Actually, I do like the HDRX20, it has a couple sweet spots that absolutely nail some period specific tones that I love. My frustration with this amp is …
a.) Despite what most say, I feel this amp does NOT take pedals well, at least not in the way I’m used to using them. For starters, there is no effects loop, as PRS wanted to stay true to the original Plexi circuitry, so any reverb etc goes in through the front which gets totally decimated as you crank the volume. The power section just can’t handle it and it turns to mush. Additionally, drive pedals are very finicky with this amp. I find it difficult to get a setting on the amp that sounds good with and without the drive engaged - it requires some tweaking on the amp to get the tone right with the pedal on, and then with the pedal off, needs more tweaking.
b.) Switching between pickups requires more amp tweaking. What sounds perfectly dialed in on the neck pickup is way too bright on the bridge, and what is good on the bridge is far too muddy on the neck. The differences are too extreme for the guitar tone alone to mitigate so it requires a flick of the Bright switch or treble boost pedal. I find this with every guitar I’ve played through it.
c.) Good tone requires volume - this is not a bedroom amp. The Master Volume is helpful, but you need to get it up at least around 4 to avoid it sounding thin which is ear splitting at home. I bought a Bugera attenuator which does the trick, but there is tone compromise, so back to a) and b) with amp fiddling as you increase or decrease the attenuation.
To an extent I enjoy the tweaking to see what this amp can do. I’ve never had a Plexi and there was a learning curve with how these amps work - the EQ and Volume are extremely inter-dependent. Small adjustments make big differences. You need to know when to boost Treble Gain vs Treble EQ vs lowering Bass Gain and understand what the Master Volume is going to do to all three. This amp is not plug & play like my EVH 5150iii or my Marshall where I can set it and forget it and swap guitars and pedals with minimal tweaking - but that is part of the fun and I’ve found some particularly sweet tone pairings I’ll share here:
a.) Despite what most say, I feel this amp does NOT take pedals well, at least not in the way I’m used to using them. For starters, there is no effects loop, as PRS wanted to stay true to the original Plexi circuitry, so any reverb etc goes in through the front which gets totally decimated as you crank the volume. The power section just can’t handle it and it turns to mush. Additionally, drive pedals are very finicky with this amp. I find it difficult to get a setting on the amp that sounds good with and without the drive engaged - it requires some tweaking on the amp to get the tone right with the pedal on, and then with the pedal off, needs more tweaking.
b.) Switching between pickups requires more amp tweaking. What sounds perfectly dialed in on the neck pickup is way too bright on the bridge, and what is good on the bridge is far too muddy on the neck. The differences are too extreme for the guitar tone alone to mitigate so it requires a flick of the Bright switch or treble boost pedal. I find this with every guitar I’ve played through it.
c.) Good tone requires volume - this is not a bedroom amp. The Master Volume is helpful, but you need to get it up at least around 4 to avoid it sounding thin which is ear splitting at home. I bought a Bugera attenuator which does the trick, but there is tone compromise, so back to a) and b) with amp fiddling as you increase or decrease the attenuation.
To an extent I enjoy the tweaking to see what this amp can do. I’ve never had a Plexi and there was a learning curve with how these amps work - the EQ and Volume are extremely inter-dependent. Small adjustments make big differences. You need to know when to boost Treble Gain vs Treble EQ vs lowering Bass Gain and understand what the Master Volume is going to do to all three. This amp is not plug & play like my EVH 5150iii or my Marshall where I can set it and forget it and swap guitars and pedals with minimal tweaking - but that is part of the fun and I’ve found some particularly sweet tone pairings I’ll share here:
- For dirt, my Marshall Guv’nor seems to gel well with this amp. Again, not always a simple switch without tweaking the amp setting but overall it pairs nicely, as does the Nobels ODR 1 for a little more drive articulation.
- The Vertex SSS SRV is super helpful in the tone adjusting department - having that pedal dialed in is an easy tone enhancer/boost to accommodate pickup switching. I thought it may be redundant given it’s objective, but it is totally complimentary
- Surprisingly, the Catalinbread Dreamcoat (Ritchie Blackmore clone) just sounds phenomenal with this amp. I haven’t been able to make it work well so far with my other amps. I was hoping to be able to get a faux fuzz/ psychedellic distortion with the HDRX’s Plexi- like platform and that pedal was the magic ticket for doing so at a reasonable volume. Add to that an MXR 90 phase or vibe pedal and you have swirly whirly Voodoo Chile distortion ecstasy.