Peavey Rack System

After playing through my Peavey CS800S and MAX pre-amp this weekend, I am quite impressed with Peavey's products. While I would have gone with Peavey's DPC1400 power amp, I got a great deal on Peavey's newer CS800S.

I'm playing a Cirrus 5 string through the Peavey MAX pre-amp, driven by a CS800S which is bridged (1200 watts into 4 ohms) and run through a Peavey 412TVX 4 ohm cabinet (450 watts RMS, 900 watts program). Yes, ALL of my gear is ALL Peavey!

This is the best bass amp setup I've ever had the pleasure of playing through. I play in a cover band that does alot of Blues, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Sister Hazel, Santana, etc. We are a fairly loud band and we have a great PA that I also go through.

While I don't need to be outrageously loud onstage, it does need to be felt, as well as heard, and this setup does both incredibly well.

The MAX pre-amp handles a tube sound very well, though I do run a blend of tube and SS, with a little more on the tube side. Very clean sound all the way through. While there will be those that will tell me that technically the specs don't bear out the cabinet handling the low B, it does so beautifully. An open B string on my Cirrus rings through with great clarity and depth. The whole register from a low B to any note on any string is full and clean.

In fact, at first I thought this system was almost too clean. But with all of us playing together my bass sound was incredible with it cutting through the mix onstage with ease (and with very little mids). I do not like the sound of much midrange in my bass, but in the past that is about the only thing that would help cut through...until now.

I now can get a very tight, punchy and warm sound out of my Cirrus that still maintains alot of crisp definition without adding mids to cut through. The 1200 watts has afforded me alot of power WITH alot of headroom. Very clean, very powerful. I could push the amp even harder than I do (post full up and the pre-gain was at about 2) and I would not even have to go through our PA...but I like the ability to push it more if needed (especially for an outdoor gig or large hall).

This setup provides me with all the punch and clarity I could hope for. Bottom end that shakes the floor of the stage (and dance floor) and that's with the cabinet up off the floor on a wooden crate. A sound so clean that it is unforgiving of mistakes. Songs that had basslines I knew were there but now I could hear all the subtle nuances and overtones. Very inspiring to play through this system as it reveals everything I'm trying to say with my bass.

The only thing I don't care for is that the Peavey MAX pre-amp has a limited EQ. There is one low-mid frequency I wish I could pull out but because the EQ is to narrow and I can't isolate just that one frequency without losing some others.

I've been playing for over 20 years and have had the luxury of being able to afford anything I want to play through, but I also do not wish to spend money unnecessarily. I've played through many high end systems, and I would definitely put my Peavey setup in that category.

For those who think of Peavey only as budget gear, or good bang-for-the-buck equipment...let me say this...Peavey's new bass gear is, IMHO, "high-end" equipment. High-end equipment without the high-end price.

All the guys in my band (who have all been playing for over 25 years each) all said basically the same thing...that they've never heard a bass sound so good and that it was even inspiring to play along with it, it sounded that good.

Or was it just me that was inspired, and that inspired them? Either way, this Peavey setup is very hot...AND very inexpensive (well maybe not the Cirrus, but the rest was).

 

I'm using Peavey's 412TVX as I only want to go with one cabinet and if you only want one, that is THE one.

But I have played through their 410TVX and I also used the 115BXBW for quite awhile (even as a standalone). There are alot of options available. I would've gone with Peavey's DPC1400 as it is only a 1 rack space amp...but I got a great deal on the CS800S (which is the newer 2 rack space version and it is much lighter and cleaner that their old CS800).

I'm not saying don't try other systems, but don't let others tell you that Peavey can't hang with the high-price ones because they can. There is a huge difference between high-end and high-price. There is still alot of anti-Peavey bias...and I'm one Peavey owner who can afford the highest priced stuff made, but still went with Peavey because it was the best IMHO. Maybe I can afford higher price items because I'm not stupid with my money.

Everyone will have their own idea as to what sounds good and all amps have their own "sound"...but Peavey's new gear is of very high quality no matter what the "spec-heads" will say.

Just listen to what sounds good to you and get what you like. Whatever you do, don't spend money on anything just because of the name associated with it. I highly recommend Peavey because if you choose right (especially with a rack setup) you can get high end gear and save some money to boot.