50 Watt Archon Amp
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2024
- #knowyourgear
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I'm not in the market for one of these, but if I was a metal player on a budget I would be all over this. Thanks for doing the demo Phil.
The PRS Dallas 50 is my dream amp right now. The clean channel is so very nice :-)
I like having a standby switch especially when changing instruments.
Completely the reason I’ve had a Boss TU-3 at the beginning of every signal chain since I’ve started playing.
I get the same hum on my 5150iii el34 50W, took a EQ Pedal in FX loop to finally calm it down. Love your content btw!
You are doing some really nice reviews. I appreciate it.
Oh, look at Phil rocking out! Pretty good review of the amps. Reminds me that I need to check my amp, because there's some crackling. New power tube or tubes are probably needed.
I really like the rock tone you dialed in. Pointing out the likenesses and differences of the new and old versions of the amp was helpful.
Yes! So glad you had a chance to look at this. I've been dying to hear about it from someone credible. You mentioned that the old version sounded good at any volume. Can you say the same for this new version (assuming the hum is an isolated issue or otherwise addressed)?
Wow holy shit Phil!! Nice guitar playing, .yeah! That combo has a slammin metal sound. Clean clean to metal….hmmm. Love your channel!
Phil playing some Anthrax???? Hell yeah!!!
SWEET rhythm jams!
This thing will now be going head-to-head with the 5150 III as far as price point goes.
I have a 25 combo that I bought years ago as a floor model for $600. I didnt play it much. One day I fired it up and the lead channel was just gone. Well it got pulled and sent into PRS. After about 10 weeks I didn't hear anything. I had my guy call and the work was done that week. I got the loop upgrade and a couple special tweaks. No problems ever since. This amp still sounds best boosted with the channel volume at around 2 o'clock and the master where you want it. I dont notice too much swing between low and high volume. The clean channel is quite surprising.
I agree on the gain level you used at a reduced amount...had the 50w Archon head...just to much mids for me...when I used an Eq pedal I found I was setting it up to sound like a Mesa...away it went, already have Mesa amps...thanks Phil
I LOVE the blue and red led's, as apposed to most manufacturers using red and green led's. People who are color blind cannot tell the difference between red and green. Red/green color blindness is the most common type.
Everything with led's uses red and green and it sucks! I can never tell which is which! Thanks PRS!
Thanks for the looksee Phil.
Thanks for this review! I have been considering one of these amps. Hmm, decisions...
I just played one today for about an hour..I played a new Fender Jazzmaster with P-90's which was fantastic too..but from clean to mean, this amp is sick. It kicks all kinds of tones.. was blown away..
Sounds Awesome.
Nice amp, nice review!
But I think I’ll keep the Hughes & Kettner GM40 that you helped me decided to buy!
That Kiesel is beautiful ❤️
I couldn't jell with the old Archon 50. I had mine for about a year and a half, and it just didn't have the tone I was looking for. This new one isn't any better sounding to me.
Great Video Phil, thanks! Got the MT15 and love it for metal. What pups are in that Kiesel? Sounds awesome
I much prefer the chassis mounted on the bottom of a head. It allows the heat to rise up off the tubes and out of the unit, rather than bake all the components in the chassis with extra heat like in combos...
Yeah, I heard John Suhr and Dave Friedman talking about issues that arise from amps that are mounted where the tubes are hanging. I guess it can introduce extra noise and other reliability issues.
And still amps built in the 50’s with top mounted chassis are still working just fine
@@TJauernigElectronics And Incandescent bulbs still work "just fine" too, but would you argue they're a better design than LED? Should we just stop innovating everything at "good enough"?
Not to mention there have been MANY top mounted chassis amps with plenty of noise issues related to tube hang which is such a simple thing to correct so why wouldn't you?
@@TJauernigElectronics A lot of them have had components replaced though.
