PRS Amps - Durability

I

iR4lf

New Member
Joined
May 9, 2014
Messages
60
Hi guys,

I definitely decided to go with my PRS Archon as my main amp...I have been a Mesa Boogie user for years, sadly many of my Mesa amps had failures with the master pots (I owned 4 Rectifiers and on all of them the master pots (on two amps the clean master and on two channel II or III) died after 2-3 years and I really took care of the amps). This is not something I was expecting from Mesa amps. So since I have no experience with PRS amps, could you share your opinions on durability of PRS amps or the Archon? Thanks...
 
Two years on one I got new, and still in the first year on the other but I found it used so it has had some work time for at least 3 years. No problems with them so far, but I have two Mesa's and they still work fine too. Maybe I don't turn the knobs as much as you do...
 
My PRSes have been fine for one year and two years, respectively, but then my Mesas were perfect for 14-15 years, too.
 
My SE amp has been going strong for 3 years. Haven't even had a tube crap out... but I should probably replace those pt's, now that I think about it!
 
I've gigged my PRS amp for 3 years with perfect results. Love my Boogie, too, and I gigged it exclusively for 24 years before replacing it with the Super Dallas. IMO, boogies and PRS amps are complimentary.
 
Boogie said:
IMO, boogies and PRS amps are complimentary.
Click to expand...

I agree, they're both great amp makers, and they do different things.

The amps I've bonded with most strongly have been made by PRS, Mesa, Two-Rock, and Bad Cat. That's some pretty good company!
 
LSchefman said:
I agree, they're both great amp makers, and they do different things.

The amps I've bonded with most strongly have been made by PRS, Mesa, Two-Rock, and Bad Cat. That's some pretty good company!
Click to expand...

For me it's PRS, Mesa, and Fender. Never tried a Two-Rock but I hear they're great. I haven't fallen in love with the Bad Cats but coming from a Fender guy it makes sense.
 
LSchefman said:
I agree, they're both great amp makers, and they do different things.

The amps I've bonded with most strongly have been made by PRS, Mesa, Two-Rock, and Bad Cat. That's some pretty good company!
Click to expand...

Interesting how some have trodden the same path

I was a Marshall guy who went to Mesa, 4 of which which were my main backline for over 20 years. A few other names came and went, but as my tastes and the "sound in my head" evolved differently, I started swapping out Mesas for Matchless, Two Rock, Redplate and Bad Cat heads over the last year or so. For what I want to do, I now have every base covered with these 4, and can nail the tones I want with ease

I STILL want a 2 CH Custom or DGT 30, but finding a head in the UK has been difficult recently! Sometime soon I hope..
 
Have to say I love my 2channel custom been gigging it hard for 18 months had 1 tube failure but that's to be expected, I also have become very fond of my markv/25 they say it's 25 watts but like most boogies it sounds like it's a. 100 watts the sound of both these amps are just incredible.
 
Bluesboy998 said:
Have to say I love my 2channel custom been gigging it hard for 18 months had 1 tube failure but that's to be expected, I also have become very fond of my markv/25 they say it's 25 watts but like most boogies it sounds like it's a. 100 watts the sound of both these amps are just incredible.
Click to expand...

The only issues I've had with varoius Mesa's I owned have been valve related. Excellent build quality and bombproof reliability. Doubtless PRS amp reliability will reflect their outstanding quality culture, and I would have no hesitation buying a used 2 CH head if it came up in the UK at the right price
 
We are a PRS and Mesa/Boogie dealer, and both brands are very high quality and reliable. However I must say the PRS Archon amps have been what I've been using for a while now in my personal rig. I own both an Archon 100 head and Archon 25 combo myself, and use them both in the studio and live, and I couldn't be happier. There were a few issues with the FX loops on early Archon models I heard, but thats been addressed.
 
There's one more terrific thing about a PRS amp - at least the DG30 and the HXDAs that have been here - they are quiet. I mean, the only noise is going to come from your guitar pickups, or pedals, it's not going to come from the amp.

The amps don't hum, they don't hiss, and that means that the notes you play come out of a silent background instead of a bunch if hiss and noise. So you hear the attack and subtlety of the note more clearly. I think this is one mark of a great amp (or other piece of gear for that matter).

That's really important to me, and as much as I dig Mesa amps, they are much noisier than PRS amps. The only amps I've ever owned that could match the PRS amps for quiet at idle are the Two-Rocks. However, I find the PRS stuff to be more my flavor.
 
From a physical point of view, they ought to be quite durable over the long term. The construction technique is actually quite interesting. For those of you who have opened yours up, you'll have seen something like:

HXDA-guts-2.jpg


It's a hybrid turret board / PCB approach. My understanding (from Em7 in a post long ago if I'm not mistaken) was that they are trying to combine the best of both worlds. Turret board is great because it's super easy to work on (or mod, if that's your thing). And for the purists out there, it's got more tone mojo (though I don't personally buy into that...) The problem with turret / tag board construction though is that there are wires under the board, and when you de-solder a component, the wires on the underside often come off, so you really have to remove the entire board to work on the circuit. So in the place of the wires on the underside, it's thick copper trace...but on top, it looks like traditional discrete amp construction.

From a practical perspective, I have several PRS amps, and the only issue I've had is with a tube in my DG30 (I just read Les' post about tube rolling in his DG30, and it sounds like we had very similar symptoms...)
 
They also use very thick boards for the circuit assemblies, beyond mil-spec as I understand it. And the tubes are chassis-mounted, as are the controls. These things should also help in terms of long term reliability.
 
LSchefman said:
And the tubes are chassis-mounted, as are the controls. These things should also help in terms of long term reliability.
Click to expand...

I agree that is the key. Board mounted tube designs could become a problem over time. I was surprised how much the board moved when rolling tubes in my MKV when I owned it
 
Thanks for your experiences...Well, let's hope for the best and keeping my fingers crossed for my Archon! I really love this amp!
 
Here's an up-close gut shot...clean! It's tough for even Boogie to match that.
sdallasgut4.jpg

Here's the Boogie:

boogiegut1.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

László
Amps On The Radar Screen?
2 3
Replies
43
Views
807
GGJJGG
G
watelessness
WANTED: PRS Three-channel Amp
Replies
10
Views
253
Gtrbldr
Gtrbldr
Rider1260
Small Iron , a change of heart
Replies
6
Views
151
DreamTheaterRules
DreamTheaterRules
nussbajh
Pedals and Amps
2 3
Replies
43
Views
1K
László
László
V
Effects loop
Replies
5
Views
218
Villa718
V
Back
Top