Paul Reed Smith PRS Archon 50 1x12 Combo

PRS Archon 50 Combo

Greek for “ruler” or “lord,” the PRS Archon is a commanding 2-channel amp with versatile overdriven tones and sparkling cleans with plenty of headroom. Designed with five gain stages before the master volume, the Archon’s lead channel is voiced to cover everything from Classic Rock to Metal with full, lush distortion. The clean channel provides rich tones that retain clarity even at high volume, and there is ample headroom, creating an excellent platform for pedals. The Archon has remarkably responsive tone with incredible note separation, whether you’re playing on the clean channel or chugging on the lead.

The PRS Archon is powered by two 6CA7 power tubes, which fall between EL34 and 6L6 tubes, offering the best of both worlds. 6CA7’s are warm, full, and articulate with smooth high end and tight low end. They chug, distort, and get heavy without over-saturating, and they sing without becoming harsh. The 1x12 combo features a single Celestion V-type speaker, offering full, extended lows and sweet midrange. The compactness and portability of a “grab and go” combo design is also great for players who bring their amp along to rehearsals, studio time, and gigs.

Utilizing a ‘no flash or trash’ approach, the Archon’s control layout allows for detailed and intuitive tone shaping. Each channel features volume, treble, middle, bass, and master volume controls as well as a bright switch. The 3-band EQ lets players better dial-in their desired tone, while the volume and master controls work together to command the amp’s distortion and loudness. The bright switch acts almost as a treble boost, putting a shine on the amp’s high-end without going into icepick territory. The global presence and depth controls in the Archon’s power amp section both work to modify the feedback network of the amp to unleash the potential of the high- and low-end respectively. Turning up the Presence control releases more high- mid and treble frequencies, bringing the amp’s tone forward. Depending on the tone stack and volume settings, the Presence can change the gain/ texture and loudness of the high-end, making your tone wilder and more 3-dimensional (or more “present” sounding). In addition to adding low-end, Depth adds a resonance to those frequencies that more 3-dimensionally shapes the Archon’s tone.

Bottom Line: The Archon 50 delivers full, lush gain, a remarkable clean channel, and a versatile control layout that players of all genres will appreciate. Available as a 50-watt head or 1x12 combo.

SPECIFICATIONS

GENERAL

Available Configurations

1x12 Combo, Head

ELECTRONICS

Wattage

50

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

Lead Channel

Master Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Bright Switch, Volume

Clean Channel

Master Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Bright Switch, Volume

Global Controls

Presence, Depth

BACK PANEL FEATURES

Inlet

Fused Power Inlet (IEC)

Effects Loop

Series - tube driven

Bias

Adjustable

Extension Speaker Jacks

2x4 parallel, 2x8 parallel, 1x16

Channels

Lead & Clean

HARDWARE

Covering

Black Textured Vinyl

Grill Cloth

Black British-Style Knitted Weave

Panel

Brushed Black Aluminum

Piping

Black Embossed Welt

Speakers

Celestion V-Type 70W

Output Transformer

19H01-OPT

TUBES

Power Tubes

2x JJ 6CA7

Preamp Tubes

6x JJ ECC83S

MEASUREMENTS

Amp Width

21.5”

Amp Depth

10”

Amp Height

18”

Amp Weight

42.8 lbs

ACCESSORIES

Included Accessories

1-Button Footswitch, for Channel Switching

Photos Shown ARE STOCK IMAGES