What cab for an Archon?

[CoreyT]

What was that, Corey has an Archon head?
Nope, not yet, but I am serious about getting one before too long.
I have thought about the Mesa Rectoverb 25 watt head, but after reading how you have to tweak the settings so much, I want an amp that is more simple to dial in tones, and it sounds like the Archon would be a good candidate to go with.

This would be for home use pretty much, and I was worried about getting the great tones with it turned down, but it seems after reading here it would work.
I have a ton of amps already, but I am thinking of giving my Carvin V3M and 2x12 cab to my youngest son, not super happy with the Carvin.
I use my Blackstar ID amps more than the Carvin.

So I looked around and ordered up an Avatar G212 Contemporary style 2x12 loaded with two Celestion Vintage 30s wired up so the cab is 8 ohms.
http://www.avatarspeakers.com/Contemporary 212.htm
This design has thicker edges around the cab instead of the smaller ones on their Traditional series cabs.
These are custom made and sold factory direct, so mine is still a few weeks out, and they are one state over from me in Idaho, so it normally takes one day to get to me once it ships.
I went with a black covered cab with black grille, and white piping to set it off.
Also having it built so it can sit vertically instead of horizontally.

So for those of you who have an Archon, what cab are you using or plan on getting?

 

[László]

Just curious, why not the PRS cab?

 

[CoreyT]

I looked at it Les, here it is at Sweetwater
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PRSStCab212/

The one I ordered was half the price since they cut out the middle man.
I have heard good things about them too from other members here.

 

[yankeebulldog]

I've had a few Avatars. Great cabs for the money. I have a PRS 4x12 Stealth for my Archon that I got during the PRS blow out last month. Compared to the V30 Avatar 4x12 I replaced it with, the PRS cab was a lot better sounding to me. Not sure why that is, but maybe something to do with the construction. I also have a Splawn 4x12 and a 2x12 loaded both loaded with Scumback Blackbacks. I like the Splawn's better than the Avatar. They are a little pricier but I like the build quality and the features a lot better.

 

[CoreyT]

Thanks for the feedback.
I also saw the notice at Sweetwater that they were out of stock on the Stealth, and that they did not know when PRS would get more in, hence why I decided to try this one.

They are also out of Archons, I will have to call my sales guy there to find out if he has an ETA on them.

 

[themike]

My Archon sounded great through the few cabs we ran it it through, but it really liked the PRS 412 and Mesa 412. Plenty of room to move air.

 

[aristotle]

http://altomusic.com/prs-stealth-sp...0&cadevice=c&gclid=COH41sbUzL4CFc1QOgodkR8AXA

 

[Michael B]

I'm running my ARCHON thru my peavey JSX cabinets. Very nice cabinets, they sound sweet with the ARCHON, but I see me getting a 4x12 stealth so it matches soon. You will love the ARCHON Corey....its badass! Also badass at low volumes too!

 

[László]

I'd lean toward the PRS 212 simply to get the sweeter sound of a pine cab.

But I'm sure it'll sound good through most cabs.

 

[CoreyT]

Thanks Mike, I also have a Carvin 4x12 (overkill for where I live at the moment) but I needed a new cab anyways since I plan on getting the Archon.
Great to hear it is good at low volumes, and I may look into one of those attenuators too.
I have way too many amps as it is, but I like what I see with the Archon, and really hope I will like it.

Les, I will give this a go for now, plus it is half the price of the Stealth one, and made here in the PNW, and is loaded with the same speakers as the Stealth cab.
The guy makes two great amps too based on the older Marshal circuits, and you can bridge the two channels together with a switch.
They are more of an older rock sound though, and I am wanting the more modern metal tone of the Archon.

I also have an Orange 1x12 loaded with a Celestion Vintage 30, but I was sad to see when it arrived that it was made in China.
At least my two Carvins are made in the USA down in CA.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

As a hesher, I was always really satisfied with those older birch Boogie 4x12's, especially the bottom cabs that people always overlook. They aren't as wide as Marshall/Recto/Bogner cab, but they are deeper and really tight sounding, you have to option to go half back, they never exhibit that "flabby" sound from the rear baffle flexing or hitting the center post, they fit in your smaller-ish car easier, and they're usually pretty cheap too... I think I'm talking myself into a vertical 2x12 version right now.

