PRS Amp Recommendations Please

[radiomatts]

Hey Guys,
I'm looking to all of you for some advice. I currently have to small rigs that I'm ...oh, perhaps tired of. I have a 78 Marshall JMP 100 watt head going into a JCM 800 1936 212 Cabinet. I also have a Mesa Road King combo and a Mesa Rectifier 212 cabinet with Vintage 30's. I'm still learning how to use this rig. My question is more about replacing the Marshall with a PRS combo perhaps. I am in a band that plays classic hard rock. I have a couple of questions related to PRS Amps in general that I wonder if you guys don't mind addressing.

1. How heavy is this stuff? The Mesa Road King combo weighs more than my two kids combined.
2. Is there a PRS amp that tonally is similar to a Marshall?
3. A big plus for me with the Mesa is the fixed bias of the output tubes. Right now to replace and re bias the Marshall will run me about 300 dollars. Yes, worth it in one respect, but I'd almost rather not have to do that Do PRS amps feature fixed bias circuitry?
4. I'm not much of a fan of Class A amps. Are PRS amps Class A or Class AB
5. Can you get a PRS cab or combo with Celestion speakers? If not, what are they loaded with?

Thanks guys... I know the ultimate test is for me to try them out myself, but there is no dealer close enough to me to try out anything. A couple of dealers might have ONE, but that's about it.

Matt

 

[andy474x]

Hi Matt! Welcome. I think you'll find the PRS amps to be right up your alley. I believe most are class AB. They do need to be biased, BUT they have external test and adjust points, so it's really easy to do yourself. All you need is a cheap meter ($20ish) from radio shack, etc., and you won't have to go to a tech. An awesome feature, I doubt I'll ever buy another amp without it. The HXDA is fashioned after Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman's Marshalls, and there's a 30 watt combo that I think comes with a V30. If you want something a little more modern, the 2 channel amps are nice. The 2 Channel C might be a good one for you, EL34's and a bit of vintage flair, although it might be hard to find a used combo rather than a head, they're discontinued. The 2 Channel H or Custom are very similar, and might be easier to find a combo. Most of the PRS cabs are V30 loaded. Combos sometimes have different speakers depending on wattage.

I have one of the SE amps, which was an import version of the 2 channel amps - I love it, but some people don't care for gear made overseas. The SE 50 combo might work for you if you find one to try out. I played a head through a 2x12 Marshall cab once and it was a great pairing.

My PRS head and 2x12 are very comfortable to move around. I can't say what the combos are like.

 

[radiomatts]

Thank you Andy. I appreciate it. I should have mentioned that my Marshall is loaded with 6550's not EL 34's, but I'll start looking around today.

 

[László]

radiomatts, while the HXDA 50 Watt is fixed biased (that is, it is adjustable which means pretty much the opposite of what you'd expect, but more like you get to "fix" or set the bias), I believe that the HXDA 30 may be Cathode biased, which means you don't have to do it. You'll have to double-check to see if I'm right on that one.

In either case, the HXDA is the finest, best-sounding classic rock amp in the Marshall style I have ever played through or heard, and that's plenty of amps, since I've been recording professionally for 25 years now.

With less complex circuitry, the amp weighs substantially less than the Road King. I'm not certain whether the combo uses pine or birch ply, but if it's solid pine, there's another weight savings. Their 2 x 12 cabs are solid pine and VERY lightweight. Since I'm a head and cabinet kind of guy, I don't have experience with the combo to know the answer to that one, but it's worth investigating.

If you get the 50, the bias adjustment is very simple. You don't have to open the amp up, the test points are on the back, and biasing is a simple as plugging in a multimeter and using a screwdriver to make a simple adjustment, and that pot is also on the back of the amp.

I like Mesas and Marshalls, but I will stick my neck out and state that this is the best sounding, best feeling amp you will ever own. Good luck in your search! :top:

 

[radiomatts]

LSchef.. thank you... If its THAT easy to bias the amp, then I think I'm already sold! I'll start digging around for an HDXA amp today. Thank you so much.

 

[aristotle]

Hold on now... While I loves me some HX/DA, if it's pure Marshall tone you're after, the MDT is as good as it gets. I know that the HX/DA is supposedly modeled after Hendrix / Allman Super Lead / Super Bass, the MDT hits the gooey center of these two in a way that the HX/DA doesn't (according to my tastes anyways...) If you can, you owe it to yourself to try it out.

I have a Roadster also, though mine's as easy as it gets to haul around. It's a head, and I pair it with a separate 2x12 which is super easy to move around. I'd recommend the same thing for either the HX/DA or MDT.

Regarding bias, the above comments are right on. You probably know this, but the only reason that Mesa's are "fixed bias" is that they pre-screen the tubes to make sure that whatever you plug in are going to get you in the ballpark without you needing to twiddle. You could in theory do the same thing with PRS (or Marshall's, or any adjustable bias amp) but you then miss out on playing around with different tube options if that's your thing. And because PRS makes it so easy to bias without the need to take apart the amp, it's the best of both worlds in my opinion....though really, most any Marshall isn't tough to bias either.

For reference, I have a bunch of Marshalls. A vintage JTM45, a 30th Offset JTM45, Super100JH, Vintage Modern (2466), 6100LE, Bluesbreaker, MA100, JTM45/100, 2061X, 1959, an old superbass, standard JTM45, JVM410H, JMD:1, JTM-1 and the lowly Class5. I like all of them and wont part with a one of them, but if I had to pick just one Marshall tone, it'd be the MDT. Having said that, and as much of a fan of vintage tone as I am, the amp that I have the most fun with is the Archon.

 

[László]

Aristotle knows his stuff. All I'd say is that it'd be great to try an MDT, but they don't make them any more according to the latest catalog. Still, if you can find one (I haven't seen one in person anywhere!), they are probably great, too.

However, I'm very happy with the HXDA.

And...I also have a DG30, another great PRS amp, as does Aristotle.

 

[radiomatts]

You guys are an awesome resource! Thank you all!!!

 

[László]

With these amps, the best way to set them up is for a light crunch with your guitar's volume at around 5-6. Roll down, and you get clean tones, roll up the guitar volume for progressively higher gain tones.

It really works well with these amps to control them with the guitar volume. Yes, it's old school, and yes, that's why all those old records sound so darn good!