Prs mark tremonti mt15
A monster tone machine at an irresistible price
Paul Reed Smith is well-known for some of the most beautiful and expensive guitars on the planet, and the same goes for the company’s amps.
Thankfully, for us mortals at least, PRS is also doing a good job of covering the more affordable end of the market, with its SE guitars and Sonzera series of amps. Following on from the mega-expensive John Mayer J-MOD 100 head, PRS’S latest signature amp is the MT 15 Mark Tremonti signature head, which promises to seriously deliver on the high-gain front.
Tremonti is a long-time PRS endorser and self-affirmed gear nut, so it’s no surprise the former Creed and Alter Bridge axeman’s amp is a purposeful, no-frills design, although there are some cool details. The red side flashes in the perforated steel cover combine with relief pressing to add a touch of style, and the valves are lit by red LEDS for the lead channel and blue LEDS for the rhythm channel, which is simultaneously very practical and extremely cool to look at. Inside the steel chassis, most of the components are held on one large PCB, including the front panel controls and the preamp valve bases. Like the Sonzera amps, the 6L6 output valves are hand-wired, keeping the hottest part of the amp clear of the PCB and significantly improving reliability.
The MT 15 features two channels: a clean channel with a boost and a lead channel with so much gain it will probably make all of your stompboxes redundant. The clean channel’s Fenderinspired high headroom is perfectly suited to effects – flipping this channel into boost mode adds a dose of extra gain that’s perfect for blues and classic rock crunch – while the lead channel utilises no less than five gain stages for one of the thickest, most massive distortion tones we’ve ever heard from any rock amp. Amps with this much gain quite frequently turn to mush, but the MT 15 retains exceptional articulation and definition, right up to the highest reaches of the gain control. It sounds great with single coils, but really comes alive with a pair of beefy humbuckers.
Thanks to its effects loop and half-power switch, the PRS MT 15 has enough versatility to cover most player’s needs. The towering lead channel isn’t for shy, retiring types, but if you play modern rock and metal, it’s like having all your Christmases at once, with huge sustain matched by a fast dynamic response that’s just as good for rhythm and lead work and sounds great with a touch of delay. Best of all, this all-steel lunchbox hero is available at a very affordable price that’s practically guaranteed to see it fly off the shelves.
Nick Guppy
huge sustain matched by a fast, dynamic response