Peavey Classic 30

My Classic 30 was made in late 2004. It fits my style of music, Blues & Rock. It has two channels and an effects loop. I use the clean channel most of the time with a modded Boss DS-1 and a Rocktron Pulse Tremelo. I added a 2 button foot switch, which it doesn't come with. The footswitch controls channel selection and reverb. Speaking of reverb, I replaced the 2 spring reverb tank with a 3 spring tank from Accutronics and the reverb sounds 10x better, thicker more Fender like. This upgrade is worth it. I also use a volume box in the effects loop so I can drive the tubes without cranking the volume. This is one loud amp.

I have 4 Strats, a Classic 50's with Texas Specials, Classic 60's with Custom Shop Fat 50's, 57 Reissue with GFS Lipstick pups and a SRV 62 Tribute with GFS Hot Overwound pups.
I love the sound of this amp, it is fits my needs just fine. Warm tube sound with nice crunch when you need it.

I have had it almost a year now and it is very dependable. If you are gigging with this I would suggest you get a tube guard for it. The tubes are not really protected and can be easily broken from an errant mic stand!

Never had to deal with Customer Support

I wouldn't hesitate to get another Classic 30, I think it is a great amp for the money.

Basic features here. You know what they are... Everything you need, nothing you don't.

The sound is unbeatable. I play a Strat, Telecaster and an ES-335. These guitars could not be more different but the Classic 30 doesnt miss a beat. I barely have to change the EQ when I switch between them. I would say that this amp does a great job of accurately passing your instrument's tone without changing it or coloring it in any way. This means that the better the instrument, the better it will sound through this amp. Clean is clean. Even with the 335 and any Les Paul that I have plugged into it.

My other amp is a vintage Fender Twin and believe it or not, I like the Classic 30 better. By a LOT. Why? Well, I am from the school that says an amp sounds best when pushed a bit. The lower headroom allows me to push without blowing my bandmates or audience away.

I play around 40 to 50 gigs a year and this is my "number one". This is the only amp I use on stage. I mic it with an SM57 for the bigger rooms and straight up in the smaller rooms. I have never needed another amp since I started using this one. I keep my Fender Twin in the car as a backup but have never needed to use it.

I had to replace one of the wire clips that hold the tubes in. (This is an older model before they made the tube guard.) I called and had the part shipped within a week. Good company with a solid reputation.

I bought this amp for practice when it first came out. It quickly became my primary amp. The price was considerably lower before the retailers realized what they had here. I have seen this amp sell for over $400 used since it was discontinued.

30 Watts, 3 12ax7 and 4 el84 tubes, effects loop, long spring reverb, channel switching(really one channel with an extra gain stage), ext. speaker out, optional footswitch, 'tweed' cosmetics, blah blah blah.

What can I say about this amp? Well, in the past few years, I've had three amps in the Peavey Classic series and I'm about to buy my forth. I had to sell the other three, but I keep coming back to the Classic 30. Recently, I've also owned Vox Valvetronix amps, Crate tube amps, Roland amps. I jam regularly with a friend who has vintage Fenders and a host of boutique amps including Dr. Z, Bruno, Emory Sound and more. I can honestly say that I like the Classic 30's sound, vibe, punch and power better than any of the above amps, including amps costing well over $1500. I don't currently own a Classic 30, but I am saving every penny and starving for this amp. I has a great punchy, chimey, warm clean sound that I have not been able to find in any other amp, cheap or expensive. There's a reason that this amp is a standard of the music industry... it delivers time after time in the real world. Plus, it's made in the USA. Most amps in this price range are made in China or Indonesia. Trust me, at least try this amp out. The clean sound is somewhere in between a Fender and a Vox, but it's still it's own thing. The overdrive channel is great: smooth, ballsy, sort of between a Marshall and a Vox, but it also has it's own sound.... all Classic 30.

By the way, the speaker that comes stock with this amp is voiced for this amp... it sounds punchy and open. I can't understand why ANYONE would put a Celestion Vintage 30 in this amp... horrible match... way too brittle, stiff and midrangy for this amp. I tried it and it was a big mistake. I guess people believe that if they spend more money they will get a better sound. Not always true. Putting some quality tubes in this amp will sweeten the sound somewhat, but not make a huge difference. Ei tubes sound great in this amp.... JJ's are okay, but have much less gain and volume and are a little too 'tame' for my tates. Don't believe the hype!

I've never had a problem with the amps... Peavey is known for building quality and rugged amps.

Never had a problem with the amp, so......

