PRS JA-15 - Volume and tone settings

[paul s.]

Hi folks — looking to get a little less “ping” out of the B and high E string. I play through a Vox pathfinder 15r, with 13 flats and small gator picks. I’m not convinced that a more expensive amp like a Henriksen is necessary. Thoughts much appreciated! Happy holidays!!

[gitman]

A fine guitar like that mos. def. deserves a finer amp ! The guitar itself is certainly capable of delivering a fat/round tone on ALL strings, provided the action is high enough and your picking technique is adequate. I've owned one for a few years and regret selling it since it was able to cover a lot of bases in style and very convincingly ....
Which type/model amp you'll eventually gonna get is a question of your budget, the availability and your preferences re tubes vs. solid state design. I'm very happy with my BUD and that combined with my Helix Stomp, my Tele and an archtop I can tackle any gig.

[paul s.]

Thanks!! Believe me my instinct is always to buy nicer gear ??? I think the pathfinder is a good amp, consensus seems to be that it punches well above its weight (it has developed somewhat of a following and sometimes sell used for multiples of their $120 new price) but I understand it may have its limitations.

[jads57]

Well the metal bridge is also contributing to the tone as well. Other than the tone control you might try an eq pedal or something like the Xotic Sweet Boost, so you can more precisely adjust your frequencies.

[paul s.]

I hear ya on the metal bridge. I’m gonna try an empressEQ pedal to dial things in.

[bluejaybill]

I hear ya on the metal bridge. I’m gonna try an empressEQ pedal to dial things in.

An EQ can definitely help. One question, are the strings pingy when you play it acoustically? That can help you decide if the problem is in the guitar setup or strings and your amp setup.

That can come from low action and playing hard as well.

[entresz]

Thanks!! Believe me my instinct is always to buy nicer gear ??? I think the pathfinder is a good amp, consensus seems to be that it punches well above its weight (it has developed somewhat of a following and sometimes sell used for multiples of their $120 new price) but I understand it may have its limitations.

I've used these , they're an OK practice amp but not really much good if you're trying to get a decent jazz sound. Even something like a DV Mark Little Jazz is in my opinion is a far better amp.

[paul s.]

In general I’d say the tone is actually quite nice, my teacher even commented on it once out of my more traditional archtop. My Q was just in relation to mellowing the B and High E strings on a JA15.

[paul s.]

Lightening up my death grip on the pick has helped ???

[jads57]

Maybe try different brand strings and or at least different B and E strings? I’ve have had that happen where sometimes a string can be dead sounding even when new.

[JSanta]

Have you tried different picks to see how that influences the tone? I use Red Bears, and the tone produced with just a normal set of coated rounds is really nice. I don't have any gator picks at home, but I have noticed that some of the Dunlops I've used in the past are certainly brighter or "pingy" compared to the Red Bear that I have been using for ages.

[sgosnell]

Different picks can give drastically different tone, for very little money. Thicker picks generally give a darker tone, especially on the plain strings. Even the difference between a plain Fender medium and a heavy is obvious. IMO changing picks is the first thing to try. Different guitars seem to sound better with different picks, at least to me, and picks are generally cheap, unless you go for something like Blue Chips or the like. Spend a couple of dollars on the thickest picks you can easily find, and see if they help. If not, you're not out a month's wages.