PRS Sonzera

dsenoj said:
You're right. I have a 25W Archon that happens to be here at work. I took it over to our scale and weighed it. It's 39.75 pounds.
Click to expand...
OK, so that it still a bit off-putting - why would PRS say 42 lbs if it is really 40 lbs? I mean, yeah, that is a difference of only 2 lbs, but why enter the wrong data? Unless, due to variations in wood densities/weight, an Archon can weigh up to 42 lbs. Yeah, that's probably it.

Or 42lbs is the weight with channel/effect selector footswitch.

Or 42 lbs is total shipping weight with box.

Or...oh, whatever. Close enough.

;)
 
shinksma said:
OK, so that it still a bit off-putting - why would PRS say 42 lbs if it is really 40 lbs? I mean, yeah, that is a difference of only 2 lbs, but why enter the wrong data? Unless, due to variations in wood densities/weight, an Archon can weigh up to 42 lbs. Yeah, that's probably it.

Or 42lbs is the weight with channel/effect selector footswitch.

Or 42 lbs is total shipping weight with box.

Or...oh, whatever. Close enough.

;)
Click to expand...

Don't panic - everybody knows 42 is the answer...
 
JonW said:
I’m still hoping for a matching 2x12 cab for the 50 Head...
Click to expand...

Good things come to those who hope and wait!

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...-stealth-140-watt-2x12-inch-cabinet-black-tan

2X12 OPEN BACK
Wood(s): Birch Plywood

Colors: Stealth w/ Black & Tan Grill Cloth

Speaker(s): Celestion V-Type

Power-Handling: 140 Watts

Impedance: 8 Ohms

Weight: 44 lbs

Dimensions, LxWxH: 25.25” x 11” x 21.6




d1b9eb-xc_PRSStCab212BT.jpg.auto.webp
 
ColonelForbin said:
Revision to my previous comments about changing to different preamp and PI tubes: I went back to the stock tubes, it just wasn't sounding right with the swapped tubes!

So I did three things when jamming on it last night and this morning, and overall, I'm feeling a lot better about this amp:

1.) put the stock tubes back in.. probably should have left 'em in there in the first place!
2.) bought a Friedman Dirty Shirley 1x12 open back cabinet (16ohm Celestion G12M-65 Creamback)
3.) ran the Sonzera+Friedman cab through my Fryette Powerstation 2. (PS2)

My impressions now are much improved! The stock tubes are fine. Amp still has a ton of gain, but able to get cranked up nice crunchy, sustaining amp sound just with a bit lower speaker volume. Can even get some tube breakup / crunch with the clean channel if I crank it up a bunch and turn down the PS2. It would sound fine without the PS2 if able to be cranked up enough to hit the right spot. I'm in a pretty small room; so it's much happier attenuated in here a touch. At the jam spot we can open up the volumes considerably louder.

Responsiveness is good, tones are good, for lack of a better word; "feel" it good. Can dig in on notes and not get brittle or harsh. Dynamics good; can turn up or down on guitar and get nice tone shaping.
Dirt channel cleans up very nicely with some roll back; go from very high gain to crunchy bluesy just by working the guitar volume controls.

Dirt channel has ALOT of bass. Don't be afraid to turn it as far down as you need, all the way down is a bit thin, but there is a nice sweet spot depending on overall volume.

Not doing any radical amount of attenuation; and just a touch with the PS shaping controls.
It's been a fun morning! Wife gets home later this afternoon, so I've got a few more hours to play :)

A side note to that; guitar choice also helps.. Played my buddies LP through it last night with and without the PS2, before and after swapping back the tubes.
Sounded much better with stock tubes back in, and then sounded really good with PS2 on.

This morning I pulled out my PRS S2 (semi hollow) and jammed out for a while; liking the pairing of the S2 and the Sonzera; good stuff!

That's all I've got for now; time for breakfast me thinks..

Cheers!

20170401_090318_zpsupio816d.jpg
20170330_231439_zps3w4v8vnr.jpg
Click to expand...
 
"Celestion G12M-65 Creamback" I've tried multiple different 12" with my Sonzera 50 and IMO this is hands down the best match for the PRS. You hear the amp coming through the speaker, not the other way around. (8 ohm)
 
Maybe you guys can help me. I have one of the first Sonzera 20's and actually haven't played it much. I was jamming with some friends and noticed it still had a "pop" a few seconds after turning it on(taking it off standby).It's always made this sound. I suspect it's a preamp tube. There is no problem with how the amp sounds afterward, and everything works normally. I'm just concerned something might happen when it shouldn't. Any advice on which tube or component? Or just stop worrying?
 
This is just a guess, but when you flip from standby to on you connect the speaker to the amp circuit. I'm guessing that puts an uneven load on the circuit and the pop you hear is a capacitor adjusting to the new load conditions. It's probably harmless. If anything it might indicate a weak cap, but probably won't kill it.

Now that I say that, watch it blow up the next time you power up! :rolleyes:

Here's a thought, run a test. The next time you power up go all the way to on. I know they teach us not to, but try it. Listen for any pop as the tubes warm up and the amp comes to life. Should take a good few seconds. If you don't hear the pop it means that as the capacitors are loading up for the first time they see the speaker load and they don't have to adjust. If you do hear the pop then I'm way off base.
 
Ultrastick said:
Maybe you guys can help me. I have one of the first Sonzera 20's and actually haven't played it much. I was jamming with some friends and noticed it still had a "pop" a few seconds after turning it on(taking it off standby).It's always made this sound. I suspect it's a preamp tube. There is no problem with how the amp sounds afterward, and everything works normally. I'm just concerned something might happen when it shouldn't. Any advice on which tube or component? Or just stop worrying?
Click to expand...

In my experience those type sounds are tubes heating up and the metal parts inside expanding. I don't know if it will hurt anything because I change the offending tube rather than live with it. I keep a set of good used tubes around and just swap out/in one tube at a time starting at V1
 
Report: Hey guys, I plugged in the Sonzera and flipped both standby and power switches on. I sat in a chair right by it and never heard the pop. I then shut it off and ate breakfast. I then tried it with the standby switch in standby position and power switch on. I let it go for three or four minutes, then flipped the standby switch. I didn't hear the pop, but just some fizzled out version of it. FWIW, the pop I'm talking about is not any sound resulting from flipping a switch. The sound I'm talking about comes a few seconds after that. I'll probably get a new preamp tube and one of those 5751 tubes. I do want to tame the distortion and maybe sub out the preamp tubes to isolate the pop.

Thanks so much guys for your quick and knowledgeable help. Comments still welcome. I'll post again as things develop on this.
 
I think I know what you're experiencing. It takes a while to get up to 1.21 Gigawatts internally, so what you're hearing is the flux capacitor as it builds up to that number. Once it's there, you should be good to go into another dimension altogether.
 
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