Peavey Classic 30

Enough for me. I use both channels. The reverb is adequate as a starting point for a good "base" sound.
I have one with the tube guard fitted as standard HOWEVER if you buy one of those tube tamers off of ebay, youll have to resite the tube guard slightly lower as the tamer bums out against the tube guard.
Im pimping this amp as i go along.

Using with a Telecaster Plus and a Ricky 360 mainly. The Ricky likes this more than the Tele. Not that the Tele is bad but the Ricky REALY likes this amp.
I play garagey 60's country rock and this amp does what i need.
Ive discovered i have some nice valves in this amp, all power tubes are sovteks apart form one mullard, and i have 2 Brimars and a mullard in the pre-amp section.
I paln on getting an Eminence Cannabis Rex to finish off. I also use this with a 115e extension cab. NICE!
I have noticed however that the amp really sounds ace when im playin an intro on my own but when the band comes in, i seem to lose my edge. Im only able to test this obviously in a rehearsal volume scenario so its a little tricky to nail. Im hoping the Eminence speaker will help here. Ive had plantty of Fender and Marshall valve amps and this trumps them all. I also had a Peavey Bandit once which was THE WORST amp i have ever owned. It took a real leap of faith to buy Peavet again but im glad i did. These are a real bargain 2nd hand.

Mine has the tube guard fitted, ive got 3 spare 12AX7s in my case. Think im OK. I would gig without backup.

Never dealt. Got to be better than Marshall.

playing since 1982. Would replace if nicked. Like the retro vibe. All logos removed.
Had a blues junior which i sold for more than i paid for this. Bargain.
Shame it isnt true 2 channel with seperate EQ. But no biggie.

You all know the amp and what it does.
This amp has no master volume, so you have to balance your 2 gain pots to suit where your playing. I had an amp tech mod the amp and fit a master volume. What a difference.

A 9 after the mod and probably a 7 before it

The gain is pretty weak but i run a tubescreamer constantly.
The master volume allows to you crank the gains up then play withe the volume. Take time and you'll find some nices sounds.

I play mainly rock and indie and what i love about this amp is that it doesnt sound pure, its messy and it squeals, perfect for me.

The clean sounds great for blues.

Had to replace 2 tubes early on and i just changed the power transformer after it shorted out. Not the best for an amp that is only 9 months old

Great, really helpful with ordering parts

I play a Duesenberg starplayer through a noise gate then on a loop on the noise gate i have a Boss Phaser, Boss Distortion, Ibanez TS9- back to the noise gate then a digitech digidelay.

I love this amp, not great for metal and such like.

You know the features by now.
BUT the footswitch kinda sucks. You kan switch between clean and distortion and switch the reverb on/off. There??s a boost button on the amp but that can??t be controlled by the footswitch.

I??m using a eagle with dimarzio pups and a Fender lite ash special with stock seymoure duncan vintage pups.
For classic rock this amp is pretty good but the mid is killing me, it has a screaming touch to it... so i usually dial it down to 3-4.
I belive the problem is the stock speaker, now it??s being replaced with a eminence lil?? texas speaker and the mid problem is gone!
The distortion is kinda weak for playing metall, but works pretty well for classic rock.
The spring reverb starts jumping around at high volume distortion... not so good, but I??m playing with a digital reverb now so thats not a issue for me.
I??ve had some issues with the hum... probably because of somekind of ground problem.
It would get a 9 with the eminence speaker!

It??s kinda sturdy built... but a week ago the tubes started to rattle. I belive this is a common problem with this model!

If stolen or lost I would consider another amp. But it has served me quite well!

This amp is made in the USA. It's a versatile amp, but it's more voiced for classic rock and blues playing. Comes with 2 channels which are clean and the OD channel. The clean is awesome on this amp. It sounds way better when It's at 5-6 on the volume dial. As for the OD channel, It is fantastic. I usually keep the pre amp gain to about 5-6 for that santana soft gain (Think samba pa ti). This amp can do Ac/dc, led zeppelin, rolling stones, Hendrix. Mostly classic rock. It has enough gain for me. If you want metal, well you'll need to get an OD to get to Metal territory.
Wish this amp had a standby switch, but doesn't matter for me. I just turn it on and have the guitar volume to zero and just let those tubes get nice and warm for about 45 secs. Also wish that it would come with a footswitch. I use this amp in a townhouse. Does well in a bedroom too. I keep it 2-3 when I'm using it in my bedroom and 4-6 when I'm downstairs in the living room. Definetly has enough power for me, and can also get over the drummer and STILL have nice clean sound.

I'm using an ESP F-50 with stock pickups. Sounds allright I guess to me. My guitar does not suit for what I play, but it still sounds decent for what I do play now(classic rock). It has white noise coming out when you start turning it up, but you can't hear it once you start playing. So don't worry about that. It's just a humming noise. All tube amps that use EL84's will make that humminh sizzz sound. The clean channel has a lot of headroom, and starts to break up when it reaches around 7-8. Distortion is not Br00tal, so don't be expecting to get metallica out of this amp without an OD pedal.

Definetly can depend on this amp. Hasn't broken down on me. I would never gig without a backup. Always need a backup no matter what.

Peavey is very helpful. They answer my questions quiete fast. I've never sent it to them to get it repaired. Warranty is 2 years, but if you fill their 3+ year form that they have inside every amp manual. You will get an additional 3 years.

