Peavey VB-series Reviews?

[jhines]

All,
I can not find a whole lot (reviews, sound clips, etc.) on the Peavey VB-2, VB-3, and VB-810. Does anyone have any of these pieces of equipment? Any positive or negative thoughts? The Peavey VB-2 and VB-810 look like they would make a great, all-tube rig complete with warranty, etc. for under well under $2k (esp. considering the sales that some of the big, online retailers are throwing around). Each piece, even not used together, has its own merit, I would think. The VB-2 and VB-3 are newly designed all tube heads representing some new meets old technology and the VB-810 is a sealed 8x10 (actually four sealed 2x10's) cabinet in a time when most of the 8x10's are ported and tweeted for that more hi-fi sound.

Just wondering if I was missing something. This part of the country is pretty bass stuff anemic and I can't drive (visually impaired) so I try to research everything before I "book" a driver's time or order sound unheard from a web vendor.

Thanks...

[Alex1984]

I believe the heads are pretty good quality and a great value. Other good budget tube amp is the Traynor YBA-200.

The Peavey has a more powerful transformer and can be modded to take higher output tubes to draw out more from the transformer.

[guli]

Yeah I'm wondering the same thing also, specially the VB-810!

[PSPookie]

I've been playing a VB-2 for a few months now and I love it. The controlls allow for a wide variety of good tones, it's loud as heck and it won't break the bank. Plus, it has tubes, several infact, full of tubey goodness eminating a thoroughly tubey vibe.

Basically, it has everything that I like about the SVT but at half the price.

Clips (auditioning a new drummer), Modulus M92/5 or G&L L-2000 with flats -> VB-2 -> GB Uber 212:
http://home.comcast.net/~troy_whelply/site/

[hdracer]

I have had my VB-2 for a couple months now. It is a poor mans SVT. It is my first tube amp so I do not have anything to compare it to. One great thing about it is that it has a five year warranty and Peavey is great, they stand behind there stuff 100%. Shortly after I got mine it developed a hum, I called Peavey and they told me to bring it to a service center that was not far from me. It turned out to be a bad pre amp tube. It was the first one that the tech had seen, He asked me what I had paid for it ($495.00 on clearance at GC) , he was shocked, said it was a great knock off of a SVT with a few extra bells & whistles. For the price IMO it is the best American made amp you can get. Oh, and it is LOUD!!!! I can dial in a great tone for any of my basses, from my SG to my Ric they all sound great.

[Thornton Davis]

Originally Posted by Alex1984

I believe the heads are pretty good quality and a great value. Other good budget tube amp is the Traynor YBA-200.

The Peavey has a more powerful transformer and can be modded to take higher output tubes to draw out more from the transformer.

If you need 2 ohms (2 x 4ohm cabs), both the VB-2 and VB-3 support it. The Traynor YBA-200 supports only 4 and 8 ohm loads.

TD

[hdracer]

Originally Posted by Thornton Davis

If you need 2 ohms (2 x 4ohm cabs), both the VB-2 and VB-3 support it. The Traynor YBA-200 supports only 4 and 8 ohm loads.

TD

+1 and does it vary nicely. I run two 212 cabs. Try finding 8 ohm 212 or 215 cabs, there may be some out there but the majority are 4.

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by Alex1984

The Peavey has a more powerful transformer and can be modded to take higher output tubes to draw out more from the transformer.

I don't think so. Changing output tubes seldom if ever increases the output power by any significant amount.

Paul

[dubstylee]

+1 to above, I love this amp. Vintage to Modern tones pulled very easily. Can't say enough about the VB-2.

[XtraLongScale]

I've gigged mine for a good year and a half and I crave nothing else other than another VB-2. It stands plenty fine on it's own merits without having to be compared to any other "legendary" or "iconic" heads. Definitely one of the better heads to come out in the last few years, IMO. I'd really love to get my hands on the VB810 cab eventually.

[jastacey]

I've got a VB-2 and it is a nice sounding head, it has enough power to drive a 8x10 cabinet for most gigs, the EQ set-up is pretty user friendly,, the dirty channel is somewhat useless, unless your into fuzz tone, it's not that heavy ( when compared to a SVT ), if you leave the stand-by switch in the off position, you still can use the DI, and adjust your tone ( the stand-by just turns off the power tubes ), how I use the amp is adjust the master to max. and use the input as the gain control, then set the Eq mid to 400 and adjust bass,mids,treble & presence to taste, If your going to get a first tube amp, this is the one I would recommend

[twinfallsbass]

Originally Posted by Thornton Davis

If you need 2 ohms (2 x 4ohm cabs), both the VB-2 and VB-3 support it. The Traynor YBA-200 supports only 4 and 8 ohm loads.

TD

Actually the YBA-200 will support a 2ohm load, but it cuts the power to around 175watts instead of the full 200.

