What amps and pedals go with a PRS 594 for an authentic blues sound

KareyReese

Blues Newbie
Hi @Griff ,
I just purchased a PRS Macarty 594 Tampus green top 10. Any suggestions on which amp and pedals to give that authentic blues sound that would go with the PRS or Strat?

Thanks
 
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MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
I'll give you my unsolicited 2 cents...
Any amp dialed in nicely will work, but you really can't beat a Fender. (Just sit back and wait for the arguments on that one. LOL)
I recently did a little A/B/C test between my Eleven Rack (Fender Twin Reverb), Nace Pro 18 (Very Fender-y), and my Quilter Pro Block 200. Comments I got back are that they all sound pretty similar.
Pedals? Keep it simple at first. One or two OD pedals Boss BD2 & Tube screamer.
 

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
I just purchased a PRS Macarty 594 Tampus green top 10.

I'm going to defer to wiser heads on the gear you want (though, in general, "authentic" blues tones tend to come from simple setups). I mainly wanted to say, "WOW!" and congrats on the new guitar. Those 594s are killer. :Beer:
 

Al Holloway

Devizes UK
If by "authentic blues sound" you mean the 50's Chicago sound. Then it is most probably got by a small (max about 45W but many only 15-20W) Fender cranked to distortion so as to be heard in the noisy clubs. Probably no pedals (I believe the earliest pedals were the Vox Wah and early Tone Bender style Fuzzes. But both of these post dated the early electric Blues). If you are after a later tone then you would need to specify some Artists as Blues has been played on anything from Solid State (BB King) through to large Marshall stacks (Clapton, Page) and most stuff in between. Typically most older American Blues is on Fenders and most older British on Marshalls (but that is a huge generalisation and I'm sure I may start a "discussion").
Another popular way to go is to choose a clean high head room amp and buy different pedals to get the desired tone. Or if you are just starting out I would recomend a modelling amp like the Boss Katana so as to find your sound. Then once you know what you like either buy the real thing or realise modelling has come on so far you can just stick with the Katana (now really starting a war:whistle:).

cheers

Al.
 

snarf

making guitars wish they were still trees
Another popular way to go is to choose a clean high head room amp and buy different pedals to get the desired tone.
This is what a lot of us home players do. Even using a 5w amp, you can't really crank it to breakup without making the neighbors mad sometimes. So we get an amp whose clean sound we like, maybe an OD pedal or two along with a reverb pedal (if the amp doesn't have reverb built in), and use that for our house rig.

If you don't have an amp yet, Al's suggestion of a modeling amp or floor modeler is a good one. That would give you a chance to see what sound you really like since all the major brands seem to have their own flavor. Personally, I use Blackheart amps with a klone, TS-type, and reverb pedal in front of it. With modelers, I always seem to come back to the those Fenders (both tweed and blackface) that have the high headroom and super clean tones.
 

Zzzen Dog

Blues Junior
First off, congratulations on that PRS 594!! Paul Reed Smith makes beautiful instruments both sound-wise and visually, and a 594 in Tampas Green is sure to be stunning!

I think the modeling idea is a sound one. When I was originally looking, modeling amps weren't a thing and I went through a couple of Fenders, and a Roland Jazz Chorus. I also tried tried Marshall and Vox amps, as well as others. For me it all came together when I tried a Mesa Boogie Mark II. That all happened back in the 90s, but I couldn't afford a Mesa at the time. And time passed. Finally got a Mesa Mark V: 35 and it was the sound I was hearing in my head for so long.

If modeling were around in those earlier years, I might have skipped the Fenders and the Roland, and jumped right to the Boogie.

Then again, I'm also looking for a clean, high headroom amp to run a couple of pedals through.

That all said I was looking for more of a blues rock tone. You want an "early" blues tone, and Fender and Marshall amps were a part of that depending on time and which side of the pond players were on.

I'd add that you might want to consider a simple delay, rotory / tremolo, and reverb pedals depending on the sound you're looking for relative to the amp and OD pedal suggestion already given.

Good luck with your tone search.
 

Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
Create your own sound. If you follow the threads on this forum, as I have for the last 8 years, it seems that there is little if any consensus about "sound". There are folks out there that think that you must have the same setup as the original artist who made a Blues song popular. That is, the same guitar, pickups, pedals, amp, picks, settings, and the list goes on. :eek:

Some performers that I have seen have as many as 12 guitars on stage, and use a different one for specific songs.

