JeffB
Let it B
Tested several amps today in my haphazard quest for a new amp.
Rivera 25 Watt pubster: 1x10.
Good cleans, Good mid gain crunch, had plenty of high gain, but got really muddy at high gain. It was an immediate "no thanx"
Rivera 45 Watt Clubster 1x12
EL34s Definitely better than the 25 watters 6v6s but still had some mud/definition probs at high gain.
I was very disappointed in these two for the cost and the fact they are Riveras. Well built, great mid gain crunch and clean, but high gain just has very poor definition.
Peavey XXL 2x12 combo (100 watts I think, solid state Transtube technology)
Whoah. Talk about GAIN. No way I'd ever need the amount of gain this puppy has. The Crunch channel all the way up was more than I'd ever need. Clean sound was decent, but nothing special. It's a bit thin and "transistory" at the highest gain settings, but fairly tube-like and a bit fatter with gain backed off to 6-7. Good clarity even at high gain, and easy to get feedback and pinch harmonics. Classic Marshall gain level sounds a bit difficult to dial in without sounding thin. Good newer generation metal amp, but a little too over the top for my 80's sensibilities
Peavey Delta Blues (?) El-84 Tube combo. 30 watts w 2x10" speakers.
I wasn't interested in this amp at all, but the guy at the shop said I should try it for the $. It had blue tolex..could be an older model? Anyhoo. What a surprise! What a beautifully responsive to touch amp. I was surprised at the amount of gain as well with the boost on. For rhythms it was perfect;a good early EVH amount of gain, but I'd prolly use a SD1 for a lead boost. The cleans/dirt were excellent too. This is not just a "blues amp", but definitely a classic rock amp as well. The ONLY thing that would keep me from buying this amp is when the boost was engaged it had absolutely no presence!??? Even w/ the treble dimed it sounded like someone had rolled the treble/presence (if it had one)control all the way off, or it was turned around backwards. Otherwise, I'd be buying it or the classic 30 (which seems like the same thing). Is this normal for these amps? Not real versatile, but great sounds and response to the player.
Peavey Bandit II 112 Transtube 80 watts. 1x12 combo
After playing the muffled Delta Blues, this thing sounded like a razor. But after a few minutes I really started to like it. No, not nearly as warm or responsive as the DB, but a good variety of sounds, and sounded better to me than the Riveras or XXL. The cleans were passable. The Vintage lead was my fave. The modern/high gain voicings were not quite as insane as the XXL but approaching that level. I think the high gain voicing with some tweaking could give a really good compressed shred tone. A really cool feature was the variable Speaker dampening which gave it a closed back cab type sound with more low end, or a more open back cab sound. And the variable power control (forgot the name) was a cool tweak to play with for "sweetness"
I still wanna play some more amps/brands, but I'm really impressed with the Peavey offerings of today tube or transtube..a far cry from what they used to be.
But I would like to ask if the Peavey classic/delta blues owners noticed this lack of high frequencies? 'cos if that was just a fluke, I think it would be a hard amp to beat for the price. With increased highs and a TS-9 or SD-1 goosing it for leads it would be just about perfect for me, sound and power-wise.
Rivera 25 Watt pubster: 1x10.
Good cleans, Good mid gain crunch, had plenty of high gain, but got really muddy at high gain. It was an immediate "no thanx"
Rivera 45 Watt Clubster 1x12
EL34s Definitely better than the 25 watters 6v6s but still had some mud/definition probs at high gain.
I was very disappointed in these two for the cost and the fact they are Riveras. Well built, great mid gain crunch and clean, but high gain just has very poor definition.
Peavey XXL 2x12 combo (100 watts I think, solid state Transtube technology)
Whoah. Talk about GAIN. No way I'd ever need the amount of gain this puppy has. The Crunch channel all the way up was more than I'd ever need. Clean sound was decent, but nothing special. It's a bit thin and "transistory" at the highest gain settings, but fairly tube-like and a bit fatter with gain backed off to 6-7. Good clarity even at high gain, and easy to get feedback and pinch harmonics. Classic Marshall gain level sounds a bit difficult to dial in without sounding thin. Good newer generation metal amp, but a little too over the top for my 80's sensibilities
Peavey Delta Blues (?) El-84 Tube combo. 30 watts w 2x10" speakers.
I wasn't interested in this amp at all, but the guy at the shop said I should try it for the $. It had blue tolex..could be an older model? Anyhoo. What a surprise!
What a beautifully responsive to touch amp. I was surprised at the amount of gain as well with the boost on. For rhythms it was perfect;a good early EVH amount of gain, but I'd prolly use a SD1 for a lead boost. The cleans/dirt were excellent too. This is not just a "blues amp", but definitely a classic rock amp as well. The ONLY thing that would keep me from buying this amp is when the boost was engaged it had absolutely no presence!??? Even w/ the treble dimed it sounded like someone had rolled the treble/presence (if it had one)control all the way off, or it was turned around backwards. Otherwise, I'd be buying it or the classic 30 (which seems like the same thing). Is this normal for these amps? Not real versatile, but great sounds and response to the player. Peavey Bandit II 112 Transtube 80 watts. 1x12 combo
After playing the muffled Delta Blues, this thing sounded like a razor. But after a few minutes I really started to like it. No, not nearly as warm or responsive as the DB, but a good variety of sounds, and sounded better to me than the Riveras or XXL. The cleans were passable. The Vintage lead was my fave. The modern/high gain voicings were not quite as insane as the XXL but approaching that level. I think the high gain voicing with some tweaking could give a really good compressed shred tone. A really cool feature was the variable Speaker dampening which gave it a closed back cab type sound with more low end, or a more open back cab sound. And the variable power control (forgot the name) was a cool tweak to play with for "sweetness"
I still wanna play some more amps/brands, but I'm really impressed with the Peavey offerings of today tube or transtube..a far cry from what they used to be.
But I would like to ask if the Peavey classic/delta blues owners noticed this lack of high frequencies? 'cos if that was just a fluke, I think it would be a hard amp to beat for the price. With increased highs and a TS-9 or SD-1 goosing it for leads it would be just about perfect for me, sound and power-wise.
I don't think the language filter here on the boards will like what I have to say about the MG30, so I'll refrain :vomit:
