Peavey Classic 30

Question:

> The distortion on the C 30 is really smooth and creamy, and alot easier > on > the ears than the harsher distortion tones of the SS maps.   The clean > channels on the SS amps have alot more headroom than the C 30, and this > leads me to the whole point of this, could the lack of headroom on the C > 30 > be due to the age of the tubes (2-3 years), the quality of the tubes > (import chinese) or is that the way the C 30 is supposed to be?    The > former owner, who seemed to be honest and trustworthy, said that the amp > didn’t have a lot of hours on it or heavy abusive usage, whatever that > could be.   Will new or higher quality tubes change the distortion tones?

Yes, or you could replace the driver tube with a 12AT7 or 12AU7 for lower gain.  That would give you more headroom.  Check Dejanews for posts on this. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Thanks for any advice/input.     daveski      

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I just got a used Peavey Classic 30 and after playing thru it for a couple of hours, my overall general impression so far is that I like it.   I have never played thru a new one, or for that matter, any other used one, but relied on the reviews in harmony central and the occasional comment I see in the newsgroups to break down and finally buy a small tube amp.   Besides, it’s a long way to any music stores in my neck of the woods, and I would be taking a chance that the stores I may pass thru wood even have one.   Anyways, I compared it to the 2 SS Peavey amps that I presently use and like (Express 112 and Studio Pro 112) with 6 different guitars and I think I will be able to live with it.    It is pretty loud for a little box with a single 12" speaker.   The distortion on the C 30 is really smooth and creamy, and alot easier on the ears than the harsher distortion tones of the SS maps.   The clean channels on the SS amps have alot more headroom than the C 30, and this leads me to the whole point of this, could the lack of headroom on the C 30 be due to the age of the tubes (2-3 years), the quality of the tubes (import chinese) or is that the way the C 30 is supposed to be?    The former owner, who seemed to be honest and trustworthy, said that the amp didn’t have a lot of hours on it or heavy abusive usage, whatever that could be.   Will new or higher quality tubes change the distortion tones?   Thanks for any advice/input.     daveski      

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> channels on the SS amps have alot more headroom than the C 30, and this > leads me to the whole point of this, could the lack of headroom on the C 30 > be due to the age of the tubes (2-3 years), the quality of the tubes > (import chinese) or is that the way the C 30 is supposed to be?    The

About what setting does your clean channel start to break up?  Just for reference, I have a Peavey Delta Blues, which is almost the same as the Classic 30, and my clean channel starts to break up around 5 or 6.  And that volume is a bit much for me just practicing in my room. MG — "And through the window in the wall  Come streaming in on sunlight wings  A million bright ambassadors of morning."         –Pink Floyd, "Echoes"

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I’ve got this amp. I’m just wondering what opinions others have of it and any good additions that could be made to it for more sound/ getting the most out of it (not necessarily just the volume). Keep in mind I’m not a very technically minded person… Thanks, Nick

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I have the same amp.  Quite happy with it, although I hate the tube clamps…the tubes make them rattle. I am currently working on a good solution. Happy with the amount of drive I get at low volumes. The overall sound on mine is a little muddy right now, but that is because I need to replace the tubes.  I think it’s a great buy, though. It’s a decent amount of watts to play over any drummer, and most sound guys have gone to miking amps anyways, so why would I want my amp to sound way louder to only the people standnig right in front of it. I use it as a monitor with an amp stand pointing at me.  It’s a nice loud little amp, though, and little…I like that I don’t have to lug around this gigantic amp. I get to use my tubes for all their worth on this sucker. The only thing I might do, is if I had to play at louder volumes on my clean channel I would prefer a louder amp. This one distorts naturally if you push the normal gain too high. Other than that….excellent buy…..you think so too? -Steve – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >I’ve got this amp. I’m just wondering what opinions others have of it and >any good additions that could be made to it for more sound/ getting the most >out of it (not necessarily just the volume). Keep in mind I’m not a very >technically minded person… >Thanks, >Nick

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Want more bottom, more clean headroom, a warmer sound. Don’t want to mess with tubes. Any suggestions on speaker replacements?  Thanks.

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> Want more bottom, more clean headroom, a warmer sound. Don’t want to mess with > tubes. Any suggestions on speaker replacements?  Thanks.

