Peavey classic series (amps)

charger

New member
Anyone had any experience with these? I know it's Peavey, and my last Peavey amp was crap I had when I was 12 years old. Needless to say, I'm hesitant. I played one today, a Classic 30, a 1x12 combo with 30 watts, all tube. I liked the clean tone, it was a little more modern and big sounding than the classic Fender tone, not quite so sparkly, but very nice. The reverb seemed adequate but nothing special, and the high gain channel was decent, but nothing great. I really just want a nice big clean sound I can run all of my pedals into, so I don't really care about the reverb or the crunch channel.

I wonder about reliability, value, etc. The 30-watt combo runs about 450$, and I honestly just don't know what is comparable out there at this price point. Also, it was a pretty loud guitar store where I played it, and I can never be sure things will sound as good when I get them home. Anyone have any experience with these amps? I need to get away from the massive 100+ watt heads/cabs, so I can play around the house a little more without the POD and headphones, without driving the family nuts.
 
I had one of those a while back..even had the 1X12 ext. cabinet.
Its a pretty cool small amp.And its loud enough to gig with...I used it to do a blues gig.The only thing that I can say about it as a negitive is that it can be kinda noisy{hums}.I used a Rat pedal
for gain...the gain channels tone was not to my likeing.Look around and see if you can find a used one 450.00 seems a little
pricey to me...I'm cheap

Don
 
I have the Classic 50/212 and it's one of the best amps I've ever played through....of course that's why I bought it. I wouldn't neccessarily recommend it because it has an internal fan. I turn it off for short periods of time, be it's not an ideal amp for recording because of the fan.

I played the Classic 30 in the store a couple of times. I felt it was lacking something the 50 had...probably the 2 speakers. It does have that great clean sound. It's not as bright as a Fender and I like that.....it sounds very vintage....I think the classic series was engineered to sound like a Fender Bassman.

I think the Classic 30 sells for $375 at the store I bought mine. The Classic 50 is only $500. The distorted lead sounds have a "singing quality" that alluded me with my previous Marshall and Fender amps. The spring reverb is perfection IMO.

I'd buy the Classic 30. It is a small amp and it's not a loud 30 watts....it seems about as loud as the Fender Blues Jr. Some of the Fenders are rediculously loud....whenever I play the Hot Rod Deluxes and Devilles I'm amazed that I never turn it up louder than 2. A lot depends on what kind of music you like. The Classic 30 is good at blues, classic rock, and jazz. It won't do metal or Limp Biscuit covers.
 
Charger,

I own a classic 50 410. It is truely a great sounding amp. I love the claen channel, a little warmer than a twin IMO. The spring reverb is very nice also. I would describe the sound of this amp as somewhere right between an old Bassman, and a JTM 45. I can get a very true Zeppelin sound from this amp, or SRV. It is true, this amp can be a bit noisy, but not bad. As far as the Peavey name, don't let that scare you. True, Peavey has made alot of cheap, poor sounding amps (solid state), at very reasonable prices. They also make some uppers scale tube amps, that compete very well with the big names, quality and tone wise. Peaveys are built like tanks. If you like the sound of this amp, then buy it. Truth be known, 75% of us cut our teeth on crappy little Peavey amps over 20 years ago. I'll bet most of them are still going strong. BTW, I would look for a used one at EBAY. You could probably save a bundle.

P :D
 
There's nothing wrong with the Peavey Classic 30. I liked it a heluva lot better than the Fender BJ for my purposes. But I ran across a Traynor YCV40 and bought it instead of the Peavey. Great amp. Sparkling clean channel. Don't know about US prices, but I paid $600 CDN for mine. Do yourself a favour and try one if accessible (built in CDA by Yorkville). I think you'll be quite impressed.

But if you can't find a Traynor, you can do a lot worse than the Peavey.
 
the peavey classics are great little amps. probably the best in their price range. the classic 30 was my first tube amp and i still use it live when my plexi isnt reasonable. i nver really scared for the distortion much but if you roll back on the pre and increase the post you'll get a nice natural overdrive that good for bluesy rock stuff.
 
Thanks folks, you've been a great help. No I'm looking for a used one for cheap, hopefully I find one on eBay, and the tubes aren't reduced to a fine powder in shipping.
 
Charger,

I got my Classic 30 off Ebay for $280. A great deal because it's in perfect condition. The guy who owned it really kept it in tip top shape. The clean and drive channels sound pretty good to me, not great but not bad either. I'd really like to hear it thru a 2X12 tho. There's a website full of mods for the classic 30 too. Recapping, adding a master volume for the clean channel, and lots of other stuff. blueguitar.org, I think. The only complaint I really have is the tubes rattle when the amp is cranked, although I was told it might be the brand that's in there. The filaments rattle around some. Since I can't afford a Vox AC 30( what I really want), it's an ok amp for now. btw, has anyone heard the new Vox modelling amp? looks interesting.
 
pevey amps

i have a 100 watt marshall...but i got tired of lugging it around. i bought a pevey studio pro for less than 300 bucks (brand new). its the 1st solid state amp i've ever had in my life that i like. they sound soooo good. you can grab a note and it will feedback and gradually turn into the high harmonic of the note...just like a tube amp cranked up all the way and the bass strings don't have that buzzy gazoo sound like every other solid state amp distortion i've tried. these amps have pevey's "transtube" technology, and i think they're on to something. if any of you guys get a chance check one out.
 
Well, I got my classic 30 off eBay. I've been playing around with it for a week, and I dig it! The clean sound is not Fender clean, but it's very good, rich and powerful. I might try a couple of those blueguitar mods, I think it could use a little more bass, and a master volume might be nice for the clean, since I can barely turn it up past one in my house. Louder than I expected! But I'm digging it. Thanks for the advice folks!
 
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