I've been playing for a year and a half. I plan on buying some new tubes since this one came with Sovteks. Put in some JJ's in there and it'll be like having a new amp! I would probably buy it again. I did compare it to other amps like the valveking 112, Palomino, and Fender blues Jr.

My particular amp was made in the late 90s.
The good: 2 usable channels (sharing eq), 1 channel with nice preamp gain, reverb, effects loop, reverb & channel switching foot pedal option, light weight, 30 watts
The bad: weak stock tubes, boost is not foot switchable and therefore useless- how stupid is that!, small boxy cabinet that beats up tubes and makes the speaker sound somewhat boxy
The ugly: Tubes rattle and the sound carries through the speaker, horrible nauseating sounding Blue Marvel speaker

It seems like these mass production companies would just go the extra mile to make products they and their fellow Americans can actually feel proud of and simply add $50 to the retail price to cover the expense of including decent tube sockets, tubes, speakers etc. But alas they do not.
I have owned this amp along with others for many years but only recently discovered that this is a great little amp! The sound was improved somewhat when I switched to JJ tubes, but the huge improvement came when I disconnected the Blue Marvel speaker entirely and played through a Celestion G12H30. What a difference! I do test recordings and A/B comparisons on my computer of my amps at healthy volumes using different tubes and speakers etc. Actually every speaker I owned sounded significantly better than the Blue Marvel which sounds just downright ugly to me. Go figure. This speaker ruins the amp in my opinion.
The amp has EL84 tubes which produce a thin sound when compared to all other types . The tubes seem to compress the signal and yield the feeling of much more sustain at clean settings than do other amps I own which have different tube types. I like this a lot! The amp sings well without so much distortion.
This amp produces a kind of dark sound which I think makes it quite different from a Vox (which I've never played through but which I know uses the same tube type and is famous for its bright jangly sound).
On the clean channel (with good tubes and speaker), the Peavey Classic 30 is tailer made for blues, 50s rockabilly, and old funk. It sounds great and perfectly right for those styles.
At first I didn't like the dirty channel. But it sounds great when played through humbuckers and turned up about halfway on preamp and master through a single Celestion G1230 in a closed back cabinet. This speaker which is about as good as it gets for 70s style rock is a big part of the reason. Overall the amps distortion is really good and there is plenty of it. It is like a marshall but smoother and much less aggressive.
I should also mention that the reverb on the amp is quite usable.

Face it folks no one amp does everything. This amp excels in the areas previously mentioned and is therefore relatively versatile I suppose.
It does not have anywhere near the sheer beauty and richness of tone as my Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue. It does not sound aggressive like my Marshall Anniversary or do modern aggressive gain on its own. It does not do surf or Stevie Ray Vaughn which require fat sounding 6L6 tubes. It probably does not do a really authentic Vox impersonation (though I could be wrong). However as I said it does blues, rockabilly, old funk, and its own brand of 70s rock really well.
I only give it a 7 because you have to spend more on tubes and a better speaker and maybe a cab in order to get the goodness out of this amp. Buy one used if you can and spend the extra bucks on these improvements.
I would even suggest removing the speaker all together and using a roomier external cab exclusively for better speaker sound, and to also eliminate tube rattle and abuse.
About the speaker. I searched the internet and the consensus seems to be that you can use an 8 ohm speaker with this amp but only if you do the following: 1)Disconnect the internal speaker and tape the leads apart from each other for circuit protection. 2)Plug 8 ohm speaker into the extension jack.
Why does this work? The external jack supposedly switches the transformer tap from 16 ohms to 8 ohms when a jack is plugged into it.
Alternatively you could use an 8 ohm speaker internally by plugging a dummy (open) jack into the extension jack thus switching on the 8 ohm tap but not adding any load.
I'm using the first method. Try at your own risk. I am not an authority.

My Classic is from the latest batch that arrived at Musician's Friend at the end of May. Mine came with JJ's already installed with the exception of one of the 12AX7's that was an EH. I don't know which stage of the amp that tube is assigned to. They also now have locks on the tubes. I assume to eliminate the rattling tube problem. One odd thing is that the amp was sold without the footswitch. That is considered an extra. It would be better if Peavey made that a part of the retail package.

It stock amp sounds pretty good. When I plugged it in for the first time and took it for a spin, I was more impressed with the clean channel. It was very warm and round sounding w/ the reverb turned up about half way. Close to the sound of a Fender but missing a little of the glass. The lead channel has a classic vibe to it but on the jagged end of the classic vibe. I wanted to smooth that out a bit, so i replaced all the 12AX7's with JJs. When I did that, The lead channel was improved significantly, but some of the warmth and roundness was taken out of the clean channel.
The amp is pretty mid-heavy, especially the lead channel. I'm not sure how well it would cut through in a loud band setting. There are various things you can do, of course, to change that. It is pretty loud and does have some noise to it. The first thing that struck me about it was that it definitely has a country vibe. I can understand why country players use it a lot. It's a good amp for classic and southern rock as well. But isn't a metal amp. Not on its own. I'm sure over time the sound will get better as the speaker breaks in. I'm going to replace it with a Celestion G12H. Nothing wrong with the stock speaker, mind you, but I like modding mid priced gear and I want to see what it will sound like with a Celestion. I'll check back in when I get the results on that.

Don't know yet.

I've got a few e-mails in but haven't heard back yet.

