“It’s one of the most capable two-channel amps around — a solid deal that keeps things simple and delivers great clean and overdriven tones.” We review the PRS Archon 50 Classic head

A rethink on the original Archon that PRS Guitars introduced in 2013 and named after the Greek word for “ruler” or “lord,” the PRS Archon Classic features an all new circuit design with a Lead channel voiced for ’70s and ’80s rock tones, and a Clean channel that delivers pristine sounds as well as plenty of grind without the need for a boost or overdrive pedal.

Weighing in at 32 pounds and measuring 21.5 by 10 by 10 inches, the head features a birch-ply cabinet covered in black textured vinyl with black embossed-welt piping and a stitched, faux-leather handle. The black front panel has white graphics and carries independent volume, treble, middle, bass and master controls for the Clean and Lead channels along with shared (global) presence and depth controls. There are three mini toggle switches: one next to the input jack for selecting channels, and a bright switch for each channel.

Around back are five speaker jacks (two four ohm, two eight ohm and one 16 ohm), a tube-driven series effect loop and a DIN jack for the included single-button foot switch for channel selection. There are two bias test points for measuring power-tube bias voltage with a digital voltmeter (not included) and a screwdriver adjustable pot for setting the voltage as specified in the manual.

The amp develops 50 watts from two 6CA7 (EL34) power tubes and can also use 6L6GC tubes if you prefer. There are six JJ ECC83S (12AX7) tubes for the preamp stages and the phase inverter. The steel chassis houses a main PCB for the circuit components and the preamp tubes while the rear-panel jacks reside on a smaller sub-board. The ceramic sockets for the power tubes are mounted directly to the chassis for extra strength and better heat transfer.

I tested the Archon 50 Classic through a Bogner 1x12 semi-open-back cab loaded with a 12-inch Celestion Vintage 30 and an early ’70s Marshall 4x12. It delivered great tones with a variety of electric guitars, including a Buzz Feiten T-style, a PRS SE Studio Standard with a 58/15 LT “S” humbucker and two Narrowfield DD “S” pickups, and a vintage Gibson Les Paul Junior with a single P90.

The Archon Classic 50 is rich and ballsy sounding in the mids, which suits single-coils well, and the Clean channel’s abundant gain range allows you to get just the right amount of grind while keeping a backbone of crisp presence that makes everything shimmer with harmonic complexity.

I like how you can use the Clean channel for rhythm and lead playing by putting the volume knob at two o’clock or so and just roll up the guitar’s volume knob when you want more dirt. The whole premise of this channel is to allows you to get boosted tones without a pedal, and it does that very well.

I did use a Fulltone OCD distortion for a high-gain option, but it’s not really necessary because the Lead channel takes off in a JCM800 inspired direction and provides all the distortion needed for rock and metal. It also gives abundant control over the midrange, so it’s easy to dial in classic or retro-modern scooped-mid tones. Not all amps offer this much EQ power from a passive tone stack.

The Archon 50 is very dynamic and responds well to picking strength and guitar-volume settings. And it’s loud! There’s no power-reduction feature here, but the master volume controls let you throttle the amp way down without losing punch, and the presence and depth controls really help maintain low-end chunk and that Marshall-style “in your face” delivery when playing at lower levels.

I didn’t try the amp with 6L6 power tubes (which might be good if you want maximum headroom), but the ease of monitoring and adjusting the bias voltage is a real plus for players who want to able to try different tubes without having to take the amp to a shop for re-biasing.

I’ve had the pleasure of using the Archon 50 Classic for several weeks and it’s one of the most capable two-channel amps around. Used on live gigs covering everything from rock to world music to backing a singer-songwriter I was inspired by its sound and only needed to add reverb and delay from my UAFX pedals to get exact what was needed for different situations.

For all it offers, the Archon 50 Classic is a solid deal that keeps things simple and delivers great clean and overdriven tones. If that's your aim, it’s an amp to try.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTACT prsguitars.com

PRICE $1, 149

CHANNELS 2

CONTROLS Channel select switch. [Lead channel] volume, bright switch, treble, middle, bass, master. [Clean channel] volume, treble, middle bass, master. Global presence and depth controls

REAR PANEL Bias jacks and pot, five speaker jacks (2x4Ω, 2x8Ω, 1x16Ω), series effect loop, foot-switch jack

POWER 50 watts

TUBES Six JJ 12AX7s, two JJ 6CA7/6L6GC power tubes

EXTRAS Single-button foot switch for channel switching. Bias jacks and adjustment pot on the rear panel

WEIGHT 32.4 lbs (tested)

DIMENSIONS 21.5 x 10 x 10 (LxWxH)

BUILT Indonesia

PRO Excellent clean and overdriven tones. Plenty of power. Handy biasing feature makes tube swapping a breeze

CON No standby switch may be a concern for some