsightly, and she's right, but my thinking is that even a decently finished basement studio is not a good place to keep fine guitars. If a pipe burst, or some other calamity took place...well, how does one replace instruments exactly like the ones I have? It's impossible. So I decided to be extra-careful and keep them in the den. That's the only issue for now.
 
LSchefman said:
I have one. It's great, and I've posted clips of mine several times. It doesn't sound like a Vox. It sounds closer to Tweed. Maybe there's a tiny, a very tiny, bit of Vox in there, but the preamp is nothing like a Vox IMHO. Even the EL84s aren't the thin bottle standard versions, they're the Russian Military EL84 M, with thicker glass, and a different vibe altogether.

Here's my favorite clip of the DG30. If you hear Vox in there, I'll be very surprised.

https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/hammer-dg-mstr-2
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Hmmm...

That may be even better. The other amp I gas for is a 5E3, but I don't want to be stuck without a master volume.
 
Screamingdaisy said:
Hmmm...

That may be even better. The other amp I gas for is a 5E3, but I don't want to be stuck without a master volume.
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The DG will do those tones, and more, if you set it up carefully. But it'll also go 'way farther. It's a very, very interesting amp. Again, you do have to work with it a little bit, but the rewards are there in spades.

In other words, it can do a lot, and do it with a great vibe, but it's not a lazy man's amp. You do have to twiddle the dials to get the most sounds out of it! ;)
 
LSchefman said:
The DG will do those tones, and more, if you set it up carefully. But it'll also go 'way farther. It's a very, very interesting amp. Again, you do have to work with it a little bit, but the rewards are there in spades.

In other words, it can do a lot, and do it with a great vibe, but it's not a lazy man's amp. You do have to twiddle the dials to get the most sounds out of it! ;)
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How much gain does it have on tap? The PRS website does a relatively poor job describing the amp, but looking at the tube compliment I'm guessing it'll get up into JCM800 territory with a tube driven reverb?

How is the headroom? I used to use an Orange AD30 for a couple years... Sounded great up to a point, but it turned to mush too quickly once the volume passed that point. DG described the amp as being overbuilt for more low end in a video... Makes me think it'll hold up better at higher volumes.

I briefly had a 65 DRRI but wasn't really sold on the OD sound and decided Deluxes weren't really my thing, then about 6-7 months ago I heard a 5E3 with a Greenback and in my head the clouds parted while trumpets blared. It was the sound of rock and roll. The thing that's held me back is the relatively limited controls and that I don't want to be tied down to that one sound.
 
Screamingdaisy said:
How much gain does it have on tap? The PRS website does a relatively poor job describing the amp, but looking at the tube compliment I'm guessing it'll get up into JCM800 territory with a tube driven reverb?
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It won't get into JCM800 territory. It's got a completely, totally different kind of sound, and really, it's designed for a different purpose. The JCM is all midrange breakup and bark, with a crapload of grind. The way the DG30 breaks up is from the top end first, and then you get into a different character of distortion, with a different texture, from a Marshall style amp.

The way the DG30 breaks up is much closer to the way a Tweed amp breaks up.

If you want to hear what the DG30 will do, just go to iTunes and take a listen to the most recent David Grissom album. That'll give you a good indication of how it sounds overdriven. It's all over that record.

There's no way you'd confuse it with a JCM800.

Screamingdaisy said:
How is the headroom? I used to use an Orange AD30 for a couple years... Sounded great up to a point, but it turned to mush too quickly once the volume passed that point. DG described the amp as being overbuilt for more low end in a video... Makes me think it'll hold up better at higher volumes.
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Depends how you set the gain. The amp has more headroom than the Orange, if you set the gain low, and set the Master up high, but it's still a 30 watt amp, and it's designed to break up without too much effort. However, it stays much more articulate than the Orange, and doesn't mush out.

