andy474x
Knows the Drill
Went to the local shop to buy a mic stand, it was a harmless enough trip until just as I was on my way out, I spied a Sonzera 50 combo in the amp heap! Cool! Have been wanting to try one. The fellow PRS fan behind the counter hooked me up with an S2 Satin 24 to pair with the amp.
First impression: LOUD. My conscience prevented me from cranking it up, I could hear it starting to open up just as I was getting to "employee side eye" volume, and since I always pity those guys, I didn't go any further. But I could feel the amp wanting to be turned up more to hit the sweet spot. That being said, I liked what I heard. The cabinet is fairly compact, but didn't sound boxy in the least, as has been my experience with some physically small amps. It had a ton of bass, but in a good way - very punchy, tuned better/tighter than the previous SE amps (at least at that volume). And it could be more effectively tamed with the bass controls. I would like to see how it takes some OD pedals. The clean channel had a treble frequency that was always "in the mix" and didn't seem to be affected by tweaking the knobs, which was different, but it never sounded bad. Perhaps a bit brighter than my Custom 50, but in a good way. The drive channel especially liked more master volume, it started to open to a roar with more MV. It was a more "open" kind of breakup, not a ton of saturation, and a little more raw sounding than a high gain amp.
The only negatives were that the toggles for the channels and bright switches felt a little flimsy compared to other PRS amps, and that the amp is just SO LOUD. Which, the latter isn't such a bad thing, just means that this is 100% a gigging amp. I wouldn't recommend it at all for home use, if there are volume concerns.
That being said, I would like the opportunity to crank one up, because I liked it a lot, and want to see how it reacts at the intended volume! Chatted with the employee for a few minutes afterward and we both agreed, sometimes you just don't know how an amp will sound until you really get that chance to crank it up. Perhaps a 20 would be nice for home and smaller gig use, but in the meantime, that 50 combo is just sitting at the shop, so lonely and wanting to be turned up...
First impression: LOUD. My conscience prevented me from cranking it up, I could hear it starting to open up just as I was getting to "employee side eye" volume, and since I always pity those guys, I didn't go any further. But I could feel the amp wanting to be turned up more to hit the sweet spot. That being said, I liked what I heard. The cabinet is fairly compact, but didn't sound boxy in the least, as has been my experience with some physically small amps. It had a ton of bass, but in a good way - very punchy, tuned better/tighter than the previous SE amps (at least at that volume). And it could be more effectively tamed with the bass controls. I would like to see how it takes some OD pedals. The clean channel had a treble frequency that was always "in the mix" and didn't seem to be affected by tweaking the knobs, which was different, but it never sounded bad. Perhaps a bit brighter than my Custom 50, but in a good way. The drive channel especially liked more master volume, it started to open to a roar with more MV. It was a more "open" kind of breakup, not a ton of saturation, and a little more raw sounding than a high gain amp.
The only negatives were that the toggles for the channels and bright switches felt a little flimsy compared to other PRS amps, and that the amp is just SO LOUD. Which, the latter isn't such a bad thing, just means that this is 100% a gigging amp. I wouldn't recommend it at all for home use, if there are volume concerns.
That being said, I would like the opportunity to crank one up, because I liked it a lot, and want to see how it reacts at the intended volume! Chatted with the employee for a few minutes afterward and we both agreed, sometimes you just don't know how an amp will sound until you really get that chance to crank it up. Perhaps a 20 would be nice for home and smaller gig use, but in the meantime, that 50 combo is just sitting at the shop, so lonely and wanting to be turned up...
