Peavey Classic 30

Alot of people have posted they hate the single EQ for both channels. That is one of the things I love. I like to get that beautiful,rich, tone that you can get out of these lil buggers, then add a little grit to the mix. I've had two older ones in the past, now i spent some extra cash and got one of the Custom Shop covered versions. Some people want to change tubes and speakers..... out of the box this thig sounds incredible. I'm not changing a thing unless it lets go. The Custom Shop covering is Perfectly done. I got the camo and it looks better in person then on the website.

I play an 1987 Strat and a new Peavey HP Signature carved top through it. Singles or Humbuckers sounds great. Have to roll the Bass back for the Peavey. But a blues southern rock sound is so easy with this thing. Rivals amps twice the money or more. If your a working musician, you can't afford the "vintage" stuff. And you don't want to gig out with them much for reasons of damage.

Never had a problem with any of them. A freind of mine has had the same 1996 Classic 30 since new. He gigs out 3 to 5 nights a week and has never done a thing to it. Tube protectors or not, its all on how you take care of your stuff. Shouldn't be banging you amp around like an idiot. Glass tube Mc Fly!

Never had to deal with them. Anything I have had made by Peavey, and thats a ton, has NEVER let me down.

I've been playing for 20 years. I'm not the best but I can hold my own. I love this amp, and anyone who has ever plugged into says the same. If it were lost or stolen i'd have a breakdown. No, I'd go right down to my local Peavey dealer and buy another. Even if money were no object, I'm 100 percent sold on this amp. Best bang for your buck

This is a nineties model as I have had it since 98. The features have been thoroughly stated elsehwere. I play classic rock and blues which this amp suits quite well. As others have stated, one improvement may be separate eq for "each" channel but that is not that big of an issue.

I use sveral guitars mainly an American strat with Van Zandt pickups. I also use a Washburn with p90's. The amp works quite well for classic rock and blues (although I prefer my Delta Blues specifically for blues). I finally made some changes due to advice seen here in the reviews and have replaced the stock speaker with a Weber Blue Dog and replaced the tubes with JJ's. I feel that this has greatly improved the sound "quality". I would like to experiment with a 1x12 cab just to expand the sound and move a little more air. I have found the amp fairly versatile as you can use the footswitch to utilive both the clean and overdrive channels. Plus, I use an Ibanez tube screamer inbetween on its own with the clean or combined with the overdrive to get more "drive". Personally, I like the overdrive channel as it has a nice tone. I used to have a Marshall JCM 800 combo and I actually got rid of it in part because the Classic 30 had a more desirable tone (for me). I guess beauty is in the ears of the beholder.

I have had this amp now for 11+ years and have had no problems whatsoever. Please realize that I treat my gear very well (I have a 30 year old ovation that looks new other than the frets are worn down). Take care of stuff and it will take care of you.

I can't answer this because I've never had to use them.

I've been playing 33 years. I also own a Mex strat, Custom Carvin, Taylor 514, Larivee D05. As I stated earlier, I also have a Peavey Delta Blues (another great amp). If this amp were stolen I would be sick but I would look for another and set it up the same way.

OK, I'm the guy, aka dweeb, in the previous review who said the Classic 30 has EL34s. I meant EL84s. What's worse, I typed it several times and didn't catch it. It was late - what can I say? By the way, I gigged out with the Peavey - sans backup - last Friday night. Honestly, I think the distorted sound was one of the best I've ever had. BTW, I leave the boost button down at all times. I have some nice pedals, but its hard to beat hot tubes for a classic blues or rock sound. For cleans, well . . . nothing beats an older Twin Reverb, but the Peavey sounded pretty good. It sounds better on the clean channel if the boost is not engaged, but its too much trouble, so I just leave the boost on. Also, I found that if I use my reverb pedal, the amp reverb needs to be off, especially if I'm using the distortion channel. Otherwise, I get this awful feedback. So, I won't be using the amp's reverb unit again on stage.

Like I said, the distortion channel is great, but the boost button must be engaged for my taste. Otherwise, it sounds thin and artificial, like a cheap pedal. I played my Les Paul for most of the gig last Friday and I was smiling a lot. Sounded goooooood.

