PV Delta Blues gets first gig test

Jim L · May 2nd, 2004, 01:59 PM

We played a gig Friday night in a small-medium sized room in a restaurant/bar. We've played there in the past, and I've always had my Pro Reverb. This time I took my recently aquired Peavey Delta Blues (1x15). I stuck to the clean channel and ran to volume on about 5 (out of 12). I used my Sparkle Drive for boost/leads, as well as a Daddy-O for crunch and a CryBaby on a couple tunes.

The amp seems to cut through the mix a little better than my Pro Reverb ('73, blackfaced circuit, Weber C12N 50 watters), which I am guessing has much to do with the EL84 power tubes and the EQ of the amp itself.

I stuck with my tele all night (mini-bucker neck, Antiquity bridge). This is definitely a bargain of an amp. Plenty of power, and very good clean tube tone. I bought it slightly used, and the original owner upgraded the tubes, which from what I understand makes a big imporvement on the stock tubes PV supplies.

It's a small package fo a 1x15 combo (which I guess causes some to have some tube rattle, but I haven't noticed it), so it took up less space than the Pro Reverb, but it certainly has the power for medium size gigs. For the money, I think it's a heck of an amp.

Monster Mike Welch · May 2nd, 2004, 02:22 PM

Man - you and I seem to get ALL the same gear...

I just played my first gig with my new Delta Blues 1X15 and enjoyed it very much.

How's things?

M

Jim L · May 2nd, 2004, 10:08 PM

I unloaded the Reverberocket as it was a bit unreliable (and I'm no amp tech) and underpowered. It actually was on it's way to Peter Florence (Voodoo pickups) when UPS lost it. Never to be found.

Anyway, I used that $$ to get the Delta. I like the compact package that's still got lots of power (and was pretty inexpensive).

Things are good, but I'm burning the candle at both ends between work, the baby (almost 5 months old now) and the band (which is really only one night a week).

If getting into town for a lesson was easier for me, I'd do it in a second. We live almost into NH, so it's just too tough right now.

How are you liking the Peavey? You use the Pro R for bigger rooms, I assume?

Monster Mike Welch · May 4th, 2004, 08:55 PM

I traded in my Reverberocket for the Peavey - mostly reliability issues.

Man, I wish I was playing as often as once a week! Between teaching, recording projects, and getting ready for the arrival of my own son (September due date), I haven't made a booking call in I don't know how long.

The Peavey's really a spare more than anything else - with my Weber attenuator, the Pro can handle pretty much any sized room without ever being loud. I've just been enjoying something a little different, so I'm going to be pulling it out at a few gigs.

As far as the lesson thing, don't worry about it. Just e-mail me if you know you're going to be in town some afternoon, and maybe we can set something up.

Hope all is great!

M

Jim L · May 4th, 2004, 11:26 PM

When I say once a week, it's usually a rehearsal. We've got one gig a month thru August at the same place in Ipswich... so it's not exactly impressive.

We're trying to get into places like the Blackburn Tavern and the Rhumbline (Gloucester), Dodge St (Salem MA), Palmer's (Andover)... but no luck yet.

We've got a pretty rough demo and we're knocking on doors... hopefully we can get into some of these north shore/cape ann places soon.

I see you're at Glen's in Newburyport soon... hopefully Janis and I can get out to catch you there.

Congrads again on the baby... once he's here, you'll have even less time! but it's the best thing I've ever experienced...

I'm digging the Peavey as it's something different as well.. better than other el84 amps I've played (all on the inexpensive side, like the Blues Jr, Pro Jr, Crate Vintage Club). Not very "british" sounding. I think the clean channel is pretty warm, and it seems to cut through really well, even with the 15" speaker.

------------------------
Blind Billy & the Spectacles
http://users.adelphia.net/~jimlinehan/[/url]

Monster Mike Welch · May 5th, 2004, 12:48 AM

Yeah, if the Peavey reminds me of anything, it's like a 70's Music Man (a good thing) with hints of tweed Pro and AC30 mixed in. I wish the reverb was stronger - I may run my Digitech verb in the loop in addition to the built in reverb to get a little more West Side soul out of it. I've been running the dirty channel, with the gain at about half and the master at about 7 to 9 (out of 12), the reverb all the way up, middle all the way up, treble at 5, and bass around 7. That may change next time I take the amp out.

M

Bruce Kiely · May 5th, 2004, 02:19 AM

Amos Garrett lives in these parts (Calgary, Canada, he lives just south of town), so we have the pleasure of seeing him fairly often playing clubs here.

