The PRS 30 has a classic English EL84 sound that has many applications.
Download Example 1 British - Bright on, Volume 5 o'clock, Reverb off, Treble 2 o'clock, Middle 1 o'clock, Bass 4 o'clock, Master 10 o'clock. PRS Starla X. | |
Download Example 2 Country Rock - Bright off, Volume 2 o'clock, Reverb off, Treble 3 o'clock, Middle 2 o'clock, Bass 10 o'clock, Master 9 o'clock. Fender Strat with pickup settings. | |
Download Example 3 Heavy Rock - Bright on, Volume 3 o'clock, Reverb off, Treble 3 o'clock, Middle 8 o'clock, Bass 3 o'clock, Master 10 o'clock. Peavey PXD Tomb II with EMG 60/81s. | |
Download Example 4 Increasing Guitar Volume - Bright off, Volume 12 o'clock, Reverb 10 o'clock, Treble 1 o'clock, Middle 7 o'clock, Bass 10 o'clock, Master 9 o'clock. PRS Mira X, switching pickups. | |
All clips recorded with a Shure SM57 into Digidesign Pro Tools. |
Paul Reed Smith joined forces with master amp designer Doug Sewell and collaborated for nearly four years before unveiling the highly anticipated PRS tube amp line in early 2009. With a tip of the hat to both classic American as well as British amps, PRS produced a line of amps that catered to the needs of varied playing styles and served up some distinct and unique tonal possibilities. PRS released the Blue Sierra, the Dallas, and the Original Sewell tube amps to rave reviews. Now, Paul Reed Smith is rolling out a series of lower wattage amps, including the 16-watt Sweet 16 and a new 30-watt cathode biased amp called the PRS 30.
Described as “an English sound with an American twist,” the PRS 30 features a quartet of EL84 tubes and a control layout similar to the PRS Dallas amp. The preamp section includes two 12AX7 tubes and two 12AT7 tubes. It also features a 3-spring Reverb with medium decay, and a special Master Volume that is dialed out of the circuit as the amp volume reaches the maximum setting. The amps are handmade in Stevensville, MD, and are available in head and combo versions.
The front panel of the PRS 30 includes controls for Volume, Reverb, Treble, Middle, Bass and Master Volume as well as a bright switch, a power switch and one input jack. The rear panel stays simple with an impedance selector, a fuse compartment, and an extension jack included in parallel with the speaker out jack. For those guitarists who weren’t crazy about the paisley look of the original PRS amps, they will be happy to know that the PRS 30 amps, along with the Sweet 16 and the accompanying new speaker cabinets, come in the new PRS tuxedo (black and white) tolex, which makes for a very classy look.
Plugging In
I received a PRS 30 head for review along with a 1x12 PRS speaker cabinet. I wasted no time in setting everything up and plugging in. I naturally chose a PRS Mira X guitar with humbucking pickups for the initial test drive. When some people test-drive a new car, they immediately want to see how fast the thing goes. My first instinct was to dial in my favorite distortion setting on a tube amp—Treble and Middle up half way, Bass and Volume (gain) cranked, with the Master Volume up a couple of notches. I quickly discovered that those general settings don’t really work on this amp! First of all, with the 1x12 closed-back PRS speaker cabinet, the bass response was rumbling and plentiful, so there was no need to crank the Bass up all the way. The distortion was pretty fuzzy and grungy with those settings, so I decided to start from scratch and dial all of the parameters to neutral, 12 o’clock positions. I then got an instant British/ classic rock tone with thick, creamy distortion. I only had to adjust the Treble to brighten up the tone slightly, but otherwise it was a ballsy overdriven tone with plenty of low end.
I also plugged in my Slash Les Paul with Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro-II humbuckers and got more of the same warm overdriven sound. It’s a great classic rock tone: punchy with a strong attack. The midrange is very rich and reminds me of a VOX tone, which has a lot to do with the EL84 tubes used in the amp. Playing around with the Volume knob on the amp, you can find your sweet spot at different locations of the sweep, depending on your pickups. There is a point in which the actual volume stops increasing, while the tone becomes thicker and more compressed. It seemed to be different with every guitar, so it’s best to experiment a bit to find your favorite setting.
