NAD! HDRX 20 - gigging guitarists are going to LOVE this!

I’m not a huge Clapton fan, but I would have sworn that he used a treble booster for that “woman tone” on the Cream albums.
With the Bluesbreakers, he said he just turned his Marshall all the way up.

For that woman tone Clapton said he used the neck pickup and just turned his guitar's tone control way down.

When i saw him live in '68 all he had onstage was a wah wah pedal and his Marshall stacks.

When I saw Jeff Beck that same year he did have a distortion pedal: a Marshall Supa Fuzz.
 
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With the Bluesbreakers, he said he just turned his Marshall all the way up.

For that woman tone Clapton said he used the neck pickup and just turned his guitar's tone control way down.

When i saw him live in '68 all he had onstage was a wah wah pedal and his Marshall stacks.

When I saw Jeff Beck that same year he did have a distortion pedal: a Marshall Supa Fuzz.
Were you able to get a look at the amp settings for his Marshalls in 68?
 
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Are we *sure* this amp is 20 watts?
With the master at 6, the input to my Captor X is mighty hot. I have to use the low input switch on the Captor so it doesn't distort at the Captor input.

I'm going to test out my Marshall 6100 for comparison to see. That has 100/50 watt settings.
 
Are we *sure* this amp is 20 watts?
With the master at 6, the input to my Captor X is mighty hot. I have to use the low input switch on the Captor so it doesn't distort at the Captor input.

I'm going to test out my Marshall 6100 for comparison to see. That has 100/50 watt settings.

I've got an 18 Budda that's never been as high as 4 on the master volume because I can't stay in the room with it at that level. And the MT15 is LOUD.
 
I've got an 18 Budda that's never been as high as 4 on the master volume because I can't stay in the room with it at that level. And the MT15 is LOUD.
My Marshall 6100 would usually stays 2-3 on the master.
The Deluxe Reverb sounds good at around 4.5, but its pretty loud by then.
 
Are we *sure* this amp is 20 watts?
With the master at 6, the input to my Captor X is mighty hot. I have to use the low input switch on the Captor so it doesn't distort at the Captor input.

I'm going to test out my Marshall 6100 for comparison to see. That has 100/50 watt settings.
Are you measuring 'rated', 'peak', 'dynamic', RMS, or IHF? They're all different.
 
Something I watched a while back regarding old Marshalls said the 100 watt models usually peak much higher when they’re cranked up, and I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if that’s the case with the HDRX 20 as well. The fan in my Captor is singing when I use it, that’s for sure! That, and the MT15, are definitely pushing out some gig-worthy power. I would put both of them at around 40 watts if I were blindly rating them.

My Sweet 16 seems much closer to the advertised power rating - it’s “tame gig” volume, which is actually a good thing, because that’s the overall vibe of the amp, and getting it turned up is more achievable than if it were pushing like the HDRX 20 or MT15.

I think these little amps from PRS are fantastic. Lots of power and authority, unlike many of the lunchbox amps, and really, in 2023, if they’re not enough power for one’s live needs, they should probably evaluate their overall volume and PA situation.
 
Something I watched a while back regarding old Marshalls said the 100 watt models usually peak much higher when they’re cranked up, and I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if that’s the case with the HDRX 20 as well. The fan in my Captor is singing when I use it, that’s for sure! That, and the MT15, are definitely pushing out some gig-worthy power. I would put both of them at around 40 watts if I were blindly rating them.

My Sweet 16 seems much closer to the advertised power rating - it’s “tame gig” volume, which is actually a good thing, because that’s the overall vibe of the amp, and getting it turned up is more achievable than if it were pushing like the HDRX 20 or MT15.

I think these little amps from PRS are fantastic. Lots of power and authority, unlike many of the lunchbox amps, and really, in 2023, if they’re not enough power for one’s live needs, they should probably evaluate their overall volume and PA situation.
Can you share any captor settings? I have the Captor X only so my neighbors don't hate me.
 
Nope. He rolled the tone control down to darken the sound and used a fuzz, at least when I saw him at the Goodbye Tour in '69.
Yeah, I new he rolled the tone down. I thought one rig review on one era, had him using a treble booster, but it may have been a tone bender…. Hmmm. I can’t remember exactly what he was using to boost. But then he started using a 25dB mid boost built into his guitar.
 
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Yeah, I new he rolled the tone down. I thought one rig review on one era, had him using a treble booster, bit it may have been a tone bender…. Hmmm. I can’t remember exactly what he was using to boost. But then he started using a 25dB mid boost built into his guitar.
If you like a mid boost, the Suhr Kokoboost has either a clean boost setting, or a sweepable mid boost that you can crank, or not. It's an absolutely great pedal. I like a mid boost in a dense mix sometimes. Makes the guitar pop!
 
If you like a mid boost, the Suhr Kokoboost has either a clean boost setting, or a sweepable mid boost that you can crank, or not. It's an absolutely great pedal. I like a mid boost in a dense mix sometimes. Makes the guitar pop!
Great point on the mid boost. Actually, one of the thing that makes the Zen Drive type pedals so great for me, is the ability to sweep where that mid boost is. That gives you the ability to really dial it in.
 
Great point on the mid boost. Actually, one of the thing that makes the Zen Drive type pedals so great for me, is the ability to sweep where that mid boost is. That gives you the ability to really dial it in.
You bet!

One other thing I like about the Kokoboost is that even without the mid boost, with the pedal at unity gain, it adds something sparkly but not bright (I guess there's no other way to describe it I can think of), even with the amp clean. It's another one of those 'makes it nicer' pedals. Suhr did a great job with it.
 
My Marshall 6100 would usually stays 2-3 on the master.
The Deluxe Reverb sounds good at around 4.5, but its pretty loud by then.
Mine too. I tend to keep it about 3 1/2 and then use a Crowther Hot Cake or Klon KTR to juice it up a little.

Mine's louder than most because I use a pretty efficient speaker in it.

Celestion G12H30.
 
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