so, is the Peavey Classic 30 still a top bang for the buck tube amp

[The_Sentry]

Originally Posted by Thumpalumpacus

Bummer about your Marshall.

I don't own one of these, but the cumulative two or so hours have me convinced. I think they're good amps, as do many others here.

I asked a couple of people about 'em. One guy didn't like the speaker much...that can be upgraded later. I'm really comftorable though after the tech went through it. He said the biggest problems with 'em were no standby switch, the tubes from the factory weren't that great, and the reverb tank is mounted on a piece of cardboard. They cut some corners to keep the prices down.

I think at this point...I'd honestly rather kick down for a reworked Peavey amp vs. a another Marshall at this point. The more horror stories I hear about anything made JCM2000 to the present the more I'm convinced it's time to seriously consider alternatives.

(The guy gave Mesa Boogie really high marks even though he didn't like the sound of 'em as far as maintenance and amps with no problems. Fender amps are probably still some of the best amps..even if some of the smaller ones overheat...they're also a bitch to lug around. .....but it's tough to pass on one of these...especially for the price. Especially for the size. 30 watts of tubage is about damned near perfect for most clubs. )

[nauc]

Originally Posted by The_Sentry

Arrrggh...My Marshall took a sh!t last week. (Some a$$hole dumped water on it! Grrr...)

I went to my local amp tech....he's selling one of these for 350. He just went through the whole thing too. He added a standby switch, new tubes, checked all the connections, and he even mounted the reverb tank to a piece of plywood.

I'm thinkin' I'd be stupid not to pick it up. (Looks like I'm gonna be selling a couple of amps!) 30 watts seems nice, and it'd be great for those stages where real estate is a premium...

what Marshall is it

as far as the Peavey goes, its my first tube amp, so i cant really compare it to anything worthwhile, but i really, really like it. it seams like it was put together with care. the clean and dirty channels are very nice but yould probably need a pedal for high gain metal but its perfect for RATM like riffs. if you play blues too, its killer. i switch to my neck PU, roll back the volume and it just sings like a mofo. the suckers pretty small but it gets nice and LOUD. i spend hours just screwing around cause it sounds so good and i hear if you switch out the speaker, it really comes to life. i cant imagine

[The_Sentry]

Originally Posted by nauc

what Marshall is it

as far as the Peavey goes, its my first tube amp, so i cant really compare it to anything worthwhile, but i really, really like it. it seams like it was put together with care. the clean and dirty channels are very nice but yould probably need a pedal for high gain metal but its perfect for RATM like riffs. if you play blues too, its killer. i switch to my neck PU, roll back the volume and it just sings like a mofo. the suckers pretty small but it gets nice and LOUD. i spend hours just screwing around cause it sounds so good and i hear if you switch out the speaker, it really comes to life. i cant imagine

It's TSL122 combo. I've really grown to love that amplifier. I can't get it past 3 in most clubs though. (and that's loud....very loud.... )

It has a VPR switch which cuts output by 50%....but the Classic 30 takes up less real estate. They've pretty much got that Marshall tone dialed in, too.

Here's a clip of the Marshall. I'm not a metal guy...so it's right up my street. (I may use somethin' like a Digitech overdrive with it if I want to get a super dirty lead...otherwise...I'll be good to go. )

You Tube

You Tube

[Lyle Caldwell]

The Classic 30 doesn't need a standby switch. For that matter, no guitar amp needs a standby switch. You get an old 700+V Ampeg bass amp, sure, that needs a standby switch.

But cathode stripping isn't going to happen to any tube guitar amp. And in many amps where a standby is poorly implemented will cause a current surge that can hurt a tube.

A well implemented standby can be nice, but it's not necessary.

You shouldn't pass on an amp because it lacks a standby.

[The_Sentry]

Originally Posted by Lyle Caldwell

The Classic 30 doesn't need a standby switch. For that matter, no guitar amp needs a standby switch. You get an old 700+V Ampeg bass amp, sure, that needs a standby switch.

But cathode stripping isn't going to happen to any tube guitar amp. And in many amps where a standby is poorly implemented will cause a current surge that can hurt a tube.

A well implemented standby can be nice, but it's not necessary.

You shouldn't pass on an amp because it lacks a standby.

I trust this guy. I like standby switches. I like knowing the tubes are warm before I start pushing volume through the amp. He also works on all of the amplifiers for Tesla (including Frank Hannon).

