Possibly one of the most underrated amps in the history or guitar amps. I've had many of them and always return to them. Hard to top that clean tone. The combos are truly magical.

Cant go wrong with Peavey amps! Their American made guitars back in the day were pretty sweet too.

The Peavey Classic is a hidden gem. Not as flashy as bigger names, but great tweedlike cleans and a substantial overdrive channel. The direct out options on the 20w is a good feature too

Still have a Classic 30 combo, it's great. Although, I really feel like Peavey was killing it in the amp department for a long, long time. Rock Master, Butcher, VTM, Ultra Plus, Triple X, JSX. I really think they were overlooked for the longest time because they made their money in the 80s on practice amps, and once they got the 5150 it was clearly the best amp they offered, but those other high gain heads were spectacular!

One of the best straight up rock tones I ever heard live was an Epi Sheraton through a Boss DS-1 into a Peavey Classic head into a Marshall cab. It sounded almost like an idealized Marshall tone. Absolutely killer.

I purchased a Peavey Classic 30 with a matching cabinet when it came out and just love it. I also own the 5150 combo when it came out. I have a bad rattle from the C30 when it’s loud , so I unplug the speaker and connect the speaker out to a 5150 straight 4x12 cabinet. It gets really good tone and is quite loud for 30 watts. If you put a gr7 graphic eq in the loop and boost all the frequencies up a bit it turns this combo into a different amp completely.

My first tube amp was the classic 50 410. Dad bought it for me in high school and I sold it as I changed my priorities then last year I got one used for a great price and I still love that amp!!! Changed the preamp tubes to some JJ's and I'm going to change the power amp tubes soon. Great sounding rig!!!

Duane Eddy used solid state Peavey amps in the 70’s - incredible amps. I had Classic 50 - great amp, loved it!

Dann Huff used a Peavey Classic 30 and praised it as a great little amp!

My first Peavey amp back in the 70s was the Festival 100. Now my go to amp is a Peavey Classic 30 combo. It does a great job.

In 2001 I bought a new Peavey Delta Blues amp . 30 watts , reverb , tremlo , single 15" speaker , gain channel , 4 el84 power tubes , tweed cover , made in USA , home of the Blues . Loved it so much I bought another one 6 months later to use for a backup . The Peavey Classic series is so good !! I have done tons of gigs , never had a breakdown or blew a fuse !! Great investment !

A Classic 50 2x12 was my first tube amp. They punch well above their price class.

A studio where I frequently recorded had a Classic 30, and I loved it so much that I bought one in about '95. I've used it steadily ever since--recorded a few albums with it and gigged many, many times with it over the years. A Tele, a Classic 30, and a RAT pedal is a glorious sound!

I have been running my 5150 second generation and a Classic 50 in tandem through two 5150 cabs since the early 2000s. They compliment each other very well when dialed in differently. The combo of the two is a classic rock and 80s hard rock result, which works for just about any rock genre. Nice review!

I bought a Classic 50 combo years ago while I was between bands and I always practiced at low volume and it sounded fine but the first time I played it with a band and was able to turn it up to 6 or 7, it blew me & my musician friends in the crowd away. I now play a dsl40c which sounds awesome but my best friend, who's even more of a tone hound than me, still says that Classic 50 is the best tone I ever had. Btw, I used an SD1 with it and we played everything from Dire Straits to Frampton to Ozzy and it sounded killer across the board. Cheers Mike, Love your channel bro!

I had a Classic 100 head, it was a killer amp, but it had 6 el84s and ran hot.

My First tube amp was a classic 50, I used that amp for years in a hard rock/metal band, Not the tight chugga chugga or speed metal of today, but it was down tuned and slow groovy type stuff, and it was an amazing amp. I later added a furman pq4 through the loop, and it took the amp to another level. It was my main sound for years, until later upgrading to a Boogie DC 10. One amp i regret ever selling.

