Peavey Classics

[Stratovarious]

Ok, my crappy SS amp just stopped working

and my parents might let me buy a new amp

so im curious what you guys that have them think of them?

do they sound at all marshally?

and would a Carl Martin Plexitone sound good through one of them?

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Peavey Classics

i have love hate thing for my Classic series amps... i have the C30 combo and the C50 head..... i find they do not have the greatest low end thumb and if you really want Marshall like 4x12 stack tones these amps don't offer that too well. I find they are amazing clean amps and OK OD channel amps.. If you want a healthly amount of low end Marshall thumb look somewhere else.... i see these amps as being a cross between a fender and a vox.... with a bit more gain

 

[Pecan]

Re: Peavey Classics

I love them. I haven't found another amp that does better for the tone I'm looking for. When I do I'll buy it. They lack low end, but if you run them through the right cab it improves it. If your after a marshall I wouldn't really get it. They do classic rock, but differantly.

P.S. Who, what cabs do you use with your classics, also I hear the 50 has more bass?

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Peavey Classics

I love them. I haven't found another amp that does better for the tone I'm looking for. When I do I'll buy it. They lack low end, but if you run them through the right cab it improves it. If your after a marshall I wouldn't really get it. They do classic rock, but differantly.

P.S. Who, what cabs do you use with your classics, also I hear the 50 has more bass?

well with the C30 combo i add the sealed back 1x12 that Peavey used to offer when the C30 first came out... it's a 1x12 in matching tweed....

Sometimes i use the C50 head into that Peavey Classic 1x12... sometimes into a Marshall 1912 1x12 cab.... and sometimes into my 5150 4x12....

there is a tone difference between the C30 and the C50 for sure! Mind you these 2 amps are of a slightly different wireing design i think and the cabs are different. So there ya go... The C50 has more mids and a slightly different grunt to the distortion.. Warmer yet more dirt. To my ears the C30 sounds cleaner and more midrange-ish and the c50 has slightly more warmth. A friend of mine has the 2x12 C50 and i notice the same slightly extra warmth with his too....

i bought the Classic series amps in my collection for dirt cheap..... in Canadian coin i got the C50 head for $250.... for the C30 combo with matching cab i got it for $500 for both... They come up for sale all the time around my neck of the woods for dirt cheap..

I do not like the extra sensitive Spring Reverb.... i find turning the reverb on 3 it is overly loud.... turn it up much more and it is un-useful...

but as i said these amps do not offer the huge Marshall 4x12 thump.... even when i have my C50 plugged into the 5150 cab it does not have that huge bottom end most people look for in Marshall like tones.... So the original question if these do Marshall "like" tones... no not really..... not stock anyways... I think of these as more British invasion from the 60's tone with more dirt....

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Peavey Classics

I had a love/hate thing with mine as well.

Nice amp....the best sound was the clean channel cranked to make it dirty; total tone monster. The second channel, after a certain point, I just found the mid-range honk got to be too much on it when gigging. It just seemed to trun into a totally different beast when pusing some serious air, and it wasn't a beast I especially liked the sound of.

But for rehearsals, it was fine. However it came down to it and a modified Blues Junior. Had to go with the Junior...

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Peavey Classics

I had a love/hate thing with mine as well.

Nice amp....the best sound was the clean channel cranked to make it dirty; total tone monster. The second channel, after a certain point, I just found the mid-range honk got to be too much on it when gigging. It just seemed to trun into a totally different beast when pusing some serious air, and it wasn't a beast I especially liked the sound of.

But for rehearsals, it was fine. However it came down to it and a modified Blues Junior. Had to go with the Junior...

Ya exactly... i used to store my C30 at my drummers house for practices... but gig with other amps. I mean for the low amount of cash these babies can be had for used, all tube... cool deals... But they are not my first pick if i was paying new full price.... there is other amps i'd look at

One thing i love to do at practices is just using the clean channel of the C30 and use pedals for OD and Distortions... The Clean channel makes a great base for pedals! A clean tube amp with a quality pedal in front of it is a good thing!... i want to get some nice high priced distortion units soon... right now i just use BOSS Pedals for cash reasons... but there is Diamond Fire pedal i have my eye on.

 

[CapoFirstFret]

Re: Peavey Classics

I had one of the 4x10 models and man I loved that amp! I set it up on the overdrive channel but just with a little bit of grit so I could roll the volume forward and backward for more or less grit, worked out very well.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Peavey Classics

Not reading any of the replies . . .

. . . here goes :


Peavey Classic 30 or 50 is the best value for money in my books !!!

I say, "forget about the Vlavekings, the Classic's are the way to go !"

And the good news is, they take pedals very well.
Two of my friend have a C30 & C50 !
I have spent more time with a C30 and that thing love my Rat (albeit, custom made), and a H&K TubeMan, sound like a tone comming from the heavens, with naked teenage angles singing just for you !

 

[Shnook]

Re: Peavey Classics

I have about 6 amps currently, and the one that seems to work best for me in my band situation is my C30, which is hooked up to a Wiggy 2x12 cab. I replaced the stock speaker with an Eminence Governor and put some NOS pre-amp tubes in it. A 5751 in V1 does wonders for this amp. I only use the Normal channel and use a few pedals for dirt. Mainly a Pedalworx Catcus Crunch and a Paul Cochrane Tim pedal. Turn the amp up to 3 1/2 and I'm happy. For the money, I don't know of a better amp.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Peavey Classics

I had one of the 4x10 models and man I loved that amp! I set it up on the overdrive channel but just with a little bit of grit so I could roll the volume forward and backward for more or less grit, worked out very well.

i past up a 4x10 C50 last winter for $400.... only because i figured it would be too heavy to lug for jams... In my area of Ontario, Classic series amps do not resale for very much. That is why i have 2 of them but i could of had a pile of them as they do come up for sale quite often. I think they do not sale for much only because the front has Peavey on it not Fender or whatever company brand guitarist snobs need to see...

