[RelientKFan7]

Hey guys. Im looking for buying a new amp and both of these are within my pricerange, in fact they are both 399$. The Peavey Classic 30 is a 30 watt but the Palomino is 15 watts. Does anyone own either of the two? Also if you were to buy on of the two listed above, which one would u choose? Im having a hard time deciding. Thanks.

[JaytheK]

Well, I haven't played the Palomino, but I own a Peavey Classic 30, and it's pretty sweet. That being said, it's really loud when the power tubes are overdriven...too loud, actually. I still have to get an attenuator for it. On the upside, I have a fairly large clean range.

If you're going to overdrive your power tubes a lot, you might want to get the Palomino. If you want an excellent clean channel, get the Classic 30 (and an attenuator so you can overdrive your power tubes at slightly more reasonable levels). Also, make sure you play through both of them before you make your decision. You'll never know exactly which one you like better unless you try both.

Good luck!

[thomaspg70]

I've heard bad things about crate amps. If i were you i'd prolly go with the peavey. I have a peavey and it's works awesome for my needs. I never see anyone use crate amps. Most people rather the peavey. But it might be a good little amp i wouldn't know. I say try them both out to see which you prefer.

[Rainer.]

They're both pretty good amps, but I'd personally go with the Peavey, because it's two channel.

[RipVanWinkle]

they are both pretty good amps. Id go with the C30 if it was my decision. The Crate didnt have as much bottom end and seemed to be much more modern voiced than the classic 30. To get a good sound from the crate I really had to crank it...

The only way I can think to describe the Crate's sound, and I may be way out of line from what everybody else thinks, is a Nu-Metal sound. Not bad, but not my style.

[Captain Dan]

My Crate SS has been trouble-I've played thru the peavey -it's not bad

[Mattlock]

I haven't played the C30, but I've played the Palamino, and it's a great little amp. My only problem is that it's one channel.

But it's got a great sound.

[plawren53202]

I own the Palomino V16.

First, as far as the "Crate" nameplate, I too was very skeptical going into looking at it because of my previous experience with Crate ss amps and their general reputation. You can set that consideration aside, however, when it comes to the Palomino. It's like it was made by a completely different company. The Palomino is quality equal or better to anything else in its price range, so don't let the "Crate" name scare you.

As far as comparing it to the Classic 30, as with everything, it mostly depends on your preferences. I will say that, for my purposes, 15 watts of true tube is almost too much amp. In my situation, 30 watts would just be too loud. Because our sanctuary is large (seats 1200), I can crank the power tubes pretty good, mic it and get a great sound. Any louder, though, and there would be too much stage volume and/or volume for people sitting in the first few rows.

As mentioned above, my only qualm with the Palomino V16 is one channel/no footswitch. However, I have compensated for that by using an EQ pedal as a boost when I need it, along with a true overdrive (the Fulldrive II). Between the two of them, they push the tubes hard enough that it is close to having a second channel. In any case, leading worship every week, I strive for a number of different tones, to keep things from getting monotonous (I use a Big Muff, Blues Driver, the Fulldrive II, a Menatone Top Boost in a Can, completely clean, etc.). So even if I had the two channels, I would rely on a lot more than just the drive channel for distortion.

Finally, as far as a sound comparison, to me the Palomino is a very versatile amp. As is probably the case with most tube amps, just spend a LOT of time tweaking and you'll be amazed at how many sounds are in there. With the right tweaking (EQ, along with effects) I can do pure clean, AC-30-style chimey breakup, classic rock crunch, Big Muff-style fuzz, etc. Someone above said that the Palomino was more metalish, but if you read the HC reviews, actually that's one of the things people generally don't like the Palomino for.

So there's one happy Palomino owner's perspective. Read the HC reviews, as they generally get very good reviews, especially for the price. Let me know if you have any more specific questions. As always, though, there's no substitute for spending a good deal of time playing both (the more time, the better) before buying one.

[ieatdirt]

Cranking the power tubes in church? Wow, you are lucky.

[plawren53202]

Trust me, to many (luckily, not our pastor, music leader, and perhaps most importantly, sound guys), it was a VERY novel concept (ie, borderline sinful). =)

On a practical note, even in a large auditorium, I still don't point my amp directly at the crowd, and it sits well back of the front of stage.

[Dbmaj7]

I own a C30 and play on the worship team with it. Having two channels (sort of) and an effects loop are excellent features. The overdrive channel on the C30 does not have a separate EQ. I played the Palamino a few weeks ago and I have to say that I was very impressed with the tone. I didn't like the light beige tolex and gold knobs. I believe the Palamino is made by Crate for Guitar Center. The similar Crate version is the V1512 which has black tolex and silver hardware. I liked the V3112 (30 watt version) even better but it runs about $550. I A/B'd the Palamino with the Blues Jr and I have to say I liked the overdrive on the Palamino much better. One draw back on these Crate tube amps is the poor accessibility of the tubes for changing. It looks like you have to dop the chassis from the cabinet. They hang down in the back on the C30 and are easily accessible.

The C30 you found must be used because they run more than that new. I've made some mods to mine. Changed the stock speaker and most of the preamp tubes to suit my taste and I love it. I also added a tube guard (Ebay) and a tube tamer (Ebay again) to protect the tubes and keep them from vibrating.

Db

[jamforchrist123]

I have player the Palamino and I was really impressed with it. I too though with the Crate name that it would be crappy, but I really liked it. I didn't really mess with the clean much, but the overdrive could get pretty driven and I liked that alot.

[DreamChaser]

Heya,

I own a Palomino V16 and love it. I usually play through it with my MAI Strat - the cleans are beautiful, but I'd say that it's a little better equipped to bring forth some great dirty tones. With duel-humbuckers (as in my hallowbody Artcore AG85) you can get a solid heavy nu-metalish tone out of it, and it's very easy to reach a great blues tone.

If you wanna hear it through a Strat you can check out my recording "Lip" (see sig); all the electric parts were recorded with the Palomino V16 and my Strat.

[eyema_believer]

I vote for the palomino.... I have owned the fender blues JR, the C30, and spent much time bonding with a fender hot rod deluxe.....My Crate V-32 blows them all out of the water. Hear is my strat and v-32 www.unleavened.net/strattest.mp3

[Major Tom]

Originally Posted by eyema_believer

I vote for the palomino.... I have owned the fender blues JR, the C30, and spent much time bonding with a fender hot rod deluxe.....My Crate V-32 blows them all out of the water. Hear is my strat and v-32 www.unleavened.net/strattest.mp3

Great tone !! Love it ! The little time I spent with a V1512 at a music store a couple/few years back sounded more along the lines of your recording than the Nu-metal that was mentioned, at least in my memory's ear. What was the signal chain? Any compression or processing in the recording process?