Getting back to the original post, the Peavey AMR series is NOTHING like the straight Peavey boards. Just cause it says Peavey doesn't mean anything. Its just like the Amek/TAC situation. Many people love to advertise their TAC equipment as having NEVE mic preamps in it just because spomewhere along the line Rupert was involved in the design process of some of the TAC gear. Personally, I liked the warmth of my old TAC scorpion and the softness of the EQ. I also loved the way it sounded when you pushed it well into the red (never try that on a Mackie or a ghost). However, the TAC does not sound remotely like any other AMEK or NEVE that I have ever heard. In the Peavey AMR case it's kind of the opposite. The AMR is really a different beast. It has a much warmer wider sound than any peavey, the EQ is much more versatile and usable, and the noise floor is WAY better. Also, the AMR consoles are setup pretty decent for studio use. They were designed to be large format knock offs at a better price point. Personally, if you feel ok about buying a used console, the Peavey/AMR line offers a lot of bang for the buck and in my opinion is a nice little step above the Ghosts. If you want to buy new though, the quality versus cost of a Ghost is a really good value.
As far as Ghosts having that "soundcraft" EQ, I don't buy that for a second. The ghost EQ sounds very stiff and mucky to me when you compare it to the EQ on an older TS24, or even a 6000. That, in my opinion, is the real "Soundcraft" EQ that gave Soundcraft their reputation. I have actually worked on a bunch of the newer Soundcraft Series 5 FOH consoles as well. The EQ on those is FAR better than that of a Ghost (it should be, it costs 20 or 30 times more).
I have not actually used a Ghost that has the IC mods, so I can't say anything about that. I do know though that changed IC's and op amps can change the sound of a circuit 180 degrees. Sopmetimes thats good, sometimes bad. However, it seems that a fully modded Ghost puts you in the same oprice range as a used Trident series 65, and maybe even series 24.
The good news for me is that I never have to worry about any of this again. I just bought a large format 10' long console with 98 new P&G faders, 12 auxes, 44 channels of 4 band sweepable EQ, 44 channels of 4 band with parametric mid's, 8 stereo channels, 24 busses, full patchbay, and on board routing and muting automation. All of that isn't costing too much more than a new
SOny DMXR100. So for Blue Bear, the deals are out there
