Peavey = garbage?

[drummer5359]

There are some Peavey believers...

[Drunk Heffalump]

Used to have Peavy stuff as bang for buck and local supply was reasonable. Their Databass combo had killer power, and not bad tonal qualities. However every last one of their amps was overly susceptible to 60 cycle hum, no matter what you did, or who you took it to. Didn't take long before I was worn out of hearing small UFO's landing and taking off out of my cabinets.....

[ThunderV]

Got a 1978 mark 3. It is now my main rig, i don't care much for the basses. I love the amps, a bit heavy. "I always go with reliability" (Boris The Blade). I will say this, It will not get you any points among gear snobs. No disrespect to gear snobs, of course.

[dukeisdog]

Loved my Tour 700. Was my first rack head and a part of my first stack. Killer amp with lots of EQ options and power on tap. I'm now using a 2Xrbi and a crest Prolite 2.0 for my power. Was super happy with the Peavey until I needed something 2 ohm stable.

[qervo]

NAMM 2013

[petrus61]

I always thought of Peavy as the official PA of high school auditoriums. Had a millennium 5 string that had a nice, woody tone to it. The local studio I record at sometimes has one of those big 'ol honkin MarkIV's as their house amp, running into a massive, Cerwin Vega folded horn cabinet. I loathe that amp. Loud in the worst sense of the word, a boomy, sludgy, generic type tone. The studio doubles as a rehearsal space which is the only justification of its presence there but some very talented and varied group of bassists have had their turn with that beast. I think they mic half the signal and it records nicely when you slap some quality compression in front of it before it hits the mixer. It is an absolute tank and has been there probably since the 'Mark' series was born and I've been told has never broken down once...and that ugly thing has seen some heavy action. I always associate that sound with my earliest days of playing. My first 'real' amp was an Ampeg B2RE that sat on top of a big no name cab loaded with a Black Widow 15 in it. That thing served me well for a loooong time. I still wonder what ever became of it as I graduated (if you can call it that) to a Hartke head and cab sometime after that. I think Peavy amps definitely have a 'sound' to them. Not good, not bad, just there....like the guy that always shows up in group photos that nobody seems to know.

Edit: Come to think of it, I pretty much grew up and cut my teeth on used Peavy amps. In my first 2 'real' bands I played in simultaneously, I used Peavy amps exclusively because my GK Backline 250 was ALWAYS in the shop. One was a TNT 80 watt(?) combo that I borrowed from my drummer and a Mark series head through the Black Widow 15 with the other band. It's all coming back now....lol

[RonniePudding]

I never owned one of their amps, but I've played through them occasionally, and (as several peeps have said earlier in the thread), they don't historically have exceptional tone or power-to-weight ratio. They are however inexpensive and solidly built (meaning long-lasting) and "good enough" for many purposes. There is a niche market where their amps fit in terms of those strenghts and weaknesses, and that's why Peavey still makes them.

I own two of their basses -- both USA Foundations from late 80's or early 90's -- which I've had forever and have no plans to sell. I could essentially flip them even money for one of the import Sterling Musicman SUB or Squire Classic Vibe Jass models, but I wouldn't personally view that exchange as trading up. Others may disagree, which is fine since liking an instrument is highly subjective.

[bryan gibson]

IMHO, when I was young/stupid/broke, all I could afford was used/beat up/cheap Peavey gear. Yeah it worked, but generally I got what I paid for. Later on I gigged with a nice MarkIV with a 2x15, and then a Sessionbass 200. Both were indestructible, but really flat and bland-especially the MarkIV. Switching to my first Hartke head was a real eye-opener.

Same way with the PA gear- CS800's are bombproof, but the first time we A/B'd against a Crown D-series, it was also a big shocker. I have had better luck with the new stuff, though. 5150 amps, Cirrus, BXP series (some), and their higher-end PA cabs are pretty decent. FWIW, I do have an ANCIENT XR700C powered board in my practice room and I can't kill it.

[meatwad]

Originally Posted by drummer5359

There are some Peavey believers...

I dig the Bandit 112 w/ 112 extension cabinet! A few years ago, I had a very old (late 60's/early 70's) Peavey Classic 2x12 tube combo with some killer ancient replacement Eminence speakers. I traded and empty Ampeg 2x15 cab for it, then later sold it for like $150. Easy come, easy go.

[Dean N]

Originally Posted by drummer5359

There are some Peavey believers...

Yinz like your whisky and Peavey!

My Sessionbass sounds good to my ears.

