$500 for amp, are peavy's any good?

Deren · 12-28-2003, 01:14 PM

Hey all, I was thinking about selling my Marshall MG100DFX to get a new amp. NOt that the amp isn't any good, but I just like to try new things and I can't really stick to the same tone for a long time.

So I was looking around, what do you guys think of Peavy amps? Which ones are good for $500 or less. I need one that can produce modern heavy rock and metalish tones. I live in Canada so the prices might be more expensive up here.

I"ll go to my locsal music store and try any ones you think are worth the effort.
Thanks!
-Deren

gearup · 12-28-2003, 06:12 PM

I really like Peavey Amps. I have a Classic 50/212, but that won't get you what you need.

For 500 clams you will have to go used, if you need a tube amp. The tripleX (XXX) gets rave reviews.

If SS amps are more your thing, Then The Bandit may be worth a look.

Go play all of them that you can then make your choice. You can not go wrong with a Peavey.

Major Tom · 12-28-2003, 06:45 PM

Get an all tube amp next time, one that does what you want, and I'll bet that you will keep it a lot longer. SS amps might sound kinda OK for a while, but I think they cause a type of "ear fatigue" because they just don't sound quite right, and the longer you play thru them, the more apparent that becomes, even if you can't quite put your finger on what's missing...

Peavey amps are fairly well made, if you take care of 'em they will last a long time. They have made a lot of klunkers over the years, so you will hear some "PV sucks" type of blanket statements. They have also made some gems, like the Classic 30 and 50's, the 5150, and others.

ApparentlyNothing · 12-29-2003, 03:15 PM

I've heard a lot of good stuff about their classic series, the xxx, and the 5150. If i were you, I'd look into getting one of the second two used maybe, the 5150 I think is better than the xxx. Just check em out for yourself.

spmantar · 12-29-2003, 10:58 PM

If I got the XXX and brought it to church, people would give me weird looks and whisper behind my back, saying "that guy's a sinner!"

In all seriousness though, I personally wouldn't get that amp even if it sounded good because there are silhouettes of women (maybe bare?) on the head version (I think there are one or two on the combos too). If you play at church, remember Romans 14-15:4 and 1 Corinthians 8. Keep it in mind as you look for your next amp.

Than · 12-30-2003, 01:04 AM

The 5150 is a great amp, better than the xxx, imo. I've heard that the xxx has a better clean channel, while the 5150 is much better for the gain.

emo_boy · 12-30-2003, 06:31 AM

I have a peavey studio pro and I'm in a band that plays hard/alternative stuff, and I really like the tone that amp gives me. Peaveys have a sound thats a little colder than like a marshall, so they fit the metal and hard rock scenes well. You could go with the bandit, but thats a little higher wattage and you're going to generate alot more stage noise with that. I find that my studio pro has just the right amount of wattage imo.

MobMan924 · 12-30-2003, 03:18 PM

I dont really like the crunch channel on the XXX. It just lacks somthing.

I have played a classic 30 and that sounded great.

P.S.
About the "naked ladies" on the XXX. Ever hear of Duct tape?

spmantar · 12-30-2003, 03:33 PM

Duct-taping the entire head would look kind of funny.

ApparentlyNothing · 12-30-2003, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MobMan924

I dont really like the crunch channel on the XXX. It just lacks somthing.

I have played a classic 30 and that sounded great.

P.S.
About the "naked ladies" on the XXX. Ever hear of Duct tape?

You said it yourself... its not that good of a head to go through that much trouble....

gchord · 12-30-2003, 06:49 PM

I've got a Peavey EFX 212 amp and love it! It's loud enough,about 100 watts and a big plus,nine effects that include chours,flanger,phaser,reverb,delay,etc.It's also got three positions on the lead,high,modern and vintage and two controls for the power level. The effects and lead and clean are all on one foot pedal,so you don't have a hundred stomp boxes at your feet. This amp does it all,from jazz to blues to metal and everything else in between. It took me a while to fiqure some things out and still haven't mastered it,but it's defintly the best $500 bux I've spent on any equipment in a while.

gchord · 12-30-2003, 06:51 PM

Oh yeah,I forgot, no mud flap girl on it!

gchord · 12-30-2003, 06:55 PM

One other thing I might add,I bought this amp NEW! If you have a oppertunity to play one,by all means ,do!

Al Webber · 01-04-2004, 02:59 PM

I have a Classic 30. The sound is very good (although its not a metal amp) especially if you upgrade the speaker but the build quality is not great. The valves get very hot and the sockets are mounted directly on the circuit board. I haven't had any problems yet but in the long term this seems to be a recipe for problems. Also the way the amp is constructed makes it a pig to work on.

I would suggest keeping your existing amp and save your money for a Mesa or something else a bit more upmarket. If you buy a $500 amp you will only want to upgrade again a year or two down the line. In the long run it will be cheaper to save for a good amp to start with. I've learned this the hard way by the way!

Al

Major Tom · 01-04-2004, 05:54 PM

Quote:

The valves get very hot and the sockets are mounted directly on the circuit board. I haven't had any problems yet but in the long term this seems to be a recipe for problems. Also the way the amp is constructed makes it a pig to work on.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean about the valves - they are supposed to get hot. If they are excessively hot, there could be a problem on your amp - like too "hot" of a bias setting maybe. As far as the circuit board mounting, that is fairly standard in amps in the price range he is looking at. Yes, it can lead to failure, but if you are careful when changing them, and always set the amp down easy - like its a basket of eggs it should be fine. Any pc board amp, solid state, tube, whatever will eventually get broken solder joints if you make a habit of setting it down hard like its a bag of rock. Inertia will pull on the heavy components, and after a period of time the joints will finally break. Same goes for pc mounted input jacks - if you always strain-relieve the input cord, like wrapping it around the handle, you will never have to resolder it. Amps with pc boards are pretty much all considered to be a hassle to work on since so much stuff needs to be taken apart to get to the bottom of the circuit board to replace anything.

Anyway, I'm not defending PV, or the C30, and I have not had one apart - I just thought that I would point out that these issues are not unique to the C30, but pretty standard in lower priced tube (valve) amps.