Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

[Gearjoneser]

Let's talk about Peavey amps! Like most companies, they make some great products, some average ones, and a few lemons.

Which ones do you have experience with, and what are your true thoughts about them? Also, rate their highgain amps from best to worst....5150, 5150II, 6505, XXX, XXL, JSX, Valve King, Penta. I recently plugged into a Penta halfstack....pretty decent amp, if bought used. As a matter of fact, I'd probably only buy a Peavey used, since the depreciation makes them such a good value.

My first amp was a Studio Pro 40 SS amp with silver panels and "saturation" gain knob. :laugh2:
I've also owned one of the first 5150's when they first came out, which I've always felt was one of Peavey's best amps, as well as a Classic 50 4-10.....still one of the best clean tones I've ever heard, regardless of price.

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

My only personal experience is through playing them in a store. I've never owned one (though Luke's bro-in-law has a XXX he got used and seems to really like it).

JSX is the best amp of the bunch, at least for what I need/want. The clean tone was great and the overdriven channels were right about what I'm looking for. More of an older style distortion instead of the modern high gain like the XXX does.

The Penta is a good all around amp, but I didn't really feel like it did anything all that well. Good for a lot of variety, though.

The valve king seems like a great little amp for such a low price. I'm concerned about how durable it is, though.

I love the newer VH, so of course I like the 5150s. They're capable of so much more, though. They're a GREAT amp for metal. I prefer the 5150II over the original by a hair.

 

[Rich_T]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

I've got experience with the 5150 from my rehearsal rooms. I played it through an old mesa cab with a metal grille. That was some awesome high gain hardcore/grindcore tone right there. It was alot of fun, sustained for days. The crunch and tightness under immense saturation is just great.

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

Backstage Plus RAWKS!!1!!1!


I saw the Penta in a store and thought it looked pretty cool.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

I own a few... a 5150 half stack from the early years, 1993-94ish.... sometime in there... Block EVH on the front.... amazing high gain amp for the price!!! the 5150 Cab is great!

I have the Classic 50 head and the Classic 30 combo... plus a Classic series 1x12 in tweed.... Great amps at high volumes... Once you get the power tubes a kicking they are great on the OD channel... i wish they had slightly more lows but i live with it... i mostly use these for clean sounds and using pedals for dirt.... Great working mans amps. Jack of all trades

I have played thru some solid state Peaveys and there is few nice ones...

 

[cheezemaster]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

The Butcher rules. 'Nuff said.

 

[spacecaptain21]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

Just got rid of mine. 1x15 Delta Blues. Cool amp, but it wasn't for me, turns out. The gain channel sounded very....metal-y. It was all or nothing in some cases. GREAT for someone who digs that, but I have a tendency to live on the clean channel.

I played a Penta recently. Not bad, but buzzy IMO. I thought it sounded like what I think Lew described as "bees in a jar." Just one man's opinion.

The best Peavey I've ever played? Classic 50 Head w/ High Gain mod. Really, really cool. Cheap too.

 

[Stratman]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

Use to own a Peavey Mace.

Thank God - I said USE TO

 

[34029324079]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

Ive played some in the store; I have owned

1) a Peavey 8 channel PA amp/mixer about 15 years old
2) a 2x12 combo amp - solid state with scorpion speakers

let me tell you that Peavey is a total workhorse! Not the most pretty by far, but damn ... - awesome reliability. Never one problem; though I did blow up one of the speakers in my guitar amp because I turned it up way loud with feedback way too many times (yikes)

 

[Aceman]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

I haved owned two:
A ~1979 Classic 65 watts or so all tube, 4 input, verb & tremolo; Wish I still had it - amazing amp. Would have been a blues monster! Shame I was working Priest/MAiden/Dio etc at the time....

A Studio Pro 112 65 Watts SS. Awesomely reliable and very flexible. Great middle breakup tones. nice clean. Mega distorto with gain boost / mid cut switches.

I've played a bunch of classic 30's (four? five?). except that I have my tweed Fender Pro Junior I'd get one!

I've heard a couple of 5150's roaring. I like 'em. It's my go to Cube simulation...not that that's perfect - but close enough at 30 watts!

Overall they are great amps in the big scheme of things. I feel that they -much like Gibson pups, have been put down unfairly.

 

[kevlar3000]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

Butcher and VTM are pretty cool. I sold my Butcher, not as good as a Laney Pro Tube. A friend still has his VTM and gets some solid working tones out of it.

The original Ultra is hot screamin nasty. Had one for a long time. A buddy I sold it to still has it. A bit too much acream for me these days, but back in the early 90s is more than got the job done.

I hear too many people getting solid tones from a Classic 50 to hassle em. Same for the Delta.

They have a new 800 clone set to hit the shelves any day. Built in china, gonna run 3 bills or so. I am gonna have to give that one a spin, it has some British name...

I think they have priced themselves beyond the tones they deliver. If they were still 500.00 amps, I would be more into singing their praises. At a grand or so, they don't do a thing for me. The Chinese built stuff may restore their bargain glory. I dug the Valveking I plugged into.