First Amp I ever purchased! Great gear

ah dude that amp sounded so good! that's a hidden gem as far as amps goes i think

This is my PEAVEY story. Back in 1993 my band was a hard rocking 60% covers, 40% originals band out to "make our mark" in the world, playing throughout the western U.S.and landed a 1 off show opening for 38 Special. We did alot of these fill in opening slot gigs for many of the top acts from the 80s, at various state fairs, festivals and clubs. Tons of fun and met alot of well known people and players, Great learning experience! So summer july 1993 we landed the opening spot for " 38 Special." I was really excited. I played hard rock/metal, but love all kinds of music. These guys had won Grammys a mere 6 yrs ago or so. Anyways, here I am hauling all my flight cases, mesa rectifier, marshalls ,assorted 4x12 cabs. All my expensive toys. Even had my roadie/tech guy with me. Ha HAAA! Got set up and went off exploring behind the backline for 38 special, hoping to get some "cool backstage shop talk" going on, u know.😉😎. And NOONES around....nothing. But there sat behind their riser, 38 specials whole backline..each guy running thru one of those old black and silver 80s Peavy 1x12 combo amps ....old , dented, road worn to the max. And they rocked 8000 people that nite, and sounded AMAZING. LMAO!!!!😅👍👌 I was 23 yrs old and that was one of the best and first REAL lessons from my road yrs. I felt so mortified!!! My MESA RECS and Marshalls didnt stand a chance against 2 tiny PEAVEY 1x12 combos. Bass player was running a PEAVEY also if memory serves. They looked like they were about to play a backyard bbq with that gear. They just set the amps up behind the curtain with one sm57 and a boss digital delay plugged right in the front panel., and I was bringing on the complete GUITAR CENTER CATALOG!!!! HAAA HA!!!! And I remember jamming in garages just starting out, and some guys having those same amps and they sounded great, and versatile. I just loved that wall of cabs, I love trying new gear, I'm always up for the hot new thing, only more often then not, being disappointed. But that day i learned it's way better to keep it simple in front of 8000 people. I had 3 breakdowns during our set from the heat. Served me right!🤨

Peavey Classic Series rocks out . Great cleans, great reverb, great gain channel. First tube amp I ever heard. I bought a classic 50 combo a few years later. That was 2003, still have it in 2023. It keeps going and it’s still sounding killer.

Happy owner of Peavey valveking mkii 50w combo, which I picked up at a discontinued sale. My advice, try a Peavey and judge it with your ears, you'll likely be surprised at how good they are.

I'll say this much, my Peavey vtm 60 was a beast. I played shows and Providence Rhode Island and Boston for quite a few years using just my volume control a few pedals and that vtm 60 rocked. Actually kind of miss it. Now I have Marshall Boogie and other stuff but I still remember good times with that TV Peavey

Just brought out my 80s Solo series Special 130 amp out of retirement. Never failed me once!! ❤

I've seen Jeff Lynne ELO use either two of these 410's or four of them live. I own one of the 410 combo's with the 410 ext cab. Doing the tone challenge, the Peavey does very well, even against vintage Fender and Handwired rigs. I have a custom built point to point Vibrolux, and a hand built PTP Deluxe, and once in a while I think about selling the Peavey, and I think nope, I'm keeping it.

I’ve used a classic 30 combo with EL 84s since the mid 90s. I upgraded the tubes and it’s perfect for the bar gigs playing rock, blues and country. Someone once said the Classic line kick started the boutique amp market? Not sure about that, but the last gig I played there was a Classic 20, 30 and 50 on stage at the same time. No Fender or Marshall or “boutique” amp in sight, haha.

The Peavey Bravo 1x12" that got "Amp of the Year" in 92' was forgotten in this Video and had El 84 power tubes. =BOOM!!!

Peavey Encore 65. By far, the best sounding 1x12” vintage tube amp. Similar to the Mesa, clean like a Princeton but gets dirt like a Marshall BluesBreaker. Killer reverb. Change my mind...😎👍🏼

I still have mine from 1992. All original parts, including the tubes!, and it's still going strong after being put in and out of trunks for nearly 30 years! Freaking great amp.

I am with you on this series of amps. I had an American made Delta Blues 1x15 Tweed, I am kicking myself for selling it. A very versatile amp.

Peavey special 212 silver stripe transtube was a badass amp with an eq in loop.

I had the classic 50 with the 4x10 and 1x15 cab. My dad got an insane deal in like 1995 so I was pretty lucky. The lead channel still sounds like it's broadcast over AM radio to me. Clean channel with a rat is the good stuff.

