Peavey Bravo 112

Two input tube amp made in late 80s. Awesome distortion, clean gets dirtier as you turn it up. I play 80s-90s metal for the most part. I run a boss gt-6 to a peavey eq-27 then to a peavey ngt2 noise gate then to the bravo. (Which I removed from the cabinet built my own rack and put power, the eq, the noise gate and then the bravo unit on top and run that through a 80s peavey 4x12 tuxedo cab, awesome setup) Has a clean and dirty channel. I switch to my Marshall 80/80 for anything clean. Its a tube so you can hang with any drummers

I play a Jackson with emgs and an epiphone sg-400 primarily both sound great. Ive only been playing about two years owned all solid state so far (fender, marshall, line 6) and this is the first amp Ive heard a significant change when hitting that pickup switch on the guitar esp. with distortion). Its definately great for any distortion but you cant turn it up past 3 on the clean channel without any distortion. It has a fan so you have to deal with that (not bad at all though)

Ive got a bunch of Peavey equip all 80s-90s Im not an amp tech but I fix what I have to. All their equip is USA made. Some of the stuff had scratchy pots but other then that not bad for all being over 15 years old. I have no experience with new Peavey stuff but Ill always grab up the older stuff

Havent dealt with them yet

The only tube amp Ive ever owned. For $100 this definately hangs with the kranks and stuff for $1000. If I ever get a chance to buy another Id jump on it. Im poor with a wife and two kids I cant afford a $1000 tube amp Please help Rock ON!!!!!

somewhat somehow HC refuse to let me write review. so here goes-----..
this is my second bravo. a 1990 grey tolexed bravo 112 with all original including tubes.

wasnt cheap like the previous black iv bought but was worth it.

as usually, i changed the tubes to JJs, did my footswitch mod and put in a standby switch.
ok, it wasnt me but it was there that the previous owner installed and that got the original tubes when he bought the amp 2 years ago.
so basically, he had the amp stock and changed the tubes and added the standby switch.

i also changed the original reverb tank as the tank was caput, gave too low signal, changed to a laney VC-30 tank. it was better effect. also shielded the tank with aluminuim foil underneath and pack it with a black bag and screwed it down.

comparing to the balck amp i got for like 2-3 years ago (cant remember) is that my black amp is somewhat brighter clearer more hifi sounding and not as dark and bassy as this grey one.

why? its coz iv changed all big/small electrolitic caps on the black amp along with the choke resistor. the choke is the wirewound 390 ohm 5 watt. in other words, its the huge resistor in the bravo if anyone cares.

this changed the overall tone of the amp WITHOUT changing the behavior and character of it. both the grey and black has some familiarities its just the black is somewhat clearer now.
the new caps needs burning up and so im burning the amp 24 hours now while writing the review. its out of its cabinet and idling with a load box. dont worry of this process. the amp wont fail. as long as the chassis is out of the box for full aircon. the PT is not even that hot.

i even have a workaround for having a bias adjusment mod on this amp but im not sharing it yet. basically, it ables you to use EH power tubes in the amp without redplate. i dont know why its always like this on EH tubes as i have no problems with sovteks or JJs. meaning, EH tubes takes more current bias that the other tubes and suggesting modding the amp for bias to cool down the circuit if using cheap EH tubes.

tip: if the amp has 365dcv or more on the b+ then you know that your amp is alright. if ever you see the amp has 360dcv in the b+ like you would on EH tubes then you`ll see red plate. more B+ less bias. less b+ more bias. making it hot biased.

this is my second bravo. a 1990 grey tolexed bravo 112 with all original including tubes.

wasnt cheap like the previous black iv bought but was worth it.

as usually, i changed the tubes to JJs, did my footswitch mod and put in a standby switch.
ok, it wasnt me but it was there that the previous owner installed and that got the original tubes when he bought the amp 2 years ago.
so basically, he had the amp stock and changed the tubes and added the standby switch.

i also changed the original reverb tank as the tank was caput, gave too low signal, changed to a laney VC-30 tank. it was better effect. also shielded the tank with aluminuim foil underneath and pack it with a black bag and screwed it down.

comparing to the balck amp i got for like 2-3 years ago (cant remember) is that my black amp is somewhat brighter clearer more hifi sounding and not as dark and bassy as this grey one.

why? its coz iv changed all big/small electrolitic caps on the black amp along with the choke resistor. the choke is the wirewound 390 ohm 5 watt. in other words, its the huge resistor in the bravo if anyone cares.

this changed the overall tone of the amp WITHOUT changing the behavior and character of it. both the grey and black has some familiarities its just the black is somewhat clearer now.
the new caps needs burning up and so im burning the amp 24 hours now while writing the review. its out of its cabinet and idling with a load box. dont worry of this process. the amp wont fail. as long as the chassis is out of the box for full aircon. the PT is not even that hot.

i even have a workaround for having a bias adjusment mod on this amp but im not sharing it yet. basically, it ables you to use EH power tubes in the amp without redplate. i dont know why its always like this on EH tubes as i have no problems with sovteks or JJs. meaning, EH tubes takes more current bias that the other tubes and suggesting modding the amp for bias to cool down the circuit if using cheap EH tubes.

tip: if the amp has 365dcv or more on the b+ then you know that your amp is alright. if ever you see the amp has 360dcv in the b+ like you would on EH tubes then you`ll see red plate. more B+ less bias. less b+ more bias. making it hot biased.

I purchased this amp new back in 1993 for around $450.00 CAD from Steve's Music in Ottawa.
Many prior reviews have listed it's features; two channels, clean and ultra gain, reverb, external speaker, line I/O, remote footswitch etc.

I used to own an American Deluxe Strat w/ Gold Lace Sensors that I used with this amp. Now I have Epiphone Elitists Les Pauls w/ USA humbuckers. The amp has more than enough distortion for anyone I think. The clean channel is noce but starts to sustain after about 5. The amp itself is quite quiet even when distorted.

the only probalem I had with it was the old non-selaed 450WVDC 40UDF EL caps. They actually broke down and leaked and had to be replaced (after over 12 years) which is to be expected.
All Tubes were replaced this year for approx. $85.00 CAD

Peavey was great supplying me with a schematic so I could troubleshoot the amp when I had the filter issue. I also got replacement caps from them for a reasonable price.

I've been playing on & off for over 30 years now. I think when this goes I'd consider another type on amplifier if only to try something different. I've owned open backed combos all my life but really like sealed back cabs for their tighter low end. It's just not easy to get something that isn't huge to lug around. This is a good amp, I've owned a Fender Twin, Fender Vibrolux, Traynor 100W 2x12, Music Man RD50, Traynor DG15r & Univox and this rate up there. I seriously can't believe how cheap some people are selling these! In my oopinion it's worth what I paid for it still and I'd rather keep it than give it away for 200 -300 dollars.

Two input channels (who CARES if an amp has two "real" input channels or not? If it walks like a duck...) for clean and distorted. All tube (except rectifier, and SS rect. amps pass for all tube all the time, so again, get over it.) Effects loop, ext. speaker jack, 2-button footswitch (using a simple switch circuit, instead of that demonic, propriatary crap Fender uses on re-issue amps, forcing you to buy a replacement from them only). Each channel has it's own EQ, presumably optimized for that channel. Even a cooling fan!

With HI and LO impedence inputs, both SC and HB pups sound good with this amp. EL84 power tubes give it a darn good Marshall tone, although the "clean" channel is not as clean as I would expect it to be (guess I have gotten spoiled by vintage Fender clean tone.) This particular amp has too much hum- almost certainly due to caps needing to be replaced. Distortion can go from just barely on the right side of what you would want for blues to almost enough to please the heavy metal kiddies, so I would say it spans the useful range. It is nice to have an EL-84-equipped amp in my arsenal.

This one is about 20 years old and has no issues other than the maintenance-related cap thing mentioned above. With reasonable care, it should last another 20 years. Or 40. Or 100.

Peavey is EXCELLENT at customer support. Want a schematic? Call or email, they email you it, free. I even got excellent support on Christmas eve morning, although I could tell the young woman in parts would have rather been home (I commiserated with her.) On a recent AMTRAK trip from New Orleans to Atlanta, I almost got off the train in Meridian, Mississippi and asked for a tour of their facilities- but as the next train wasn't coming thru for 24 hours, I decided I didn't really want to extend the visit overnight. I am usually conservative about my ratings, but here, a 10.

Except for the RhinoLiner-like covering and lost-in-the-80's grill, a well designed cab, with the speaker angled up slightly for improved sound and easy to use controls.

If lost or stolen, I would consider another Bravo112, but the best thing this amp has done for me is introduce me to EL84 tone, so it's replacement might be someone else's EL84-equipped amp.

The Bravo112's only failing is a clean channel that is not really clean- if it had that, it would be the near-perfect EL84 12-watt amp. These things sit, forlorn and ignored, on pawn shop shelves, passed over as "just another Peavey SS amp" when in fact they hide a near-ideal complement of 3 12AX7's and 2 EL-84's. Great values and very good amps.

Oh, this one's actually for sale- got my eye on a Matchless with (you guessed it, EL-84's) and need to raise some some money.

My unit is from early 90's. I payed 220 euros = 330 dollars for it. Only disadvantage in this amp for my use is lack of headphone-jack, but it is no big deal. Plus for the effects loop. Very versatile amp. As said in earlier reviews, this is real tube-thing and EL84:s bring it voice that pleases me. I changed the first pre-amp tube to Electro Harmonix 12AT7 to get rid of the sharpness I disliked.

I play it with Fender strat '62 re-issue (CIJ) with gold lace sensors. I use mainly the cleans and I think only change I would do to amp is to change the speaker for example to Celestion Blue speaker (this is why 8). As I said earlier the Bravo can provide variety of sounds from slight distortion to heavy stuff. Great. Works fine with my pedal & effects (Alesis Q2 & Emma Transmorgifier).

It had original tubes in it when I bought it except for one tube so pretty reliable it seems. Nice thing in this amp is the auto bias circuit so it is easy to for example test different tubes.

My amp's reverb broke down and it turned out that this operational amplifier 4558, that drives the spring reverb was broken. I didn't have spare of this kind and I tried LM833 which is footprint compatible. It worked well and now reverb works. This chip is very easy to replace, because it is connected to board with socket.

I asked for Peavey to send me schematics for the amp and they send it at same day. Great service for over decade old product.

Great amp for the price I paid for it. Usually in Finland you have to pay ~500 euros for any 1x12" tube combo. Nothing to complain about it. If you are not able to repair these things by yourself, maybe it isn't your choice.

This little 25 watt two channel monster is powered by two EL84 power tubes and three 12AX7 pre-amp tubes. A small fan inside the pre-amp keeps this beast nice and cool. On the back it offers a Remote Switch Input, Effects loop send and recieve, 4 ohm output, and 8 ohm output.

On the front it has two input jacks, High Gain and low gain. Channel one (Clean Gain) Has a Bright switch (I find this useful)and a three band EQ. Channel two (ULtra Gain) has a push pull gain knob and it's own 3 band EQ. Importantly each channel, Clean Gain and Ultra Gain have thier own volume control. This amp also has a master Spring Reverb control.

In my opion this amp has all the features that most high end amps have, Marshal, Mesa, Randall Etc, Etc. And in some cases more. The only feature I wish this amp had was either a contour and or a presence control. Not that its in desperate need of one, I'm just spoiled buy my past Mesa's. Though I'm sure I could have the Reverb pot modded if I wish. I don't use reverb anyway.

A friend of mine has a DSL Marshal and when played together these two sound vary similar. The only difference being that my friend has to use a TS808 Tube Screamer to warm his tone up a bit. I would never dream of adding a Tube Screamer in front of this amp to add Distortion or warmth. This amp just does not need any help. So when speaking of tone think Marshal tone with a Tube Screamer crushing the front end and you have a Peavey Bravo.

The only draw back to this amp is the speaker. It is horrible in my opion. To get true tone out of this amp you have to either replace the speaker or run it through a cab. I run mine through a 4x12 cab and it made a 100% improvement on the tone. You'll read this a lot in the following reviews. Truth be told I'm tossing the combo and building a head shell for the Pre amp.

The only problem I've had with this amp is the effects loop. The amp would lose all volume and go whisper quite. I had a brand new Mesa Express do the same thing at one time. Just like the Mesa I put a patch cord in the effects loop and it took care of the problem. Maybe some day I will get it fixed.

