Archon - I Finally Played One

jfb said:
From your signature I'd assume you're still rockin' yours. I know you have been through and own some serious amps. That's saying something as well.

:top:
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I still really dig the amp. For me, it's essentially a "better" version of the Uberschall TJ lead channel. I also really love the cleans. It's almost as good as the cleans on my Friedman SS100 which are the best I've heard in a high gain amp. Which the Suhr Koko to boost the mids you can get some good bluesy cleans and passable M style crunch on the lead channel at lower gain levels.
 
yankeebulldog said:
I still really dig the amp. For me, it's essentially a "better" version of the Uberschall TJ lead channel. I also really love the cleans. It's almost as good as the cleans on my Friedman SS100 which are the best I've heard in a high gain amp. Which the Suhr Koko to boost the mids you can get some good bluesy cleans and passable M style crunch on the lead channel at lower gain levels.
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Wow! To me that's saying something right there. Bogner's Uberschall Twin Jet is a metal machine. The TJ is about as mighty as it gets. To my ears it is more cabinet picky than I imagine the Archon to be. The Archon is also a bit more wallet friendly.
 
Cool you liked it Jesse. I never played a 100w 2 channel, but played a 50. Something in the voicing of that amp just didn't quite work for me. The Archon, however, delivers what I like to hear in spades. The midrange control I feel I can put just about anywhere and like it. Feels like it controls a somewhat lower mid freq, which I like a lot. The gain and high end are smooth, not jagged and ice pick. I can run the treble and presence a little higher still like the tone. Plenty of gain, stays nice and tight. Very beefy and solid. The magic to me is that it does somehow sound raw, yet has a mixed/produced tone....but doesn't sound sterile in any way. That's my problem with some other amps that are tight and do the heavies. Not an issue here, the Archon sits just right. The master volume is pretty much the best I've heard. Like you, at bedroom settings(in the night), I like the gain higher up and it sounds incredible at those low, low volumes. With the master cranked in rehearsal, I like it right around noon...then I can still throw the EP booster in front for some different flavor. It's got this thing that leads and single notes really sing and feel good while you play. Chords, low tuned and riffs, it obviously excels at that.
 
vchizzle said:
Cool you liked it Jesse. I never played a 100w 2 channel, but played a 50. Something in the voicing of that amp just didn't quite work for me. The Archon, however, delivers what I like to hear in spades. The midrange control I feel I can put just about anywhere and like it. Feels like it controls a somewhat lower mid freq, which I like a lot. The gain and high end are smooth, not jagged and ice pick. I can run the treble and presence a little higher still like the tone. Plenty of gain, stays nice and tight. Very beefy and solid. The magic to me is that it does somehow sound raw, yet has a mixed/produced tone....but doesn't sound sterile in any way. That's my problem with some other amps that are tight and do the heavies. Not an issue here, the Archon sits just right. The master volume is pretty much the best I've heard. Like you, at bedroom settings(in the night), I like the gain higher up and it sounds incredible at those low, low volumes. With the master cranked in rehearsal, I like it right around noon...then I can still throw the EP booster in front for some different flavor. It's got this thing that leads and single notes really sing and feel good while you play. Chords, low tuned and riffs, it obviously excels at that.
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Cool stuff man. Certainly echoes my thoughts. Glad I finally got go play one.

Also of note I was getting some really pleasing feedback at low volumes when the gain was near dimed. The tones were still clear and articulate, but the gain was screaming hot and talking back to me. I approve of the feedback!
 
Saw Chimaira last night. Emil was indeed using an Archon. Sounded pretty good.
 
sergiodeblanc said:
Maybe... but I want ALL THE WATTS!!!!! They could shove it into a 2x12 combo and kill Twins.
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You should check with Derek Morgan, if I recall correctly he has one of the 40 Watt versions of the Sweet 16 and I bet his price would be more than reasonable...

On a personal note, I plugged into my Sweet 16 for the first time with the Paul's Guitar after reading this thread and WHOA BABY DID SHE SING!!!
 
Jesse, i know this is going to be a bad comparison, but how would you compare/contrast the Archon with your EVH III? That was another amp that you set to neutral tone settings and let it rip, which it did very well. Yeah, it's like comparing apples and wildebeest, but I totally understood your rundown at the time.