 

[B2D]

Re: Peavey Classics

I picked a used one up for just under $275 at a local Guitar Center. It's a cool little amp! Good vintage vibe with a hint of "Brittitude", satisfying distortion, juicy cleans, mics up well, it's a kick!

 

[Mephis]

Re: Peavey Classics

They're good amps, just don't buy one expecting good volume and good cleans at the same time.

The cleans can get pretty loud but you don't really have any headroom.

You won't really need to push them with a pedal, at least the 50watter. Plenty of gain on tap.

They're good amps over all, I'm a little bored with mine after having it for so long and not playing through anything else.

I had a love/hate thing with mine as well.

Nice amp....the best sound was the clean channel cranked to make it dirty; total tone monster. The second channel, after a certain point, I just found the mid-range honk got to be too much on it when gigging. It just seemed to trun into a totally different beast when pusing some serious air, and it wasn't a beast I especially liked the sound of.

But for rehearsals, it was fine. However it came down to it and a modified Blues Junior. Had to go with the Junior...

That's pretty spot on. I don't think it sounds as good when cranked all the way up as it does around 6-7 on the master. The midrange gets annoying. You can scoop it pretty good though then turn up the presense to help that. You really need to run alot of gain or almost none at high volumes or it is un-pleasing.

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: Peavey Classics

I think they can be decent amps, but I got rid of mine. Their cleans are excellent IMHO. On par with a good fender IMHO. The dirty side lacked bass (the classic 50).

 

[CapoFirstFret]

Re: Peavey Classics

(ed. for spelling by capofirstfret)...sound like a tone coming from the heavens, with naked teenage angels singing just for you !

This is the greatest description of tone I've ever read. plain and simple

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Peavey Classics

. . . thanx !

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Peavey Classics

I'm not a huge fan. I honestly liked the older Classics (hybrids with 6L6 power sections) better for clean. The OD is OK, but again, there's better out there. I'd take a clean Prowler over a C30/50 any day of the week.

 

[thucydides]

Re: Peavey Classics

I really liked my C50 2x12 combo overall. I could get decent tone out of both the clean and the dirt channels. My favorite gtr w/it was my 90s SG Jr (one P 90). Sort of a Marshall crunch (only sort of, but decent!), and a bluesy clean. The major problem for me was the shared EQ section didn't cut it. I generally had to EQ for either clean or crunch. Since I already had a Marshall for the Marshall sound, I sold this amp, and bought something w/dedicated EQs for each channel.

I think that they are very useful amps. Not the end-all (is there such an amp?!), but useful, and usually a great deal re the price!

 

[B2D]

Re: Peavey Classics

They're good amps, just don't buy one expecting good volume and good cleans at the same time.

I use my 50-watter with an alt-rock band and it's loud enough. Goes to 12, too! :fingersx: It's one of the older 50's that still used 4 EL84's but was still rated for 50 watts. From the sound of it, it sounds liek if you red-lined the thing you might get 48 watts. :laugh2: But hey it's definitely giggable!

The cleans can get pretty loud but you don't really have any headroom.

I get a little crush in the cleans at high volume, but it's kind of a Fender Deluxe style crush and it still sounds great.

You won't really need to push them with a pedal, at least the 50watter. Plenty of gain on tap.

True. Especially with good tubes and if you're playing hard rock on down. I us a fulltone OCD for mine to give it a solo boost and even then it sounds bad@$$ and really juices up the sound. Slap a wah in front of that and WOW does that amp talk!

I don't think it sounds as good when cranked all the way up as it does around 6-7 on the master. The midrange gets annoying. You can scoop it pretty good though then turn up the presense to help that. You really need to run alot of gain or almost none at high volumes or it is un-pleasing.

The controls and the behavior of mine took some getting used to, 'specially at volume. I usually have my mids at 6 (mine goes to 12), treble at 5 or 6, presence at 4, and the bass at 7. I keep all the gain knobs on about 8.

I think they can be decent amps, but I got rid of mine. Their cleans are excellent IMHO. On par with a good fender IMHO. The dirty side lacked bass (the classic 50).

I use my classic 50 head with a 4x12 cab... i have to turn the bass and volume up a little to get some low end really happening, but it's a warm, bouncy low end that's great for rock. It'll move enough air.

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Peavey Classics

That's pretty spot on. I don't think it sounds as good when cranked all the way up as it does around 6-7 on the master. The midrange gets annoying. You can scoop it pretty good though then turn up the presense to help that. You really need to run alot of gain or almost none at high volumes or it is un-pleasing.

That was kind of the problem...past a certain point it started to sound like a totally different amp to my ears. When I'm gigging that's not a situation I want to be dealing with. If an amp breaks up at a certain point and I know it has to be at that volume to get there, then fine. But with a MV amp the appeal is the ability to throttle down in rehearsals and let it loose when playing live. When it totally changes its stripes live the reason I owned it was kind of lost.

It was either the Classic or the Blues Junior. And modded the Blues Junior sounded much better and was much more consistent at louder volumes than the Classic.

 

[Mike M.]

Re: Peavey Classics

I have the C30 combo, and all-in-all I think they are a great little bang for the buck amp.

Do they sound Marshall-ey? Not even close. The OD channel can get very "fuzzy-buzzy" when you start turning the pre-gain up to some degree. But to my ears what works really good is to set the OD channel to a mild overdriven sound that's suitable for rhythm playing, then add the OD pedal of your choice for leads. I've found if I keep the pre-gain at about 9:00 and the post gain at around 12:00 you can get a prety good, mild crunch rhythm tone going. A pedal will then fill it all in very nicely.