Peavey MiniMega 1000

[groovaholic]

Alright, as promised, here are pics of my efforts to decrease the possibility of physical failure within the Peavey MiniMega.

The first thing I noticed was the wire management pads mounted on the inside sides of the amp: the sides are concave, so the inside of them is convex.

I’ve never had good luck with these wire pads staying attached, and ESPECIALLY not on a curved surface. Sure enough, all of them were detached from the sides of my amp - which would allow those critical ribbon wires to move around freely.

So I removed the 2-sided tape and replaced it with 900 psi epoxy putty - those pads aren’t going anywhere now.

The other pictures show the areas where I saw potential for wires to rub and short out on the chassis.

I've circled the potential interaction in red, and any remediation I’ve already done is circled in green.

 

[jeff7bass]

Just picked up a used MiniMega, and I'm really pleased with the sound and (not surprisingly) there is plenty of power on tap.

I've heard (probably in this thread) that the #1 cause for return of these amps is the fan wire coming unhooked. So I wanted to check ALL the wire connectors on mine before I started hauling the amp around to rehearsals and shows.

That's when I noticed a missing screw on the top cover; an indication that this amp has been serviced before.

So I popped the hood, and noted that most of the ribbon wire connectors are secured with hot melt glue. Some of the hot glue looks newer/different, indicating where the prior trouble spots might have been - and preventive measures applied.

Proceeding on that theme, I looked around the amp and saw a couple other places where the wire bundles could rub against a sharp edge or a protruding screw tip: I'm in the process of mitigating those spots now.

I'll take pictures and post them here...maybe I'm OCD, but if I can help someone else keep their MiniMega up and kicking, I'll consider it a "pay it forward" to Bobby Baldwin (who designed the MiniMega) for all of the great advice he gave me about OTHER Peavey amps.

Good tips.

 

[jeff7bass]

I now have 3 gigs under my belt with the Mini Mega. My early impressions are quite positive. Last night was the 1st chance I got to step on the gas. Night club type venue with a great system and a dance encouraged environment. The Peavey is the most class A/B "like" class D amp I've used so far. The power in reserve, dynamic response at high volume, and quickness of attack were reminiscent of my old T-Max running a 2 ohm load.

I also just joined a new band playing a lot of modern top 40 pop. I never thought I'd use the Kosmos, but I don't own an octave pedal and some tunes have really benefitted from a light touch of it.

Most importantly... pretty lights, which alone makes it worth the price of admission.View attachment 4322141

Killer stack. Avatar does cabs right and for the right price.

 

[GlassToMouth]

I had a hiccup with my MiniMega at a gig last night. I am not well versed in electronics, but my instincts tell me it's more likely venue/poor power related as opposed to amp related.

Played a 3 set show at a dance club last night. During 2nd set my amp power cycled twice during the same song. Both gain and master were roughly at noon, no boosting of EQ, no Kosmos, and playing with a light touch. All of my pedals were on the same power strip as my amp and my pedals fortunately never lost power so FOH still received a strong signal. (Side note: thanks to my BackBeat rumble pack, I was able to perform the song with zero monitoring.)

For the rest of the night, I turned on the onboard compressor, but with the dial all the way to the left. I also turned the gain down a smidge and the master up to compensate. No issues the rest of the night.

I'm thinking there was just too much gear (subs, mains, monitors, amps, etc) on one circuit. Or just bad wiring in the building and the amp went into protection. Not receiving proper voltage or something. But to my knowledge, no other equipment on stage had any issues.

The amp is brand new. My 5th gig with it and I've pushed it harder before and longer. Should I be worried? Or just chalk it up to the demons of sketchy power in a waterfront nightclub?

 

[Lammchop93]

I had a hiccup with my MiniMega at a gig last night. I am not well versed in electronics, but my instincts tell me it's more likely venue/poor power related as opposed to amp related.