I've been playing for over thirty years off and on professionally and as a hobby. I play everything but straight ahead jazz. This is my first foray back into the amp market as I have been playing through PODs for about ten years and just got sick of the loss of physicality. It was SUCH a great feeling to dig into a real tube amp again. I started out on a Peavey Classic 30 years ago and there was actually some Deja Vu in the vibe. Peavey amps really do have a sound of their own that alters your approach a little. They make you play a little bluesier! This is a good solid little amp. I'm not sure I'd buy it again if it were stolen. It hasn't completely won me over yet. If I played strictly country, I think I'd be happy. But I'm not through tinkering with it yet. Like everybody else, I do wish it had a stand-by switch.

you know the features; sweet and simple, though I also wish it had a stand by switch.

I got this amp from a guy who won it and wanted to make some quick cash, so i was pretty much the first person to play it. for the first few weeks the sound was pretty darn stiff, i like to play blues with just a hint of overdrive (pre amp at about 2-3 and volume with post)i found that the sound lost a great deal of its glitter in its highs and it didn't sustain too well. this all got quite a bit better after the speaker was broken in, but it still bothered me that i couldn't get the sound bright enough with out it sounding harsh and dry. i eventually switched out the stock speaker (blue marvel) for an eminence wizard from the red coat series. i got it because it sounded the most like a cele vintage 30, it costed about half as much, and i think it has a tighter bottom! the speaker swap improved the tone and sustain in the biggest way you can imagine, switching to all JJ tubes helped a bit, but not as much as the speaker swap. without the upgrades i would give it a 6 with the new stuff i would totally go10 for 10!

never had a big problem, one night i had a little rattle problem, but i locked it down

i think the warranty is a few years. i've never had a real problem with it, so i'll give peavey the benefit of the doubt.

i've been playing for about 8 years, active gigging for about 3. I had a fender hot rod before i had this amp. the problem with the hot rod was that it didn't break up where i needed it to, i always had not enough gain, or way to much. After the modifications this peavey amp was totally a better amp! the dynamics come out more with a little gain, and it has PLENTY of fender shimmer plus Marshall edge when needed! i really love this amp after the mods. without id give it a 6, with id give it a 10!

2006 Classic 30 combo. Typical volume, tone, reverb controls with Pre and Post for the overdrive, effects loop, and a volume boost button that just muddies up the tone. The overdrive is pretty good, but I love my pedals. Very good spring reverb. All the controls I need.

READ THIS, important! As is from the factory, pretty poor tone. Brittle highs, muddy bass, and REALLY midrangey. I turn the mid control all the way down. I bought this when the main transformer blew in my '64 Vibrolux and needed an amp quick. I thought this was the best choice my local shop had in a tube amp. When I got the Vibrolux back I put the Peavey away. I decided one day to pull it out and see if I could do anything to improve the tone. I replaced the Blue Marvel with an Eminence Legend I had and the preamp tubes with 2 JJs and an old Amperex. Incredible difference! It sounds like a comletely different amp. It's still midrangey but the tone is SO much better now. With the changes I give it an 8. Without a 4.

Peaveys are known for being dependable. I've had 2 and never had a problem.

Never dealt with them

Been playing 45 years. At one time or another I've owned every blackface Fender amp made except a Vibroverb. Supers were my favorite until I got sick of carrying them and got the Vibrolux, and I'd have to kill if it was ever stolen. I've had too many tube amps to remember but here are some others: Peavey Bravo 112, Mesa Boogie, Marshall JMCs, MusicMan 2X12, Ampeg V4, Dr Z Maz 38 2X12(great amp but really heavy), Carr Rambler (nice deluxe reverb type but way too expensive for what you get), etc. The Classic 30 is a good amp, especially for the bucks, but ONLY if you replace the horrible stock speaker. For an EL84 amp I'd save up the money and get a DrZ Maz18 2X10 or a British made Vox AC30.

made in early 2002 you all pretty much know the features, its a basic amp, a sort of no frills amp, I really wish it had a standby, but ive read that alot and of course its a tube amp so its loud enough for most applications as long as your not trying to play thrash or death metal.

I like the clean channel, very much like a fender, lots of reverb, I like the fact that you can get more reverb than you need instead of needing more and not being able to get it. I like classic rock and blues, im a product of the sixties seventies eighties, I like all styles of music, this amp is fairly versatile, it can do a good job with the blues, and sound like an old marshall to some degree, I dont like too much saturation, so this works for me, forget it if your look for tons of overdrive.

Ive had this amp for a while with no problems, ive seen them at open mic jams where they have been literaly kicked around and still fired up! one was knocked off stage and still worked!

Peavey was lightning quick with there respones, bought it used so there is no warranty, everyone fixes them!

Ive been playing over twenty years, ive had many brand name amps, Ive A/B this amp against much more expensive amps, saldano, rivera, I still liked this better, I use Prs, gibson G&l guitars, I would get another if I lost it, hey there affordable! I Just love the tone it gets, I have a Mesa,like that too, its a different animal though. I do wish it had a standby, for the money you cant beat this thing, and I can afford to spend more, but what for? I put in a Vintage celestion to warm it up, and im going for the JJ tubes as well. So save your money and give this a try before you buy anything else.

I have played through quite a few of these over the past few months. Early '90's models to current production. What I like is the consistency. The design, speaker, and cabinet haven't changed. (Some things internally have changed like the tube guard, and how the boards are layed out in the chassis.) A classic design doesn't need to change to still be current.

