MT15 price drop... getting discontinued?

[Chaz32]

Last year I was thinking of getting a MT15 but when I saw that they had increased the price to $800, I got the Invective MH instead. To my surprise I see now that the price has been dropped to $650. Sweetwater doesn't have any in stock but shows them as "available soon." What's interesting though is that if you add the MT15 to your Wishlist it shows the price "while supplies last" and the amp itself as "item discontinued."

My experience of late whenever I buy something with a considerable discount it's because the next version is coming out. What do you guys think, is this PRS just being nice and making the price more realistic, is it the drop before the price increase during Memorial Day, is it a sign of recession...or are they coming out with a MKII, or discontinuing it altogether?

 

[László]

PRS often discontinues production of amps, guitars, etc. Happens all the time. So if it's 'while supplies last' on Sweetwater's site I'd take that to mean it's discontinued for some reason.

Why not call Sweetwater and ask one of their sales people? I'm sure they'd know.

It's funny about guitar players; if something's discontinued, at first no one wants it, and not to much later everyone wants it because it's "An early Mark 29 Green Wiring, blue magic marker version of the classic Blah Blah Blah" and they'll pay more for it.

If you like the amp, it'll still have the PRS warranty for the next five years (or whatever the current warranty is).

 

[andy474x]

Interesting. I'm also seeing sales and not a lot of stock other than used coming up when I search. I wonder if sales have dropped, due to demand or flooded used market.

The MT15 and Archon 50 have a lot of overlap with the MT15 feeling almost like a 50 watt amp in terms of power, and very similar tone. And the MT100 is great, but a heck of a lot of watts. I could see the 50 watt archon go away in favor of a 50 watt MT, perhaps having some expanded features over the 15, too. Or maybe just a MkII MT15.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

Interesting. I'm also seeing sales and not a lot of stock other than used coming up when I search. I wonder if sales have dropped, due to demand or flooded used market.

The MT15 and Archon 50 have a lot of overlap with the MT15 feeling almost like a 50 watt amp in terms of power, and very similar tone. And the MT100 is great, but a heck of a lot of watts. I could see the 50 watt archon go away in favor of a 50 watt MT, perhaps having some expanded features over the 15, too. Or maybe just a MkII MT15.

I still have interest in the MT100... but only for the mid gain channel. That would make or break my interest, since I already have a USA Archon 50. If they duplicated the 100 in a 50 watt model, I'd certainly be interested. I have a store that's getting an MT 100 in soon and I'll go check it out while it is. The last two sold before I could get there to try them.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

For that matter... if the 2nd channel is great, I'd be happy with a regular sized, wood box 3 channel 15 watt head that utilized the new channel along with the existing two. This 15 watter punches way above it's weight and I don't need 100 watts (Yes, I said that, Mr. Incredible Disappearing Bogner! LOL)

 

[aamefford]

Disappearing Bogner!

You noticed that too, huh?

 

[andy474x]

I still have interest in the MT100... but only for the mid gain channel. That would make or break my interest, since I already have a USA Archon 50. If they duplicated the 100 in a 50 watt mode, I'd certainly be interested. I have a store that's getting an MT 100 in soon and I'll go check it out while it is. The last two sold before I could get there to try them.

For that matter... if the 2nd channel is great, I'd be happy with a regular sized, wood box 3 channel 15 watt head that utilized the new channel along with the existing two. This 15 watter punches way above it's weight and I don't need 100 watts (Yes, I said that, Mr. Incredible Disappearing Bogner! LOL)

I'll put it this way - the mid gain channel is a nice addition to this amp - it gives a less aggressive tone for crunch, and I've also used it boosted to record lead parts. It's nice to have the flexibility, and the ability to set a different tone and output for a lead/solo channel live.

That said, I'm not sure most people would feel that channel alone is the reason to buy the amp. It's got a range of gain, but the EQ is extremely subtle, so there's really only one sound, which I'd call a Marshall-esque take on the Dumble tone.

I'd also like to see a 15, or 50, watt amp in a wood cabinet (or metal) as long as it was a larger enclosure than the current 15 - I was kind of hoping they'd have a 50 watt option when it was announced. They packed a lot of circuit into that little cage, and I think it'd do better with noise floor with some room to breathe in there. They could definitely get away with just one "tone" control on the mid gain channel, which would save some panel space, and the clean channel sounds best with the master cranked and just riding the volume control, so they could ditch the clean channel MV like the MT15 did, too.