 

[Jeff Dunne]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

I've owned a Transtube Supreme (Supreme piece of ****), an XXX, and 2 5150's.

Transtube - Dear god, don't even think about it.


XXX - Very, very tight, clean, precise, great tone. Insane crunch, super tight, and a great grind a chew. Reminds me of a 5150 and Recto's bastard son, raised by a Marshall.

5150 - My favorite amp. Cheap, reliable as hell (Mine's fallen off of my cabinet, tubes come out of the sockets, and sounded great that night), probably the easiest amp to get right in a metal mix, and they just sound freaking awesome. It's a dry, crunchy, ballsy, raw gain tone, but it's oh so orgasmic.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

I've owned 4 Peavey's over the years and played many many others.

Ones I've owned:
Bandit 75
Bandit 125
Triumph 60 head
5150 head (first run with sig on front)

I've also played the Classic series, the JSX, 5150 II and 6505 and a handful of other combos, one being an ancient Special 130 (my father-in-law has one). Talk about loud. That thing has loads of clean headroom and for an old amp, sound pretty good.

The 6505 is just the 5150 with a different name on it, same amp, same sound. I wouldn't mind one again. I didn't like the 5150 II (now the 6505+). Too much gain there that made it less crunchy and more buzzy.

The old Bandits are just workhorses. They may be SS but they never die and can take a massive beating.

I like the new Transtube stuff too. Good tones for low bucks and still built pretty darn rugged.

Now, is it me or has their stuff always weighed a ton? Their stuff is always the heaviest in the store, no matter what it is.

Edit: How could I forget the VTM head. That was a roaring amp right there.

 

[Jeff Dunne]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

Now, is it me or has their stuff always weighed a ton? Their stuff is always the heaviest in the store, no matter what it is.

My Mesa weighed 15 pounds less than either 5150's and XXX. :chairfall

 

[Mike M.]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

I've had a Classic 30 for a few years now, and it's a great little workin' mans amp. I've got a Weber Beam Blocker in front of the stock speaker and built a 1X12 extension cab with an Eminence Cannibus Rex inside. Really helps in adding some great low end.

Lately I've been getting a really good OD tone going with the help of my Digitech Bad Monkey pedal thru the OD channel. I keep the Pre-gain at about 9:00 and the Post-gain at about 12:00 so it's got a mild break up going. I then set the pedal to give me a bit more drive and IMHO I think it gives me a pretty good classic rock tone. I've found the pedal sounds best this way as opposed to running it thru the clean channel. Sounds better to me for some reason. I also use a Boss GE-7 EQ in the loop to get a bit of presence going.

The amps effects loop works great. I don't know what Peavey did but it's very, very clean sounding, even when I've got a lot of drive going.

I still toy with the idea of pickup up a used Classic 50 one of these days.

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

Classic 50 does have the best cleans in the business. I used to have a 2x12. Loved the cleans, but the dirt was disappointing. That's all I've tried.

 

[Mike M.]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

Classic 50 does have the best cleans in the business. I used to have a 2x12. Loved the cleans, but the dirt was disappointing. That's all I've tried.

I do agree with you about the Classic's OD channel. But as I mentioned I found that by keeping the OD channels Pre-gain down and by adding an OD pedal to suppliment it, it really adds a new dimension and makes that channel much more useable.

It's turned mine into my "Marshall" so to say.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

One thing I'm always interested in is the differences between the 5150 line. Like what changes were made between the 5150 and 5150 II, and if there's any difference between the block and script EVH signature models? Is the 6505 truly the same exact amp as the 5150? And, one reason Peavey amps are reliable is because they fix the bias at a safe zone, so they don't have tube failure problems. I've heard that the best 5150's were ones modded with a bias pot. Your thoughts?

 

[Jeff Dunne]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

I had both my 5150's modded with a Bias pot - definitely makes a difference! Stock, the amp is a complete beast, but this mod makes it even better. It's warmer, and single notes lines absolutely scream out of it.

6505 and 6505+ are identical in every way, shape, and form, besides the logo, to the 5150 and 5150 II, respectively. I've played the 5150 and 6505 through the same cabinet, with the same guitar and cables, and on a different occaision, the II and + side by side in the same manner - couldn't tell a difference, even in a blind test.

The 5150 II added another tube and independant EQ sections for each channel, as well as adding a slightly adjustable bias, and a footswitchable crunch channel.

That said, it also reduced the gain a bit, and made the amp more 'twangy' overall.

http://www.FJAmods.com/5150vs5150II.html


As far as the Block EVH vs. Signature heads, it's all hype. The amps are identical as far as circuitry goes - they just shipped with different stock tubes.

 

[taphappy]

Re: Peavey Amp Thread. Rate the Amps.

5150-still havent put in new tubes, but I remeber it having a killer tone when I first got it
XXX-Really crunchy and tight; sounds great when cranked
JSX-Kinda bland, a great amp nonetheless
Valve King- dissapointing
XXL- decent for SS; too screechy on the top end.