The Peavey Classic series react phenomenally to a simple tone stack mod. This turns them into a fire breathing tone machine. Big, deep, open tone that is very clean. When you get a great clean tone - anything else is great. I have done a few of these tone stack mods, and the Delta Blues uses the exact same schematic as the 30 and 50. I use the "BlueGuitar" tone stack mod - but be warned - those folded circuit boards with those jumpers break easily. Not impossible to repair, but not for beginners... I have a "made in USA" Delta Blues that I need to do this mod on. It will turn these amps into a fantastic 'boutique' sounding tone machine and they take pedals very well. I use a Keeley Tone works and a touch of compression makes that clean shimmer like crystal. The 'Katana' clean boost gives that 'Klon Centaur' tone boost. The 'dirt' boosts (choice of 3) will get everything but metal. Can't say enough good about this amp/pedal combo.

People forget about the Peavey VSS 20. It's got this Ibanez Tube Screamer sound on steroids way before Ibanez had the TS line of amps. And their sleeper the Classic VTX. They had great sound without pedals.

The Peavey Bravo came out before the Classic 50/30 amps ... it just rocked. I owned one in 1990.

Back in the mid to late 70's the Peavey classic was my dream amp. I played them everyday while working at Music West .We were both a Fender and Peavey authorized dealer. I personally always liked the Peavey amps better.

I own an original hot rod deluxe that was my first good new amp in my teens when getting into gear, 2nd time I went into a guitar store I played on a peavey classic 30 and a delta blues 15 and I was blown away at how much better I thought they were. For the money they just couldn’t be beat, but I was in high school and couldn’t afford another amp... Now that I’m older and have money for amps I still don’t own a peavey classic because you’ve got me into collecting Friedman’s 🤷🏻‍♂️

Notice a lot of STP references pop up on this channel. The Deleo bros may be some of the most under appreciated musicians in the modern era. Totally unique voice yet pure rock instincts. World class rock musicians.

Just got me a used one (Classic 30) in black tweed. Love it!

Got one with the 410 cab back in the 90's. I regret selling a lot of things. Thank God I never sold this amp. I'll be takin it to the grave.

Bought the head the day they came out. Bought the 4x10 a bit later. Gigged them constantly and still use them in the studio 25 years later. Never a single problem with them, unlike every Fender I've ever owned has been in the shop within a year. USA made Classics are tanks.

Ive got the 410 + 115 ext cab. And Ehx tubes. Sounds killer

Had my Classic 50 410 combo for years. Made me a lot of money...

Your presentation style is pure gold! More videos please!

The Classic 30 I just picked up for $350 was the steal of the decade for my gear collection. Very responsive and with a surprisingly complex harmonic chime on the clean channel. I think because it’s neither fish nor fowl (Fender or Vox, or Marshall for that matter), it tends to get overlooked. But it gives that tube driven sound I just can’t get out of my Boss Katana, as good a solid state amp as that is.

Thumbs up just for the STP riff. Cool.

When you struck that first chord, I was like WOW! Great clean sound! Very nice with pedals as well.

I have a pair of Peavey Classic 50 heads.....they sound great but are not the easiest amps to work on if you need to replace caps etc. Also, some have fans that are quite loud. One of my amps had a loud fan, and the other was quiet....I replaced the loud one with a Noctua NF-A8 ULN 80mm premium fan than runs on DC voltage (stock fans run on AC current).I used a 15v DC power supply to power the fan. I attached the wires supplying AC current to the original fan, to the DC power supply which I had mounted inside the cabinet. One other thing.....the Classic 50 takes pedals extremely well.

I own one with a 4X12 cabinet in the same design. Never ever parting with it. It rules!

I have two classic 30’s that I have replaced many of the tiny caps and resistors with orange drops and good quality, full size resistors. Added Celestion G12H30 speakers, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything! Very versatile Amos, with all the drive the average player is going to want.

The 30 combo is also very great, i have 2 of em, bought both second hand, great value exceptional tone

Cool video about a cool amp, but I beg to differ about Peavey amps from the 80's. The Butcher, the VTM, and the Triumph series were made in the 80's and those amps are killers. The VTM and the Triumph series amps were designed by James Brown, the same guy who went on to design the 5150's, Ultra, XXX, and JSX amps.

I always loved ab'ing my Marshall and Classic 50 4x10 together for killer AC/DC tones. Marshall for Angus' tone and the Classic 50 for the crunchy Malcolm tone. Serious business!!! And as always Michael, great reviews! Btw, loaded mine with Celestion G10 Greenbacks. Sounds amazing!

My first “real amp” was a Triple XXX. Sat on a Marshall 1960a cab, and sounded awesome! Ended up running it with JJ KT77 power tubes and it had gain for days. So good.