I can't believe owners of this amp are parting with it so cheap. They are crazy. Just the power section alone in these amps are worth double if not triple what people are asking for these amps. Randall makes a 20 watt head called the RM20 that is powered by two EL84 tubes. They are asking for $700 dollars for this head. It is just the power section, it comes with no pre-amp, you have to buy that for $200 dollars. And the RM20 is only one channel. The Orange Tiny terror uses the same power section as the bravo. $600 dollars. Krank just released a low watt head for $1000+. Even if your not fond of the Bravo's pre amp section you can slave another pre amp through the Bravo's power section and get great low wattage tube tone. 20 watt tube tone is growing rare and hard to get.

you all know the features from previous posts

for a small tube combo, hell for a small combo period, it has a huge sound. if it were 25 more watts id use this amp period. i love the sound, its a shame it wont keep up at practice. oh and mine is the most silent tube amp ive ever had, no hiss no hum no feedback(yes ive played through it turned on)

dont know yet only been a week. but its usa made so im hopeful.

if it died of what would seem to be due to its age, id buy another one. it sounds freekin sweet. if it died after a serious of nerve racking failures id throw it out the window and never think twice about it, but then id do that with anything that gives me problems like that. i just simply dont have the time to mess with crap like that.

ok heres an update that i made for this baby.

i recentley jumped from the old tubes (EH el84 and svetlana preamps.) with the high gain kit from BOB at eurotube.com. now im not trying to sell here but this is jus an EXPERIENCE:

MERCY. it does have that extra gain bob describe. i dont even have to engage the ultra channel to get taht crunch rather than the dull sound of the normal drive channel using the previous tubes:P:P


also... the elderly man just below me, i respect u fully with ur reviews but id like to correct u.

WE DONT REVIEW HERE AT HC TO SELL STUFF ON EBAY. just simply exprience. also ur right about that hum. mine has it aswell on the ultra channel but if i place the amp head (yes head coz i chop the bravo in half) away like a metre or so using a long sturdy speaker cable, ull notice that hum or buzz is out. i think thats the trannies fault or could be the tubes ur working with. tubes i say coz that hum taht i have right now wast there with the previous tubes i hade b4 the JJ.

other tahn that, teh amp is completely stock except for one lil mod i did. was to amek teh ultra channel switchable on the footswitch over the reverb switch:P:P nice HUH!?!

Everyone has documented the features already. Roughly 20 watt, 1x12 tube combo (El-84's), reverb.

Up top in the directions it says to "be critical". I wish more people would be. Here is what I see. We all know that HC is used at times by people who are about to sell their item on Ebay. They write glowing reviews and then list. Happens all the time. I believe the recent spike in the price of these amps on Ebay might be the result of some of the reviews below and a sudden increase in these amps on Ebay.

I've owned two of these. I've tried everything to get the low-wattage tones I expected to find based on the reviews below: JJ's, Webers, Eminence, 2x12 cabs, 4x12 cabs. They've been gone over by a very experienced tech here in Houston. The amps are working properly. They just don't sound that great. One of them has an annoying buzz that seems to be coming from the chassis and is amplified by certain frequencies. Neither me or the tech can figure it out. (I had the same problem with a Peavey Special 130 back in the 80's). The clean/reverb channel can't compare to Fender, the drive channel can't compare to alot of better amps, the "ultra-gain" is harsh and grainy. Let's be honest: Peavey is a big company. It's made alot of gear. Their prices are fantastic. But if their stuff "really" sounded great wouldn't you read about the different models guitarists were using in Guitar Player interviews? You never do, except for the 5150's. And it's not just because the name Peavey doesn't have the elegance of Marshall. Tone would rule over any goofy name.
When these amps were sub-$200 they were a good deal for an average bedroom practice amp. Now, as they go above $250 plus shipping.....forget it. I'll give it a 7 for never breaking down.

Has held up without repair bills, but looking for the buzz cost me a bit extra.

Haven't dealt with them.

Been seriously playing 35 years. Owned lots of amps and guitars. If I could get the '54 Strat back I would. If I could get the Firebird back I would. The Bravos won't be staying around. Sorry to rain on everyones' parade, but I'm tired of this. Alot of Bravos have been turning up on Ebay over the last few months and I want people to know that there just might be some manipulating going on. If you can get one for $175----go for it. But $250-$300 plus $60-$70 shipping!! Please.

I'm not reviewing the whole amp & all features here. Just documenting a speaker upgrade. My Bravo original speaker was an Eminence as follows:

one set of #'s on the magnet: 70777104
Another set of #'s on the magnet: 12925 8 Ohms
Below that, also on magnet: 67-94320505 63

#'s printed on Cone: 1257-1

I replaced that with a vintage Celestion G12L-35 8 Ohm speaker, made in England.

This amp gets some really fantastic harmonic overtones in the drive channel, especially with the boost knob pulled out. With the Celestion G12L-35 installed, the clean channel now has much more bass, which totally surprised me because the magnet on the Celestion looks like less than half the size of the original Eminence magnet. I may try other speakers in the future but I had this just laying around and for now I'm quite pleased with it.

If you find one cheap - steal it!
I got mine for $100, which I believe was a really good deal. I brought my Ibanez S470 to test it out. When I pulled the gain boost knob out, the guy selling it was in the other room. When he heard it I saw him walk in with his jaw dropping. I quickly stopped playing and discretely pushed that knob back in while he complimented me on the awesome sound of "those ibanez guitars." I don't think the poor guy ever knew about the tone boost swtich and probably never engaged it during his ownership. He couldn't stop talking about how good that Ibanez guitar sounded through the amp and that he had to get one. I switched back to the clean channel and made some remark about how dull it sounded and asked if he'd take $75 for it. Too bad, price was firm at $100. I got out of there quick, Thanks - What a steal!!!

After reading reviews I bought this off ebay for $70 it must have been stored in someones shed or something because it was covered in dust & cobwebs, the grill was ripped but the electrics were fine - dont think it had been used for quite some time.

2 channel - clean & gain with a pull switch on gain for ULTRA Gain. Reverb, 20watts & purchase the footswitch from http://www.thomann.de

When I got the amp it had stock peavey tubes in it. After reading a few reviews I decided to replace these as the sound was pretty uncontrollable & thick fuzz. I opted for watford valves:

3x ECC83/12AX7A-C T.A.D CRYO
http://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=1491

2x EL84 Vintage Harma Cryo http://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=1389

I also replaced the speaker & grill
CELESTION 8-ohm Vintage 30

For a bedroom amp it's great. The clean is crystal plus the bright switch gives some extra versatility. The distortion is awsome - you can get a nice warm overdrive through to anything from a Metallica/Pantera rip. You'll need to play around with the settings but you really can get anything out of this thing with no added pedals - amazing! Noise is no issue

Never had an issue - been around for 15 years in a shed, as it's lasted this long I can see it lasting another 15!

Never had a need

I've been playing 10 years. This amp is highly recommended, it's fantastic for anyone who wants clean through to ripping metal with no additional footswitches. It's ugly as hell but it sounds great overall, and it's built like a tank.

Reverb isn't doing it, need digital

Excellent with right tubes and better speaker; currently a ported Eminence 2510 with a ribbon tweeter; truthful from 60Hz-15k its AMAZING!

As an update from my previous post this amp is 16 WATTS! EL84s put out 8watts each MAX x 2 = 16 WATTS

4 EL84 don't even put out 40 watts!

Peavey...built like tank

NA

Mine's a 1990 vintage, purchased of Ebay for $US289. power is 22 or 25 watts, this seems to vary between reviews. Typical 2-channel setup, clean and drive channels. The addition of a pull switch for more drive on the drive channel is an extra feature- bur not one I would use often as it gives more gain than you could ever really need, except for that one Pantera cover song. I use this as a jamming amp, it holds its own against a second guitarist, bass and drums. It does the basics very well - decent sound shaping with some basic tone controls, post and pre-gain. It has an effects loop input and an output for an extension speaker.

One thing that got me on this amp is the fantastic clean channel - it's superb. Drive channel is very 'Amaerican Metal' ie in your face overdriven hard rock fuzz. This can be tamed a bit by tube selection, but if overdone can be pretty fuzzy. Reverb is decent but don't go over 5-6, after that it doesn't sound right. When cranked on clean channel with a good humbucker equipped guitar this baby really comes into its own. I find that minimal pedals are required with this amp - let the tubes do the talking.

When I got the amp it had been road freighted to me, and an existing dry solder joint had cracked during travel. Otherwise it seems to be a fairly robust little amp, well put together from the bottom up. Otherwise I've never had a problem with it.

I contacted Peavey customer service for a schematic and a build date from the serial number - they came back to me within 24 hours. Otherwise I would take the amp to a local service tech for repairs, there's nothing too exotic about this amp that a decent tech couldn't fix.

I've been playing all kinds of gear for the last 20 years - this wouold have to be one of my better amp choices. If it went missing I suppose I might search for another one, failing that I'd probably revert to my Laney LC30.

features listed in every other review,,

ok,IVE HAVE JUST ABOUT EVERY TUBE AMP UNDER THE SUN,IM NOT GOING THRU THE LIST,I JUST FELT THE NEED TO GIVE A HONEST REVIEW OF THIS AMP,PULLED OUT OF A PAWN SHOP WITH SPIDER WEBS ECT,,NO KIDDING,$80.I HAVE A BUNCH OF EQUIPMENT LYING AROUND I EXPERAMENT ALOT,HERES WHAT I FOUND,,REPLACE THE SPEAKER WITH A EMINENCE GOVERNOR OR V-30.NEXT,REPLACE ALL TUBES WITH JJs,YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPOINTED.I WOULD COMPARE THE BRAVO TO A DSL401,BUT BETTER,IKNOW ITS ONLY 25WATTS BUT ITS SO CLOSE IN SOUND LEVELS,AND IT HAS A TIGHTER BOTTOM BUT NOT QUITE AS MUCH MID GIRTH,,IF YOU WANT A GOOD DISCRIPTION OF THE DISTORTION AND TONE WATCH THE G3 LIVE IN DENVER,CHECK OUT SATCHES TONE ON SATCH BOOGIE,THATS FOR THE DISTORTION SIDE OF THINGS,THE CLEAN IS REALLY REALLY GOOD MUCH BETTER THAN THE MARSHALL,BOTTOM LINE IS IF YOUR GOING TO USE THIS AMP LIVE IN A HARD HITTING ROCK STYLE YOU WILL NEED A EXTENTION CAB OR YOU WILL HAVE TO MIKE AND YOUR FINE,SAME GOES FOR THE DSL401,IF YOUR NOT IN A LOUD ROCK BAND,THIS AMP IS PERFECT FOR ANYTHING,A SWAP OUT WITH OTHER TUBES AND OPTIONS ARE ENDLESS,YES IVE OWNED DSL-TSL,SOLDANO LA TE DA,THE REVERB IS AWSOME ITS NOT FENDER BUT ITS AWSOME,COMPARED TO ALL THE LOW WATTAGE AMPS ON THE MARKET TODAY,ORANGE TINY-ASTROVERB.AND SO ON,,BOTTOME LINE IS THIS AMP WAS AHEAD OF ITS TIME,BRAVO PEAVEY

ITS A PEAVEY.ILL GIVE IT TO MY GRAND KIDS,,,,AND THEY WILL GIVE IT TO THIERS,,,,

FOR WHAT

9.I HAVENT FOUND A 10

Its an old amp, stored in a barn (?) and full of dust/hay and making no sound so I bought it for $50, since its a Peavey and the never die.. I just want gain without a pedal, not Nu Sh*t tone either..

Has clean channel I don't need and reverb screams if set above "5" but a digital is cheap and an echo sound nice. Not a true dual channel, simply drops another gain stage in for "lead" like most amps.
Haven't used loops, just got it alive. It was the 30c heater fuse for the EL84s and the driving 12AX7.. now it rocks! Plenty of power even with the limp speaker (a necessary upgrade if you plan to "gig" or tour with GNR) Its a killer tube amp with a few caveats (below

Sounds needed tweaking; the stock tubes had decent sound but the "ultra" setting with the pre gain pulled out killed the tone. With the limp speaker (and low volume levels...I have neighbors..) made the tone die. I pulled the Peavey branded 12AX7s and dropped in:
Sylvania V1-JAN 12AX7WA, V2-Amperex 12ax7A, V3-GE 12AX7WA that I bought from an old geezer at a HAM shop years ago. Nirvana..
Even the clean channel sounds great and I hate clean!
I haven't even pulled the "ultra" gain and its liquid, breathing rumbling in its tone.

