Amp opinions/recommendations

Question:

I’m looking at a Peavey Classic 30 and a Fender Blues Junior. I play in a blues band and we (rarely) do bar/club gigs. The vast majority of our gigs are outdoor events with sound/backline provided. However, when we do play indoors, it’s usually a venue of 100-150 or so. I’m unloading a Laney TT50, an ‘82 Fender (Rivera) Concert and a Tech 21 Trademark 60 and hoping to find an all-purpose, lightweight amp for use on stage. My spare practice/amp is an Ampeg J12T reissue (no boat anchor comparisons, please. It does a good job for me). I’ve used both the Classic 30 and the Blues Junior but not over a long period of time. I am interested in decent overhead with just a little crunch. Pedal-wise, I use a Boss BD-2 and occasionally go wireless. I’m leaning toward the Blues Junior (size/weight) but still like the Classic 30’s overall sound/tone as well. I did use a Peavey Delta Blues (1×15) for about 2 years and liked the sound/tone of the amp. I can get a cost-plus deal on either one of these amps so price really isn’t an issue. I’m not interested in speaker replacement issues, tubes, etc. I’ll retube with JJ’s regardless of what I buy and, speaker-wise, I’m just not that picky. Opinions/recommendations on these two amps? Thanks Bob

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I’m looking at a Peavey Classic 30 and a Fender Blues Junior. I play in a > blues band and we (rarely) do bar/club gigs. The vast majority of our gigs > are outdoor events with sound/backline provided. However, when we do play > indoors, it’s usually a venue of 100-150 or so. I’m unloading a Laney TT50, > an ‘82 Fender (Rivera) Concert and a Tech 21 Trademark 60 and hoping to find > an all-purpose, lightweight amp for use on stage. My spare practice/amp is > an Ampeg J12T reissue (no boat anchor comparisons, please. It does a good > job for me). > I’ve used both the Classic 30 and the Blues Junior but not over a long > period of time. I am interested in decent overhead with just a little > crunch. Pedal-wise, I use a Boss BD-2 and occasionally go wireless. > I’m leaning toward the Blues Junior (size/weight) but still like the Classic > 30’s overall sound/tone as well. I did use a Peavey Delta Blues (1×15) for > about 2 years and liked the sound/tone of the amp. I can get a cost-plus > deal on either one of these amps so price really isn’t an issue. > I’m not interested in speaker replacement issues, tubes, etc. I’ll retube > with JJ’s regardless of what I buy and, speaker-wise, I’m just not that > picky. > Opinions/recommendations on these two amps? > Thanks > Bob

You’ll need to also factor in amp repairs. Repairing a Blues Junior is not much of a time consumption and requires very few components. However the Classic 30 is a technician’s nightmare, so if you prefer that to have it over the Blues Junior, realize it might actually be less expensive to simply re-buy a Classic 30 whenever your first one breaks down. Most guitar amps only require 2 hours of labor maximum, but certain amps are constructed in such a way that they are totally service unfriendly and essentially a disposable shitbox. I won’t refuse to work on those amps, but I have to charge for every single minute of mental anguish it takes to repair a Classic 30 (BTW, number one on my shit list) which can end up costing from half to more than the price of a new replacement amp. So one must really have to have a lotta love for an amp like that if they want me to work on it. Ed Sonic Surgery New Orleans Earth

Response:

> Most guitar amps only require 2 hours of labor maximum, but certain > amps are constructed in such a way that they are totally service unfriendly > and essentially a disposable shitbox. I won’t refuse to work on those > amps, but I have to charge for every single minute of mental anguish > it takes to repair a Classic 30 (BTW, number one on my shit list) > which can end up costing from half to more than the price of a new > replacement amp. So one must really have to have a lotta love for > an amp like that if they want me to work on it.

