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pedals 4 pv
Platinum Member
Canada
1351 Posts |
 Posted - 11/15/2007 : 04:53:19
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| I have a chance to buy a used tube amp at a good price tomorrow.It is a Peavey Classic 30. I have had good luck with Peavey stuff over the years but if these are lemons or something I would really appreciate it if someone let me know. It is the earlier style amp. |
Edited by - pedals 4 pv on 11/15/2007 07:01:29 |
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Goran
Double Platinum Member
Sweden
2203 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 07:31:51
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There has been a lot of debating about the Classic on a Swedish guitar forum, many say that it is wrongly constructed and eats tubes, sounding not as good as for example Blues Junior.
It needs some modding to do its best.
That�s what I read and heard.
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 07:31:51
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Hi pedals 4 pv
Assuming all is well with the Classic 30, it's a great amp,
I have been quietly searching for one, It is highly regarded out here in Oz.
And they sell very quick on evilbay.au 
A few years ago, I played one at a live gig, a few times.
it loves pedals, Like a lot of good tube amps, it loves to have it's input stage overdriven with a Booster, or something like an OD-1 or Screamer.
For an even better lead overdrive, use a Compressor as well, I think the Guy I knew back then was using a DIY DynaComp. but any good compressor will do.
You should find, that you will be amazed at how much better/different your pedals sound into this Keeper of an Amp.
They also made a Classic 50 with 4 x 10 inch speakers, Very loud, but I have never seen one of these live, other than in the local music store...
Good luck, take a good long hard look & listen at it, and all will be well.
Can I ask you, what the current owner is asking you to pay for it?
Keep us informed about your decision...
Regards Dr. Bob  |
Edited by - Dr. Bob on 11/15/2007 07:33:22 |
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pedals 4 pv
Platinum Member
Canada
1351 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 08:38:03
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| I wont get to see or try it till tomorrow afternoon, but $350 CDN is his price. Used tube amps are hard to come by here at a decent price.The classic 30 is $729 new plus 12% tax. The Fender Blues jr. is on special for $469 plus tax, which I wont have to pay on the used one. The guy says that he has owned it for 9 years on the same tubes,so I hope this isn't an issue Goran,and I wonder if these mods are expensive.Dr. Bob I hope your right because I can't wait till tomorrow, like a kid at christmas. I imagine that I will buy it,unless it's beat to hell or makes ugly noises. Thanks guys for your input. I'll let you know how it all turns out. |
Edited by - pedals 4 pv on 11/15/2007 08:50:14 |
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Goran
Double Platinum Member
Sweden
2203 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 09:27:11
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The mods I�ve heard of is not expensive, if I remember right it was a couple of 5W resistors or something like that. Search it up on internet.
Many people also mod Fender Blues Jr, that one also runs the tubes to hot for example.
Modding is not a bad thing, you learn a lot in the process. I have just started modding an Epiphone Valve Jr and I�ve learned a lot about tube amps on the way. The Epi is stock not a good amp in my opinion, I also have a Fender Champion 600 that is much better sounding.
When modding tube amps you have to be careful, the capacitors in the power supply can �bite� you even when the amp is unplugged. Dr Bob surely knows more about this.
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 10:04:02
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Hi pedals4pv...first off i haven't have the pleasure of trying out a classic 30 but i have heard them being used on gigs..the last time i heard one being played was in spain when i was on my holidays..the was a blues/rock trio playing in a local square one evening and the guitar player was using one..it looked like he was using a CS3 in front of it and the amp going through the rig....i was very impressed with the sound he got(he had a '62 reissue strat as well.... )and with the amp miked he had no problem being heard and it was a good sized square with a drummer and bass player thumping away as well....i actually looked into buying a couple of these for gigging as i lug 2 big heavy 2x12s around at the moment with are 30+ years old.....so for smaller gigs i'm looking for something like the peavey but as you have seen in canada the classic 30 seems to get snapped up quickly.....as for the reliability issue as far as i could find out the main problem was valve(tube)rattle..i.e the power tubes were vibrating when using the amp..i think it was because didn't put the wire thingys that hold the power tubes in place like on some of the older amps..check out the reviews on harmony central(take them with a pinch of salt... ) some guy was able to sort it with fairly easy by getting the bits after on ebay for a couple of dollars if i remember correctly...as far as i know the classic 30 uses EL84's which are probably the cheapest of the power valves to replace.....i'm not familiar with any mods..if you don't hve much experience with valves,i put valve converters in my marshall so i could take out the EL 34 valves and replaced them with 84's...to lower the output section of the amp (EL84's have a lower output)...one of the good side effects was it made the marshall more 'chimey' and added more sparkle to the sound like a Vox AC30.....$350 CDN(about 250 euro) is an excellent price IMHO as the normally go here for 350/400 euro secondhand here in ireland...... good luck.... |
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StratoSphere
Double Platinum Member
Canada
2232 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 13:34:55
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a Peavey 30 for $350 CAD is pretty awesome.
what are you currently using, pv? |
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pedals 4 pv
Platinum Member
Canada
1351 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 22:07:39
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| At present I have two old Peavey solidstate amps, a Bandit 112 at 80 watts and a Renown 212 at 160 watts. |
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pedals 4 pv
Platinum Member
Canada
1351 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2007 : 03:14:04
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IT'S MINE
And what a difference those tubes make |
Edited by - pedals 4 pv on 11/16/2007 03:49:55 |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2007 : 06:20:27
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congrats!  |
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pedals 4 pv
Platinum Member
Canada
1351 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2007 : 07:38:47
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Thanks Defrag, it's not quite as nice as your new Mesa, but I am as happy as if I were in my right mind.