Does this mean that you have a Classic 30 and you’re asking what a good replacement speaker is, or does it mean that you want to get rid of your Classic 30 and get a solid-state amp?  This ain’t the Psychic Friends Network, junior.  Elucidate. Lord Valve Unpsychic

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<< Want more bottom, more clean headroom, a warmer sound. Don’t want to mess with tubes. Any suggestions on speaker replacements?  Thanks. >> You could replace it with 4 x10s & the Classic 50.

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so… you want a Marshall Stack?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Want more bottom, more clean headroom, a warmer sound. Don’t want to mess with > tubes. Any suggestions on speaker replacements?  Thanks.

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No I think wanted more bottom as well.. Swack

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> so… you want a Marshall Stack? > Want more bottom, more clean headroom, a warmer sound. Don’t want to mess > with > tubes. Any suggestions on speaker replacements?  Thanks.

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Yeah. Sell me yours for $100 OK? You guys knew what I was talking about and you are all pompous A-holes.

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<< Yeah. Sell me yours for $100 OK? You guys knew what I was talking about and you are all pompous A-holes.  >> Lighten up Don – for me all I’m saying is I had a Classic 30, it was okay but that does better for me. or I guess you could stick an EV or some super Weber or something in the Classic 30 – i dunno. My tunes at: http://www.geocities.com/mondoslugness

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > << Yeah. Sell me yours for $100 OK? You guys knew what I was talking about and > you > are all pompous A-holes. > Lighten up Don – for me all I’m saying is I had a Classic 30, it was okay but > that does better for me. > or I guess you could stick an EV or some super Weber or something in the > Classic 30 – i dunno. > My tunes at: > http://www.geocities.com/mondoslugness

With so many issues, ie: headroom, bottom, warmth, …… it looks like he has the wrong amp, a speaker change isn’t going to turn a C-30 into a   Twin. Pompous indeed. dw

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> Yeah. Sell me yours for $100 OK? You guys knew what I was talking about and you > are all pompous A-holes.

  …..are just a putz with the wrong amp. dw

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Don, Normally I would try to defend the guy with the Peavey Classic 30, and did even in this thread, But Dude you should try Sanka. You just can’t go flipping out with the Pompas A-hole shit unprovoked. BTW I aware of, and secure with my Pompas Asshole-ism, So you did no damage. If you want the amp you got to work for everything, It’s not going to happen. No matter what tubes, speakers, or summon Stevie Ray’s Mojo. There are reasons that Most players have several different amps, guitars, pedals, or even digital devices. I would recommend you keep the peavey, and get a Fender Blues Jr. if Money is an issue. The Blues Jr. you can get for about the same price as a sweet 2×12 Cab. Or you could get a Celestion V30 2×12 Extension Cab…. What you do, might consider chilling the fuck out. Swack

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Yeah. Sell me yours for $100 OK? You guys knew what I was talking about and you > are all pompous A-holes.

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I put a jbl k120-series in mine…..made it cleaner ,a little more bass…….plus more headroom……it did not make a drastic difference,but

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Want more bottom, more clean headroom, a warmer sound. Don’t want to mess with > tubes. Any suggestions on speaker replacements?  Thanks.

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If you want more bottom, try a good Marshall head with GE 6550A into a vintage Hiwatt 4×12 with Fanes. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > No I think wanted more bottom as well.. > Swack > so… you want a Marshall Stack? > > Want more bottom, more clean headroom, a warmer sound. Don’t want to > mess > with > > tubes. Any suggestions on speaker replacements?  Thanks.

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You are NOT gonna get much bottom end in a small open combo.  Your best bet is a 4×12 with as efficient of speakers as you can find.  But there is no magic to double the headroom of this EL84 amp.  You don’t want to mess with tubes, but the Sovtek EL84M might be an option. Even if you drop the money for a JBL in that combo, you are likely to be disappointed. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Want more bottom, more clean headroom, a warmer sound. Don’t want to mess with > tubes. Any suggestions on speaker replacements?  Thanks.

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Thanks for the info Jeff or Christy. The Blue Marvel that it came with is very shrill sounding, probably why you changed yours. I’ll check out the JBL that you installed. I also did a search on the web and found the Celestion web site where they have sound samples of their speakers through different types of amps. I appreciate the response.    