Nice post Ellie. When yer on, yer on. The poster might also want to consider finding a used Classic 30, particularly one that has been repaired by a competent tech, thus end-running the service issue, at least a little bit. Chuck

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Most guitar amps only require 2 hours of labor maximum, but certain > amps are constructed in such a way that they are totally service unfriendly > and essentially a disposable shitbox. I won’t refuse to work on those > amps, but I have to charge for every single minute of mental anguish > it takes to repair a Classic 30 (BTW, number one on my shit list) > which can end up costing from half to more than the price of a new > replacement amp. So one must really have to have a lotta love for > an amp like that if they want me to work on it. > Nice post Ellie. When yer on, yer on. > The poster might also want to consider finding a used Classic 30, > particularly one that has been repaired by a competent tech, thus > end-running the service issue, at least a little bit. > Chuck

I would agree that the Peavey is service unfriendly but it is not much worse than most modern amps. I removed the circuit board on a classic 30 to replace the channel select switch and had it back together and playing again in less than 1 hour

Response:

I have a Blues Jr and my son has a Classic 30. Both are good but the Classic has a separate clean and gain channel. The Blues Jr has a fat switch. Both sound good but the Peavey is a bit more versatile, obviously more powerful. The only way you will get real crunch from the Fender is by using liberal amounts of pedal. It does have decent break up since it is only 15 watts. Not a lot of gain though. You might want to consider going to a Fender Blues Deluxe or Deville with 40 watts. Another option is a Traynor YCV40 although that is also service unfriendly IMHO. — Bob Mann 85 K100RS (traded for…) 04 FXD Stage 1(traded for…) 04 FLHTCUI 95" Stage 3

Response:

Bob skrev: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m looking at a Peavey Classic 30 and a Fender Blues Junior. I play in a > blues band and we (rarely) do bar/club gigs. The vast majority of our gigs > are outdoor events with sound/backline provided. However, when we do play > indoors, it’s usually a venue of 100-150 or so. I’m unloading a Laney TT50, > an ‘82 Fender (Rivera) Concert and a Tech 21 Trademark 60 and hoping to find > an all-purpose, lightweight amp for use on stage. My spare practice/amp is > an Ampeg J12T reissue (no boat anchor comparisons, please. It does a good > job for me). > I’ve used both the Classic 30 and the Blues Junior but not over a long > period of time. I am interested in decent overhead with just a little > crunch. Pedal-wise, I use a Boss BD-2 and occasionally go wireless. > I’m leaning toward the Blues Junior (size/weight) but still like the Classic > 30’s overall sound/tone as well. I did use a Peavey Delta Blues (1×15) for > about 2 years and liked the sound/tone of the amp. I can get a cost-plus > deal on either one of these amps so price really isn’t an issue. > I’m not interested in speaker replacement issues, tubes, etc. I’ll retube > with JJ’s regardless of what I buy and, speaker-wise, I’m just not that > picky.

Have you tried the Laney VC30? I bought one some 6 months ago, after trying i.a. the Classic 30. I found that the VC30 sounded much better for my music style – 60s rock and instrumentals. You may also want to try the Laney VC15. Klas

Response:

record the same song twice, once with the PV, once with the fender. now listen to playback. even an inexperienced listener will choose the fender as the better sounding amp-its a no brainer. as far as outdoor venues are concerned neither of the above has the balls without being mic’d into a backline. so if you always have sound reinforcement, go for it. if you are caught without sound reinforcement, you need a much bigger amp for outdoors. you also owe it to your self to try bogner, eggnator, marshall, etc… these cost more but are long term satisfaction leaders. and if you spent more money one one of these you would throw the distortion pedals away, cause you would not want them anymore. your fake ampeg is not heavy enough to make a good boat anchor, but they do make excellent artificial reefs; fetch a handsome price as scrap metal.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->> Most guitar amps only require 2 hours of labor maximum, but certain >> amps are constructed in such a way that they are totally service unfriendly >> and essentially a disposable shitbox. I won’t refuse to work on those >> amps, but I have to charge for every single minute of mental anguish >> it takes to repair a Classic 30 (BTW, number one on my shit list) >> which can end up costing from half to more than the price of a new >> replacement amp. So one must really have to have a lotta love for >> an amp like that if they want me to work on it. > Nice post Ellie. When yer on, yer on. > The poster might also want to consider finding a used Classic 30, > particularly one that has been repaired by a competent tech, thus > end-running the service issue, at least a little bit. > Chuck > I would agree that the Peavey is service unfriendly but it is not much > worse than most modern amps. I removed the circuit board on a classic 30 > to replace the channel select switch and had it back together and > playing again in less than 1 hour

