Peavy TNT 115 combo. Any comments appreciated

[Dirtyclinic]

I am borrowing this amp right now and it sounds great to me but I am a complete beginner at the bass guitar. I don't have any other amp to compare it to. I can buy the amp for $170. Is that pretty good? I someday would like to do small gigs for 100 people or so, I assume this would have the power for that. Any comments about the amp are helpful. Thanks.

[will33]

I'd offer $150 just because, it is worth the extra $20 though. Solid, reliable performer....heavy. Tone is useable, sounds better in a band mix than by itself. Loud enough to hang with a drummer, play a small bar.

If you want loud enough, reliable and cheap, TNT is the way to go. Tell him to knock off the $20 so you can buy some wheels to screw on the bottom, you'll get sick of carrying it all the time.

[craig.p]

I'm not sure how many power variations there have been with this model over the years, but I've heard a few TNTs that could run way louder and cleaner than any 1x15 combo has a right to. Every one of those had a Black Widow driver, by the way.

[BackstagePlus]

Well if it's built anything like my peavey basic 112, it is a rock, mine took a couple trips down cement stairs twice, and it still works like the day l got it.

[Green Lantern]

Don't like the amp. No tweeter, and a bit boomy. It was the church bass amp i used for years before they bought a Boogie Buster.

[ack]

I've got a TNT130 with a BW, and it is certainly a loud combo. It sits right next to the drum kit in our Jam Room and with the Punch and Bright boosts it can cut through surprisingly well. Mine was a little stale sounding, but I put an MXR M80 DI between my bass and the TNT to add some color, and it's great. It's a tank, and the kids have used for small bar gigs and stuff like that. I paid right around $175 for it a few years back.
Good luck.

[funkateer86]

I played an old TNT from the 80's for a while. First amp I ever used, actually. Loud as hell for what it is. I always thought the tone was pretty good, can definatley get boomy if you're not careful. Very punchy Black Widow speaker. I never hate on Peavey, never sounds amazing but they always sound pretty good and they're tanks. HEAVY

[Thummel]

I had one in the late 70's early 80's---good starter amp and ok for small gigs----$150 is the number

[Dirtyclinic]

Thanks for the comments. He is firm at $170 but he is the only owner and it is in great cosmetic shape. One thing I notice about it is that when you turn the master Volume or the gain knob it has a static sound. It sounds perfect while playing it. It just has that static while adjusting the volume. Is that at all normal?

[fenderhutz]

Detoxit cleaner. Fuzzys go away.

These are great amps that rarely die. Peavey makes up in longevity where they may lack in tone. Some think Peavey amps sound sterile. Maybe a little, but they are loud amps that last. I'd buy it.

[f.clef]

Comment: Heavy, nice, loud, cheap.

[will33]

Originally Posted by craig.p

I'm not sure how many power variations there have been with this model over the years, but I've heard a few TNTs that could run way louder and cleaner than any 1x15 combo has a right to. Every one of those had a Black Widow driver, by the way.

Well, the really, really old ones where 100 watts with an old square magnet speaker from before the Black Widow days....those are a fartbox. The good ones everybody remembers from back then were 130 watts and had a Black Widow, which is a pretty dang high spl speaker, like 99, even 100 in the mids in some spots, that's why they're loud. A common speaker would need twice that amp power to play equally as loud.

Originally Posted by Dirtyclinic

Thanks for the comments. He is firm at $170 but he is the only owner and it is in great cosmetic shape. One thing I notice about it is that when you turn the master Volume or the gain knob it has a static sound. It sounds perfect while playing it. It just has that static while adjusting the volume. Is that at all normal?

De-Oxit pot cleaner. Spray it in the pots and twist them back and forth a few times. It's normal for being that age, just a little dust and grime in there from over the years, that's all. If it's the 130 watt version with a Black Widow, it's worth it.

[Standalone]

I have the non BW 130 watt version (The TNT130)

It sounds great. I paid $200 for it in about 1996.

Worrying about a price $20 either way on an amp that you're going to use for a long time isn't worth the bother.

I think the tone of these cuts well in a band context, but doesn't bring the boys to the yard when it's noodling on its own in a shop. I prefer the former to the latter.

[Febs]

I agree with the prior posters. The TNT 115 is a solid beginner amp, and $170 is a fair price. As others have noted, it can be a bit boomy, so don't be afraid to cut some of the bass frequencies on the EQ and bump some of the midrange frequencies.

[Dirtyclinic]

Hmmm. How do you get to the pots to spray in the cleaner?

[fenderhutz]

The knobs should pull straight off. You might want to try prying a little bit, but you could scuff the amp if you don't put a small piece of cardboard or something plastic like a library card behind it.

[T. Alan Smith]

Originally Posted by Green Lantern

Don't like the amp. No tweeter, and a bit boomy. It was the church bass amp i used for years before they bought a Boogie Buster.

I hear ya, but for someone looking for the biggest bang for buck for their 1st serious rock band, the TNT is perfect.

[rockscott]

I have one i keep @ my friends house. We go back to 1st grade together (1967).We played in bands together all through the 1980s, the amp is the house bass amp for anyone who happens to be in the house, it sounds alright and just keeps on going. Im into the fender amp sound these days but i do own several peaveys and if nothing else, they are indestructible imho!

[nashvillebill]

It's a lot more work, but if you partially disassemble the amp and take the head section out, then the Deoxit can be sprayed directly into openings in the body of each pot. I take the little straw that comes with the Deoxit and using a little bit of heat,bend the end of the straw into a J-shape. Lets me get into the openings on the pots better.

[dog1]

Good little combo. 170 is not a bad price