Peavey Classic 50 vs. Ampeg VT-22?

[jonathanheyhi]

Hi! I want an awesome, BEAUTIFUL/warm clean tone. I am deciding between these two amps. The Ampeg is at a local store and has been completely re-serviced/updated. Trying to sell it to me for $700. The Peavey Classic 50 is being offered at a used price of $400. I haven't played the classic 50 yet, but the ampeg had an incredible clean tone. Anyone have any love/hate stories for either of these amps? Regarding the "clean" tone would be preferred.

Ultimately, which one should I get for the given price?

[e-merlin]

Not having played the Ampeg, I can't make a recommendation on it.

I love the Classic 50, and it's got plenty of power for clean. You should try to play both side by side. Is the C-50 a 212 or 410? I know I'd be all over the C-50 at that price.

[muchxs]

Show up with $400 and grab the Ampeg. Explain patiently that times are tough and that you worked hard for that money. Bring a trade of some sort to make the vendor feel better if you must. You say you dig the Ampeg tone, just buy it.

Those '70s Ampegs are tanks! Not to diss Peavey but that Ampeg will still be rockin' years from now and that Peavey will be in a landfill. So I guess I just dissed Peavey... sorry, Hartley!

[e-merlin]

Originally Posted by muchxs

Those '70s Ampegs are tanks! Not to diss Peavey but that Ampeg will still be rockin' years from now and that Peavey will be in a landfill. So I guess I just dissed Peavey... sorry, Hartley!

Really? I guess the 4 Peavey amps I have that are in the neighborhood of 20 years old should be in the landfill by now? And the Classic 30 that I just bought, which managed to find its way down a flight of stairs by itself and is still going? Sorry, but you're just blowing smoke.

Peaveys have a rep for being bulletproof. None of mine have ever let me down.

[muchxs]

Originally Posted by e-merlin

Really? I guess the 4 Peavey amps I have that are in the neighborhood of 20 years old should be in the landfill by now? And the Classic 30 that I just bought, which managed to find its way down a flight of stairs by itself and is still going? Sorry, but you're just blowing smoke.

Peavey Classics are by no means bulletproof. When they break they're a PITA to work on compared to vintage Fenders and Marshalls, those old amps are closer to "bulletproof". Use yours a little harder and you'll find its weaknesses. At that point your Peavey will be blowing smoke...

[JKjr]

I like the Peaveys, but the Ampeg is in a hole nuther classigory. $700 is too much, but I'd bet it could be had much cheaper. Sticky Fingers!

[muchxs]

Originally Posted by jonathanheyhi

...the ampeg had an incredible clean tone.

Durability/repairability aside (the Ampeg is easier to service) that sums it up right there. Love the tone? Either buy it or find one just like it because the price is on the high side. I'd watch eBay for a week or so and see if I couldn't find a better deal there.

Here's the spiel on tone: You hear an amp and you love the tone. It's not someone else plugged into it, you're plugged into it and it's pushing your buttons. For one reason or another you pass on it. Price is a good reason. Don't have the money. So you go on a quest for a reasonable substitute. An amp that's almost right. Not guite but close enough for the money. Maybe a pedal? O.k., we'll drop another $100 on a pedal. Nah, that's not it. Maybe another pedal? Change the tubes? Change the speakers? Different pickups? Different guitar?!

By the time you add it all up you've gone through a grand, you're lugging around a pile of gear, you took the long way to get there and you still ain't happy.

--

The old Carvin X100B has a really pretty clean tone, too.

[stantheman]

The Ampeg is an anchor - it may sound good but if You're gonna buy it I'd first pick it up and walk once with it around the interior of the store. My money says you go with The Classic. Because of the WIDTH of the VT-22 along with the weight every single time you move it without padding you'll get bruised. I'm a pretty big person and have lugged Super Reverbs and Twin Reverbs and Fender 2x12 small cabs for years BUT - the VT-22 is my line in the sand - that's where I say "no thanks".
Lots of Amps can hurt people's ears, the one you're thinking about is very capable of hurting bones and ligaments.
Line up a Chiropractor, an Orthropedic Surgeon, and a masseuse.
I'm not trying to be funny here, I'm serious.

