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mooseherman
Published on 03/24/10 at 19:18
This is a tube combo amp that has developed a loyal following over the years. It has a single 1/4" connection. It has two channels, which are designated rhythm and lead. The rhythm channel is clean/slightly overdriven, and actually has a crunch switch which, tellingly, adds more crunch to the sound. The lead sound is heavily distorted, and pretty compressed. It has a whopping 120 watts of power. There are gain controls for each channel, but the 3-band EQ is shared between both. There is also a master volume. Additionally, there are resonance and presence controls, which add gain to the low and high ends, respectively.
UTILIZATION
Getting a good sound out of this depends entirely on your expectations. This is for rock and all its children, folks. Jazz, Blues, Country, and even the lighter rock genres are definitely not going to thrive here. That being said, this will work really well for most heavier rock styles, and even metal and hardcore acts would find much to love. Finding a good sound is easy assuming you know what you're looking for. The manual will explain how to use everything pretty well. I find sometimes that there are too many features, but I guess that's not too bad.
SOUNDS
I'll be perfectly frank, and say that if you aren't using guitars with humbuckers, or something similar on them, then this isn't going to work for you. I think my Les Paul sounds best with this. The thing can rock a small club by itself if need be, and with good speakers, this thing will really kick. Mostly, I think the best sounds are the heavier ones. Even though that's not my favorite type of music, I get such a rush when this thing is really rockin' that I don't think about it. The sheer power that comes through this thing is mind-blowing. Even though I'd probably never play in the kind of band that would require such obscene amounts of gain, I still love playing it. It's really not great for clean tones, but I doubt anyone interested in purchasing this would be worried about that.
OVERALL OPINION
Since there's plenty of people for whom really rocking out is absolutely essential, I think that this amp could really catch on with the hard rock/metal/hardcore crowd. It's getting more and more expensive as its reputation grows, so I think that if you can't find one used right away, grab a new one while they aren't too expensive. Peavey is usually pretty good about being affordable, so it probably won't get that bad. Definitely a quality product, without a doubt.
UTILIZATION
Getting a good sound out of this depends entirely on your expectations. This is for rock and all its children, folks. Jazz, Blues, Country, and even the lighter rock genres are definitely not going to thrive here. That being said, this will work really well for most heavier rock styles, and even metal and hardcore acts would find much to love. Finding a good sound is easy assuming you know what you're looking for. The manual will explain how to use everything pretty well. I find sometimes that there are too many features, but I guess that's not too bad.
SOUNDS
I'll be perfectly frank, and say that if you aren't using guitars with humbuckers, or something similar on them, then this isn't going to work for you. I think my Les Paul sounds best with this. The thing can rock a small club by itself if need be, and with good speakers, this thing will really kick. Mostly, I think the best sounds are the heavier ones. Even though that's not my favorite type of music, I get such a rush when this thing is really rockin' that I don't think about it. The sheer power that comes through this thing is mind-blowing. Even though I'd probably never play in the kind of band that would require such obscene amounts of gain, I still love playing it. It's really not great for clean tones, but I doubt anyone interested in purchasing this would be worried about that.
OVERALL OPINION
Since there's plenty of people for whom really rocking out is absolutely essential, I think that this amp could really catch on with the hard rock/metal/hardcore crowd. It's getting more and more expensive as its reputation grows, so I think that if you can't find one used right away, grab a new one while they aren't too expensive. Peavey is usually pretty good about being affordable, so it probably won't get that bad. Definitely a quality product, without a doubt.