For a clean sound, I dialed the volume to about 8 o’clock on the amp, and set the other parameters to 12 o’clock. I flipped on the Bright switch and put both humbuckers on, and the clean tone was immediately well balanced and full. I didn’t feel the need to adjust the parameters at all. The bass frequencies were deep but not too boomy, while the highs were glistening and bell-like. With both pickups on, it was a nice balance of the entire tonal spectrum. I stayed with those settings when I plugged in my Strat. The clean tone was a little more chimey and sparkling, but again I didn’t feel the need to adjust the EQ knobs from their 12 o’clock positions. This clean sound is great for playing soul and funk. Playing 9th chord funky rhythms, the tone is clear and tight with no breakup. With single coils, I could really hear the difference the Bright switch makes. With the pickup in the bridge position, I preferred to have the bright switch off for a warmer sound. Adding distortion, I tweaked the EQ slightly by bringing the middle and bass up. This setting was perfect for country rock, and I had a nice mix of twang and distortion.
I also tried the amp with a PRS Starla X guitar with soapbar pickups. I brought the Volume and Middle controls up and got a nice classic ‘60s distortion. With the soapbar pickups, the high notes were fat with a lot of bite to cut through the mix. Switching to the neck pickup, the overdrive was low and buzzy. With Drop-D tuning, I played some heavy single-note lines that would satisfy any grunge fan.
I also played around with the 3-spring reverb in the clean setting. It’s great for playing ‘50s-style rhythms, James Bond-style spy movie riffs or surf music. The mix and balance was good between dry and wet. The effect didn’t overpower the signal at all, and even when I turned it up all the way it was full without the guitar getting lost and drowning in too much reverb.
With every guitar I played, the PRS 30 was very touch sensitive. It had a lot of response depending on how hard or soft I played. It cleaned up nicely when rolling off the volume of the guitar. I was able to play rhythms with a clean sound and then give my leads a boost by turning the guitar volume all the way up for a semi-overdriven tone. The amp offers a variety of different tones just based on the velocity of your playing and the volume position on your guitar.
The Final Mojo
The PRS 30 is a good amp for many musical styles, such as classic rock, blues, funk, R&B, and country. As a standalone amp, it doesn’t venture into high-gain modern metal territory, so it probably wouldn’t be the first choice for heavy metal guitarists. Also, some guitarists may think there aren’t enough additional features on the PRS 30 to make it their ultimate main amp. Besides not having a high-gain option, there is no channel switching for an instant change of sounds, and there isn’t an effects loop. Overall, the PRS 30 succeeds in producing an English sound with an American twist. It offers classic EL84 tones with some adjustments and tweaks to the EQ section to give it a unique character and a sound all its own.
Buy if...
you’re a fan of the classic English EL84 sound.
Skip if...
you’re looking for an amp with high gain or channel switching.
Rating...
Street $1899 - PRS Guitars - prsguitars.com |
While this forgotten, oddball instrument was designed with multidextrous guitarists in mind, it never quite took off—making it a rare, vintage treasure.
At Fanny’s House of Music, you never know what strange or fascinating relics you might find. Guitorgan? Been there, sold that. A Hawaiian tremoloa fretless zither? We’ve had two.
Recently, the oddest of odd ducks strolled through Fanny’s front door. It looks like a Harmony Wedge lap steel that was thrown in the dryer to shrink a little bit. It has two flatwound bass strings, in reverse order from where you’d expect—the higher string is on the left side if you’re looking at the instrument’s face. Each string has its own fretting surface, bent at a 135-degree angle away from each other, and the frets are labeled with note names. A raised, thin strip of wood separates the strings from each other on the fretboard.
Oh, wait a moment. Did we say “fretboard?” We should have said “footboard.” Allow us to introduce you to the 1970s Mike Miller Foot Bass. That’s right—you play this adorable critter with your feet. The strings are tuned a fifth apart from each other. By setting the instrument on the ground and rocking your foot back and forth over the neck, you get a standard country root-fifth bass line—completely hands-free. Are you a guitar player? All you need is one of these puppies and a drum machine and, poof! You’re a whole band!