[jhundt]

I'm in w/ stantheman. The VT-22 is a very cool amp. It is extremely sturdy and well built and has some great sounds. But it is the heaviest amp I ever felt! I used to play the head version - the V4 - thru a 4x12 and it was wonderful. The other guy in the group had a VT-22 and he sounded fine - but nobody wouyld offer to help him move his gear at the end of the night!

[SteveY]

Originally Posted by stantheman

...Lots of Amps can hurt people's ears, the one you're thinking about is very capable of hurting bones and ligaments.
Line up a Chiropractor, an Orthropedic Surgeon, and a masseuse.
I'm not trying to be funny here, I'm serious.

No kidding, they are HEAVY!

I had one with Altec speakers. It felt like it was bolted to the floor.

Back then I was a much younger and stronger man, and my pickup had a tailgate lift!

They are quite "Hi-Fi" though, with a lush reverb.

I'd probably go with the Ampeg, and get a gym membership too for the weight training.

When I had a Deville I used to work out and it never bothered me. 'Course I'm sure a VT-22 is heavier still, but no heavier than a Rivera duo-twelve hundred I had..

[muchxs]

Originally Posted by stantheman

The Ampeg is an anchor - it may sound good but if You're gonna buy it I'd first pick it up and walk once with it around the interior of the store.

I carried one from Manny's to the Port Authority once.

[dan1952]

Originally Posted by stantheman

The Ampeg is an anchor - it may sound good but if You're gonna buy it I'd first pick it up and walk once with it around the interior of the store. My money says you go with The Classic. Because of the WIDTH of the VT-22 along with the weight every single time you move it without padding you'll get bruised. I'm a pretty big person and have lugged Super Reverbs and Twin Reverbs and Fender 2x12 small cabs for years BUT - the VT-22 is my line in the sand - that's where I say "no thanks".
Lots of Amps can hurt people's ears, the one you're thinking about is very capable of hurting bones and ligaments.
Line up a Chiropractor, an Orthropedic Surgeon, and a masseuse.
I'm not trying to be funny here, I'm serious.

Agree 100%! The VT-22 is the heaviest combo amp I've ever owned (mine had Altecs) and maybe the loudest, too. But it is built for the road, like all the old Ampeg gear - ask the Stones, or Joey Spaminato. I don't think $700.00 is really that high if the filter caps and tubes are new. The Peavey sounds good, I'm sure, but I don't trust amps in which the input jacks, tubes, etc. are attached directly to the circuit board, at least not if it's going to be used professionally. I've seen too many come though my shop with cracked solder joints.

[refin]

I remember the VT-22,100 watts I believe.
They are built like tanks,but some old Ampegs use strange tubes that are hard to find.also,no overdrive at low volumes,but plenty of warm spank and great tones.
a friend of mine used to play one with two Altec 12s in it-----LOUD.

[muchxs]

Originally Posted by dans music

Peavey sounds good, I'm sure, but I don't trust amps in which the input jacks, tubes, etc. are attached directly to the circuit board, at least not if it's going to be used professionally. I've seen too many come though my shop with cracked solder joints.

That's what I'm talking about. Hit it in the knobs and shear a pot shaft off. I hate waiting for some odd PC mount pot I ordered.

Originally Posted by refin

I remember the VT-22,100 watts I believe.
They are built like tanks,but some old Ampegs use strange tubes that are hard to find.

Like 7027s, 6U10s, 6CG7s. 7868s from mid-'60s Reverberockets can be a pain. Easy enough to find if you know where to look but not cheap.

U10s and CG7s are easy, though. Tube vendors have figured out they can't buy every 6U10 that comes up on eBay so they go out cheap once in a while.

Originally Posted by refin

also,no overdrive at low volumes,but plenty of warm spank and great tones.

Dime all the tone controls especially the mids. Crank it up! Maybe hit it with a Distortion +. Not exactly "smooth creamy breakup" but just the thing to sweep your little bandmates out of the garage and into the street.