I've never noticed background music in any of the know your gear videos before, trying out something new or have I just not been paying enough attention? either way, I like it! adds something nice to the formula
Thumbs up for the Antisocial Anthrax riff !!!!!
The original sounded awesome and so does this one. The main difference is that I can possibly afford this one!?
The look reminds me of the old seymour duncan amps... i dig it.
That loop him or noise is the first run of the 2014 models. They fixed that after. Since 2015, no hum issues.
"We'll make note of that". I would not be instilled with confidence that qc issues would be cured just from that statement.
I had a rare opportunity to hang out backstage with Mark Tremonti just before the pandemic, and I did ask him about the MT100. He confirmed that it is coming, but he's doing final tweaks to get the speakers to "move air" so it will "kick like a mule". He wouldn't say when it's coming out, and to be honest, I'm willing to bet that he honestly doesn't know either....that would be a question for Paul.
I assume it's just a scaled up MT-15? it would be awesome if they kept it like that since I've had the MT-15 and now an Archon 50 and the MT-15 sounded more aggressive for riffing.
@@MaestroJericho That was my assumption as well. Not too many details were given.
Phil playing Anthrax!! Sweet!
Don’t get me wrong, I love gain, but that is crazy gain... I don’t think I play any songs with that much gain...wow!!!
Doesn’t seem like there’s much middle ground between that and the clean channel
Yeah I have the original 100. It’s def a high gainer. You can get some decent mid-high gain tones with the gain knob dialed down. I found using the guitar volume really worked well on this amp.
@@charleswood123 use pedals, OD or Dist pedals
@C J B have you played one? LOL not the vibe I got at all. It’s got plenty of gain on tap. And it’s much tighter than a Recto or a 5150(Rhythm channel.) I happen to own all three...Dual Rec, original block letter 5150, and archon 100. I think they all sound better with a boost, but the Archon is the smoothest of the bunch and had plenty of gain on tap. The Dual rec is flubby and and fizzy without a boost and the 5150 has a bit of fizziness as well. I prefer the archon to both without a boost, and I like the 5159 best with a boost. I am actually selling the dual rec.
Pretty interested in testing out one of these!
That green N4 on the wall sure is sweet.
Thanx
It is for sure a high gain amp. I like a pedal into thr clean for mid gain tones. But the old Archon and even the new is mostly a metal and clean amp. The old Archon 100 sounded the biggest and running a pedal into the clean like the Bogner Blue or similar is a great way to get mid gain tones.
...this USA/Overseas build topic brings up another question; instead of deciding one way or the other, why not offer both? 🤷♂️
Those that want the USA build can have it, those on a budget or who do not care where its made can have have their cake and eat it too.
Just a thought.
I have been thinking about getting an EVH 5150 for years now but this amp might give it a run for its money. Jesus
I own a 5150III 50 and just love it, but I'm thinking seriously on getting this one as well...
@@felipousismix nice
PHIL please do a review of the customshop Les Pauls thanks man love the channel I've been a fan since you started
Most Guitars and Amps made overseas are just as good and in a lot of cases even better than the USA made Guitars and Amps that's just a fact it's been like that for awhile you can have you're opinion but opinions hold no Water to the reality and truth
FWIW, the "6L6" and "EL34" versions of the USA Archons were literally the same amps other than what power tubes they shipped with from the factory. I've had 6L6s, EL34s, and KT66s in my USA Archon 50 (which came with 6L6s from the factory), and switching between them just required swapping the tubes and rebiasing.
So which tubes sounded the best?
Mine Finally Showed Up Today!!!! Ordered it Back In July!!!! Supply Chain Issues!!!!!😭😭😭
NAD!!!!!😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
What about under the hood , Is it built to last. Things like tube sockets mount
Hi Phil, do you know what year prs started doing the modification for the effects loop? Might has a little bit of feedback any info would be greatly appreciated? Or can you recommend a noise gate pedal. Thank you
2013/2014
November 2014, IIRC.
does this have more headroom on the dirty? vs MT15 I find it has to be so loud to sound good? does it get as thick as the MT?
