Peavey Classic 50 dream : 410 or 212 ? (another one)

[e-merlin]

Originally Posted by EZchair Picker

Not to split hairs, but I found the delta blues to have a different voice than the classics. I realise that they're more similar than different, but both deltas I tried (2x10 and 1x15 I think) sounded darker and had a looser gain sound than the classics (30 +50) which seemed brighter and tighter.

But then again, maybe it's just me. ;)


EDIT: FWIW, reguarding the OP's question....the 2x12 offers more bass, but the 4x10 sounds more focused and sharper......all IMO of coarse!

The Delta Blues is a Classic 30 with a tremolo and different speakers. The Classic 50 and Classic 30 are different amps, so they will sound different.

Peavey stopped making the Classic 100 head several years ago and stopped making the Classic 50 head two years ago. Nevertheless, they can still be found on the used market. If I had as much trouble deciding on speaker compliment, I would just buy the head a cab that you like. You can add the other cab later.

Also, Peavey now makes the C30 in head form.

[EZchair Picker]

Originally Posted by e-merlin

The Delta Blues is a Classic 30 with a tremolo and different speakers. The Classic 50 and Classic 30 are different amps, so they will sound different.

We both hear different things out of the amps.

[telbert twang]

How about the C50 reverb? is it usable? Is it pure tube ore solid state circuit ?

tt

[Murphy Slaw]

I hate they dropped the Classic 50 Head. I thought they looked cool as hell, and were not bad. Didn't like the black, but the tweed heads were the bomb to look at. I still think a Bel Air is a better design, but the Peavey Heads LOOKED good.....

I hate the new Peavey logo thing.

Murph.

[Little Ricky]

Originally Posted by ol man

Save you from hassle - get a Peavey Delta Blues with one 15"...
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...Amp?sku=481361

I like the 410 better than the DB 115. The DB is too dark for me, even with bass at zero, treble at max through a Tele bridge p/u. I like the tightness of the 410 speakers, and the baffle is pretty loose on the sides, which I think improves the sound. I use the clean channel, the lead channel is thinner.
I'm thinking about making another cab for it to cut it down to a 210 format, so it's easier to tote around, or hopefully trade the DB 115 for a 210 version.
I'll also try taking 2 of the power tubes out and plug into the 8 Ohm jack for half power, just to see, although I love the clean headroom as is.
I set the Normal channel like this - Master 12, Normal ~ 4, Bass 12, Treble 10, Mids 0, Presence depends on what p/u I'm using, roll it off for tele bridge.

[e-merlin]

Originally Posted by telbert twang

How about the C50 reverb? is it usable? Is it pure tube ore solid state circuit ?

tt

I don't think the reverb in the C50 is tube driven. It sounds good, but I don't use reverb much. I really can't tell you why, but I like the 212 model best. I just like 12" speakers better than 10" speakers.

I'd love to find a Blues Classic, though. That's a Classic 50 with a 15" speaker. Those are pretty hard to find, though, and Peavey discontinued them a long time ago.

Really, the only way to be sure is to go out and compare them for yourself. I know that's not always possible, but that's really the only way.

As for the weight issue, Peavey sells a set of pop in casters that wouldn't be too hard to put in.

[telbert twang]

i´m pretty darn close to an older, pre-facelift C50/410 now - can´t wait to wake up the 8 months old 6 teethed cowboy and cheer up his tired mama in 2-room apartment with it :-P

tt

[BillyC]

I been playing a C50 4/10 for years and only had it retubed once.The blue marvel speakers in it are good but like all 10" speakers,they're like a beam of light,they don't sound too loud from 3 foot to the side but will nail their head to the wall from across the room.

These amps are cathode biased and you can't pull 2 tubes out without overloading the other tubes.

[e-merlin]

Originally Posted by BillyC

These amps are cathode biased and you can't pull 2 tubes out without overloading the other tubes.

The Classic series is not Cathode biased. They are Fixed bias. You can pull two tubes on a Classic 50, just make sure it's the inside pair or the outside pair. Also, make sure to plut a dummy plug into the external speaker out. When you pull two tubes you have to run the amp at half of the impedance of the speaker you are using.

