Prosonic, what's the scoop?

singlecoil · September 27th, 2003, 01:13 PM

was curious about the Prosonic model amp. Is it a custom shop ptp or pcb? tone, specs, pros & cons, general opinions and comments all apreciated.

astro · September 27th, 2003, 04:44 PM

I played one the other day. It reminded me of a twin with an extra preamp stage for even more gain. You can apparently switch the recitifiers between three different modes, the last one being solid state. It sounded too fake to me. For some strange reason most silverface twins sound that way to me. The overdrive wasn't organic. It sounded sterile. I don't think they have huge amounts of headroom either. I am pretty sure this is a pcb amp. The one I saw was a head, 600 dollars used but in excellent condition.

Hope that helps

tweedman · September 27th, 2003, 05:22 PM

I owned the 2x10 combo version for about 2 years.It is a great amp but not a Twin or Super Reverb.The amp has cascading gain and lots of it but the amp reminds me of Fender trying to copy Mesa Boogie.[How ironic].

MJ Harnish · September 28th, 2003, 02:55 AM

I've heard people sound good with them and people sound terrible; personally I think the lower gain settings on them sound pretty good but trying to use it as a 'high gain' amp reveals its weaknesses. It's a PCB based amp though I've heard rumors that there are some custom shop PTP (more accurately, turret board) versions floating around. Definitely a try-before-you-buy amp because a lot depends on your playing style and taste.

ashtray · September 30th, 2003, 11:51 AM

First off, there seems to be 2 issues with them - one is a hizz in the reverb circuit, the other is a pop when switching channels. Ways to get around that is to keep the reverb low, and use just one channel.

I bought this amp from a gigging musician, actually this guy is pretty amazing with a guitar. He wasn't selling it, but I offered him some money for it, and got it. He sounded amazing through it - I mean the tone he got from plugging straight into it - crazy!

Ok, there's a bunch of stuff I can say about this amp - if you can find one and try it out, then that'll probably help the most. But they're not the most common amp out there, so good luck finding one in person.

The clean channel is classic Fender clean. I have my rectifier set on Class A tube, so it's a lower wattage setting (something like 22 watts?), so it breaks up easier. (There's an A/B tube, and an A/B SS setting too.) That being said, it seems to want to break up very early sometimes (like at "1"), so I think might need a fresh set of tubes. The clean sound is very warm. It's more like a '65 Deluxe than a twin. The tone knobs are VERY sensitive - turning it from 3 to 4 makes a big difference. I'd suggest setting the tone knobs down to 2, and bringing each up slowly from there. Most other amps I play have little sensitivity from 0-10 in comparison.

It's a 2 channel amp, but only one set of tone knobs, so that's a drawback - you set your clean tone, but then your overdrive tone will be based on that. Tough to dial in the tone that works great for you for both channels sometimes. Using a pedal for overdrive will solve this problem.

But - that being said, listen to this amp before putting a pedal in front of it. The overdrive is very mesa - very heavy when cranked up. It is a dual cascading setup - one knob controls the compression, the other the amount of distortion. You can really customize your tone with the 2 controls - ie, high compression, low distortion - something you can't do with most other amps. This amp really screams with the overdrive cranked - it's like more mesa than a mesa.

Hmm, what else can I tell you? I think the head version doesn't have reverb. I have the 2x10" combo. It says "Fender Custom Shop" with the "V" on the back of mine, but I hear there are non custom shop versions around too. It also came available in different tolex colors - though mine is black.

I think it's a PCB setup - but I haven't torn it apart or anything to look, so I dunno.

You can get them pretty cheap nowadays - like $500-600 for the combo. They sold for over $1,000 new (listed well above that). I think they're a good value - but they're not going to be for everyone. It's a heavy amp too - a very solid cabinet.

That's about all I can think to say - feel free to ask any other specific questions, and if you're in the MD area, drop me a line if you want to come by for a demo.

ashtray · September 30th, 2003, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by singlecoil

was curious about the Prosonic model amp. Is it a custom shop ptp or pcb? tone, specs, pros & cons, general opinions and comments all apreciated.

Say - just noticed your handle, you're not by chance the same "singlecoil" from the old HC forum days, are you?

singlecoil · September 30th, 2003, 08:16 PM

must of been some other guy ashtray, cause this is the only forum i've posted on except for the fender forum. BTW thanks for all the great info on your amp. you told me pretty much all i need to know. Thanks to all the other posters also. the prosonic still sounds like a very interesting amp but i don't think it's my style. I'm planing on picking up another amp very soon but i need something smaller and lighter, with about 20 watts max. pretty much set on a SFDR or even a princeton. i already have a SFTR and a 50 watt JCM800 and i need something that is less loud, still has good tone with some breakup in a small nifty package for some of the smaller rooms we play plus i can use it at home without driving my wife crazy. i mainly use my other rigs and will only use the smaller amp very specifically and ocassionaly.

ashtray · October 1st, 2003, 03:08 PM

Cool - yeah, must be another guy with the same handle - this goes back a few years too.

Yeah - the prosonic is HEAVY and isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. I'd recommend a '65 DRRI for a small watt amp with good tones. I'm trying to pick one up myself if I can ever save enough money for a used one, without spending it on another piece of gear!