Pre ordered one 👌🏼
If these go used for $600-700 like 6505+ or Marshall DSL 50s it would be killer in the eventual used market.
Maybe the damage to the amp is the cause to the hum? I always think of PRS amps as the quiet amps.
I hate when an amp looses it’s balls! Lol
Cheers from South Carolina!
🤘😺🤘
Anthrax Anti Social....Nice!! 🤘✌
stand by mode is for live playing only other than that useless, imo. i always use a volume pedal when i played live same differance. cheers great to see prs went offshore with there amps as well as there guitars. makes there products more acessible to folks that do not have the funds good on them.how ever....still like my surf green 1 x12 deluxe fender.cheers for all you do.
Yeah I don't like that humming sound I don't think anyone does like that . But very interesting amp mate great stuff
What corners did they cut to reduce the price by $500? Not saying they shouldn’t aim to reduce the price as much as possible but that’s a lot. Are they using cheaper components?
Nice sounding amp, but too bad about the hum. In this day and age, I won't buy any technology with a hum under normal use conditions. If they can't engineer the hum out of the amp without loosing its tone, maybe they should consider building in a Noise Gate so the amp can be used in quieter settings. Thanks
Noise is loosely lost by those who lose!
For anyone who doesn't know... 6CA7s are the sleeper tubes of the tube world. They're fricken awesome. Best sounding tubes to my ears.
Probably worth noting the old ones were stamped 'Assembled in the USA' not 'Made in the USA'... so probably mostly foreign parts just put together here. I prefer the look of the old one, but I understand the change so it could share chassis with the combo.
As an owner of the Archon 50 and 5150 (Stealth) these amps are similar but honestly, and I LOVE MY Black Stealth but, the Archon is a little easier dialing on a good tone that is not just balls to wall. I don't past 1 o'clock on 5150 as it gets unusable whereas the Archon is a little better with that. My FAV aspect of this amp is I can get tones I don't get from any other amp and I have many
5:12 is where I checked out. I’ve only owned two tube amps in my life and for some reason no standby switch was a huge no for me. It seems so unreasonable but at the same time I know my worth.
It kinda feels like buying a new car with manual windows these days
I got cut off. I had a bugera with the tube sockets mounted to the circuit board and the first time it got hot it was fried
I had a sonzera 20 that I loved but the effects loop started failing early on so I returned it it was lame cause I loved its sounds. Dim if I'd buy another import pros amp. At least not for a whole also pandemic Cory stuff as low quality in my opinion
Phil, is it normal to have a bit of fret buzz on a strat? 😅
It’s not normal on any guitar😂😂
Take it to a local tech for a setup and to check if the frets are ok. It’s probably just a setup issue or maybe you have a high fret or 2. Nothing that can’t be easily fixed
No standby is a killer for me. I use that switch so much on my amp
Mark Holcomb from Periphery helped design the Archon
Interesting they've brought the price down on these while blowing up the price of the Sonzera. The 20 used to be about 700, now it's 1000.
No standby switch is a no go for me. I think $1000 is too much for an Indo amp as well.
Get a used 5153 50 watt 6L6 or EL34 for a grand and I'm pretty sure they're made in the US
@@aidenmcclendon5457 Those are made in Mex.
@@geomusicmove my bad, I believe they were originally made in the US but moved to Mexico, should've specified
Phillip if you see this which Cab is that?
Can it be rebiased for 6l6 tubes?
you wanna know what really attracted me to check this video ??? that sweeeeet KIESEL
How? It isn’t in the thumbnail.
Great channel and content. Will you be interested in checking out Tyler's new axe. And have him check out your custom PRS
The effects loop was only the first release, only a few heads.
Indonesia makes some good musical stuff. Thank god it's not from China.