I love my old Peavey Deuce. It's a solid state pre with a tube power amp.

any of the Peavey stuff from the 80's is solid

I have a classic 50 combo from the 90's that my old guitar teacher sold me for $200 a few years back. Still sounds awesome. A good tweed amp can pretty much cover anything thrown at it. The clean channel sounds awesome and the gain is very warm and rich. With the right overdrive you can get any amount of saturation you want so you can play anything from low gain classic sounds to high gain modern. Can't recommend one of these to anyone who wants an amazing tube amp at a decent price. I would imagine the used market for them is fair too.

Grab a seymour duncan pickup booster and throw it before the amp. I play metal with a Delta blues using the pickup booster. Awesome high gain tones.

Just got this amp as my first tube amp for 300 bucks. Loving it. The clean sound is fantastic.

Certainly notice that the transference of tone on the PRS was much weaker than on the LP. The amp sounds very nice and well equipped for a variety of styles. Cheers.

The Peavey Classic 30/50 are great rock and blues amps.

I was 15 when I got into my first real band that actually booked shows, etc. My bandmates ranged from 21-30, but my dad was super-supportive. He’d have to take me to the bar to get me in and was a trooper stayin out til 3AM on weekdays just to have to get up early as fuck for work. Man he was a great dad… Anyway, my first gigging amp was a peavey classic 50 4x10 and it served me well for many years. These were super reliable, with simple but great controls and with a decent pedal board, these guys from the early-ish 90’s are STILL a real option for gigging musicians of all levels.

I have a classic 50 410.. love it!

I have an older version (it doesn't have a presence control) of the Classic 30. I feel like I like it better than the 50, and I can set either channel at like a little past halfway, then clean boost it into actual high gain. Like seriously, it chugs. The secret is to have a clean boost that is actually clean, but has a lot of headroom even on a clean setting, so you can really push the first gain stage. I had every intention of getting one of the older JCM 2000 heads, or maybe even a Recto, I was only playing through the Classic 30 to try out a used Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic pedal, but I wound up figuring out that that pedal is clean on the rhythm channel with the gain at like 10 o'clock, a little higher with single coils, and with the output volume turned all the way up, it was a really hot boost, and it pushed the overdrive channel of the Classic 30 way over the edge. The EQ controls on that pedal, bass and treble, let you dial it in so it's tight, and the gain on the amp doesn't have to be set very high at all. Slightly over halfway, then you turn on the pedal, it literally becomes high gain. It feels like if someone put the preamp section of a hot rodded Superlead in front of the output section of an AC30. It's lovely.

I own a 2010 USA made Classic 50 212, and a Delta Blues 115. Both are great amps. The Boost on the DB 115 is amazing and worth the price of entry. Puts a big smile on my face every time I engage it. The Classic 50 212 is a great rock machine. Great cleans and a nice overdriven rock tone.

The 91 without the effects loop was endorsed by Brent Mason (Mr Nashville)claimed it sounded better than the ones with the loop

I picked up a modded Delta Blues and a non-modded one a few years ago. I love running them in stereo with my nova system. I love el-84 amps.

I got my first Classic, a 30 1x12 combo, back in 1993 which I used for rhythm guitar work with a cover band and it served me very well. I now have a Classic 50 2x12 combo and that just rocks 24/7/365. I don't drag it around to gigs, just use it in my studio, which is a good thing because it weighs a metric f-ton. But it sure sounds sweet. Pro Tip: Reload it with a pair of Celestion G12M Greenbacks ; )

Peavey VTM! Unbelievable amps!!!

My peavey ultra 120 plus has been my main amp for 20 years

Im keeping my American Peavy Classic 30 stack forever. Peavy Classic 30 combo with greenback extension cab beats amps twice the price.

There was a Classic 100. I know a guy that has one. The head looks just like 50 but has oxblood grills in the front.

The Peavey VTM 60 and 120 were pretty darn good. I think better than the 5150. I still have 4 of the 4x12 cabs that came with the vtm. Great cabs. Tough as nails.

works for me - lotsa soul and EL84 timbre :) great job Michael!

I had a vtm60. Thing was awesome. From what i read it was their response to marshalls jcm800.

i never knew Carson Daly was such an avid guitarist.

The Classic 100 head with 8 el84s was the most amazing el84 amp I ever played.