You can't pull two tubes on a Classic 30 because the tubes are wired in series. You can make up some dummy tubes by snipping off some of the pins on two tubes, though.

[winny pooh]

Originally Posted by e-merlin

The Classic series is not Cathode biased. They are Fixed bias. You can pull two tubes on a Classic 50, just make sure it's the inside pair or the outside pair. Also, make sure to plut a dummy plug into the external speaker out. When you pull two tubes you have to run the amp at half of the impedance of the speaker you are using.

You can't pull two tubes on a Classic 30 because the tubes are wired in series. You can make up some dummy tubes by snipping off some of the pins on two tubes, though.

What do you mean by dummy plug??

[e-merlin]

Originally Posted by winny pooh

What do you mean by dummy plug??

A speaker cable plug with no wires. The speaker will still work but the amp will see the load it needs to.

[maajka]

Do I get this right, I take out the outside tubes ( X O O X) and plug just a cable (guitar cable will work?) into the external cabinet out and it should run at 25W?

[e-merlin]

Well, that should work but make sure the other end of the cable is taped up. You don't want it grounding at an inappropriate time.

You should be able to pick up just the plug at a music store or Radio Shack.

[telbert twang]

its here! its in new home. Brought it from Finland. Probably less than 5 410-s in Estonia, and one is mine! So, that dream of mine is closed .

tt

. .

[e-merlin]

Congrats! Be sure to give us a review once you get a few hours on it!

Those are a couple of sweet Teles, too! And, looks like some sort of adult beverage keeping the amp from flying off...

[chabby]

I tried them both extensively and for me I really preferred the 2x12 in this amp. I read some folks making comments about punch with the 4x10's but I didnt find that to be the case with these amps. my fender's yes, but not with this circuit for some reason. The 4x10 are smooth and darker with these amps from my experience and those that were with me at the time.

We all liked the 4x10 good enough, but I tried it first and when the next day I brought in the 2x12 we all just loved it. MY Fender VR withits 2x10's are punchy as hell, but for some reason that doesnt happen with this peavey unless it's changed. I like the brightness of the 2x12 and it gets jangely too,

[telbert twang]

first impressions - its quite a cool monster! gives pretty good tone(s) on low volume as well. Seems that clean channel is juicier than drive, drive sounds however not bad at all, just kinda seems thinner. Reverb not bad , rather vice versa (long tank). Everything seems to work perfectly ( from cooling fan to footswitch, all chickenheads included), except a weird thingy i just noticed :

the R/H side speakers (upper and lower) move much much less than L/H - any directional comments on that?


There´s 1 more question - the speakers jack - its connected into 16 ohms . Can i put the jack into 8 ohms instead, and what it would change ?

tt

[tele-t]

ive owned the classic 50 and the delta blues loved the delta blues but if you play in a loud band a tiny bit lacking in power so i switched to the classic 50 2 12,s nice amp but i really liked the single 15 ive since bought a trace elliot amp but kept the classic im going to take out the 2 12,s and modify the amp putting back in a killer 15 inch speaker .......

[ruger9]

There are mods to "fatten up" the drive channel, I've done them to my 410, and they do work. PM me your email & I'll send you the list of mods I did.

[e-merlin]

Originally Posted by telbert twang

the R/H side speakers (upper and lower) move much much less than L/H - any directional comments on that?


There´s 1 more question - the speakers jack - its connected into 16 ohms . Can i put the jack into 8 ohms instead, and what it would change ?

tt

I think I'd check to see if they are wired properly. They should all be 16 Ohm speakers and should be wired Series/Parallel. The wiring both sides should be the same.

I wouldn't run it off of the 8 Ohm jack since that will present the amp with an impedance mismatch. There is really no benefit to it, and it may make the amp sound bad. I did it with my 5150 and didn't like the results. Plus, it'll definitely wear the tubes out faster and may cause other problems with the amp.

If you need some help to see if the speakers are wired right, check out the Peavey Amp Forum. You can get there from this link:

http://www.peavey.com/support/forums/

You will need to register, but it's a valuable resource for Peavey owners or the "Peavey curious." Peavey's customer service guys check the forums several times a day and answer questions as they can, but only on weekdays.