 

[dmatthews]

My experience with PRS gear being discontinued is that they support their discontinued gear in a spectacularly positive way.
Don't let it stop you if you want it.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

You noticed that too, huh?

Yeah… sent him a PM weeks ago. No answer yet. I have learned the hard way … but I have learned.

 

[Wyzard]

It's got a range of gain, but the EQ is extremely subtle, so there's really only one sound, which I'd call a Marshall-esque take on the Dumble tone.

That's far from being a limitation, in my world at least

A brief explanation: my most frequently-used amp of the last five years has been the Two Rock Akoya. It's not like I'm short of amps: I just enjoy this one at least as much as my other Two Rocks, Hiwatts, and Mesa Boogies, all at the same time.

It's an amp that tends towards plexi Marshall, rather than entirely living in that space. Relating to other amps I've owned and used a fair bit, I'd say the Akoya inhabits the overlap of a big old Fender tweed, a Marshall plexi PA head, and a Two Rock Custom Reverb Sig. Concomitantly, it can get moderately fierce too when needed, making it a truly versatile piece of equipment.


So a "Marshall-esque take on the Dumble tone" sounds pretty appealing to me: something you could stick a variety of pedals in front of, and get in the neighborhood of tones that start at John Mayer, travel by way of Steve Kimock and Trey Anastasio, and end up somewhere around Derek Trucks.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

I'm not sure most people would feel that channel alone is the reason to buy the amp.

Yeah, I probably wasn't clear. I didn't mean I'd buy it only for that channel, I meant that if it had a great (for me) third channel that I really felt I need and would use, that would be a reason to make me purchase it, in light of the fact that I already have the other two channels (at least very close) in the Archon. A great mid gain channel would be what enticed me to buy.

 

[RickP]

PRS has discontinued all of the best amps they ever made, with the possible exception of the DG30. If I wanted one, I wouldn’t let that stop me.

 

[BrianC]

I had one and sold it. It was a lot of amp for the money but was very noisy.

 

[Wyzard]

Yeah, I probably wasn't clear. I didn't mean I'd buy it only for that channel, I meant that if it had a great (for me) third channel that I really felt I need and would use, that would be a reason to make me purchase it, in light of the fact that I already have the other two channels (at least very close) in the Archon. A great mid gain channel would be what enticed me to buy.

That kind of covers how I feel too.

I'm not going to get better cleans/hairy cleans than my Two Rock CRS, big Fenders, and Boogie MkIIAs; and I'm not going to get better higher gain than my MkIIB Coli or IIC+.

Different flavours of mid-gain are always welcome, however, and I've rarely turned them down when they've presented themselves. I have ....er, more than a few

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

That kind of covers how I feel too.

I'm not going to get better cleans/hairy cleans than my Two Rock CRS, big Fenders, and Boogie MkIIAs; and I'm not going to get better higher gain than my MkIIB Coli or IIC+.

Different flavours of mid-gain are always welcome, however, and I've rarely turned them down when they've presented themselves. I have ....er, more than a few

For me, it’s always been that of I needed a good mid Gain voice, it was either clean channel plus pedal, or gain channel dialed down with a pedal for solos. I’ve never had a 3 channel amp except for the Mark V. Unfortunately I have never pulled the trigger on a Bogner 101b

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

Updated MT-15 released today. That explains the price drop/clearance of the OG MT-15.

 

[cbieberstein]

Yes, I noticed that too. Usually when they say “while supplies last,” it does mean it’s on the way out. Could be they’re clearing stock for a MKII or just ending it. Either way, if you’ve wanted one, now might be a good time to grab it before it’s gone.

 

[MistaSnowman]

Short answer is no.

 

[Chaz32]

V2 it is. Hefty price increase too, from the discounted/original price. Looks slightly better. Good thing they got rid of that dumb metal handle. I did order the V1 after all, the discounted price was pretty fair. I do plan on getting rid of the metal handle and installing a more traditional rubber amp handle. Perhaps they even fixed that whole noisy effect loop issue...