I run a heavily modded 1982 Carvin DC150 which I bought new, it has Sperzel Tuners, Graphtech nut, SS frets, modded Kahler Hybrid 7300 with the SS rollers and only a bridge Carvin M22SD.
Its well sheilded and quiet until it isn't.

Reverb still screams, and the speaker need replacing.

It did break...fixed easy though and still lives. Historically Peavey is a solid "10"

NA

Cheap + great with right tubes = 8

1991 vintage. 2 channel, separate eq(passive on clean, active on ultra), reverb, 20watts of el84 godliness, $220 out the door in '91.

found the old fender 666 rule applies to the clean channel-volume @ 6,bass @ 6, mid @ 3, treb @ 2, bright switch on. Works every time, just turn your axe volume up or down for the crunch you want. Ultra channel's gain can be insane, but found the solution- removed the reverb side of the footswitch and rewired to serve the pull-gain switch. Basically it makes two channels out of the Ultra. Wanna realy liven 'er up? Get an old (mine's from the '70's) Samsonite suitcase, gut it and cut out the amp sized face. Stick a celestion G12-70in it, and go melt some faces.

It's 17 years old, and survived all my surgeries, including nuking the feedback line. Built in the Peavey trad of being a brick.

They are great. Emailed me schematics, ect. Amp never broke, soooo.

Had the Fenders, ect. they're cool, but I'm sorry they are no match for this oft overlooked little tone monster. I could rave but what's the use you either get it or you don't. With the mods I did, this amp will smoke most that cost 3X the price. $220+75 for the speaker and $5 for the suitcase=$300, now find me a sexier, better sounding 3 channel amp. Wanna sell one, contact me.

Everyone's covered this well???2 channels, separate high and low gain guitar inputs, bright switch, controllable reverb level, separate volume and tone controls/EQ for each channel (reverb and channel selection can be switched with optional pedal), ultra drive pull switch on preamp volume for dirty channel, effects loop, external (aux) speaker jack. Bypass switch would have been handy, no big deal not to have one.

The Bravo was one of many "PAG" (paralell axis geometry) tube amps produced by Peavey with the tubes contained in the amp chassis housing lying prone rather than hanging down externally from the housing behind the speaker as in more conventional tube amps. This was supposed to diminish vibration directly affecting the tubes, and unwanted tube "howling" due to microphonic tube response to speaker vibration. Tubes in Peavey's PAG amps are firmly mounted between the base and foam padding at their tops. I suppose the confinement necessitated fan cooling for the tubes, and the muted fan noise is sometimes apparent to friends when the band takes a break.

The little box is pretty heavy, presumably because the cabinet is 3/4" particle board, but I'm reluctant to build a new wood or plywood cab, since I'm unsure whether the sound would be changed for the worse. It may be best to have a heavy rather dead (acoustically) box rather than a resonant lighter enclosure.

This is my second amp, the first was an 80's era two-channel SS Fender Montreaux which had a lovely clean channel and cost about $200.00 more. The Bravo was my introduction to tube groove, and I bought it new in late May of '93 after hearing the Coconut Grove music store instructor/club guitar guy playing one and raving about it. The overdriven sound was so much richer than the Montreux's puny grind that I couldn't believe the Bravo was out the door for $364.00. The clean channel was also gorgeous and loud.

The amp died when I dared to plug in my active Takamine acoustic. Don't remember which input I used, and don't know if the amp would have crapped out anyway or not. Spent $44.00 for a repair, and the amp's character seemed to be adversely affected. Later discovered mismatched tubes had been installed, and replaced them with "Groove tube's" myself. I suspect that the amp's tone still is a bit compromised by the tubes, and I'd love to get the original sound back. The clean channel seemed to lose some headroom as well, and I suspected the speaker was a bit frayed after some loud club gigs and rehearsals. Replaced it with a Weber Ceramic California 12, but didn't regain the clean headroom, and actually lost considerable high end response that the original Blue Marvel Peavey speaker delivered, so I put the Blue Marvel back in. Later discovered that turning the bass knob on the clean channel down produced a cleaner tone at high volumes and reduced the farting effect.

Had some irritating resonance and buzzing that seemed to be coming from the silly aluminum grill cloth retainers which I removed and discarded. Built a birch baffle to replace the particle board stock baffle and put a metal speaker grill over the speaker. Not fond of the Pignose aesthetic, but the buzzing resonance is gone.

I don't find the reverb lacking as some do, but like most, don't turn it up much past 4 as a rule. It does add moderate noise. Switching to the clean channel and turning the reverb level to zero reduces (but doesn't eliminate) the pop my Bravo makes on shutdown.

I've never tried it with an external cab.

I'm content with the current sound, but suspect some tweaking (tubes or speaker) could improve the sound. I'd give the new stock tone a 9.5, and even the current tone is pretty amazing for an amp under $400.00. Like many reviewers, I'm at a loss to understand why this amp went out of production. Is it possible it was overlooked by the public and didn't sell?

Tubes have died and fuses have burned out on me occasionally. Peavey didn't make the fuses very accessible???replacement requires removing the amp, which is a pain, but may explain part of the low price. Test fuses dismounted, some will show continuity if tested in place!

I was unable to find a source to buy the original tubes and Blue Marvel speaker despite searching the internet and Peavey site. Despite all the talk about aftermarket tubes and speakers, I'd love to "blueprint" the amp with all original parts.

I've been playing electrics since '81 or so, and I'd rate this amp as a steal at the price. I want more clean volume on the clean side (the way I remember it had when new), and I'm curious about the V2 pre-amp tube "gain-tame" mods other reviewers mention (email me at: seekir at aloha dot net if you know which is V2, and how to do this one). I'd certainly snap up a replacement Bravo if I lost this one and found another.

yes ... the amp is 15 years old. according to the guy i spoked with at PV CS says the amps made in 91.

yes the amp can do van halen (with the right set of tubes and speaks), can do all GNR songs (welcome, paradise, sweet child) everything .. again with the right tubes and speakers. blues, pop (just turn the gain low) can do pretty much anything.

its got 2 channels and a gain boost at the channel 2 section. yes channels switching is possible but didnt came with FS-2 when i bought it used. for like 3 months ago.

effect loop,no head phone and has 2 jacks for speakers.. one that supports 8-16 ohms minimum main spekaers and the other than can load an 8-16 ohms speakers 4ohms minimum load together with the main speakers.

feature i wish it had? i dunno.. a standby switch maybe? but not nesseccarily needed.. the tubes held for 15 f'''g years.. stock.. when i bought it, it had the original stock PV rugedized 12ax7`s supreme and the power tubes that what appeared to be USSR tubes.. i dont know that company but its says so on the power tubes. it still sounded good and worked good when i got it but of the fear of the amp i retubed it to new ones...

yes.. it does have enough power. 25 watts. dont let that fool you.. its not the watts that makes the amp load.. its the speakers that u have in it.. u just need to get a speaker that has more SPL or Decibel...i just dont know??how niave can ppl be just coz they see 25 wats meaning it wont keep up with a 50 watter or perhaps, a 100watter. a 105 Db SPL is much more louder than a 95 Db. but no.. it wount match a plexi.. thats over the line OK!!!

by the way.. it has 3 12ax7 on the preamp and 2 el84 on the power stage. it can take the NOS tubes aswell...no need mods as like some new commers noawadys.. destined to go with sovteks.

"What kind of sounds can the amp make? How much variety?" mentioned above.

yes the clean channel breaks up nice sometimes roughly., depending on the tubes used..somewhere at the mid vol..

how brutal the dist?... its like got hit by a train thats how brutal it can get.. and even at hi gain, the notes are still ringing out clearly even striking them quickly instead of raking them.. it never ever ever ever sounds like a boss metal zone...

im using it with humbuckers.. JB??s, costum costum SH-11, and stock epi...

it suits my music well as mentioned above..

nope... no noise at all..its got a built in noise reduction.. very smart eh?? YEAH.. just use ur head tho... dont stand near it when playing other wise ull get lots of feedback when u engage the boost dist..so if u know that u can avoid that, why not do it then than just go bashing that "uummmmm my amp is so noisy blabablablabala" .... dude.. stay abit far from the amp ok.. and also ground that amp on te out let.. its quieter with the earth prong.

also...

the tubes im using right now are svetlana preamps... and EH el84. yeah ill be changing those EH to JJ from bob eurotube(nice guy btw.) soon ... but still sounds good with the tubes i have right now.. ill be keeping the svets tho..

i know the svets dont normaly last than sovteks and jj but on this amp... man ... if the stock tubes still going strong for 15 years then this svets would do... also the svetlanas are under the sovtek supervision....NO NO NO.. sovteks and the svets are NOT thesame.. look at the tube construction...

if u want the original svetlanas then get the winged C logo... coz they have change that name on the year 2000 when the copyrights went to another comp. thats making tubes in russia somewhere...

so if u find the winged c tubes or svets made before 2000 then theyre the originals from ST. petersburg russia.. they still make it today...

also... tubes wount sound great right of the box.. they need to get worn in just like speakers need to... just like ur fingers when u do warm ups... so think about it to burn those tubes and wait for some months instead of going techy and make bias adjustments coz it sounded too cold.

ok lets move on.

the amps made 15 years ago.. now thats something... the tubes were still stock when i got the amp for 3 months ago.... the amps never been open.. ( i know coz theres no marks on the top of the screws, theyre all dark black).
the amps never been service.. it neednt had to...

i opened the amp.,. smells, looks sounds new.. no problems with loose joints..
opening the amp is easier than most amps out there that tend to ram stuff too much in a little amount of space as possible.. this ones easy to remove..

u need to take the speaker buffles out w??ch is easier to do so and take the chassis out...

and a word of advice... dont be too lazy to open the amp just to change tubes ok... please ppl... take the amp out.. hold the PCB on the tubes section and very slowly gentley and so tenderley rock the the tubes side to side while gently pulling or pushhing in...

i do this so that u wount break anything .. so the sockets wount jam.. so take care of her and shell let u enjoy her for a long more years...

also. get an electric fan. when playing, open the little tube cover at the back so to let vetilation work well. the amp has a very little PC fan at the side and its not even pointing to the tube coz theres no vents that directly blow the tube from the airflow.. and YES the amp gets hot....seriously the amp gets hot... even tho with an electric fan at the back of the amp... i can feel the top wood of the amp gets a tad hot but not much as oppose to not putting a fan at the back....
do this.. take care of her.. i know its bitc'hy but .. this amps not in production anymore.. also the power tranformer get kinda warm. thats normal. it should be. if its cold then u have a problem. so make sure to inlcude that with the fan aswell..

u dont need to put the fan at level 3 u know. just put it at 1,, just so theres something blowing the tubes. dont put the fan too close... otherwise itd be too cold for the hot tubes and might break the tubes.. so watch out.
the output trannys ( the little ones) should stay steal cold throghout... otherwise theres something wrong.. only the mains tranny should be a tad warm.

oh...

mine came with a working reverb. and i agree with all. the rev. sound overacting over level 3.. so i mostly just put it at 3 or below.

like i said iv. dealt with the guy at PV.. i forgot his name.. i asked him. he anskers quicly.. got the manaul and schematics from him.. anyone needs it, contact me at kahelle_hife13@hotmail.com


the guy was so nice..friendly like it should be..

no need for repair.. no problems.. not looking or hoping for that anyways... no warranty from the company but got a 6 months guarantee from the shop i bought it from.

service personel? me in my place have plenty of ppl that call themselves amp guru.. sure they know how to fix this amp..

ok ... over all,,

*2 channels, boost on the dist channel. indipendent EQ (nice feat), brght switch for clean

*no master volume.

*3x 12ax7 pre and 2x el84 power.

*no headphone jacks... its meant to be pushed.

*2x speaker jacks. one main one external.

*footswitch that supports any FS-2 switch for channel switching and reverb on/off ... so unnessecary with the reverb.. might be better with the boost on/off instead... that would be my wish..

*no stanby... was not desined to have one. some amps sometimes doesnt need one... common, if it needed,..why would it still kept the stock tubes for 15 years.