So far so good. Even though I say I didn't have a backup, I kept my Twin in my van - just in case. You never know with tube amps. I still have memories of a gig we did in Jackson, TN about 25 years ago using my Twin. My butt was to the audience most of the night 'cause I was busy trying to get the noise out of my amp. It was a burned out 6L6. Live and learn. Tubes are worth the effort, but there will be problems from time to time. Be prepared.

I will say that I'm enjoying the amp more and more as I use it. I especially like the fact that I can lug both it and a guitar at the same time. Try that with a Twin! Actually, I can still do it with my Twin, but my chiropractor will hear about it. In fact, she did - today. I used it on a gig Saturday. Should have used the Peavey, or carried the guitar separately, or USED THE DANG WHEELS! Yep, wheels are a good thing. Should use them more often. You gotta love Twins.

I think mine was built in the late 90s - I got it used a year back, so I can't say. The amp is very versatile and so is my band. I wouldn't own it otherwise. It has an effects loop and a distortion channel. Here's where the other reviewers have lost me - they say the distortion channel is useless. Monkey see, monkey do. I thought the same thing when I got mine until I actually tweaked around with it and found out what it can really do. I've mainly used this in my practice room and sometimes on a gig (but that's about to change). 30 watts is plenty of power because we mic everything anyway. After working with it I now feel I can use it on any gig with minimal effects - an echo, tremelo, chorus and wah. Keep reading.

I use Teles, Strats, and Les Pauls depending on my mood. I played in a large arena on Friday night up near Nashville and brought my '72 Fender Twin Reverb, my effects board and my guitars. Last night, I played at a small local club and brought my Twin and my Peavey Classic. I had purchased a two button foot switch off eBay for the Reverb and to switch between my clean and dirty channels. In playing around with this amp at home, I found that by engaging the boost button (to the far right) and turning the post to about 3 and the drive to about 6, I get a sweet creamy distortion I had previously thought was only possible with pedals. In fact, I've gone through a lot of pedals and never quite found this sound. Well, last night I found it. I played the first two sets with my trusty old Twin, then I plugged this baby up (sans effects pedal - just a foot switch) and just let 'er rip. And boy did it ever rip. My bass player and drummer couldn't believe it; it actually sounded better than my Twin. The clean channel with the boost button pushed had just a little dirt so that when I rolled the volume off, it sounded clean. We cover 'Runnin Down a Dream' by Tom Petty, so I used the distortion channel and fell in love with it. Next, we started pulling out some old ZZ Top and Zeppelin. It sounded fantabulous. Like I said, if you can't get a good sound out of this, you're doing something wrong, or you can't play and no amp in the world will fix that. Don't believe everything people post here. One guy apparently got pissed off at his incompetent amp tech and rated this at a 1. Peavey likely would have fixed his problem, but from what he posted, the retailer, not Peavey, dropped the ball. They never sent it back, so Peavey never got a chance.

Case in point: My bass player bought a pro-series 450w Ampeg head and it farted out on him, so he took it Yarbrough's Music here in Memphis and they jacked it up worse - then tried to charge him $200 for repairs. They had it 2 weeks and it didn't work PERIOD when he got it back, so now its at a REAL amp tech's shop. It's not Ampeg's fault. My point? Don't blame a manufacturer for an incompent dim-wit at a repair shop.