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Thanks for the info Jim.

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Swack didn’t mean to offend you. Sorry if I did. I guess it was an accumulation of the responses. Could have been in my original post where I said "don’t want to mess with tubes" and the responder though I was talking solid state. I don’t know. I thought I would get a responses like, try a Vintage 30, or Celestion … or whatever. Looking back I can see the humour in Marshall Half Stack. Just looking for an inexpensive way to improve the sound that’s all. Peace.  

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The Reverend Alltone 1250 would work great with the classic 30. The JBL is great for ultraclean . But if you use distortion it will be buzzy, too many highs. The Reverend is the perfect speaker in that it sounds great clean and when you add distortion there is no buzziness. Just great tone. $59 at reverenddirect.com

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> Yeah. Sell me yours for $100 OK? You guys knew what I was talking about and you > are all pompous A-holes.

Not all of us are pompus A-holes. Some are pricks. Some are political Some are impatient There are some wanker trolls Jarl’s a fuckwit. (search google) But all in all everyone will help you because we share a common interest. Try this link http://blueguitar.org/ Has a heap of good info for the PV C30 Warren

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> I thought I would get a responses like, try a Vintage 30, or Celestion >… or whatever. Looking back I can see the humour in Marshall Half Stack. Just >looking for an inexpensive way to improve the sound that’s all. Peace.  

        There was a guy named Steve Ahola that had some mods for the C30 that included changing a capacitor or two that resulted in a lot more bottom end and smoothing it out. I’d try Google searching for "Ahola" "Peavey" and "mod" and see what you find.         I had one about 3 years ago, I think it had a Sheffield speaker in it. I never liked that speaker much. I’d check www.webervst.com thoroughly and see if one of their 12’s would suit your musical tastes. Ted Weber probably knows more about guitar speakers than anyone on Earth, and will answer specific questions.         I also think that tube selection will help some.

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Thanks jshinal. Yeah, I checked the Weber website out and am thinking about the P12N.

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I went to the music shop recently looking for a very small amp. The Peavey I played sounded terrible by my standards ( I like deep sounding amps). It sounded chintzy and trebly. I have a Marshall G30R CD guitar amp and I like it but it is of course small and very deep sounding and clear. I had a Fender Frontman 25R and it was in between, neither to trebly or bass. I hated the Peavey sound so much I think any amp will be better.

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Hi, I’d imagine the Peavey was not properly set up with good tubes in case you’re comparing it to those Marshall and Fender. If I were given choices, I’d pick Peavey over the other two amps you mentioned in a flash. Tony – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I went to the music shop recently looking for a very small amp. The Peavey I > played sounded terrible by my standards ( I like deep sounding amps). It > sounded chintzy and trebly. I have a Marshall G30R CD guitar amp and I like it > but it is of course small and very deep sounding and clear. I had a Fender > Frontman 25R and it was in between, neither to trebly or bass. I hated the > Peavey sound so much I think any amp will be better.

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Right. That is my pet peeve with this amp. It is so trebly and brittle sounding. I e-mailed Ted at Weber speakers and he said to replace the speaker with a Blue Dog Ceramic 30watt 40 oz. magnet. It sells for $90. I probable will take his advice and go with it. I just think the Blue Marvel speaker is comes with is not up to snuff. But then again it may not be that much better with the Weber. In which case I guess I may have to look at replacing the tubes although I have no knowledge of that stuff. I will cross that bridge when I get to it. I can say this. I played with an acquaintance who played a stock Fender Deluxe? 90 solid state amp that has a specially voiced Celestion speaker in it, and it made my amp sound like a thin sounding transistor radio. That’s what got me started on this speaker upgrade kick to begin with.  

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>Right. That is my pet peeve with this amp. It is so trebly and brittle >sounding.