Well sure, if you know the specific cause of the problem and exactly where it is. But if you need to do some serious troubleshooting to locate the problem, once you have the thing all apart, which you need to do in order to probe it, you can’t power it up in order to read volts or scope the signal. So you have to check it cold for opens or intermittence or other malfunctions, which means you have to partially put it back together again to power it up to test it and most likely do it all over again a few times until you find the culprit(s). Meanwhile from prying apart and squeezing back of the 3 PCBs while working on it, the leads that connect the 3 PCBs tend to break or certainly get weakened. The construction design is worst I’ve ever seen and the PV Delta Blues and their 5150 Combo amp have the same lame construction design. That’s not to say that their sounds suck or they are totally unreliable, it’s just that they are a frickin’ pain in the arse to troubleshoot and it’s not the fault of the tech if the repair bill is huge. Ed SS

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->I’m looking at a Peavey Classic 30 and a Fender Blues Junior. I play in a >blues band and we (rarely) do bar/club gigs. The vast majority of our gigs >are outdoor events with sound/backline provided. However, when we do play >indoors, it’s usually a venue of 100-150 or so. I’m unloading a Laney TT50, >an ‘82 Fender (Rivera) Concert and a Tech 21 Trademark 60 and hoping to find >an all-purpose, lightweight amp for use on stage. My spare practice/amp is >an Ampeg J12T reissue (no boat anchor comparisons, please. It does a good >job for me). >I’ve used both the Classic 30 and the Blues Junior but not over a long >period of time. I am interested in decent overhead with just a little >crunch. Pedal-wise, I use a Boss BD-2 and occasionally go wireless. >I’m leaning toward the Blues Junior (size/weight) but still like the Classic >30’s overall sound/tone as well. I did use a Peavey Delta Blues (1×15) for >about 2 years and liked the sound/tone of the amp. I can get a cost-plus >deal on either one of these amps so price really isn’t an issue. >I’m not interested in speaker replacement issues, tubes, etc. I’ll retube >with JJ’s regardless of what I buy and, speaker-wise, I’m just not that >picky. >Opinions/recommendations on these two amps? >Thanks >Bob > I have a Blues Jr and my son has a Classic 30. > Both are good but the Classic has a separate clean and gain channel. > The Blues Jr has a fat switch. > Both sound good but the Peavey is a bit more versatile, obviously more > powerful. > The only way you will get real crunch from the Fender is by using > liberal amounts of pedal. It does have decent break up since it is > only 15 watts. Not a lot of gain though. > You might want to consider going to a Fender Blues Deluxe or Deville > with 40 watts. > Another option is a Traynor YCV40 although that is also service > unfriendly IMHO.

I also think that the Peavey is a bit more versatile. How ’bout watching the used market and grabbing the best deal as it comes up?

