NAMM News .. PRS 15 Watt tube amp head

KevWind · #1 01-30-2018, 05:15 PM

Having been diagnosed with late onset Electric Guitar Syndrome with the prototypical Agrevated Tube Amp Infatuation Complication......... a year ago last fall.
And while so far the fairly aggressive single dose treatment regime of US made PRS CE 24 has put the EGS in remission (for now)
The ATAI is proving a bit harder to treat

So along with the Supro Titan 1X10 Combo and Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special 1X12 combo both fairly heavy treatment protocols .. I have been investigating a lighter Tube Head prescription.

Apparently Announced at NAMM Available target date April -- is the new PRS Mark Tremonti sig. 15 watt tube amp head

2 channels, one clean one gain... (foot switchable )
15 and 7 Watt selection
2 6L6 power tubes
And LED lights by the tubes to indicate which channel you are one Blue for clean and Red for gain
Retail is projected to be about $650

With as Mr Tremonti puts a clean industrial look (I have so far leaned more towards the retro tolex and cloth cover look), But something about this look intrigues me. I am guessing this one is going to be either ya love it, or you hate it, looks wise

KevWind · #2 01-31-2018, 12:19 PM

Humm lots of looks but no bites.

Slow day in Electric Ladyland I guess

M Sarad · #3 01-31-2018, 01:02 PM

I’ll bite.

I love the discontinued Mesa TA amp. Similar in size and power from the looks of it. I guess I will have to try it out. I need more power than I can get from my beat up old Tweed Deluxe.

Dru Edwards · #4 01-31-2018, 04:58 PM

Kev, it looks intestesting. I have a PRS guitar but I've never tried their amps before.

Marshall has released some new DSL amps, including a 1 watt and a 5 watt. That's one area that Marshall has been lacking (with the exception of the LTD 1w amps a few years ago).

LouieAtienza · #5 01-31-2018, 05:31 PM

I do like Mark Tremonti, and I do dig the looks and specs. Going to try to find some audio online...

clintj · #6 01-31-2018, 05:45 PM

I wonder what kind of design it uses to get only 15W from a pair of 6L6 tubes. On paper, it seems like a waste of a lot of available tube power.

DukeX · #7 01-31-2018, 06:03 PM

I've satisfied my ATAI with three different/complementary low-watt tube gems and a total of seven different speaker options.

My problem is finding enough time to play what I have.

Dang acoustics are eating up all my playing time...for now.

Dru Edwards · #8 02-01-2018, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clintj

I wonder what kind of design it uses to get only 15W from a pair of 6L6 tubes. On paper, it seems like a waste of a lot of available tube power.

Great question, Clint. I wonder if it's supposed to be a pair of 6V6 tubes?

KevWind · #9 02-01-2018, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Great question, Clint. I wonder if it's supposed to be a pair of 6V6 tubes?

Yes very good question and one Tremonti actually talks about (not the design specifics, just that they did it) in one of videos from Namm about the amp .

It was originally designed with 6V6 's but while talking with PRS He (Tremonti) asked if there was a way to put 6L6's in (which he likes best) and they said they could to do it. In some of interviews he claims if plays like a 50 watt amp ??
According to Paul R. S. in a press video from towards the end of NAMM he claims virtually ever dealer that tried the amp placed an order ?????
OK I found it
Here is the interview with Tremonti from the NAMM with Mitch Gallagher from Sweetwater.
He gets into the tubes at about 2:40 and again at about 7:25

Steve DeRosa · #10 02-01-2018, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clintj

I wonder what kind of design it uses to get only 15W from a pair of 6L6 tubes. On paper, it seems like a waste of a lot of available tube power.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevWind

...It was originally designed with 6V6 's but while talking with PRS He (Tremonti) asked if there was a way to put 6L6's in (which he likes best) and they said they could do it. In some of interviews he claims it plays like a 50 watt amp ??

