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PRS last worked on the Archon amplifier series several years ago, more precisely in 2014. 8 years later, the PRS Archon 50 tube amplifier comes with a good portion of extra gain, 50 watts, and different versions that should cover (almost) all needs.
Those who weren’t quick enough “back then” went home without an Archon. The amps were built normally without artificial limits, but at some point, they were “all” and since then fans have been left empty-handed unless a guitarist has just separated from his amp. The redesign of the Archon 50 should therefore meet with a lot of joy.
Both top and combo bring 50 watts. The combo is equipped with a Celestion V- Type 70 speaker and the 1 × 12 or 2 × 12 boxes that go with the top. Two JJ 6CA7 tubes work in the output stage and six ECC83S tubes in the preamp. In terms of sound, the 6CA7 should play between EL34 and 6L6, so pretty flexible, according to PRS.
Equal to 5 gain stages bring the new Archon amps. This should range from classic overdrive to modern high-gain sounds. You can hear them well in the videos below. We would not have expected that.
While other manufacturers cannot install enough regulators, PRS is going away with a rather simpler version with the new version. Both channels have the same controls: Master, Bass, Mid, Treble, Bright (toggle switch), and Volume. Presence and Depth are shared. And if you don’t want to switch by foot, you can do so directly on the tube amplifier on the front.
On the back, there is an input and output for the FX loop and the five (!) Speaker outs (1 × 4/2 × 8 ohms, 1 × 8/2 × 16 ohms, or 1 × 16 ohms) as well Access to the BIAS-Adjust and the fuses.
Why PRS has abolished the 25 W mode and the toggle switch for the two box exits compared to its predecessor remains open. After all, the FS is no longer designed as a 5-pin MIDI and therefore is more flexible when choosing the switch.
PRS Archon 50 price and availability
The PRS Archon 50 Guitar Combo Tube Amplifier has been priced at $1,199 and it can be purchased via the Amazon.com website.
Recently, Fender has also introduced the Super Reverb guitar amplifier that weighs just 16 kg. The all-tube amplifier had a built-in spring reverb and “vibrato” (actually tremolo), uses a solid-state design with digital modeling and is priced at $1,199.99.
