Peavey ValveKing 100 Head

My very first tube amp and a great one to start with. 100 watts, all tube. 4x6L6 power tubes, 2 channels, hi and low gain inputs, and texture control knob on the back. Basic controls, Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Volume, Presence, a boost switch for the lead channel and a bright switch for the clean channel.

UTILIZATION

My biggest complain was the effects loop was on the front. I don't know whose idea that was but I've never heard a compliment about the amp for that. Any rack gear would need to be plugged in the back, since it's in the front you have to run it past all the other rack gear and over the amp head to be plugged in the front. Kind of a hassle and looks messy. Other than that it is a good design and very easy to understand.

SOUNDS

I used to be a huge MetallicA freak so I bought this trying to get close to their tone. Originally I was wanting a Mesa Mark III but this really caught my attention. By itself it pulls off great classic rock and some early tones like Maiden, Scorpions, Rhoads, even some early MetallicA. But with a boost this thing really goes wild. Makes this thing very versatile. Blues crunch all the way to metal brutals. The gain is a bit fizzier than say a 6505 but is still no where near the fizziness of a dual rectifier at low volumes. It's a great amp that can pull off many tones.

OVERALL OPINION

I have since sold it but it was a great amp to start on, really taught me about tubes and I had a lot of fun playing with this amp. Had some really great tones but sadly none of them were beyond exceptional. I wanted something that blew me away with at least one thing instead of multiple good things.

The Peavey Valveking 100 is a head that was designed by the company to offer a versatile and great sounding all tube head at a price that won't break the bank. It features two channels, clean and drive. There are fairly standard gain, volume and EQ controls here, as well as some voicing switches to do things like add brightness or change the gain structure. It has a set of master presence and resonance controls for final tone shaping and there is an onboard reverb and an effects loop too.

UTILIZATION

Getting a good tone out of this amp is fairly simple. Peavey uses a fairly classic interface that bridges the gap between British and American styles. I particularly like the strong midrange character that brings out awesome harmonics and overtones, especially on the drive channel. It has a good and useful EQ section for each channel that is quite responsive and works very well. It is a very smooth sounding amp that works well with many guitars and in many musical contexts.

SOUNDS

I've tried this amp with various guitars and can safely say it's equally at home with single coils or humbuckers. The clean channel has a nice Fenderish vibe that gets some added shimmer when the bright switch is engaged. It works well for everything from jazz to RnB styles without issue. The drive channel is a definite gem. It's extremely smooth and defined, with a brilliant singing midrange that just coaxes earthy sustain from the guitar. It works very well for classic or hard rock styles especially if you're primarily a lead player. It doesn't quite have the grunt or tightness for modern metal I find, but you can get some cool classic thrash metal tones here if that's your thing...

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Peavey VK100 is a great and versatilevall tube head for the player who requires some great smooth tones and a strong midrange character. At about $550 new these amps are a pretty sweet deal, especially when paired with a good cab and speakers. Definitely worth a look for sure... Peavey gear as a general rule has been outstanding in my experience.

The head version of this amp is basically the exact same as the combo but just in a head cab and higher wattage.

This is one extremely versatile amp. It has two channel one for clean and then one for a dirty tone. Both channels are very usable and voiced for a great rock n roll sound. The amp has a ton of features like reverb and a bright switch as well as a boost switch for the lead lines.

The amp is voiced more in the British flavor of things. Even though it has 6L6 power tubes which is more used in American metal tones, the amps overall is more toward the British voicings. The tone is remarkable for being at the price point that it is in.


Peavey ValveKing 100 Head Features:

100 watts (rms) into 16, 8, or 4 ohms (switchable)
Four 6L6GC and three 12AX7 tubes
Two independent footswitchable channels
Separate EQ for each channel
Footswitchable gain/volume boost on lead channel
Dual paralleled speaker jacks
Reverb with level control
Buffered effects loop
Resonance and presence controls
New TEXTURE™ variable Class A simulation control (patent pending)

The only thin I don't like about this amp is the effects loop in on the front of the amp. this means if you use the effects loop you will have 3 cables running in the front of this beats and couple that wit a mic then you are getting crowded.

UTILIZATION

Details
Type Tube
Number of Channels 2
Power 100W
No Effects
Reverb
EQ Bass/Middle/Treble per channel
No Amp Modeling
Number of Tubes 7
Preamp Tubes 3 x 12AX7
Power Tubes 4 x 6L6GC
Inputs 2 x Instrument
Outputs 2 x TS
Footswitch I/O
Effects Loop
Height 9.75"
Width 26.5"
Depth 11.13"
Weight 41 lbs.

SOUNDS

If you keep the amp in the clean channel and click the bright switch in the off position then you get a solid jazz tone that is rich and full bodied. It is a very warm tone great for jazz riffs and runs. If you click the bright switch on then you get a great spanky country clean tone. All you need then is to add a little reverb and you are golden.

When you go over to the dirty channel this is where things heat up. The tone is very thick and chunky. I like this tone with a medium to low body tone such as an ash or alder bodied guitar. This get your tone to cut ore when you have such a beefy distortion tone.

OVERALL OPINION

For the money it doesn't really get any better than this amp. At new these amps come in at around $550, which in my opinion is a steal for a solid two channel amplifier. The ability to switch from class A to AB is another remarkable feature this amp has.

I would recommend this amp to anyone who is on the lookout for a great sounding combo amp that won't break the bank and that has real tubes in it. There is no modeling or solid state design in this amp...just real tube distortion and thick colorful clean tones.

(Originally written by papayou57/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
Everything has been already said... I give it a 9 because both channels share the reverb...

UTILIZATION

Clean:

Ultra easy configuration and you'll quickly find a good sound. I'm not that experienced to say if the sound is warm, crystal-clear, etc. I've been playing for only two years and I almost never use the clean channel (I play death metal) but I like how it sounds: the sound is well-defined, clear and with some additional effects you could get a very good sound!

Distortion:

It's the main disadvantage of this amp... I play only heavy metal and I find the distortion sounds awful... really awful!!! The sound is imprecise and it's impossible to find a good setting: either I get too much highs or not enough and it's the same thing with low frequencies both with or without boost... it's a disaster! That's why I NEVER use the amp's distortion!!! I use the clean channel with a Boss Metal Zone and the sound is much better...

User's manual:

I browsed it, looked at the setting examples and buried it in the depths of a drawer...

I give it a 7 because of the lousy distortion channel!!!

SOUNDS

I like it with my distortion pedal but sometimes the sound seems to change even if I don't edit my settings, and that probably has to do with the warm up time... I play a 7-string Ibanez RG7321 with EMG pickups. I set the mids and highs controls to 2 or 3 and the lows to 5, depress the two small buttons, activate the boost and add my distortion pedal (distortion to 3-4) to get a big, fat, dirty and accurate sound I like. I already described the pros and cons.

I give it a 7 because of the lousy distortion channel!!!

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using it for almost one year. It is reliable, works properly and never got broken. I like most of all its aggressive look and clean sound... Maybe the distortion sound is good for blues or other music styles but it doesn't match my needs... I previously tried out a Hartke Piggy Back (a disaster!) and a Fender MH-500 (too expensive for me!). During a recent live gig I used a Marshall Mode Four, which was quite good but I couldn't test it thoroughly... I bought this amp from my drummer who used to play guitar... So I got it very cheap together with the speaker cabinet. It was a good deal.

Based on my experience I would definitely buy it again at this price!!