Response:

A 15 watt tube amp does not have much headroom. Chris

Response:

I have a Blues Junior and, while it’s a pretty cool amp, I don’t know if it’s going to cut it for gigs if you’re looking for something with a decent of headroom. The amp does get pretty loud, but it’s not going to have enough power if you’re looking for sparkling clean tones depending on how loud the stage volume of your band is. OTOH, I attended a backyard show at Pat Dinizio’s house over the summer where he and Jim Babjak and some other guys played a bunch of Smithereen’s songs and Babjak seemed to have enough volume using a Blues Junior. They were loud, but not obnoxious; the PA was mainly for vocals.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m looking at a Peavey Classic 30 and a Fender Blues Junior. I play in a > blues band and we (rarely) do bar/club gigs. The vast majority of our gigs > are outdoor events with sound/backline provided. However, when we do play > indoors, it’s usually a venue of 100-150 or so. I’m unloading a Laney TT50, > an ‘82 Fender (Rivera) Concert and a Tech 21 Trademark 60 and hoping to find > an all-purpose, lightweight amp for use on stage. My spare practice/amp is > an Ampeg J12T reissue (no boat anchor comparisons, please. It does a good > job for me). > I’ve used both the Classic 30 and the Blues Junior but not over a long > period of time. I am interested in decent overhead with just a little > crunch. Pedal-wise, I use a Boss BD-2 and occasionally go wireless. > I’m leaning toward the Blues Junior (size/weight) but still like the Classic > 30’s overall sound/tone as well. I did use a Peavey Delta Blues (1×15) for > about 2 years and liked the sound/tone of the amp. I can get a cost-plus > deal on either one of these amps so price really isn’t an issue. > I’m not interested in speaker replacement issues, tubes, etc. I’ll retube > with JJ’s regardless of what I buy and, speaker-wise, I’m just not that > picky. > Opinions/recommendations on these two amps? >I have a Blues Junior and, while it’s a pretty cool amp, I don’t know >if it’s going to cut it for gigs if you’re looking for something with a >decent of headroom. The amp does get pretty loud, but it’s not going >to have enough power if you’re looking for sparkling clean tones >depending on how loud the stage volume of your band is. >OTOH, I attended a backyard show at Pat Dinizio’s house over the summer >where he and Jim Babjak and some other guys played a bunch of >Smithereen’s songs and Babjak seemed to have enough volume using a >Blues Junior. They were loud, but not obnoxious; the PA was mainly for >vocals.

That sounds like a blast. Would’ve loved to have been. Smithereens are just one of my all time favorite bands. They were so very nearly huge. Ron

Response:

>I have a Blues Junior and, while it’s a pretty cool amp, I don’t know >if it’s going to cut it for gigs if you’re looking for something with a >decent of headroom. The amp does get pretty loud, but it’s not going >to have enough power if you’re looking for sparkling clean tones >depending on how loud the stage volume of your band is.

Saying BJ and headroom in the same sentence is pushing it a bit for the BJ. With that said, I have played my souped up BJ (better power supply, JJ’s and cap replacement) at gigs at the Knitting Factory in NY and the Stone Pony in NJ over the past year. Just gotta mike the thing. The BJ was clean-ish at the KN gig. Master was on 10 with the Vol on 5 and my AnalogMan bi-comp. Steely Dan-ish stuff. A blues-clean sound… Certainly not pristine. For a bit more clean gain, I used a Timmy (very toneful pedal btw). I had it nice and dirty at the SP gig. Eternity pedal with Xotic BB. Not a bad OD sound with those pedals. The trick is setting both on low gain with the pedal volumes mid-level (tip from a fellow non-politically posting AGA-er… two OD’s are indeed better than 1). Sounds better with humbuckers than single-coils to my ears. The updated power supply gives it a lot more headroom than the stock. The good caps help a lot too. Its still not Boogie-clean; but heck the Boogie cost 5x the BJ. The ‘makeover’ cost about $150 on top of $300 for a used BJ. Worth it imho. Bought the BJ originally from GC… traded in a crappy POS Marshall ValveState (only thing good about the VS is its lightweight). Sales dude says kids will buy the Marshall VS no matter how bad it sounded. The BJ is a great rehearsal amp and when you mike it, its not bad for a gig as long as your bandmates aren’t super loud. For those gigs, my Quiana or Bad Cat come out… F

Response:

> >>I’m looking at a Peavey Classic 30 and a Fender Blues Junior. > I also think that the Peavey is a bit more versatile. How ’bout > watching the used market and grabbing the best deal as it comes up?

oh, it’s versatile alright, for scaring crows away from a corn patch.