[MarkMgibson]

I can't comment on their basses, but Peavey have made some of the worst sounding amps in the history of music. Truly appalling stuff. Perhaps that's improved in recent times - I don't know - but once a company gets that sort of reputation, musicians will just shy away from even considering their gear.

They do make some decent P.A's though, and speaker cabs as well - that's one area where they do have a good reputation.

[chef_tater]

Are peavey amps bland and generic? Yes they are. Do they have all the bells and whistles of a top shelf amp builder? No. Do I want all the bells and whistles? No. Do I play through a peavey? Yes tour tnt with an external 210, traynor. It is MY SOUND, not Paul's, not Geddy's, not Timmy C's. I can get their tone with a few tweaks of the sansamp and other pedals. But my sound is 90% MY HANDS and 10% my "garbage" peavey amp.

[qervo]

All manufacturers have great amps and not so great. Remember Peavey Databass amp? Now that was an amp I'd love to have back. 450 watts packed in a single fifteen that would put even the rock star guitarist's amp to shame. I use to love when the guitar player would turn up his amp trying to be the loudest, I simply would just turn up more, he couldn't compete.

[MarkMgibson]

I should have said "guitar amps" - I'm really not that familiar with Peavey Bass amps, though I know they have a much better reputation than the guitar amps. Nothing wrong with their speaker cabinets though - they're very commonly used in this neck of the woods, and they usually sound very good.

[gearhead1972]

I have a bunch of old Peavey guitar amps. As said they are bland and sterile sounding, but they did the trick for me growing up. Backstage Plus was my first amp, then a special 150. I got an ART multiverb and ran that to the Backstage and the Special, then the amps sounded terrific,I also have a Bandit. All of these are 80's, they still work very well. My big 90's guitar rack is powered by a Classic 50/50 power amp into 2 2x12's that thing is loud as hell, and gets great sounds with the ADA MP-1, As said the 5150's and the 6505's are mainstays in the metal world. The classic 30 is a highly regarded amp for working blues guitarists. There is a reason that if you look at any classic country stage you will see lots of Peavey stuff.

[qervo]

I have a James Brown live DVD from 2002. The whole band is using peavey amps.

[Keithwah]

Originally Posted by Wookieonbass

I'm currently using the same old Peavey megabass amp head I bought used 20 some odd years ago and it still rocks the house! Garbage, I think not. At least the amps ar
Admittedly I'm not a big fan of the speaker cabs though. At least the old models. The newer stuff is better.

I still have a pair of the MegaBass heads! I run one with my 4x10's for country and when I hit rock stages, I add my single 15 boxes and bi-amp. I've had them for over 20 years and love them. I did have a problem with both units having cracked circuit boards, which actually was a known issue with the old Peavey "digital" amps. Both fixes were under $200 and of course out of warranty. But once fixed they have never failed. I see them on CL for $200 or less at least a few times a year. I keep thinking about scoring them up at that price....but I do have a pair already. And realistically, I rarely even run a stage amp anymore.

The MegaBass does have a sound of its own. It's very punchy and it can also be very loud. I love bi-amping when I play my 4 bangers for rock. And it's analog chorus circuit is actually kinda cool.

And +1 on their cabs. They just don't do it for me. I've never really been highly impressed with any speaker they have produced in any market. Have I owned some, not many, mostly some old columns bak in the 70's. a few wedges and one 2x15. I've tried them, but couldn't buy them. My tastes in PA boxes are pricier as is my preference in bass cabinets. For guitar I'm using some vintage Marshall 1960's and have never heard a Peavey guitar cab hold up to those.

[HeavyJazz77]

I was a Peavey dealer and user for several years - here's the skinny: Peavey is a great line for those trying to get a handle on things and tend to abuse gear as they do it. Their instruments are often more adjustable and sound than the Fender, Epiphone, etc equivalent. The PA is a staple in the industry, easy to repair and withstands abuse. I don't use Peavey anymore because my ears have improved as have my technique and care. For anyone just starting out or of an aggressive nature however, I always recommend Peavey.

[mcblahflooper94]

Anyways, peavey does not equal garbage. It is not, in any literal way, similar, congruent, or share any same value to garbage. Garbage is garbage. Peavey is peavey. Now, if you were to say "is peavey figuratively garbage?" That would make much more sense, then asking such a moronic question.

[kreider204]

Originally Posted by mcblahflooper94

Anyways, peavey does not equal garbage. It is not, in any literal way, similar, congruent, or share any same value to garbage. Garbage is garbage. Peavey is peavey. Now, if you were to say "is peavey figuratively garbage?" That would make much more sense, then asking such a moronic question.

Does "mcblahflooper94" = "pedantry"?