I can do a deal on one of these big buggers but should I?
Peavey Renown 400, yay or nay?
- Thread starter Blazer
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I can do a deal on one of these big buggers but should I?
Musekatcher
Poster Extraordinaire
http://www.tdpri.com/threads/peavey-renown-400-good-deal-in-atlanta.246359/
Loud, heavy, decent clean channel amps. They often go for under $200 on craigslist. I personally like these early silver bar Peaveys, sort of a badge of Ameri-trash brilliance.
Loud, heavy, decent clean channel amps. They often go for under $200 on craigslist. I personally like these early silver bar Peaveys, sort of a badge of Ameri-trash brilliance.
GuitarJonz
Poster Extraordinaire
How loud do you need to be? I bet a 1x12 Bandit or Special 130 would sound almost as good, and almost as loud. Of course, 2x12 will be a fuller sound, but not worth the weight IMO.
strat a various
Friend of Leo's
My piano player had one ... sounds good for Fender piano. I couldn't get a decent guitar sound on it, but I knew a Southern Rock player that found some good Lynyrd Skynyrd tones on his. I wouldn't spend more than $100 for one as a clean loud platform.
Tele-beeb
Friend of Leo's
Some like 'em... some don't.
I sorta' like 'em.
Not easy to move
If it's one of those that mix clean and dirt channels, that's a positive in my book
I sorta' like 'em.
Not easy to move
If it's one of those that mix clean and dirt channels, that's a positive in my book
BobbyZ
Doctor of Teleocity
Played Peavey solid state amps from about 83 till 91 or so. It'd have to be really cheap to get me interested. I might do $100 on a really nice one with the right speakers.
But that's me.
But that's me.
codamedia
Poster Extraordinaire
Solid and reliable amps although this one is getting old... I personally like the sound of these, the 80's era SS Peavey's are my favorites. I played a Peavey Special 130 (similar amp, 1x12") for many years back in the 80's. As for value.... I wouldn't pay more than $150 for this amp (CAD). I like the amps, but they have no value.
refin
Friend of Leo's
Sold a ton of those Renowns back
in the day....of course,it only takes 3 to make a ton.
Very loud,respectable clean channel,and actually got some decent overdrive tones setting the Pre and Saturation knobs around 6 (instead of cranking the Saturation all the way as some did).
Built like a tank.
in the day....of course,it only takes 3 to make a ton.
Very loud,respectable clean channel,and actually got some decent overdrive tones setting the Pre and Saturation knobs around 6 (instead of cranking the Saturation all the way as some did).
Built like a tank.
Peavey amps "do the work".
I just got an old Special 130 for cheap.
I'm diggin' it!
I'd hit it.
I just got an old Special 130 for cheap.
I'm diggin' it!
I'd hit it.
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Built well, tons of clean headroom, reliable, spring reverb, takes pedals extremely well without coloring the sound, Scorpion speakers which will not distort even when playing loudly. Downside is the weight which today's generation has a problem with, along with my generation who cannot sling amps around like we used to.
The 2 twelve inch speakers have a big sound and I think the additional speaker makes a big difference for filling out a stage....overkill for home ? Maybe...but nice to have when the urge hits to get a big sound.
What works well with these type of Peavey amps, is an additional EQ pedal, especially for the over drive / solo channel to adjust the mids for scooping or tweaking depending on the tone style you want. You can add more bottom and take out the frequencies that would make it sound muddy otherwise. The manual is available at the Peavey website and Peavey customer service has a very good reputation.
I see yours comes with the foot pedal and cable....that's huge, meaning you can combine the 2 channels which makes for some interesting tone options. Those pedals on their own are a pain in the butt to find and usually aren't cheap because of that.
Because these amps are heavy and solid state, they get overlooked and as said before, they are normally priced in the $200 range in good cosmetic and working condition, so if you need a good amp for playing out and can get it at a serious bargain, it's not a bad choice. Good luck.
The 2 twelve inch speakers have a big sound and I think the additional speaker makes a big difference for filling out a stage....overkill for home ? Maybe...but nice to have when the urge hits to get a big sound.
What works well with these type of Peavey amps, is an additional EQ pedal, especially for the over drive / solo channel to adjust the mids for scooping or tweaking depending on the tone style you want. You can add more bottom and take out the frequencies that would make it sound muddy otherwise. The manual is available at the Peavey website and Peavey customer service has a very good reputation.