Man that octave riff at 6.20 ish
What model Keisel is that? Did you already demo that?
It’s a Theos (edit, I fucked up). I don’t think he did but that would be sweet, it looks and sounds great. I’m pretty sure it has Lithium pickups, judging by how well it handles metal tones
@@mihneazoican2479 Actually it's a Theos, so a Delos without a pickguard and with slightly different edges of the body.
@@Paraphrasaurus oh shit, you’re right. I totally mixed them up. Sorry
@@mihneazoican2479 thanks for the info👍
@@Paraphrasaurus thanks for the info also👍
Roy Blankenship advised me not to use standby switches as he said they aren't really good for the amp.
They seem nice... kind of reminds me of a Carvin v3. Appears to be well built. The tone seems decent and useful... but the amp is not very unique in tone or function.
how is this as a pedal platform?
When can you get these Beasts?
I was told June 1st.
@@PhillipMcKnight ok, thanks brother!
a 100 watts MT ? not sure if Mark is doing himself a favour with this, 100 watts seems a little excessive nowadays
Sucks they destroyed the original Archon. The 100 watt head was the best.
It really was. Like a 6505+ and a 6534+ had a kid, then that kid grew up and hung around Mesa and Bogner for a while. I absolutely love the high gain tones from the archon 100.
@@KeepTheGates Thanks, you have done some great videos and I enjoy your thoughts and feedback.
Have you tried Engl? I'm looking at a used Archon 100, Engl Savage 120, Orange RV MK III and a few others.....
@@Bognerman14 I've played maybe 2 engl amps in the past. They're great amps, but don't fit my particular taste in high gain amps. Out of those, I'd snatch the Archon. Looking at a used Archon 100 myself.
@@KeepTheGates Thanks for the feedback and thoughts. I wish I could play all of these first.
My main amp is still my Mark V and I have a modified Dual Rec that I adore. Another on my short list is the KSR Orthos. So many good amps. :(
Used American Archon is reasonably priced though.
I like that the Archon is so tight, even with that much gain and lows.
I think PRS should stick to doing what they do great which is guitars and if they want to make something affordable make an SE silver sky
You get what you pay for nearly every time .
Cristine from simplynailogical called and she wants her intro/outro music back!
The clean channel on the Archon is really nice but I've never been a fan of the gain stages. I've got Fenders and a Marshall for clean tones and pedal platforms so these amps have been a hard pass for me.
Thanks for the review. Very well done sir.
Pretty nice for a 1000-~
Great playing, but I hate the tone of the amp at every juncture. Upgrade to any Fender in that price range in my opinion. As always, informative video.
Couldn't play a PRS guitar with the PRS amp....? 😂😂😂😂😂 Sorry, I couldn't help it. I might pick up the combo version of this guy!
The answer is yes lol
FWIW, The covering/finish on these is so cheap compared to the old ones.
Wtf??? No standby? No half power?
I KNEW this was too good to be true. I’ll look for a used one.
ANTHRAX!!!!!!! 6CA7s are just American EL34s. Like the KT66 is just the European version of the 6L6GC.
Not a huge fan of that high end fizziness it has going on on the gain channel, my MT 15 doesn’t have any of that. I want to like this amp but I’m just not completely sold.
Man that buzz is killing me...it's like constant. I have owned a archon 100 and still own an archon 25 combo. That buzz seems worse.
but can i play jazz on this tho
I wonder if this was the rumored MT-50; they just swapped the branding....?
lol when this came out I assumed it was the MT-50 rebranded since somehow Tremonti left for Gibson/Mesa because $$$.
Power tubes r 6ca7's
Sounds good when your playing it but....That humming is a deal breaker 🤦♂️
Laughing at the people complaining that the amp is built overseas. If it was built in the USA it would cost 3x as much and you would complain about the price!
The build quality seems unusually sloppy for PRS
Doesn't look good on PRS that they sent an amp out to be reviewed jacked up like that