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 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 6L6 tubes, offering full, articulate tone 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
Channels: Lead & Clean

Electronics
Wattage: 50

Tubes
Power Tubes: 2x 6CA7 or 6L6GC
Preamp Tubes: 6x 12AX7 / ECC83

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
Extension Speaker Jacks: 5
Ohm Switching: (2) 4 ohm & (2) 8 ohm parallel, (1) 16 ohm
Bias: Adjustable with Monitoring Jacks

Hardware
Covering: Black Textured Vinyl
Grill Cloth: Black British-Style Knitted Weave
Piping: Black Embossed Welt
Panel: Brushed Black Metal
Speakers: Celestion V-Type 70W
Handle: Stitched Black Faux Leather

Additional Information: