You may be familiar with PRS’ Sonzera 20 combo amplifier, but you’ve never seen the Sonzera 20 quite like this. Because PRS has yanked the popular model from its line and replaced it with the now-revamped Sonzera 20, boasting improved construction techniques, refined voicing and fresh cosmetics.
As far as the results, Guitar World Tech Editor Paul Riario happily reports that “the refresh is welcome, and I can go further and say the overhauled Sonzera has reemerged as a combo slayer that punches above its wattage with killer tone and seriously outguns most other studio and gig worthy amplifiers in its class.”
Like its predecessor, the new Sonzero 20 is an all-tube 20-watt combo with a single Celestion V-type 70-watt 12-inch speaker housed in a hybrid open/closed back cabinet. The plywood cabinet is dressed in textured black vinyl with a salt-and-pepper grille cloth and silver piping, “which I find is so much more attractive than its previously gold piping and gold motif,” Paul says.
The Sonzera features two independently-controlled, footswitchable channels, with the gain channel able to handle everything from boosted clean to heavy distortion. Front panel controls include bass, treble and volume on the clean channel, and bass, middle, treble, level and drive on the gain channel. Both channels share global reverb and presence controls.
As for how the Sonzera sounds? Listen to Paul fire it up in the above demo and prepare to be wowed all over again.
“The two-channel PRS Sonzera 20 is a loud, 20-watt powerhouse combo capable of multihued clean and crunch tones that are guaranteed to dazzle,” Paul says. “Overall, the amp is so damn impressive that it’s only a matter of time before many players will be singing its praises.”
For more information, head to PRS.
