PRS amp cabs made in China?

shinksma

shinksma

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Mar 20, 2014
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So I was browsing Sweetwater to see what the back of the new Tremonti MT Cabinet looked like, since I was suspicious that an online listed for a "Stealth 1x12" cabinet was really just an MT Cabinet (i.e. made in China) - nothing wrong with them, but if I'm looking around for a US-made 1x12, that's kinda what I expect.

Anyway, I noticed that the model comparison at the bottom of the product page had a couple of other 1x12 cabinets listed. The MT is listed as 60W, but these were 75W.

Plus some 2x12 cabs listed.

All of them have a back view that shows a label stating "Designed in MD, USA. Made in China" (Curiously, the MT cab does not have anything on the back, not even cab/speaker impedance...)

So I then browsed the PRS Product page, and indeed, they look like the current models available. Only the signature cabs for DG and JM still look to be US made.

And I therefore think that the online listing is indeed for one of these new Made In China 1x12 "Stealth" cabs - the grill cloth pattern looks identical to the Sweetwater photo (which is different from what the MT cab looks like).

Am I late to the party to notice this? Has this been true for a while?

This will make my "desire/need" for a 1x12 cab to match my gold paisley HXDA combo even more urgent, as there will be no new blood, just the used market.
 
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I don’t know anything about the new cabs, but I do know that the older pine 112 cabs with the maple trim are fantastic cabs, also light as a feather.

I’d grab one if you can find one.
 
I'm not sure when they changed the cabinets over to the new style. Guessing all but the 4x12 are made there. Kind of a bummer. I don't have issue with overseas production when it's good, but I do prefer to buy USA. The market demands what the market demands I guess.

edit: forgot the JM cab, that is made here too. So there is still a 2x12 and a 4x12 offered that are USA made.
 
So I was pondering my options, and realized a 2x12 cab might be a nice pairing with my HXDA combo. But, since the HXDA combo has a 16 ohm speaker, a 16 ohm cab would be best - I'd use the pair of 8 ohm jacks.

As far as I know, PRS doesn't (and never did) make a 2x12 with 16 ohm impedance. If this is incorrect info, I'm only too happy to be corrected - especially if I can find a 2x12 16 ohm cab to procure.

So what 3rd-party cabs would be appropriate as an extension of the stock sound, but perhaps filling it out a bit differently? I kinda like the sound of the V30 in the HXDA, but would be interested in trying creambacks, or something else I suppose.

And should I go open back or closed?

Hmmm, so many questions.

There are a bunch of 2x12s out there in the same price range as the MT 1x12 cab or the Made in China 1x12 cabs I mentioned above, and more above that price point of course.

Suggestions?

OK, so hold the phone...looking at Sweetwater, their MiC PRS 2x12 cabs are listed with confusing and conflicting specs. The closed back says 16 ohms in the title, the open back says 8 ohms, both say 8ohm in the specs, but both have a photo showing the back label as "max 150w" or "max 140w" (closed vs open), and "18 ohms". Huh? 18 ohms?

Gah. 10pm on a Sunday night right before Christmas. I suspect calling PRS any time soon is not going to be an option.
 
My favorite load on the Super Dallas (shares almost everything with the HXDA except tone stack design) is 16 ohms. At least my particular amp breathes most to my liking with a 16 ohm load. Keep in mind that this is exactly what the old Marshall amps preferred, as well.

Regarding the 18ohm thing...I see that too...wth??!!
 
The open back and the closed back cabs have different speakers hence the wattage difference. Per PRS’s websie both of the new 212 cabs are 8 ohm. I would run a 112 cab with your combo since those cabs are 16ohm and there will be no ohm miss match

shinksma said:
So I was pondering my options, and realized a 2x12 cab might be a nice pairing with my HXDA combo. But, since the HXDA combo has a 16 ohm speaker, a 16 ohm cab would be best - I'd use the pair of 8 ohm jacks.

As far as I know, PRS doesn't (and never did) make a 2x12 with 16 ohm impedance. If this is incorrect info, I'm only too happy to be corrected - especially if I can find a 2x12 16 ohm cab to procure.

So what 3rd-party cabs would be appropriate as an extension of the stock sound, but perhaps filling it out a bit differently? I kinda like the sound of the V30 in the HXDA, but would be interested in trying creambacks, or something else I suppose.

And should I go open back or closed?

Hmmm, so many questions.