[telbert twang]

thaks, will read

Could someone please make a close photo of the stock 50 410 backside, to see the wiring of the speakers ( just to check) ?

tt

[telbert twang]

Just wanted to note up that meanwhile i have had plenty of time to tweak its all buttons and bells ( the speakers wiring is corrected now as well), and am REALLy satisfied with the buy (in case if somebody is also in the phase of ´to buy or not to buy?´). Really cool amp! And costs nothing in States, accounting it´s features and price ratio.
Actually i´d say the mods are not that essential - it does pretty darn good tones in stock´suit´as well. If only it were , say - 5...6 kg lighter

Yesterday i discovered a totally different side of C50´s symbiosis with tele on it´s neck pickup , amp on it´s clean channel, reverb almost 0, gutar tone almost down - real "velvet jazz tone" to jam along with for example something similar to this for backround!

[Little Ricky]

Originally Posted by EZchair Picker

Not to split hairs, but I found the delta blues to have a different voice than the classics. I realise that they're more similar than different, but both deltas I tried (2x10 and 1x15 I think) sounded darker and had a looser gain sound than the classics (30 +50) which seemed brighter and tighter.

But then again, maybe it's just me. ;)


EDIT: FWIW, reguarding the OP's question....the 2x12 offers more bass, but the 4x10 sounds more focused and sharper......all IMO of coarse!

+1. I have the DB 115 and 210 and C50 410. The DBs are definitely darker. And the tremolo starts to cut volume once the Intensity knob goes past 3-4.
The C50 410 is one of the best amps I've ever played - high value, sturdy.

[Colo Springs E]

Originally Posted by e-merlin

Also, Peavey now makes the C30 in head form.

Such a good idea... and then they make it to where it can ONLY run into a 16-ohm cab?

WTF?

[nomadh]

I have the 50 410 and according to roger at peavey: You can run it with a single set of either power tubes for a slight vol reduction if you plug your 16 ohm speakers into the 8 ohm jack to keep the impedance matched. He also said you do not need a dummy plug. I guess the xformer tap is on the 8 ohm jack. The cl30 powers its el84s in series so you need a dummy tube with some pins snipped.
Also from reading it seems a peavey cl 50 might be number one amp for people who never change their tubes. Responses seem to be that the 50 may be gentler on tubes than the 30. Maybe the fan in the 50 be the reason?
I like my 410 alot specially the cleans but the gain channel is getting to me unless I get real loud. I wanted the 212 for weight and flexibility but the 410 at $250 sold it. I didn't notice much of a tone diff but 2 8 ohm 12" speakers are a lot easier to swap around for experimenting.

[strat a various]

telbert
Classic 50 is a whole different animal than a Classic 30. Soundwise, not even related. Classic 50s are GREAT amps. I like 15" speakers and I own three 2x12" amps, but in the Classic 50, I pick the 4x10 version: clear, in-your-face sound with a much tighter, more manageable bass response. The speakers are fine, sound perfect for the voice of the amp, and the slightly taller cab makes hearing yourself at medium volumes easier at gigs.
Saw a used one on Craigslist in SoCal last year for $225, didn't pick it up ...still kicking myself.

[sjtele]

I just love my C50 410, luckily it stays where it is. Love the 410s but carting it it around would get old fast. I don't really use the gain channel all that much. I prefer to use the clean channel with an overdrive pedal instead, it's not as harsh imo.

[Masa]

Classic 50 is a great amp. I`ve gigged mine for 5 years with 4x12 Marshall (original 80`s 1960), but it`s getting too "clean" and "nice" sounding for my current taste. Also I don`t like carrying a lot of stuff with me for gigs(even the bigger ones I use the classic 50 for), so I`m switching to fender combo. So all the experience of classic50 I have is on 4x12, which sounds great. But try 410 combo, 10s are almost allways great, so....

[telbert twang]

Well, I have finally reached the end of my PV Classic dream. It took approx one year and lots of searching and testing , but now my 410 sings like an ´edelbrock 4-barrel´ . I strongly recommend to consider something similar to the below brought pic - these mods make a huge difference from the stock circuit, and now my classic sounds ( to my ears ) as it should have been come from factory:


Thanks to everyone who helped to achieve it!