His usual live rig (at least up to the last time I saw him play several months ago) is a Fender MIJ Tele with after market pickups through an Alesis reverb unit into 2 Peavey Delta Blues amps.

Sounds great!

Just thought you might like to know .....

Cheers,
BK

Jim L · May 5th, 2004, 10:25 AM

that the dirty channel's volume at, say, "7" is a lot quieter than the clean channel at "7"? I'm really used to non master volume amps, so maybe this is something normal...

With the dirty channel set up the way you've mentioned, is it pretty raunchy? I would guess it would be... I'm so used to the clean Fender tone from my Pro (and using an OD pedal for drive) that I instinctually go into the clean channel of the PV DB.

bek · May 5th, 2004, 01:15 PM

Amos Garrett? Is that cool, or what! Great player.

Monster Mike Welch · May 5th, 2004, 04:57 PM

The settings I mentioned aren't THAT dirty. About the same amount of dirt as my Pro on about 7, which is where it usually stays. Thank heaven for attenuators, you know?

M

Jim L · May 5th, 2004, 05:19 PM

I put in some Webers (it had some old, tired Emis that were in it when I bought it): C12N 50 watters.

I also had been running some NOS GE 6L6GCs that died. Dropped in some Svets, which I still find to be great current production tubes.

It had a Webber GZ34 copper cap, but I went with a more-to-spec 5U4GB copper cap.

Finally learned to bias my own amp, too. It now gives me a bit more oomph thanks to the upgrade in speakers, and a bit more break up (it used to stay clean forever). But it's a bit much for small rooms, not to mention a pain in the butt to lug around.

I'm diggin' the Delta Blues partly because it's something different. That will wear off eventually, but at least it gives me a solid second amp that's more reliable than the old Reverberocket was.

I got to gig (up in ski country) with a borrowed Holland 'Lil Jimi back in February. That is a kickin' amp! Makes me think of a Super in a 1x12 combo. Lots of cut, bite, and a "sweep" knob that seems to take it from BF Fender to Vox.

Does Sugar Ray use a Holland amp for harp?

Monster Mike Welch · May 5th, 2004, 06:30 PM

Ray used to, but those things are really (in my humble experience that I know a lot of people will disagree with) not as great as they seem* - they break all the time, don't consistently sound good room to room, and Mike Holland is unbelievably difficult/dishonest to deal with.
They can sound nice in some situations, though.

M

*Edited to remove flame-worthy idiocy on my part...sorry to anyone who was offended first time around...

Jim L · May 6th, 2004, 10:30 AM

Well, my experience with the Jimi was a good one. Of course, I only used it on one gig and to record our demo with. (the pro reverb was in need of power tubes and a bias adjustment, and the Ampeg was acting up again).

The Holland made me realize that I would really like to find a compact yet powerful amp to offset the Pro Rev. That's when I decided that the Ampeg wasn't right for me in that it wasn't loud enough to gig with (unless I mic it) and it was too unreliable to bother paying a tech to fix it again. I do miss it's reverb and tremolo, though.

Monster Mike Welch · May 7th, 2004, 09:28 AM

I think you did well with the Peavey - it just seems a superior amp in the long haul.

M

Falstaff · May 7th, 2004, 10:33 AM

JimL-

I'm local too...do you have a website with a list of upcoming shows?

Thanks.

Jim L · May 7th, 2004, 10:48 AM

Where are you located? All the guys I play with live north of the city... I'm actually on the MA/NH border. Right now we've got a monthly gig in Ipswich, and we're trying to get into places like the Blackburn and Rhumbline in Gloucester, The Grog in Newburyport, Dodge St in Salem, etc... no bites yet.

Here's the link to the site's temporary location:

http://users.adelphia.net/~jimlinehan/

Falstaff · May 7th, 2004, 10:52 PM

Thanks, Jim. I'll keep an eye out for you. I live near Framingham, but I grew up in and around Haverhill. Spent more time and the Grog than I'd care to admit! Is a guy named EJ Ouellette playing around that area much?

May 2nd, 2004, 01:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
Jim L Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrimac, MA Posts: 378 13 Photos	PV Delta Blues gets first gig test We played a gig Friday night in a small-medium sized room in a restaurant/bar. We've played there in the past, and I've always had my Pro Reverb. This time I took my recently aquired Peavey Delta Blues (1x15). I stuck to the clean channel and ran to volume on about 5 (out of 12). I used my Sparkle Drive for boost/leads, as well as a Daddy-O for crunch and a CryBaby on a couple tunes. The amp seems to cut through the mix a little better than my Pro Reverb ('73, blackfaced circuit, Weber C12N 50 watters), which I am guessing has much to do with the EL84 power tubes and the EQ of the amp itself. I stuck with my tele all night (mini-bucker neck, Antiquity bridge). This is definitely a bargain of an amp. Plenty of power, and very good clean tube tone. I bought it slightly used, and the original owner upgraded the tubes, which from what I understand makes a big imporvement on the stock tubes PV supplies. It's a small package fo a 1x15 combo (which I guess causes some to have some tube rattle, but I haven't noticed it), so it took up less space than the Pro Reverb, but it certainly has the power for medium size gigs. For the money, I think it's a heck of an amp.