Along the “footboard” are markers for note names.
Thank goodness for the internet, which gave me access to the original promotional materials for the Foot Bass. Emblazoned with the all-caps header, “BE YOUR OWN BASS MAN,” its pamphlet extols the virtues of the Foot Bass. Describing it as “practically maintenance free,” it guarantees you’ll “amaze friends and audiences,” and “make extra MONEY.”
A brief meander through the United States Patent and Trademark website revealed the patent, whose filer was equally concerned with finances. “A currently popular form of entertainment is provided by an artist who both sings and accompanies himself on a guitar,” it reads, as if this hasn’t been a popular form of entertainment for a very long time. “The performance of such an artist may be enhanced by adding a bass accompaniment.... However, such an additional bass accompaniment ordinarily requires an extra artist for playing the bass and therefore represents an additional expense.” Sorry, bass players. Clearly, you all do nothing but cost us guitar players money.
“That’s right—you play this adorable critter with your feet.”
Be prepared to dig through your closet when you embark on your Foot Bass journey. If you start with your trusty Doc Martens, you’re in for a disappointing experience. Deep treads make for messy notes and poor contact with the strings. And while barefoot playing allows for more nimble, adventurous basslines, the lack of a rigid surface prevents the “simple and convenient” operation promised by the patent. What you need, as one Fanny’s employee described, are “church shoes”—something with a low profile and a flat sole.
This Mike Miller Foot Bass is from the 1970s, and has a patent for its design.
Even with the right footwear, playing the Foot Bass takes some getting used to. There’s a bit of foam under the pickup cover that mutes the strings when you’re not playing them, but you can still make a remarkable amount of clatter with this thing. It’s a subtle motion that works best, and it certainly takes practice to master it. Add in multiple chords or—be still, my heart—walking up from one chord to the next? Give yourself a couple weeks in the woodshed before you schedule your next show.
If you’re looking for something to watch tonight, there’s a documentary you can find on YouTube called Let Me Be Your Band. It covers the history of one-person bands, starting with blues pioneer Jesse “Lone Cat” Fuller and continuing up to the early 2000s with the careers of Hasil Adkins and Bob Log III, among others. It’s a touching portrayal of ingenuity and spunk, and an ode to owning your weirdness. Not a single person in Let Me Be Your Band had a Foot Bass, though. It’s high time the Foot Bass was celebrated for its cleverness and played by an enterprising solo act. It’s a bit like Cinderella’s glass slipper here at Fanny’s. We can’t wait to see who tries it on for a perfect fit.
The incendiary giant of psychedelic guitar concludes his 21-date world tour this weekend in New York City. In this photo essay, PG’s editorial director reports on the opening date of the sonic architect of Pink Floyd’s historic five-concert run at MSG.
NEW YORK CITY–There’s a low, sustained tone that David Gilmour extracts from his Stratocaster at the beginning of Pink Floyd’s “Sorrow.” It’s the intimidating growl of a robotic tiger–or, more realistically, a blend of low-string sustain, snarling overdrive from a Big Muff, and delay that saturates the air and seems to expand into every bit of open space. It’s almost overpowering in its intensity, but it is also deeply beautiful.
That tone, and so many of the other sounds that Gilmour has conjured in his 46 years of recording with Pink Floyd and as a solo artist, inspired me to leave Nashville to attend the first concert of Gilmour’s five-night stand at Madison Square Garden, on November 4. I’d been lucky enough to catch Gilmour’s tour supporting 1984’s About Face and two later Pink Floyd concerts, but the guitarist is 78 this year, so I felt that the 21 dates he’s playing in a mere four cities might be my last chance to be in the same room with all of his extraordinary tones. Plus, Pink Floyd, and especially Gilmour’s solo recordings and his brilliant Live at Pompeii concert film, was my wife, Laurie’s, and my refuge during the Covid lockdown. This was our opportunity to experience the sorcerer at work in one of his temples, where he and Pink Floyd first played in 1977.
