Scored a cool little amp!

[B2D]

Picked up a used, early-run Peavey Classic 50 head at guitar center! It was only $350 after tax and it's a bit beat but maaaan does it sound great! Police Hold ends on it 6.10.06, so I'll be able to take it home then.

Looks like three 12AX7's in the preamp, and the back tube cover plate said there were 4 6B5Q tubes in the power section!!!

I did some research on this... looks like 6B5Q is either interchangeable with EL84's or it's a different designation for the same tube. Which is the case?

Plus there are 4 of these tubes in there but it's a 50W amp... they must've used a different transformer or something to ramp up the power 20 watts.

There's a pic of the same model amp.

Sounds great... anything i should know about this little feller?

 

[Pecan]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

Hmmmm, the 50 is similar to the 30s. Apart from the fact that it actualy has slightly more bass through the same cabs, and the mids are voiced just slightly differant, but not much. That being said it still has a very unique cool mid thing happening if you like mids. Try the mids at about 8, highs at about 5 and bass at about 6. Even though they are cheap amps I still think they have a great tone. None of that is exactly hard to figure out, but yeh. Congrats on the score.

 

[schecterplayer]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

dang, thats a score. I really like those amps.

 

[Stratman]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

Looks like three 12AX7's in the preamp, and the back tube cover plate said there were 4 6B5Q tubes in the power section!!!

I did some research on this... looks like 6B5Q is either interchangeable with EL84's or it's a different designation for the same tube. Which is the case?

6Bq5 is the British designation for EL-84's

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

First, it's not 6B5Q it's 6BQ5 and it is the english number given to an EL-84. Also, that 50 watt rating is prtty inflated...those amps are in the midl to high 30 watt range. I will tell you this...a budyd of mine played through one of those when they first came out and he had a pretyt good tone but those amps go through tubes like nothing I have ever seen...He was replacing tubes every 2 to 3 months!

 

[Brow]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

6B5Q is the British designation for EL-84's

I've never heard of this before myself. I've only ever heard of them as being EL84 myself.

Not saying you're wrong, just stating an opinion

 

[Stratman]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

6Bq5 is the British designation for EL-84's

I have got to fix these typing mistaeks

http://www.vacuumtubes.com/6bq5.html

http://www.boiaudioworks.com/index.php?cPath=58&osCsid=4f0b3f64ad7cb0c2dc8cb2c46c9ed144

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

I own one of these Classic 50 heads..... i like it!!!! i like it more then my C30 combo... The C50 head seems to have more gain too....

 

[Nightburst]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

I love the looks! Don't care for Peavey in general but this one seems pretty nice.

New stuff rocks!

 

[DankStar]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

I just read a Satriani article where he said he used to use one of those heads a lot.

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

Those sound cool
I played in a band with a guy who had one - good clean tones. I am not high on the gain but it takes pedals well.

I almost bought one yesterday for $180 - 2x12 model here near my place in N Holly.

I almost bought a halfstack for $400 but I didn't need another one.

 

[Liquid]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

Very nice amp man I was looking at one of those cept a combo but I went for somthing eles :smack:. Oh well have fun with it.

 

[B2D]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

First, it's not 6B5Q it's 6BQ5 and it is the english number given to an EL-84. Also, that 50 watt rating is prtty inflated...those amps are in the midl to high 30 watt range. I will tell you this...a budyd of mine played through one of those when they first came out and he had a pretyt good tone but those amps go through tubes like nothing I have ever seen...He was replacing tubes every 2 to 3 months!

Gotcha about the tube designation.

I could kinda tell that the 50 watts was a rather liberal rating... i mean i was sitting in front of the cab with the amp on 6 and I was perfectly comfortable and could talk loudly over it. But that's cool... i was kinda hunting for a 30 watter anyways!

So it chews up tubes? Hmmm... well i guess experience will tell with this. I should probably check the tubes and at least have a tech look over it to make sure it's in good electronic shape and all.

Thanks to everyone for the congrats and the advice. Can't wait to get this little guy in the house!

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

Sweet looking head. How does the tone compare to the Classic combos?

 

[J Moose]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

I will tell you this...a budyd of mine played through one of those when they first came out and he had a pretyt good tone but those amps go through tubes like nothing I have ever seen...He was replacing tubes every 2 to 3 months!

