View other reviews for this product:
James... « Warm and transparent tube power amp »
Published on 08/09/11 at 20:15For those of you guitarist who use rack stuff (you know who you are) you also know how discerning out tastes our. Not just in rack power amps but for every facet of our rack hogging reality. Usually the only thing holding down the expansion of our racks is weight and cost.
For those of use who can't afford a VHT or a Mesa there aren't many options. But the Peavey 50/50 is one of those options. It's a 2 channel 50 watts per side EL84 power amp. Simple enough? Ok.
UTILIZATION
There's not much to this thing really. I mean it's a power amp. It goes in the rack. I've never had any trouble with mine. People say tubes aren't as reliable as solid state? I've had more SS power amps go out on me than anything and this bad boy gave me 5 years of solid use with no hiccups. In terms of tube gear one of the most reliable items I've ever had considering the abuse it took. I really have abused my 50/50 to a lot of shock damage but it's stayed well enough okay. I still have it to prove so. The only feature on it I don't like is the tone controls. Why do I need these? Isn't that what I have a preamp for? Whatever...I just leave them at noon.
SOUNDS
A lot of tube power amps impart their own tone to the sound. Mesa's are warm and sort of Fendery. VHT power amps are tight and bright. Marshall ones sound like...well Marshalls. The 50/50 I expected so sound a bit voxey perhaps. Well, not so. It's got a really flat and warm response to it. It basically takes whatever preamp I throw at it and makes it warmer and gives it tube sag. This is really good for a guy like me who uses different preamps. I used to use a Mesa 50/50 and it never sounded right with Marshall style preamps. The Peavey sounds nice on everything really. It's not overly voiced to the tone of the EL84s. I found switching tube brands didn't have a huge effect on tone, backing up my theory. I really liked using this with my Egnater M4 and Axe-fx because it's quite transparent. Doesn't color the sound of those various preamp sounds.
OVERALL OPINION
If you want a power amp to emulate a tube guitar head section, this isn't your guy. If transparent uncolored tube warmth is the goal, the 50/50 might just be the ticket. I really mean that. For the value this is a great buy. Yeah, I like the more exotic and expensive power amps for some applications, but this is great especially when I'm on tour and I don't wanna risk destroying my VHT. It's easy to find these used for cheap. So go ahead and try one.
For those of use who can't afford a VHT or a Mesa there aren't many options. But the Peavey 50/50 is one of those options. It's a 2 channel 50 watts per side EL84 power amp. Simple enough? Ok.
UTILIZATION
There's not much to this thing really. I mean it's a power amp. It goes in the rack. I've never had any trouble with mine. People say tubes aren't as reliable as solid state? I've had more SS power amps go out on me than anything and this bad boy gave me 5 years of solid use with no hiccups. In terms of tube gear one of the most reliable items I've ever had considering the abuse it took. I really have abused my 50/50 to a lot of shock damage but it's stayed well enough okay. I still have it to prove so. The only feature on it I don't like is the tone controls. Why do I need these? Isn't that what I have a preamp for? Whatever...I just leave them at noon.
SOUNDS
A lot of tube power amps impart their own tone to the sound. Mesa's are warm and sort of Fendery. VHT power amps are tight and bright. Marshall ones sound like...well Marshalls. The 50/50 I expected so sound a bit voxey perhaps. Well, not so. It's got a really flat and warm response to it. It basically takes whatever preamp I throw at it and makes it warmer and gives it tube sag. This is really good for a guy like me who uses different preamps. I used to use a Mesa 50/50 and it never sounded right with Marshall style preamps. The Peavey sounds nice on everything really. It's not overly voiced to the tone of the EL84s. I found switching tube brands didn't have a huge effect on tone, backing up my theory. I really liked using this with my Egnater M4 and Axe-fx because it's quite transparent. Doesn't color the sound of those various preamp sounds.
OVERALL OPINION
If you want a power amp to emulate a tube guitar head section, this isn't your guy. If transparent uncolored tube warmth is the goal, the 50/50 might just be the ticket. I really mean that. For the value this is a great buy. Yeah, I like the more exotic and expensive power amps for some applications, but this is great especially when I'm on tour and I don't wanna risk destroying my VHT. It's easy to find these used for cheap. So go ahead and try one.