Low, middle, high freq knobs. Class A/B. Boost button. Dirty and clean channel. Could use a standby switch. 3 12ax7's and 4 el84's. Using it at home I don't have to go much higher than 2 on the channel volume knobs to get a beefy enough sound.

Oh yeah, the best feature? All the knobs go to 12. Not 10, not 11 (not just 1 louder), but 12. Two louder!

The sound quality of this amp rocks. I have gotten very good tone out of it with a '79 Les Paul KM (limited edition specialty model), a US made 1981 BC Rich Eagle, a 2005 Eric Johnson Strat, and a 2007 PRS CE 22. All stock. All with the dirty channel. No pedals necessary.

Boost on this amp sucks. I overdrive the amp itself on the dirty channel, no fuddy duddy distortion boxes for me. 2/3 to 3/4 for the pre knob, and the post knob for overall volume (just 1 to 2 for home playing). 3 tone knobs all about 2/3 to 3/4.

The clean channel is very clean, mellow, and full sounding. But I really like the dirty channel. I don't believe you can get good tone with a both Les Paul and a Strat out of most amps (and I just tried a Marshall DSL401, great with a Les Paul, not so great with a Strat), and a Fender Super Sonic (not bad with either, but not great with either either).

Music style is classic rock to hard rock.

No issues yet.

I asked Peavey about the current models vs previous models, and some questions about the speaker (there didn't used to be a Blue Marvel sticker on the speaker), and they were very helpful in helping me identify what I was looking for.

Playing for almost 30 years. My main amp is a Lab Series L5 (BB King and Ronnie Montrose). That amps sounds great with my Les Paul, but not so great with a Strat, hence me picking up the Peavey. I can't get rid of the L5, have had it too long with too many memories, but the Peavey is now the main amp I play through.

Two more things I really like about the Peavey:

1) Made in the U.S. I know it won't fall apart next week like some Chinese made amps I've seen comments on. You pay for that quality, but I believe it's worth it.

2) Very easy to modify this amp. Tube changes, speaker changes, and check out http://www.blueguitar.org/articles.htm for some more cool tricks with this amp. Very versatile and flexible design and construction.

I actually got an early used one 1st. Sounded great with my Strat, but not so good with the BC Rich (too twangy for the mids; the PRS had some twang, and almost no twang with the LP). Eventually found out the tone caps had been "upgraded". But no twanginess with newer models I played at 2 different stores with that same guitar. GC had a special on a floor model, so I picked that one up too. I actually like how the older models look better. But I wanted the stock sound quality. Although I'll probably try out a Celestion G12T-75 in it eventually. Bottom line is that I liked the amp so much that I now have 2 of them!

Single channel, dual-mode (we'll call it two-channel for simplicity sake, but the lead channel just adds another tube to the clean signal path), all tube (except reverb and efx loop), 30W 4EL84 output. Gain boost switch, remote "channel" and reverb switch (more on this later). This is my second C30, I had another one 12 years ago. This unit is a few years old, not the current version.

I don't remember why I sold my first one, and I wish I hadn't. Whenever I test drive other amps at a store, I always plug into a C30 (if they have one) every other amp for a reality check. These amps are voiced perfectly for me. The mids, lows and highs are nicely balanced on the clean channel. I just enjoy playing this clean sound so much. Comparable sounding clean amps include the Fender Custom Vibrolux (at low volumes) and the Mesa Lonestar Special 112, which takes this same basic sound to another league entirely. Not really a fair comparison, but I have to say that I sound just as much like me on the C30 as I do on the Lonestar. The C30 stays clean to a surprisingly high volume.
The lead mode is very nice, much better than any Fender I've tried, and I say this even though my main gigging amp right now is the Fender Hot Rod DeVille 410. I won't even use the lead channel on the Fender, but this Peavey would work for me. You lose some low-end on lead, but this is done for a reason, so the distortion doesn't get flabby. Most amp makers do the same thing. Try setting the lead gain at about 6.5 (straight up) and then feeding the amp a Tube Screamer clone set to mild boost and med/low drive. This lead sound absolutely KILLS! Very harmonically rich, easy controlled feedback, and NO FUZZ. A light touch, and it cleans right up.
My one real gripe with these amps is the rattling of the tubes. I recently picked up a Tom's Tube Tamer on eBay, and this did the trick. I would say that this accessory is a must with this amp.

In addition to the Tom's Tube Tamer, these amps need some sort of protection in back for the tubes. There is an after-market grate accessory that does this well, and the new models have them already in place. The previous owner of my amp did something else that worked just as well.
I haven't gigged with this amp, but I may once I get a spare set of tubes. I trust the 6L6s in my Fender more than the EL84s in the C30.

I previously mentioned the footswitch. I made my own, both for this amp and for my previous C30. The stock footswitch has no LEDs so you can see which channel you are in, or if the reverb is on. The voltage coming out of the channel switching jack just happens to be the right current level to drive an LED. You could add LEDs to your stock footswitch just by putting one in series with each switch. I used a red one for the channel switch, and a green one for the reverb. The voltage is negative with respect to ground, so the LED has to be anode towards ground to work.

They have been good for parts and schematics for me, very helpful. I've owned several Peavey products over the years, and I do my own repairs. Peavey takes care of me for parts and advise.

The Classic 30 is a wonderful amp, and it makes a GREAT recording amp, so long as you do something about the rattling tubes. Honestly, Tom's Tube Tamer is a MUST for this amp.

I bought this amp in 2007 from a musicstore.It is my first tube amp!At first i didnt know if it would meet my requirements but after all it did totally!I havent changed the tubes yet but i bet it will sound even better than now.

