Description
Imagine an all-valve combo amp that’s loud enough to gig with, compact enough for playing at home, versatile enough to jump from sparkling cleans to full-fat crunch, and loaded with premium features like a Celestion V Type speaker and built-in spring reverb. Too good to be true? The PRS Sonzera 20W Combo is the lush-sounding vintage-meets-modern proof that all of this is possible without costing the world.
Sonzera [Portuguese]: from som (sound), meaning a cool and/or stunning sound (in the sense of music) – a kind of slang.
Key Features
- Rich Valve Sound, 2 Independent Channels – 20 watts of rich tube amp tone, with dedicated Clean and Gain channels to suit whatever style you play.
- Valve-Driven Spring Reverb – Carefully balanced to add space and atmosphere that’s brimming with analogue character.
- FX Loop – The Sonzera 20 is an ideal pedal platform amp with a transparent series loop, ensuring your effects are loud and clear in the mix.
- Compact Design For Home, Stage, and Beyond – At around 18” tall, this is an amp that’s as portable as it is living-room-friendly, with a sound that far exceeds its size.
Beautiful US-style Cleans
First up, the Sonzera 20 features a beautifully clear and warm Clean channel that delivers great separation and clarity, easily dialled in with a simple 2-band EQ. Expect everything from warm, smooth humbucker sounds to full-blown ‘60s American chime. Better still, perfect crispy break-up tones are only ever a second away with a crank of the volume knob.
Gain At The Ready
Whether it’s hot blues leads or deep, resonant distorted riffage you’re after, the Sonzera 20’s Gain channel wields plenty of power. As an independent footswitchable channel, you can treat this as your ‘other’ sound, or use it to mimic your Clean channel tone with some extra drive on top. The Bright switch is the Gain channel’s ace card, introducing just the right amount of bite that works wonders with single-coils and humbuckers alike.
A Premium Amp In a Compact Package
If you want pure no-nonsense valve sound, the Sonzera 20 ticks the boxes. But under the hood, it brings a wealth of features normally reserved for amps several times the price. Built-in valve-driven spring reverb accentuates both the Clean & Gain channels with subtle organic ambience, while the FX loop keeps your signal chain crystal clear and responsive. The Celestion V-type speaker is the cherry on top, delivering your sound in all its air-moving glory.
Despite its simple controls, this is a fantastically versatile rig that seamlessly blends vintage character with modern finesse. What’s not to love?
Specifications
General
- Configuration: 1×12 Combo
- Wattage: 20
Front Panel Controls
- Channel 1 Controls: Bass, Treble, Volume
- Channel 2 Controls: Bass, Middle, Treble, Level, Drive, Bright Switch
- Global Controls: Presence, Reverb
Back Panel Features
- Inlet: Fused Power Inlet (IEC)
- Effects Loop: Series – MOSFET driven
- Bias: Adjustable
- Output Jacks: 5
- Output Jack Ohm Selections: (2) Parallel 4 ohm, (2) Parallel 8 ohm, (1) 16 ohm
- Channels: Clean and Gain
Hardware
- Covering: Black Tolex
- Grill Cloth: Black / Silver Rectangle
- Panel: Black Tolex
- Piping: Silver
- Speakers: Celestion V-Type 70W
- Output Transformer: 19G01-OPT
Tubes
- Power Tubes: 2x JJ 5881
- Preamp Tubes: 4x JJ ECC83S
Measurements
- Amp Width: 21.5”
- Amp Depth: 10”
- Amp Height: 18”
- Amp Weight: 49 lbs
Accessories
- Included Accessories: 2-Button Footswitch, Channel and Reverb