I bought a tube damper for my amp right from the git. I replaced the tubes and it hasn't failed once and isn't microphonic IN THE LEAST. Absolutely zero tube rattle. It was a simple fix and Peavey really should buy the patent from the guy who invented that tube damper and use it on every amp that leaves their plant. Since I've only had mine for a year and have just started gigging with it, I'll use a second party's experience to rate reliability. Steve Jones (not his real name) is a professional player here in Memphis and has supported himself making music for the past 30+ years. He has owned his Classic 30 and played live with it on every single gig for 15 years without any problems (He says he's working his way through poverty; actually, he's doing pretty good now). He knows good tone and can likely play rings around most of the players reviewing on this forum. This guy is that good. Anyway, he's the reason I bought mine. He carries it around in his trunk, the tweed is all tattered and torn, but it still sounds great. It is his ONLY amp. He said if it gave out on him tonight, it would have still paid for itself 100s of times over. And you guys who think the newer Fenders are the way to go - have at it. Unless you get a hand wired one, be ready for some down time. They're not 'point to point' wired anymore than I'm an astronaut. Steve has worked as a luthier in several music stores and will tell you that the Classic 30 is far more dependable; Fenders were constantly being returned for repairs, no Classic 30s. Like I said, that's why I own one and I feel it was a great pick.

I've owned other Peavey equipment and they seem committed to honoring their warranty. They usually sublet their repairs to 'qualified' techs in your area, but they don't personally oversee who that is. They let the retailer find their own techs, like most everyone else does. If you have problems with the work the tech does, call their 800# and let Peavey know about it before coming to a review forum with your soap box and negative attitude so you can downgrade something other people are raving about. Their guarantee is they will either repair OR REPLACE faulty products. I've called them about a problem with a powered mixer we use on small gigs and they were friendly and very helpful. The tech talked me through the 'repair' which was simple.

Another 10? Yep. Been playing for 45 years, 32 years semi-pro. I own a couple of hand built boutique amps, a heavily modded Fender Twin Reverb, and this Classic 30, plus a few nice guitars (as if that matters on an amp review). If it were lost or stolen I'd look for a used one on eBay or Craigslist, but I would definitely get another Classic 30. In fact, I'm watching for another one to come up on Craigslist right now. Its small and packs a big punch, looks cool, and sounds as good or better than amps costing several times more. The components are not the greatest, but they're on par with other amps using printed circuits. I'm really surprised Steve's amp has held up as well as it has, so maybe mine will too. As far as I'm concerned, it has everything I wanted in an amp and it will now be my go-to for future gigs. I always bring a back up because tube amps are notorious for frying tubes at the worst possible time, but you gotta love 'em for the tone. If this one ever goes on the blink, I'll have to see what repairs would cost, but I'd likely just buy another used one as reasonably as they're priced. I'll cross that bridge IF I get to it.

30 watt tube amp with 2 channels but only 1 eq for both channels. Has an effects loop. Comes stock with blue marvel 12 inch speaker.

I will have to admitt the amp sounds good. I play mostly single coil teles and strats but occasionaly run a les paul or prs thru it. It is a good amp for country, southern & classic rock, and blues. If you play anything heavier you will need a stompbox distortion. I am not a big fan of the blue marvel speakers I recomend changing them to your speaker of choice.

THIS IS A PROBLEM!!! I have an older model classic 30 and the biggest flaw of its constuction is there is NO protection for the tubes. The tubes are the most delicate part of the amp! They are made of glass for crying out loud! I do not feel comfortable transporting this amp to a gig for that very reason.

I contacted peavey to see if they made an after market guard for the tubes and it turns out that they do. However I tried numerous times to contact their parts department to order one and can get no response. Its bad enough that you have to order an aftermarket tube guard for a $600 amp but when they won't even return an email about purchasing one that sucks!!!!!!!

I have been playing almost 20 years. I own marshalls, mesas, egnaters, fenders, and peavey amps. Including a peavey classic 30 2x12 halfstack wich is constructed much better than the combo I'm reviewing. I love the sound and portability of the amp. 30 watts is plenty for any gig. If you need to be louder you need to be miked. However not having a guard for the tubes and the ****** customer service make this amp a liability to own.

You can read all the features from previous reviews. As it's been stated this is not "true 2 channel" but the technical reasons don't interest me. I personally think the shared EQ is a good thing! This is the first amp I've owned where I've been happy with the settings switching between the lead and clean channels. This is also the first amp I've played where both channels sound good. Usually one channel is vastly superior to the other.

I play blues, classic rock, etc. and this amp can cover it all (except metal) without pedals. After experimenting around a bit, I've added an OD-3 pedal to boost volume during solos.

