I'm Confused - Discontinued Amps?

[László]

Now I'm confused. I was under the impression that PRS had discontinued the Archon and the JMOD. Then I saw them on the PRS site, after they'd been previously removed.

A visit to the PRS site today, and a look at the 2021 catalog, now does not contain either amp. The only amps offered appear to be a Sonzera, the MT-15, and the DG30. Everything else is missing.

I have no idea what the deal is. Does anyone have info on this?

 

[elvis]

No Archons for sale at Sweetwater other than a demo model.

 

[andy474x]

I can only assume that it means there are new amps coming soon. The lineup is way too sparse for there not to be. Especially in the mid price USA made category.

Very surprising, for sure.

 

[C&M Music - Lafayette]

All the more reason I wish Paul had bought Mesa Boogie. Imagine how happy Santana would have been. Paul has always said, and repeated it in the 2021 release video that he will make products as long as they are selling. I guess the numbers were to low, or the pandemic grief has created to much of a back order. The HB 12 string is gone also.

Maybe, just maybe, the web page is still jacked up. I see there are still some incomplete windows and other small details. Saw that some misspelled words were cleaned up recently.

 

[László]

All the more reason I wish Paul had bought Mesa Boogie.

I get where you're coming from, but having both current Mesa models and my single channel PRS amps here to use daily, the PRS amps are in a different league.

That's not to say I don't love the Mesa amps, I think they're excellent amps. But the PRS amps, at least the ones I have here, are stunningly good. I think PRS is better off right where they are.

 

[elvis]

I get where you're coming from, but having both current Mesa models and my single channel PRS amps here to use daily, the PRS amps are in a different league.

That's not to say I don't love the Mesa amps, I think they're excellent amps. But the PRS amps, at least the ones I have here, are stunningly good. I think PRS is better off right where they are.

In hearing PRSh discuss the Tremonti pickups, seems like he’s not a big fan of high gain amps. I think the Archon exists because he is also practical, but I don’t think PRS is the best advocate/leader for Rectifier or Mark type amps.

Of course the new owner of Mesa is pretty sketchy.

 

[László]

In hearing PRSh discuss the Tremonti pickups, seems like he’s not a big fan of high gain amps. I think the Archon exists because he is also practical, but I don’t think PRS is the best advocate/leader for Rectifier or Mark type amps.

Of course the new owner of Mesa is pretty sketchy.

I agree with you - there's a perfectly legit place in the world for high gain amps. PRS probably recognizes that by retaining the MT-15 in their lineup.

Though I'm not personally a high gain player, I have tons of respect for the things Mesa does very well, like the Rectifier and Mark amps. In fact, I had a Mark V for a year or so, and liked it a lot, although I didn't use Channels 2 and 3 very often, it's a great amp. Hugely versatile, and so are the Rectos.

There's definitely a Mesa sound, and it's a good sound, but the tonal emphasis is different from the PRS line, which is why I have both, I guess.

 

[HANGAR18]

Now I'm confused. I was under the impression that PRS had discontinued the Archon and the JMOD. Then I saw them on the PRS site, after they'd been previously removed.

A visit to the PRS site today, and a look at the 2021 catalog, now does not contain either amp. The only amps offered appear to be a Sonzera, the MT-15, and the DG30. Everything else is missing.

I have no idea what the deal is. Does anyone have info on this?

I just noticed that too. Two cheap Chinese amps and a David Grissom model. Not that I need any more amps, but if I did, none of these appeal to me at all. I've got to think that if Doug is still working at PRS that he will come out with something new in the future.

 

[WeFixFlats]

I just noticed that too. Two cheap Chinese amps and a David Grissom model. Not that I need any more amps, but if I did, none of these appeal to me at all. I've got to think that if Doug is still working at PRS that he will come out with something new in the future.

It's my opinion the 'golden age' of PRS amp design and manufacturing has come and gone, sorry to say. They, at one point, did master the balance between 'boutique' and 'mass appeal', but the market evolved over the past 5(?) years. Fractal, Kemper and Line-6. Then there's the Universal Audio OX, among many others, including very well made pedal units. Old school is to have several classic amp/speaker rigs and leave it there(like me and many others my age) but if you're a company trying to compete and make a profit in an amp market against a tidal wave of new, evolving technology when you are better known as THE World Class Premium Guitar Maker you have to ask when to ease out and get back to basics.

 

[elvis]

It's my opinion the 'golden age' of PRS amp design and manufacturing has come and gone, sorry to say. They, at one point, did master the balance between 'boutique' and 'mass appeal', but the market evolved over the past 5(?) years. Fractal, Kemper and Line-6. Then there's the Universal Audio OX, among many others, including very well made pedal units. Old school is to have several classic amp/speaker rigs and leave it there(like me and many others my age) but if you're a company trying to compete and make a profit in an amp market against a tidal wave of new, evolving technology when you are better known as THE World Class Premium Guitar Maker you have to ask when to ease out and get back to basics.

I think this is partly true. Many musicians, me included, are gigging modelers. But recordists and hobbyists are still buying amps. The lunchbox format and lower power formats are a symptom of that.

I use an AxeFx. But when I'm at home jamming or recording I run 4 tube amps in the AxeFx loop via an amp switcher. Every time I decide to downsize, I have a new amp on the way before I manage to sell the old one. I've bought a fair number of IRs and do like them, but they're not there at the level that speaker cabinet IRs are. I use a loadbox and cab IR almost 100% of the time.

If I were to flag an amp that I might buy from PRS, it would be something like a Suhr Bella in a smaller form factor. That is, I think, well within the PRS wheelhouse, and something that I don't have, and something that would nicely complement the SS and Fiore (or any PRS) in a way that the JMOD could not for most buyers. Having built-in loadbox and IRs seems to be a useful concept.

 

[DISTORT6]

If the public don’t buy them, they don’t build them.

 

[elvis]

If the public don’t buy them, they don’t build them.

Yes.

Also if they don’t have the resources to build them, they don’t build them.

 

[DISTORT6]

Yes.

Also if they don’t have the resources to build them, they don’t build them.

“Sorry. We don’t have the resources to build the amps you don’t buy”
Chicken or the egg?

 

[bluenova]

I’m guessing they’re waiting for the archons to clear out before releasing an mt100. I’m guessing it will be an Asian amp again that beats everything in its price range and then some again just like the mt15 did in the lunchbox arena. That mt15 is just perfect in the modern rock genre.

 

[BrianC]

"That mt15 is just perfect in the modern rock genre."

its is a great amp for the money but very noisy.

 

[bluenova]

"That mt15 is just perfect in the modern rock genre."

its is a great amp for the money but very noisy.

I’d say mine has a “normal” amount of noise when it comes to an amp with this much gain. I run a gate in the loop like I’ve done with other high gain amps for near silence if the strings are muted. Some guitars of mine are just quieter and I can easily forget to turn the gate on.

 

[dkilpatrick]

I can only assume that it means there are new amps coming soon. The lineup is way too sparse for there not to be. Especially in the mid price USA made category.

Very surprising, for sure.

this,
I would think there will be more announcements to come this year.

 

[vchizzle]

I think it’s a combo of things. I think temporarily they are trimming the amp line up for cost savings in a financially tough time. Allocation of resources and people to what is selling to get things on track. Once a little caught up and things are more normal, we’ll likely see new amps and/or revised amps. As much as I love the Archon, prior to the pandemic, there were a good amount on the used market. They were at bargain basement prices too. Used market got eaten up pretty quick so maybe a catch 22, maybe they could’ve sold more new but in the last 6 months while the used market was depleted, if orders for new weren’t rolling in, it’s not profitable for PRS to allocate people to the effort. Amps aren’t their bread and butter. Honestly, many traditionalists still disregarded the amp line no matter who said they were great. So we’ll see what shakes out over time. I think amps will return, just a matter of what and when.

 

[László]

It's my opinion the 'golden age' of PRS amp design and manufacturing has come and gone, sorry to say. They, at one point, did master the balance between 'boutique' and 'mass appeal', but the market evolved over the past 5(?) years. Fractal, Kemper and Line-6. Then there's the Universal Audio OX, among many others, including very well made pedal units. Old school is to have several classic amp/speaker rigs and leave it there(like me and many others my age) but if you're a company trying to compete and make a profit in an amp market against a tidal wave of new, evolving technology when you are better known as THE World Class Premium Guitar Maker you have to ask when to ease out and get back to basics.

I agree with Elvis' and Vchizzle's posts, and I have another spin on this issue:

So many people are recording these days that we're in the middle of a tube amp renaissance, even as modelers also grow in popularity. A lot of players don't realize that in certain situations, a modeler just won't cut it. This includes the Kemper and the Axe-FX.

In addition to it being my personal preference, there's a practical reason to record a real amp and cab miked up: I never get criticism over amp tone from an ad agency creative team when using real amps. Conversely, I've had to redo enough tracks originally done with modelers that I swore off them. They're time-wasters.

I'm often up against a tight deadline, and having to redo a track in a rush because a client doesn't like the tone means I can't be as creative, and it's hard to play when I'm stressed out.

Just last week I was working on tracks for a national truck ad campaign with the HXDA, a PRS speaker cab, and real microphones (and of course, PRS guitars). My clients were very happy with the result. Real amps never fail me. I'm confident that enough other players feel the same way that the market for fine tube amps will be OK.

On the other hand, I'd be OK with using a Kemper or Axe-FX live just to save my back, and if I toured, it'd be an attractive alternative to crazy cartage costs. So there are pros and cons, and in any case, it's probably good to have alternatives to suit one's preferences.

 

[HANGAR18]

[Have you ever spent too much time with a particular subject on your mind that you wind up dreaming about when you sleep?]

Maybe it was the rum but I recently had my second epic dream where PRS was at the center of it. This time I was at the factory again (of course the factory didn't look anything like it does in reality) but they had such a huge "gift shop" that there was an entire room for PRS amplifiers. In there they had at least 7 new models of amplifiers for 2021 in at least 5 different case sizes, ranging from large to small, and all new model names for each. As the dream progressed, it was revealed that these new PRS amps were sourced from a new factory/manufacturing technology which allowed the individual customer to choose an existing model or just spec out their own amp.

The way this new manufacturing technology worked was as if the whole amp factory was a huge vending machine operated by robots. All tube amplifiers for electric guitars share a LOT of the same exact components, so in this case, the customer would input all the specs of what they wanted their amp to have and do, then with the push of a button, the amp factory full of robots would build it and kick out a PRS branded amp to the exact specifications that the customer imputed.