I made the mistake of gigging my Peavey Blues Classic 50 the other night

[blowtorch]

Now my bandmates insist on it.

I've tried replicating it on my Mustang, but I just can't make those frequencies ring like they do through that 15. Even using my handy-dandy Dano Fish N Chips EQ.

Back to the world of tubes, and lugging that beast to gigs. Ugh. At least I still have the mechanic's crawler I bought to facilitate moving it around.

 

[PumpJockey]

You are lucky you don't have the 2-12 version...

I am in a related situation. I had the band come over to rehearse at the house where I have a Mesa 5:50 going through an external 15" Peavey Blue Marvel. Needless to say, that's what they want to hear from now on. Not sure if the 5:50 comes as a head, but I sure hope so...

 

[LoveHz]

I know exactly what you mean. I decided that my days of lugging great heavy lumps of amplification about were over -- I'm getting too old and feeble. So I tried the lightweight route -- a Roland Cube and a solid state Fender. The Cube makes a great practice/rehearsal amp, but live with the band -- nah, doesn't quite do it. So this Saturday out will come the 45-year-old Traynor and a cab that feels like it's full of bricks. But I'll like the noise!

 

[blowtorch]

Yeah I've tried explaining that my hernia isn't going to like this, and that tube amps are relatively fragile, both to no avail

 

[tery]

Custom built ATA case with wheels ?

https://www.bradycases.com/products/lift-off-amp-cab-case

 

[LowCaster]

Are you sure they like the sound, or they like to see you struggling to carry it around?

 

[FenderLover]

You're back to tubes. We could keep it simple and just agree that you never really left tubes.

 

[blowtorch]

I hate frickin tubes

Except for the sound they make, of course.

But I mean, it's the current year, and I find myself using tube technology? WTF

 

[blowtorch]

Y'know though, this gives me a thought.

I've got an Emi Legend 15 on the way to replace the stock 15 in my brown Excelsior. Maybe I can get a cab for the old stock 15, and find something small, SS, awesome-sounding and LIGHT to run into that. Maybe I'll be hunting up Quilter soon, or something along those lines.


Hmmmm...

 

[Bartholomew3]

I know exactly what you mean. I decided that my days of lugging great heavy lumps of amplification about were over -- I'm getting too old and feeble. So I tried the lightweight route -- a Roland Cube and a solid state Fender. The Cube makes a great practice/rehearsal amp, but live with the band -- nah, doesn't quite do it. So this Saturday out will come the 45-year-old Traynor and a cab that feels like it's full of bricks. But I'll like the noise!

Same here - have a twin I can't carry so use a Cube 60. Just doesn't come through the mix like tubes and doesn't have that great tube feel. Works well in low volume situations with the effects going.

 

[Paul G.]

Yeah, well no surprise here. The difference between a video game, and actually going out and experiencing life.

 

[brookdalebill]

Cool, I have to try a tube amp again soon.
I forget what they are like.

 

[richey88]

I had the 2x12 that served me well for years, just got to the point I could not lug it to gigs anymore....great tone and always was asked to turn down. Ahhh memories [emoji1]

 

[Ringo]

Maybe you could get a Classic 30, pretty much the same amp but smaller and lighter and it has a 12".
I had a C50 4-10, great clean channel and it really sounded good live with a band.

 

[mexicanyella]

I'd love to try one of those 1 x 15" Classic 50s (or a 115E cab, or hell, one of those cream-colored 1 x 15 Crate Vintage Club 50s). When those were in stores, they were out of my budget, and now they seem to have found happy homes because I NEVER see them around or on CL.

A loud, bluesy tone with a lot of slam can be achieved with your basic 1 x 15 Peavey TKO bass combo...no shortage of brightness options with all that active shelving and graphic EQ, plus a bright switch on top of that. They stay pretty clean just about all the way up, but the15" Scorpion starts to sound pretty cool when you push it hard enough. It doesn't crap out, but you can hear it compressing and getting kind of non-linear. A compressor pedal on a conservative setting in front of the amp plus the pushed speaker gives it a little bounce/sag in the playing feel and enhances the effect. Presumably this would also work with other largish 1 x 15 bass combos that are cheap because they're not quite enough to gig comfortably with on bass, not just Peaveys. I know I cranked a lap steel through a 1 x 15 Fender bass combo (BXR 200? something like that) at a recording session once and it was pretty cool, but didn't get to try guitar through it.

It's not like those amps are much fun to pick up and carry, but they are cheap and plentiful and seem indestructible, and useful to have around for visiting bassists when you're not doing perverted guitar experiments.

 

[Tele-beeb]

Yeah I've tried explaining that my hernia isn't going to like this, and that tube amps are relatively fragile, both to no avail

I pushed my 212 C50 onto a flatbed-high as my shoulders... I traded it after that incident... the night I traded it-it played buttery chords that still reverberate in my memory... I get it

 

[viccortes285]

I love my Fender Deluxe Reverb 68, for home I use the Katana. Yet your right tubes just sound right.[emoji106][emoji41]

 

[Ted Witton]

Interesting thread. I have valve amps, solid states and modellers. Cannot dispute that in a live situation somehow the valve amps cut through best of all. What troubles me, is that more recent solid state and modellers whilst being lighter and very convenient with on board almost everything, somehow do not have the "oomph" of my old Peavey Bandit 65 or Special 112 (both with Scorpion speakers that also seem to split opinions).

 

[P Thought]

Yeah I've tried explaining that my hernia isn't going to like this, and that tube amps are relatively fragile, both to no avail

Ha! That amp's about as fragile as your tele is. I've had my eye out for a 1 x 15 Peavey for a while now. My one-and-only is a Classic 50 twin, sittin' here next to me now.

 

[jvin248]

.

Divide that beast up! Build a head cabinet and a speaker cabinet and split your unit out of the current combo. Makes for two trips to the car but the lifting is so much lighter for each piece.

Here's an actual head but with a self-built cabinet; just make the self-build x 2 and store the original case in the garage.