Played a 3 set show at a dance club last night. During 2nd set my amp power cycled twice during the same song. Both gain and master were roughly at noon, no boosting of EQ, no Kosmos, and playing with a light touch. All of my pedals were on the same power strip as my amp and my pedals fortunately never lost power so FOH still received a strong signal. (Side note: thanks to my BackBeat rumble pack, I was able to perform the song with zero monitoring.)

For the rest of the night, I turned on the onboard compressor, but with the dial all the way to the left. I also turned the gain down a smidge and the master up to compensate. No issues the rest of the night.

I'm thinking there was just too much gear (subs, mains, monitors, amps, etc) on one circuit. Or just bad wiring in the building and the amp went into protection. Not receiving proper voltage or something. But to my knowledge, no other equipment on stage had any issues.

The amp is brand new. My 5th gig with it and I've pushed it harder before and longer. Should I be worried? Or just chalk it up to the demons of sketchy power in a waterfront nightclub?

did any other gear have issues? If not, I’d be filing a warranty claim if it’s brand new

 

[GlassToMouth]

did any other gear have issues? If not, I’d be filing a warranty claim if it’s brand new

As far as I know, no other equipment issues occurred for anyone else throughout the night. Impressive house system. QSC mains, monitors and subs, Allen and Heath board. I'll contact AMS as I've only had it for a month. I have another gig next weekend at a venue where I can push it hard. I plugged a short extension cord into a house provided power strip, and another strip off of that for my gear. I believe the sound guy also plugged in at least 2 QSC monitors (possibly 3) into that shared house strip. When I run sound, I usually try to spread things around more.

 

[spatters]

Alright, as promised, here are pics of my efforts to decrease the possibility of physical failure within the Peavey MiniMega.

The first thing I noticed was the wire management pads mounted on the inside sides of the amp: the sides are concave, so the inside of them is convex.

I’ve never had good luck with these wire pads staying attached, and ESPECIALLY not on a curved surface. Sure enough, all of them were detached from the sides of my amp - which would allow those critical ribbon wires to move around freely.

So I removed the 2-sided tape and replaced it with 900 psi epoxy putty - those pads aren’t going anywhere now.

The other pictures show the areas where I saw potential for wires to rub and short out on the chassis.

I've circled the potential interaction in red, and any remediation I’ve already done is circled in green.

I can't believe that I am the first and only person to like this post. Solid work. The inside of that thing is kind of a mess, considering the high vibration environment it's guaranteed to be subjected to!

 

[groovaholic]

I can't believe that I am the first and only person to like this post. Solid work. The inside of that thing is kind of a mess, considering the high vibration environment it's guaranteed to be subjected to!

Thanks - when I saw that it was missing a case screw, I wanted to check inside and figure out why.
Once I did, the rest was just an offshoot of habits from my day job...which centers on identifying and eliminating product and process failure modes.

Bobby designed a GREAT sounding amp, but I don't think the construction is as bulletproof as the gear that built Peavey's reputation.

In my example, the amp had needed work before (along with the missing screw, I found other case screw holes that were stripped) and the amp quit at my next rehearsal.

Since the amp had now exhibited multiple failures, I returned it.

 

[ZombiCrow]

I'm keeping an eye on this thread and my fingers crossed for word that Peavey has replacement power boards in stock, my amp is a paper weight for now. Hopefully they'll get some replacement parts this year!

 

[GlassToMouth]

I just filed a warranty claim with my 5 week old MiniMega. For the second time on a gig, the amp powered down. All other equipment on the same outlet did not have any issues. I was not pushing it hard. I finished the gig with my Bugera Veyron M with no issues. Moderate volume at an outdoor party. I was technically one week past the exchange window with AMS. But I have good history with them. They're going to swap it out with a new one instead of servicing it. However they're out of stock and on backorder. They're expected to be in stock within 2 weeks. Fingers crossed the next one has better reliability.