May 2nd, 2004, 02:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
Monster Mike Welch Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somerville, MA Posts: 121	Man - you and I seem to get ALL the same gear... I just played my first gig with my new Delta Blues 1X15 and enjoyed it very much. How's things? M __________________ www.monstermikewelch.com

May 2nd, 2004, 10:08 PM	#3 (permalink)
Jim L Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrimac, MA Posts: 378 13 Photos	That's too funny! I unloaded the Reverberocket as it was a bit unreliable (and I'm no amp tech) and underpowered. It actually was on it's way to Peter Florence (Voodoo pickups) when UPS lost it. Never to be found. Anyway, I used that $$ to get the Delta. I like the compact package that's still got lots of power (and was pretty inexpensive). Things are good, but I'm burning the candle at both ends between work, the baby (almost 5 months old now) and the band (which is really only one night a week). If getting into town for a lesson was easier for me, I'd do it in a second. We live almost into NH, so it's just too tough right now. How are you liking the Peavey? You use the Pro R for bigger rooms, I assume?

May 4th, 2004, 08:55 PM	#4 (permalink)
Monster Mike Welch Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somerville, MA Posts: 121	I traded in my Reverberocket for the Peavey - mostly reliability issues. Man, I wish I was playing as often as once a week! Between teaching, recording projects, and getting ready for the arrival of my own son (September due date), I haven't made a booking call in I don't know how long. The Peavey's really a spare more than anything else - with my Weber attenuator, the Pro can handle pretty much any sized room without ever being loud. I've just been enjoying something a little different, so I'm going to be pulling it out at a few gigs. As far as the lesson thing, don't worry about it. Just e-mail me if you know you're going to be in town some afternoon, and maybe we can set something up. Hope all is great! M __________________ www.monstermikewelch.com

May 4th, 2004, 11:26 PM	#5 (permalink)
Jim L Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrimac, MA Posts: 378 13 Photos	Well... When I say once a week, it's usually a rehearsal. We've got one gig a month thru August at the same place in Ipswich... so it's not exactly impressive. We're trying to get into places like the Blackburn Tavern and the Rhumbline (Gloucester), Dodge St (Salem MA), Palmer's (Andover)... but no luck yet. We've got a pretty rough demo and we're knocking on doors... hopefully we can get into some of these north shore/cape ann places soon. I see you're at Glen's in Newburyport soon... hopefully Janis and I can get out to catch you there. Congrads again on the baby... once he's here, you'll have even less time! but it's the best thing I've ever experienced... I'm digging the Peavey as it's something different as well.. better than other el84 amps I've played (all on the inexpensive side, like the Blues Jr, Pro Jr, Crate Vintage Club). Not very "british" sounding. I think the clean channel is pretty warm, and it seems to cut through really well, even with the 15" speaker. ------------------------ Blind Billy & the Spectacles http://users.adelphia.net/~jimlinehan/[/url]

May 5th, 2004, 12:48 AM	#6 (permalink)
Monster Mike Welch Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somerville, MA Posts: 121	Yeah, if the Peavey reminds me of anything, it's like a 70's Music Man (a good thing) with hints of tweed Pro and AC30 mixed in. I wish the reverb was stronger - I may run my Digitech verb in the loop in addition to the built in reverb to get a little more West Side soul out of it. I've been running the dirty channel, with the gain at about half and the master at about 7 to 9 (out of 12), the reverb all the way up, middle all the way up, treble at 5, and bass around 7. That may change next time I take the amp out. M __________________ www.monstermikewelch.com

May 5th, 2004, 02:19 AM	#7 (permalink)
Bruce Kiely Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Calgary, Canada Posts: 296	Thought you might like to know ..... Amos Garrett lives in these parts (Calgary, Canada, he lives just south of town), so we have the pleasure of seeing him fairly often playing clubs here. His usual live rig (at least up to the last time I saw him play several months ago) is a Fender MIJ Tele with after market pickups through an Alesis reverb unit into 2 Peavey Delta Blues amps. Sounds great! Just thought you might like to know ..... Cheers, BK

May 5th, 2004, 10:25 AM	#8 (permalink)
Jim L Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrimac, MA Posts: 378 13 Photos	Have you noticed... ? that the dirty channel's volume at, say, "7" is a lot quieter than the clean channel at "7"? I'm really used to non master volume amps, so maybe this is something normal... With the dirty channel set up the way you've mentioned, is it pretty raunchy? I would guess it would be... I'm so used to the clean Fender tone from my Pro (and using an OD pedal for drive) that I instinctually go into the clean channel of the PV DB.