Gilmour wields his Black Cat Strat, which he also played on Luck and Strange’s opener, “Black Cat,” in the studio.
Photo by Emma Wannie/MSGE
Was it worth the price of two concert tickets, flights, two nights in a Midtown hotel, and a subway ride? If you need to ask, it’s likely you’re not as familiar with Gilmour’s playing as I suggest that you should be. For guitarists, outside-the-box musical thinkers, and lovers of exceptional songwriting–and even concert lighting effects and live sound–this show was a perfect 10. Gilmour and his ensemble, including his daughter Romany, performed a well-chosen set of tunes by Pink Floyd and from Gilmour’s solo work, including his recent album Luck and Strange, which is more about composition than guitar exposition. Live, this was not the case. “Luck and Strange,” “A Single Spark,” and others from the album were expanded to include 6-string excursions that–in his signature style–took the lyrics as their inspiration and expanded their emotional architecture.
A close-up of Gilmour’s famed Workmate guitar, a 1955 Fender Esquire that once belonged to Seymour Duncan.
Photo by Emma Wannie/MSGE
Repeatedly, Gilmour displayed his ability to play the perfect parts, and especially solos, for each song. Some, of course, like “Time,” require sticking to text, but his expansions of “Breathe” and other numbers incorporated subtle improvisations dappled by pitch-changing, his emotive string bending, and numerous shifts in tone and phrasing that nonetheless always respected his unmistakable core sound. In Nashville, a frequent compliment is that a musician “always plays the perfect part.” For me, that’s a warning that I’m probably going to hear very professional and predictable playing all night long, and that’s usually boring. But Gilmour’s ear-opening sounds and phrases are constantly peppered with surprises–a hallmark of his characterful virtuosity. In the first of his Garden shows, he stepped outside the box while always respecting its contents, and it was a pleasure to hear him repeatedly practice that high art.
Guy Pratt remarked, while speaking to the audience before the show, that his first gig at MSG with Gilmour had been 37 years and one day earlier. Live, it was clear that Pratt is Gilmour’s right-hand man, as he set up cues for the other players.
Photo by Emma Wannie/MSGE
A pre-tour rumor was that Gilmour would not be playing any Pink Floyd numbers. That seemed unlikely, given his role as the composer and vocalist of so many of the band’s showcase songs. And, indeed, “Speak to Me,” “Breathe,” “Time,” “Marooned” (with its pitch-defying solo), “Wish You Were Here,” “High Hopes,” “Sorrow,” “A Great Day for Freedom,” “The Great Gig in the Sky,” “Coming Back to Life,” and “Comfortably Numb” were all present during the roughly two-and-a-half hours of music. What seemed remarkable throughout was not only the perfection of Gilmour’s playing but his ability to still hit every vocal high note with the same energy and accuracy of the original recordings, including his superb recreation of the scatting in “Wish You Were Here.”
Gilmour’s acoustic guitar, especially on “Wish You Were Here,” sparkled with clarity and articulation, and his scatting on that song proved that at 78 he can still summon the power and precision to hit the high vocal notes.
Photo by Emma Wannie/MSGE
“Wish You Were Here” was his first acoustic guitar excursion of the concert, and he and supporting guitarist Ben Worsley made the song a trip in the Wayback Machine, effortlessly conjuring the introduction’s vibrant appeal and deep emotionalism. Their acoustic instruments sounded crisp and resonant through the arena-sized PA, which should not have been surprising given Gilmour and Pink Floyd’s high standards for live sound. And all night, Gilmour’s vocals enjoyed the same clarity, making every lyric understandable, which is quite a feat for any large-hall show. The only quibble is that the drums echoed off the Garden’s back wall, which, given its 19,500 capacity, was on par.
Guy Pratt, David Gilmour, and Ben Worsley keeping the rock in arena rock. In addition to his Fender Jazz Bass, Pratt also played an Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray, and an upright. For electric guitar, Worsley slung a PRS S2 SSH.