September 27th, 2003, 01:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
singlecoil Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: SE New Mexico Posts: 194	Prosonic, what's the scoop? was curious about the Prosonic model amp. Is it a custom shop ptp or pcb? tone, specs, pros & cons, general opinions and comments all apreciated.

September 28th, 2003, 02:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
MJ Harnish Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hattingen, Germany Posts: 457	I've heard people sound good with them and people sound terrible; personally I think the lower gain settings on them sound pretty good but trying to use it as a 'high gain' amp reveals its weaknesses. It's a PCB based amp though I've heard rumors that there are some custom shop PTP (more accurately, turret board) versions floating around. Definitely a try-before-you-buy amp because a lot depends on your playing style and taste. __________________ MJ Harnish Suburbs: Where they cut down all the trees and then name the streets after them.

September 30th, 2003, 11:51 AM	#5 (permalink)
ashtray Tele-Holic Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Ventura County, CA Posts: 683 4 Photos	Yeah, I got one of these First off, there seems to be 2 issues with them - one is a hizz in the reverb circuit, the other is a pop when switching channels. Ways to get around that is to keep the reverb low, and use just one channel. I bought this amp from a gigging musician, actually this guy is pretty amazing with a guitar. He wasn't selling it, but I offered him some money for it, and got it. He sounded amazing through it - I mean the tone he got from plugging straight into it - crazy! Ok, there's a bunch of stuff I can say about this amp - if you can find one and try it out, then that'll probably help the most. But they're not the most common amp out there, so good luck finding one in person. The clean channel is classic Fender clean. I have my rectifier set on Class A tube, so it's a lower wattage setting (something like 22 watts?), so it breaks up easier. (There's an A/B tube, and an A/B SS setting too.) That being said, it seems to want to break up very early sometimes (like at "1"), so I think might need a fresh set of tubes. The clean sound is very warm. It's more like a '65 Deluxe than a twin. The tone knobs are VERY sensitive - turning it from 3 to 4 makes a big difference. I'd suggest setting the tone knobs down to 2, and bringing each up slowly from there. Most other amps I play have little sensitivity from 0-10 in comparison. It's a 2 channel amp, but only one set of tone knobs, so that's a drawback - you set your clean tone, but then your overdrive tone will be based on that. Tough to dial in the tone that works great for you for both channels sometimes. Using a pedal for overdrive will solve this problem. But - that being said, listen to this amp before putting a pedal in front of it. The overdrive is very mesa - very heavy when cranked up. It is a dual cascading setup - one knob controls the compression, the other the amount of distortion. You can really customize your tone with the 2 controls - ie, high compression, low distortion - something you can't do with most other amps. This amp really screams with the overdrive cranked - it's like more mesa than a mesa. Hmm, what else can I tell you? I think the head version doesn't have reverb. I have the 2x10" combo. It says "Fender Custom Shop" with the "V" on the back of mine, but I hear there are non custom shop versions around too. It also came available in different tolex colors - though mine is black. I think it's a PCB setup - but I haven't torn it apart or anything to look, so I dunno. You can get them pretty cheap nowadays - like $500-600 for the combo. They sold for over $1,000 new (listed well above that). I think they're a good value - but they're not going to be for everyone. It's a heavy amp too - a very solid cabinet. That's about all I can think to say - feel free to ask any other specific questions, and if you're in the MD area, drop me a line if you want to come by for a demo.

September 30th, 2003, 08:16 PM	#7 (permalink)
singlecoil Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: SE New Mexico Posts: 194	hey ashtray must of been some other guy ashtray, cause this is the only forum i've posted on except for the fender forum. BTW thanks for all the great info on your amp. you told me pretty much all i need to know. Thanks to all the other posters also. the prosonic still sounds like a very interesting amp but i don't think it's my style. I'm planing on picking up another amp very soon but i need something smaller and lighter, with about 20 watts max. pretty much set on a SFDR or even a princeton. i already have a SFTR and a 50 watt JCM800 and i need something that is less loud, still has good tone with some breakup in a small nifty package for some of the smaller rooms we play plus i can use it at home without driving my wife crazy. i mainly use my other rigs and will only use the smaller amp very specifically and ocassionaly.

September 27th, 2003, 04:44 PM	#2 (permalink)
astro Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: North Shoa, MA Posts: 872	I played one the other day. It reminded me of a twin with an extra preamp stage for even more gain. You can apparently switch the recitifiers between three different modes, the last one being solid state. It sounded too fake to me. For some strange reason most silverface twins sound that way to me. The overdrive wasn't organic. It sounded sterile. I don't think they have huge amounts of headroom either. I am pretty sure this is a pcb amp. The one I saw was a head, 600 dollars used but in excellent condition. Hope that helps

September 27th, 2003, 05:22 PM	#3 (permalink)
tweedman Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 414	I owned the 2x10 combo version for about 2 years.It is a great amp but not a Twin or Super Reverb.The amp has cascading gain and lots of it but the amp reminds me of Fender trying to copy Mesa Boogie.[How ironic].

October 1st, 2003, 03:08 PM	#8 (permalink)
ashtray Tele-Holic Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Ventura County, CA Posts: 683 4 Photos	Cool - yeah, must be another guy with the same handle - this goes back a few years too. Yeah - the prosonic is HEAVY and isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. I'd recommend a '65 DRRI for a small watt amp with good tones. I'm trying to pick one up myself if I can ever save enough money for a used one, without spending it on another piece of gear!