Looks like PRS took a page from the old Ampeg (and to a lesser extent Supro) playbook here: running high-power tubes in class-A mode, well below their rated output, gives you the benefits of tube longevity, ungodly amounts of headroom/dynamics for this type of circuit, broad frequency range, and that inimitable class-A tone quality - as anyone who has ever owned a 7591-equipped blue-check Ampeg Gemini I/Rocket/Jet or cathode-bias B-15 will attest. Not too popular among rockers until now - historically more of a mainstream jazzers' amp for the reasons cited - but kudos to Mark and PRS for thinking "outside the box" (pun intended)...

Probably be a total tone monster with a pair of Eminence Swamp Thangs in a closed-back 2x12" cab - and a nice complement to your Supro Titan, Kev...

KevWind · #11 02-01-2018, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Looks like PRS took a page from the old Ampeg (and to a lesser extent Supro) playbook here: running high-power tubes in class-A mode, well below their rated output, gives you the benefits of tube longevity, ungodly amounts of headroom/dynamics for this type of circuit, broad frequency range, and that inimitable class-A tone quality - as anyone who has ever owned a 7591-equipped blue-check Ampeg Gemini I/Rocket/Jet or cathode-bias B-15 will attest. Not too popular among rockers until now - historically more of a mainstream jazzers' amp for the reasons cited - but kudos to Mark and PRS for thinking "outside the box" (pun intended)...

Probably be a total tone monster with a pair of Eminence Swamp Thangs in a closed-back 2x12" cab - and a nice complement to your Supro Titan, Kev...

Thanks for the info Steve. Interesting

Humm ...Swap Thangs will they make me sound like Lynyrd Skynyrd

PRS is also selling an..... MT closed back 1 X 12 with a Celestion Vintage 30 to go with it .

At the price point I am speculating it is probably being made off shore, to their specs like the PRS Sonzera amps .... But if it sounds good hey it sounds good .. Time will tell

clintj · #12 02-01-2018, 06:24 PM

Class A requires idling the tube hot enough for it to conduct over a full duty cycle with never going into cutoff, usually at 100 to 110% of max dissipation at idle, as in the Fender Champ and Marshall Class 5, for example. Amps with a phase inverter and even numbers of power tubes are almost universally Class AB, regardless of how they are biased (fixed or cathode). This includes the whole galaxy of cathode biased EL84 amps like Matchless, Gibson's GA-15, the Marshall 18W, and even the Vox AC15 and AC30. They're not class A in the least, despite what internet lore and the folks in marketing say.

KevWind · #13 02-01-2018, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clintj

Class A requires idling the tube hot enough for it to conduct over a full duty cycle with never going into cutoff, usually at 100 to 110% of max dissipation at idle, as in the Fender Champ and Marshall Class 5, for example. Amps with a phase inverter and even numbers of power tubes are almost universally Class AB, regardless of how they are biased (fixed or cathode). This includes the whole galaxy of cathode biased EL84 amps like Matchless, Gibson's GA-15, the Marshall 18W, and even the Vox AC15 and AC30. They're not class A in the least, despite what internet lore and the folks in marketing say.

Interesting thanks.

This Amp specs state "Fixed Bias, Adjustable (bias jacks accessible from back panel)"

LouieAtienza · #14 02-01-2018, 09:20 PM

Would have to play one though to get a "feel" for the amp and how it pushes the speakers. I do like the sounds coming out of it however, and it has some serious balls for a 15 watt amp. I kind of wish however they did the whole face as that mesh pattern with the logo on top. Would have looked more "boutique", but I do love the changing colors that go with each channel.

KevWind · #15 02-02-2018, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

Would have to play one though to get a "feel" for the amp and how it pushes the speakers. I do like the sounds coming out of it however, and it has some serious balls for a 15 watt amp. I kind of wish however they did the whole face as that mesh pattern with the logo on top. Would have looked more "boutique", but I do love the changing colors that go with each channel.

Yes as you say if the sound is up to par, I would think the lights would be great for the gigging player on a dim stage.

My only complaint about my Supro FT Sw. pedal for switching the onboard reverb and tremolo in and out is no LED's on the pedal, which if I have them set for more noticeable effect is no big deal, but if I have them set for just a very slight effect (which I usually prefer ) I sometimes can tell