And nope...I'm not an amp tech. Just a player.

[GuitarToneFreak]

Have you thought about the Blackstar HT-5?

[nauc]

Originally Posted by The_Sentry

I trust this guy. I like standby switches. I like knowing the tubes are warm before I start pushing volume through the amp. He also works on all of the amplifiers for Tesla (including Frank Hannon).

And nope...I'm not an amp tech. Just a player.

and a GOOD player... i SUCK lol

o well, i enjoy it

[GitFiddle]

Originally Posted by Lyle Caldwell

The Classic 30 doesn't need a standby switch. For that matter, no guitar amp needs a standby switch. You get an old 700+V Ampeg bass amp, sure, that needs a standby switch.

But cathode stripping isn't going to happen to any tube guitar amp. And in many amps where a standby is poorly implemented will cause a current surge that can hurt a tube.

A well implemented standby can be nice, but it's not necessary.

You shouldn't pass on an amp because it lacks a standby.

I used to gig full time with an old twin reverb and always set to standby during breaks. When gigging with a C30 without standby, which would be more beneficial for the life of the tubes and amp, switching it off during breaks or just leaving it on and cutting the input signal?

[Fireproof]

Originally Posted by nauc

i like to know what ive got. i like having a warranty and a nice new shiny product

i can always get more money

LOL. Too funny. Sometimes I'm like that too.

But I just sold my Classic 30 (I know, I know - blasphemy - but it was to help fund my new Traditional Pro at the time) which was literally like brand new for $400. So that guy got a great deal.

But yeah - great workhorse of an amp for sure and mega loud.

[Lyle Caldwell]

Originally Posted by GitFiddle

I used to gig full time with an old twin reverb and always set to standby during breaks. When gigging with a C30 without standby, which would be more beneficial for the life of the tubes and amp, switching it off during breaks or just leaving it on and cutting the input signal?

Just mute the input (or unplug the cable) for breaks. 15-30 minutes' idling won't hurt the tubes. If it's longer than that, turn it off.

[GitFiddle]

Originally Posted by Lyle Caldwell

Just mute the input (or unplug the cable) for breaks. 15-30 minutes' idling won't hurt the tubes. If it's longer than that, turn it off.

Thanks Lyle. I just hit the bypass on my tuner and leave the amp on. I figured turning it on and off 4-5 times during the night was probably more wear and tear than leaving it idle and powered.

[DagerOne]

Originally Posted by sshirley

The Classic series scream and they are made in the USA if that matters to you. It is a solid circuit that has stood the test of time.

They are no longer Made in the USA. They now read (or at least, did the last time I checked) "Designed in the USA". Even Peavey has sold out. Still love my Classic 30. I pair it with the Classic 112e extension speaker, and it's ridiculously loud.

[Lurko]

Originally Posted by GitFiddle

Thanks Lyle. I just hit the bypass on my tuner and leave the amp on. I figured turning it on and off 4-5 times during the night was probably more wear and tear than leaving it idle and powered.

Tubes in guitar amps have a cushy life compared to what they were designed to do (12ax7s and 6V6s were for radios, for example, which get turned on an off quite a bit more than guitar amps). You're not gonna hurt them by turning them on and off. Running the amp on 10 for a three hour set twice a week? Possibly.

[zslane]

Originally Posted by DagerOne

They are no longer Made in the USA. They now read (or at least, did the last time I checked) "Designed in the USA". Even Peavey has sold out.

Manufacturing overseas is how these amps get made so they can be sold to everyone for those "great deal" prices we all like so much. Continuing to build them in the US would double (at minimum) their retail price.

I hear lots of bitching around here about prices of USA-built gear going up every year, and I hear lots of moaning about manufacturing going overseas. Well, if we want stuff built here in the US, and we want our fellow Americans to get raises (to at least cover inflation, if nothing else) and health coverage and all the other benefits associated with employment in this country, then we have to accept higher prices every year.

So which do we want? The pride of "Made in the USA" or the prices of "Made Overseas"? We can't have both.

[dcooper830]

I just recently picked up a C30 head. It sounds awesome through my Marshall 1960AV cab!



And I have my trusty old blue suede covered C30 with Celestion V30 speaker:






My workhorse is my tweed C30 (also with Celestion V30 speaker). I've been gigging this one HEAVILY for a little over a year now:




I'm a huge fan of the Peavey Classic 30!

