PRS: SE 20 combo

The PRS amps are in @ Davis GMC. In fact, they were there before the Lunar New year for amp dweebs like me to hear them in action before taking the holiday break to think. Think hard, mind you.

I've heard them all in their full glory but I'd start with the little brother of the family, the SE 20. PRS has objectivity in mind when they offer us these amps to the market; there are distinct channels on board for clean & driven applications with the respective set of EQs, no sharing please. However, distortion mongers like yours truly here would find the missing GAIN control very disturbing but PRS wants to make it clear that the VOLUME knob in this channel does that. However, turning it up in search of driven goodness is coupled with increased volume (the label says 'VOLUME' after all, duh...). It's how the amps of yesterday work, very volume driven & organic. Yes, that's the plus points of this amp; volume interplay opens up lots of definition & sensitivity manifestation. This amp will definitely appeal to those of us who dig into our frets & play with lots of feel.

No heavy metal here. That's right, the drive definition on offer does not tread the aggressive turf, you can still pull off Welcome to the Jungle very convincingly though, hope you don't approach this amp with intensity in mind but it's still hard rocking goodness through & through. 

Because I've heard all three amps in application, I must say that the SE 20 exceeded what we expect a 20-watter would do as its power rating screams 'entry level' but that's not how it turned out to be. Nevertheless, the 20 could have been better in terms of depth; it's mind boggling how an increase in wattage opens up a very different voicing experience & dynamics. The SE 20 sound subdued but the warmth on offer makes it likable despite the limitations. Maybe that's the 6V6 magic... :-)