LowER/LowISH gain amps from PRS in the future?

[henryjurstin13]

When you go to the website, all the amp choices offer a LOT of gain.... Archon, MT15, Sonzera. Grissom & J-Mod are kind of different beasts, an how many people are really buying the J-Mod anyways!?!?

What's the speculation/chances of PRS offering something in the lower gain side of things? The 2 Channel amps did lower breakup very nice, but I guess there weren't great sellers...? Maybe they are designing amps that are to be CLEAN/HEAVY, and if you want in between - they want you to just add a pedal to the clean channel?

 

[Deleted member 5962]

PRS made a great plexi, but it was kind of expensive and apparently didn't sell well enough to keep it afloat.

 

[henryjurstin13]

PRS made a great plexi, but it was kind of expensive and apparently didn't sell well enough to keep it afloat.

Exactly!! Hopefully they won’t abandon that sector of the tonal market. Their current amp lineup has a home in the low/mid gain department...

 

[László]

Exactly!! Hopefully they won’t abandon that sector of the tonal market. Their current amp lineup has a home in the low/mid gain department...

Some stores may still have HXDAs. They are amazing late 60s style Plexis, and sound great at lower gain levels. The DG30 is an incredibly good low to moderate gain amp.

Seems the metal stuff sells well; I guess that's a thing for a lot of players, though I'm a low gain guy also.

 

[elvis]

PRS amp prices seem to be inversely proportional to gain. A $1000 Plexi type would be awesome.

 

[henryjurstin13]

PRS amp prices seem to be inversely proportional to gain. A $1000 Plexi type would be awesome.

Totally.... or, what about a HX15 or DA15? Or, just some 'half gain' options would be great. Just seems odd to have a hole in the lineup - but, I'm not pretending to be in the amp business or know what does/doesn't sell.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Totally.... or, what about a HX15 or DA15? Or, just some 'half gain' options would be great. Just seems odd to have a hole in the lineup - but, I'm not pretending to be in the amp business or know what does/doesn't sell.

If you ask anyone who builds amps, they'll tell you that cutting power in half doesn't reduce the cost of the amp even 10% probably. You save very little, and almost nothing inside it is enough different to even matter. If you want to lower cost and gain, it needs to be a new design made overseas. Ha... I'm guessing an overseas version of the HX/DA, Blistertone, or Dallas would sell like crazy if priced right.

 

[henryjurstin13]

How is the Sonzera selling? I'd think something like the Sonzera (Sonzera 2.0? Sonzera Vintage?) would sell like hot cakes. Great clean channel, fantastic bass response/low end headroom, and a lead channel that covers low gain breakup through modern rock. I feel like the Sonzera 20 I played missed being a great amp by just a few characteristics.....

For me the Sonzera 20 would have been purchased, IF:
the gain channel didn't go from OFF to TRIPLE REC METAL MAYHEM, it needs low to mid gain tones too
the clean channel had a master

 

[Tucson Thump]

How is the Sonzera selling? I'd think something like the Sonzera (Sonzera 2.0? Sonzera Vintage?) would sell like hot cakes. Great clean channel, fantastic bass response/low end headroom, and a lead channel that covers low gain breakup through modern rock. I feel like the Sonzera 20 I played missed being a great amp by just a few characteristics.....

For me the Sonzera 20 would have been purchased, IF:
the gain channel didn't go from OFF to TRIPLE REC METAL MAYHEM, it needs low to mid gain tones too
the clean channel had a master

but then the clean channel takes pedals quite well and you can get some very nice levels that way.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

How is the Sonzera selling? I'd think something like the Sonzera (Sonzera 2.0? Sonzera Vintage?) would sell like hot cakes. Great clean channel, fantastic bass response/low end headroom, and a lead channel that covers low gain breakup through modern rock. I feel like the Sonzera 20 I played missed being a great amp by just a few characteristics.....

For me the Sonzera 20 would have been purchased, IF:
the gain channel didn't go from OFF to TRIPLE REC METAL MAYHEM, it needs low to mid gain tones too
the clean channel had a master

Honestly, I've wondered why they don't tame it down some as well. Many like the clean channel and not so much the gain channel. Revoice the gain channel to be more Plexi+ or even JCM800+ type gain, and I bet sales would triple.

I know 6 people that have them. 5 of them use them as "clean channel with gain pedals" platforms, and one uses the gain channel with the gain on 9:00 or below with a Tele. I'm not product manager, but I'd bet a re-voice of the gain channel with "mid" gain and a more open crunch, less compressed gain, would make it a much better seller. Maybe in the Sonzera II.

Edit to add: Of those 6, only one of them is "a PRS guy." The rest bought them because they thought they were the best value they could find, even though 4 of the 5 only use the clean channel. None of those 5 own any level of PRS guitar, which I found interesting.

 

[László]

Someone in another thread pointed out a Super Dallas for $950 on the used market.

 

[elvis]

With so many people going the pedal route, and so many great pedals, one channel amps with a good clean, or mild drive if you prefer, may become the new norm.

I have a BE-OD and a JHS @. They are seriously amazing with a good clean amp.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

With so many people going the pedal route, and so many great pedals, one channel amps with a good clean, or mild drive if you prefer, may become the new norm.

I have a BE-OD and a JHS @. They are seriously amazing with a good clean amp.

Last week while cranking the Archon up a bit while the Ferrari 308 was away, I played my Barber Direct Drive through it and was stunned at how great it sounded with the clean channel master dimed, gain on about 9:00. Once you open that thing up it sounds incredible, the bounce and punch it has. The Direct Drive sounded incredible through it for low to mid gain.

 

[László]

Last week while cranking the Archon up a bit while the Ferrari 308 was away...

Wait, you have one, too?

Everybody I know has a 308. I kinda missed the boat.

 

[elvis]

So Magnum, P.I.

 

[bodia]

So Magnum, P.I.

Nah, Yngwie

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Truth is, X3wannabe on all those.