The sound is amazing,in my opinion.
The clean channel is totally clean and bright.With my 70's strat i get the perfect strat tone.The overdrive channel works great.You can get every thing you need from Classic rock crunch to a dirty-clean.
The Boost button just gives it a boost of volume and warmth.
Its never noisy and if you set it righ you can even play quiet.

Sadly the EQ doesnt affect it too much, but it does its job well.

Never had any problems

Never used it

Its a great amp if you need a good bluesy to classic rock amp.
Its warm its soft and just looking great with the tweed.
Im a Knopfler fan and this amp is the right decision if you need his sounds from '77 to '07.

Same features as listed except each amps has it's own tonal qualities. More on this under Sound Quality. But things that knock it down are no seperate tone adjustments and no tremolo but I do like that you don't have to switch connections for gain/clean.

All this testing was done with both gain and clean channels. This is were having two of the same amp really shows their quality control differences. I just got a black then a tweed amp with intentions on giving the black one back when the tweed came in but noticed the difference between the two right away so I decided to do some testing. The black amp has Russian tubes in all but the clean and gain channels where it has JJs (even the small V3 is Russian). The Tweed amp has JJs in everything. The black has good ice pick attacks and very deep base. The Tweed is much softer and can really can't do the ice pick attack. I tried swapping the tubes and this did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! I was hoping this would change their personalities but it did not. Where all these people say it completely changes the amp never had a side by side I guess and the time it took to change the tubes was tricking their mind into thinking it made a big difference. It DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING (at least with Burstbucker PROs which can get sharp but not as sharp as single coils I guess). Anyway, the black one was still very deep and sharp and the tweed was still much softer, quieter, and smoother (yes, the speaker was connected/phased corretly). Next, I jumpered the speakers over, NO CHANGE!!! The black amp using the tweed's speaker was still very deep and sharp while the tweed was softer even using the black's speaker. Crazy! Accourding to this board the tube swap should have done something but I swear, I changed them around 6 times and NO DIFFERENCE!!! Only thing is the JJ tubes kept bending their pins while the Russians stayed straight. Score one for the Russian tubes! At this point I'm at a delima (of course). The black one plays metal very well and can soften up when stroked smoothly but the tweed can never harshen up to be like the black. Man this sucks! I so wanted to have the tweed. But the moral of this story is if you don't like one classic 30 because it is too harsh or soft, try another and keep trying them till you find one you like. OH, and I even ran both amps with an MP3 connected to the input with volume at 6 for 6 hours so they were broken in (aimed them into the carpeted floor in a seperate room and played Tool and System of a down albums). I don't have any other speaker experience to guide me and I am new at playing (I know a little pink floyd, ac/dc, metallica, other). Hope all this helps someone.

They handled all this swapping without a problem.

Eeay to get on the phone or they call you back. But I haven't had to deal with a warranty issue.

I'd say it's a killer deal for the price. They are $399 at GC right now because they might be closing them out.

Not very many features as you all know. But what it does have I like. I like the gain but there isn't enough for metal but it certainly sounds good for just rock. Certainly is powerful enough as well. Has an Effects In but I'd rather just use the regular input (more on that later). There is no way to disconnect the internal speaker unless you unplug it. Doesn't have a standby switch which is rather odd. But, I love the tweed color!

I have a Gibson with Burstbucker Pros. Even with these the amp has very weak bass and anemic treble so I hooked a Digitech PR90 effects pedal straight into the input and cranked up the bass 6db (d8) and put the treble up 3db (t6) and now it sounds fantastic even with the stock speaker! I can't believe nobody has mentioned this before. Only downside to doing this is now the effects level has to be set to max (99) to keep the original volume the same. I don't know how this will affect things once I figure out how to use it all but hey, I'm happy right now. Connecting it this way also allows keeping the amps gain (which I like a lot) and reverb switches on the amp. Just having these adjustments on the amp and not on the pedal makes them so much easier to get to. Like I said, I don't know the real ramifications of doing it this way, I'm sure there is a gotcha problem in it but like I said, I'm happy for now. Doing all this certainly made the amp sound worlds better and the pedal has a huge amount of features as well. Raising the bass/treble could probably also be done with just an eq pedal or any pedal with those features (I don't work for digitech). Either way it beats buying some kind of speaker and hoping for the best. Now, I'd like to see anything beat this amps sound and features for even close to this price (amp $399, pedal $99 = $500). Before I'd rate the sound as only an 7/8 (that's an all tube rating. Most cheap SS/tube-hybrid deserve only 5 at best!). Now, I'd rate it a 9 because it just doesn't get any better, only louder!

I've had it only a few days but this is the Made In The USA version and from what I can tell they last as long as any in the business. I heard they are discontinuing production here and moving to China. Doubt those will last as long.

I think it has a 5 year warranty.

I'm a first time buyer but searched very carefully and didn't see anything within hundreds that I liked as much (tweed finish is nice). It could have a standby switch and a few other things but it doesn't so I'll have to live without. I'd say overall I couldn't find a better amp in this price range so I'll have to give it a 10. So what if it needed a pedal to bring out more bass and treble. I think most will always get some kind of pedal anyway and I don't see them discounting ratings because an amp doesn't have every pedal effect. Thanks Peavey for making such an excellent product at a great price!!!

2007 Model, the last of the "old style" front decals. As already stated time and again, it COULD USE A STANDBY SWITCH" - (Can you hear us, Peavey??)

