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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

When the 100 and 50 watt versions of this amp came out I was intrigued, but didn’t need the power. With the 20 watt and a master volume PRS have checked all the boxes. I own a Marshall SV20H which is an amp that I’m sure most anyone considering the HDRX20 will also be looking at. In my opinion the HDRX20 is what the SV20 should have been. PRS is known for fixing small quality of life issues and they’ve done it here as well. If you’ve ever tried a SV20, you’ll know that it sounds great in it’s sweet spot, but that it can take some wrangling to get it there. The HDRX on the other hand sounds great straight out the gate and at pretty much any point on the dials. It’s much more intuitive to dial in sounds on the HDRX, and with the mid and bright switch can dial it for any guitar. Something about the HDRX that I really like is that it has the top end sheen of a plexi but unlike the SV20 it never seems to get out of control. Likewise on the bass end, while there is no shortage of lows, it handles my typically muddy neck humbucker with uncommon grace, lifting it into usable territory. It really is like refined plexi. The amp is very dynamic, tons of touch sensitivity and the transition to breakup is very pleasing. The amp handled a variety of guitars, letting each unique voice shine through. The HDRX also seems to take pedals well, at least as well as the SV20. I can’t speak to the internal build, but the outside is very well put together. Hopefully it will be a durable amp. Owning both this and an SV20, it’s my opinion that the HDRX is hands down the better choice. It does the plexi thing, but with much more versatility. Given the price point, PRS is going to sell a ton of these.

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Plexi is my sound. I love the clean chymie sounds of Strats, the crunch of a P-90 Les Paul and a proper Tele. This amp excels with all these. I wrestled with myself about buying another amp and finally pushed the button. I'm glad I did. Sure they sound good in the bedroom but can 20 watts cut thru a loud drummer ? Does it have the head room to stay clean or does it break up ? Played my first gig with it tonight and it's my new #1. The Dr. Z and the Marshall are going up for sale. The amp is louder than 20 watts and easily worked at tonight's gig. I use the Dr. Z Best cab and it makes these lower watt amps loud, proud and singing. If low watt Plexi really is your sound than you need to check this guy out. Thinking about grabbing a second for a back up. A ton of Plexi for a great price.

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Not as simple to review as you might think. Is it authentic plexi circuitry? Not entirely, Paul Reed Smith himself tells us that. Can we nail Hendrix' tones with it? To my ear, you're damn right you can. I could take this in too many directions since several Marshall models and mods come into the equation of this amp, I just won't go there. There is an excellent video of Paul and Doug Sewell discussing the HDRX history you should watch instead. Number one, I usually scoff at any amp below 30 watts because of using a Deluxe reverb in a pinch when a 100 watt head failed on a gig; didn't cut it, and that's not the only time. I can't say why but I just thought this amp would be different. Besides I knew I could return it if it failed. Last night playing it through a Marshall 4x12 with Greenbacks I drowned out a drummer, not a pounding Metal drummer but not a light tough either. And I had a ways to go still on all three volumes; I think not just because it has 5881's instead of the more typical 6V6's or EL84's for power, but that as part of the whole design; thank you PRS! I get the sounds I want from Jimi's "real albums"; Are You Experienced, Axis and Electric Lady, not to mention Robin Trower tones when I want, although as they say, the HDRX amps are modeled on an amp, in the state it was in at the end of his career, very different from when he first got it. I also can get almost tweed Twin tones with the very useful "Mid Gain" switch turned off, and great tones of my own with the very powerful tone controls, unlike any of the actual Marshalls or clones I've had; within "vintage Marshall parameters", it's very versatile. Depending on the guitar the input volume controls can stay clean well after noon unlike my Granger 1987, and the Master Volume is VERY well engineered. With an open back 2x12 cab with Mojotone Greenback Style speakers or the afore mentioned 4x12 it can give a big amp sound. Speaking of the master, I almost took away one star because if they were going to break form on the 20, why not an fx loop and/or a digital verb like so many builders are having tremendous success with? But it's a super quiet amp and gets along great with pedals without all that, and well, this amp is not about that, they did what they set out to do in frickin' spades, which is to give the general public one of the best, most useable, timeless and loved tones any guitar has ever seen, and in the case of the 20, with power enough for most gigging, defying it's 20 watt rating. Killer price, light weight, good looks and appears flawlessly built, although I wish they used a brighter gold ink for the logo and panel text, maybe opted for gold piping, my ONLY complaint. WELL DONE PRS!!!

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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

Okay, it's been exactly a year, and my opinion of this amp has only gotten higher. The HDRX has been my bedroom amp, my gig amp and my jam amp. Local gigs, a short road trip doing all Allman Brothers, a NYE top 40 gig, my own power trio doing all kinds of ZZ Top, Hendrix and James Gang and Neil Young etc.. BTW the Bright and Mid Gain stay on all the time now. Strat, 335, Les Paul Deluxe, SG Standard, SG Junior; it just doesn't matter, they sound superb on this amp. Only three pedals; only one of a few overdrives, usually a Loundsberry Toy Robot - only for solos, a Boss MD-500 for Leslie, Univibe and Dimension and a Digitech Obscura for some subtle delay. No pedal platform baloney here. BTW I've never needed the master up past 11:00, that's with a five piece band blasting out Allman Brothers - outdoors, no less. Almost always through the Mojotone British Lite 2x12 with their 25 watters (I call them "Bluebacks"). Then last week is what inspired this revisit; jamming with a couple buddies at the studio where my Zakk Wilde Marshall 4x12 resides, reloaded with Greenbacks. Yes, it nails the sound of Jimi's REAL albums; Exp, Axis, E. Lady and B.O.G. in frickin' spades. But aside from that, it's just a beautiful sound. For this reason my next Marshall type pursuits will be various JTM amps, as more of us are learning that Jimi's were in fact JTM 45/100, not 1959. I've already began modding my Granger 1987 more toward the JTM 50 "Black Flag", and will be continuing to do so, part by part, slowly, inspired by this little wonder of an amp. Believe me, if I had the money I would go straight for the HDRX 100 TODAY.

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