I've also owned (and still do) Fender Twin's and Mesa Boogie's...but not because I didn't like Peavey for guitar, I just wanted something different for guitar.

Many will agree that the Tele and Fender Twin are a great match, that's not to say Peavey amps wouldn't do the job but I like how the Fender tele/twin look together on stage too.

Like many of you, I've played in bands that have used Peavey amps and PA gear and I've heard of Peavey gear needing fixed from time to time, but I have never been in a band that had a problem with Peavey equipment.

Peavey - turn it on and it works - and more than can do the job. I love Peavey gear, I love the Fender gear and I love the Mesa Boogie products too which I think are Fender products on streiods. There are still some other amps for 6 string guitar I would love to try too including Matchless, Bad Cat, Boogner, and especially Komet just to name a few.

I love the way Peavey supports the PSG community. Long live Mike Brown!

"Man I got me an AC30 with Celestians"

"It Rocks dude"...

"oh ..uhh..does anybody know what chord this is" ?

I've pretty much owned two brands of amps over the past 30 years..

2 or 3 Fenders and 6 or 7 Peaveys...

Currently have 1 Fender and 3 Peaveys...

Dont get me wrong, nothing against Peavey, just analyzing the market here as i see it.
I think their steel amps are very nice, and their equipment in general is good value for the money. but the stigma definetly exists.

How to overcome that stigma and get more players to check out Peavey amps for rock guitar? I think they are definetly on the right track with the Windsor, their cabs, and some of the EVH stuff....

on a side, note my buddy has a beautiful old Classic 100 4x12 that is just gathering cobwebs. I think all it needs is new tubes but he wont even bother to have it looked at. He just says "yeah it sounded great when it worked"

In the distorto rock world, Marshall is the benchmark. Peavey solid state amps do not sound like a Marshall amp.

THAT is the biggest reason why 6 stringers have not buddied up to Peavey.

I blame The Rage

When the Windsor comes, out if its any good, it should provide "distorto" rockers with a Marhsall alternative at a reasonable price (actually an insanely great price), and maybe do alot to rverse the stigma. we'll see...

[This message was edited by Ben Jones on 14 April 2006 at 11:52 AM.]

I don't know ANY guitar players locally that use Peavey equipment, other than beginners and a few country guys. In the blues, rock, country-rock circles it's Fender, Marshall, Vox, Bad Cat, Matchless, Holland, Top Hat, Mesa, Bogner, Reverend and the odd Crate thrown in the mix (I'm missing a few I know...)....but almost never Peavey. For PA boards, maybe - when on a low-budget.

I was shocked with all the Peavey usage when I started on this board. But apparently they've done a good job with SS, clean-sounding amps. They do not do so well with warm sounding tube amps IMO - their Classic, Vintage and other lines are really cold sounding for 6-string IMO.

The only place I've seen their amps used by guitar players (other than the sellout by EVH) is in the country world for clean Tele twang.

ugghhh....

Peavey had the Duece back in the early days and I'm just here to tell ya it gave the TWINS a run for the money on the bandstand..

Actually with the overdrive it was more bandstand friendly..

and just as heavy....

and VERY LOUD....

I don't think the Duece or the Classics from that era ever got the recognition that they deserved..Those amps still ROCK today...and are great values if you can find one complete...

Anyone who ever compared a Fender Tube amp to a Peavey Solid state was off the cliff anyway. That is not and is never a fair comparison...

Todays Classic 50's are two of the best guitar amps out there...

value, performance and tone..Killer...

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 14 April 2006 at 02:31 PM.]

In Dallas I mentioned to Mike Brown that the Peavey's I've had in the past (Nashville 1000 an Session 500) sounded good but I didn't like the buzz thing they had going on when you turn the amp on. The Evans was almost completely quiet till you hit the strings and I really like that. My new 112, turn it on and you hear a hiss that goes away after a few seconds. That just bugs the living crud out of me BUT, the tone of my guitar through that little dude makes it worth listening to that tiny little hiss. I loved the tone of the session 500 too but this 112 really sounds better to my ears than anything I've played through to date. Am I satisfied? Yes I am and I intend to buy another 112 within the next few weeks just so I can hear two of them together. I think it'll be a real blast to make a HUGE sound come out of such a small guitar. There were plenty of real heavy weight pickers in Dallas this year playing through the little Peavey 112's and that helped me make the decision to give the 112 another look. So far I couldn't be happier.

