elvis
Hamfisted String Banger
I have been looking for a backup amp for a while. I was going to get another Archon (LOVIN' me my Archon 100), but a thread a while back made me really want a different amp, rather than another of the same.
I looked into other PRS amps, but I really wanted something with the character and gain of an Archon. I almost picked up a 2-Channel H, and may still get a 6L6 2-Channel Custom.
To be clear, the things I love about the Archon are the very clean channel 1 and the aggressive bite with big, tight lows and controlled highs of channel 2. The Depth control is INCREDIBLY USEFUL.
But I got a screamin' deal on a Shiva 20th KT88. NOTE: a new Shiva 20th is 50% more expensive than an Archon! The Archon is a lot more amp for the money.
I found that with the bright and mode switched on, the two amps are fairly comparable. Similar gain, similar functions. Similar aggressive toothy mid sat character, though the Shiva has a bit higher mid peak, kind of in between the Archon and a DSL. The Archon has a very nice top-end roll off that keeps it from getting ice-picky. The Shiva can be overly bright, but tameable. The Shiva has a spring Reverb, but I HATE spring reverb. So that is not a feature for me.
The KT88 has more lows and headroom than my EL34 Shiva, and it is stiffer, so its clean channel holds up nicely, but still not as clean as the Archon. It's lively, though. The 20th also has an "Excursion" knob that is like a depth knob, except it doesn't work as well as the Archon's depth knob, and it's on the back of the amp. You can get some big lows from the 20th, but the Archon has bigger, tighter lows that just thump their way into my shriveled, blackened heart...
The Archon is smaller, a Godsend for gigging, and sits nicely on a vertical 2x12 cab. The Shiva is too wide and seems awfully heavy, though the specs show similar weights.
On the plus side, with the mode switch off, the Shiva sounds more like the non-20th, so it has a Marshally-classic rock lower-gain-less-aggressive tone. Also, it cleans up really well when you roll back on the guitar volume.
Overall, I can love both. I still kind of wish I'd gotten another Archon as a backup for portability. But at the same time, different is good too. Both are super fun!
EDIT: I have been putting more time into the Shiva 20th. It is fun, but I am finding that it either gets the grind and has too much highs or it gets a bit tame. It also seems less consistent to my ears than the Archon. With the Archon, I run it day after day and it is always exactly as I remember it. I never touch the knobs. With the Shiva, I turn knobs every time I turn it on. Partly that is because I just got it, but it is a bit bright for me. I do like how it works with my 7-string. It has tons more lows than the EL34 version, but they are loose as compared to the Archon, so they tend toward muddiness.
I will likely build a "B" rig out of it and add some EQ in the loop, but I doubt that it will make it to the "A" rig except in the case of emergency (I lost a preamp tube in the Archon just before my last gig. Easy enough to find and replace, but it's just a matter of time before it is dead on stage). ALWAYS bring a spare.
I doubt many people out front could tell the difference between the two amps, but from behind the guitar, they have the same basic personality, but quite different dispositions. I guess that is what I had hoped for, so it works for me.
I looked into other PRS amps, but I really wanted something with the character and gain of an Archon. I almost picked up a 2-Channel H, and may still get a 6L6 2-Channel Custom.
To be clear, the things I love about the Archon are the very clean channel 1 and the aggressive bite with big, tight lows and controlled highs of channel 2. The Depth control is INCREDIBLY USEFUL.
But I got a screamin' deal on a Shiva 20th KT88. NOTE: a new Shiva 20th is 50% more expensive than an Archon! The Archon is a lot more amp for the money.
I found that with the bright and mode switched on, the two amps are fairly comparable. Similar gain, similar functions. Similar aggressive toothy mid sat character, though the Shiva has a bit higher mid peak, kind of in between the Archon and a DSL. The Archon has a very nice top-end roll off that keeps it from getting ice-picky. The Shiva can be overly bright, but tameable. The Shiva has a spring Reverb, but I HATE spring reverb. So that is not a feature for me.
The KT88 has more lows and headroom than my EL34 Shiva, and it is stiffer, so its clean channel holds up nicely, but still not as clean as the Archon. It's lively, though. The 20th also has an "Excursion" knob that is like a depth knob, except it doesn't work as well as the Archon's depth knob, and it's on the back of the amp. You can get some big lows from the 20th, but the Archon has bigger, tighter lows that just thump their way into my shriveled, blackened heart...
The Archon is smaller, a Godsend for gigging, and sits nicely on a vertical 2x12 cab. The Shiva is too wide and seems awfully heavy, though the specs show similar weights.
On the plus side, with the mode switch off, the Shiva sounds more like the non-20th, so it has a Marshally-classic rock lower-gain-less-aggressive tone. Also, it cleans up really well when you roll back on the guitar volume.
Overall, I can love both. I still kind of wish I'd gotten another Archon as a backup for portability. But at the same time, different is good too. Both are super fun!
EDIT: I have been putting more time into the Shiva 20th. It is fun, but I am finding that it either gets the grind and has too much highs or it gets a bit tame. It also seems less consistent to my ears than the Archon. With the Archon, I run it day after day and it is always exactly as I remember it. I never touch the knobs. With the Shiva, I turn knobs every time I turn it on. Partly that is because I just got it, but it is a bit bright for me. I do like how it works with my 7-string. It has tons more lows than the EL34 version, but they are loose as compared to the Archon, so they tend toward muddiness.
I will likely build a "B" rig out of it and add some EQ in the loop, but I doubt that it will make it to the "A" rig except in the case of emergency (I lost a preamp tube in the Archon just before my last gig. Easy enough to find and replace, but it's just a matter of time before it is dead on stage). ALWAYS bring a spare.
I doubt many people out front could tell the difference between the two amps, but from behind the guitar, they have the same basic personality, but quite different dispositions. I guess that is what I had hoped for, so it works for me.
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