New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

Push to Shuv

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Today I traded in my Peavey Windsor half-stack for a new Peavey Classic 50 4x10 combo. I am blown away by the clean sounds on this amp. I haven't tinkered with it enough to get the overdrive (lead channel) just right, but those cleans... perfect. I'll give a review once I have more time to play with it. Anyone else have one of the Peavey Classics?
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

I have a Classic 30 (1x12) in Australia, an American made one, and it's nice. I haven't really put it through its paces yet, though, and for the moment, I'm stuck in WI. However, several yrs ago, I had one of the tweed models, a 2x12 Classic 50. Even w/stock spkrs, it kicked! I wished it had separate eq for the "channels", but I managed to work around it. I was mostly playing crunchy rock w/it, so it worked out fine.

On drive, it had a nice British style crunch, and it had a punchy clean. I'd say it's fair to apply that to the limited time I've had on my C 30 also.

The perfect gtr for that 2x12 Classic 50 was a Gibson SG Jr (single P90 pup). The crunch just had the mojo, and it switched well to the clean "channel" w/o playing w/the eq. The cleans were a nice driving blues sort of clean.

I'd be very curious re the 4x10 spkr config that you have. All in all, the Classic series are a great value in amps. Not boutique, for sure, but inexpensive and fun amps. Enjoy....whew!
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

I've had a Classic 50 4-10 before, and I agree. It has one of the best clean tones of any amp I've played, including high dollar ones. Just a really nicely voiced amp. I even like the clean tone on the Classic 50 more than a lot of Fenders.

The OD channel is also pretty decent, since the pre and post gains allow you to voice the gain the way you want. The only drawback on the amp is that the gain channel gets blatty when you really crank the amp up. It's either the circuit or the speakers...I'm not sure which.

Overall, it's one of the best amps you can get in that price range. I just wish they'd used real tweed, not the faux tweed vinyl.
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

On the positive side of vinyl tweed, beer wipes off easier!
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

I have one I use now. I also have a matching 15" cab and speaker connected to it. Great bottom end and wonderful cleans. I find the dirty channel good if you don't go too far....Nice amp.

-dave
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

Mine is the black one. I wish I could have gotten tweed but this was the only Classic they had at my local Guitar Center and I got an amazing deal on it. I did a straight trade: my Windsor ($700 new) that was almost a year old for this brand new Classic 50 ($900). HAHA they got shafted.
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

i've come close to buying a C50 410.... the local store sells Peavey's for cheap when they get them in used... i could of grabbed it for around $350 Canadian! i turned it down as i already have a C30 and C50 (head version)

great amps... a lot of teh time i use the clean channels and add pedals for dirt... but i also love the lead channel on those for my stock tele.... sounds fantastic...

the knobs for gain on the C50 can be confusing.... but once you figure out the master volume, the pre and post gain settings it's easy
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

I ended up retubing one of these amps for the other guitarist in my band and it's a pretty good amp. I grew tired of the lead channel when I found I couldn't dial out the the fizz on the topend, but other than that, it could be dialed in to do a decent crunch and the amp took well to humbuckers and singles. The clean channel was fantastic on that amp - there was some nice British cleans in there to be had (I didn't like it quite as much as the Hot Rod Deluxe I had played through a week before, but it was a different animal).
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

I love my Classic 50. I don't really use it for Classic styles but it works for what I do, and it's one of the best values ever on the used market, if not the best.
 
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Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

One of my buddies has one, great amp. I had a windsor before, and IMO, you made a great choice trading it in. Have fun with it, those cleans will win you over.
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

I have played with it a little more and am still blown away by the cleans. They can be full and thick or nice and jangly. Still tinkering with the lead channel.

Phil, the Windsor was an incredible amp but it was just impractical for where I am going with my music. And of course it lacks a clean channel. For my application, the classic 50 is the better choice. I would still recommend the Windsor to anyone who wants a good Brit (JCM800) voiced tube amp at a good price
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

I have played with it a little more and am still blown away by the cleans. They can be full and thick or nice and jangly. Still tinkering with the lead channel.

Phil, the Windsor was an incredible amp but it was just impractical for where I am going with my music. And of course it lacks a clean channel. For my application, the classic 50 is the better choice. I would still recommend the Windsor to anyone who wants a good Brit (JCM800) voiced tube amp at a good price

Agreed, but I think we can also say that what you have now is an amp that has higher general sound quality.
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

Overall yes. Its interesting that we both just got rid of our Windsors for combos with cleans!
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

Overall yes. Its interesting that we both just got rid of our Windsors for combos with cleans!

There's no doubt about it - trading in your Windsor was the smartest thing you could have done - that amp was garbage. The Classic 50 is a great sounding amp that's a real work horse, you really can't go wrong with it at all.
 
Re: New amp: Peavey Classic 50 4x10

the clean tone on teh C50 is amazing for sure... with my head version sometimes i plug it into a Marshall 1x12 cab that has a 150 watt speaker in it.. clear as a bell!!! for clean sounds that's a winner... but the Blue Marvel speaker in my Classic 1x12 cab is good too.... just different
 
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