        Replacing the stock Chinese preamp tubes and Sovtek power tubes helped some with the brittle overdrive tone. I ended up being pretty happy with Tesla (now JJ) in mine. The Electro-Harmonix 12AX7s would also be a good choice for the preamp tubes. You can get tubes fairly cheap for this amp.         Once that bit of harshness was gone (overdrive), I started trying to get more bottom (palm muting) out of it. My low-E just always sounded choked. This is where the speaker *should* help, but that capacitor mod from Ahola is supposed to to far more to open up the lows and smooth out things than just the speaker. > I e-mailed Ted at Weber speakers and he said to replace the speaker >with a Blue Dog Ceramic 30watt 40 oz. magnet.

        FWIW, the Blue Dogs I’ve heard and (briefly) played have sounded very nice, and Webers in general are excellent sounding speakers.

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>Right. That is my pet peeve with this amp. It is so trebly and brittle >sounding. I e-mailed Ted at Weber speakers and he said to replace the speaker >with a Blue Dog Ceramic 30watt 40 oz. magnet. It sells for $90. I probable will >take his advice and go with it. I just think the Blue Marvel speaker is comes >with is not up to snuff. But then again it may not be that much better with the >Weber. In which case I guess I may have to look at replacing the tubes although >I have no knowledge of that stuff. I will cross that bridge when I get to it. I >can say this. I played with an acquaintance who played a stock Fender Deluxe? >90 solid state amp that has a specially voiced Celestion speaker in it, and it >made my amp sound like a thin sounding transistor radio. That’s what got me >started on this speaker upgrade kick to begin with.  

Watch out for those Fender Dyna-touch SS amps, especially the Stage 100 and 160. They’ll catch you by surprise. They seem to be a pretty well-kept secret as to how good they can sound. They’re not tube amps, but they make a righteously fine racket if you can find the sweet spot on the dials. I play a modded tele through a Stage 100 with treble on 3 and a half, bass at 8, and mids dumped all the way. I like it.

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I recently bought a Peavey Classic 30 tube amp it has been great I was wondering if anyone knows what kind of tubes are installed at the factory?

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Too bad about those Chinese tubes … A good set of American 6BQ5’s (EL84’s in American blue jeans) and some nice Yugo 12ax7’s would make your amp sound even more awesome.   The Peavy classic stuff is actually nice amps.  The contruction quality has a lot to be desired (typical Peavy), however the circuit is really good and the DC filament supply is really cool. Not that I’m really anyone of importance, but I would own one.                                                 Robert (ampman) Hull – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->I recently bought a Peavey Classic 30 tube amp it has been great I was >wondering if anyone knows what kind of tubes are installed at the >factory? > "Chinese" 12AX7’s and Sovtek EL84’s. > Dave Blevins > *            http://www.dnai.com/~blave           * > *                       —-                      * > * "Reply to" address changed to confuse SpamBots. *

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>I recently bought a Peavey Classic 30 tube amp it has been great I was >wondering if anyone knows what kind of tubes are installed at the >factory?

"Chinese" 12AX7’s and Sovtek EL84’s. Dave Blevins *            http://www.dnai.com/~blave           * *                       —-                      * * "Reply to" address changed to confuse SpamBots. *

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You can also use it as a 30 watt head sounds good too!

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Thinking of buying a Peavey Classic 30…anyone out there have any input?

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>Thinking of buying a Peavey Classic 30…anyone out there have any >input?

I have two of them – paid $200 apiece used (good price IMO). They are good amps for the money. I use them primarily as tube power amp/speakers. They are known for a "rattling" sound that sometimes happens at higher volumes. Peavey has offered to rebend my chassis’ sheet metal to stiffen them if I send them in. Thus far the hassle has outweighed the benefit… I am assuming that newer versions already have this mod but I don’t know what to look for in order to tell if one has it or not. Even with this issue I still recommend them. They sound good all by their lonesome, and they "look" good once you remove the Peavey logo from the front. One other thing – they don’t have standby switches. But then again neither does my 15w Matchless amp and it has a significantly higher price tag. I would expect to pay $300-350 for a new one. Dave Blevins

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I own a Pevey Classic 50 2×12 and a classic 20 for practice, I’ve also used classic 30 and they all sound great.  The Classic 50 has a standby switch.

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I can get a used(two years old) Classic 30 for $225, which includes the footswitch. Is that a good deal? Also, what are the advantage’s of getting the Classic 112E? Does it improve the sound quality? Thanks.

