Solocaller
PRS Faithful
I feel for ya. It will be worth it when it finally shows up!
2 x Amp = x
- Thread starter László
- Start date
Well, the DG showed up and I got to spend some quality time with it.
The moment I turned it up, I thought, "Well, I can sure hear David Grissom in there!" This is a very high quality amp, clearly the result of a lot of hard work.
It's totally different from my HXDA - and it's also very different from any other EL84 amp I've ever owned, going back to the 60s, including lots of (now) vintage and boutique stuff. It takes pedals very well, and sounds particularly good with boost and compressor pedals, as well as with shimmery delays and chorus.
Where the HXDA shines with sustainy leads and power stuff, this amp seems to call for solid, chunky rhythm playing and shorter single note picking. No wonder it works so well for DG! So I'm going to have to up my game in that department to get the most out of it. It works really well with shimmery textural parts, and at least I have a clue as to how to do those (thank goodness).
As to the cab, it's quite clear that my closed-back Mesa Recto cab is not an ideal match for the amp. The Mesa sounds wonderful with the HXDA, but its lower-mid-heavy frequency balance and the way it projects don't do much for the DG. I'm going to have to order the matching cab when I am able so that the amp can do what its creators intended.
The moment I turned it up, I thought, "Well, I can sure hear David Grissom in there!" This is a very high quality amp, clearly the result of a lot of hard work.
It's totally different from my HXDA - and it's also very different from any other EL84 amp I've ever owned, going back to the 60s, including lots of (now) vintage and boutique stuff. It takes pedals very well, and sounds particularly good with boost and compressor pedals, as well as with shimmery delays and chorus.
Where the HXDA shines with sustainy leads and power stuff, this amp seems to call for solid, chunky rhythm playing and shorter single note picking. No wonder it works so well for DG! So I'm going to have to up my game in that department to get the most out of it. It works really well with shimmery textural parts, and at least I have a clue as to how to do those (thank goodness).
As to the cab, it's quite clear that my closed-back Mesa Recto cab is not an ideal match for the amp. The Mesa sounds wonderful with the HXDA, but its lower-mid-heavy frequency balance and the way it projects don't do much for the DG. I'm going to have to order the matching cab when I am able so that the amp can do what its creators intended.
andy474x
Knows the Drill
Nice!!! Sounds like a great complement to your HXDA.
Oh yeah, it's exactly what I hoped for! Something different for creating a different vibe, and for layering sounds. The amp has a beautiful basic sound, the tone controls and other controls do a lot of different things, and it's lovely to work with.
I'm digging it! :top:
sergiodeblanc
New Member
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That's the main draw of the amp for me... I'd like an empty one with a couple of empty cabs and a POD.
TAJ
New Member
Awesome Les! I am glad you are digging the amp. When I picked up my DG at the Experience this year, I got to talk to both Doug Sewell and David Grissom for a little while about the amp. They both agreed that the amp really shines with a clean boost at the front end. It sounds like you have already been playing around with different pedals to see what works. It really takes pedals well does'nt it!
TAJ, you were absolutely right about how well this amp compliments the HXDA. They're perfect sidekicks for each other!
And yeah, I really like it with the clean boosts I have (Fulltone Catalyst and clean boost from the Fulldrive 3) and the Xotic S compressor, that makes a nice boost when I use the blend control. Since you're more expert with the amp than I am, I'd love any other tips you have!
I noticed on one of the videos from Experience that DG uses the amp with a bit of delay and chorus when he runs it clean. I like what's happening when I do that as well.
In fact, I like the amp so much in the context of my larger overall rig and studio, that I am going to start exploring different pedals strictly to use with this amp.
I'd imagine that Aristotle has some good tips as well, so come on guys!
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TAJ
New Member
Les, I wish I could give you some more tips, but it sounds like you are on the right path all on your own. I also really Love the way the amp sounds with a little bit of delay and chorus on the clean side. The clean boost is great for that searing lead tone. I am sure Aristotle has some better experiences with other pedals than I, which I am anxious to hear as well! I am really glad you are enjoying the DG and that it is going to work well for you when layering tracks with your HXDA in the studio. :biggrin:
aristotle
New Member
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Glad you like it Les! I like it a ton with the Xotic BB as a good crunch tone. I also like that in combination with a Fulltone Deja Vibe. For some reason, I don't have great experience with delays though, but that true for me with most amps, so that's more me than the amp. DG certainly gets some great tones with the delay in front of the amp. I use a Creation Mark 4.23 clean boost which works great with this amp, but I'm sure that the Fulltone one is great also.
Thanks TAJ and Aristotle for the replies!
Actually, I really dig the Deja Vibe, so that is one that definitely works for me. I need to get it back on the board for this amp.
