All user reviews of 4/5 for the Peavey Classic 30 [2005-2012]

Type of music: Big Band guitar in a jazz / pop / rock. One guitar: LP traditionnal. Use for more than 6 years in rehearsal. (Mesa express on stage 50)

Main use: light or small Crunch. All effects and volume pedal in the effects loop.

Access an all-tube for 600 € deserves attention. However, I quickly found some limitations: its a bit messy (especially in Crunch and Crunch +), sizzling lamps, life of the lamps. I post here to enjoy my experience in the correction of these defects.
HP: I really won replace the original HP with a Celestion Vintage 30. Better definition, clarity, sharper treble and bass less coarse (already the LP is generous on the subject)
Squeaks: I arranged a foam tube (diameter 30mm) heating pipe insulation cut into 2 in the direction of the length between the fan guard and EL-84. € 3 in casto, the foam is made to keep the temperature of the lamp advanced pricks in and nothing vibrates, magic!
Durability of lamps: Here we must dare open the beast and tinker a little bit. It is in the principle of placing a switch in series with the fuse on the HT to have a standby for the preheating of the tubes. Before this mod I had to change the power tubes every year in order to avoid the risk of failure. The current game is in service since the mod (3 years).
This amp is full of promise and offers beautiful sounds, lets play a little while without the fuss, complete with its reverb and effects loop. Which justified that I start these mods rather than sell it. I made the right choice. We are now inseparable except on stage where you have to stand up to a blowing force and clear sound "wrong" too fast when you go up the level (as the guitar amp). Hence the 50w mesa.

A good little beast that can even use at home with a volume pedal (Boss FV50L) in the effects loop.

30 watt all-tube combo (three 12AX7 and four EL84). Two channels, a three band EQ, a reverb spring.
For detailed specifications, all has already been said again and again.

UTILIZATION

Again, everything has already been said, the 30 watt grow well, are too small transformer that heat, lights that vibrate, the absence of stand-by, good HP to change the boost which is unclear what it is. Nothing new.
Personally, I only use the clean channel with an overdrive, I use the second channel pseudo stand-by with the volume to 0.
I bought it with an HP Celestion Lead 80.

SOUNDS

So general, the amp is very transparent and great respect for the sound of gear upstream. If you see the glass half empty, we can consider that it is without any personality ...
The clean is somewhat reminiscent of the Junior Blues Vox too, not really Fender. At the risk of stating the obvious, it sounds even better than the guitar is good.
The drive channel plays a little versatility to be honest. In the first half of the race of winning, we feel that the amp is not too comfortable, he would let go a little more. Between 50 and 75%, it is in good sounds blues rock / hard rock 70. Beyond that, it sounds a bit too 80's.
The reverb, as often, once more than a quarter of the race of the potentiometer is unusable.

OVERALL OPINION

For many guitarists, the Classic 30 was the first tube amp and is a true classic, long time. I did not buy from conviction but for many fringe benefits.
The volume is sufficient for rehearsals and concerts.
The road is clean
With a good guitar and a good overdrive, it sounds!
And most importantly, we always find at least eight occasions. If during a concert, the transformers suffer because we draw 400 watts on a single shot, he finds himself pushed, or the bar is too hot and humid, well, it's not as bad as if it were the amp shop unique model of competition.

All-tube amp.
30W
two channels (one clean and saturated) with a single equalizer applied to both channels.
a boost

UTILIZATION

Very easy to use.
Never open the manual
the right sound is achieved easily with my strat Custom77 or ibanez or AF200

SOUNDS

YES! should be blues and Jazz
When I put the metal zone I get a metal sound that suits me very well ... for two hours of metal that I play a month

OVERALL OPINION

I put a 8 because it still has a quality that can be a default for some: way too powerful!
I never exceed "2" knob (out of 10 I think) because 3 already in the walls tremble ...
but whatever the config, the sound is warm and bluesy, really nice I am satisfied and recommend it to those who have no problems in those neighborhoods or specific buildings 60-70 years (too poorly insulated)

30 watts (RMS) into 16 or 8 ohms
Four EL84s and three 12AX7s
12" Blue Marvel speaker
2-channel preamp
Pre- and post-gain controls on lead channel
Normal volume control on clean channel
3-band passive EQ (bass, middle, treble)
Boost switch
Reverb level control
Effects loop
Footswitch selectable channel switching and reverb
External speaker capability
Chrome-plated chassis
Made in the USA



UTILIZATION

I think the first thing that needs to be noted about the build of this amp is the fact that it's made in the USA. The fact that you can pick this up for around $450 if you look around is a real testament to how great a deal it is. That said, there is a bit of learning curve to this amp. While the controls are fairly simple, you kind of have to learn what it likes and doesn't like.