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Has anybody had any luck with replacement of either the speaker, the tubes or both on a Classic30?  I have the classic 30 that came with Sovtek tubes and the Blue Marvel spkr. I am not really unhappy with the sound, but I think that it could sound much better, and I have also heard that the stock tubes are junk. Any opinions/recommendations would be greatly appreciated. <Mike>

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Tube changes can make a world of difference in this amp.  Mesa markets a decent EL84 that seems to really crank and have a nice edge to it.  Pretty good headroom if you like to play clean and fairly loud.  Recently I put some Groove Tube #4 EL84’s in the amp.  They break up sooner and distort nicely.  Damn nice tone in my opinion. Preamp Tubes seem to make the most difference in this amp.  I have tried everything from Sovtek 12ax7wbt+, Sino 12ax7a, GT12ax7r, GT12at7, variety of NOS.  Currently I am experimenting with a variety of NOS tubes I have had the good fortune of receiving.  Tonight, it was Mullards.  Going right to left from the back of the amp I have Mullard 12ax7, Mullard12ax7a (second gain channel), GT1at7.  The mullard is a beautiful, warm sound as the first stage of amplification clean or dirty.  The Mullard also breaks up very smoothly in the second channel.  I have never enjoyed this amp so much.  The mullards have really taken the gritty harshness out of the amp.  Dare I say buttery to my ears. NOS seems to really make a difference in the quality of the sound and I must say I was suprised at how much.  You know how sometimes the guitar seems to get lost in the noise of a MasterVolume gain stage.  Well, these old tubes really seem to keep the guitar sounding like a guitar.  It roars , but it very dynamic and musical. Other tubes combos for the preamp I like are Westinghouse, Sylvania, GE and Amperex (which seems to be lower gain and very warm and bluesy) Ok – I’m finally finished.

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I replaced the BLue Marvel with an old Celestion (G12K-85) and changed all the tubes, I have Groove Tube el 84 #5’s in the power amp.  Th epreamp tubes are a Westinghouse 12AX7 in position one, a Phillips 12AX7A in position 2 and a Groove Tube 12AT7 in three.  Sounds like a different amp than when I bought it.  I also use a Seymour Duncal 1X12 extension cab with a Greenback in it

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Has anybody had any luck with replacement of either the speaker, the tubes or > both on a Classic30?  I have the classic 30 that came with Sovtek tubes and the > Blue Marvel spkr. I am not really unhappy with the sound, but I think that it > could sound much better, and I have also heard that the stock tubes are junk. > Any opinions/recommendations would be greatly appreciated. > <Mike>

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Thank you both for your replies!! The input is very much appreciated.

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I recently played through this amp and really liked it. Are there any other tube amps in its price range ($350) that are better? Also, this amp comes in tweed and black tweed covering, is there any difference I should know about besides the look? Thanks. — – g –

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Well, there’s the Fender Blues Jr.  I liked the Peavey better  (BTW, I just bought one a month ago).  The Fender Hotrod Deluxe (or Deville, I can’t remember which is the cheaper one) sounds slightly better to me than the Peavey, but for about $150 more.  It was too much amp for my townhouse so I got the Peavey.  There is a website for mods to the Classic30 if you’re interested: www.blueguitar.org and look under Articles. There is no difference in the two tweeds other than the color. Both look pretty cool. Good luck, John

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I recently played through this amp and really liked it. Are there any other > tube amps in its price range ($350) that are better? Also, this amp comes in > tweed and black tweed covering, is there any difference I should know about > besides the look? Thanks. > — > – g –

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I too would suggest you listen to a Hot Rod Deluxe.  You can find them used for $350 and I think the HRD is a great jazz amp if you like a warm "smokey" sound. I remember being impressed with the Peavey – especially for the price – but I liked the HRD better. Peter – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I recently played through this amp and really liked it. Are there any other > tube amps in its price range ($350) that are better? Also, this amp comes in > tweed and black tweed covering, is there any difference I should know about > besides the look? Thanks. > — > – g –

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The Classic 30 is a great deal….can even be had for $250 more or less used. Another one to consider is the Crate VC30.  Laney VC & LC30 are great, but more pricey. Greg – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I recently played through this amp and really liked it. Are there any other > tube amps in its price range ($350) that are better? Also, this amp comes in > tweed and black tweed covering, is there any difference I should know about > besides the look? Thanks. > — > – g –

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>I recently played through this amp and really liked it. Are there any other >tube amps in its price range ($350) that are better? Also, this amp comes in >tweed and black tweed covering, is there any difference I should know about >besides the look? Thanks.

