Paul Reed Smith Archon 50 MK II 1×12″ 50-watt 2-Channel Tube Guitar Amplifier Combo

Paul Reed Smith Archon 50 MK II 1×12″ 50-watt 2-Channel Tube Guitar Amplifier Combo

High-Gain Hero

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 Archons 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 youre 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. 6CA7s 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 1×12 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 Archons 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 amps distortion and loudness. The bright switch acts almost as a treble boost, putting a shine on the amps high-end without going into icepick territory. The global presence and depth controls in the Archons 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 amps 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 Archons 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 1×12 combo.

Features:

ELECTRONICS

Wattage: 50 watts

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 5, Parallel
Ohm Switching (2) 4 ohm, (2) 8 ohm, (1) 16 ohm
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