Pritchard Amps Sword of Satori TB 115 Combo

Ok, I learned something...this is an addendum to my earlier post. As I said, I pulled the head from the combo and made my own little head cabinet. The reverb tank I used was from an old Sunn head and is not correct for this amp...it's impedence and voltages are different. Consequently, I fried a resistor in the Sword and it quit working. Not Pritchards fault at all, my bad...bottom line, call Eric first before making changes or substitutions...ok. lesson learned.

SO, I called Eric and told him what I'd done. He was extremely helpful and said I could just send it back and they would fix it. In discussing the problem he told me what to look for, what value the burned up resistor is and what else to check. I soldered in another resistor and VOILA!!! She's running again. Eric was extremely kind and helpful and my rating for support is now elevated to a 10!!! When the Sword stopped working I plugged in my Marshall and was disappointed that it didn't sound as good as the Sword. I wanted my Sword of Satori back!!!! Thanks, Eric...

I received this amp from Eric a month ago after reading extensively and listening to as many clips as I could find and talking to other owners. It is a two-channel amp with each channel having a 7 position selector switch to change the harmonic and tone structure of the channels to emulate somewhat Fender, Marshall, Vox, Mesa and other types of amps. It has two speaker inputs, gig level and practice level. A footswitch jack for the momentary channel and boost switcher (included). Each channel has a boost, variable on channel one, fixed at 10db on channel two. It has a compensated DI output and a line-out. The speaker output is at 4-ohms. It is extremely loud for 60 watts, even with the Watts control set down all the way. This is also because the Tunnel Back cabinet is so efficient. Through other cabinets, both closed and open back, it is not as loud. The effects loop is serial unless you use a stereo jack with the positive on the ring. The same thing is used for the speaker output. If you used the ring on a stereo jack instead of the tip, you will use the 8-ohm tap. These are the only problems I have with the amp. I wish the impedence and serial/parallel functions were switchable.

I own about 12 guitars and 10 amps but the main ones I've been playing have been Schecters with Bill Lawrence singles, a Carvin Bolt with Lawrence singles and P-90, and a Schecter custom strat with a JB, a JB Jr and a Duncan Custom. My other amps at this time are a Fuch modded Twin, a 79 Marshall JMP tweeked by Roccaforte, a Carvin Legacy half-stack, a 62 Ampeg Reverborocket, a Fender Blues Deluxe, a Peavey Delta Blues, a Carvin BelAir and numerous and assorted other amps, including many solid state amps (and a Vetta, which I just sold...) because I've been trying for years to find something that will do the deal without tubes. I've never been able to get the right tone with any of them without resorted to tubes in some fashion, whether in a preamp, a pedal or another tube amp in combination. Until now, that is. When I got the Fuchs, I sold two boogies (MKIV, MKII), two Dr. Z's (Maz38, Route66), my Legacy combo, and all my tube preamps. The Fuchs is a fantastic sounding amp, but not really my cup of tea, it seems, since I'm still buying amps...and overdrive pedals...
Now for the Pritchard...I've been playing it everyday, initially trying to decide whether I should keep it, cuz really 2K for an amp is a serious investment if it is just going to sit. Because it was so loud at rehearsal, I pulled the head out of the combo and built a little head cabinet for it, which is more like a little rack, since the amp is about 12 inches front to back, 17 inches wide and 4 inches high. I started playing it through my 4x10 cabinet because the bass player has an identical one at his house where we rehearse, so I figured I'd set it up here and only have to take the head over to his place. So last night I hauled it over there, hooked it up and used my Orange Schecter with the JB's. I have a ZIM pedal with the VT and H9 modules in it for OD/Distortion. I also have a BOSS VF-1 processor in the effects loop for ambient stuff, but I kept it in bypass cuz the amp sounds so good without any added stuff. The tone was exquisite. Plenty of power, I still kept the Watts knob around the lowest setting. The amp has all the harmonic content, sustain and balls of my best tube amps without the weight.. The Sword of Satori is not intended to be like a normal two channel tube amp with clean and distorted channels, it's more like having two really great single channel amps in one box. Using the ZIM pedal, which is also a two channel pedal, I was able to go from chimey cleans (as much as my JB's would allow, anyway) to screaming, sustaining liquid lead tones. My bass player, who also plays guitar and has a number of fine tube heads, kept looking over at the Sword and saying, "Man, that thing sounds good!!!". He said he'd never know I wasn't playing through a great tube amp if he didn't know what it is. The amp is totally quiet. I used the "L" setting for channel 1 and the "M" setting for channel 2, which are great for what I usually play, which is 70s and 80s rock, with a healthy dose of blues... There is so much versatility in the settings for each channel that I can't see how it wouldn't work for any style. The amp doesn't have any of the strident, harsh high end of the other solid state or modeling amps I've played. It is smooth and expressive, not piercing and painful. I can hardly wait for my first outdoor gig in May, big stage by the beach...it just seems to get better as I turn it up, too, but still remains clear. It has the perfect relationship between the compression of the notes and the punch it delivers them with...sometimes my Fuchs is too laid back and not enough in my face, not so with this amp...it responds to my pick attack beautifully so I can be as hard or soft as I like with just my right hand.. Gee, I think I'll keep it!!!!

I don't know about reliability yet, but I do know I'll never have to change the tubes, hahaha...It survived my pulling it out of its cabinet and sticking it in another one, and the guts look really well secured inside the cabinet. In fact, the way it's built in the combo mode, it hangs down the back of the cab with the bottom of the shell being open, so in my little cabinet the underside of the amp is suspended an inch above the bottom of the cab so the reverb tank sits underneath it. The build quality is excellent and I can't see why it wouldn't keep on going for years and years and years. I never play anywhere without a backup, so that's not really an issue, although I don't see why I would need one. So far, it's a 10.

The amp is warrantied for 3 years, with a 30-day no questions asked guarantee. I haven't had a lot of contact with Eric Pritchard, but those who call him say he's quite the verbose character. His emails are pretty terse, but I suppose I'll give him a call when I want to get a lot of information.

I've been playing for over 40 years. I own or have owned lots of high end tube gear from Marshall, Mesa, Carvin, Ampeg, Dr Z., Fender, Fuchs, and others. I have bought and sold lots of pedals, processors, modelers and preamp/power amps in the search. I really love the Sword. It is one fabulous amp and if it were lost or stolen I'd surely get another one ASAP....it gives me all the mojo I've been seeking from the scads of tube and solid state amps I've gone through. Highly recommended!!!!!!