I recently picked up a Peavey Encore 65 and a Peavey Triumph 60 in a deal. Both are really great all tube amps. Both with 4 6l6 and 3 12ax7 and 1 12at7. Both sweet high gain amps. REALLY SWEET.

dude the peavey classic line are awesome amps. i wouldn't mind having one.

I had a classic 50 and Delta Blues combo. Killer amps for the money.

Early eighties Peavey Bandit 112.... was a great little beginner's amp. -Great overdrive, loud. It gave a beginner a great entrance to the world of overdrive. I had one for several years and traded it for a Marshall.

Can't understand why so many people use distortion pedals in front of the clean channel, rather than the lead channel. The lead channel in this amp is chewy el84 goodness. I love it. I spend MOST of my time on the lead channel.

Legend amp! I had one as a workhorse for years with a marshall 4x12 with greenbacks. It could do pop, blues and even really good for metal (with a tube screamer of course). The hard rock aspect of it is a bit overlooked nowadays perhpas judged by its looks, but it was a staple amp in the 90s. even a famous Death metal band I knew toured with it. It has that jcm 800 vibe.

For me the absolute best amp Peavey ever made was the VTM 120 and the VTM 60. We called them the Mississippi Marshall.

I do have a classic 100 head, stunning cleans and giant headroom, loves pedals. But you have to play it loud, its qualities hide while turned down.

My all around favorite amp. Years ago I owned the Classic 100. I still own two Classic 30's and one Classic 20

About (20) years ago, I was demoing a Roger Mayer octaver on a (2)10 combo with that same covering at a music store. It used a (4)6v6 output section. Absolutely a dream amp . Had to have cost Peavy close to a grand to build. Would like to have that nice portable combo today.

My first amp was a backstage 30! It was loud with a ehx power booster!!! I'd hook up with a homemade 12 in cab. Cool video!!!

Nice DC Talk lick! I have a Classic 30 that I got to flip in a trade and ended up keeping it. they also had a Delta Blues in this series it had a 15in speaker, tremolo and reverb.

I have that exact classic 50 head, I bought it new in 95, then proceeded to drag it around the southeast and every pub/lounge and festival gig we could get up until 2007 when I retired it. It's not as pristine as yours but it earned every cigarette burn, and beer can ring that's imprinted in the tweed. Also, since I never had any breakdowns with it, I've never even changed the tubes. It's morphed into an awesome evh brown sound tone on the gain channel, and the clean channel has a gorgeous fenderesqe break up and all without pedals. I use a bass big muff pi to send it to jimi town!

Classic amps are some of the best ever made.

i recently bought a Peavey Classic 30...absolutely hate the sound and tone on the mid boost mode..but i get killer blues and rock tones on the scooped mode..with EQ dials down low..treble on about 3..mids off..bass around 5...what i love is the amp sounds good on the clean..crunch and dirty settings...so it wins the trifector of tones for me...i am not much into affects..so i go straight into the amp...for blues and blues rock..and jazzy stuff

65w peavey Bandit was a great amp for dragging around to gigs.

Excellent demo. You played a great variety of licks that show the versatility of the amp. Thank you!

Years ago, I bought a Classic 50. At the time, I was between bands so I just used it to practice at home at lower volume(set around 2). It sounded pretty good. Months later, I finally played a gig with it (volume around 6-7) and WOW!!! I couldn't get over how great it sounded. Extremely Marshall like but with it's own twist. My guitar playing buds were amazed at it's tone too. Since then, I've owned another Classic 50 combo and a head version. Unlike the Classic 30, which gets hot enough to cook an egg on, the 50 has a built in fan that keeps it nice and cool. The slight fan hum is well worth it. I now love my DSL40c but the Classic 50 is a killer sounding amp in it's own right.

missed this demo. ha ha I started on a Peavey Bandit with a strat. I’m super glad your demoed this with pedals though. thx man

IMO the JSX is the best amp Peavey ever made but I still had a good time with 5150s in the 90s when they had 10x the gain that the overhyped POS Marshall JCM 900s had. Had a killer 6505+ too whose clean channel too pedals the best.

Yup!! I still have two Peavey Classic Fifty 410s. They sound Great. As does my Peavey 5150 combo and my Peavey Ultra 60 Head ( conversion). American Made And Great sounding.

I ran across the 4x10 years ago and i couldn't believe how good it sounded on rhe dirty channel, my son used the Classic 30 at church and he really liked it as well 👍

Glad you featured this one Micheal - such a sneaky good amp! The whole line in fact