Screamingdaisy said:
I briefly had a 65 DRRI but wasn't really sold on the OD sound and decided Deluxes weren't really my thing, then about 6-7 months ago I heard a 5E3 with a Greenback and in my head the clouds parted while trumpets blared. It was the sound of rock and roll. The thing that's held me back is the relatively limited controls and that I don't want to be tied down to that one sound.
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The recently introduced 5E3 based "The Edge" hand wired amp, with its Celestion Blue, is outstanding, but I can cover those tones with the DG30. And of course the DG30 has more controls that do a lot of things, including boost, reverb level, treble cut, etc. BUT-- I don't want to sell you on something, and here's why:

The DG30 is a unique amp and I love playing through it, but not everyone shares my tastes, or my musical thinking, or style of playing. Because this amp has so much character and personality, and is so far from a generic kind of "do-all" amp, that goes double.

So I would never, ever try to sell anyone on an amp, even if I think it's a great one. You have to play these things to decide if it's something you'd be interested in. If the sound on the Grissom record doesn't seem like it's your thing, then trust me, the amp won't be your thing, because the amp sounds just like that in person.

If it seems like your thing, then investigate further. Try before buy.
 
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Back to spending Les' money. If it's got to be new (and not NOS) then to paraphrase Sherlock Holmes, once you've eliminated the impossible amps, whatever amp remains, no matter how improbable, is the amp that Les must buy.

I forget if you said that you've ever tried the Archon before in person. If you ditch the footswitch and loop and leave it in the clean channel, you've got something that rivals a two rock clean. I know you had one (or more) two rocks before, but it might be nice to have a PRS that serves the same function...

You probably are just humoring us, and have already tried all that's out there and have come to your conclusion, but it's fun to weigh in...
 
aristotle said:
Back to spending Les' money....
You probably are just humoring us, and have already tried all that's out there and have come to your conclusion, but it's fun to weigh in...
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Not at all, I'm taking my time with this, so I appreciate your suggestions!

There really is a wedding coming up in a month, so taking my time is probably a very good idea just in case the wedding bill exceeds expectations... ;)

An Archon is definitely a contender. Plus in addition to the clean tones, there are times clients want gain, so there's that. I'd also like to try out a DG50. Given what I have, those are the PRS amps that make the most sense for me right now.

But I also have a hankering for something Vox-like. And PRS doesn't offer an amp in that direction yet. So I dunno. Plenty of time to make decisions!
 
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After spending some time, rehearsals and gigs with my Archon, all my other amps are either sold or for sale. Except the Mini Rec. That one stays. Shiva is on the block at the moment, hoping to find a local buyer. Loaning it to friends just in case...
 
LSchefman said:
Great amp!

I love everything about it, except that I will never buy another combo amp. I'm too old, they're too heavy to move around.
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You got that right. I think my friend told me that his 2x12 Stang Ray weighed more than my 4x10 Rivera, and my 4x10 Rivera weighs way too much.
 
That is why Paul is a genius. All black cases! Look honey same case...no ......dont....open..it.....I swear that guitar was sunburst when I packed away last night. how did it turn green so fast. I'll call Paul on Monday and we will get this sorted out. That bastard, must be that v-millenial finish. I promise I will get tot he bottom of this, I am upset as you are honey.

It won't work, my wife met Paul in person. She requested numbered cases.....
 
G-Man said:
It won't work, my wife met Paul in person. She requested numbered cases.....
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My unintentional strategy has been to have friends that move more gear in 10 days than I have in 10 years. Spread those stories to the wife like Nutella on toast so, regardless of what I do, I'm still nowhere as "dedicated" as my collector buddies. This is what friends are for. :D
 
Amen brother! I've never met Markie, but my wife has seen pictures of his basement. :D
 
Les, that is because one of those cases is probably worth all of my guitars combined! Oh and they hold amazing content.

Sadly, I am also the only PRS guy that i know but I do have probably over thirty fishing rods in the basement. When busted, I'm repairing some for that same Markie that Dream knows. That bastards gets around!
 
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