Response:

> >> Most guitar amps only require 2 hours of labor maximum, but certain >> amps are constructed in such a way that they are totally service unfriendly… > I would agree that the Peavey is service unfriendly but it is not much > worse than most modern amps. I removed the circuit board on a classic 30 > to replace the channel select switch and had it back together and > playing again in less than 1 hour

should have taken it out to 1000 feet and sunk it.

Response:

>>>> Most guitar amps only require 2 hours of labor maximum, but certain >>> amps are constructed in such a way that they are totally service unfriendly… > I would agree that the Peavey is service unfriendly but it is not much > worse than most modern amps. I removed the circuit board on a classic 30 > to replace the channel select switch and had it back together and > playing again in less than 1 hour > should have taken it out to 1000 feet and sunk it.

I did and the shark threw it back up!

Response:

> record the same song twice, once with the PV, once with the fender. > now listen to playback. even an inexperienced listener will choose > the fender as the better sounding amp-its a no brainer. > as far as outdoor venues are concerned neither of the above has > the balls without being mic’d into a backline. so if you always > have sound reinforcement, go for it. if you are caught without > sound reinforcement, you need a much bigger amp for outdoors. > you also owe it to your self to try bogner, eggnator, marshall, etc… > these cost more but are long term satisfaction leaders. and if > you spent more money one one of these you would throw the > distortion pedals away, cause you would not want them anymore.

Which current production Marshall should he consider? Jochen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> your fake ampeg is not heavy enough to make a good boat anchor, > but they do make excellent artificial reefs; fetch a handsome price > as scrap metal.

Response:

<snip> > OTOH, I attended a backyard show at Pat Dinizio’s house over the summer > where he and Jim Babjak and some other guys played a bunch of > Smithereen’s songs and Babjak seemed to have enough volume using a > Blues Junior. They were loud, but not obnoxious; the PA was mainly for > vocals. > That sounds like a blast. Would’ve loved to have been. Smithereens are just one > of my all time favorite bands. They were so very nearly huge. > Ron

Dinizio *is* huge But one the coolest guys I’ve ever gone bar hopping with… Gary Gerhart Gerhart Amplification

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>>I’m looking at a Peavey Classic 30 and a Fender Blues Junior. >I also think that the Peavey is a bit more versatile. How ’bout >watching the used market and grabbing the best deal as it comes up? > oh, it’s versatile alright, for scaring crows away from a corn patch.

What, that one doesn’t spontaneously self combust? What a disappointment.

Response:

> record the same song twice, once with the PV, once with the fender. > now listen to playback.

*If* you can do this, it’s a good idea. Not exactly the same as what you’d gert in a live situation, but often helpful. > even an inexperienced listener will choose > the fender as the better sounding amp-its a no brainer.

Nonsense. Different strokes for different folks. As for the rest, the guy clearly knows what he wants; he’s already *playing* these gigs.

Response:

Thanks for the comment…and, yes, I’m already playing and looking to "downsize" but not to the point of sounding like crap. I do have previous experience with both of the amps I mentioned and was just looking for some info from guys who have the amps enough to have a (reasonably) good idea of long-term sound, performance and reliability issues. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> record the same song twice, once with the PV, once with the fender. > now listen to playback. > *If* you can do this, it’s a good idea. Not exactly the same > as what you’d gert in a live situation, but often helpful. > even an inexperienced listener will choose > the fender as the better sounding amp-its a no brainer. > Nonsense. Different strokes for different folks. > As for the rest, the guy clearly knows what he wants; he’s > already *playing* these gigs.

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