Oh!... Or look for one of those Marshall Mode Four Cabs, they're super-sized for bottom and overlooked too.

 

[chet]

Musicians Friends sends me 20% off coupons all the time. Sweetwater will match the coupon if you wanted to get it there instead. The prices at Sweetwater aren't firm. I've never paid full price for any large purchase there. Sign up at Musicians Friend. Give them your email address and they will send you deals and coupons.

 

[CoreyT]

Found a cool demo of the Archon playing the same riff with different settings.
I dig the riff.

PRS Archon 5 boosts - OwnHammer Scumback M75 IR

Published on May 12, 2014

PRS Archon amp demonstrating 5 different boosts.

I tapped a line out to the speaker using a Suhr Iso Box.

Guitar is a PRS Tremonti loaded with Bare Knuckle Juggernaut pickups.

IR is an OwnHammer OwnHammer Scumback M75

1 - Lick with no boost.
2 - Lick with Shannon Helios OD pedal.
3 - Lick with Black Arts Toneworks Black Forest pedal.
4 - Lick with Timmy OD.
5 - Lick with Horus OD pedal.
6 - Lick with Walrus Audio Mayflower OD pedal.

 

[pima651]

I run my Archon through the PRS Stealth 2X12 cab and am loving it. I haven't tried it through any other cabs so i can't compare, but the Stealth also matches the amp.

 

[FJ4]

I've had a few Avatars. Great cabs for the money. I have a PRS 4x12 Stealth for my Archon that I got during the PRS blow out last month. Compared to the V30 Avatar 4x12 I replaced it with, the PRS cab was a lot better sounding to me. Not sure why that is, but maybe something to do with the construction. I also have a Splawn 4x12 and a 2x12 loaded both loaded with Scumback Blackbacks. I like the Splawn's better than the Avatar. They are a little pricier but I like the build quality and the features a lot better.

Hi Alan!

PM Sent.

 

[László]

I've had a few Avatars. Great cabs for the money. I have a PRS 4x12 Stealth for my Archon that I got during the PRS blow out last month. Compared to the V30 Avatar 4x12 I replaced it with, the PRS cab was a lot better sounding to me. Not sure why that is, but maybe something to do with the construction. I also have a Splawn 4x12 and a 2x12 loaded both loaded with Scumback Blackbacks. I like the Splawn's better than the Avatar. They are a little pricier but I like the build quality and the features a lot better.

I bought a 4x12 Avatar for my son, thinking it was all about eliminating the middle man, etc. I was wrong. I didn't like the sound of the cab, and it had QC flaws.

The wood on the back was literally soft and rubbery like it was partially rotted (it wasn't, it was just very low grade plywood); the tolex was sloppily applied; one of the inset metal handles had a sharp burr on it that cut my hand just moving the thing around in the house; and I thought the sound was constricted, especially compared to my Mesa and Bogner cabs that sounded bigger and more open even though they were 2 x 12s.

Obviously no one cared how the thing was built, or what the materials actually amounted to.

I wouldn't buy another one.

If one is going to the trouble of buying a great amp, it makes more sense (to me) to get a great cab to go with it. Otherwise it's a waste of the amp's potential.

 

[alantig]

I'm running my Archon primarily through a PRS Stealth Big Mouth 2x12. Very happy with it. Also running an Orange 4x12 at times, but it's been quite a while since I last used it.

 

[nosidamde]

+1 on the DB BM 2x12

Get two, so that way on the fly you can decide how much air you need to push.

 

[watelessness]

for rehearsals, i mostly use an open-back Mesa 1x12 with a Black Shadow or an open-back Mesa vertical 2x12 with Vintage 30's. Live i use both, stacked.

 

[sleary]

I get my cabs custom made by a guy near me. He ships worldwide and he will build you anything you want with either celestion or eminence speakers. Cheaper then buying from the big names too. Solid pine or birch, handles where you want them ,moles picked by you as well as from cloth.. Built like a tank too..oh open back, closed back, convertible back ...really anything you want.

A Marshall 1936 cabinet was $ $549 + tax
Saxon cabinet....$435 taxes included .....

Btw rectro verb is really easy to dial in...no problems here