See my comments in the sound section

Dual channel, reverb, EQ, and a boost. Thats it. One input, fx loop, one speaker. simple

The peavey classic series are really good amplifiers, and have potential to be wonderfully vintage and full sounding. They are great in tone, and amazing for the $. Having said this, stock I don't think they are that great. When I got my peavey classic 30 it was brand new. It came with the peavey stock blue speaker, and IMO it simply put, sucked. I struggled with the tone on it, but finally decided to buy a 'real' speaker for this amp. I got a celestion greenback. Man, what a great difference!! In addition, I put all new JJ tubes for this amp and it roared now! Now, granted, it is only a 1x12" combo, and it won't sound like a marshall stack, but it was much much fuller and usable.

In addition to this, the clean channel is one of the best I have ever heard! I own about 10 amps, one of which is a Marshall JCM800 combo. While the distortion on this amp is incredible, the clean channel is unusable. So, I use my peavey for this. It sounds awesome and loves pedals!

As you may have heard, the boost is useless. It makes everything sound like mud. There are mods to fix this, but since I always used boost/overdrive pedals anyway, I really had no interest in fixing this...

Solid. Sturdy. Pretty heavy for the size, honestly. Looks great, sounds good too. The only complaint would be that the tubes are totally exposed. You can buy or make tube guards, and I HIGHLY recommend it. Crash..crunch..zap..no gig tonight!

Overall, a solid amp that sounds ok quiet and great loud. It can work as a good practice amp and also serve in band practice and small gigs. Great tone!

The other reviews on this site have gone into great detail on the Classic 30's features: 30 watts powered by 3 12AX7 pre-amp tubes and 4 EL84 power tubes two channels, reverb, boost switch, effects loop, extension speaker jack, optional footswitch, one 12-inch Blue Marvel Speaker (16 ohm in my amp, though I believe the amp is also available with an 8 ohm speaker). Mine is a 2003 model with black tolex, not the updated tweed model. I bought mine on sale in Louisiana two years ago--I think the shop I bought it from was making room for the newer models.
The only feature I have yet to use on this amp is the boost switch. Since the amp already features the channel-switching option, I don't find I need the extra boost, which I think adds more noise than anything else. This doesn't mean the boost switch won't work for you--I just haven't found much need for it, especially given how sweet and musical this amp's natural tone is. I wish it featured a built-in tremolo circuit, but I solved that problem by adding a Boss TR-2 to the effects loop (see below).

I've played several tube amps over the last ten years, including a Peavey Classic 50 head, a Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue, an old tube Fender Princeton, and a Vox AC-15 (not to mention a bunch of solid state amps I forget!). Currently I also use a '68 Bassman head through a modified Dual-Showman cabinet for bigger venues or with a full rhythm section. Of all these amps, the Classic 30 is my favorite because of its warm, rich, swampy tone. After I bought this amp two years ago, I sold most of my effects pedals!
I have a couple of Strats which I run almost straight into the amp, though I sometimes include a Boss RV-3 for delay/reverb/slapback effects and an old MXR Distortion + for a little overdrive. Over the course of the last two years, I've broken in the stock speaker and it now has a warm, rich tone which reminds me a little of my Bassman, especially when running my Strat's neck pick-up. I get a little overdrive around 4 or 5 on the clean channel. The drive channel can produce a fairly thick distortion, but I tend to use it instead for a Vox-like shimmer and drive with my Strat's bridge pick-up. With the Boss TR-2 running through the effects loop, the amp is just about perfect!
I find I'm constantly discovering new sounds with this amp, which is the mark of a great instrument.

I've just started playing out with this amp, but I would depend on it, given my positive experience with the Classic 50, which made it through a lot of gigs from Boston to NYC and back (though I much prefer the sound of the 30 over the old 50 which I sold years ago). As other reviewers have mentioned, I'm a little concerned about the lack of a tube-guard in the back of the amp, but you can easily add one by looking on eBay or talking to your local amp tech. I'm afraid that adding the guard will change the tone of the amp, so I haven't modified it yet, but I don't want to shatter the tubes! I always make sure it goes to rehearsal with a blanket around it to protect the back of the amp (the blanket also helps during the bone chilling winters we get here in Chicago).

I've never had to deal with Peavey, though I know thay have a good reputation, and I've never been unhappy with any piece of Peavey gear I've owned. I even miss the effects pedals they made in the late 80s (their digital delay was one of the best-sounding and most verstaile I've ever played--if only I could find another one...)

I've been playing for 16 years and gigging for most of that time. I've learned to depend on affordable, high-quality, portable gear which can take a beating and still deliver. These days I play mostly folk-rock in alternate tunings inspired by Chris Whitley (RIP), Daniel Lanois, Bert Jansch, The Byrds, and bands like Fairport Convention and Jefferson Airplane. There's also a little Husker Du and My Bloody Valentine in my sound, and for all of these styles, the Peavey has more than delivered. I'm not sure if this amp is for everyone, but if you're into classic sounds and want a plug-in-and-play tube amp with a lot of features, this might be for you. It's worth checking out, and it's one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. The only amp I've played which comes close to this in terms of its tone and its ability to inspire your playing is my old Deluxe Reverb. The best amps are musical instruments in their own right, and this one is as irreplaceable to me as my Strat.