Rick

Frankly, I think that is pretty narrow-minded. In addition to lots of Fenders, I have owned various Peavey guitars, amps, and PA equipment over the years. The quality has been excellent, and if I pick the right type of amp, I can usually dial in my sound. Of course, no point in trying to dial in a crunchy blues tone on a Session 400 - it can be made to sound great playing blues, but it's different. But the Deuce or Classic, with appropriate tone tweaking and perhaps the right speakers, can give a good approximation to that tone just fine. On the other hand, they also have their own tone - this is a good thing. Where is it written that all guitar tones must be Fender, Marshall, or Vox? I think southern rock is based on the Peavey tone, emanating from those early Skynyrd records where I believe they used Deuces or Maces. It's got a bit more honkin' midrange, but still more of an American tone than the typical Marshall-style "British sound".

As far as durability goes, I think these older Peavey amps are just as much workhorses as the SF Fenders. Personally, I prefer the older construction techniques. I try to avoid thin, wave-soldered circuit boards, but that seems to be where most mass-marketed amps have gone.

At one time, one of my favorite blues players, Big Jack Johnson, played a Peavey Patriot through something like a Classic or Special 130 amp. I had a Patriot just like his, which my blues buddies who insist on an old Strat through a BF or Tweed Fender howled at. I just told them - look, it sounds and plays great, and cost $149 brand new with a hard case in 1987. Jack showed up to a show a couple of years later with that Patriot, and they shut up. He made that thing talk. Listen to his LP "The Oil Man" - that's that Patriot - some of the finest modern blues ever recorded, IMO.

After All Fender has Bass - Middle - Treble .... that whole "Shift" knob may throw some off completely..
;-)

Who knows....?

BTW I have owned the same NV 400 for 15 years. I have had other NV 400s, Session 500, and now I own a NV 112. I love that NV112. Also my first guitar amp (circa 1979) was a Backstage 30.

I guess I view Skynyrd as the center of the southern rock universe, YMMV. I believe Molly Hatchet endorsed Peavey back when - I seem to recall seeing ads. I imagine that Mike Brown can fill us in. No doubt, some of these bands used a combination of Peavey, Marshall, and other brands. That is sort of my point - the Peavey rock amps of that era are quite comparable to Marshalls of that era, which is why I never understood the stigma. I've used them side by side - I notice some differences in their cranked-up signature tones, but they both rock when you plug in a nice Les Paul.

Peavey has made strong, great-sounding amps in the 70's, 80's, 90's, and the...2000's. Not a whole heck of a lot has changed. It was correctly stated earlier in this thread: Some don't know how to properly e.q. amps.

Let's put it this way: Nothing can last four decades if it ain't good, if not great. That's simply a fact that can be argued, but not won to the contrary. You might hate or dislike that product, but try to tell the millions who've kept it alive. You'll lose that argument (unless you're uneducated and don't understand supply and demand). Proof's in the puddin'. Viva la Peavey. I just bought the 8th Peavey I've owned/own, an 8" speaker Decade, and for fartin' around playing lap with a singer w/an acoustic guitar, it's incredible. Light and sounds like an amp that weights 30 pounds instead of about 8.

or seek out one of the original Classics or Dueces...

Stage volume or overdrive will not be an issue...

I think Peavey has a great ring to it.

But as all previous threads, including this thread, have pointed out, that's all in the opinion of the speaker. Actually, much like John Deere. When I was growing up in the 60's/70's Indiana, people made fun of the name John Deere. Now it means quality, American-made. I've made a prediction that in the future, Peavey, too, will earn this type of recognition like John Deere has.

Hartley Peavey has been making steel players sound good for a long time. My first Peavey was a Session 500. I got it from Zane Beck. There is another clue!

I have several amps, but if it is earth rattling power and tone to the bone, that 500 still does it.

I am even beginning to like the logo.

"This amp just ain't gettin' it!"

Do the same with some hard-rocker heavy-metal player, put Marshall innards in a Peavey cab, and they'd say...

Listening to the end results, I sounded EXACTLY like my recordings with my old Fender Twin...I would venture to say that most all of us shape our sound to what we "HEAR" no matter what we use.

My son is into Van Halen and told me that when they opened for Ted Nugent back in the day, after their sound check, Ted was blown away by Eddie's sound. He asked if they would let him fool around with Eddie's guitar and amp..when he was done he was amazed that he sounded EXACTLY like himself.