Does have a mid boost that is very handy, especially with single coil PUs.

It can be a little noisy, but it definitely has a great "organic" sound to it. This is an amp I tried earlier in my playing career, but couldn't really appreciate unitl my playing progressed to the point that I quit using modeling effects and started playing the amp. It is old style all tube soudn with great tone. I/ve owned several tube amps (Fender evil twin, Deville, Marshall 401 DSL, Genz Benz El Diablo, etc.) and I can say that this amp sounds and plays great. Sound Quality is the reason I bought it.

This model has the tube guards and seems to be playing for the past 6 months since I have owned it without fault. That is one of the reasons I see alot of Peavey stuff in churches and with working (club) musicians. Peavey may be snubbed by most of the guitar magazines, but their stuff is bullet proof. I have owned 4 other Peavey amps and have never had trouble with any of their equipment.

Made a couple fo calls from a dealership with questions and have found them very helpful. What do you expect from a Memphis based company?

This amp is my secondary. I use the Marshall as my main amp at church, mainly because of the noise factor and the fact that there is no standby switch. However, I would use this as my primary with either my strat or tele. These guitars were made to be played on the Classic 30. I will keep this amp for life, just because of the sounds I can get with my Fender guitars (think Joe Walsh, SRV, etc.).

It's got what it's got. Don't we tend to buy the gear with the features we want, not necessarily the gear with the most features? Therefore I'm not offering a judgement on features.

Why did I buy this thing? I guess I read reviews that said it gives a pretty good sound...and it sounded okay in the music store (where it's often pretty hard to get a good handle on how a piece of gear really sounds). And because I'd read so many favorable reviews, I didn't bother to compare it side by side with another amp in the store. I have to say after having it a couple years as my play at home amp, the tone stinks rather badly. Clean or dirty. Also, mine, like many others, has a real problem with the tubes being very microphonic. That's really not excusable (all that growling and snorting when you hit certain notes...sounds haunted!). I just got a Vox ac15 today, brought it home, and sat it next to my Classic 30 for a fair comparison (happen to be using a stock American Stratocaster). The difference between the Classic 30 and the Vox at $600 is night and day. I'm not the guy with the golden ears...I'm amazed by the guys that can pick up on tiny differences in pickups, tubes, woods and so on. Lemme tell you, ANYONE can hear this difference. The Vox sound is so chimey, snappy and lively. The Classic 30 sounds like I took the Vox and laid it forward on its speaker. The sound from the Vox has sparkle and is articulate, while the Peavy sounds like it has blankets on it. The difference between the single pickup setting on a strat and the "in-between" setting on a strat is noticeable on the Peavey, but it's holy cow noticeable on the Vox. I had my wife listen from the other room, and she could easily pick out the Vox over the Peavey, and she's not amp savvy. Okay, so there's just about a 200 dollar diff between the amps, but after doing a living room side by side with these 2 amps, I'm kicking myself for listening to the Peavey for the last couple years. I though about upgrading the speaker, tube, and doing some mods on the circuit board of the Peavey, but I'd wrap a lot of money up in that, and the Vox already has the SOUND. Please don't get me wrong, it's not my intent to talk up the Vox, it's just what I happen to have here for a comparison. My advice: DON'T get the Peavey without putting next to the Vox or similar amp in a room where you can really hear what's going on.

I had no problem with mine other than the nasty microphonic tubes.

I did not have to deal with Peavey. If anyone knows about Peavey correcting the microphonic tube problem, I'd sure like to hear about that, though.

My overall rating on this amp's pretty low. It should either cost a lot less or be a lot better.

Features covered previously. it "works" but could use standby/presence control yadyadayada

Did a review awhile back on the C30....didn't do any of the mods I mused about but I DID put in a Toms Tube Tameer & made a tube guard for the amp Also bought a used Classic 112 E cab equpipped w/a celestion Heritage......WOW! whada difference!....still rely on pedals for distortion, tho I do play around w/the dirty channel @ home sometimes


The extra cab has made an amazing difference for my sound...full w/lottsa headroom.Have been playing a Gibson Blueshawk thru the setup.....hearing tone(s) I never dreamed of....when I wanna crunch & rock out w/an edge I pull out my Fender Tele equipped w/Dimarzio humbuckers.....boss chorus/Ibanez TS9/Ibanez sound tank trem

GREAT tone....figure only other mod I will make is maybe trade out the blue marvel in the amp for a vintage 30

HJad some issues w/tube noise/crackle when I first purchased & re-tubed the amp.....gotta bad bacth of JJ pre-amp tubes......they/my tube amp guy made it right w/fresh set, no probs since

Haven't used them, am really pissed off that Peavey doesn't manufacture the Classic 112E anymore....you gotta hustle to get one on e-bay & they ususally go for @ least $300 including shipping...have seen pristine units go for far more.


No waranty on my stuff, bought ALL used...why buy new when you have to change out the tubes & speaker right @ the get go

Have been playing longer than most people have been breathing (tho "intetmediate" would best descibe my performance abilities)...Switch off between a Gibson Blueshawk & a Dinario equipped Humbucker Tele

Features? what features? we don't need no stinkin features...
Not with tone like this. decided i had to chime in and pledge my alegiance after owning this for a year now. Like a nut I picked up a used 1996 classic 30 for $300 bucks at the local music store. add to the other five amps I have. but something about the tone hooked me. got it home set it up on a short dresser and it didnt have the same tone, till I put it on the ground. It came alive just like in the store. I think the JJ tubes (7 of those little bastards) made this amp. Great clean channel and good reverb is all I need. Pedal board does the rest. Very versatile. ac/dc to eagles, and johnny cash. Probable not for metal heads. you know the type they have the "cookie monster" style singers.