LSchefman said:
I
...I want both guitars to work well with both amps!.
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YES!! That is exactly it. And here's the conclusion I came to in my situation: ain't happening. :( Here's the setup...you know the amp and main guitar, but I have this beauty of a 2001 Cu24 that holds huge sentimental value and it kills me not to gig it. It's such a joy to play but it absolutely doesn't blend well with my rig without messing with the balance. It all comes down to the HFS/VBs being vastly different from the DGTs. But switching pups to something I really liked has proven impossible. That is until recently when I followed a hunch (with a 10,000 word essay attached :biggrin:) and swapped the pickups with a Dimarzio Andy Timmons in the bridge and a Duncan Jazz in the neck. That combination takes to my rig perfectly without big adjustments. And while it sounds completely different than the DGT, as it should, the Cu24 gets gigged again for a couple of songs.

Moral: don't expect 2 vastly different guitars to happily occupy the same space in your rig. Be prepared to make adjustments or flip guitars until the right one is located. Be prepared for some heartache along the way.
 
Boogie said:
Moral: don't expect 2 vastly different guitars to happily occupy the same space in your rig. Be prepared to make adjustments or flip guitars until the right one is located. Be prepared for some heartache along the way.
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Les agrees with Boog.:shakehands:
 
Boogie said:
Jesse, i know this is going to be a bad comparison, but how would you compare/contrast the Archon with your EVH III? That was another amp that you set to neutral tone settings and let it rip, which it did very well. Yeah, it's like comparing apples and wildebeest, but I totally understood your rundown at the time.
Click to expand...

I think the Archon and EVH III are both great amps. While the EVH III is undoubtedly a staple in the rock/metal world the Archon isn't far behind it. With praise coming from guys like Misha Mansoor who have serious influence on purchases the Archon is set to do well. And it should cause it's a beast of an amp.

As far as my comparison/contrast goes I would say the Archon's clean channel is really...really clean and the dirty channel is very crunchy while still having the saturation I crave. I describe the amp as sounding mixed and mastered right out of the gates. It also sounds very good at low volumes, something high gain amps are generally poor at doing in my experience. As far as I go and what I think is safe to say most of the rock and metal world the amp isn't lacking any features. It's priced right, designed right, and I trust Doug Sewell as much or more than anyone else in the world to make it right if it were to ever be wrong.

On to the EVH III. It should be noted I have the 50 watt version. It needs to be at some volume to get rid of the fizz, but when it gets there stand back cause it rips. It's saturation to the max. More gain than you could imagine. I laughed the first time I played it. No joke. It has three channels. The first and second share controls on the smaller 50 watt version. It has the usual list of features. The 100 watt version is about the same price as an Archon.

The amps occupy a lot of the same space and are very similar to me. It's really just a matter of how you want to get there. I could see justifying owning both. You didn't see that coming did you?

:tongue:
 
jfb said:
I think the Archon and EVH III are both great amps. While the EVH III is undoubtedly a staple in the rock/metal world the Archon isn't far behind it. With praise coming from guys like Misha Mansoor who have serious influence on purchases the Archon is set to do well. And it should cause it's a beast of an amp.

As far as my comparison/contrast goes I would say the Archon's clean channel is really...really clean and the dirty channel is very crunchy while still having the saturation I crave. I describe the amp as sounding mixed and mastered right out of the gates. It also sounds very good at low volumes, something high gain amps are generally poor at doing in my experience. As far as I go and what I think is safe to say most of the rock and metal world the amp isn't lacking any features. It's priced right, designed right, and I trust Doug Sewell as much or more than anyone else in the world to make it right if it were to ever be wrong.

On to the EVH III. It should be noted I have the 50 watt version. It needs to be at some volume to get rid of the fizz, but when it gets there stand back cause it rips. It's saturation to the max. More gain than you could imagine. I laughed the first time I played it. No joke. It has three channels. The first and second share controls on the smaller 50 watt version. It has the usual list of features. The 100 watt version is about the same price as an Archon.

The amps occupy a lot of the same space and are very similar to me. It's really just a matter of how you want to get there. I could see justifying owning both. You didn't see that coming did you?

:tongue:
Click to expand...
Unless you need 3 channels, which are hard to use on the EVh with the shared EQ and volume balance issues, you could get a lot of those same tones from the Archon with something like the Suhr Koko boost. The mid boost can get you some good crunchy rhythm tones at lower gain levels on the archon, similar to the blue on the EVH. The Archon maxed out doesn't have as much gain as the red channel on the EVh but a lot of that red channel gain isn't usable IMO. Also, the clean on the Archon is much better for my taste anyway. The EVH was okay at cleans but nothing special like you'd except from a "Fender".
 
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