Mid 90's version. All tube amp, clean and dirty footswitchable stages but really one channel. Comes with a boost function not footswitchable. All the usual - effects loop, - extension cab jack Would be great if it had a standby switch. Mostly play classic rock, country rock. Play medium sized venues, always mic and run through PA. Lots and lots of grunt for a 30 watt amp. Ran it into an old Traynor 2x12 16 ohm stadium cabinet and scaired the band including the drummer with the output and headroom this thing generated. Volume to burn, not what you'd expect from a little 30 watt combo!

This baby likes humbuckers! Great chunk with my 2004 Gibson LP but really fantastic clean tone with a 1982 Ibanez Artist AR75. (Think 335 here folks). Having said that it is real credible with lots of guitars, I also play a couple of different Mexi Strats, okay, doesn't like my Mexi Telecaster for some reason makes it sound a bit reedy.
Amp is very quiet. Breaks up on the clean side at about 6-7 but a nice tonal break. Starts to get "overdriven tube" sound approaching full volume. Real nice dirty tone, blues, classic rock dirty - not metal dirty. But hey they're not playing Peavey's are they.
Used to play through a Traynor Bassman all tube (circa 1969)head and cabs. Couldn't take the strain on my back carrying 50 pound heads and 70 pound cabs around all the time. Went through a whack of amps - solid state Fenders, a Fender Champ, Marshall Valvestate, all looking for a combo that could be carried with that tube sound, that thick beautiful tube sound, that undescribable tube sound that solid state amps, hybrid amps, modelling amps just never get right. Found it in this little gem of a Peavey Classic 30. Yes I will admit I didn't think it was going to end up this way either.

Picked up a tube tamer as there is some tube rattle. Other than that this thing is rock solid. Haven't encountered any issues.

Haven't dealth with Peavey on this but have had other Peavey gear over the years and they have always been very helpful. They have a good website as well.

Been playing for about 20 years. Have serious gear problem - 20+ guitars, basses, banjos, dobros, mandolins, etc. etc. amps all over the place, okay you get the picture.

Plugged this little unassuming tweed amp in, hit three notes and fell in love. It really just has a tone that you'd expect to pay Fender or Laney money for. (you know Fender money right? value of amp x 2....)

Love the tone, would like a standby switch, other than that perfect portable tube amp.

Standard Classic 30 with 2 channels and a boost. Effects loop. External Speaker output. Tweed. Amp looks nice and has everything I need for practicing and gigs. I haven't used the effects loop or played through and external speaker. I wish it had a Standby switch.

The biggest problem with this amp (and I consider it a major one) is that it has a nasty tube rattle when you play certain notes (E - F#) on the A string for me. I just bought this amp and did lots of research on the problem and found that it is common. I replaced the stock tubes with Eurotubes ($65 delivered) and that cut the rattle in half. I also purchased Tom's Tube Tamer off of ebay ($19) and that fixed the rattle all together. I probably could have gotten away with just the tube tamer. Now the amp sounds excellent and it is loud. After these modifications, I have no complaints about the sound.

I just bought it but it seems sturdy. I have transported it a couple of times to rehearsal with no problems.

I didn't bother dealing with the hassle of repairing it under warranty. I was able to fix it myself. I do intend on shooting an email to Peavey to express my dissatisfaction with the design of this amp. It seems that they could fix the rattle with a simple tube seating modification.

I sold my Fender Blues Jr. to a friend and replaced it with the Classic 30. If Fender made a comparable tube amp, I probably would buy it instead. I wanted something between the Blues Jr. and the Hot Rod. This configuration is exactly what I wanted. Not too loud for home and loud enough for rehearsal and gigs. That rattle bummed me out but now that it is fixed, I am happy with the amp.

30 Watts. 4 el84's and 3 12ax7's. 2 channels. Same as classic 30 combo. Mid-boost button etc..
Made in U.S.A. (so what? The parts are probably from all over the place)

Would like to see a standby switch though.

Awsome!!! Both channels are fantastic. The clean breaks up at about 45% volume depending on the output of your pickups. This is great if you have a fat strat and have the clean channel at atound volume 5 (out of 12). Put it on the single coils and you have a peaked, almost orgasmic clean; switch it to your humbucker and BOOM. She breaks up nicely. Crunch channel is also very dynamic. It responds amazingly to your picking and pickups. With pre-gain at about 75% your groovin. Play soft and it sounds soft; play hard (especially with a hot pickup) and you've got an awsome heavy rock tone. (definitely not for metal though. maybe Maiden style but that's it).
I'm running it through a Marshall 1960b 4x12 cab. 30 watts through this is perfect. Sounds great and doesnt hurt. Nice resonant boxey blues tones too.

