Archon 100 for new band!

[boardn10]

Hey guys,

I am joining a band doing covers and some originals. Covers are things like Rush from the 80s, Les Zep, Alice in Chains, STP, Better Than Ezra, Green Day and other 90s era music with some metal as well.

How well do you guys think the Archon can cover these styles? I mostly use my Archon for heavy aggressive music but I have used it for Van Halen and similar styles.

Thinks it's a bit too aggressive?
I have been messing with it, dialing it in for these songs...

 

[Toolmaster Of Brainerd]

Just turn the gain down to 9:00 or 8:00, if your pickups are hot then roll the volume on your guitar down to 7, and it does classic tones surprisingly well imo. I like it set with bass a little below noon, middle and treble a little above noon. I just played Hotel California with my custom 24 and Archon and I thought the tone was great for it.

Try it and see how it sounds for what you're doing! You can go really low on that gain control with the amp still sounding really good.

If it's still too much gain, well, with the right attitude, any song can be a heavy aggressive metal song.

 

[boardn10]

Yep that's what I do, run the gain lower.
Problem is it is still pretty aggressive and not very saturated at that point for singing leads. I'm trying different boosts or I'll run my Mark V for this cover project.
The Archon was killer for my modern metal project.

I also agree I like the lower gain tones I'm getting, even with the aggression! I just need a boost to add saturation for leads.

And then I can just crank the gain for our heavier tunes like Alice in Chains.

Main guitars are Adam Jones Les Paul, Les Paul Standard with Suhr Aldrich bridge pickup, PRS SC250 and 1994 Alder body PRS CE22.

Amps are PRS Archon 100, Mesa Dual Rec - modified, Mesa Mark V - 90 and incoming Revv Generator 120 Mark III.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Hey guys,

I am joining a band doing covers and some originals. Covers are things like Rush from the 80s, Les Zep, Alice in Chains, STP, Better Than Ezra, Green Day and other 90s era music with some metal as well.

How well do you guys think the Archon can cover these styles? I mostly use my Archon for heavy aggressive music but I have used it for Van Halen and similar styles.

Thinks it's a bit too aggressive?
I have been messing with it, dialing it in for these songs...

Depends on how much dialing you want to do between songs. Green Day to Alice In Chains requires turning a few knobs. Or, all of them.

 

[boardn10]

Agreed...
I love my Archon but I may try to use my Mark V so that I can have one channel clean, one for Crunch and one for high gain and then I just flip a switch to change modes between songs.
Or maybe I'll bring the Archon and some pedals once in a while! It's fun to mix it up.

 

[Toolmaster Of Brainerd]

Yep that's what I do, run the gain lower.
Problem is it is still pretty aggressive and not very saturated at that point for singing leads. I'm trying different boosts or I'll run my Mark V for this cover project.
The Archon was killer for my modern metal project.

I also agree I like the lower gain tones I'm getting, even with the aggression! I just need a boost to add saturation for leads.

And then I can just crank the gain for our heavier tunes like Alice in Chains.

Main guitars are Adam Jones Les Paul, Les Paul Standard with Suhr Aldrich bridge pickup, PRS SC250 and 1994 Alder body PRS CE22.

Amps are PRS Archon 100, Mesa Dual Rec - modified, Mesa Mark V - 90 and incoming Revv Generator 120 Mark III.

Great loadout. Those sound like some fun amps.

I use a Wampler Tumnus to boost my Archon. They sound really good together to my ears.

But... As you said, the Mk V might be more appropriate for this gig

 

[boardn10]

Great loadout. Those sound like some fun amps.

I use a Wampler Tumnus to boost my Archon. They sound really good together to my ears.

But... As you said, the Mk V might be more appropriate for this gig

How do you use the Tumnus? To add saturation or EQ?

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Agreed...
I love my Archon but I may try to use my Mark V so that I can have one channel clean, one for Crunch and one for high gain and then I just flip a switch to change modes between songs.
Or maybe I'll bring the Archon and some pedals once in a while! It's fun to mix it up.

LOL! That is WAY WAY WAY more changing knobs, than just adjusting for gain level switches on an Archon. That is a MAJOR redialing for every switch.

 

[boardn10]

Took both amps to rehearsal last night and both worked great. Had fun with both amps. Easy too.
Tried my favorite amp in a box, the Bogner Blue full size pedal and it was convincing they the clean channel. Turned my Archon into a 3 channel head. The Bogner Blue fit in well.
I've never tried the Bogner Mini pedals but love the full size Blue and Red. Prefer them to the Wessex and Burnley.

 

[boardn10]

So the Archon 100 is sounding good but I'm running into one issue that I haven't gotten around yet.

We do some lower gain and medium gain songs like The Cars - Just What I Needed, Better than Ezra, The Police and Rush. I like the gain for these around 9:00, however when I get to a solo, I lack the saturation I desire. I guess I can try it with the gain up higher and then just use my volume control.
But I was more interested in finding the right boost to add gain or saturation when the amp is set low. My Buxom Boost isn't sounding right. I may order a Bogner Wessex, Xotic BB or Suhr Koko Boost next to try.
What boosts have you all used and liked?

 

[Toolmaster Of Brainerd]

I'll try to record a clip later of using my Wampler Tumnus into my Archon with the gain set low. I don't think I fully understand what sound you're going for, but this way you can decide for yourself if you like it or not.

What kind of guitar are you using?

 

[boardn10]

My main guitars are 1994 CE22 and 2008 SC250.
So if I'm playing a light rock song with amp gain at 9:00 and I go hit a lead, I want more gain and saturation. I want a creamy, chewy lead with nice saturation. On 9:00 it's too dry and lacks saturation. I want mimic what it would be like with the gain at noon or so, for example.
I could also run gain high and turn my guitar volume down.

That Tumnus Deluxe looks great.
I'd love to compare to a Bogner Wessex, Xotic BB and some others like the Suhr Koko Boost.

 

[Toolmaster Of Brainerd]

Phone clip I made

To my ears, the Tumnus has a mid hump and the Tumnus deluxe (with EQ at noon) does not, or at least not as much. Because of that I prefer the Tumnus mini as my overdrive, but the Tumnus deluxe actually makes a decent distortion pedal.

 

[boardn10]

Hmm...
I can't get the amp to work how I need this far, for this band. But I'll keep trying.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I can’t imagine not being able to make this amp and a couple pedals work in any band but maybe a country band.

 

[boardn10]

I got ya! I'm messing around with it!
Sometimes I prefer the saturation and cream of my Mark V and sometimes I like the right, dryer, big tone of the Archon!
Buxomboost is working out front to add saturation and gain. Orange is in thr loop for leads. Gonna switch to an Xotic EP or another EQ. Love to try a Suhr Koko again.