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King Loudness « High gain fury »
Published on 10/31/11 at 16:35The Peavey Triple XXX is a 120 watt all tube head powered by 6L6 power tubes. It's a three channel head that was designed as a modern high gain amp to compliment the more stripped down 5150 line. It features Clean, Crunch and Ultra channels, each with its own gain and EQ controls as well as a master EQ section. It also has an effects loop available as well. It's designed for higher gain applications and has been commonly used for hard rock and metal music throughout the last decade.
UTILIZATION
Getting a good sound out of this amp is pretty simple. It has a slightly harder to dial in EQ than the 5150 but it's still very responsive and sounds wonderful when dialed in to taste. It allows the user to really go in and get a sharp sound that will cut through the mix with ease yet still retain definition and clarity. I didn't really have any issues getting it to sound good. It can be a little bit buzzy sounding at lower volumes, but that could be said of many high wattage high gain tube amps too.
SOUNDS
This amp excels when being used with more modern guitars such as Ibanez, ESP or Jackson. The active or higher output passive pickups really respond well to the gain structure that this amp possesses and it makes for some great metal tones. The clean channel has a nice sharp attack that, though it lacks the warmth and forgiveness of a nice Fender or VOX, it has a nice tone that works well for modern music. The crunch channel is nice and provides a slightly more modern attack that works well for classic rock through to modern crunch. The ultra channel is the one to go to for the highest gain tones. People that want to play tight chugging metal riffs or shred solos will love the high gain nature and tight attack of this channel, especially if it's tightened up with a boost.
OVERALL OPINION
All in all I think the Peavey XXX is a decent high gain amp for modern rock or metal applications. The 120 watts might be overkill for some musicians and its voicing might be too modern for some players, but if you're looking for a well priced (around $500 used) head to do modern tones with tightness and aggression, give the Peavey XXX a whirl.
UTILIZATION
Getting a good sound out of this amp is pretty simple. It has a slightly harder to dial in EQ than the 5150 but it's still very responsive and sounds wonderful when dialed in to taste. It allows the user to really go in and get a sharp sound that will cut through the mix with ease yet still retain definition and clarity. I didn't really have any issues getting it to sound good. It can be a little bit buzzy sounding at lower volumes, but that could be said of many high wattage high gain tube amps too.
SOUNDS
This amp excels when being used with more modern guitars such as Ibanez, ESP or Jackson. The active or higher output passive pickups really respond well to the gain structure that this amp possesses and it makes for some great metal tones. The clean channel has a nice sharp attack that, though it lacks the warmth and forgiveness of a nice Fender or VOX, it has a nice tone that works well for modern music. The crunch channel is nice and provides a slightly more modern attack that works well for classic rock through to modern crunch. The ultra channel is the one to go to for the highest gain tones. People that want to play tight chugging metal riffs or shred solos will love the high gain nature and tight attack of this channel, especially if it's tightened up with a boost.
OVERALL OPINION
All in all I think the Peavey XXX is a decent high gain amp for modern rock or metal applications. The 120 watts might be overkill for some musicians and its voicing might be too modern for some players, but if you're looking for a well priced (around $500 used) head to do modern tones with tightness and aggression, give the Peavey XXX a whirl.