[Eilif]

I've had my VB2 for a bit over a year now and I am extremely pleased. I purchased it while I had a Traynor YBA200 (Upgraded to -2 specs and retubed with JJKT88
s and low gain pre amp tube kit), and the YBA200 was on the block the next week.

The VB2 has superior power, adjustability and -as far as my experience- reliability. There is a certain really nice creamy, pillowy tone that the YBA200 (with kt88's) could get that the Peavey can't, but I still prefer the Peavey. With the YBA, I often felt that I was pushing close to the limit of what the Traynor could put out, but the Peavey gives me more headroom than I'll ever come close to using. Lastly, even after the -2 upgrade the Traynor was a bit tempermental whereas the VB2 is super reliable.

All that said, I really liked the tone of the YBA200, and if not for the VB2, I'd still have it, but during the GC VB2 blowout of last year, it's absolutely the best bucks I've ever spent on an amp.

After playing it for a year, I'm still satsified. It's been gigged 20 or so times in my country band, mostly with an Avatar B410NEO. I feel that the cab is an excellent match for the head. It is ported and NEO, but it is one of the most "vintage" sounding neo cabs out there. I've never gigged it with active basses, but it handles my higher output basses with Darkstar's and T-40 humbuckers very well. As others have noted, I don't find the overdrive that usefull, but I do use the mid-switch often, especially when switching basses.

This amp has (for now) cured my gas. I always viewed the Traynor as a placeholder until I could someday get a Reeves. Now that I have the Peavey, I still admire the Reeves, but I don't see myself putting up the scratch when I am so happy with the VB2.

Conclusion, VB-2 is one of the best USA made tube amps currently available. It's not an Ampeg. If you want that tone, you'll have to get an Ampeg, but if you want a great-sounding, reliable, and versatile tube-amp at a very reasonable price, the VB-2 is it!

[jhines]

I was thinking about this some today and then 'jastacey' made a comment about...so I will bring it up. If the DI has a pre/post eq button, the amp is all tube, and many use the master all the way up (presumably for the sag/compression of the power section) but the DI is before the power section...wouldn't that defeat one of the big reasons for owning a tube amp. I would think, in the average venue large enough for a 2-300W tube amp through 1-2 8x10 cabinets that there would almost enevitably be a sufficient PA to require or insist on a bass line out to fit the volume or mix. That would, effectively, mean that the all-tube sound would be really only a part tube sound as percieved by the audience. If this is the case, why bother dragging the weight around?

[Eilif]

DI/Signal... A few reasons to still have a tube amp.

-Whenever possible, I try to get a mic on the cab as well, even if I'm getting a DI.

-You will hear it, and you'll know the difference.

-There are alot of venues that I play where most of the bass that the audience hears is coming from the amp. In those cases, it's a really good idea to bring your A game to what's coming out of your speakers.

[BbbyBld]

Originally Posted by jhines

I was thinking about this some today and then 'jastacey' made a comment about...so I will bring it up. If the DI has a pre/post eq button, the amp is all tube, and many use the master all the way up (presumably for the sag/compression of the power section) but the DI is before the power section...wouldn't that defeat one of the big reasons for owning a tube amp. I would think, in the average venue large enough for a 2-300W tube amp through 1-2 8x10 cabinets that there would almost enevitably be a sufficient PA to require or insist on a bass line out to fit the volume or mix. That would, effectively, mean that the all-tube sound would be really only a part tube sound as percieved by the audience. If this is the case, why bother dragging the weight around?

Both DI signals are tube-processed signals, so they have a little tube mojo slathered on.

Using a mike in front of the speaker is the way to go. "The sound" is not only the amp being overdriven, it's the way the overdriven amp sounds through the speakers. Not all speakers sound right that way. Especially if they are "hi-fi". Players like me who use overdriven tube amps rely on the cabinet to do the rest of the tone shaping, so we want the audience to hear what we hear.

As Eilif said, it's common to use a mike AND the pre eq DI signal. The sound guy can use the cleaner DI signal to route to the subs and use the cabinet mike signal for the full range PA cabs. It's usually better if the DI signal is pre eq so the sound guy can EQ the bass signal from scratch to fit in the mix.

The post EQ DI signal is usually best for driving a slave power amp.

Why drag the weight around? It's a labor of love.

[S Lewis]

I absolutely LOVE my VB-2



dont tell my gf!

[Mr_Sore_Fingerz]

VB2 is great but....make sure you buy it NEW because Peavey warranties don't transfer. Nothing against the TB'er that sold it to me, but he lucked out because I had the head for maybe 2 months and the internal fuse went kaput on me, and it was at WAY low volume. He tried to help me out, but in the end it cost me about $105 total to get the thing up and running again...since then, no problems at all and it sounds great.

So my advice is buy it new...it might save you in the long run.

[Eilif]

Originally Posted by BbbyBld

Why drag the weight around? It's a labor of love.

Yep, definitely both labor and love!