*autobias. meaning, takes any rating of tubes, so long theyre matched and stick them in, remeber the procedures i explained above.

been playing 4 years.. not much but i know what tone is... im not naive, i know and determine knows what i want....
if it got stolen ill be heart broken.. coz im so caring for the amp. but i wouldnt replace it. but will buy it soon as i find one..

im not even using it much.. as im so frightend of it.. such a nice sounding, no noise very reliable amp..

anything id share? yes... its a diamond in the rough.. new tubes, speakers. it beats the, PV (sorry, but the newer products connot match to this bravo); laneys (i do have the VC-30 class A, diff. sound. diff. story, nice 2nd amp above the bravo), mesa (this bravo can sound mesa with 4x12 V30 just like that dude below stated), orange, hiwatts, marshalls (sorry marshall but ur newer ones has so much reliab. probs. comapare to the bravo.. mine sounds better than urs period) currently new production..

use this with a 4x12 with weber mini mass 50 watts and its done, ull shit sideways.. hahaha

also.. one more thing... dont be such a bi'ctch that think "oh the jacks get jacked off all the time coz its PCB" dude u need to take tare of the gear and stop acting as if u dont even care just coz the amps cheap. u need to be gentle with the pulling and pushing of the connectors. support it with fingers of ur both hands.. make sure u only get a small light click or better yet, no click at all when u pull or push in that cable.

so do all u ppl out there a favor. hunt this baby down. this will go up in value. im not selling mine ever... ill be a rockstar someday and i swear i take this amp with me to the death. even tho marshall would offer me 2 used 1968 marshall plexi heads. id still be keeping my bravo.

no im not a sales person nor trying to endorse. im not over hype either.. simply my humble opinions on the bravo.

hope these helped

yes ... the amp is 15 years old. according to the guy i spoked with at PV CS says the amps made in 91.

yes the amp can do van halen (with the right set of tubes and speaks), can do all GNR songs (welcome, paradise, sweet child) everything .. again with the right tubes and speakers. blues, pop (just turn the gain low) can do pretty much anything.

its got 2 channels and a gain boost at the channel 2 section. yes channels switching is possible but didnt came with FS-2 when i bought it used. for like 3 months ago.

effect loop,no head phone and has 2 jacks for speakers.. one that supports 8-16 ohms minimum main spekaers and the other than can load an 8-16 ohms speakers 4ohms minimum load together with the main speakers.

feature i wish it had? i dunno.. a standby switch maybe? but not nesseccarily needed.. the tubes held for 15 f'''g years.. stock.. when i bought it, it had the original stock PV rugedized 12ax7`s supreme and the power tubes that what appeared to be USSR tubes.. i dont know that company but its says so on the power tubes. it still sounded good and worked good when i got it but of the fear of the amp i retubed it to new ones...

yes.. it does have enough power. 25 watts. dont let that fool you.. its not the watts that makes the amp load.. its the speakers that u have in it.. u just need to get a speaker that has more SPL or Decibel...i just dont know??how niave can ppl be just coz they see 25 wats meaning it wont keep up with a 50 watter or perhaps, a 100watter. a 105 Db SPL is much more louder than a 95 Db. but no.. it wount match a plexi.. thats over the line OK!!!

by the way.. it has 3 12ax7 on the preamp and 2 el84 on the power stage. it can take the NOS tubes aswell...no need mods as like some new commers noawadys.. destined to go with sovteks.

"What kind of sounds can the amp make? How much variety?" mentioned above.

yes the clean channel breaks up nice sometimes roughly., depending on the tubes used..somewhere at the mid vol..

how brutal the dist?... its like got hit by a train thats how brutal it can get.. and even at hi gain, the notes are still ringing out clearly even striking them quickly instead of raking them.. it never ever ever ever sounds like a boss metal zone...

im using it with humbuckers.. JB??s, costum costum SH-11, and stock epi...

it suits my music well as mentioned above..

nope... no noise at all..its got a built in noise reduction.. very smart eh?? YEAH.. just use ur head tho... dont stand near it when playing other wise ull get lots of feedback when u engage the boost dist..so if u know that u can avoid that, why not do it then than just go bashing that "uummmmm my amp is so noisy blabablablabala" .... dude.. stay abit far from the amp ok.. and also ground that amp on te out let.. its quieter with the earth prong.

also...

the tubes im using right now are svetlana preamps... and EH el84. yeah ill be changing those EH to JJ from bob eurotube(nice guy btw.) soon ... but still sounds good with the tubes i have right now.. ill be keeping the svets tho..

i know the svets dont normaly last than sovteks and jj but on this amp... man ... if the stock tubes still going strong for 15 years then this svets would do... also the svetlanas are under the sovtek supervision....NO NO NO.. sovteks and the svets are NOT thesame.. look at the tube construction...

if u want the original svetlanas then get the winged C logo... coz they have change that name on the year 2000 when the copyrights went to another comp. thats making tubes in russia somewhere...

so if u find the winged c tubes or svets made before 2000 then theyre the originals from ST. petersburg russia.. they still make it today...

also... tubes wount sound great right of the box.. they need to get worn in just like speakers need to... just like ur fingers when u do warm ups... so think about it to burn those tubes and wait for some months instead of going techy and make bias adjustments coz it sounded too cold.

ok lets move on.

the amps made 15 years ago.. now thats something... the tubes were still stock when i got the amp for 3 months ago.... the amps never been open.. ( i know coz theres no marks on the top of the screws, theyre all dark black).
the amps never been service.. it neednt had to...

i opened the amp.,. smells, looks sounds new.. no problems with loose joints..
opening the amp is easier than most amps out there that tend to ram stuff too much in a little amount of space as possible.. this ones easy to remove..

u need to take the speaker buffles out w??ch is easier to do so and take the chassis out...

and a word of advice... dont be too lazy to open the amp just to change tubes ok... please ppl... take the amp out.. hold the PCB on the tubes section and very slowly gentley and so tenderley rock the the tubes side to side while gently pulling or pushhing in...

i do this so that u wount break anything .. so the sockets wount jam.. so take care of her and shell let u enjoy her for a long more years...

also. get an electric fan. when playing, open the little tube cover at the back so to let vetilation work well. the amp has a very little PC fan at the side and its not even pointing to the tube coz theres no vents that directly blow the tube from the airflow.. and YES the amp gets hot....seriously the amp gets hot... even tho with an electric fan at the back of the amp... i can feel the top wood of the amp gets a tad hot but not much as oppose to not putting a fan at the back....
do this.. take care of her.. i know its bitc'hy but .. this amps not in production anymore.. also the power tranformer get kinda warm. thats normal. it should be. if its cold then u have a problem. so make sure to inlcude that with the fan aswell..

u dont need to put the fan at level 3 u know. just put it at 1,, just so theres something blowing the tubes. dont put the fan too close... otherwise itd be too cold for the hot tubes and might break the tubes.. so watch out.
the output trannys ( the little ones) should stay steal cold throghout... otherwise theres something wrong.. only the mains tranny should be a tad warm.

oh...

mine came with a working reverb. and i agree with all. the rev. sound overacting over level 3.. so i mostly just put it at 3 or below.

like i said iv. dealt with the guy at PV.. i forgot his name.. i asked him. he anskers quicly.. got the manaul and schematics from him.. anyone needs it, contact me at kahelle_hife13@hotmail.com


the guy was so nice..friendly like it should be..

no need for repair.. no problems.. not looking or hoping for that anyways... no warranty from the company but got a 6 months guarantee from the shop i bought it from.

service personel? me in my place have plenty of ppl that call themselves amp guru.. sure they know how to fix this amp..

ok ... over all,,

*2 channels, boost on the dist channel. indipendent EQ (nice feat), brght switch for clean

*no master volume.

*3x 12ax7 pre and 2x el84 power.

*no headphone jacks... its meant to be pushed.

*2x speaker jacks. one main one external.

*footswitch that supports any FS-2 switch for channel switching and reverb on/off ... so unnessecary with the reverb.. might be better with the boost on/off instead... that would be my wish..

*no stanby... was not desined to have one. some amps sometimes doesnt need one... common, if it needed,..why would it still kept the stock tubes for 15 years.

*autobias. meaning, takes any rating of tubes, so long theyre matched and stick them in, remeber the procedures i explained above.

been playing 4 years.. not much but i know what tone is... im not naive, i know and determine knows what i want....
if it got stolen ill be heart broken.. coz im so caring for the amp. but i wouldnt replace it. but will buy it soon as i find one..

im not even using it much.. as im so frightend of it.. such a nice sounding, no noise very reliable amp..

anything id share? yes... its a diamond in the rough.. new tubes, speakers. it beats the, PV (sorry, but the newer products connot match to this bravo); laneys (i do have the VC-30 class A, diff. sound. diff. story, nice 2nd amp above the bravo), mesa (this bravo can sound mesa with 4x12 V30 just like that dude below stated), orange, hiwatts, marshalls (sorry marshall but ur newer ones has so much reliab. probs. comapare to the bravo.. mine sounds better than urs period) currently new production..

use this with a 4x12 with weber mini mass 50 watts and its done, ull shit sideways.. hahaha

also.. one more thing... dont be such a bi'ctch that think "oh the jacks get jacked off all the time coz its PCB" dude u need to take tare of the gear and stop acting as if u dont even care just coz the amps cheap. u need to be gentle with the pulling and pushing of the connectors. support it with fingers of ur both hands.. make sure u only get a small light click or better yet, no click at all when u pull or push in that cable.

so do all u ppl out there a favor. hunt this baby down. this will go up in value. im not selling mine ever... ill be a rockstar someday and i swear i take this amp with me to the death. even tho marshall would offer me 2 used 1968 marshall plexi heads. id still be keeping my bravo.

no im not a sales person nor trying to endorse. im not over hype either.. simply my humble opinions on the bravo.

hope these helped

Two channels: Clean & Ultra
- Clean has volume/bass/middle/treble/bright-switch
- Ultra has pre(gain)/boost/post(volume)/bottom/body/edge
Global Reverb, series effects loop, 8 ohm & 4 ohm speaker output

I wish it had separate reverb controls per channel, and a standby switch for the tube's high voltage.

The clean channel is surprisingly good. It is similar to blackface/silverface fender amps, like the deluxe reverb. However, the EL84 power tubes give it a creamier sound when you crank the volume.

The reverb sounds okay on low settings, but gets harsh and unnatural sounding as you go beyond 9 o'clock on the knob.

The ultra channel sounds good at very low bedroom volumes, but it gets harsh and buzzy as you turn up the post (volume). I tried changing the speaker: first I installed a Jensen MOD12-70, and I didn't like it at all. Then I tried an old Celestion Vintage 30, which sounds nice on the clean channel - warm & glassy, but it gets muddy & buzzy on the ultra channel at moderate volumes.

As I said above, the clean channel is pretty nice. However, the ultra channel doesn't work well in an open back combo. It is voiced for high-gain death metal, and would probably work best with sealed 4x12 cabs. I suspect a tighter, cleaner speaker, like the Celestion G12T75, would work best with the ultra channel.

Not sure what year this amp was made - 92-93 at a guess. This has two channels and with the addition of the bright switch on the clean channel and the pull pot for gain on the distortion, it has plenty of features. The eq on both channels are the standard Low, Mid, Hi and reverb switches in for both channels. I am not a gigging player but do record, and this amp has enough power to suit my needs. Its clean channel suits my style very well (jangly 60's style music)

For my needs this amp has a big range of sounds. The clean is crystal - the bright switch gives you a huge range of clean sounds. The distortion is also very versatile - you can get a nice warm overdrive through to a full-on metal sound. I mix between a custom guitar fitted with Dimarzio humbuckers and a generic Strat copy fitted with USA Fender Strat pickups - works well with both guitars. Noise is not a problem, although the cooling fan can initially make you think that the amp is a bit noisy.

This is the second Bravo I have had and, like the first, is very reliable. As mentioned above I do not really gig, but the amp is built like a brick with the valves completely enclosed so they cannot be knocked or broken. I don't think I would doubt its reliability if I went out to gig.

I have not dealt with Peavey's reps in Australia with this amp specifically, but I did need to contact Peavey in regard to a previous amp I owned and they responded promptly. I also find the website to be extremely helpful.

I originally purchased a Bravo when I was visiting the US in 1993. After a voltage input conversion this amp suited me fine. I got caught up in having to buy a traditional "classic" amp, so sold my first Bravo a few years later and bought a Musicman. I was never impressed by that amp and sold it, buying a Classic 30 - again I thought back to my Bravo. Finally, after getting a Pod, I craved the sound of the Bravo and tracked a secondhand one down in Australia. I will not make the mistake again of letting this go.

