Tough choice for an amp.

Wiebuschk

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Jun 30, 2019
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17
I want a single channel PRS amp. The bug has bitten. I have owned Bassmans, Ac30s channel switching amps that I hated. For a decade I have been using a 5e3 Duluxe or a 18 watt Marshall both built by me. They fit well with what I do which is Classic rock, Americana and sometimes Texas country. I have watched all the vids I could find. I would like something with a bit more girth than my current setup.
I am liking the 30. It seems to have a sweetness to it. I also like that it is cathode biased which makes it a bit squishy.
The sweet16 plus sounds great. It seems to have a Dumble thing going. I also dig the Dallas. I have to wonder how similar those two are under the hood.
Then there is the Texaplex.
It's hard when you can't go play all of them . Any advice? 18 watts is already too loud but sometimes I get the call for a unmiked situation and need the power. It seems the master volumes on these amps is very usable. I love an amp that has lots of harmonic overtones and takes to pedals well.
 
Sounds like the DG30 would be right up your alley, if you have the coin for it.

Also, if you haven’t, check out the Blue Sierra. I haven’t tried the actual amp, but the Waves sim of it is awesome, so if it’s anything like that, you might like it.
 
There is nothing wrong with the DG30 suggestion! I sought something similar to your description many years ago and was lucky to score a Super Dallas (bought it from a prominent Texan artist who no longer needed a backup amp). They’re more scarce than hen’s teeth but if you can locate one, it can be a lot of things. At the least, it’s a magnificent pedal platform and has plenty of power for self amplified gigs (mine probably has a couple hundred gigs under its belt and it sounds as good today as it did in day 1). But honestly, any Doug Sewell creation will be a fantastic addition to your arsenal. Take it from this transplanted Texan.
 
I am liking the Dallas. I like having access to big clean.
What is a Super Dallas? I doubt I would spring for the DG but the 30 sounds great to me but I have a long history with el84.
 
I am liking the Dallas. I like having access to big clean.
What is a Super Dallas? I doubt I would spring for the DG but the 30 sounds great to me but I have a long history with el84.
The DG30 is unlike any other EL84 amp out there. Check out the YouTube chatter about it!

The Super Dallas is not your everyday Dallas. It’s, well, super! Think EL34 power stage from the HXDA married with the Super Reverb preamp of the Dallas. It is 50W of the most perfect marriage in the amp world! Go listen to David Grissom’s Skimming the Surface on the album Way Down Deep. The rhythm tracks are 100% SuperD as well as the opening lead. Personally, add a Klon and maybe an EP Booster and it’s pure awesome. I also added a BB Preamp (and a Strymon El Cap and Flint) for my leads and I gigged that setup for several years. It’s still my fav setup on that amp. They pop up on Reverb every once in a while, but otherwise, they’re rarely anywhere you can do a test drive. If the opportunity arises, I recommend giving it a look.
 
The DG30 is unlike any other EL84 amp out there. Check out the YouTube chatter about it!

The Super Dallas is not your everyday Dallas. It’s, well, super! Think EL34 power stage from the HXDA married with the Super Reverb preamp of the Dallas. It is 50W of the most perfect marriage in the amp world! Go listen to David Grissom’s Skimming the Surface on the album Way Down Deep. The rhythm tracks are 100% SuperD as well as the opening lead. Personally, add a Klon and maybe an EP Booster and it’s pure awesome. I also added a BB Preamp (and a Strymon El Cap and Flint) for my leads and I gigged that setup for several years. It’s still my fav setup on that amp. They pop up on Reverb every once in a while, but otherwise, they’re rarely anywhere you can do a test drive. If the opportunity arises, I recommend giving it a look.

Didn’t realize it was a Super Reverb preamp. I bet that smokes with the mids of the EL34’s! I’d hit it.
 
Have you compared it to the Texaplex?
Honestly? I’m not sure. This is a pre PRS genuine Sewell but I don’t think it shares much with a Texaplex.
sewellamp.jpg


It was VERY Marshall like. More HiWatt, IMO. A damned nice amp, regardless.

Didn’t realize it was a Super Reverb preamp. I bet that smokes with the mids of the EL34’s! I’d hit it.
It shares some features with other designs but it’s all Doug Sewell! It’s one of my fav clean amps I’ve ever played. The grit and grind is very much its own thing and something I appreciate because I’ve never sought to sound like anyone else. The SuperD has been the perfect tool to do just that.

