Tell me about Peavey Deuce & classic Amps....

[millarman9111993]

It seems these are going on ebay for dirt cheap (under £200 in good condition)

Whats the deal with these? Ive seen a few of the 2x12 combos which would be the model id go after if i was to go for one, from what i uderstand these are similar to the music man amps in that they are solid state pre and tube power?

Also there is some connection to dire straits with the deuce amp...

Are these notorious for any issues at all? Ive heard demos on youtube and they sound pretty nice, very twin like in the way they are very punchy and clean...

[ziess]

Not as good as a Twin by a long stretch. I had one years ago and even compared to the HRDx that replaced it it sounded boxy and congested. The preamp is a bit weird and the channel switching allows you to mix channels rather than switch them. I remember one of the channels staying reasonably clean and one being a bit grittier. Does one channel maybe have a MV on it? Mine wasn't especially loud either but I can't remember what speakers were in it. Additionally it's the heaviest amp I've ever owned barring a '75 MV UL Twin Reverb, so there's that!

The phase circuit in it is the best I've ever heard though, if you're into that kinda thing. Occasionally they also come with a full set of Sylvania STR 387 6L6GCs which are my favourite 6L6s ever ever ever. Clearly I sold my amp before I knew anything about tubes and lost a full set as a result .

Tommy.

[millarman9111993]

Ah , i guess theyre probably a love or hate thing then, i suppose you cant have it all when somethins that cheap, i was going to pick one up but im having doubts now

[ziess]

You may love them, it's totally worth you trying to find one. I reckon the crap speakers played a big part in the boxiness. The problem is that to cope with 100W-is of tube power the speakers need to be pretty robust. Generally a robust speaker doesn't sound too great (Celestion Gold not withstanding). I did a bit of googling and I recognise the OEM CTS speakers in a lot of the Deuces so I think that's what was in mine. The late 70s wasn't a particularly great period in terms of detailed sounding speakers.

You've had a lot of amps in the past few months, what is it you're actually looking for?

[millarman9111993]

When you said boxy my immediate thought was "crap speakers"

I was going to try one out and maybe change it to a head as a fun project

To be honest i just like trying stuff out, im very vigilant with what i actually pull the trigger on, so most of the time i can flip it for a profit, im keeping my music man, i love it.

Im done with all tube, i like the idea of a solid state preamp for easier/cheaper servicing

I just wanted something cheap, clean and something that takes pedals well for a fun project

[ziess]

I don't think you can fairly attribute cheap servicing to a SS pre. Actually a tube output stage is much more likely to cost you money than a pre; output tubes don't last as long as preamp tubes and will cost more when you replace them.

I think getting something like a Peavey could quickly turn into a money pit... £200ish for the amp, then you'd need a new cab, replacement speakers etc etc. You'll easily be over £400 before you know if, and it's never going to be as reliable as an old Fender.
Do you really need 100W of power? How about a Twin Reverb head? I could build you one if you wanted...

[Shadoweclipse13]

I don't know about the Deuce, but Peavey Classic series amps are great. I had a Classic 50/212, and it was too heavy/too loud for what I needed, but I never had anything bad happen to it and it could take pedals all day long with no issues. Low noise, reliable, and generally good tone. My current amp I traded the C50 for (Delta Blues, also in the Classic series) and it's amazing. I'd say give them a shot for sure, you might dig one. Most all guitar shops that I've ever been into have a Peavey Classic series of some kind...

[millarman9111993]

I don't think you can fairly attribute cheap servicing to a SS pre. Actually a tube output stage is much more likely to cost you money than a pre; output tubes don't last as long as preamp tubes and will cost more when you replace them.

I think getting something like a Peavey could quickly turn into a money pit... £200ish for the amp, then you'd need a new cab, replacement speakers etc etc. You'll easily be over £400 before you know if, and it's never going to be as reliable as an old Fender.
Do you really need 100W of power? How about a Twin Reverb head? I could build you one if you wanted...

I just like the sound of the output section being tube, and although i get that preamp tubes almost never go, its cheaper to replace a few caps or transistors than it is tubes ( where i am anyway )

No i dont need 100w of power, but im more thinking of price than wattage, i could pick these amps up for closer to £100, building the cab myself from scratch, wouldnt need speakers as it would be a heaf and i already have a cab

You build amps? Without being too intrusive how much would that cost roughly?

[ziess]

I don't think you can fairly attribute cheap servicing to a SS pre. Actually a tube output stage is much more likely to cost you money than a pre; output tubes don't last as long as preamp tubes and will cost more when you replace them.

I think getting something like a Peavey could quickly turn into a money pit... £200ish for the amp, then you'd need a new cab, replacement speakers etc etc. You'll easily be over £400 before you know if, and it's never going to be as reliable as an old Fender.
Do you really need 100W of power? How about a Twin Reverb head? I could build you one if you wanted...