I took back my Lonestar, this amp is much easier to dial in a tone. Lighter and meaner. I use some good pedals. to get classic crunch. tonebone + tubescreamer, I can out "chunk" my dsl marshall, want the blues? go to clean channel throw the neck pickup on the tele and you can get real bluesy, or switch to bridge channel for country twang. instead of boost switch use an eq pedal for a lead boost. Probable the only knock on this amp. i would suggest a danoelectric fish and chips, only $25. Another MUST have.. I bought a tubetamer to stop the tube rattle. best $20 you will ever spend. find the extra money and replace tubes with jj tubes if you dont already have them. No need to replace speaker its fine. If you want extension speaker cab. email or call avatar speakers. One 16 ohm 12in.cabinet.and you'll blow out any drummer only with sweet ass tone. I must confess I am not ashamed of Peavey but I did remove the logo. I know, how shallow of me.

Super reliable. Proud to say I like my things "Made in USA" Oh yea. "F" the B-52Amps and all the other Chinese crap. although I must admit b52amps do sound real good. they just heat up and fall apart. I know.

No need to even call them..

25 years of playing. I had a serious case of gear syndrome before I found the Classic 30. I've stopped the crazyness. If stolen, I wouldn't wait a day till I got on Craigslist, eurotubes,and toms tubetame. I'd have the whole system before the weekend. Overall.
$300 amp,$120 tubes, $20 tubetamer. Small price to pay for happiness. and you'll have enough money left over to get a Boss loop station so you can plug in a rythym and play 30 min leads.I swear i want to spoogie in my pants when i hear this amp.

Mine is an old Classic 30, obviously fairly early in production. Bought it 2nd hand. Looks like it's been to hell and back. Scratches and rust all over but that's fine by me. FX loop, 2 channel, reverb, ext footswitch and ext cab jack. Great to see an amp with a bare minimum of features. Nothing I wish it had and the 30W is plenty of power. Not too heavy. This is a weird question: if it doesn't have many features BUT it's not meant to, does it get a high or a low mark??

Well, as has been covered below, the clean sound is solid gold. I never use the od channel- just pedals through the clean channel. I use it with Fender single coil guitars (strat, tele, Cyclone II and Lead 1 (modded with a single in the neck posn)) and the single coils really shine. We play indie pop but I'd say whatever style of music you play, it's got such a nice clean tone that you just put whatever pedals you want in front of it and it will sound great. I use a bunch of Boss, MXR and Electro-Harmonix pedals and my tone is great. No discernible noise, above what is expected.

I've had it for about 6 months now with no problems. As above, it looks like it's been around the world a couple of hundred times but is still going just fine. I love the beat up look of it. It was re-tubed before I bought it so I can't comment on tube life. No tube rattle. One thing: the other guitarist in my band has one as well and the chrome guard with the knobs on both is really rusty. This may be a design flaw. Also, they get incredibly hot. I've got other tube amps and they don't get anywhere near the temperature this does.

Can't say. Never needed it.

I've been playing for 15 years and have owned a bunch of gear. My other tube amps at the moment are a Fender Super 210 and an old Vase Trendsetter 60 head. As someone else has said, this is a 'go to' amp. it's light, cheap and reliable. You don't worry about it as much as the Vase and won't do your back in like the Fender has. We have band members without cars, so I have to transport them and their gear to rehearsals/gigs, so it just makes sense to take the smaller, lighter amp, especially when it sounds just as good anyway.

Bought brand new in 2007.

You know the features already mentioned. I run it at about volume 3-4 for clean channel. 4-5 pre amp and 4-5 power amp for drive channel. reverb at about 3, bass 6-8, mid 4-7, treble 6-9.

I wish it had a stand by switch. The Peavey 2 button pedal for channel switching and reverb is a joke. Must cost peavey about $2.50 to make it in China and they try to sell it for $100 AUD. There is no light to let you know which channel its on and it feels weak. Also there is an extra boost/lead channel with no foot switch so I never use it. I mean who has time to stroll back to there amp, stop playing and flick the switch by hand. Dumb Peavey Dumb.

This amp sounds great. The clean is almost up with the Fender clean and the distorted is really flexible. I tried Laney (not bad), Fender Hot Rods (clean beautiful and as one reviewer put it the distorted sounds like finger nails down a balckboard.) Marshall (great distortion but ok clean - Having said that I gigged with a Marshal AVT 100 the other day and the clean was quite nice), Vox Valve / Transistor things (clean ok distortions sucks) and few others.

I play some blues, classic rock, and some poppy stuff. I run it with a Roland/Boss ME50 so can dial up sounds from clean fat beautiful tones through to killer distorted metal.

Currently own an Applause Fender (clone) with a Dimarzio Super Distortion S in the bridge (with Single/humbucker switch), a cloney middle pickup and a SD STK-S2 in the neck. And man, on the dimarzio this amp rocks. With the SD its a different sound, fatter and muddier but sound great. I also have a Special Edition KOA strat with SD single coil pickups and the strat sound from the amp is beautiful.

Simply put the peavey sound is really quite good for both Clean and distorted. And this is without any mods.