Mine was probably made from 90-92, as it is grey. The amp is pretty versatile for me, I typically play metal, blues, and Ventures style rock. Has 2 channels, clean and "Ultra Gain".

Plenty of sound variety in this amp, you can go from ZZ-Top bluesy to Pantera thrashy. The clean channel, as many have already said, has a wonderful buttery tone at low volume and a slight breakup at high volumes. The distortion can be as brutal as you can stand, or as soft and mellow as a hummingbird. I'm playing (at the moment) a Silvertone Paul Stanley Apocalypse Special w/ a Dimebucker in the bridge and a Les Paul humbucker at the neck. It suits my playing perfectly. It tends to be noisy if it's near a PC monitor, but when I noticed this I was using a Telecaster which are notoriously noisy near phospherescent lights.

Had it for a LONG time, like around 5-6 years. Comes on every time I flip the switch, never makes any weird noises unless it's in a bad mood. (It needs new output tubes pretty badly)

Never dealed with Peavey customer support at all.

I've been playing around 10 years, the only other amps I own at the moment are 2 Fender Twin Reverbs and a Peavey XR400 PA system. I actually found the amp in an apartment my sister was moving into. If it was stolen I'd DEFINATELY hunt another one of these Peavey Bravos.

I have 2, different years/grill cloths, both early 90's. I play Classic rock, Blues, Rockabilly & Country at different times. Amp does em all well. Has every feature I think an amp needs, and I gig with mine all the time. Plenty of power for most situations.

The clean channel is just what it should be. Very adjustable, separate tone controls for each channle is where it's at and this thing sounds aweesome, after the speaker swap. Stocker is OK, but I put an Eminence Governor in it and now it snarls & growls. Tubed down to a 12AT7 in V2 for gain tame and this amp is AWESOME. More gain than any small tube amp I've ever played, and I've owned nearly everything over the years. I play a LP and Ibanez 335 type, '63 strat, '61 Gretsch and a few others with P-90's. Built a custom cab for it and that helped the tone too.

OD channel is VERY Hi gain, and was a bit too much for me stock. Tubes and speaker made this amp a MONSTER.

I've used it on many gigs without back-up. Risky, but so far, so good. Both amps still had the stock tubes in them after 12-15 yrs, and both still sounded great. It's a Peavey! I've never had one of their amps crap out on stage.

I have never had to repair a Peavey but I have dealt with them for info & parts and they are the best. Call em & see yourself.

I have owned one of everything over the last 40 years, and I gig a few times a month regularly. Fender, Marshall, Crate, Mesa, etc, all of them. The Bravo & Peavey Classic 30 are my main amps because they sound like I want to hear them and cost next to nothing. I have boutique amp owners ask about my amp and compliment my tone all the time. They are always shocked to find out it's a Peavey Bravo. Once I tamed the gain, this amp is a BEAST! Like someone else said, I'll buy every one I can find for these prices. Just a few tweaks and this amp is AWESOME!

2 independent channels,25 watts (LOUD amp)reverb,tons of gain and EL84 power section.

it gives a great metal sound. It's preamp is like a built-in Peavey Rockmaster. It is a very dynamic sound,very bold and aggressive,very rich in harmonics. Impressive!Also the 12 inches speaker and somewhat big cabinet,make it sounds more like a 4 x12 than a combo. The EQ response is powerful and musical

having been used Peavey amps for ages....never had a reliability problem with peavey gear!

I give it a 10 out of 10 without any doubts. It is the only little amp that sounds so big ,that I have heard

Mine was made in 1993. It is a 2-channel 25-Watt 1X12 tube amp with an effects loop. I have the 2-button foot switch that switches channels and reverb on or off. It does not have a headphone jack, but I will add one.

I find it to be very versatile. I can cover a wide variety of music with it.

This little thing has tone. Mine was recently re-tubed with matched JJs. The clean is clean and the distorted channel has more gain than anything I have heard. Way, way more gain than my Crate G-10. I play a Peavy T-60 guitar with twin humbuckers and get a lot of sound variety. The clean channel is super clean at low volumes with a slight breakup at higher volumes. The reverb is nice, and I don't ever need to set it above about 4.

On the distorted channel, this amp shines when you turn the pre-gain down and drive those EL-84 tubes with post-gain. You can get great overdrive sound (like Angus) without the "fuzz". The midrange is lacking depth, but it is likely due to the speaker, which is stock. Many people tame the gain in these amps by substituting a 5751 tube for the 12AX7 in preamp location V2. I will try this and update on the sound.

Those that got bad sound out of this amp probably had bad tubes. Stock tubes are a crapshoot. New tubes need to be tested, balanced and hand selected by a reputable dealer.

With fan-cooled tubes, should last a long time. The tubes should last longer as well, since they are not in the blast path of the speaker. Have not had the amp long enough to really rate this. I don't gig, but I would use this amp if I did.

Never dealt with Peavey customer support.

I've been playing about 15 years. If this amp were lost or stolen I would replace it. I bought it to replace my Crate G-10, which is more portable but sounds really thin compared to the Bravo. What I love about it is that it is compact for a 1X12, has a great tube sound, and is inexpensive. I will probably change out the stock speaker, although it sounds pretty good unless you get too agressive with the midrange. These are sleepers.

My Bravo 112 was made in 1992. Clean and (really)dirty channels, 1 X 12, about 44+ pounds with stock Eminence speaker. Bright switch on clean channel, pull gain boost on dirty channel. Peavey puts the output at 25 watts, but that's probably with the power amp fully saturated. Figure on 15 to 18 clean watts. The amp's almost but not quite as loud overall as a Fender Blues Junior, which I used to have. Three 12AX7 and two EL84 tubes, all of which live inside the fan-cooled chassis.

I play mainly blues and rock, using either a Les Paul or a Telecaster. The clean channel's where I live with this amp. It's twangy and pretty punchy, sweet, but not a lot of high-end detail, with a cool bottom end that gets trashy in a juke-joint bluesy sort of way when turned up. The dirty channel's a mixed bag, in that it really doesn't do blues/lower gain breakup tones very well, but crank up the gain, and it comes alive. And there's a LOT of gain on tap(Metalheads looking for a small low-priced used tube combo, THIS is your amp). Both channels have sensitive EQs--go easy on the midrange knobs. And there's lots of reverb available, courtesy of a big tank that's about 2 1/2 times the size of the tank used in most current similar-sized combos.

The amp was in near-mint condition when I bought it 3 months ago. I doubt the original owner had ever gigged it or played out with it. It still had 4(out of 5) of its original tubes. I took the amp apart, cleaned it, put in all new tubes(JJ EL 84s, the way to go) and put in a Jensen Neo 100 speaker to lower the weight, and it works great. I've played jams in clubs with it since I got it--no problems. It's built tough, and it's still fairly heavy even with the lighter speaker in it.

Peavey's well known for their above-average customer support. You can download manuals for just about all of their products from their website.

I've been playing 20 years. This amp is highly recommended, it's one of the great sleeper big-bang-for-buck tube amps. You won't mistake it for a boutique amp, but it sounds great overall, and it's built like a tank. For between $175-$250 you can pick one up in good shape.

1990 (Grey Chassis)
Very versatile little tube amp - perfect for practice in the bedroom at the very least. I'm sure many people play live with it, but I use it exclusively at home. I play mostly heavy rock - everything from early VH to Helmet to modern stuff like Cold and Deftones.

I play a Peavy Wolfgang Special, Peavy Wolfgang Custom Shop, and Washburn SS w/Seymour JBs. As I mentioned, mostly I use it for guitar oriented heavy rock. The EQ is tremendously responsive, particularly on the dirty channels. My main sound is defaulted to the lead channel, with the overdrive set at 5, which is more than enough for me. I get a very nice 'brown sound', particularly if I adjust the volume nob on my guitars to about 8. The overdrive is indeed brutal. I don't utilize the clean channel very often...I only give the dirty sound an '8', as IMO the best sound is while at practice volume (for me). If I really crank it, it starts to lose it's tightness - gets kind of muddy.

I must admit, the reverb crapped out on me a while ago. I've never had it fixed, simply because I don't use it. Never had to replace the tubes, though. I've had this amp since 1991, and it has aged like a fine wine.

With the exception of the aforementioed reverb not working anymore, I've never had reason to contact C/S...and since I basically don't care about it, I never bothered to contact them.

All things considered, I love this amp, particularly for what I use it for - practicing and jamming at home. I don't see how I could play live with it, but that's more or less only because of the music I enjoy playing. And, since I spend the majority of my time NOT playing live, this amp has been perfect for my environment. I will never sell it.

If, at the very least, you are looking for a reliable practice amp on ebay, you can probably come across one of these for less than $200.

We all knoiw the features - two channels, clean and pre/post gain with a push pull knob that when out drives the gain bonkers.

This is is an update on a previous review. I've replaced the tubes with Groove Tubes and just put in a new Weber 12F150 speaker. Let me tell you, with the Weber it was like I had taken a pillow out from the speaker cone. Notes just came alive from low open E to high octive E without sounding spikey. I could strum a full chord and the bass, while strong wouldn't mud over the higher strings. Then I got a good deal on a Weber Blue Dog (Alinco) and tried that. This is THE speaker for me. Upper notes are chimey, bell like, lower notes full and clear. The gain which had sounded a bit fat and sloppy for my taste with the stock speaker, is now tight and very usable. The mini hummer on my Epi AlleyKat used to be a bit dark, now it's just smooth as butter.

With the new tubes and the Weber Blue Dog this amp sounds as good as any Delux Reverb reissue. (I haven't heard an original in too long a time to compare)

I've had this amp for over 3 years. Other than a blown fuse which was hard to get to, I've had no problems with this amp.

Bought it used, no warrenty, no need for support.

I've been playing off and on for wayyyyy too long. Don't want to even think about this amp being stolen. What I love about my Bravo is it feels so personal. The stock speaker is keeping this amp under a thick blanket. Get a Weber or Celestion (I prefer the Weber, beautitul tone, handmade, great price and the best service) and the Bravo comes to life and becomes at least twice the amp it was before.

not sure what year mine is...late 80s-early nineties at least. this amp is very versitle, although simple in design...2 channel with pull switch for ultra gain. its got just what you need...reverb aint bad, i only use a lil anyways...

i play on a 1996 jackson professional kelly w/ reverse headstock..(kelly
XLR, yeah, japanese,but VERY nice) with Seymour Duncan's: a dimebucker in the bridge, a JB in the neck. I play mostly metal (very progessive, technical and fast! hellz yeah) and i love it. i also dabble in blues and jazz and it suites these styles well too. its a little noisy at very high volumes...other than that its fine. the tubes in this amp are at least 15 years old! i refuse to change them as it may well affect the tone... ive used it in a studio situation and it worked out great. the distortion is all you'll ever need, ive used it on a deathmetal recording. its a little sesitive, if you play it hard, it rips, if you back off it does too...Its very crunchy for a tube amp. i wish i could find something more powerful with an identical tone...if you crank the clean channel to 10 you get a raunchy fat tone. (like AC/DC but fatter...)if you keep the clean at 5 or below it stays clean. if you push the bright switch its more glassy, not quite as clean but ok (i prefer not using the bright switch and keeping it warm and smoothe)..if you disable the ultra gain(push the pre-gain gain knob in), back the pre-gain down to 3,4, or 5, boost your mids, you get tube-driven bluesy tones...nice...i think if you take time to find your settings you'll find you can do about what you want...

This amp has never been serviced...oh yeah!

i havent delt with peavey personally, but friends and bandmates of mine have...they say they're of the most helpful in the business

ive played 10 years. ive had peaveys, a kustom, a fender & a couple crates...ive played on everything that ive wnted to try: marshalls, mesa's, etc...I love peavey's ultra gain tone...for a 25 watt tube amp...this little babies rule. im wanting to make a rig with 4 of these bad boys racked together like a stack....

I bought a Peavey Bravo brand new in 92? I loved it. It was unlike any amp I had owned before. Unfortunately I had a lapse of judgement and traded it in on a Marshall 25/50 which I love and still own. One of the few things Peavey has ever done right. Must be why they didn't continue the Bravo line. I recently replaced the bravo for 200.00. Features are no nonsense. Reverb is kinda cheesy compared to high $$ amps and a little bit goes a long way. Mine has a Peavey Scorpion speaker in it soon to be replaced with an EV 12L and Celestion G12m-70 as an alternate. No earth shattering features. Easy for my tired ass to drag around and is 300 times the amp as my crappy Fender Hotrod deluxe. JUNK! .