The "boost" button is interesting, most players seem to hate it. For single coils it sounds ok to my ears, the main reason I don't use it is it's not accessible via foot pedal.

I've used this amp recently playing with a small group, and this amp has plenty of power. The other guitar player has a solid state head with a big 4X12 cabinet and my amp with the single speaker not only holds its own but could blow him away if I would turn the volume past 5.

Not a lot of bells and whistles, but I like things simple.

I use humbuckers mostly, though single coils sound good too. I think it's a rather bright amp, sometimes a little too harsh for me. I usually use an amp stand, but with this amp I can hear it fine with it flat on the floor.

The reverb was humming on me at higher settings. That was cured by moving the reverb pan just at little.

Someone already described the amp as a "one trick pony". I think that's accurate, but it's a good trick.

I don't think it's a good idea to ever gig without a backup, no matter what amp you use, particularly if you're getting paid. I think with tube amps it's even more important to have a spare.

I would say this is probably not an amp that would take a lot of abuse, but if you're responsible for carrying your own stuff (I dream of having a roadie someday!) you will more than likely take care when loading in the vehicle and carrying it in to play...

Can't really rate it since I've had it less than 6 months.

Not dealt with Peavey. Bought it from a music store. It was $50 cheaper than musiciansfriend.com. Will take it back there if I ever need it worked on.

OK, there are other tube amps that sound better, but they are also a lot more expensive. I compared this to other models before I tried it out in a store.

Main thing that I think reviews like this are helpful with are people's experiences. I appreciate the negative reviews too, I hope my positive experience with this amp will continue.

Trying an amp in a store is important, but you don't learn much about it until you play with others. In that environment, it hasn't failed me yet.

I am writing this review after have a bunch of Peavey Classics over the years. My main amp is a Peavey "Blues Classic" which is like a Classic 50 with a 15" cab. Great amp. I've had and sold a bunch of Classic 30s but just purchased another one this week to use as a 'grab and go' amp to replace my Crate V3112. Anyway, after many years a of playing the Classic 30, there seems be a few problems that myself and many others have had:

1. The OD Channel doesn't have a seperate eq and gets 'lost' in the mix. Solution: Buy a $28 Danelectro Fish 'n Chips and put it in the effects loop. Boost the mids and output level and now you will 'pop out' of the mix rather than lose volume. Best $28 you could ever spend. Do this BEFORE you swap speakers, tubes etc.

2. Tubes/Speakers - save money and try to get some vintage or NOS tubes. Unlike most of the retarded bubbleheads on the internet, I'm not blindly advising the "JJ/Vintage 30" swap. JJ preamp tubes are horrible at best and their EL84s are just average. Plus quality has gone waaay down as of late. To demonstrate the quality of JJs, well, my cat buries them in the litter box b/c he mistakes them for something else. I would recommend any number of vintage or NOS tubes... I am currently using a Tungsram in V1 (fantastic) an RFT in V2 (great 'crunch' tube) and a Sovtek LPS or Tungsol RI in V3. With power tubes I would just go with regular stock Sovtek EL84s or better yet, get some older Russian EL84M 'military' power tubes also known as 6p14-EB. They are similar to regular EL84s but can take a beating and rattle much less. If you want to spend big bucks on a quad of El84s, go for some NOS Tungsrams (IF you can find them.... good luck).

And please don't put a "Vintage 30" speaker in this amp. I put Vintage 30 in quotes b/c the current made Chinese Celestions are nothing like a real older Vintage 30. But either way, they are a horrible match for this amp. Break in the stock speaker first. If you absolutely hate it, spend your money on an 112 extension cab. If you MUST change the speaker, about the best you can get for the Classic 30 is a Weber Blue Dog or an Eminence Cannabis Rex. But breaking in the stock speaker and then invested in an extra 112 cab will be money better spent.

3. Replace the Output Transformer. I replaced the output transformer on my Peavey Blues Classic with a Mercury Magnetics unit and the difference is amazing. Expensive, but money well spent. I can only imagine that replacing the OT on a Classic 30 woud bring about the same improvement in tone. This last option is only for hard-core tone freaks 'cause it's expensive and you can get most of the way there by just using the $28 Fish 'n Chips and putting some REAL tubes in there. (Not JJs). I challange anyone to prove me wrong.