Also, I'm finding that the Boost switch on the back not only increases the gain a bit (not too much thankfully), it tightens up the low end. So if I want a soft low end, I use it in standard mode, but if I want a tighter and more solid bottom on the guitar - say, with split coils to get a nice crisp Tele kind of tone on the heavy strings - I flip the Boost switch in back, and lower the volume/gain at the front end of the amp, leaving the Master pretty much in the same place (I like it about 3/4 cranked, but it sounds pretty good lowered to about noon, too, so there's that).
The bright switch also seems pretty useful - unlike most amps, both positions actually sound good to me.
I love the way this thing works for those shimmery kinds of sounds. It's a great amp. Glad I got it for the studio! I'll probably do the typical "Les" review with some sound clips in the next few days.
Actually, I really dig the Deja Vibe, so that is one that definitely works for me. I need to get it back on the board for this amp.
Also, I'm finding that the Boost switch on the back not only increases the gain a bit (not too much thankfully), it tightens up the low end. So if I want a soft low end, I use it in standard mode, but if I want a tighter and more solid bottom on the guitar - say, with split coils to get a nice crisp Tele kind of tone on the heavy strings - I flip the Boost switch in back, and lower the volume/gain at the front end of the amp, leaving the Master pretty much in the same place (I like it about 3/4 cranked, but it sounds pretty good lowered to about noon, too, so there's that).
The bright switch also seems pretty useful - unlike most amps, both positions actually sound good to me.
I love the way this thing works for those shimmery kinds of sounds. It's a great amp. Glad I got it for the studio! I'll probably do the typical "Les" review with some sound clips in the next few days.
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Haha!
How would you like to take over the job of President of the Worthy and Royal Order of Madmen from me? I need to put down the gavel after all these years...
sergiodeblanc
New Member
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Haha!
How would you like to take over the job of President of the Worthy and Royal Order of Madmen from me? I need to put down the gavel after all these years...
I've just been patiently waiting for you to step down.
Done!
That's fantastic, Les! Nothing feels better that a well researched GAS target, acquisition then confirmation that it was the right choice. Congrats. 
I have no pearls of wisdom with these new DG amps, directly. TAJ and Aristotle have you well covered.
I'll throw this out there to ponder, though: how close is the 30w DG to any other PRS production/CAD amp? Tonally, to my ears, the 50w version sounded a lot like the Super Dallas (one of DGh's favs) camp (and I meant to ask Doug). Why do I ask? Well, because a lot more mileage is on the Super Dallas than the DG 50 and if they come from the same camp, gear that works well with one might work with the other. Is the input stage of the DG30 similar to the Sweet 16? If so, some of the pedals known to work well might be worth investigating.
Expansion on that thought: the Klon KTR sounded stunningly great on Martysnarf's Sweet 16. Paired with an EP Boost it was impressive. So much so that I recently (as in yesterday) built a Klon Centaur clone for my Super Dallas. It's insanely amazing! Like it was made for the amp. So if that works well with those two amps, one could deduce that it might work well with their (supposed) cousins. Right? So in a very long winded way, I suggest you look at one of the low gain OD pedals out there, especially a Klon variant/clone or similar.
I have no pearls of wisdom with these new DG amps, directly. TAJ and Aristotle have you well covered. I'll throw this out there to ponder, though: how close is the 30w DG to any other PRS production/CAD amp? Tonally, to my ears, the 50w version sounded a lot like the Super Dallas (one of DGh's favs) camp (and I meant to ask Doug). Why do I ask? Well, because a lot more mileage is on the Super Dallas than the DG 50 and if they come from the same camp, gear that works well with one might work with the other. Is the input stage of the DG30 similar to the Sweet 16? If so, some of the pedals known to work well might be worth investigating.
Expansion on that thought: the Klon KTR sounded stunningly great on Martysnarf's Sweet 16. Paired with an EP Boost it was impressive. So much so that I recently (as in yesterday) built a Klon Centaur clone for my Super Dallas. It's insanely amazing! Like it was made for the amp. So if that works well with those two amps, one could deduce that it might work well with their (supposed) cousins. Right? So in a very long winded way, I suggest you look at one of the low gain OD pedals out there, especially a Klon variant/clone or similar.
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That's fantastic, Les! Nothing feels better that a well researched GAS target, acquisition then confirmation that it was the right choice. Congrats.
I'll throw this out there to ponder, though: how close is the 30w DG to any other PRS production/CAD amp? Tonally, to my ears, the 50w version sounded a lot like the Super Dallas (one of DGh's favs) camp (and I meant to ask Doug). Why do I ask? Well, because a lot more mileage is on the Super Dallas than the DG 50 and if they come from the same camp, gear that works well with one might work with the other. Is the input stage of the DG30 similar to the Sweet 16? If so, some of the pedals known to work well might be worth investigating.