I just like the sound of the output section being tube, and although i get that preamp tubes almost never go, its cheaper to replace a few caps or transistors than it is tubes ( where i am anyway )

No i dont need 100w of power, but im more thinking of price than wattage, i could pick these amps up for closer to £100, building the cab myself from scratch, wouldnt need speakers as it would be a heaf and i already have a cab

You build amps? Without being too intrusive how much would that cost roughly?

The main issue I have with SS amps is obsolescence. SS technology moves so quick that it can be almost impossible to find parts for gear that's ten years old much less 30, 40, 50 years old. Ever tried to find an obscure old transistor? Forget about it. Clearly the same thing can happen with tubes but actually the types of tubes we use in our amps are pretty readily available and, though they might not be quite the same as the originals, the majority of tubes for guitar amps are still in production. You can't say the same about transistors. You're restricted to finding the closest thing which, given that a lot of the spec sheets are impossible to find, can be a nightmare. I'd rather have to replace parts in a tube amp any day. That's just my opinion, but I'm a hardcore tube guy!

PM me and we can chat about amps.

Tommy.

[millarman9111993]

I don't think you can fairly attribute cheap servicing to a SS pre. Actually a tube output stage is much more likely to cost you money than a pre; output tubes don't last as long as preamp tubes and will cost more when you replace them.

I think getting something like a Peavey could quickly turn into a money pit... £200ish for the amp, then you'd need a new cab, replacement speakers etc etc. You'll easily be over £400 before you know if, and it's never going to be as reliable as an old Fender.
Do you really need 100W of power? How about a Twin Reverb head? I could build you one if you wanted...

I just like the sound of the output section being tube, and although i get that preamp tubes almost never go, its cheaper to replace a few caps or transistors than it is tubes ( where i am anyway )

No i dont need 100w of power, but im more thinking of price than wattage, i could pick these amps up for closer to £100, building the cab myself from scratch, wouldnt need speakers as it would be a heaf and i already have a cab

You build amps? Without being too intrusive how much would that cost roughly?

The main issue I have with SS amps is obsolescence. SS technology moves so quick that it can be almost impossible to find parts for gear that's ten years old much less 30, 40, 50 years old. Ever tried to find an obscure old transistor? Forget about it. Clearly the same thing can happen with tubes but actually the types of tubes we use in our amps are pretty readily available and, though they might not be quite the same as the originals, the majority of tubes for guitar amps are still in production. You can't say the same about transistors. You're restricted to finding the closest thing which, given that a lot of the spec sheets are impossible to find, can be a nightmare. I'd rather have to replace parts in a tube amp any day. That's just my opinion, but I'm a hardcore tube guy!

PM me and we can chat about amps.

Tommy.

Done

[andy_tchp]

Not sure why you'd bother with the Deuce. Those things are dirt cheap for a reason; for mine the $$$ would be better spent getting your MusicMan amp in order/serviced (and don't you still have a Bassman 100 head as well? Both of these are great amps when they're at 100%).

[millarman9111993]

Not sure why you'd bother with the Deuce. Those things are dirt cheap for a reason; for mine the $$$ would be better spent getting your MusicMan amp in order/serviced (and don't you still have a Bassman 100 head as well? Both of these are great amps when they're at 100%).

I didnt know anything about the amps which is why i aksed

Oh im keeping the music man, thts not going anywhere

Nope, sold the bassman, was costing me too much money, more than it was worth

[Racing]

I pick ´em up on occasion to scavenge their trafos. Decent quality iron for basically a song.
Agreed that they are insanely heavy. To the point where i question the designers,cause who in his right mind would tout that there around?

As for the silicon part of them,no sweat as they contain OP´s asf that are still readily available. Front end doesn´t sound worth of crap tho..so the entire story becomes kind of moot IMO

[ziess]

I pick ´em up on occasion to scavenge their trafos. Decent quality iron for basically a song.
Agreed that they are insanely heavy. To the point where i question the designers,cause who in his right mind would tout that there around?

As for the silicon part of them,no sweat as they contain OP´s asf that are still readily available. Front end doesn´t sound worth of crap tho..so the entire story becomes kind of moot IMO

Great phase on the Deuce though, right? I've often thought of building that circuit into a pedal. It's probably about #34562 on my good ideas list!
Just to be clear I wasn't talking specifically about silicon in the Peaveys, more in general about the assumption that a SS preamp will cost less and be easier to service than a tube pre.

Tommy.

[eggwheat]

You can get the Stereo Chorus 212 for next to nothing, usually for well under £100..at the time it was a top of the line Peavey amp. 3 channels, stereo chorus, digital delay/reverb, and 260 watts RMS(2 x 130w)! Also has stereo pre out on the back, which is useful for silent home recording..Now totally out of fashion and dirt cheap.

Mr Smith from The Cure used to use them in the early 90's (that and the older 'Classic Chorus 212')..although he ended up taking the speakers out and replacing them with EVM 12's...expensive to do but apparently the sound was the best he ever had according to his old guitar tech.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260W-Peavey-S ... 1121627186