Oh, and I put a NOS Mullard in V1 to push it further into Marshall territory. However, if I don’t use the bass cut switch, the bass is very much Super Reverb-esque...huge. It is it’s own animal and despite the power stage similarity, the HXDA is quite different. It’s a hoot!
 
My DG30 is magical and it sounds like what you described to be looking for. However, they’re generally expensive and some of the amps you’re talking about are ridiculously cheap on Reverb right now, so I can understand why you’re asking about them.

I noticed there’s a used H on Reverb too for cheap. You might consider that as a more modern-ish sounding clean platform with a free dirty channel.
 
I love my DG30, and it can certainly give you big cleans - lovely ones at that - but IMHO, the best magic comes in that wonderful area between clean and dirty.

On the other hand, I’ll bet Sergio runs his very clean, since he’s a funk-meister.

One thing is that the DG30 can be a little bit tricky to understand how to use. However, once you ‘get it’, the thing is just amazing.
 
I love my DG30, and it can certainly give you big cleans - lovely ones at that - but IMHO, the best magic comes in that wonderful area between clean and dirty.

On the other hand, I’ll bet Sergio runs his very clean, since he’s a funk-meister.

One thing is that the DG30 can be a little bit tricky to understand how to use. However, once you ‘get it’, the thing is just amazing.

My volume (gain) knob keeps creeping up...
 
I've ordered a 30 combo out of Nashville for under a grand. I like the DG30 a lot but couldn't justify the price difference at this time. I've like every clip. Very creamy. It should sound great with slide also. I used to play vintage Bassmans and supers so a Dallas may be in my future.
 
At the time PRS was making the Sweet 16, they had two levels of amp construction; I wish I could remember how they referred to them, and both looked good to me.

They called some of the higher end amps “CAD” (and I don’t remember what that means either). The CAD amps had thicker boards, and more (and in some cases, all) of the components were hand-wired to the circuit boards. The Sierra, Blue Sierra, HXDA, 25th Anniversary Amp, MDT, Recording Amp, Dallas, Super Dallas, Blistertone, DG30, and a few others were the CAD amps. I think there may even have been a “Paul’s Amp” for a minute.

I’ve got two of them, the DG30 and HXDA, and if I had endless amounts of coin, I’d want one of every model. They’re truly wonderful amps.

Not that I’d actually need one of every model, but having nine or ten of these babies would sure make for a swanky looking rack o’ amp doom! ;)
 
Custom Amp Design models could also be ordered with mods of all sorts. I thought of it as Private Stock for amps. The stories of Doug sitting with a specific amp and replacing components to reach a particular goal were rampant! I have my own stories but there are others of amazing personal attention from Doug and his department and how they treated regular schmoe players, like me, like rock stars. He isn’t just a genius, but also a genuinely nice guy that treats his creations like his children. The results speak for themselves, literally.
 
Custom Amp Design models could also be ordered with mods of all sorts. I thought of it as Private Stock for amps. The stories of Doug sitting with a specific amp and replacing components to reach a particular goal were rampant! I have my own stories but there are others of amazing personal attention from Doug and his department and how they treated regular schmoe players, like me, like rock stars. He isn’t just a genius, but also a genuinely nice guy that treats his creations like his children. The results speak for themselves, literally.

I too have spoken with Doug about amps at a few Experiences. While i described how i used my amps it was as if he was watching the electrons flow through the circuits. What a super nice guy besides.
 
She came in. I really like it. It's a good fit. I have not got to wring it out yet but will soon. My first impression are that it is very musical. It has chime, grind and punch. It will fit nicely in the back seat of my truck with a well worn strat or tele and a worn CE24 and help me make money and smile.
 
She came in. I really like it. It's a good fit. I have not got to wring it out yet but will soon. My first impression are that it is very musical. It has chime, grind and punch. It will fit nicely in the back seat of my truck with a well worn strat or tele and a worn CE24 and help me make money and smile.

That’s what it’s all about!
 
First gig with the 30 was Saturday night. I really enjoyed it. We were not playing very loud so I could not get the harmonics and feed back I like to mess with but I could tell that they are there. Pushed the front at times with a JHS double barrel but the straight in tone was real nice. Fat and musical with some chime.
 
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