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1st Post, need quick advice

#21
Tough call. I beat the living hell out of a TNT 115 w/ a black widow, and lasted a real long time. I know however that after a sufficient beating they can develop a crackling (and cutting in and out) that none of my techs were able to remedy. Happened with another of the same that my brother picked up a few years back for about $150. It seems to be a thing with Peaveys from way back then, BUT, I played 100s of gigs with it before I had any problems, and it lived in the trunk of my car for a good 5 years (in NYC). SOOO.... they're kick ass amps, the black widows are great, I'd try to see which one has less playing time, and go with that one. If both brand new (which I know they're not) I'd of course go for the 300 watter, if that's beat to hell though the younger amp will suit you fine. The black widow is definitely better, but the stock speaker can cut through in just about any situation. The watts back then were a lot louder than the watts of today for reasons I don't know, but others I'm sure do.
 
#26
Welcome to TB, Bigben!

I concur that you're not going to go wrong with either of these amps. Peaveys from that era are just about bulletproof unless you, as JoeNerve did, gig them hard and constantly. As a beginner, you'll get years out of either one and either will sound very good.

If your plan is to move on to gigging, the Combo 300 with the Black Widow will, in theory, serve you better but the advice to go with whichever is in better condition is pretty sound here. The amp that was treated well will probably be more trouble-free in the long run. If they're both in similar condition, go Black Widow all the way!

Enjoy your foray into the low end!
 
#27
Thanks to all. I just picked up the Combo 300, for $120. I tested it out and everything seemed to work. There was initially a bit of scratchyness in the pre gain volume pot that mostly went away after working it back and forth a few times. The grillcloth is intact but the 2 kids I bought it off of had the front cover off and there are 2 dents in the aluminum center speaker cap. Didnt seem to affect the sound; is that a big deal? The speaker otherwise had no issues otherwise. The tolex is in OK shape too, a few nicks but nothing ugly. THE only thing I can find wrong with it is on the back, the external speaker jack is missing. I dont ever see myself using it anyhow. Ill get a bigger better amp if this ever proves to be "not enough." And the tag with the serial number is gone, so I can't really "age" it.

Just printed out the owners manual and I'm gonna mess with it tomorrow on my off day. Thanks again to all.
 
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#30
I wouldn't sweat the dings in the dust cap one bit, those speakers are fairly bulletproof (though the 300 amp might put that to the test...)

Here's the cone of a BW I picked up in a ratty TNT combo last year, it had holes chewed in it by bugs and a hacked replacement dustcap. I repaired it on a whim just to see if it would work, and it's still going a year later.

IMG_20140626_195928.jpg
 
#31
Your bass player friend is right, get as many watts as you can, and as much speaker as you can. ASSUMING they are both in workable / good shape, go with the 300 watt combo. Gonna be a pain to move, but you will be MUCH happier with the performance.

BTW, Don't apologize for owning a Squier, or Fender, or Peavey, or whatever.... The tools you use to make your music are YOUR tools, don't EVER let anyone put down your tool as inferior!
 
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#32
Bigben55 said:
Thanks to all. I just picked up the Combo 300, for $120. I tested it out and everything seemed to work. There was initially a bit of scratchyness in the pre gain volume pot that mostly went away after working it back and forth a few times. The grillcloth is intact but the 2 kids I bought it off of had the front cover off and there are 2 dents in the aluminum center speaker cap. Didnt seem to affect the sound; is that a big deal? The speaker otherwise had no issues otherwise. The tolex is in OK shape too, a few nicks but nothing ugly. THE only thing I can find wrong with it is on the back, the external speaker jack is missing. I dont ever see myself using it anyhow. Ill get a bigger better amp if this ever proves to be "not enough." And the tag with the serial number is gone, so I can't really "age" it.

Just printed out the owners manual and I'm gonna mess with it tomorrow on my off day. Thanks again to all.
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Dust cap dings mean nothing. Won't effect the sound.

If you need an extension speaker it would be very (very) easy for a tech to replace and solder up a jack. You would probably be best off leaving it alone though unless you found another 15" BW in the same sized box.
 
#33
Bigben55 said:
Hi all, first post here. I've played guitar for 27 years, and just recently acquired my first bass. Its a cheapo, a Squier Affinity P-bass, cost me $65 used. While I cant foresee bass becoming my #1 instrument, I WANT to learn it, get proficient enough to play blues/rock/country bass.

Anyhow, I need a bass amp, a cheap Craigslist special bass amp. Have researched extensively, and it seems for under $150, an older Peavey is most probably what I'm looking at. A bass player friend of mine told me get as many watts as you can, but 100 watts thru a 15" or 2x10" should be the absolute lowest you go for playing with a band, and even thats questionable volume wise. So I found 2 amps, both Peaveys, one a TNT115S from @1995(150 watts, Sheffield 15" speaker) and a Combo 300 from @1985-89(300 watts, Black Widow speaker). So, which one to buy and why? I'll be buying one of them tonight.

I appreciate the whole "save up for a good amp" argument. I play my 3 G&L guitars thru a Dr Z. I totally get that. But here, right now, cheap but usable is what I want. If I take a serious liking to bass, I'll buy a G&L and an Ampeg, I promise:) Thanks!
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I hope you do take a serious liking to Bass, because if you get a G&L and an AMPEG you will be loving it. I would get the 300watt. Welcome to the Bass world, it's awesome, KEEP ON ROCKIN!!!!:bassist::bassist::hyper:
 
#39
For those who missed it, the OP picked up the Combo 300.

Congrats, BigBen, on your purchase. You've got yourself a nice starting point for your bass journey. Enjoy it.

And, I think the advice you got originally was pretty reasonable in terms of what kind of amp might make sense for you. I agree that you identified two solid Peavey options out of the gate, didn't hem and haw too much, and got yourself in a position fairly quickly to do some low end thumping.

Peace.
 
#40
hsech said:
The Combo 300 is a great amp, very useable EQ and built like a tank. The only real drawback is it's weight. The big plus side is the low price you can find one for.
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Another plus side is they are built to stand a nuclear blast. Could use one as a bomb shelter if you are small enough.
 

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