MY main guitar lately happens to be a guitar that I bought the same day I originally purchased a new Bravo. It's a San Dimas Jackson Soloist with single coils and hot rails. It is a perfect combination and the tonal possibilities are unlimited. Could use more power for better bottom but what the hell do you want from a one twelve combo? I have owned a mesa MK IV, 5150's, a Soldano and several heavily modded fenders. If I had to choose only one amp to record with this would be the amp. Not perfect but very nice.

Bravos have their share of quirks. If your cooling fan quits it will have a meltdown. The effects loop is quirky and the switching is prone to fail. I would never gig without a backup (spare tubes at least) with any old tube amp.

Haven't had any contact with peavey for a few years but the service sucked then.

I like it and will buy every single functioning one I find for 200.00 a pop. It's a shame it looks so much like Peaveys other crap bandit and backstage amps. I like it enough to have a new cabinet built for it. Best amp you will buy for the money and I bought a 67' bandmaster for 10.00!

this amp is an oustanding amp. 2 real channels with separate eq ,reverb ,effects loop, this is a compact 1x12 combo...rated at 25 watts rms,but in true tube amp fashion,sounds WAY,WAY louder that any 25 watts transistor,digital,or modelling combo...present or past,no contest. This amp is,as people state below,one of those genius-engineered amps that just got lost in the marketplace.

The bravo is also a very versatile amp

I have always found Peavey amps (the tube ones) really excellent,this is a company that always makes amps with some real 'conscience'...I mean,the Peavey Triumph,Bravo,Duel,Classic and all the recent ones...tell me one of them that is no good. The Bravo alone stomps all over amps like the Cornford Harlequin and ,really,tell me of a 25 watts tube amp that sounds better than this one. The clean channel is a classic clean,sounds very 'produced',you can play anything ,jazz,country,pop,fusion.

The famous Peavey'Ultra' channel found in so many great peavey amps (Triumph ) without the insane gain boost is a very fat and dynamic powerful overdrive,and with the 'pull gain' boost engaged ,it brings the house down....powerful and exciting distortion,it does not sound artificial like many Mesa amps....the Bravo kicks ass any day and encourage the player,his great lead sounds are very 'complete'....I cannot find anything missing in a sound like that,it's not like many other amps,where you think 'not enough of this,not enough of that'.

BTW give this little beast a nice Celestion,it will be grateful!!

also,some said it uses a 4558 chip....this is a reverb driver,nothing to do at all with the way the Bravo distorts,and you can hear it,sounds very 'organic' and un-artificial.

Peavey amps. are you joking? NEVER heard about a reliability problem with Peavey amps. I have owned my Bravo for 5 years,bought second hand (killer value!) (and I have also had a Triumph 120 watts for at least 3 years before switching to the Bravo because of it's lesser weight)

never dealt with customer support

been playing 11 years,owned Marshall Reissue,Seymour Duncan 84-50,fender champ,various others.

the Bravo is HIGLY recommended as a really excellent and trusty workhorse!!!!

The features have all been covered below. This is a great working-man's amp. The totally independent clean & ultra channels are a must for any gigging musician. There's even a post preamp effects loop.

When I first got this amp it sounded good but had a lot of mids and wimpy bass response. So I upgraded the stock speaker to a Celestion G12T75 and couldn't be happier. The versatility of this amp is amazing. The clean channel can handle a lot of styles of music like jazz, country, blues, funk, etc. no problem. The clean EQ is surprisingly more versatile than most. Also, the clean channel breaks up nicely as you crank it. The ultra channel has a great Marshall JCM800 sound, with a pull gain boost that will satisfy the heaviest metalhead. The accutronics spring reverb is a nice extra.

The amp is well built, and can handle road abuse well. I really like how the tubes are protected in the chasis. The only bad thing is that Peavey should have provided more ventilation for the tubes in my opinion. In any case the tubes seem to last a long time in this amp.

Peavey emailed me free schematics within a day, and the manual is available on their website. I also hear that their service is very good, but I doubt I'll ever need it.

This is a great amp, especially after a speaker upgrade. I think these are pretty rare amps too, because Peavey only made them for a couple of years & most people tend to hang on to these. If it were stolen or lost I would definitely try to find another one to replace it. It's a diamond in the ruff!!!!

This amp is loaded with features. It has high & low inputs, two channels with completely independent controls, accutronics big tank reverb with master control, series effects loop, 4 & 8 ohm output. The only thing I would change is the speaker. I'm currently running it through a custom cabinet with a pair of Jensen Mod 12-70 speakers, and man-o-man it sounds way better than the stock speaker!!!!!

I use an American Standard Strat and an Ibanez RG570. I use the amp exclusively, with no external effects. The Strat sounds great on the clean channel with just a hint of reverb. You can get a nice stinging blues & Hendrix action on the Lead channel with the Strat. The RG570 also sounds great on the clean channel, but it absolutely screams on the lead channel.

You should always carry a spare set of tubes. You never know when one is going to blow. That being said, I've had this amp for about three years and the original tubes are still going strong.

I've been playing for over 13 years. This is the best stack in a box that I've come across. I'm not sure why Peavey stopped making this little gem. Maybe it cost them too much? It's too bad because the Bravo can definitely compete with Fender/Marshall/Mesa. Any ways, if you find one of these you should definitely check it out. Also, try it through other speakers if possible, because the stock one really sucks.

made in the early 90's.
clean channel is very clean. usually, at about the 3rd hour of gig time, it begins to break up a little.....which is fine by me.....frankly, i'd like it to do that from minute one! the gain channel is voiced for "modern metal" to be precise. you can dial out some of it's intensity....but the voice is still modern metal....much like a XXX type amp.
2 channels and they switch, but there is a small delay going from clean to dirty, so i set it (either clean or dirty) and use a TS-9 for my lead boost.
i'd like this amp better if it weren't so modern sounding. the reverb is deep, but it's also a bit too sensitive. above 4-5 it will resonate from the close proximity to the speaker (this amp must be run loud.....at 6 or 7....so, i guess the verb tank WOULD be affected). the tank should have been bagged or wrapped at factory.
i use this amp in a 3 piece dance band. it's definitely loud enough. the fact that it must be turned up so high makes the amp sound really "angry". this is a GOOD thing......A . the tubes are protected inside the chassis...A+. there is a built-in fan that keeps everything cool. (most EL84 amps run HOT......not this one.....A++.)

i play an ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN AXIS SUPER SPORT W? PIEZO exclusively. and it's STOCK.
my bassist LOVES it! he's younger than me, and therefore more into the modern tones. i can make it do what i want, pretty much.....but for my personal taste....it's just not my cup o' meat.....too much gain! kids will adore it! old farts like me need classsic gear.
no noise at my settings. i keep the preamp of the gain side at about 5. no ultra gain. very little BASS. MID at 3. HIGHS at 7. bright switch ON. VOL at about 6-7. i find i get the best sounds w/ a 1X10 ext. cab and w/ the rig about 10 ft. behind me....pointed directly at my head.
clean side is JAZZ clean(until the 3rd hour...then it's vox clean). gain side is ALL METAL. limited, but then.....how much variety do you REALLY need?! (most guys buy an amp w/ a million different sounds.....and never use but 2..)K.I.S.S.!
the distortion is BRUTAL! at 25 watts, it won't produce "homey thumpin' lows"....but as any guitarist wortha "shizzle" knows......"as you turn UP the VOLUME, you turn DOWN the BASS">>...DU-UH!

this one had a broken trace on the reverb board.....but a decent tech fixed that. info and schematics are readily available. i've played 3-4 gigs so far w/ out backup, and so far no probs.

peavey is usually pretty good to deal with. it usually depends on how long a production run the piece had. if they made alot of them (product in question), there should be plenty of support for it.
no warranty..traded for used.

i have been at it for 27 years. i have owned 1-2 of (well...almost)everything.
if it were stolen, i would take it personally and prosecute the ba*ta*d! if it were lost......well.....i'd take one if it were a deal......but i'd really prefer something a bit more vintagey.
i love the bang for buck. if i were younger, i'd say "i love everything about this amp!"......but... i'm old...so...
i don't "hate" it.......it's just not "my thing"....( and y'all KNOW how much i love "my thing".....(har...)
i compare it to my true love......a VHT pittbull.
the pittbull has the exact DYNAMIC qualities that "I" want. i chose this one to see HOW CLOSE it could approximate my VHT's sound.
"wish it had?".......i wish it had my pittbull's sound along w/ the peavey price tag.

in closing.....i'd like to say that, in the hands of the axeman who craves that "ultimate distortion".....this rig is gonna be IT! although, a country picker or jazz dude could find HIS thing here, too. i probably will not keep it. the tone is fine, the function and volume are fine, too.......i just prefer an amp w/ different dynamics......something a little "squishy-er". more of a pete townsend sort of vibe. maybe i'll trade it.....who knows?

short version: "great amp.....not my thing".

"g'nite gracie."

1990s all-tube amp (the teal stripe shows its age). The super-tough covering is a great feature. The speaker is not stock...it was changed to an Eminence "Blue Tick Hound" by the former owner.

I am running a 1981 Les Paul Standard with Duncans and a 2003 SG Standard into it and the amp allows each guitar's voice to sing out. It is a Peavey...so obviously it is much louder than it needs to be. On my model, there is a significant jump in volume from #2-3 in the gain setting.

This amp just went through Jim Walton's shop in Philadelphia...so everything is 100% a-ok. I'll have to wait a few months to see how it holds up.

There's no need with Walton around.

I own everything from an Ovation 6464 (it's a giant solid state monstrosity) to a XXX and I think that this little amp rips. I work in a guitar store, so I get to take my pick...and I chose this little guy. The size of this amp is perfect--so many amps are too powerful and it is very difficult to run them at optimal levels. 2 EL84's can break up beautifully. If you need to be louder, use a microphone.

Early/Mid 1990

From Jazz to Metal this Amp will do the lot ....

Headphone socket would be good ;-)

All valve baby ..... never going back now ;-)

Rock and Blues is what I use it for ... driven by my Les Paul straight through with no effects and this amp sings ...

Clean sound very clean to insane metal .... ;-)

Had this amp 2 months now and just found the pull out gain switch ..... dam this is the business ... ;-)

Only had it for 2 months second hand,no probs, though I do intend to replace all the tubes etc ....

Seems ok so far, Peavey have online forums for tech help at their website, also you can buy the tubes from their website..

Not going to say how much I paid for this as the guy that sold me it thought it was some throw back from the ninties ... how wrong he was ... put it this way Ive seen then going for 200 GBP more than I paid for mine, that one was also well used and abused .. mine has no marks on it and came with the footswitch ...

If you can get one of those Amps HOLD on too it ..... Peavey gets 10/10 FOR THIS ONE .... dont know why they stopped making them ..

Early 90's Peavey ALL tube. clean and ultra (distortion) channels, also has a switch for bright and a pull-pot activating another gain stage. Footswitch available for reverb and channel select. (you can get one at the peavey website)All settings are very usable for me anyway.
Wish it had a headphone jack but thats a very minor setback. Has effect snd/rt (I've never used it though so I can't make a judgement on it) For the cheap price a 9 for sure.

First things first. The 4558P chip drives the reverb. It has nothing to do with the distortion channel. Don't be mislead by the review below. The bravo is a TUBE AMP. I've only been playing guitar a couple years so I can't say I'm a tone junkie, but I sure am glad I picked this thing up for 170US. I play classic rock and some indie stuff and I can get many sounds out of this thing without using my pedals. I like the sound of the clean channel around 7 and I find the distortion to be pretty versatile. I'll give it a nine once again for the price because I can't say I've played through a multitude of 2000 dollar boutique amps

Seems pretty solid the tubes were the original when I got it (they still worked!!) switched up to JJ's almost immediately though. Aparrently the tubes sound good for a solid couple years on these things though (depending on use of course--I play mine loud daily)

never dealt with but the peavey website (esp. forums) is pretty useful

I like this amp alot and would definately look for a replacement if it were stolen. I don't plan on selling it. For the price buy it. If you can get it under 200 like I did you can easily sink another 100 into it for upgrades--new tubes, better speaker, maybe experiment with another reverb tank like others here have suggested.