[Lyle Caldwell]

On the subject of amp prices, while I don't remember the actual price ($200-500 range), a 1964 Twin Reverb in 1964 cost the equivalent of about $3000 in today's dollars.

If you were to buy a US made boutique amp made exactly the same way the 1964 Twin Reverb was built, you would pay, you guessed it, about $3000.

For the past twenty years at least, the price of a new Fender Twin Reverb has been about $1400. Despite inflation. The 1990 Twin Reverb was $1400, the 2011 Twin Reverb is $1400.

Lots of things have to change over the years to keep the price about the same.

[GitFiddle]

Originally Posted by DagerOne

They are no longer Made in the USA. They now read (or at least, did the last time I checked) "Designed in the USA". Even Peavey has sold out. Still love my Classic 30. I pair it with the Classic 112e extension speaker, and it's ridiculously loud.

I bought this new from GC last June and it says designed and built in the USA and it came stock with JJ tubes and the protection rack.
The rack is removed in this photo while swapping out the blue marvel.

[TxMack]

Here's my take on peavey classic series:

I was living and playing in Dallas in the early 90's and decided I wanted a good new amp, way pre-internet bias.

I went into a store and played everything they had, (which granted, wasn't any boutique stuff at that time) and walked out with a Classic 50.

I loved it, gigged the crap out of it, recorded with it, got compliments on my tone all the time. Ironically, the peavey logo broke early on so I was always getting guys coming up and asking what it was. And when I told them they'd ask...uh what pedals are you using? NONE!

Clean, dirty, blues, country, rock, whatever, just jack a few knobs.
Well it was all i used for 5 or 6 years and when I started not liking it, being before web-bias it was also before web-knowledge and I didn't know that the tubes and the speakers might be due to change. I traded it in back here in San Angelo. A soon to be famous guitarist named Henry Garza bought it, and one of the speakers blew a few months later.

I have had everything since, and never stuck with one amp that long again.
You can get better tone, but the percentage the tone improves is not equal to the percentage the price goes up, IMO! Buy that sucker and keep it!

[CenCalPlayer]

If you can find a good used one, get the Peavey Delta Blues....very similar to the Classic 30 but with a 15" speaker and trem....pure blues tone and classic rock out of these little gems....

[DagerOne]

Originally Posted by GitFiddle

I bought this new from GC last June and it says designed and built in the USA and it came stock with JJ tubes and the protection rack.

Good to know. Maybe they've switched back? I know for a fact there was a period of time when they didn't read as yours does. It must have been around the time when they "updated" the design, because I remember recommending the C30 to a friend, and he balked because of the change (part of what had sold him on it was that they were made in the States). So he went on a crusade to find an older version like mine, which he found and still has to this day.

Originally Posted by zslane

Manufacturing overseas is how these amps get made so they can be sold to everyone for those "great deal" prices we all like so much. Continuing to build them in the US would double (at minimum) their retail price.

I hear lots of bitching around here about prices of USA-built gear going up every year, and I hear lots of moaning about manufacturing going overseas. Well, if we want stuff built here in the US, and we want our fellow Americans to get raises (to at least cover inflation, if nothing else) and health coverage and all the other benefits associated with employment in this country, then we have to accept higher prices every year.

So which do we want? The pride of "Made in the USA" or the prices of "Made Overseas"? We can't have both.

I got my Classic 30 new in 1999 or so for $350. One hell of a bargain, if you ask me, and it was Made in the USA. American-made doesn't have to mean ridiculously expensive. *shrugs*

[nauc]

"They are no longer Made in the USA"

i bought this brand new from GC about a month ago, it says built in the USA....

[DagerOne]

Originally Posted by nauc

"They are no longer Made in the USA"

i bought this brand new from GC about a month ago, it says built in the USA....

Yes, and in the post RIGHT ABOVE YOURS I acknowledged that apparently they've returned to this labeling. At any rate, at least some Peavey amps are now made in China (I know the Bandits were for quite a while, at least), and possibly in some other countries though I've not personally seen them labeled as such. My only point is that no longer are "Peavey" and "Made in the USA" synonymous...you're going to have to check the amp itself to be certain. Maybe the Classic series are all made here, with some of the other lines shifted elsewhere?

Oh, and for the next guy who is going to post a picture of the back of his Peavey amp that says "Made in the USA", yes some apparently are.

