couple of new amps

Ascension

Ascension

New member
Traded the PRS MT 15 to a old friend for a really nice Jet City 22H head and a 15 watt Egnater Tweaker that have only seen use in his studio. Todd has wanted the MT15 and with the first gen Archon 50 head I really didn't need both Amps.
Have wanted another of the original Jet City JCA 22H heads for a while. I sold mine to buy a JCA 22 Custom head thinking the cleans would be nice and I would like the updated more modern crunch side but hated the thing. Really liking this little head for the nice chimy Marshall tone and the the liquid SLO like crunch side at a footswitch.
The Tweaker I didn't expect much from but it surprised me. Haven't really had much time to work with it but was shocked at the high gain tones I was able to get with the thing.
Bottom line I now have 2 totaly different tones I didn't have instead of the very similar tones in the MT 15 to my Archon so that's a win.
 
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I had a Tweaker 15 a few years back and that's a great little amp! I loved the Marshall and Vox type tones out of it, I liked that it was 6V6 instead of the usual 84s, but you can also swap in any other octal power tubes in that thing!
 
I had a tweaker 15 and it didn't have enough gain for me I sent it back. I also have an Egnater rebel 30 that has A LOT more gain than the tweaker. I also have a PRS mt15 that was my main amp before I got my Mark V! I really like the mt15 itis a very good little amp that is very loud. I used to use the Egnater rebel 30 more than I do now but it does have a silent recording mode on it that I can run a different preamps through the power section of the rebel 30 which I really like it has a pair of 6V6's and a pair of EL84's and you can blend them together in different amounts.
 
Rex_Rocker said:
I wouldn't mind an MT15 myself, TBH.
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They're really great amps. A lot of distortion on tap and it excels at lower frequencies too. They also are VERY loud(I don't know how it is a 15 watt amp) the only complaint I have about it is the knobs are very touchy, there's a very wide range on each knob making it pretty sensitive.
 
Mikelamury said:
They're really great amps. A lot of distortion on tap and it excels at lower frequencies too. They also are VERY loud(I don't know how it is a 15 watt amp) the only complaint I have about it is the knobs are very touchy, there's a very wide range on each knob making it pretty sensitive.
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I guess that comes from the Mesa/Bogner heritage it's built upon.

I'd love to own one. But I'm kinda dubious of amps with no depth control. Rectos for instance are HUGE, but it would be cool if you could fine tune how huge you want them.

I had a Krank Rev Jr. that had a HUMONGOUS sub low-end that I was forced to run the bass knob at like 9 o'clock. And somehow it still managed to sound both boomy and thin.
 
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I've never played a Jet City JCA 22..though I did play the 20 watt one ..sounded nice but I would've liked more gain on tap (which the 22 has in spades). Congrats, it's always sounded great in clips..


The PRS MT 15 is a sweet amp, but if you already have an Archon...

I've played the 40 Watt Tweaker and one I think was 80 watts or something (?) ...they were both pretty nice from what I remember..
 
Loved the little MT 15 so much i bought the US Archon 50 head. Didn't need both so wound up doing the trade. Had a Jet City original JCA 22H and liked the little amp a lot but when the JCA 22H Custom came out with a supposedly updated high gain side and real clean sold my first 22H and bought a Custom head. Never really got along with the 22H Custom so eventually sold it when i bought the MT 15 so have come full circle and got the Tweaker head also.May sell the Tweaker head but this 22H isn't going anywhere as it's gotten very hard to find a unmodded early 22H head now. Really been working with the little 22H and have completely re-tubed it and am liking what I'm getting with it now a lot. This time I understand what the amp is and how to use it for a sorta plexie classic Marshall tone on the crunch side and then have the OD side for that Soldano liquid high gain. Little amp rips big time! Now between the Zinky Velvet the Boogie Subway Rocket the Archon rig the little Jet City and the old Carvin X 50 head have a lot of tonal ground covered for what ever gig I get called to play.
 
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Well finally got around to getting into the Tweaker tonight. Was quite surprised to find a pair of NOS RCA 7025 Black plate 12 AX7's in V 2 and 3 but a cheap EH in V 1! Looking forward to really getting into it tomorrow and playing around with some different tube combos in it. Am really confused that the guy I got it from had several hundred $'s worth of NOS glass in it but in the PI and middle gain stages with that harsh middy EH in V1? Kinda explains why I couldn't get a decent warm clean out of it and the amp lacked overall warmth and body in the tones though. Also had a cheap set of Chinese power tubes in it so will get a proper set of 6V6's and a fresh start in the preamp tomorrow. Going through the process of tweaking out a new amp to how I play is a big part of the fun in this stuff!
Really liking what I'm getting now with the JCA 22 head and it really fills a tonal hole I had in a small light head that could pull some classic Marshall tones.
Loved the MT 15 for the little beast it was but it was so similar to the Archon in overall tone and the US real Archon is just on a different plane as an amp . The Archon is also surprisingly small and fairly light plus is easier to control and get lower volume solid tones out of than the MT 15 was so it just didn't make sense to keep both.
 
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Rex_Rocker said:
I guess that comes from the Mesa/Bogner heritage it's built upon.