 I think the only difference is the covering and the lettering on the  control panel faces the front of the amp on the black version,  rather than the old way which to me is backwards on the tweed .

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> I recently played through this amp and really liked it. Are there any other > tube amps in its price range ($350) that are better? Also, this amp comes in > tweed and black tweed covering, is there any difference I should know about > besides the look? Thanks.

I bought mine used last year for $250.  I replaced all the tubes with JJ/Tesla’s which solved a tube rattle problem it had and it sounded like a different amp! So if you get one, chuck the cheap tubes. Oh yeah, I also have done some cap mods & picked up the matching 1×12 extension cab for a bigger bottom end. I just recently bought one of the Fender’s that nobody loves, a ‘82 Princeton Reverb II. I love it. One just sold on Ebay for the high $300’s, the Deluxe Reverb II’s seem to go for much more, but they’re still both twenty watt, PTP wired, 1×12 combo amps. Keep trying out amps & buy what sounds good. Regards, Bob

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> I recently played through this amp and really liked it. Are there any > other tube amps in its price range ($350) that are better? Also, this > amp comes in tweed and black tweed covering, is there any difference I > should know about besides the look? Thanks.

Peavey also makes an amp called the "Delta Blues" which is essentially a big brother to the classic 30.  The Delta Blues combo comes either with one 15" speaker or two 10" speakers.  I own the 1×15" combo—it was my first tube amp.  At the time I bought mine (couple years ago), they didn’t offer the 2×10 version, so I don’t know how it sounds.  But I thought that fifteen inch speaker sounded better than the twelve (?) inch speaker on the Classic 30. The Delta Blues is pretty much the same circuit as the Classic 30, but it also has a tremolo.  I didn’t want or need the tremolo, so I can’t judge it too well.  Most folks would probably rate the Delta Blues’ tremolo as average. I’m going to put my Delta Blues up for auction on ebay in the near future (not because I don’t like it but because I’ve got too many amps now). It’s something you might want to look at anyway. MG — "I may make you feel, but I can’t make you think."         — Jethro Tull, "Thick as a Brick"

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Picked one up yesterday, nib, and noticed feed-back from the reverb. Doesn’t help to turn the volume down, can still hear the feedback.  Any suggestions?  Also the preamp tubes don’t seem to light up the same.  The one on the end looks normal but the other two are dim. Anyone out there using this amp?

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Haven’t noticed a feedback problem with mine, but in my case the one on the end is dim and the other two look normal. I doubt this means anything due to the nature of tubes in general. I do love the tone of it. It’s perfect for my living room and loud enough to play out with if the need arises. I’ve also got an Express 112 that I like. Tube emulation and more distortion potential if I need it. My Les Paul has enough distortion through the Classic, but my strat sometimes needs more. For that the Express works fine. I’ll mess around with the Classic and see if I can cause a feedback problem with the reverb. You might want to check out Harmony Central for user reviews of the Classic if you haven’t been there. Lots of people really seem to like them. You might find a solution there or at least an indication of what might be causing the problem. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Picked one up yesterday, nib, and noticed feed-back from the reverb. >Doesn’t help to turn the volume down, can still hear the feedback.  Any >suggestions?  Also the preamp tubes don’t seem to light up the same.  The >one on the end looks normal but the other two are dim. >Anyone out there using this amp?