SOUNDS

I'll start with the clean channel. It's probably the best channel on the amp. The Classic 30 is good to think of as a Vox AC30 with a little bit of plexi mixed in. It's not as vibrant and harmonic as the AC30, but is has the mids of a marshall. It's not quite as angry as either of those amps...it's more versatile than that. It has a pretty neutral voice. The clean channel is very balanced and has that EL84 vibe going on pretty heavy. It takes pedals extremely well. You can get this amp to sound about like anything with the right pedals. I think the neutrality of the clean channel is what makes it so useful for pedals. It basically becomes what ever you feed it. It's very warm.

The lead channel is something I don't too often use. It's not high gain. More like plexi to jcm800ish levels of gain. It's not as aggressive as an EL34 amp. It's just sort of flatly voiced. If you want high gain, you should probably just use a distortion pedal on the clean channel rather than use an overdrive for this channel. I use the lead channel for my mid gain sounds usually. The clean channel + pedals can do everything else.

OVERALL OPINION

The speaker is about the only thing about the Classic 30 I don't like. But that's no problem. A lot of people like to put a Vintage 30 in these but in my opinion there's a bit of a mid spike. I have tried a number of speakers in mine and I'm pretty impressed with Greenbacks for the most part. They seem to warm up the amp. Other than that there's really no gripes about this amp at all. It has some of the best all around tone I've ever heard. Extremely versatile amp...and probably would be part of my desert island rig.

The Peavey Classic 30 is a 30 watt tube combo that is made to sound and feel much like a Fender. Many players enjoy this amp for its low powered tone that is useful for small gigs. It is a single channel amp with a switchable boost that acts a lot like a second channel of sorts. It has a basic EQ, an effects loop and an onboard reverb as well. It's loaded with a single Blue Marvel speaker in this version which works fairly well. It's not the most complex amp in the world, but Peavey was going for a simple yet effective design which has proven effective for many years.

UTILIZATION

This amplifier is pretty easy to dial in for sure. Being that it's only a single channel there is not a whole lot of tweaking needed to get tones happening. This amp does not really do the high gain vibe like certain other Peavey amps, but it does do a whole variety of lower gain tones that work well in a variety of different contexts. The controls react well to adjustment and the interface is very user friendly. The only issue I really have is a bit of a sudden volume spike as the amp's volume is turned up. Otherwise it's a pretty easy rig to dial in.

SOUNDS

The Peavey Classic 30 is a more classic sounding amp that responds better to single coils or vintage voiced humbuckers. It has a very loose American vibe that is like a modern tweed Fender. It's a pretty dynamic amp too, reacting well to volume roll off with the guitar. The tones range from a gritty US clean to some fiery mild drive tones. If hit with an overdrive as a boost, this amp really starts to display some raunch. It doesn't have the tight and dry quality for truly high gain applications but Peavey makes plenty of amps to get that sound too!

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Peavey Classic 30 is a great gigging workhorse that takes well to a variety of lower gain applications as well as with pedals too. At $650 new it's a pretty good deal for the musician who needs a great portable tube combo under a grand. Definitely worth trying!

The Peavey Classic 30 is a 30 watt tube combo that is made to sound and feel much like a Fender. Many players enjoy this amp for its low powered tone that is useful for small gigs. It is a single channel amp with a switchable boost that acts a lot like a second channel of sorts. It has a basic EQ, an effects loop and an onboard reverb as well. It's loaded with a single Blue Marvel speaker in this version which works fairly well. It's not the most complex amp in the world, but Peavey was going for a simple yet effective design which has proven effective for many years.

UTILIZATION

This amplifier is pretty easy to dial in for sure. Being that it's only a single channel there is not a whole lot of tweaking needed to get tones happening. This amp does not really do the high gain vibe like certain other Peavey amps, but it does do a whole variety of lower gain tones that work well in a variety of different contexts. The controls react well to adjustment and the interface is very user friendly. The only issue I really have is a bit of a sudden volume spike as the amp's volume is turned up. Otherwise it's a pretty easy rig to dial in.

SOUNDS

The Peavey Classic 30 is a more classic sounding amp that responds better to single coils or vintage voiced humbuckers. It has a very loose American vibe that is like a modern tweed Fender. It's a pretty dynamic amp too, reacting well to volume roll off with the guitar. The tones range from a gritty US clean to some fiery mild drive tones. If hit with an overdrive as a boost, this amp really starts to display some raunch. It doesn't have the tight and dry quality for truly high gain applications but Peavey makes plenty of amps to get that sound too!

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Peavey Classic 30 is a great gigging workhorse that takes well to a variety of lower gain applications as well as with pedals too. At $650 new it's a pretty good deal for the musician who needs a great portable tube combo under a grand. Definitely worth trying!