So far so good. but it is a tube amp with somewhat cheap sovtek power tubes. I'm hearing great things about the JJ el84's so I might do the switch for reliability reasons, but the current ones sound absolutely awsome so i'll ride them for now.

Emailed them a couple of times. They responded within a day or two.

For the money (even if it costs more) it cannot be beat. It is a genuine tube amp. Sounds sooo sweet. I own tonnes of gear...dont get me started. I compared and found this amp different from all my others. It is definitely the most dynamic. It does not have the kind of clean headroom that my fender hor-rod does, but the hot-rod does not even tough this amp's crunch. It is it's own sound. If it were stolen I would hunt down and kill the thief...or buy another classic 30.

I think the features are well documented at this point!
It's not a modeling amp, so those looking for hundreds of different sounds go get a solid state effects amp.

The tubes do tend to occasionally make a bit of a rattling noise when you're idle and not playing. I understand that Peavey has since remedied this problem with a better quality stabilizer. My problem hasn't even been unbearable. I'm sure I could stablize it a bit better just by bending the tube holder, but I haven't even bothered... it's minor.

I just bought it a month ago, so the reliability factor has yet to be determined for me...

I was looking for a new amp to play some local clubs with in a rock cover band, playing rhythm guitar. I was hoping to find a tube amp, but didn't think I had the cash. I saw this used at a local music store, and my first instinct was.. Hmmm.. kinda small.. 30 watts?? (The casing gives it a decievingly small look) Didn't think it was really for me. The guy at the shop who's a friend of mine coaxed me to at least plug it in. He raved about the Classic 30 up & down.. saying he's had one for years and wouldn't do without it. Well, since I really respect this guys opinion, I gave it a whirl... I was instantly sold. This amp has the sweetest tone I've ever heard. Perfect for what I like and what I needed. Very warm crisp clean channel, and a damn crunchy distortion channel. Not to mention... it CRANKS!!! It's a powerhouse. In rehearsals I never even turn the volume up past about 2.. maybe 3. I recently put it to the test at a live show, and I was thrilled with it.
In the process of looking for an amp, I tried a Line 6, a couple Fenders, and even a couple other Peaveys. They didn't come close to what I heard the VERY FIRST SECOND I plugged my SG into this thing.
I'm in love with playing guitar again, and thats in no small part to my Classic 30!!!
And for the cash it cost me.... NO BRAINER!!!!

30 watt 1x12 el84 combo amp. specs. can be looked up at peavey.com i'm giving this a 6 for features and quality of them.

eric clapton noiseless vintage strat. keeley ts9, univibe. boss gt-8 for delays and other modulation effects. i generally run this amp simple. i use the clean channel and mid-boost on clapton strat for bluesy stuff or throw in ts9 on any given day. the amp needed an extension cab to have the clean headroom i needed. i wound up buying a bassman and a/bing the amps because the tone of this amp was not that great for clean. i finally wound up using the amp as a distortion amp. it does singing allman brothers, santana, led zep. type lead tone very well on channel 2. i kind of think of this amp as a small marshall knock off. that is a compliment. i did replace the speaker with a tone tubby ceramic. smoothed the tone out very nicely. i put the stock speaker in a 1x12 cab and it keeps up with the bassman since i am pushing it into distortion.

smoked a power tube or two before i got the extension cab. this amp is not super loud compared to past amps. twin, super reverb, etc. 30 watts will do you if you know how to use it. had this amp 8 years and have used on and off. not the most solid amp, but has been reliable.

n/a never dealt with them.

i have been playing for 19 years, owned a ton of gear, (i have a problem). i would not buy this amp again, then again...i bought this in college the first year or two it was made. held on to it, i recently dug it out of the closet when i sold my twin, now lets be real, that is a loud amp. after some tweeking and new speaker i have found this amp to be a real bang for the buck. it covers those lead sounds very well for the dollar and i will probably use this amp in a 2 amp set up for some time. it does have that marshall flavor and i do enjoy getting tube distortion over pedals sometimes. (different day different flavor). i feel that for jamming and local clubs this is a very practical amp for my style. the bassman handles the fat fender clean/bluesy tone and this is the marshall tone. 30 watts and 2x12 speakers gives it plenty of thump to keep up with the band and i can draw feed back out of it with control, very nice. the overall rating comes down to what works for you as an individual. this amp works very well for me (a tone freak willing to compromise) and not spend a truck load of cash on a boutique amp that i may not like anyway.