I see yours comes with the foot pedal and cable....that's huge, meaning you can combine the 2 channels which makes for some interesting tone options. Those pedals on their own are a pain in the butt to find and usually aren't cheap because of that.
Because these amps are heavy and solid state, they get overlooked and as said before, they are normally priced in the $200 range in good cosmetic and working condition, so if you need a good amp for playing out and can get it at a serious bargain, it's not a bad choice. Good luck.
BobbyZ
Doctor of Teleocity
Actually I had a TNT 131 bass amp last year to fix for a friend. Some pot cleaner did the trick.
Had to test it so I used a Holy Grail for some verb and a Tele. Really amazed me how much I liked the sound of it. I was digging the clean tone and kinda wished I could've kept it longer.
Had to test it so I used a Holy Grail for some verb and a Tele. Really amazed me how much I liked the sound of it. I was digging the clean tone and kinda wished I could've kept it longer.
Ringo
Poster Extraordinaire
I had a tube amp die at practice years ago, so I played the rest of the night through an older USA Peavey 1-15 bass amp, and it sounded pretty good, much better than I expected.
Those older Peavey amps are workhorses, I've refurbed several that had been rode hard and put up wet, usually a good cleaning, some contact cleaner / lube for the pots and they worked fine.
And Peavey customer service is great, you can get schematics for most of the older stuff just by emailing them, and they have parts too, reasonably priced.
If the Renown is in good working condtion that's a lot of amp, as others have mentioned I wouldn't want to haul one around, but no worse than a Twin Reverb really, maybe lighter, since it is SS.
Those older Peavey amps are workhorses, I've refurbed several that had been rode hard and put up wet, usually a good cleaning, some contact cleaner / lube for the pots and they worked fine.
And Peavey customer service is great, you can get schematics for most of the older stuff just by emailing them, and they have parts too, reasonably priced.
If the Renown is in good working condtion that's a lot of amp, as others have mentioned I wouldn't want to haul one around, but no worse than a Twin Reverb really, maybe lighter, since it is SS.
Telecastoff1
Friend of Leo's
Old thread, I know....but I just had to comment. I have had one for years now and still use mine quite a bit. It has seen countless gigs.....especially for gigs on the cold winter nights, where I don't want to take the old Twin Reverb out because of the tubes. The Renown 400 easily takes its place in sound and reliability. It's not quite as heavy as the Twin. Just wanted to say how much I really like this amp and feel its been a great alternative for me when I want the TR sound but need SS reliability in cold weather conditions. Great amp!
Tone Quest
Friend of Leo's
Had one back in the day. Great sounds, fun to play but heavy as a Mack truck.
JL_LI
Poster Extraordinaire
There are a few ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s pieces of gear that are pretty decent but have little or no resale value. What it comes down to has nothing to do with quality. Was it prestigious in its day? If not, it’s worthless. I have a ‘74 Ovation Balladeer. Worthless… except…
This kind of gear is worth hanging on to if you already own it. It’s not worth buying, especially if it needs service. Stuff like a huge heavy Peavey has a nominal transaction value of 100. CAD? USD? GBP? Euro? It’s a nominal transaction value. Maybe a few more if you really want it. Zero if it’s not a must have. That’s the harsh reality.
This kind of gear is worth hanging on to if you already own it. It’s not worth buying, especially if it needs service. Stuff like a huge heavy Peavey has a nominal transaction value of 100. CAD? USD? GBP? Euro? It’s a nominal transaction value. Maybe a few more if you really want it. Zero if it’s not a must have. That’s the harsh reality.
Might be my 3rd post ever. First, thanks to everyone on this (and other related tdpri threads) that have been such a huge resource! Have a Renown 400 and love it. Paid 79 bucks for it at the start of COVID from a small music store in NH. Dirty and sad from the storage shed with crunchy/scratchy pots. Cleaned it up and it works mintly and sounds excellent. Came with foot switch that is pretty much a mandatory component. I mostly play clean with a Tele, so I have both channels running clean, with the gain channel only a little xtra aggressive. Thanks to all for assistance with getting this hog’s EQ settings dialed!! The Pros know: the Para/Mid Shift controls make a huge diff! And I agree, haters probably never learned how to set this guy up right. Loud? Oh my yes - lots and lots of glorious power on tap, and headroom is infinite. Reverb goes from mild to ‘surf’, which is sweet. All and all this is a fine amp, only minus is that I wish it had tremolo! That it was made in the US when I was in high school is also pretty cool. Today, CL has a couple of these in the metro area going for 2 - 250.00.