Expansion on that thought: the Klon KTR sounded stunningly great on Martysnarf's Sweet 16. Paired with an EP Boost it was impressive. So much so that I recently (as in yesterday) built a Klon Centaur clone for my Super Dallas. It's insanely amazing! Like it was made for the amp. So if that works well with those two amps, one could deduce that it might work well with their (supposed) cousins. Right? So in a very long winded way, I suggest you look at one of the low gain OD pedals out there, especially a Klon variant/clone or similar.
Interesting that you should mention the Klon, and low gain OD pedals.
Before I launch into my Klon and other low gain pedals story, I will take a detour and explain that the only US PRS amps I've ever played through are the HXDA and now the DG. They just don't show up around here at stores I hang out in for whatever reason. And I bought both only after hearing clips on the PRS site, never having heard either in person. So...yeah, I'm a little weird.
OK, now on to my tale of Klon and low gain ODs.
Back around the year 1999 or maybe 2000, the only place you could find boutique pedals in my neck of the woods was a little shop that had mostly vintage gear about an hour's drive from me. I asked the owner, who was a pretty interesting dude, what he had in the way of ODs, and he brought out a gold horsie Klon and a Fulltone Fulldrive. Both were priced around the same at the time, as the Klon was his personal pedal, he'd used it for about a minute and didn't care for it.
So I tried both. Now, understand, I don't like high gain overdrives, I like to get a bit of grit and that's it.
I had never heard of Klon. I had heard of the Fulldrive, because some of my session guys had them. Anyway, he handed me a '65 Strat and plugged me into a very nice sounding tweed Twin, and there we were. The Klon sounded fantastic through the Fender. But we turned the Fulldrive's gain low, and that sounded great, too. Different, but great.
Then he brought out a vintage Marshall Plexi, and the Fulldrive sounded great, the Klon didn't. I knew nothing about this pedal world, but I knew my main Tremoverb was more gainy than the Twin. I felt that the Klon wasn't going to work as well with it. Incidentally, I may have been right, who knows. So I passed on the Klon, and bought the Fulldrive. And the Fulldrive was fantastic with the Tremoverb and the other 3 or 4 Mesas I had on hand at the time.
I set the gain of a Fulldrive very low, by the way. Just enough to give a little push to the edge of breakup. I've had every model of Fulldrive since, and I have had great results. Sounds great with the DG, too.
Of course, I wish I'd gotten the Klon so I could sell it for a couple of grand on ebay, but...WTF.
The new FD3 I have has an interesting boost circuit: clean boost, but you can dial in a germanium transistor circuit that acts as a limiter, and it's beautiful sounding. I also use an Xotic SP compressor, that you can blend the uncompressed signal with the compressed signal any way you like, and then boost it. It's a wonderful circuit.
As an alternative boost, I use a Fulltone Catalyst in "Spark" mode with the gain set low. What that does is both act as an EQ, and clean boost, and when it clips, it's got a nice edge, but not very much distortion. I boost the highs a little and roll off the lows with the built in EQ.
With the volume on the guitar rolled to about 5-6 (my normal playing setting), it makes humbuckers sound as clear and crisp as P-90s, but without the noise. It's a unique and cool little pedal.
Of course, these pedals are all different from a Klon. One of my session guys has one of the later silver Klons, so I should really ask him to bring it over to try with my amp. Then I'll know for sure that's the actual Klon sound, and find out if I really need something similar!
Edit:
On another front, I love reading Bill Finnegan interviews. Here's a guy who is so picky, and so particular, that he can't seem to just be willing to capitalize on the fame of his Klon and make money on it. Instead, he hand built them, couldn't make money, and then licensed the building of them for the KTR, and wasn't happy with the results.
The guitar world has a few of these type of guy, the Alexander Dumbles, the Bill Finnegans, etc. I admire their tenacity, but I dunno, if I'm that guy, I team up with someone who knows how to make a buck, license the building of the product, and get rich.
On a personal note, if I really really wanted that Klon sound, I think I'd pony up and buy an original Klon. After all, you're not buying a pedal, you're buying a sound, and if you want the last nth degree of that sound, seems to me you have to have the original. I'm insane of course, but I've always felt that to pursue something esoteric, you have to have the most esoteric version!
In a recent interview, Finnegan said he still has original gold models that he gives to a lady friend to sell when she needs money, and lets her keep the money. She sells them on ebay for a couple of grand.
I think I'd go that route if I really wanted one. They're not gonna go down in value until Finnegan starts production with the heavy cast models anyway, and that's never going to happen.
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