amp opinion

looked at a peavey classic 50 212 today I don't know much so I thought that I would ask here

I have a good friend who loves his Classic 30 for pedal steel... it's a tuber and he says it's pretty dependable. It sounds fine, but it really depends on how you plan to use it. A lot of people buy way more amp than they need.

Where are you going to be using it, bedroom, amphitheater?
Are you practicing alone or playing with a band? How loud?
What kind of music do you play?
What guitar?
Will this be your only amp?
Will you have to haul it around?
Is your back in good shape?

I know there are lots of others here who know a lot more than I do... but to me, less is more.

AlohaJoe said:

I have a good friend who loves his Classic 30 for pedal steel... it's a tuber and he says it's pretty dependable. It sounds fine, but it really depends on how you plan to use it. A lot of people buy way more amp than they need.

Where are you going to be using it, bedroom, amphitheater?
Are you practicing alone or playing with a band? How loud?
What kind of music do you play?
What guitar?
Will this be your only amp?
Will you have to haul it around?
Is your back in good shape?

I know there are lots of others here who know a lot more than I do... but to me, less is more.

Click to expand...

Good questions. I'm someone who has more amp than I need or can haul around. Once I figure out how to obscure my engraved SSN, I look forward to selling the old gear and replacing it with something more appropriate. BTW the 30 year old Peavy head is still going strong so that is an endorsement of the brand.

On size, will it fit in your current vehicle with your guitar(s) and whatever else you haul when you play? I've had some cars that could not hold Mrs. Fro, her guitar, my bass and my bass amp simultaneously. Easiest thing to change in that equation is the amp.

On power and volume there are several other threads and CapnJuan may have the patience to explain it again, but it can be misleading to compare power ratings of tube and solid state equipment. Simplistically the amount of distortion people will tolerate is different and acceptable, comparable volumes occur at lower ratings for a tube amp. (I think I got that right).

Also, back in the day the band's amps had to fill the venue so you needed a lot of volume. Now many places (churches yes, small clubs, sometimes) have house sound systems and what you want is something that gives you the sound you want and can be plugged into, or mic'ed to, the house system. So the "where will you play" question is a driver.

That classic 50 is a lot of amp for the money. If I was going to go Peavey, it'd be the Delta blues 115. That's the one the sounds best for me.
MD

Hi kydog: if you could answer AJ's questions ... that would make it easier to answer yours. That Peavey is 50 watts ... enough to blow the windows out of your house at elevated volume ... :shock: Anyway; it makes a difference whether you are after just tone or you want all the features ... to some degree, they are mutually exclusive. if you're going to mess around in your house or join friends for informal sessions, you can do that with 5-8 watts. CJ

I'll try to explain: I have a fender acoustasonic junior that I use at my house with my acoustic..... this morning I purchased the peavey classic 50 212 for 250.00 it seemed like a good deal.. It is alot of amp, more than I need, but needin an amp for my electric guitar I pulled the trigger: I do not know all the ways to set it up for the sounds that I might be looking for but that is just the fun part of it....

if it is in good condition it should be a very good deal and loud enough with clean headroom for a club playing with a loud (not -metal :wink: ) drimmer. since the classic 30 is a well known and respected workhorse, the classic 50 should even be better (and heavier).