Hmm... Tim Pierce prototype PRS amp

andy474x

Knows the Drill
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Did I just see a prototype PRS amp in Tim Pierce's studio?

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I suppose it would be hard to argue that I didn't!

Question is, is this a new amp prototype, or just an HDRX prototype that he still has? Anyone seen it in his videos before? It certainly looks like the HDRX enclosure, although the chassis is top mounted unlike the production HDRX, and as far as I can see, the controls might be different. There's a 3 way toggle, which would line up with the 3 way bright switch on the HDRX 50/100, but no mid boost toggle, and the controls may be different as well. I see a TMB stack, but further to the left, from the left, looks like volume and gain, and then something else that I can't make out, but looks like it says "Sub-???????," and an unlabeled control next to the power switch, maybe a presence control.

I could be way off, it might just be normal controls, hard to say with the pixelation of the zoomed image. But it's fun to speculate!

Here's the original video, for those who want to take a closer look.

 
Tim is an absolute monster, that's for sure. I subscribed to his master class for a year, but he's just too far ahead of me, and his lessons didn't really address what I needed in the dreaded "mid level" skill gap. I can lock on to his techniques pretty well, but his note selection and phrasing in relation to the chord structure just blows right past me, at least for any hope of doing it on the fly. The guy certainly knows his sounds though. I respect how he gets a lot of his lead tones from neck humbuckers, that's a pro move if ever there was one. His tips on tweaking the volume control down just a touch on the bridge pickup to make it less pokey have come in very handy since I'm just not quite there. I bet those pickups are excellent, and the neck specifically.
 
Tim’s a great player, and his taste in playing is even better than his knowledge of the neck (which is pretty comprehensive). Love listening to him.

He’s a big PRS guy, and a good friend of Paul’s. I’m not surprised he’d be testing prototypes on occasion. He knows how to get great sounds. I’m curious what that amp is too!
 
He had pre-production versions of the HXDA and probably others, but he demo’d the HXDA in a video back around the time it came out. So I’m sure he was involved in testing, because if memory serves the pre-production version had the type of master the 25th Anniversary amp had.

His DG30 also appears in videos from time to time, and it’s plain black without the wood fascia. So it may also be a prototype.
 
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With the controls on the upper part of the amp, maybe there’s a reverb tank under the chassis?
 
Sharp eye! I'd guess that's either a past project he found and digs, or he got sent something that's in the works so he could provide feedback on it. I doubt we'd see a Tim Pierce signature amp from PRS, but than again, that opinion is worth the zero shekels that you paid for it!
 
Well, I've always loved Pierce's tone, so that would be interesting...
 
With the controls on the upper part of the amp, maybe there’s a reverb tank under the chassis?

Love to hear one of these if its his. He’s a tasty clean player but doesn’t shy away from filth either which I appreciate. Bet an amp with his name on it would be killer.

Sharp eye! I'd guess that's either a past project he found and digs, or he got sent something that's in the works so he could provide feedback on it. I doubt we'd see a Tim Pierce signature amp from PRS, but than again, that opinion is worth the zero shekels that you paid for it!

I’d definitely be interested to see what he would come up with!

Not that anyone asked me, but what I’d like is a dual HDRX similar to the way the Friedman Twin Sister, with two footswitchable identical HDRX preamps, each with their own MV. Or, alternatively, maybe an attenuator on one. And, yeah, Les, reverb!!!

I’ll just jump in to say that Tim Pierce and Pete Thorn are about the only YouTubers who’s playing I don’t skip over.

My local shop just announced a Pete Thorn clinic next month, and I’m definitely going!
 
Not that anyone asked me, but what I’d like is a dual HDRX similar to the way the Friedman Twin Sister, with two footswitchable identical HDRX preamps, each with their own MV.

Kind of like the Fillmore concept as well, two identical preamps, each with a MV. That’s a feature I find useful on the one I have.

Or, alternatively, maybe an attenuator on one. And, yeah, Les, reverb!!!

Either would be cool. Both would be superb!

My local shop just announced a Pete Thorn clinic next month, and I’m definitely going!

That sounds like a lot of fun! Is the shop a Suhr dealer?
 
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