PRS Amp Reliability

[elvis]

Given that PRS is relatively new to amps, and the public has very little experience with PRS amps, it seems that the main question is quality and reliability relative to other amp makers.

I have had my Archon for 9 months now. I have played it constantly at home, rehearsed with it every week and played several gigs with it. I am not super-gentle with it when I load and unload. I don't abuse it, but I expect it to take the odd bump as well. I have had one preamp tube go bad. I have accidentally fired it up with no load. I have played it very loud. I have mismatched the load. I have gigged it loud outdoors on a hot day in full sun without it burning up.

I don't know if the woodwork is bombproof like my M-brand amps, but I don't know that it isn't. And I don't expect to drop amps off the back of a truck at highway speeds, either.

In my experience, limited as it is, the thing is solid as a rock. I would recommend it without reservation.

 

[andy474x]

Agreed!

 

[bodia]

Agreed!

Ditto!

 

[Deleted member 5962]

+ another 1

Have you looked inside? These things are built very well!

 

[László]

They're extremely well built amps, they last a long time, and to answer the question of the cabinetry, the woodwork is finger-jointed construction instead of a rabbet joint. Which means it should be stronger than a Mesa cabinet, and certainly not less strong in any case.

My PRS amps have seen daily studio use since the year the HXDA came out in 2013. The DG30 was bought in '13 also.

The only service the amp needed turned out to be replacement of a simple internal fuse that blew to protect the circuits when an output tube went bad. PRS checked the amp over, replaced the fuse, and it sounds as wonderful as ever.

Although I only play out once in a blue moon, I think daily studio use is a reasonably good real-world test, and the amps aren't babied; I run the amps pretty loud. They just keep going with zero issues. I love them, and I rely on them.

I have a Mesa Lone Star that is a very nice amp, but sonically, it isn't in the same league. I got it for a very specific project and keep it because...I dunno. It does a thing that's appropriate for certain projects.

But I think the PRS amps are in the category of the very finest boutique amps, like Two-Rock, Komet, and a few others I've owned/had in my own studio for sessions.

What I most love about them, from the authentic, flexible plexi voicing of the HXDA, to the DG30's Americana/Tweed-ish thing, is that they're truly musically useful. They have a unique feel that reminds me of the old amps I played back in the day (and when I say "back in the day," I mean WAY WAY back in the day ).

There's no way I'd consider selling my PRS amps.

 

[Boogie]

Going on 4 years of gigging and going strong. In all seriousness, I am not easy on my gear, but I don't abuse it. It will get dirty, get bumped around in the trunk or backseat of the car, or get set down harder than normal when I occasionally get some help to schlep gear. Regardless, it's gig-ready, tour-ready, or basement-ready...whatever you need.

 

[watelessness]

I gig mine. I take care of them but stuff happens. Sometimes they get set down too hard, while other times you leave them standing up in the back of the truck they fall over when you take a corner.

To date, no problems with any of my PRS amps.

 

[dmatthews]

My Custom 50 combo has been used and abused in the studio exclusively so far. My H combo however has been gigged, travelled, bounced around, along with being used and abused in the studio. It only recently required a power tube swap.
These things are built like a tank.