Photo by Emma Wannie/MSGE
Romany Gilmour played a vital role in the show, with her voice navigating the Celtic-influenced melody of “Between Two Points,” from Luck and Strange, before joining the already formidable voices of Louise Marshall, and Charlie and Hattie Webb, in the band’s chorus. All four took turns singing lead on Dark Side of the Moon’s wordless masterpiece “The Great Gig in the Sky,” as Marshall played piano and Gilmour took one of his turns on the table-steel guitar.
A crowd’s-eye view, with lighting-enhanced stage fog. At right, just out of frame, is famed keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, who first joined Gilmour’s ensemble as part of the Rattle That Lock tour of Europe and appears in the Live in Pompeii concert film.
Photo by Emma Wannie/MSGE
“In Any Tongue,” from Gilmour’s 2014 album Rattle That Lock, was, of course, a musical highlight, ignited by that grizzly tone, but furthered by expressive, powerhouse solos from both Gilmour and Worsley. The song’s anti-war theme was enhanced by the same back-projected, heart-breaking video shown in 2016’s Live in Pompeii film, which conveys the idea that military violence spares neither the often-reluctant invaders nor the invaded. And last, of course, came “Comfortably Numb,” with Gilmour’s holy grail guitar solos, perfectly executed as he and the band played from behind an allusive wall of light. With their deep, idiosyncratic bends, rich, howling midrange, and his perfect, vibrato-laden bends, squealing harmonics, touch, and phrasing, these solos were the ultimate 6-string microphone drop.
Gilmour and his Black Cat Strat–partners for the concert’s closing number, “Comfortably Numb,” from Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
Photo by Emma Wannie/MSGE
If that was my last opportunity to hear Gilmour live, it’s understandable. He’s a legend who has earned his status through nearly a half-century of remarkable playing and composing. He has no need to create or perform on any terms beyond his own. I’m simply happy to have been able to bear witness, and to share the experience with you.
D'Addario's new Bridge Pin Puller and Tour-Grade Peg Winder are designed to make string changes a breeze.
The Bridge Pin Puller is designed to be the fastest, easiest, and safest way to remove bridge pins from an acoustic guitar. Small enough to fit in your pocket, the standalone bridge pin puller is a great way for acoustic players to avoid fumbling with bridge pins during string changes and maintenance. The ergonomic design comfortably fits in hand but won’t place extra pressure on the instrument or bridge during use. Best of all, the clamp design encloses the pin, keeping it secure inside the puller until it’s released.
The Tour-Grade Peg Winder offers next-level performance for luthiers, techs, or anyone who wants to change strings with maximum speed and ease. The multi-tool design brings together a ball bearing, non-damaging socket for smoother winding, molded grips, and a spring-loaded bridge pin puller, delivering an all-in-one option to handle most standard string changes.
From the straight-forward simplicity of the Bridge Pin Puller to the all-around convenienceof the Tour-Grade Peg Winder, D’Addario has your string changes covered.
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On this episode of the 100 Guitarists podcast, we’re talking about our favorite Lukather tracks, from his best rhythm parts to his most rippin’ solos. And even though he spends most of his playing time with the biggest names, we’ve managed to call up a few deep cuts.
Steve Lukather is one of the most documented guitarists in the hit-making biz. He grew up as an L.A. teen with a crew of fellow musicians who would go on to make their livings at the top of the session scene. By the time Lukather and his pals formed Toto, they were already experienced chart-toppers. The band went on to success with hits including the rockin’ “Hold the Line,” breezy, bouncing “Rosanna,” and the timeless “Africa.”
As a session player, Lukather’s reign in the ’70s and ‘80s extended from Olivia Newton-John to Herbie Hancock to Michael Jackson. And alongside Michael McDonald—whose “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” included Lukather’s distinctive rhythm riffage—Daryl Hall and John Oates, Kenny Loggins, Peter Cetera, and Christopher Cross (among many others) he may have earned the title of yacht rock’s number one guitar player.
On this episode of the 100 Guitarists podcast, we’re talking about our favorite Lukather tracks, from his best rhythm parts to his most rippin’ solos. And even though he spends most of his playing time with the biggest names, we’ve managed to call up a few deep cuts.