2 channels,efx loop,25 watts,2 el 84's.

the clean channel is fantastic but much to my surprise the overdrive channel has the 4558P chip in it! so it's not true overdrive.I took the 4558P out and replaced it with a 4558D and it smoothed the distortion channel out nice for my taste. I guess you can experiment with different chips. so if you take it apart the chip pops in and out with no soldering involved! I did hook up a PodXT to the return jack in the back and was blown away how good it sounded with the Bravo power section! loud as hell! so try it.

built like a tank heavy as bricks though. sooner or later i'm just gonna make a head out it. easy on an old player like me.

never dealt with them!

been playing for 35 years and love this amp. makes all my guitars sound good.if you steal this from me I will find you and shove it up your ass so you can always have it! how can people do this to musicians I'll never know!

Read other reviews as its been covered before! Mind you, just for the record let me say......ALL VALVE BABY!!!! :-)

From crystal clean with a load of headroom to the most mind crushing distortion ever heard from a combo this size (plus everything in between). I just LOVE this amp. It may be only 25 Watts but it keeps up with my drummer just fine...I guess that for anything bigger than a pub gig you'll need to mic up or use a bigger speaker cabinet. On the subject of speakers, its true the standard speaker could be better and the amp does change to a sweeter character through a better speaker cabinet but all in all you cant help but be impressed with the standard tones. Plus a speaker upgrade is a cheap and easy thing to do if you really really cant live with the standard cone. For me the standard setup works fine!

So far no problems, its built like a brick. Remember its valve though so you will have to change valves every 12-18 months! Giving it a 9 just so I dont tempt fate! ;-)

Never needed them.

Been playing mostly rock music for 13 years and I have never come across an amp in this price range that sounds as good and I've tried loads!!! Shame Peavey dont make them anymore as they are getting tough to find. Would buy another if I could find one just as a backup as they are a steal for the prices they fetch used these days.

1990s, 1x12, all tube, 25w, 2 channel clean/dirty, reverb, footswitch controlled channel and reverb. Serial effects loop and extension speaker jacks. This is a great recording/practice amp but not enough power for band practice without a mic to a PA.

Using a Gibson Les Paul custom with 498T in the bridge. This amp has the 80s hardrock sound pegged, no contest. The electronics in this amp are very simple and produce very little noise. The reverb is not as good as my Peavey 210 so perhaps a tank change would help. I swapped the stock speaker for a Celestion Vintage 30 and whoa what a difference, its like a mini 112 stack. Super crunchy thick and full of harmonics. EQ is versital enough for a variety of sounds. The clean channel is very similiar to the old Peavey clean tube amps of the 1970s I rate a 9 here with the speaker change, would be a 10 if the reverb were better.

Peavey makes rock solid cabinets. I have 5 Peavey amps and they all work without failure.

They have always been helpful when I sent emails. Never needed anything more.

If you are considering something close like a Marshall DSL401, the Bravo can make the same sound with the Celestion V30 upgrade and for another 100-200 less. But a DSL401 will beat it in power level. Super chunky JCM type sound. Tough as nails Peavey covering. They still make the same footswitch for it at $21. I bought mine because of the reviews listed here and I am glad I did!

1993 super versatile (clean, cruch, overdrive, and out of space boost). Read all of the reviews below. I'm the original owner (1993 to 2004= 11 years). I don't do early reviews for "hot products" as I have almost every Guitar Player magazine back to 1979. Amazing how many "gota have" products you see in those old issues that either don't exist today because they turned out to be overhyped, over advertised crap.

So the point is, I think 11 years is enough time to really give the amp a proper review. Here is the bottom line: this is a workhorse amp (as most Peavy TUBE amps are). As we all know, 80% of all guitar playing is done at the living room level. This is the amp for that. Nothing like it on the market today or in the past. It was one of those genius products that got lost in the marketplace. It was just too good. Think about it, I've used it for 11 years with only very occaisional tube replacements(the EL84's twice and the preamps once). What music store or company wants that out there? How you gonna sell more amps to GAS stricken customers if they are happy and the product holds up.

I've used a Ernie Ball musicman, strat and a 335 copy. All sound like what they are. The EL84 tubes enhance the tone of each, but each sounds like what they are.

Reverb blew years ago and I never fixed it. Don't need it. It was overkill anyway.

The clean is classic Fender deluxe. Put it at 1 o'clock and there you are. The real tube sound that puts the quiver to your thighs. Nothing like it in the digital world.

Read below for the distortion. Infinite tone from barely overdriven to beyond anything you have ever heard. Your choice.

As everyone here has said, this amp has everything you could want. No pedals needed. Amazing.

As most have said, need to deal with the original speaker. I just run it out to a Boogie 1X12 3/4 back with the Black Shadow Celestion. Bang, there it is. The real thing!

11 years. Couple of tube changes. Reverb blew up years ago. I think it simply the wrong reverb for this amp. Otherwise, it is as solid as the day it was born. From Peavy's golden age I guess.

A few inquires on things like what footswitch to use (didn't come with one). They use an online support system that works great. When I first got it, the reverb went out and they fixed it under warranty, no problem.

Only been playing since 1969. Acoustic, electric, plus trained in piano/organ, saxaphone, clarinet, etc. Just play around the house or with friends.

Listen up kids... I know the digital modeling stuff is attractive and, besides, most of you won't stick with playing the guitar after a year or two at most.
But for those of you who are looking to find what the real magic was about that the older generation rambles on about, here is the cheapest, most honest way way to get there. And you can get it at reasonable levels sound wise and $. Get one while you can..Ebay I guess. But I'm not selling mine.

Read on...no point in being redundant...redundant...redu...well, you get the picture...

Great amp on many levels. As a dead stock tube amp it has potential but with upgrades this amp IS the ticket for low-priced combo tube amps. I replaced the speaker, tubes and the stock reverb tank with upgraded replacements so I'll review it with the improvements. It only costs about 100-150 bucks to upgrade these things into killer amps and they sell for 200-250 on ebay all the time. So, for under 400 including upgrades you get a solidly built tube amp that is perfect for practice, jamming and gigging. okay...here goes...
Clean is rich and full...breaks up at 6-7 like a good tube amp should and can be controlled with guitar volume. Sensitive tone controls and a very effective bright switch. Perfect! It is my favorite channel...reminds me of a Plexi Marshall and can do the Jimmy Page thing with a Les Paul or the Jimi Hendrix thing with a Strat.
Lead channel is a perfect hi-gain Marshall tone...plenty loud but not so ear bleeding loud that it breaks the walls down. Perfect JCM 800 crunch tone at reasonable levels, which brings me to the point of why everyone who loves the sound of a driven, flat out Marshall tube amp should get one of these 25 watt bad boys. They absolutely KILL at reasonable volume levels. Tube amps always sound best when cranked. This amp can be cranked without you going deaf! Louder and better sounding (when cranked, that is) than any Fender tube amp with a below 25 watt rating, excepting maybe a Deluxe Reverb @ 22 watts.
The pull boost gain switch on the lead channel takes you into the smooth Boogie kind of distortion. Super compressed and ridiculous harmonics and sustain leap out of this amp with the gain boost activated. Wish it had a seperate switch to activate boost from the pedal.
The reverb unit that came with mine was unuseable, in my opinion. It was way too much for this amp. I bought a smaller accutronics spring reverb as a replacement and completely cured that "...throw Timmy down the well..." overkill reverb. Cheap fix for under 20 bucks. Sounds great and can actually be turned up past 4 without the shrieking feedback. Well worth the money. What the hell was Peavey thinking when they put such a huge tank in this amp?
I'm prejudiced toward Marshalls so I love the sound of the amp. If you love Marshalls but want to keep your hearing then you need this amp, period. Spend a few dollars upgrading the tubes, speaker and reverb tank and you've got a seriously great sounding machine that rocks perfectly, in a small package.

I have three of these so I'm obviously a big fan of them. I recommend it to anyone who loves Marshalls. For the money they are untouchable. No competition in the under 500 categort. Even as a stock amp they are pretty cool. Make the upgrades and see for yourself how good it can get. FANTASTIC VALUE!!!

Well this one has all the basics, a great clean and better drive channel. This thing is IT bar none, I will go into all that in a bit. The Bravo has an effects loop and a great reverb and for pennies people, really you have to try one.

Here is where the rubber meets the road, I have owned alot and I mean alot of gear, Ill list a bit so you know Im not a punk, Marshall TSL 60, Mesa DC-3, Top Hat Club Rolyale, Marshall 3203, Traynor Custom Valve 40, 1964 Fender Pro, Vox Valvetronix, Line 6 Vetta, Peavey Transfomer, Peavey Classic 30, 1965 Silvertone Twin Twelve, and now I currently have a Mesa Rectifier Recoding Preamp, and the Bravo. Now we get on to tone, I spent two hours last night going between the Mesa and the Bravo both into the combo via the effcts return and into a Marshall 1936 cab. I have upgraded the Bravo's speaker to a Celestion Vintage 30 and all JJ's tubes. This thing is the ultimate tone machine, its so close to the Boogie that is very scary!!! It is dead quiet even on high gain, this thing even has a pull pot on the gain channel to activate another gain stage, simply sweet sustaining distorion. This thing goes from the blues to hard raock without breaking a sweat. If the combo is not loud enough then get an extension cab, really people how often do you really need 100 all tube watts, I always mic up through the system, its about the sound, not about busting peoples eardrums, this amp is the ticket, I cant find anything that I like better, period.

Not a probelm, built like a brick!!!!

I havent had to deal with them, no problems, I downloaded the manual from the site.

Ive been playing like 9 years now, I play in a modern christion band and have had the opertunity to play in a lot of places. This thing delivers the tone in spades!!!!

FX loop, 2 channels w/seperate EQ, 2 speaker outs, reverb. Tubes are in the chassis instead of hangung outside like other amps. this leads people to think it's a solid state, and some have gotten them dirt cheap because of this.......even dealers sometimes don't realize it's all tube. 2 EL84's and 3 12AX7's, 25 watts supposedly. i gave it a 10 because IMO it has everything i would ever need, and anything more may rob tone.

I had another peavey that had the same preamp but with a 60 watt 6L6 output section. That amp had the best high gain hard rock/metal tone i'd ever had. much much better than any boogie, and i had a few of those. If you're into hard rock tone, you won't find better than this at 5 times the price, really ! Nothing but high $ boutique amps are gonna come close at this type of tone, and most of those are geared at vintage tone.

There are a few things holding the amp back tho IMO. First, i am not a big fan of metal tones. The hardest i get is Van Halen-ish. So i needed to tame that nasally midrange. What i found is that the baffle board is in big part responsible for that and other undesirable naspects of the tone which also include a thin-ness to the tone that was hard to dial out. I made a birch ply baffle and the tone improved drastically. The nasally pervasive mids went away for the most part, the lows got much better, and the tone in general got much fuller and closer to a vintage sound and now i can dial in a good tone without the thin-ness. Still not vintage, but somewhere between that and a hard rock tone in the boodie rectifier vein. As far as im concerned i wouldn't even bother owning this amp w/o that fix. It's now much fuller and not boxy at all anymore. The amp's basic tonal character all comes from the preamp, but it is a hell of a preamp. Squawky, rich and harmonically complex to a degree i have not heard in any amp other than a couple very expensive boutique units. For this reason i hate the tone when the power amp starts to distort and cover up the preamp's character, which happens way to early to get the volume needed to gig with. More on that in a minute. Oh, and by the way, there is a pull boost switch on the dirt channel's pre pot. It increases the harmonic content, but it als thins out the tone and get rather buzzy. If you readjust all the other settings it can be made to sound ok. But IMO it just messes up the tone too much and makes it too buzzy.

Good tubes and speaker are also a necessity. This amp as stock is held back by all these things. I have a Jensen in it now, but have tried an all-tone and an EV. The jensen seemed to work best with this amp. Another thing i found is that it's not loud at all for 25 watts. Perfect for home use, but if you wanna gig it it will need help big time unless you wanna mic it, which i don't because of the way it destroys your tone IMO. I have yet to try to get more volume, but i am planning on doing so by getting a speaker that has at least another 3 or 4db and some military spec 84's. Even then i doubt it'll work for me live. The reason is this....i find that after about 5 on the master volume the power amp starts distorting real quick and it totally, and i mean TOTALLY masks the preamp tone and becomes a completely different amp. Some may like that, but the whole character of this amp's preamp that makes it what it is goes away after 5 and your left with a pretty ordinary sounding cranked amp tone. Again, some may like it but i find it rather generic with no special tone like the preamp has at lower volumes. All the amp's unique rich and harmonically complex preamp tone just goes right out the window after 5 or so. So in order to gig it at 5 on the master it would have to get a hell of a lot louder, and i doubt thats possible. I'll give it a shot tho eventually.