There are a bunch of 2x12s out there in the same price range as the MT 1x12 cab or the Made in China 1x12 cabs I mentioned above, and more above that price point of course.

Suggestions?

OK, so hold the phone...looking at Sweetwater, their MiC PRS 2x12 cabs are listed with confusing and conflicting specs. The closed back says 16 ohms in the title, the open back says 8 ohms, both say 8ohm in the specs, but both have a photo showing the back label as "max 150w" or "max 140w" (closed vs open), and "18 ohms". Huh? 18 ohms?

Gah. 10pm on a Sunday night right before Christmas. I suspect calling PRS any time soon is not going to be an option.
Click to expand...
 
So browsing around online today, thinking "Hmmm, what used cabinets are available", I found a pretty good deal on a PRS 4x12 closed-back birch cabinet. So I snagged that - experiments with the HXDA internal (1x12 16 ohm) and my Archon 2x12 (8 ohm, closed back) cabinet demonstrated that the closed back gave a good low end that filled out the combo open cabinet sound.

The 4x12 isn't in gold paisley, unfortunately, but I am not sure I will come across many PRS cabs in that tolex, and very unlikely at the price I paid.

It's too bad PRS isn't making any cabs in the US other than the DG and JM 2x12s, and maybe the 4x12 still (I can't find any photos of a "new" edition to see if they are also MiC now).
 
My procurement of a 4x12 cab fell through - the seller discovered he couldn't ship it for the cost he had envisioned.

So I'm still poking around for a 16 ohm gold paisley cabinet, probably 1x12. I might settle for an 8ohm 2x12, if that's all I can find. Maybe sometime this year one will pop up for a reasonable price...
 
Someone has a paisley 2x12 (and Custom 50) up on VR or TGP right now, can’t remember which, but maybe you can talk him into selling the cab alone. But, it will likely be a pair of 16 ohm V30’s at 8 ohms total, you may need to replace the speakers.
 
Thanks guys. The 2x12 at GC is not there. I have found that folks rarely want to part with cabs separate from a matching amp because they think (perhaps rightly so) that it makes it easier to sell at a good price when together.

But I may enquire, and will of course keep looking.
 
Re-animating this thread not quite a full year later.

I'm toying with the idea of eventually grabbing one of those Chinese PRS 1x12 cabs.

So now I need to enquire about the two types (open vs closed back), and the speakers there-in:

The Closed back comes with a Celestion G12T-75, whereas the open back comes with a Celestion V-Type G12.

Any opinions on such "budget-friendly" speakers, and whether they have been chosen for their roles based on the closed/open back?
 
IMO, speakers may be the biggest single factor in getting "your" tone. The tones you want may be gotten with several guitars and several amps, but getting the right speaker gets everything else in the chain closer to the tones you want. So... you have to sort of know which ones you like best, even if only generally, when asking for suggestions.

I like some Eminence speakers that I've had, and love the two Warehouse speakers I've had or heard in the affordable range. I've heard good things about the Fane's that Avatar has. Scumbacks are more but probably worth it. But in each, you'll need to pick the type of speaker you want. And, are you looking for two different ones to use individually AND to mix together?
 
Even if you decide you want to change the speaker, having a good cab is worth the money. Heck, buy 4 different speakers and try them all in this cab! Have the speaker variety to quell your sudden urges-for-different without spending anything...but time with the soldering iron.
 
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Boogie said:
Even if you decide you want to change the speaker, having a good cab is worth the money. Heck, buy 4 different speakers and try them all in this cab! Have the speaker variety to quell your sudden urges-for-different without spending anything...but time with the soldering iron.
Click to expand...

You, sir, with the patience and will to go through all that work, are a much, much better man than I!

And I may be vastly understating the admiration I have for that much expenditure of energy.

Me, well, I’d just buy another cab and the hell with it. Which, ok, is pretty stupid and wasteful.
 
LSchefman said:
You, sir, with the patience and will to go through all that work, are a much, much better man than I!

And I may be vastly understating the admiration I have for that much expenditure of energy.

Me, well, I’d just buy another cab and the hell with it. Which, ok, is pretty stupid and wasteful.
Click to expand...
Stupid? Wasteful? Blasphemer! (Self deprecating, more like) :D

For me, there’s nothing more cathartic than reloading a cab. But the sheer beauty of a wall-o-cabs is worth every ounce of saved energy reserves.
 
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