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Thanks for the reply.  The sound is great and for $400 it seems well worth the money.  Just turned it off and now there is a "pop" when the power faded out of the amp.  Must be too used to solid state amps, been about 25 years since my last tube amp.  What the heck, got a 90 day guarantee on the tubes and 5 years on the amp.  If it goes it will be fixed. The sucker is loud and wouldn’t have any problem powering a 4-10 cab. Sounds really good when I use my GT-3 with it.  Just have to remember to turn off the pre-amp in the GT-3 first. Wonder what Jimmy Hendrix would have done with equipment like this. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Haven’t noticed a feedback problem with mine, but in my case the one on the >end is dim and the other two look normal. I doubt this means anything due to >the nature of tubes in general. I do love the tone of it. It’s perfect for >my living room and loud enough to play out with if the need arises. I’ve >also got an Express 112 that I like. Tube emulation and more distortion >potential if I need it. My Les Paul has enough distortion through the >Classic, but my strat sometimes needs more. For that the Express works fine. >I’ll mess around with the Classic and see if I can cause a feedback problem >with the reverb. You might want to check out Harmony Central for user >reviews of the Classic if you haven’t been there. Lots of people really seem >to like them. You might find a solution there or at least an indication of >what might be causing the problem. >Picked one up yesterday, nib, and noticed feed-back from the reverb. >Doesn’t help to turn the volume down, can still hear the feedback.  Any >suggestions?  Also the preamp tubes don’t seem to light up the same.  The >one on the end looks normal but the other two are dim. >Anyone out there using this amp?

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> Wonder what Jimmy Hendrix would have done with equipment like this.

That’s a good point.  I too wonder what some of the heroes of yesteryear no longer with us would do with new gear…stick with the old or adapt to the new? Greg

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I have a Classic 30 and was perplexed by the "pop" also.  Took it back to the store that I bought it from and they tore it apart trying to find the source of the noise.  Turns out that when they finally contacted Peavey, they were told that due to the lack of a standby switch, you will hear the "pop" from the tubes going from full power to no power.  In other words, the "pop" is expected.  The clincher of this story is that after that episode, I had problems with the amp where it would unexpectedly just die (was getting power, just no sound).  After looking under the hood myself, I discovered the "legend of the Peavey triple circuit board configuration".  One board has the tubes directly connected.  This is connected to a board at 90 degrees with little jumper wires.  This middle board is connected to a third board at 90 degrees with jumper wires which has the tone, volume, reverb, etc. knobs attached (completing 3/4 of a square shape, thanks Peavey).   When servicing these amps, the pain is that in order to mess with most of the components on the circuit boards, you need to remove all three together from the amp.  Then you carefully unfold the boards to get to the guts in the middle and hope you didn’t put too much stress on the jumper wires.  Well… the shop that looked at my amp did not remove the three boards to diagnose the "pop".  They just snipped one row of jumper wires and "opened" up the box to get to the guts.  Then they soldered the cut jumper wires back together in the middle where they had cut them!!  These little solder connections have broken numerous times with show stopping (literally) results.  Once I figured out that they had butchered the jumper wires I realized that I will have to go in there and solder in a new row of solid wires before the amp can be used again!!   But I love the amp as far as sounds and portablility, so I will learn to live with the difficulty servicing it. -Ponsarelli "Have you seen junior’s grades!?" Got questions?  Get answers over the phone at Keen.com. Up to 100 minutes free! http://www.keen.com

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Hmmmmm? Had another problem with the new amp.  Yesterday afternoon the transformer area on the right, while looking into the back of the amp, started to vibrate loudly when a low g or a was played.  Got progressively worse, so I grabed the black transformer and moved it a little.  Darn if it didn’t make a sheet metal click.  Wedged a piece of a hose coupler between it and the front panel of the amp and all is quiet again.  Kind of wonder if a fender would have been a better idea?  But the sound of the Peavey is nice. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->  But I love the amp as far as sounds and portablility, so I >will learn to live with the difficulty servicing it. >-Ponsarelli >"Have you seen junior’s grades!?" >Got questions?  Get answers over the phone at Keen.com. >Up to 100 minutes free! >http://www.keen.com

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I just bought a used Classic 30 and it seems to work fine save for the fact that when I turn it off about 1/2 second after I turn off the switch it makes a low crackling noise…is this something serious?

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Proobably not…..might  be a faulty pre-amp tube. take a pencil eraser while the amp is on and gently tap on each pre tube. If you find onne that crackles; that’s the culprit

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Anybody out there in TV land own one of these??? What are your impressions?  Are they dependable?  How do they sound CRANKED?  (I couldn’t do this with the music store buddy standing next to me…)  Thanks. HoSS

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>Anybody out there in TV land own one of these??? >What are your impressions?  Are they dependable?  How do they >sound CRANKED?  (I couldn’t do this with the music store >buddy standing next to me…)  Thanks. >HoSS

      If I had to get one I’d prefer the Delta Blues. The 15" speaker opens it up and reduces some of the inherent "muddiness" of that cicuitry.

