PRS/Amplifier Combinations

[Big Mike]

Sounds like I should save my pennies for a more expensive amp! I tried a Katana and didn't like the tone. It sounded a bit boxy to me. And I can't stand the 100 million settings on many of the solid state amps. I never can remember which setting to choose and where in the samhill the setting I want is. Also, takes time to dial up a particular setting. I'm sold on tube amps for now. I do like the great reverb and distortion I get from my Blackstar. Someone told me that Blackstars are "not quite a Marshall" and "not quite a Fender" concerning tone. The tone sounds good to me with the Blackstar and my PRS.

Absolutelyu nothing wrong with Blackstar. Good amps.

 

[Big Mike]

Your Kemper sound test sounds great to me! I've heard great things about Kempers too, but they are beyond my funding capability for now.

They are also VERY VERY VERY Time consuming to dial I until you 'get it'

Maybe just find a coule of pedals you like.
I love a ton of amps. 1/2 the time I just play my fender deluxe with a couple pedals. Nobels ODR-1 and or a Greer Lightspeed.
Nice thing about that, is it's cheap to 'revoice' your overdrive. 150 bux or less goes a long way with pedals, especially used.

 

[Marty Canaday]

A couple of questions:
What specifically is it about the Blackstar tone you don't like? Could different effect pedals and different tubes change tone and would it be more cost effective than a new amp?(Not that I'm trying to discourage buying a new amp, been there, done that! ) If I remember, the Blackstar uses 12AX7's in the preamp section and EL34's in the power...What about using a lower gain value tube like a 5751*, or a 12AT7* to smooth out distortion? Also, have you or your tech checked the bias***? Just a couple of ideas to try changing tone before you buy a new amp...

*Link to 12AX7 substitution chart: http://cydathria.com/fdm/12AX7_sub.html

***Standard disclaimer about working on an amp with lethal voltages if you don't know what yer doin', zzzap, buzzz, you're dead type stuff-seriously.***

As for me, man tone is so personal and subjective...but, the one amp that I really didn't like with either of my PRS's was a Vox AC10. There just wasn't enough headroom for decent cleans, IMO, and I wasn't crazy about the distortion either when playing a PRS. Now, I thought it sounded great with a LP or SG, but I wound up trading it for a heavily modded Blues Jr. and couldn't be happier. Like I said though, tone is so personal that I'm sure there are those running PRS's through an AC10 and loving the tone, it just wasn't for me.

Thanks for the tube substitution chart! It may be my ears, but when I play the Blackstar on clean, I still hear some crunch. The amp has a crunch button on the clean channel, and when I use that it sounds like I'm using a distortion pedal . . . a bit too much crunch for a clean channel IMO. 5751s may correct that.

I know nothing about amps! Would I substitute 5751s just in the preamp section, or 5751s in the preamp and power sections? Or, 5751s in the preamp section and a 12AT7 to replace the EL34s? The distortion in the overdrive channel is ok to me, but the distortion level in the clean channel bothers me.

No, I haven't checked the bias. I don't have a clue what that means.

 

[Marty Canaday]

I have a Mesa MK V , PRS H , Roland Cube 15 , my former main amp was a Mesa MKIIb.
I have also had a Marshall TSL , Egnater Tweaker 15 and played thru various Fender , Marshall , Bogner, Orange,PRS amps.
I have heard some nice tones on pretty much anything I have plugged a PRS Guitar thru
I believe you can find a PRS H or C or a smaller Archon for the $$$ you are looking to spend all would sound killer.
Best of luck in your tone search.

What is a PRS H and a PRS C? Does that mean Head and Combo? What's the difference between the Archon and Sonzera amps?

 

[Rider1260]

H and C were 2 amps PRS made
H or later Custom 50 came stock with 6L6s power tubes
C came stock with EL34s
Amps had different transformers
And now for the Video

I have an H that has been re Biased for EL34s really fun amp

 

[veinbuster]

Tubes make a big difference, but I think the naming reflected the transformer that was used in each.

H and C were 2 amps PRS made
H or later Custom 50 came stock with 6L6s power tubes
C came stock with EL34s
Amps had different transformers
And now for the Video

I have an H that has been re Biased for EL34s really fun amp

 

[danktat]

Thanks for the tube substitution chart! It may be my ears, but when I play the Blackstar on clean, I still hear some crunch. The amp has a crunch button on the clean channel, and when I use that it sounds like I'm using a distortion pedal . . . a bit too much crunch for a clean channel IMO. 5751s may correct that.