[LPV]

Well if you guys want to really nit pick, open it up and you'll find almost all the parts are in fact made in asia. But so are most amp components and its all semantics anyway. I opened up my beloved Jubilee to do a recap only to find most of the on board components were in fact Japanese. Build quality is where its at.

[Shelbyblues]

There's a Classic 30 listed on C/L in my area. He started out at $300 and is down to $240 now. He's says it 5 years old and looks new.
I have been kicking it around after reading all the praise for them, but i really don't want to bring another amp home that i don't need.

[Splattle101]

Don't knock Nipponese caps. Or valves, for that matter.

[LPV]

^ Not at all. I have loved the tone and quality of my amp for 24 years now.

[GitFiddle]

Originally Posted by DagerOne

Yes, and in the post RIGHT ABOVE YOURS I acknowledged that apparently they've returned to this labeling. At any rate, at least some Peavey amps are now made in China (I know the Bandits were for quite a while, at least), and possibly in some other countries though I've not personally seen them labeled as such. My only point is that no longer are "Peavey" and "Made in the USA" synonymous...you're going to have to check the amp itself to be certain. Maybe the Classic series are all made here, with some of the other lines shifted elsewhere?

Oh, and for the next guy who is going to post a picture of the back of his Peavey amp that says "Made in the USA", yes some apparently are.

Dager, I don't think anyone is trying to flame you about your statement.
Its all good. (Feel the love)

I just posted my C30 label because being American-made is one of the reasons I opted to buy mine.

But in fact you are very correct in your statement about Peavey equipment made in Asia. Here is a quote from the man himself:

You asked about the quality of our Chinese made gear. Early Chinese stuff was, frankly, not very good. The same was true re: Japanese goods and later Korean goods. Today, Japan makes high quality goods because they went through the "learning curve" with much of the techniques and technology "borrowed" from the USA, UK, and Europe; ditto the Koreans. For the last decade or so, China has been learning the same lessons and has progressed amazingly fast. Peavey was the LAST major manufacturer to move production of low and medium priced gear to China. We resisted that decision until it became clear that all of our competitors in those price ranges had already done so, and it was obvious that USA made gear simply could not compete pricewise with China made gear. When we finally got around to making that decision, we decided that we would design our products here, (including the packaging) and manufacture it in China using components we know and had experience with...This is in stark contrast to many of our competitors, who basically buy "off the shelf products" in China and merely change the faceplate or logo. Because Peavey designs all our products and the packaging (utilizing components that we know will work) our China made gear is apparently just as reliable as our US made gear. In spite of making a considerable amount of our low and medium priced gear in China, Peavey retains extensive manufacturing capabilities in the USA, including our recently opened 19th Street Custom Shop. All in all, we believe that our US based design, packaging, and component selection with Chinese manufacture is a good combination, which utilizes the best capabilities of our USA design team (and their vast experience) and our Chinese suppliers. Customers everywhere "claim" to want to purchase USA made product, but unfortunately, when confronted with American pricing, many opt for Chinese made goods. I suppose that's just a fact of life that has to be dealt with. In any case, I feel like we are offering the best product in every category, whether it's made in our extensive USA facilities or sourced in China (but designed in the USA).

HP

[nauc]

Originally Posted by DagerOne

Yes, and in the post RIGHT ABOVE YOURS I acknowledged that apparently they've returned to this labeling. At any rate, at least some Peavey amps are now made in China (I know the Bandits were for quite a while, at least), and possibly in some other countries though I've not personally seen them labeled as such. My only point is that no longer are "Peavey" and "Made in the USA" synonymous...you're going to have to check the amp itself to be certain. Maybe the Classic series are all made here, with some of the other lines shifted elsewhere?

Oh, and for the next guy who is going to post a picture of the back of his Peavey amp that says "Made in the USA", yes some apparently are.

whoops, my bad. i should have ready everything before i posted

sorry

[The_Sentry]

I picked mine up today.

It's nice and loud...not sure if I like that Blue Marvel speaker much. The Standby after setup is really cool on this modded one...Instead of a 2 way switch for power he made it a 3-way with the standby in the middle position.

Nice tones for what it is. I'll probably be gigging the hell out of this thing at open jams, blues jams, and smaller clubs.

[GitFiddle]

Congrats Sentry. I think you'll love it. I played one gig with it before I decided to swap out the blue marvel. I put a Hellatone 60 (Celestion Vintage 30) in it and have been pleased as punch with it ever since. It gets even bigger if you add an extension cab.