My preference is to use what you have, and enjoy it. Play the guitar and create your own sound. But then again, you could drive yourself crazy and buy one of each! :confused:

Tom
 

mountain man

Still got the Blues!
Create your own sound. If you follow the threads on this forum, as I have for the last 8 years, it seems that there is little if any consensus about "sound". There are folks out there that think that you must have the same setup as the original artist who made a Blues song popular. That is, the same guitar, pickups, pedals, amp, picks, settings, and the list goes on. :eek:

Some performers that I have seen have as many as 12 guitars on stage, and use a different one for specific songs.

My preference is to use what you have, and enjoy it. Play the guitar and create your own sound. But then again, you could drive yourself crazy and buy one of each! :confused:

Tom
Totally agree Tom!! All you need is one guitar and one amp. Especially to play blues. But I do have dang near every one now........... Well, at least in the Fender, Gibson, and Martin world....... and a few others...... honestly it's more than I need but I sure do enjoy them all..... :Beer:
 

Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
Electric guitars are a "different kind of beast"! :) I have several acoustic guitars, including steel string, and classical and flamenco guitars. There is no way that I would ever consider getting rid of any of them. But my electrics are a different story. I really enjoy my Gretsch, and my BB King Lucille. I have a Marshall, VOX, and several amplifiers. These days I am happy to plug in my little Orange Crush 12, and play. My Keeley Luna Overdrive Pedal cost more than twice as much as the Orange Crush. I really do not use the pedal, and just use what controls the amp has. Set it and forget it! :) Play on dude! :cool:

Tom
 

snarf

making guitars wish they were still trees
it seems that there is little if any consensus about "sound".
I notice you've chosen to call it "sound" and not the T-word that seems to get so many worked up. Personally, I don't see a "T" in "fingers," "pickups," or "amps," but I do see one at the beginning of "totally crazy." Which I think we all are sometimes. :ROFLMAO::whistle::Beer:
 

KareyReese

Blues Newbie
If by "authentic blues sound" you mean the 50's Chicago sound. Then it is most probably got by a small (max about 45W but many only 15-20W) Fender cranked to distortion so as to be heard in the noisy clubs. Probably no pedals (I believe the earliest pedals were the Vox Wah and early Tone Bender style Fuzzes. But both of these post dated the early electric Blues). If you are after a later tone then you would need to specify some Artists as Blues has been played on anything from Solid State (BB King) through to large Marshall stacks (Clapton, Page) and most stuff in between. Typically most older American Blues is on Fenders and most older British on Marshalls (but that is a huge generalisation and I'm sure I may start a "discussion").
Another popular way to go is to choose a clean high head room amp and buy different pedals to get the desired tone. Or if you are just starting out I would recomend a modelling amp like the Boss Katana so as to find your sound. Then once you know what you like either buy the real thing or realise modelling has come on so far you can just stick with the Katana (now really starting a war:whistle:).

cheers

Al.
Thanks for your input. Very helpful.
 

KareyReese

Blues Newbie
I'll give you my unsolicited 2 cents...
Any amp dialed in nicely will work, but you really can't beat a Fender. (Just sit back and wait for the arguments on that one. LOL)
I recently did a little A/B/C test between my Eleven Rack (Fender Twin Reverb), Nace Pro 18 (Very Fender-y), and my Quilter Pro Block 200. Comments I got back are that they all sound pretty similar.
Pedals? Keep it simple at first. One or two OD pedals Boss BD2 & Tube screamer.
Thanks for your input.
 

KareyReese

Blues Newbie
First off, congratulations on that PRS 594!! Paul Reed Smith makes beautiful instruments both sound-wise and visually, and a 594 in Tampas Green is sure to be stunning!

I think the modeling idea is a sound one. When I was originally looking, modeling amps weren't a thing and I went through a couple of Fenders, and a Roland Jazz Chorus. I also tried tried Marshall and Vox amps, as well as others. For me it all came together when I tried a Mesa Boogie Mark II. That all happened back in the 90s, but I couldn't afford a Mesa at the time. And time passed. Finally got a Mesa Mark V: 35 and it was the sound I was hearing in my head for so long.

If modeling were around in those earlier years, I might have skipped the Fenders and the Roland, and jumped right to the Boogie.

Then again, I'm also looking for a clean, high headroom amp to run a couple of pedals through.

That all said I was looking for more of a blues rock tone. You want an "early" blues tone, and Fender and Marshall amps were a part of that depending on time and which side of the pond players were on.

I'd add that you might want to consider a simple delay, rotory / tremolo, and reverb pedals depending on the sound you're looking for relative to the amp and OD pedal suggestion already given.

Good luck with your tone search.
Thank you for your input.
 
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