I know nothing about amps! Would I substitute 5751s just in the preamp section, or 5751s in the preamp and power sections? Or, 5751s in the preamp section and a 12AT7 to replace the EL34s? The distortion in the overdrive channel is ok to me, but the distortion level in the clean channel bothers me.

No, I haven't checked the bias. I don't have a clue what that means.

I LOVE to start off with a good clean tone. I know that the hot rod series doesn't get as much love as other Fender amps do, but if the clean is what you are looking for, you can't go wrong there. I have the DeVille 2x12. It being the larger, 60 watt amp, the headroom is crazy for the cleans. They can be had on Craigslist for anywhere from $350 to $500 (But I wouldn't pay more than that). The one issue you will have is the drive channel. It really doesn't have that creamy, smooth drive that I like so I don't use that channel. But the clean channel alone, in that price range, is definitely worth the money. I use pedals for my drive anyway, so that isn't an issue for me. Plus, I like the Fender reverb. So I don't need a pedal for that when using Fender amps.

I also have some SE amps. An SE50 and an SE20. Both have decently "clean" clean channels. They didn't last long as far as production years, but they can also be had for $500 or less if you find them pop up on the used market. Again. They take pedals well....but to be honest, I like the on board drive channel on those better than the Fender drive channel. The global reverb on them is pretty good, but not Fender good to my ears.

Price is an issue for me.....so to get the most out of my money, that is the route I went. Good luck in your hunt.

 

[LaPanthere]

If you don't want to spend too much but have a great versatility and tone try to checkout a Bugera. I use a 333XL Infinium since a little bit more than a year and am completely satisfied! 120W 3-channel amp with many options - if you don't mind economics made on a thinner Tolex and plastic logo (at this price they need to economise somewhere) you get a monster amp with an excellent clean channel and any sound from crunch to extreme distortion. At $450 it is a no-brainer and there are many videos on internet comparing the Bugera VS Mesa Rectifiers, ENGLs etc. I use to own different brand amps before (Peavey Roadmaster, Rivera, Diezel, Marshall) and I am completely satisfied. I couldn't spend much and got way more than I expected. I also got the Bugera 4x12 with Turbosound speakers (at $ 220) and a solid pedalboard for the 3-channels and FX-Loop/Booster is included at the price of the amp!

 

[CVS]

Forget an amp with delay. Unless you're going to buy a modeling amp with a boatload of effects built in, delay is just not an option you're going to find on any "traditional" style amp. Reverb yes, delay not going to happen. Delay shouldn't be a deciding factor in what amp you buy.

+1

 

[CVS]

Lots of differing opinions on this topic as you would expect. For what you want to spend I would have a look at a Fender Blues Jr. I produces great clean warm sounds and takes to most OD, delay and boost pedals very well. The reverb is also very good but no delay. For 15 watts it can get pretty loud. My only caveat is that if you buy a used one, be sure everything works. I think Fender has improved the quality in the past few years, but there were issues with these amps when they 1st came out (PM me if you want more info)

A lot will depend on the style of music you want to play. Good luck

 

[dmatthews]

PRS C and PRS H stand for the type of transformer used in each amp.
C = Cinemag
H = Heyboer

 

[Lister]

Thanks for the tube substitution chart! It may be my ears, but when I play the Blackstar on clean, I still hear some crunch. The amp has a crunch button on the clean channel, and when I use that it sounds like I'm using a distortion pedal . . . a bit too much crunch for a clean channel IMO. 5751s may correct that.

I know nothing about amps! Would I substitute 5751s just in the preamp section, or 5751s in the preamp and power sections? Or, 5751s in the preamp section and a 12AT7 to replace the EL34s? The distortion in the overdrive channel is ok to me, but the distortion level in the clean channel bothers me.

No, I haven't checked the bias. I don't have a clue what that means.

Try these links, they'll answer some of you questions better than I could pertaining to preamp vs power tubes,
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/les...nd_dirty_guide_to_preamps_and_power_amps.html

and

https://carvinaudio.com/blogs/guita...ower-amp-tubes-what-they-are-and-what-they-do

This is about bias and how it works in your amp:
https://www.humbuckermusic.com/pages/tube-amp-bias-article

There's also a Blackstar Forum that can answer specific question pertaining to your specific amp. https://www.blackstaramps.com/forum/

There's a ton of good info on the web and youtube vids to watch and learn about tube amps, but I would highly recommend, for safety's sake, finding a good tech in you area to upgrade your Blackstar