So i can't say whether it can be made to have enough volume and retain that awesome tone at gig levels till i try the speaker upgrade and tubes. But if you are after a practice amp and want a killer tone somewhere between hard rock and classic rock, i absolutly cannot imagine a better deal. They haven't made em for years, but they go for between about $100 and $200 easily. With a speaker and some tubes your in tone heaven for $200-$300. By the way, definatly get JJ 84's for it, and experiment with various tubes in the 1st and 2nd preamp slots. I was able to get the tone much more to my likeling and further tow

I've had it apart and i feel it's one of the better PCB amps i've seen as far as build. It's solid as a rock with a thick fiberglass board and just very well made for a modern production amp. i also have a classic 30, and the guts aren't even close to as well built.(great amp tho)

They will help you more than most companies i've dealt with.

It's absolutly the most harmonically complex tone i have heard in any production amp. It's just a matter of whether or not you like that perticular tone type. I've been playing a good 30 years or more and gigged over 20 of those. I've owned around 60 amps as close as i can figure, so i do have ears for tone.
I'd rate it the same as i did in the sound section.....7 for stock, 10 after the speaker upgrade, baffle and tubes. But being an amp thats been out of production for a while, you may well not need a tube upgrade because it's very possible one of the previous owners may have already done so. I was unlucky there and the amp i got came with horrible tubes. the main thing that i cannot stress enough is the baffle !!! In fact, i'd probably give it a 10 just with that mod alone. It's the key to getting rid of the amp's sonic flaws. It's like having a ferarri and putting those "4 for $99" tire deals on it and wondering why it handles like a toyota.

And lastly, as i said before, but it bears repeating........unless you are prepared to mic it, buy it as a practice amp, not for a gigging amp. And again, realize it's not gonna sound like it does at home at 5 or below when cranked up further onstage, so expect a totally different sound. To gig it you may do ok with a extention cab with speakers that have a high SPL rating. But i wouldn't expect to get the signature tone of the amp live any other way. If you are looking for a high gain hard rock/metal tone for practice, i would go as far as to say this may be the best amp in the world for that! W/O the slightest doubt whatsoever it's the best in a price range anywhere near it for sure !!! At $100 to $200 it's a rediculously easy no-brainer.

I just got one and I waited till after I put the Eminence g25 and the JJ tubes, and played it for a couple months before I made a review. Tubes and speaker upgrades make this amp great. The guy who said this amp doesn't compare to the bootique amps might be right but this one sounds pretty tasty to my ears. It has two channels, reverb and a boost button. EQ is very sensitive. I'm giving it a 7 because it isn't that great, stock. It's not real loud but I've played gigs with it. Just mic it for big rooms.

Cheap Epiphone with a minibucker, single coil and humbucker. Hummers have coil tap. With the g25, I can hear all the single coil definition that you would expect. Even at huge distortion it is still clear. Hummers are real smooth but lack the perfect single-coil definition. Harmonics are outrageously great...due to the JJ tubes no doubt (the JJs are worth way more than you pay for them at Eurotubes...TRUST ME!!!!!) Clean is rich and full. Overdrive is bright and punchy. Heavy distortion is clear and compressed. Sounds really tight and good.

Too soon to give an opinion. Only had it for a few months.

I bought it for $200 and put another $100 into it for speaker (Dave at Avatar) and JJ tubes (Bob at Eurotubes.) For $300 bucks this is a steal. Would I buy another one? Yes.

Made in the USA in the 90s. Versatile for all styles. No effects needed. Two channels. Twenty five watts. I wish it came with a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker, but I fixed that one, myself. This amp is not a high class, boutique sounding amp. I know because I own some of those. The reviews that say this amp can compete with that quality of amplifier are just pure bullshit. Most of those reviewers have never heard a Dumble, VHT, Soldano et al, in person. You ain't gonna make chicken salad from chicken shit, friends. The old saying is true. You get what you pay for. For the 200-250 that these sell for, they're okay. They feature decent tube sound and that's about it.

For what it is...a cheap PC board-based design that looks like a throwback to the Flintstones BAM-BAM school of amp design, it's pretty good sounding. All these people who say it sounds like a Marshall stack are only partially correct. It DOES roar like a Marshall JCM 800 but a REAL JCM 800 driving 8 Celestions in a pair of Marshall cabs will NEVER be mistaken for the sound of a Peavey Bravo...no matter what kind of tubes and speakers are added to upgrade it. It's a small, twenty five watt amp with a single twelve and therefore it's limited to it's diminutive size and power rating. I have JJs and a REAL Vintage 30 in mine, and I know what the hell I'm talking about, okay? Not putting it down, just telling you the facts.
If you can afford a low wattage boutique amp then you'll never choose this over one of those, BUT for what it is, it's one hell of an amp. In my opinion everyone should get one of these...owing to the fact that they are so cheap and they sound so great! So, for what it is, it rocks solid. Bang-for-buck it has a high value. I play through mine all the time and I own lots of top end gear. I think the thing that makes it so cool is that you can crank it up on 8 or 9 and it cops that output stage vibe at levels that are tolerable.

Your guess is as good as mine. I leave it on for hours and hours. I've left it on for a weekend more than once. No problems.

I've got 400 in her. Paid 200 for the amp (Ebay!) and another 200 to have my tech make some mods and add the JJs and Celestion. For me it's a cheap crapper. It sure looks like one with that crunchy tolex covered ten-ton particle board motif! Somebody whacked it a hundred thousand times with an ugly stick.
I appreciate the fact that most people don't have an unlimited budget for gear like I do. So get one of these and don't worry, be happy!

Two very nice channels to choose from. Both channels give a wide range of tone options. Get a footswitch for it. Compared to more upscale amps in its class, it doesn't have many features. If you just want great tone on the cheap (with some modifications-see SOUNDS category) then this is your amp. Features-wise it gets a 5-average.

With stock speaker, the amp sounds ok at low-mid volume levels. That's not going to cut it if you want this amp's true colors to shine. Get the speaker upgraded to a Celestion or the Eminence clones that everyone is talking about below. With a new speaker and some decent tubes this is a KILLER amp, period! Once you go past 5or6 on the volume dial, it turns into a beautiful tone machine. You can't get there with the stock speaker. I rate the sounds as a 10-with the upgrades.
As for noise...the reverb introduces noise and the distortion channel is noisy at high gain levels. So what?
I'm playing humbuckers through it with a Les Paul, using the low gain input. I set the clean on 8-9 and adjust the distortion channel's gain and volume to achieve the same volume level. Both channels have very sensitive tone controls.
Overall I give it an 8 here.

I'd say average...maybe give it a seven 'cause Peavey is built like a truck. It's heavy, too.

This is the BEST living room, practice or bedroom amp, period. I also use it for jams with the buds. I have used it with a microphone on it at large halls and even outdoors, once but I usually use my bigger amps for bigger venues. All around, this is a very nice amp. I would buy another one. I've been playing since the early 70's.

2 Channel Tube Combo with 3x12AX7 Preamp and 2xEL84 Poweramp Tubes. The Channels (clean/drive) have independent 3band eq's and volume/gain. Reverb and Channels are switchable with a footswitch.
The amp produces 22W, loud enough for every situation. That's all what I want from a lightweight combo amp.

Play a 89 Strat plus with gold lace sensors and a PRS Santana SE with stock humbuckers and a Steinberger (black paddel) with EMGs (S S H). This amp likes them all.
Last week I bought my second Bravo 112 and this amp are the best, I ever owned. The Sound ist EL84. The clean channel is fender like and very versatile tweakable with the excellent eq and a bright switch, that gives the clean sound more sparkling highs. You can get a light powertube crunch with volume is past 3oclock. Very bluesy. The little wattage and the EL84 tubes makes this amp sound warm with a wonderful powertube drive especially on the second channel. This channel is between marshall crunch and higain and sounds excelent too. It is a very versatile channel. The gain and eq lets find you very much usable fantastic overdriven sounds.
22 W, beleave me, this is pure tube watt an it is very loud in both channels with enough headroom for the clean sounds of channel 1.
I changed the stock tubes with EL84 groove tubes. Great. Youn need no bias change.

Seems to be very reliable. The tubes are in a closed carrier. Much better protected as in the most tubeamps I know. There is a little ventilator in it for cooling the electric components.
No rattle or other noises even with high volume.

never need customer support. Peavey has a good WEB Page and there is a helpful Userforum.

I play for 25 Years all styles of modern music from Rock/Blues to Funk/Jazz. I have owned many different and sometimes very expensive amps (Fender, other Peavey, Accoustic, Laney, Marshall, Boogie and Polytone). I have compared the Bravo with many other lowwattage tubeamps from 15-30Watt. The Bravo sounds best and I will buy a third one if there is one used on the market. I know some other Peavey amps. I dont like this amps very much but the Bravo 112 is awesome and in my oppinion one of the best little combos ever build. At least the price makes this amp unbeleaveable.

These are early-mid 90s amps. They have the old-style, indestructible Peavey packaging. Ugly as sin and heavy as hell. Thats the downside of the features thing. Everything else is the upside, except maybe for the lame reverb, which isn't all that bad, really. Two very different channels, lots and lots of gain on both channels. Very sensitive volume and tone controls on both channels. Very sensitive preamp circuits that make it a blast to use a good overdrive / boost & cut pedal. By the way, the stock speaker is just okay...same with the stock tubes...nothing special. Get a Vintage 30 or an Eminence Legend V 12 in the amp with a re-fit of good quality tubes (like I did)and you will have an amp that can easily run with the big dogs, No shit.

I drill into this thing with Hamers, equipped with stock humbuckers. I use Fender strats, too. Everybody raves about the Marshall-like tone and distortion of the distortion channel, which is true but I am in LOVE with the clean channel's Fender Super Reverb vibe that can be dialed in with real authority, depending on the tools available. I use a BOSS ME 10 (old unit from the 80s, I think) but any other similar unit would do, probably. I only use the ME 10's EQ function and output level control to drive the clean / distortion channels. The ME 10 has a "unity gain" of 5 on the output level, even though it goes higher than 5. I use it at an output level of 2.1, 2.6 and 3.2 to drive the preamp on the clean channel, using the high gain input with the amp's channel volume at 10 all the time. The dimed channed takes advantage of the amp's output-stage distortion, which sounds very cool. With the ME 10's output on 2.1 the Bravo does a respectable job of reproducing a clean Super Reverb tone, when EQ'd right. Up the ME 10's output level to 2.6 and you start dipping into that back-and-forth output stage distortion-very pick attack sensitive. It's really just wonderful to hear. At levels above 3.0 on the ME 10, you get that blunted, creamy distortion that decays into a nice, clean, sustained tail with single notes and chords. At these levels, bcking off the volume works to clean things up nicely. Lemme tell ya...it's all kinds of fun watching the look on peoples' faces when they see the Peavey nameplate on the amp and then get an earful of the killer tones this amp puts out at nice, medium to loud volume levels. Since there are no tubes visible in the back (They're inside the amp chassis) I tell people it's another Peavey Solid State clunker. You wouldn't believe how it freaks people out! This amp has tone that kills if you know what you're doing. Even the volume control changes the timbre of this amp. Now, as for the distortion channel...Mr. Marshall lives there. No doubt. Enough Gain for anyone. Good EQ. Reverb isn't good past 3. Overall, this is a nice, small, loud, tone machine.

Take good care of it and it will take good care of you. Jacks are PCB muonted and may crack solder joints. I re-did all of my jack connections and I baby them. There is a tiny fan blowing over the tubes, which is a good idea. I never had any problem with mine.

Don't need it but Peavey is the best. I have a few other Peavey amps and they treat you like a king when you write or call. Excellent company to deal with and they KNOW their shit, too.

I own three other Peavey amps, all solid state, all Transtube. They are good amps but nothing sounds as good as this little Bravo. I'll probably buy at least one more. At $200 plus another 100-150 for new tubes and a quality speaker you have an amp that rivals the $1000 price range units. It's a no-brainer. Overall, it's a fantastic value for the money. I have to say it's a 10 for being such a great sounding amp for next to nothing.