May 5th, 2004, 01:15 PM	#9 (permalink)
bek Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: California Posts: 564	Amos Garrett? Is that cool, or what! Great player.

May 5th, 2004, 04:57 PM	#10 (permalink)
Monster Mike Welch Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somerville, MA Posts: 121	The settings I mentioned aren't THAT dirty. About the same amount of dirt as my Pro on about 7, which is where it usually stays. Thank heaven for attenuators, you know? M __________________ www.monstermikewelch.com

May 5th, 2004, 05:19 PM	#11 (permalink)
Jim L Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrimac, MA Posts: 378 13 Photos	I did a bunch of tweaks to my Pro recently I put in some Webers (it had some old, tired Emis that were in it when I bought it): C12N 50 watters. I also had been running some NOS GE 6L6GCs that died. Dropped in some Svets, which I still find to be great current production tubes. It had a Webber GZ34 copper cap, but I went with a more-to-spec 5U4GB copper cap. Finally learned to bias my own amp, too. It now gives me a bit more oomph thanks to the upgrade in speakers, and a bit more break up (it used to stay clean forever). But it's a bit much for small rooms, not to mention a pain in the butt to lug around. I'm diggin' the Delta Blues partly because it's something different. That will wear off eventually, but at least it gives me a solid second amp that's more reliable than the old Reverberocket was. I got to gig (up in ski country) with a borrowed Holland 'Lil Jimi back in February. That is a kickin' amp! Makes me think of a Super in a 1x12 combo. Lots of cut, bite, and a "sweep" knob that seems to take it from BF Fender to Vox. Does Sugar Ray use a Holland amp for harp?

May 5th, 2004, 06:30 PM	#12 (permalink)
Monster Mike Welch Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somerville, MA Posts: 121	Ray used to, but those things are really (in my humble experience that I know a lot of people will disagree with) not as great as they seem* - they break all the time, don't consistently sound good room to room, and Mike Holland is unbelievably difficult/dishonest to deal with. They can sound nice in some situations, though. M *Edited to remove flame-worthy idiocy on my part...sorry to anyone who was offended first time around... __________________ www.monstermikewelch.com

May 6th, 2004, 10:30 AM	#13 (permalink)
Jim L Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrimac, MA Posts: 378 13 Photos	Hmmm... Well, my experience with the Jimi was a good one. Of course, I only used it on one gig and to record our demo with. (the pro reverb was in need of power tubes and a bias adjustment, and the Ampeg was acting up again). The Holland made me realize that I would really like to find a compact yet powerful amp to offset the Pro Rev. That's when I decided that the Ampeg wasn't right for me in that it wasn't loud enough to gig with (unless I mic it) and it was too unreliable to bother paying a tech to fix it again. I do miss it's reverb and tremolo, though.

May 7th, 2004, 09:28 AM	#14 (permalink)
Monster Mike Welch Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somerville, MA Posts: 121	I think you did well with the Peavey - it just seems a superior amp in the long haul. M __________________ www.monstermikewelch.com

May 7th, 2004, 10:33 AM	#15 (permalink)
Falstaff Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Massachusetts, USA Age: 41 Posts: 299	JimL- I'm local too...do you have a website with a list of upcoming shows? Thanks.

May 7th, 2004, 10:48 AM	#16 (permalink)
Jim L Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrimac, MA Posts: 378 13 Photos	you bet Where are you located? All the guys I play with live north of the city... I'm actually on the MA/NH border. Right now we've got a monthly gig in Ipswich, and we're trying to get into places like the Blackburn and Rhumbline in Gloucester, The Grog in Newburyport, Dodge St in Salem, etc... no bites yet. Here's the link to the site's temporary location: http://users.adelphia.net/~jimlinehan/

May 7th, 2004, 10:52 PM	#17 (permalink)
Falstaff Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Massachusetts, USA Age: 41 Posts: 299	Thanks, Jim. I'll keep an eye out for you. I live near Framingham, but I grew up in and around Haverhill. Spent more time and the Grog than I'd care to admit! Is a guy named EJ Ouellette playing around that area much?