Volume was more important than tone back then.

Originally Posted by refin

a friend of mine used to play one with two Altec 12s in it-----LOUD.

You mean... in the same room with it?!!

[jonathanheyhi]

Thank you so much guys! All of your responses have been super helpful. Keep 'em coming though, if you do have anything else to say. Ultimately I'm going to test out the weight of it, see if it's really that back-breaking. I love music, I love staying in shape - maybe this combo amp will bring me that combo lifestyle? Terrible joke/pun, but hey, that's why I don't talk in between songs during a live set.

Cheers!

[boris bubbanov]

There seems to be an unlimited number of Classic 50s out there. Unlimited.

But as for this Ampeg - how long before you see another? What you could do is get the price down on the VT-22, see if you can handle living with it. If not, there are folks who will still want that. That Peavey is way easy worth $ 400 in intrinsic terms and yet you usually can find them for less, anytime you like. I bought a new one (NOS) from GC for $ 500, tax included.

[e-merlin]

Originally Posted by muchxs

That's what I'm talking about. Hit it in the knobs and shear a pot shaft off. I hate waiting for some odd PC mount pot I ordered.

What are you guys doing to your amps? How do you shear off a pot shaft? Carry it with the knobs facing away from you? A very, very, very, very small bit of care will keep that stuff from happening.

If you love the sound of the Ampeg, buy it! Tone is the most important consideration in buying an amp! But don't forget to buy that dolly so you can move it around without blowing a disk.

[BlueJim]

Originally Posted by e-merlin

What are you guys doing to your amps? How do you shear off a pot shaft? Carry it with the knobs facing away from you? A very, very, very, very small bit of care will keep that stuff from happening.

If you love the sound of the Ampeg, buy it! Tone is the most important consideration in buying an amp! But don't forget to buy that dolly so you can move it around without blowing a disk.

Being careful is good in principle, but I always found we were only careful going into a club. Afterward we were all tired and got sloppy loading out especially if it was after midnight.

Wheels! Moving bass gear is no fun. My first modification to every cabinet I bought was to add some serious hardware store wheels. I remember for a while the drummer was making my 18" cab serve as a dolly to get his bag of stands out the door.

[Octave Doctor]

A VT-22 was my first big amp and had Fender/CV speakers--the heaviest amp I ever owned. It also needed to be cranked all the way up to get ANY distortion--it sounded good till the cops showed up. Next stop, a black panel Deluxe. The cops still came, but at least I got to play a few songs first.

If you're liking the Ampeg sound, look for a V2 or V4 head--a separate cabinet will probably sound better anyway.

[dB]

That Ampeg is a great tone on record and it's cool that you dug it but you need to plug into the Peavey to really make an informed decision.

He has vintage stuff for the studio, but Steve Earle gigs with a Classic 50: "I've blown up one Classic 50 in the 15 years I've used them, and that was because I shoved it over" (July '09 Vintage Guitar).

I'm not trying to steer you one way or the other, just saying take your time and really check stuff out. Chasin' the tone is part of the fun.


dB

[GeorgiaBoy61]

Hello:

I owned a Peavey Classic 50 during the late 1990s and early 2000s, which I have since sold. Big mistake - it was a wonderful sounding amp. Mine had 4 x 10" speakers, a number of pros told me it was the nicest sounding amp they had played. The only drawback, was the weight. It had a clean and overdrive channel, good reverb, but no tremolo. Thing was built like a tank, too.

I'm thinking of getting another Peavey tube amp, partly to memories of the one I sold.

[mijblonde]

Just based on the weight considerations alone, I will pick the Peavey. It's no joke when you develop hernia. After years of gigging and lugging heavy amps around town, I've become conscious of amp weight. Everytime I check out an amp, I find out how much it weighs first. The Peavey Classic 50 4 x 10 is about the heaviest amp I want to handle.

Plus, the Peavey sounds very good. A good range of warm clean and good overdrive sounds for most gigging situations. Nice reverb too.