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Old Non Black Widow Peavey 215, any good?

Right_Butterscotch64

Right_Butterscotch64

Oct 18, 2012
1,763
442
#1
There is one of these in a local music shop near me for cheap, I called them and asked if it was a Black Widow model and the guy told me it didn't have the badge on it so probably not. But he did say he was a bass player and that it sounded pretty good FWIW ;) Serial number points to late 70s-early 80s.

Old threads mainly talk about the BW versions, how do these compare? Do they sound any good? Say paired with a 400rb?

Here are the pics they sent me
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#5
mbelue said:
Heavy. The 215s that had scorpions sounded terrible to me, brittle and harsh.

The Black Widows to me were warmer and generally better all around.

Neither are suited to extreme amounts of sub bass. So use caution with big bass boost or meatbox type effects.
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I've hauled around my share of fridges so the heaviness isn't a deal breaker. Not looking for sub bass at all, I tend to prefer a strong midrange. It will most likely be used with an old 400RB, I'll be sure to test it thoroughly if I consider pulling the trigger. Thanks for the info.
 
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#6
Right_Butterscotch64 said:
I've hauled around my share of fridges so the heaviness isn't a deal breaker. Not looking for sub bass at all, I tend to prefer a strong midrange. It will most likely be used with an old 400RB, I'll be sure to test it thoroughly if I consider pulling the trigger. Thanks for the info.
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One of my best experiences playing bass was a 400rb and an 800rb into a Peavey 215.(BWs though)
If you can get the cabinet dirt cheap it'd be worth it (to me) to load some BWs into it. The scorps just don't sound good for bass to me.
 
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#8
mbelue said:
One of my best experiences playing bass was a 400rb and an 800rb into a Peavey 215.(BWs though)
If you can get the cabinet dirt cheap it'd be worth it (to me) to load some BWs into it. The scorps just don't sound good for bass to me.
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If they happen to be the stock scorpions, do you think they'd be able to handle a cranked 400RB? I wouldn't think a 200 watt head like that would be super dangerous, but it'd be nice to know if I can hit the rails on it without potentially blowing anything up. :smug:
 
#9
Right_Butterscotch64 said:
If they happen to be the stock scorpions, do you think they'd be able to handle a cranked 400RB? I wouldn't think a 200 watt head like that would be super dangerous, but it'd be nice to know if I can hit the rails on it without potentially blowing anything up. :smug:
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Hard to say. 400rbs are high passed effectively. My experience with the scorpion loaded 215 was brief so i cant speak to that.
 
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#10
All of the Scorpion speakers I ever saw had a silver aluminum ring around the outside of the frame, and I don't see them through the grill cloth on this cabinet. Looking at the tolex covering, I'm thinking this might be a 70s model, and if it is, it probably has the steel frame/square magnet speakers most non-BW cabs had back then. If so, I'd guess 150-200 watts total power handling for the cabinet at the most, and somewhat muddy sounding. The speakers might not be original, either. You never know until you pull them and take a look (before you buy, preferably). An Eminence looks about the same as a Radio Shack when you're just looking at a plain black paper cone.

If you get this cabinet, I'd make sure it was cheap enough to be able to buy new speakers without overspending.
 
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#11
fourteenstrings said:
All of the Scorpion speakers I ever saw had a silver aluminum ring around the outside of the frame, and I don't see them through the grill cloth on this cabinet. Looking at the tolex covering, I'm thinking this might be a 70s model, and if it is, it probably has the steel frame/square magnet speakers most non-BW cabs had back then. If so, I'd guess 150-200 watts total power handling for the cabinet at the most, and somewhat muddy sounding. The speakers might not be original, either. You never know until you pull them and take a look (before you buy, preferably). An Eminence looks about the same as a Radio Shack when you're just looking at a plain black paper cone.

If you get this cabinet, I'd make sure it was cheap enough to be able to buy new speakers without overspending.
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Yep it looks like you're probably right. Called the shop owner and asked him if he'd be willing to take unscrew the speakers to take a peek at the backs of them for me.

Unfortunately he said he doesn't want to risk damaging one of the cones in doing so, looks like I'll just have to drop by later this week and try it for myself. Worst case scenario is a little wasted gas, at least that's cheap right now :D
 
#13
Right_Butterscotch64 said:
But he did say he was a bass player and that it sounded pretty good FWIW ;)
Click to expand...

If you know this guy and trust him there is your confirmation. It's probably an excellent deal if you need a loud cabinet for cheap. I've never gone wrong buying the older American made Peavey stuff.

Don't worry about all the digs on the cab or speakers. I would buy it and try it for yourself. I remember that model being pretty robust. I played some very large clubs with a loud band with one of those. I really love the old Peavey 215 cabs but I can't haul them around anymore, I'm going for ultralight equipment.

Buy it and try it!
 
#14
alaskaleftybass said:
If you know this guy and trust him there is your confirmation. It's probably an excellent deal if you need a loud cabinet for cheap. I've never gone wrong buying the older American made Peavey stuff.

Don't worry about all the digs on the cab or speakers. I would buy it and try it for yourself. I remember that model being pretty robust. I played some very large clubs with a loud band with one of those. I really love the old Peavey 215 cabs but I can't haul them around anymore, I'm going for ultralight equipment.

Buy it and try it!
Click to expand...

Everyone has their own opinions, I just thought I'd get a couple since I know nothing about these. I'll definitely play through it before I make any kind of decision.
 
#15
I have one. Square magnets...likely CTS, or early Eminence. I seem to remembe 135 watts power handling per speaker. I ran it with a GK1001RB (I added a Foster horn and used the bi-amp GK wiring.) I put in a couple of EV15L's but returned to the originals. They did a fine job. I got the cabinet for nothing.

If I ever use it again, I might change to a couple of Black Widows I have. I don't need a cabinet that big anymore.
 
#16
My first real bass cabinet! Sound was so, so. Not the best, nor the worst. It could get quite loud. I used it with a Peavey 400 head. The tolex was the strongest EVER made. You don't want to scrape your knuckles against it. Very tough stuff. The front grill is held on with some extra strength industrial hook and loop stuff in the corners. Once you get one corner free, the rest aren't too bad, however the first one can be a bear. As far as weight goes, it isn't light but from what I remember it was manageable.
On to the 400RB. That thing can get crazy loud for 200 watts with the boost control at 11:00 or so. Depending on the condition of the speakers it's a doable pair. If I remember correctly, the one I had from 74' or so, had aluminum dust caps. They weren't the most durable. I, along with others I knew who had them, all blew one or two along the way.
 
#19
I have one of those. Got it and a 400B for $100 total. Each speaker has its own wedge shaped port in the center. Mine had the big, square magnet drivers. I found them to sound rather mid-y and thought they sounded good at lower volumes. When I added some low end and volume, they seemed to not handle a whole lot before they farted out. I grabbed a pair of Eminence Kappa Pro 15 LF-2's - out of box, uninstalled, for $125/pair - with the intent of gathering materials to build a pair of 15/6/1 3-ways. The cab volume falls just within those speakers' recommended space, so I put them in. Substantial tone improvement, and noticeable increase in power handling.
 
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