I REALLY love this amp when it works. The punch, clarity, heft and transparency suit my style perfectly.

 

[jeff7bass]

I just filed a warranty claim with my 5 week old MiniMega. For the second time on a gig, the amp powered down. All other equipment on the same outlet did not have any issues. I was not pushing it hard. I finished the gig with my Bugera Veyron M with no issues. Moderate volume at an outdoor party. I was technically one week past the exchange window with AMS. But I have good history with them. They're going to swap it out with a new one instead of servicing it. However they're out of stock and on backorder. They're expected to be in stock within 2 weeks. Fingers crossed the next one has better reliability.

I REALLY love this amp when it works. The punch, clarity, heft and transparency suit my style perfectly.

If the next one fails, get a store credit.

 

[groovaholic]

I ended up with a used Genzler Magellan 800.
Haven’t had a chance to wind it out at stage-volume, but so far I’m very impressed with it!

For comparison’s sake, here’s a pic of the internals:

 

[ZombiCrow]

Been a few months, I still haven't gotten Peavey Customer Service to respond in any way, whether thru phone/voice mails, emails, or forum posts. A friend who worked with the company and is friends with them says they're incredibly understaffed, so that makes some sense, but with this level of understaffed, I'm surprised the company can even release anything. My MiniMega is just sitting in it's carrying case, unloved

 

[Mark Andrew]

Been a few months, I still haven't gotten Peavey Customer Service to respond in any way, whether thru phone/voice mails, emails, or forum posts. A friend who worked with the company and is friends with them says they're incredibly understaffed, so that makes some sense, but with this level of understaffed, I'm surprised the company can even release anything. My MiniMega is just sitting in it's carrying case, unloved

That’s a real shame to here I got my mini max repaired quickly without issues over here but to be honest after having trouble free peaveys for 30 years+ and a new one failing within guarantee despite sounding good and being a capable amplifier did dent my confidence and I moved it on. Perhaps it’s a class D thing I don’t know no problem with my Elf yet but it does get light duties good luck

 

[Pyrat]

Mine is also boxed, waiting to be shipped for repairs...in the mean time, the two Quilter amps I picked up MORE than eased the pain~

 

[ZombiCrow]

That’s a real shame to here I got my mini max repaired quickly without issues over here but to be honest after having trouble free peaveys for 30 years+ and a new one failing within guarantee despite sounding good and being a capable amplifier did dent my confidence and I moved it on. Perhaps it’s a class D thing I don’t know no problem with my Elf yet but it does get light duties good luck

How did you get them to respond to your request? Thanks for replying!!

 

[Mark Andrew]

How did you get them to respond to your request? Thanks for replying!!

Sent it back to the seller (they all have a returns procedure )who sent it to registered repair center free of charge even post was covered…..!

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

I’d love a mini make up but when I had it it kept blowing the internal fuse I was just go to a electric store and grab the fuse in a slow blow ceramic version they kept blowing ended up returning it now I’m thinking I wish I kept it

 

[redhouserocks]

I just filed a warranty claim with my 5 week old MiniMega. For the second time on a gig, the amp powered down. All other equipment on the same outlet did not have any issues. I was not pushing it hard. I finished the gig with my Bugera Veyron M with no issues. Moderate volume at an outdoor party. I was technically one week past the exchange window with AMS. But I have good history with them. They're going to swap it out with a new one instead of servicing it. However they're out of stock and on backorder. They're expected to be in stock within 2 weeks. Fingers crossed the next one has better reliability.

I REALLY love this amp when it works. The punch, clarity, heft and transparency suit my style perfectly.

I have that same Bugera amp as a backup. Haven't needed it yet, but it too has plenty of headroom and sounds pretty damn good.

 

[ZombiCrow]

Update: peavey support finally responded after trying on and off for 9 months, although all they asked was where my local service center was, to which I replied, and haven't heard anything since Tuesday. Fingers crossed I can get a replacement power board!