That seems kinda' odd. Did he get his amp checked to make sure the voltage & all that was kosher?

I've had a Delta Blues for at least 5 or 6 years and I've never gone through tubes like that. One of my friends used to gig with a Classic 50 2x12 combo twice a week, plus rehearsals and all that and he was getting about a year from a set of power tubes.

Either way those are pretty cool heads. They also made a Classic 100 for a while that ran on 8 EL84's but that was pretty shortlived...

 

[B2D]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

Sweet looking head. How does the tone compare to the Classic combos?

Well it's a head so the tone is going to vary from cab to cab, and the only other one i really have any experience with is the C30... the tone is a little richer, deeper, fuller, and the gain is more aggressive and has a definite hot-rodded EL84 thing going on. Kinda reminds me of a poor man's cross between a Bassman and an AC30.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

That seems kinda' odd. Did he get his amp checked to make sure the voltage & all that was kosher?

I've had a Delta Blues for at least 5 or 6 years and I've never gone through tubes like that. One of my friends used to gig with a Classic 50 2x12 combo twice a week, plus rehearsals and all that and he was getting about a year from a set of power tubes.

Either way those are pretty cool heads. They also made a Classic 100 for a while that ran on 8 EL84's but that was pretty shortlived...

I had a hard time getting volume out of my C50 when i first got it as i didn't know how to use it.... the C50 is one loud amp that's for sure..

I had my Classic 50 for ages before i learned how to use the Master Volume, Post and Pre kobs for the gain chanel and the volume for the Clean channel....
For the life of me i could not get the tones i wanted... i was messing with the knobs and not getting any tones worth a dam out of it and the volume was either too loud or not loud enough... Since it was used i had no owners manual.. But i final spent some time and learned how to use it...

1/The master volume is the knob right beside the Presence and of course is used for over all volume,

2/the PRE and POST knobs on the gain channel are kind of like 2 GAIN Knobs and are quite flexable in dailing in and mixing different gain tones...

3/the volume knob near the imput jacks is basicly the Clean Channels Gain knob....

When i first got the head i had the Master volume flat out and was trying to controll the volume with the PRE and Post controlls.. It is a confusing lay out but once you understand which knob is the master volume and which are just gain knobs, it's down hill from there

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

Well it's a head so the tone is going to vary from cab to cab, and the only other one i really have any experience with is the C30... the tone is a little richer, deeper, fuller, and the gain is more aggressive and has a definite hot-rodded EL84 thing going on. Kinda reminds me of a poor man's cross between a Bassman and an AC30.

Well, the C30 is the only one I really have any experience with, too. That sounds pretty cool, though. I'll have to keep a look out for one.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

Well, the C30 is the only one I really have any experience with, too. That sounds pretty cool, though. I'll have to keep a look out for one.

they are good amps and dirt cheap a lot of the time.... The C30 sounds cleaner to my ears then the C50 versions i have used.... MY C50 sounds great thru my Marshall or 5150 cabs...... Plus it sounds great thru my Peavey Classic cab as well.... My friends C50 combo is quite nice as well but what i love about the head is i mostly use it thru sealed back cabnets and that helps the bottom end....

 

[B2D]

Re: Scored a cool little amp!

I had a hard time getting volume out of my C50 when i first got it as i didn't know how to use it.... the C50 is one loud amp that's for sure..

I had my Classic 50 for ages before i learned how to use the Master Volume, Post and Pre kobs for the gain chanel and the volume for the Clean channel....
For the life of me i could not get the tones i wanted... i was messing with the knobs and not getting any tones worth a dam out of it and the volume was either too loud or not loud enough... Since it was used i had no owners manual.. But i final spent some time and learned how to use it...

1/The master volume is the knob right beside the Presence and of course is used for over all volume,

2/the PRE and POST knobs on the gain channel are kind of like 2 GAIN Knobs and are quite flexable in dailing in and mixing different gain tones...

3/the volume knob near the imput jacks is basicly the Clean Channels Gain knob....

When i first got the head i had the Master volume flat out and was trying to controll the volume with the PRE and Post controlls.. It is a confusing lay out but once you understand which knob is the master volume and which are just gain knobs, it's down hill from there

Generally I'm kind of the person where the less volume/gain controls there are, the better but for some reason the gain/volume control layout immediately made sense to me... I was able to get some killer tones out of it at pretty decent volume!