I got mine used, so I can only guess from what the previous owner told me that its about 5 years old. I've had it for a year. The tone of this amp is its selling point - clear and articulate. I can generally tweak around with any amp and get a tone that I can use, but with this one its very easy and it sounds good on a lot of different settings. It could be used strictly for rock, or country, R&B, blues and even jazz. I play all those styles to some degree (still can't quite get the hang of jazz even though I took lessons a few years back.)It has plenty of power - I have amps with a lot more power, but even this one is too loud for most venues if I really crank it. I mic it anyway, so volume isn't an issue. The amp has everything I want in an amp - dual channels, reverb, remote reverb switch and channel switching with a footswitch, an effects loop, and 3 band eq. Great little package.

I use Gibsons primarily, but I've also played my Tele through this a lot and it has such a sweet tone through those EL34s. As much as I like Les Pauls and SGs, I think this amp is better matched to my Telecaster. The amp is surprisingly quiet. I turned it on tonight, went to the kitchen and came back and forgot I had it on until I picked up my guitar and unplugged it - AROOOMPH! Yep, it was on all right. I usually get at least a slight hum. Is that the norm for these things? I've only played through one other but I didn't pay attention to how it sounded when the guitar wasn't actually being played.

So far so good. I replaced the tubes right away when I got it because one of the EL34s was microphonic. I put Ruby EL34s in it and EH 12AX7s in the pre. I play it all the time around the house and have used it a few times on gigs. My friend Steve has one that he's used for about 15 years on every single gig (about 5 nights a week in Memphis plus Las Vegas tours on occasion) and its never been to the shop. If it quit on him tonight, he would feel he definitely got his money's worth. I'm sure he would get another Classic 30 instead of blowing his money on a boutique amp. I've read on this review that some people haven't had the same experience as Steve, but I think a lot of it has to do with how you treat it and being able to differentiate between an amp problem and a tube problem. Then again, not all Peavey 30s are created equally. Any amp can have a bad component or two that makes the whole thing sound bad. Anyway, in my case it has been dependable and hopefully it will stay that way.

I think with any company, customer support in the eye of the beholder is only going to be as good as the person you speak with. Some people don't like their job, they don't care if your amp doesn't work don't want to do anything about it. The only time I called Peavey was concerning a PA head and the guy was helpful. Otherwise, I've never had a problem with Peavey gear.

I've played for about 45 years and have owned a plethora of amps and guitars. Overall, I've personally been very satisfied with the Classic 30 and would recommend it to any musician looking for a great tone without shelling out a lot of dough. The amp looks cool, sounds great, and is easy to carry around. I wish it had a birch plywood cab instead of the particle board, but I can deal with it.

I've got two of these, I'm guessing they're around ten years old. They are the older style, with the silly-looking Peavey logo removed. Most people assume they're old Fender amps when they see them. You know the features by now, nothing fancy. The boost button is useless, don't push it. I have no problem with the shared three-way EQ between the two channels, sounds great to me on both. I use the FX loop, very nice. These things are easy to tote, plenty loud, and after upgrading tubes and speakers, have tone, tone, tone. The only thing missing is a standby switch, but it's no biggie. I point a small fan at the back to keep the amp cool. Depending on the gig, I'll use one or both of the amps, sometimes one with an extension cab, just depends. They work great for laid back jazz gigs, rock shows, everything in between. I use them a lot on worship gigs where it's a very critical environment. I probably spend too much time listening to the playbacks, but then again, they sound great.