I downloaded the mods page as you suggested already, Goran, even before I bought it. This one has the wire retainers that you mentioned Franzoni, so thats good, but there is a guard for the tubes available and I plan to get one right away. The tubes that are in the input stage have been changed from the original to a Ruby 12ax7 in location V1 (which is the one specified in the mod) V2 and V3 are JJ ecc 83s. The one output tube that has markings is a Groove tubes GTEL84Y the other three power tubes have no markings. Your right Dr. Bob it's a keeper, and now I am finding out what my CS-3 does. The icing on the cake is, even though I felt guilty about it, I still managed to beat the guy down a further $20, so I only paid $320 for it in the end. Thanks again for the advice you guys, I really appreciate it. |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2007 : 07:42:38
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pedals 4 pv
Congratulation buddy.
Welcome to the "Men with tubes" Society.
I hope you live happily  ever after.
You know there is no turning back now....
Regards Dr. Bob |
Edited by - Dr. Bob on 11/16/2007 07:43:27 |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2007 : 11:13:59
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| Sweet........$320 in an excellent price and it's one of the older ones as well...i always liked the look of the older classic 30's over the newer ones....i've heard good things about ruby tubes...personally i'm not a big fan of groove tubes,i've had better luck with EH/Sovtek valves or in the marshall i'm using TAD EL 84's..... the pre amp stage tubes ..ie V1,2,3 are important but so are the power tubes....part of the trick to get good tone out of a valve amp is to make sure it's not all pre amp distortion and have a healthy level of volume on the power amp end.... the ruby tube in V1 is probably part of the gain stage, thats why it was upgraded as it helps to shape the preamps sound,V2 acts like a booster, boosts the preamp of V1 and i reckon V3 is the phase splitter to the output section and i think supplies the heater current to the output valves(at least as far as i know thats the way my marshall works)..maybe Dr Bob could clarify it better for you as i'm not 100% sure....my musicman is a hybrid amp it has a solid state pre amp section and valve power amp output but it uses a 12ax7 as a phase splitter and a good quality valve is crucial in this position as it provides the heater current and feeds the phase signal to the push/pull section of the power amp(musicman amps have 700+ on the plates much higher than most valve amps,so the valves need to be very robust).....if your thinking of changing your power amp valves or doing any mods,one of your fellow countrymen a guy called Kevin O'Connor at london power has a very good website with a excellent FAQ page about valves and dispells some of the myths surrounding them....i emailed him once with a problem with my marshall and found him very helpful......good luck and enjoy the amp..... |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2007 : 14:53:30
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quote:
Originally posted by pedals 4 pv
Thanks Defrag, it's not quite as nice as your new Mesa, but I am as happy as if I were in my right mind.
I downloaded the mods page as you suggested already, Goran, even before I bought it. This one has the wire retainers that you mentioned Franzoni, so thats good, but there is a guard for the tubes available and I plan to get one right away. The tubes that are in the input stage have been changed from the original to a Ruby 12ax7 in location V1 (which is the one specified in the mod) V2 and V3 are JJ ecc 83s. The one output tube that has markings is a Groove tubes GTEL84Y the other three power tubes have no markings. Your right Dr. Bob it's a keeper, and now I am finding out what my CS-3 does. The icing on the cake is, even though I felt guilty about it, I still managed to beat the guy down a further $20, so I only paid $320 for it in the end. Thanks again for the advice you guys, I really appreciate it.
Hi pedals 4 pv
Not wanting to diminish DeFrag's Lovely new Mesa.
But, in it's own way, it is...
I'll bet that all your pedals, now all sound really different.
Seriously after playing it for a while, try going back to a-your SS amp.
Only owners of tube amps, will truly know what we are talking about, when we use the word TONE in a phrase or sentence.
And you are now a custodian of that TONE.
I wish I could express how pleased for you & Defrag I am, now that you have upgraded to 1950-60's technology.
Look after it, & pass it one to you Kids.
Send me a PM, & I will mail you a setup PDF, for getting even more Magic Tube TONE out of your amp.
If Defrag is reading this, He found the link, to that document, Maybe he will be kind enough to post the link.
Initially, You might-will find, that you might have to re-learn how you play & how hard you dig into your guitar,
as the dynamics of a Tube amp are very different.
Also you might-will find it, to be excessively touch responsive.
Spend some time with it, & learn your new found voice.
Regards Dr. Bob |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2007 : 15:42:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Dr. Bob
I wish I could express how pleased for you & Defrag I am, now that you have upgraded to 1950-60's technology.
ROTFLMMFAO!
Here's the link to Fender's Magic 6:
http://www.singlecoil.com/docs/magic-six.pdf
& tks again to good ol' Bob for turning ME onto it. |
Edited by - DeFrag on 11/16/2007 15:43:22 |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2007 : 16:36:16
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Hi DeFrag
Thanks for posting the link for all of us.
But help out an old bugger like me, I don't short hand txt much.
ROTFLMMFAO
ROTFL
Rolling On The floor Laughing, that part is OK
but
MMFAO - this part I don't know.
I guess I'm showing my age..
But like many of use here, I've spent most of my life, learning how to Spell - Type & communicate effectively.
And in 5 different languages...
Now I Have to relearn the Queens English -- in SMS TXT short cuts... 
I think they call it the the T9 interface.
Text on 9 Keys
Hey DeFrag, how is your new baby going? - learning how to really sing well, I hope..
Regards Dr. Bob |
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Tube amp advice needed