I go to steel shows that give a wide range of steel amps and what a shock, every body sounds great to me.

I had a question when I first got it, and Mike Brown personally emailed me within a day with the answer. You can't beat that for incredible customer service. I am really now a Peavey fan. I think they are really doing a great service for musicians everywhere.

How was this a sellout? Please explain, since maybe you know something that some of us don't.

"If you saw the recent post of Mr Emmons sitting behind his new Zum, look closely, there is a Peavey VMP2 preamp sitting behind him. Could that be a clue? Hartley Peavey has been making steel players sound good for a long time."

I'd say that Mr. Emmons and others like him have probably returned the favor and made a few Peaveys sound good, too.

A lot of these comments are valid. IMHO the early Peavey company made it's money and reputation by building reasonable sounding and rugged amps for a good price. However, with that fame and money come a certain stigma, like it or not. No different than the famous rock (or country or whatever) player trying to prove that they are capable of playing a different style convincingly.

Now that Peavey is trying to acheive a reputation as a builder of REALLY good sounding pro amps they are running into the same thing. FWIW, I tried out a used Classic 30 the other day. For me, I'd love to compare it side by side with some higher end amps, because it sure did have the sounds that I look for. And I love Van Halen as much as Buck. There are a thousand great guitar sounds, and some of them were in that Classic 30.

Speaking of the side by side thing, see my post about the LA Amp show in May.

Charvel...then Ernie Ball...now Peavey. He changes endorsements like changing socks. Funny how similar the Ernie Ball and Peavey guitars are. That would be "$$" talking, not "quality"...

I agree Mike Brown is a great guy and tremendous resource. In the six-string world, you have the same thing though - on the Fender Forum (NOT even sponsored by Fender) their marketing, production, sales and custom shop guys all hang out and answer questions.

On other boards you find the Marshall/Vox people, the US Music contingent (Randall, Eden, Washburn), St. Louis Music (Crate, Ampeg)and others.

OK, I admit it up front, I'm a VH fan. I also don't like some of the things I've been hearing and reading about him lately (his health, the band, etc.). But, I don't know him personally and have never met him. The term "sell out" to me is a judgement of a man's character. I'll assume for you to use that term, you must know something about him that we don't.

Actually, he didn't get anything from Charvel that he didn't buy before EB. I think the company you mean, or forgot about, is Kramer.

Which really doen't mean anything to me. I still don't see how any of this is "selling out". A manufacturer comes to you and wants you to use their stuff, and maybe will design something for you. They might pay you to use it. So? I don't see this as "selling out". I'd like to believe that if the stuff wasn't good enough, he wouldn't have used it. And when you get to the level he's at in the industry, money is always going to come into play. (FWIW, I've heard that Eric Johnson doesn't use one of his signature Strats exclusively on tour. Does that make him a sell out?)

I'll agree that the EB and Wolfgang are similar guitars in terms of shape and features. They're probably similar in terms of quality, too. In other words, pretty good. So who doesn't want to play a quality instrument, especially one designed for you personally? I guess the ONLY reason he went with Peavey was for the $$$$, since quality was not a factor. I don't know or remember the reason he split with EB, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that it was an amicable split. But once again, since I am not in his inner circle, I personally do not know why.

I believe that he used Peavey stuff for close to 10 years. Before that, EB guitars for about 5. Before that, Kramer for maybe 5 years. The only amp he has ever endorsed to my knowledge is Peavey. Changing socks?

Finally, there must be a lot of "sell outs" in the music business, because I see a lot of people from all genres of music playing all sorts of instruments endorsing gear.

Sorry to take this sort of off topic, but I have a hard time buying this "sell out" stuff regardless of who or what it is about. These people are in the business to make money and play music, and it's not always easy to keep them apart. Except for me, of course. I don't make any money playing music, and no manufacturers are knocking down my door with all sorts of offers, so it's easy for me to make an independent decision on what gear I want to play.

------------------
Artie McEwan

[This message was edited by ajm on 20 April 2006 at 05:47 PM.]

quote:

---

If you saw . . Mr Emmons sitting behind his new Zum, look closely, there is a Peavey VMP2 preamp sitting behind him. Could that be a clue?

---

No. Mr. Emmons could play through a Milagro ("Si Bueno, es milagro!") Midnight Special, and you'd swear it was whatever rig you wanted it to be!

[This message was edited by James Cann on 20 April 2006 at 03:48 PM.]