I mainly use a very old Strat, sometimes an old Les Paul custom, sometimes lap steels. On the clean channel, the Les Paul sounds nice and round with great sustain on chords. Works great for jazz gigs. You can get a very nice R&B tone with the Strat, very well-balanced with a fat bottom and bell-like top end. I just like the way these things sound. Unless it's a really load gig, the Ampegs and the Boogie stay home. To me, where they got things right with this amp is the way both the clean channel and the lead channel sound. Warm and sparkly clean, that "Mississippi Marshall" tone on the lead channel. Both very natural. When you crank up the clean channel, the grit starts a-comin'. I've set both amps up the same way, JJ tubes all around and Celestion Vintage 30's. It's just the ideal match. I generally use SM57s for mics, a little off-axis from center, but I've also had good results with Sennheisers. Reality check time - this is a small amp, so it's not going to sound like a Marshall stack. It doesn't have the transformers of a Matchless DC-30. Does it record well? You bet. Is it loud enough for most club gigs? Absolutely. Can you play anywhere with this amp when you mic it? It's up to the sound engineer. Very easy to get my sound, pretty much plug and play, with an old MXR Dyna Comp and a Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive before the input. This gives me plenty of tonal options. I'll use the Sparkle Drive set fairly clean to fatten up clean solos, and to drive the lead channel over the crest. In the FX loop, I generally run a Rocktron Xpression followed by a Rocktron Intelliflex, so I've got any effect I want covered, in stereo when I want it. Too cool for words. I use an expression pedal with the Rocktron Xpression, so I can add post-distortion eq for the lead channel. The basic tone of the lead channel is ripe for the picking -I just add some midrange in the FX loop after the distortion for solos to fatten up the sound. The Rocktron HUSH noise reduction is outstanding, so it's dead quiet for the worship gigs. It just works for what it is that I do.

One of the amps has never failed on me, the other one has had a couple of issues, both my fault. I found out the hard way that if one of the top handle screws comes loose, the nut can fall into the circuit below, cause a short, and you'll have to replace an internal fuse on the gig. No fun. The other time - you'll like this one. I'm pushing a hand truck with the amp on it for the long trip from the parking area to the gig at Opryland Hotel in a driving rainstorm. I hit a bump, the amp falls in a muddy puddle. I get inside, turn it on, and it sounds like an outboard motor. I turn it on its side, and dries out just in time for the show and has worked great ever since. That was three years ago. These things are American-made and tough as nails. Oh - one thing you must do. Buy and install one of the commercially available rear tube guards!

Never dealt with Peavey customer support, never had to.

I've been playing for 35+ years, so I'm pretty picky about sounds, and I like gear that's easy to move. I've had these amps for a while, not planning on parting with them. Is there better gear available? Sure. Is it more expensive? Very much so. For tone/price/performance/reliability/weight, you really can't go wrong with the Classic 30. For that, it gets a 10 in my book.

Tube Amp from 2004. A "not really"2-channel.Reverb.Nice Outfit.Tone controls work for both settings.12" speaker.Footswitch for channel and reverb.

I work with Fenders and Gibsons and all kinds of pickups with a
favour for P90s.The amp responds some kind of "couloring".Clean is NOT
Fenderclean.Okay its a Peavey.Crunch is good. Too much gain causes
problems.Played several gigs and the amp is powerfull enough for that.
For bedroom rehearsal strongly not recommended.All in all i'd like to
say, good for Rock and Blues, less good for Country as there ain't no
really clean, nothing for Metal.

I'm a lucky guy to have several warhorses from obvious brand,and so
must not rely totally on this one.Better is that.My experience is a
letdown.Crap tubesockets and a terrible serviceable U-form printed circuit are the main suspects.I know now why these go new from the
dealer at about 700 and within 2 years you find many of them used at about 300 and less.I can service a tube amp but I'm not in soldering
I'm in playing.Besides my amps go only where I would go sleeping,I'm
an "tubeamphugger".This beast eats tubes like I drink beer, cheap ones
and expensive ones alike.Noises,blackouts all things you don't need.

Never dealt with them. Amp was used when I bout em.

Been playing about 30 years now,my other gear is not matter of this.
Yeah he got lost,I sold him. I can only hope that guy don't hunts me
with his axe. I will never buy one again. Have you ever looked into the eyes of a servicetechnican when you brought that one in and saw
how he wants to leave the room "PRONTO"?
May all you others be lucky with em,I'm glad mines gone!