“Its tonal quality is a match for boutique offerings from smaller high-end manufacturers”: PRS DGT 15 Combo review

What is it?

Texas bluesman and session legend par excellence David Grissom has a firm and long-standing bond with PRS. Legend has it that company founder Paul Reed Smith attended a gig where David was whipping up a storm and soon snagged him as a tone-advisor for the brand as well as a signature artist.

And, after the completion of his signature guitar in 2007, David set about creating an amplifier in conjunction with PRS head designer, Doug Sewell, tuned to the guitarist’s exacting tastes.

Following David’s penchant for preamp simplicity and power amp saturation, a number of high-quality guitar amplifiers bearing his initials have reached the market with details tweaked to achieve consistent tone in different wattage packages.

Conjuring the characteristics and peculiarities of David’s four favourite classic amps, a magic blend was concocted – the aim was to achieve the top-end of his tweed Deluxe, the midrange of his Hiwatt, and the low-end courtesy of both his JTM45 and AC30.

This single 12-inch Celestion Vintage 30-equipped 15-watt version is the first combo in the DGT lineage and, as such, received a great deal of attention in order to achieve a tight but full bottom-end. With its two EL84 power valves and a valve rectifier, power-stage saturation is clearly a key feature as is needed to achieve the gutsy tones favoured by David.

It certainly looks the part, too, clad in a blond Tolex covering with a black front-panel and salt-and-pepper basket-weave grille cloth. It cuts the dash of a vintage classic without steering too close to any particular brand’s aesthetics, and it’s a reasonably lightweight cabinet that’s definitely not a back-breaker.

Under the hood we find a printed circuit board construction, which is no bar to great tone. As ever, we recommend a reasonable amount of care with board-mounted valves and pots, although this type of build is quite standard at the price point and PRS does back it with a five-year guarantee.

Alongside the amp is a heavy-duty black three-way, LED-illuminated footswitch for boost, reverb and tremolo deployment via the included 5.3-metre five-pin MIDI-style cable.

The front-panel mini-switches modify the footswitching options, allowing the master volume and Bright switch to be instigated via the Boost switch.

Specs

• PRICE: $1,449/£1,449
• ORIGIN: Indonesia
• TYPE: All-valve single-channel combo
• VALVES: 2x EL84, 3x 12AX7, 1x 12AT7
• OUTPUT: 15W
• DIMENSIONS: 622 (w) x 267 (d) x 470mm (h)
• WEIGHT (kg/lb): 19.05/42
• CABINET: Plywood
• LOUDSPEAKER: 1x12” Celestion Vintage 30
• CHANNELS: 1
• CONTROLS: Volume, Boost switch, Treble, Mid, Bass, Bright switch, Master, Master switch, Reverb, Top Cut, Presence, Speed, Tremolo switch, Depth 
• FOOTSWITCH: 3-button included
• ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Switching configurability options. Bias terminals
• RANGE OPTIONS: Head-only version $1,199/£945
• CONTACT: PRS Guitars

Usability and sounds

Having had the pleasure of spending some time with the DGT 15 head, setting these controls felt like familiar ground. Perhaps the best way to appreciate how this amp wants to work is to switch the master volume out of the circuit – using its mini-toggle – and set the input gain as if it is the sole volume control.

This gives the output valves priority in terms of supplying saturation and harmonics. While this may be the reverse to how master volume amps are often used, it affords a more muscular and physical experience.

Using the non-master mode described above and with the usual six-string suspects lined up, we opt to begin with our Telecaster. Sounding immediately detailed yet gutsy, it’s a full-bodied tone with an inherent low-end that fills any gaps in the sound of single-coil guitars.

With the input gain set low we still find an exceptional amount of sustain, alongside the bell-like clarity. Switching to the Tele’s infamous bridge pickup, we get a gnarly early break-up with teeth.

Alongside Bass and Mid controls, we are blessed with four ways to modify the top-end: Treble, Top Cut, Presence and the Bright switch – providing the maximum flexibility to dial the sound to perfection.

It’s worth mentioning the chosen Celestion Vintage 30 12-inch speaker in this combo amp is capable of a little extra detail perhaps than the more traditional Greenback. This is a great match for the size of cabinet and amp output and it will compress nicely at higher levels, especially once the speaker has become ‘broken in’.

Time for our Les Paul Custom with Patent Applied For-style humbuckers, and as we push the input gain to halfway, we soon hit an appreciable seam of rich sustain and sizzling chords. With a push of the Boost footswitch, lead fluidity and controlled feedback are accessed, building on the same core tonality but this time with increased gain and sensitivity.

The default nature of the DGT 15 combo is raw, honest and unaffected. It is not about a pristine clean sound or a highly overdriven lead tone; this is very much a ‘set and forget’ platform, where further changes only need come from its three-button footswitch or your favourite pedals.

Utilising the guitar’s volume controls, it’s possible to achieve a huge amount of dynamic and tonal variation for rhythms or solos in the classic manner employed by Grissom and many other legendary blues-oriented players.

The onboard reverb is well tuned to provide a long and transparent halo, though it doesn’t sound particularly springy, despite its classic three-spring format.

Switching in the tremolo effect and we’re met with wobbulations of the smooth and vibey kind. It has a wide range from slow to fast and from mild to deep, something not all tremolo-equipped amps can achieve.

Verdict

Verdict: ★★★★½

While for every player there is an amplifier, some amplifiers please more people than others. It’s important to judge this one on its intended function as a bold, classic tone-machine aimed at vintage-appreciating, feel-based players. In this light, armed with a bunch of your favourite tone-bending pedals, this amp really is a people-pleaser.

Matching its tonality and gain to a variety of instruments and styles was effortless, but it’s at its best reproducing the classic sound palette of the ’60s and ’70s, albeit with a more extended and defined low-end and modern construction.

It’s a happy marriage of tone, power and portability and resides at the higher end of the market before reaching the realm of boutique pricing. But its tonal quality is a match for the more boutique offerings from smaller high-end manufacturers by virtue of the extensive research and development it has received.

Guitar World verdict: For those with classic tastes and an ear for the magic that power-section saturation brings, we’d say that you owe yourself a date with the DGT.

Hands-on videos

PRS Guitars

DGT 15 Combo Amplifier | Demo | PRS Guitars - YouTube

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American Musical Supply

PRS DGT 15 Combo Amp | Same DGT 15 Tone, Now in a Combo! - YouTube

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• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.