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Peavey Max 115- Two questions

vindibona1

vindibona1

Apr 18, 2015
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#1
I came across a Peavey Max 115 that I think I could fit into my budget. 300w and 15" speaker with XLR out and ground lift. I can't see a situation where I would need more wattage. I tried it and it sounded pretty good, but my "bass ears" are quite uneducated. So my two questions:

Anyone here have experience good or bad with this amp?

I see the Max 115 "II" online so I have to assume there was a 115 "I". What's the difference and how do you tell one from the other just looking at it?

Thanks in advance.
 
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#2
The Max 115 "I" is only 60 watts so make sure you are getting the "II" if you want the 300 watts.
The "I" is pictured... image.jpg
 
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#3
ptrick63 said:
The Max 115 "I" is only 60 watts so make sure you are getting the "II" if you want the 300 watts.
The "I" is pictured...View attachment 621045
Click to expand...

Thank you so much. Yes, the one I am looking at is the II. You would think that the designation would be printed on the front of the amp, but no. In fact, I tried googling the difference and came up empty. I even went to Peavey's website and got no information either. I think I'm going to have to go buy it even though 300w is total overkill.

One more question... It's about the passive/active inputs. I understand the difference in passive/active pickups, but how do the input jacks differ? The pickups in my bass are SD JB101 which are passive. What happens if you plug this bass into the active input port? And vice-versa, what would happen if you plugged active pickups into the passive port?
 
#5
RickenBoogie said:
Wattage is not a good gauge on volume, if that's the idea here. What you'll have is a 1x15 speaker, which will provide a moderate amount of volume with the provided power.
Click to expand...

whileI understand your point completely the issue of how loud it gets is less of a concern to me then how soft it can be played. when I tested it yesterday I liked the tonal qualities as well as the fact that it could potentially play louder than I probably will I ever need it to.

I have to decide now if it is too big, heavy and loud or if this could be the only bass amp I'll ever want or need as its about $100 above my budget but far more amp than my original budget would provide but $100-$150 less than comparable amps.
 
#6
I have the Peavey Max110 200 watt version it is a nice amp but just like the 115 you own you can not add a second extension cab. The passive input is for "passive" bass's (ones that do not have a battery to run EQ). If you bass has a battery compartment , usually on the back, you have an "active" bass and would use the active input. I also never understood Peaveys reasoning on naming the lower watt and higher watt amps with the same "Max" name
 
#7
tgriley62 said:
The passive input is for "passive" bass's (ones that do not have a battery to run EQ). If you bass has a battery compartment , usually on the back, you have an "active" bass and would use the active input.
Click to expand...

False

In fact, there are many "passive" basses that have a higher output then actives.

All the "active" input does is pad down a hot signal. No need to ever use it unless your bass overpowers the input when using the passive input.
 
#8
If you look again at the Peavy Max page you'll find at the bottom the owner's manuals for the first series of Max as well as the II-series.

I'm sure you'll read all kinds of opinions on wattage, but I can tell you from playing through the 115 Max II and Fender Rumble 200 (160 watts into 8 ohms), there was no volume difference at all, and I thought the tone of the Fender was more pleasing to my ears. Even so, you only add 3 db of volume with double the wattage so it may be a moot point anyway.

The point is if you like the amp and can afford it, go get it. If you want to save $50 or more, take a look at its 12" stablemate, the Max II 112. If you're more concerned with lower-leveled playing, it might do better for ya. I've never been a fan of a 15" speaker at super low volume.

Good luck in your hunt!
 
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#9
Thanks for the replies. I really had GAS for the 115 but I've been "told" not to buy anything this week. She thinks she can find me a "free" bass amp on CL or some place :rollno: . ???? Sometimes ya just gotta go with the flow. I made the mistake of tacitly asking for permission.:hyper: I should have just bought something which would have made things a lot easier. :woot: I knew better, but didn't go with what I know. Trying to be the sensitive partner and all :help:
 
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