I'd love to own one. But I'm kinda dubious of amps with no depth control. Rectos for instance are HUGE, but it would be cool if you could fine tune how huge you want them.

I had a Krank Rev Jr. that had a HUMONGOUS sub low-end that I was forced to run the bass knob at like 9 o'clock. And somehow it still managed to sound both boomy and thin.
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These PRS Amps are far far different in feel from any Boogie. I sold my Mesa DC 5 soon after I bought the Mt 15 because I simply didn't like playing through it on the crunch side anymore. Was way to stiff and lacked dynamics and touch sensitivity compared the the little MT 15. Have owned a number of Boogies and still have the little Subway Rocket. Might want to try a MtT15 on a really good cab as the bottom end is really tight and hits HARD! Set up right on the right cab these little amps are monsters they just sound huge! Unfortunately with what I do most of the time that's just not the tone I needed and I wound up running a Wampler Belle through the fantastic clean channel more and more with mine. That was one of the factors in the trade I needed a more classic Marshall chimy crunch and the old Carvin has it but is honkin huge and flippin HEAVY so it went to my Church. Still have the US original Archon that does everything the MT 15 does and is the much better amp ( should be as it was US built no PC boards and way over twice as much $ ) so--. PS I like the MT 15 much better than I like the current import series 2 PRS Archon head. The MT15 is about $200 cheaper smaller lighter and gives up almost nothing in headroom or over all volume, add that to me they are just better sounding and feeling to play amps.
 
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Ascension said:
These PRS Amps are far far different in feel from any Boogie. I sold my Mesa DC 5 soon after I bought the Mt 15 because I simply didn't like playing through it on the crunch side anymore. Was way to stiff and lacked dynamics and touch sensitivity compared the the little MT 15. Have owned a number of Boogies and still have the little Subway Rocket. Might want to try a MtT15 on a really good cab as the bottom end is really tight and hits HARD! Set up right on the right cab these little amps are monsters they just sound huge! Unfortunately with what I do most of the time that's just not the tone I needed and I wound up running a Wampler Belle through the fantastic clean channel more and more with mine. That was one of the factors in the trade I needed a more classic Marshall chimy crunch and the old Carvin has it but is honkin huge and flippin HEAVY so it went to my Church. Still have the US original Archon that does everything the MT 15 does and is the much better amp ( should be as it was US built no PC boards and way over twice as much $ ) so--. PS I like the MT 15 much better than I like the current import series 2 PRS Archon head. The MT15 is about $200 cheaper smaller lighter and gives up almost nothing in headroom or over all volume, add that to me they are just better sounding and feeling to play amps.
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Yeah, I wasn't saying they were clones or anything. I'm sure the PRS stuff has its own thing going on.

I haven't played an MT15 or a DC5, TBH, but I think Rectos are underrated in terms of dynamics. The preamp is, after all, very SLO-inspired, and I think I remember you praising those for their touch sensitivity. Rectos aren't as high-gain as many people think they are. At least compared to 5150's which have a similar Soldano heritage. I usually run the gain well past 2:00 o'clock even in Modern mode, boosted, and hitting them with high-output pickups. But that's just me.

Anyway, forgot to congratulate you on your new amps! Glad you're digging them, man! Congrats! :)
 
Rex_Rocker said:
Yeah, I wasn't saying they were clones or anything. I'm sure the PRS stuff has its own thing going on.

I haven't played an MT15 or a DC5, TBH, but I think Rectos are underrated in terms of dynamics. The preamp is, after all, very SLO-inspired, and I think I remember you praising those for their touch sensitivity. Rectos aren't as high-gain as many people think they are. At least compared to 5150's which have a similar Soldano heritage. I usually run the gain well past 2:00 o'clock even in Modern mode, boosted, and hitting them with high-output pickups. But that's just me.

Anyway, forgot to congratulate you on your new amps! Glad you're digging them, man! Congrats! :)
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I like the recs ( in particular the Single Rec Solo 50) but they just don't feel the same as the PRS amps do. I also like the original Peavey 5150 a lot but I always used the low gain input when I played one not the high gain with a mid gain overwound PAF themed pickup so much differently from you.
For the SLO they have their own thing going and are fantastic amps in the right hands. However if you have ever played one you know they are very unforgiving and you have to REALLY be on your game to run a real SLO as they show every mistake. The little jet City I have BTW is one of the original amps that were designed by Mike Soldano not the later Martin Kidd designs like the JCA33 Custom was. It has a true Soldano vibe much like a Soldano 20 or Astro Verb has.
Thanks on the congrats as yep are digging the 2 amps.
 
Tweaker 15 is a great amp to A/B with another amp. I used it with an Orange OR15 and it sounded killer.

For my Tweaker, I think I ended up with 5881s. 6L6GC had a little bit more headroom and also sounded great. Fun amp for sure.
 
I had a Tweaker combo version once, but it disappointed me in the quality department. Sound wise I liked it better than a Blues Junior, especially with EL34s, but the tinkering requires that you take off the back panel and those screws all went loose due to the cheap cabinet material. Other than that also my power transformer died. Maybe I was just unlucky with mine but I felt the quality and reliability weren’t top notch.
 
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