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>Anybody out there in TV land own one of these??? >What are your impressions?  Are they dependable?  How do they >sound CRANKED?  (I couldn’t do this with the music store >buddy standing next to me…)  Thanks. >HoSS

I like mine pretty well. My main rig is an old Bassman, but I use the Peavey Classic 30 when I have to play quieter. It sounds kind of like a tweed Fender (although the Bass is so-so; I know I’m spoiled w/ my Bassman) up until around volume of about 6, then quickly turns into a high-gain Marshally sound after that. Overall, I’m pretty happy w/ it. If you like a pretty clean sound (like I do), then keep in mind it will only work well in relatively small clubs. Also, these amps are apparently not easy to work on, so you’ll need to treat it gently… Andy Rutherford

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>       If I had to get one I’d prefer the Delta Blues. The 15" speaker > opens it up and reduces some of the inherent "muddiness" of that cicuitry.

Is the overall tone of the Delta Blues similar to that of the Classic 30? What other comparisons can you make?  (I am trying to decide between them.) Also, is the tremolo in the Delta similar to Fender’s, that is, volume modulation as opposed to pitch modulation? Thanks, Captain Frank

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>>Anybody out there in TV land own one of these??? >What are your impressions?  Are they dependable?  How do they >sound CRANKED?  (I couldn’t do this with the music store >buddy standing next to me…)  Thanks. >HoSS >      If I had to get one I’d prefer the Delta Blues. The 15" speaker >opens it up and reduces some of the inherent "muddiness" of that cicuitry.

The Marshall JTM-30 just kills the Peavey Classic 30; I’d say look around carefully, that segment of the amp market is loaded with choices. The Peavey Classic 30 is a decent amp, but with all of the choices, you’d do best to look around a great deal…. peace, Troubleman

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I’m interested in picking up a small amp for practice, and I’m considering the Classic 30. Can anyone out there tell me what it’s like? JSL

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> I’m interested in picking up a small amp for practice, and I’m considering > the Classic 30. > Can anyone out there tell me what it’s like? > JSL

look at http://www.harmony-central in the guitar amp section. Several reviews from users exist there. Reviews are mixed. What I’ve seen and heard, it looks like a good amp for practice and small gigs.Some complain of noise. I think Peavey’s quality may be inconsistent, but a good one has the potential of being a pretty good sounding amp. I borrowed a friends for a week. It did not stand up to my Fender vintage Vibrolux, but it was a lot lighter and had a warm bluesey distortion and an effects loop. I would consider it. The price is very reasonable as well. You may also consider the Fender blues Junior if they are still available, or one of the crate vintage amps. good luck

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> I’m interested in picking up a small amp for practice, and I’m considering > the Classic 30. > Can anyone out there tell me what it’s like? > JSL

I saw a local guitar player, one of the better blues guitarists on Florida’s East Coast, playing through one of these this weekend. Last time I saw him, he was playing an Am Std Strat through a Boogie Mark 1 combo. Now, he’s playing a USA re-issue Strat through an obviously used Classic 30 (miked), and he was smokin’. He did have a multi-effects in the loop (looked like an old BOSS or something of the sort).

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I have also seen/heard several quality players using the 30. This little amp appears to be a homer for PV, it has a quality of sound unavailable in the other amps in the series. The dist. chan. is heinous, but the clean chan., cranked, seems very good. I have also heard very good clean tones from the Classic 50, particularly in the 2×12 format. Again, the dist. is ghastly but w/ a TS9 or some such in front, a fine sound can be attained. Cordially, thirey

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> I’m interested in picking up a small amp for practice, and I’m considering > the Classic 30. > Can anyone out there tell me what it’s like? > JSL

Not bad, I’ve noodeled wiht one quite a bit at a local store I haunt,,, I would suggest the Crate Vintage Club 30 be given a whirl before you buy anything,, you may find this amp to be more to your liking tone wise..

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