Now dont get me started. Had it for about 3-4 months. Took me 3-4 months to find it and try it. It started to create cracking sonds when playing about 4 weeks ago. Put it into the shop and just got it back today. They replaced the power supply and some other stuff and the same problem is still there. BOO HOO HOO.. Not fair. I am now getting sick of this.

Seems that when you play it.. and I dont play really loud.. Im to old now. it just starts cracking up producing big pops and bangs like a valve is about to fall out. Not happy Jan.

Dont know but local music store Davis Music is great.

I have been playing off and on for 10 years.. spread over a 30 year period.

Overall it sounds great. Reliability to date. SUCKS !!!! Bang for buck I think this is one of the good amps out there (when it works) but if it comes back still cracking and popping it will end up as a boat anchor. And I will be trying another model or brand.

This is the older tweed model of the classic 30. Features have already ben covered mostly, it's got two channels, 3 band eq, spring reverb, and an effects loop. No standby, no lights on the pedal, it does have a mid boost button( whoop-de-frickin-doo). Not totally all tube, the rectifier is solid state, but sounds great. Plenty loud, why anybody would need more volume is beyond me, I never ever turn it past about 3, even with a post-heavy-metal-deaf-drummer. If you need more, throw a mic in front of it. All in all, a very straight ahead little amp, I'm giving it an 10 cause it covers the bases for me. Does it have all the bells and whistles of some line 6 pos, no. Does it have the features it needs to do exactly what it was intended to do....yes.

For what I do this amp is perfect. I play blues/country/rock/jazz and it sounds sweet. It just sings and I honestly couldn't ask for more. I've wanted to justify buying a Mesa Lonestar Special, but couldn't...(no, the peavey doesn't sound as good, but it only cost $350 used, and the difference is not worth $1000....). It's quiet (once you get the friggin tubes well connected...check on ebay, there's a tube holder that makes a night and day difference, without it there's a rattling crappy sound, with it you get the butta I'm otherwise describing). The distortion is not "brutal", but that's not a word I would ever hope anyone would use to describe my playing either....I'm using it with a custom built tele, a 1951 epiphone archtop, a custom built lap steel, and a custom electric mando. I put a tremolo through the effects loop (Voodoo labs) and run delay and wah/volume in front...it sounds great. Clean is very smooth with nice depth and warmth. The overdrive can be thick sustain leads (not it's high point, but do-able) but has a really nice warm break up that I love

It's a tube amp, so all it takes is one knucklehead to put it out of service. But, if you carry back up tubes I think this thing is amazing. Never a problem (again, once I solved the tubes staying in ). I play it 5-10 hours a week and no issues....it's built like the proverbial brick outhouse, but without bricks and without the hole to crap in....... I would use it without a backup, who has money, time, and space to haul extra amps around?

no idea. This amp is "self-biasing" (not that I couldn't find an amp shop that would have chraged me $50 to slot the tubes in) so as long as you buy matched sets of tubes you should be fine. The nice thing about tube amps is they are a classic design, so people know how to work on them.

I've been playing for 13 years or so, I'm primarily acoustic guy, but this amp got me going on electric. I have a Taylor 414ce, Collings OM3, Yamaha 512, Custom Tele, 1951 Epi arch top, breedlove mando, GD Armstrong custom Mando, etc etc, etc (yes I'm a degenerative addict and there are starving children who die because of my misuse of resources.....)If it were lost or stolen I would pry look for another one, I do really like it. I don't think there's anything close to the price range that gives this kind of tone and portability....if I had more money I would look at the Mesa Lonestar Classic (special? whatever, the lower wattage one). I love the vibe and the sound (the tweed just looks cool) and I pulled the Peavey logo off the front as soon as I got it home (unfortuately Peavey will always be synonymous with butt rock to me). I am a professional musician (by which I mean, I make my livelihood by playing music, not that I am rich and famous). A standby switch would be really nice, and lights on the footpedal (sucks to not know what channel you're on, but I spose that one could use their brain just that little bit to remember....) Friends, use your ears....so much of the industry is about posturing and brand name, but there's a lot of branded gear that sounds like crap, and a lot of gear people don't think twice about that sounds really good.

The features on this amp are acceptable and is easily adaptable to rock, country, even metal. It's got plenty of punch for any small club gig. I've used it at 200 square feet and have had no problems.

The reason I've rated sound quality so low is because this amp is so noisy. The actual sounds that this amp generate are great - good versatility. It plays great for almost any style. But the noise factor is just plain unforgiveable. I've played my custom-shop Strat, Gibson 61 reissue SG, Gibson VOS '59 Les Paul through this amp, with and without stomp boxes. It does not matter what guitar you use, the amp is so noisy (especially when you kick in the "boost channel") that the hum/hiss is so distracting to other members of my band and especially annoying to me that I will not gig with it any longer and I am in the process of trading it in for a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

Haven't owned it long enough to give an intelligent assessment. But what I can say is that the Classic 30 is solid and built like a brickhouse. I've been playing guitar for over 30 years and have owned an amp this noisy! What a shame, because it's a really nice amp, otherwise.

Never had to deal with customer support

Like i said, I've only played through this amp for a couple of months. I own a Dr. Z Route 66 (best amplifier in the world); a Fender Custom-Shop Vibroverb, and a Marshall combo JCM2000/TSL122. I would not replace the Peavey Classic 30 if it were lost or stolen. As a means of comparison I can only say that it's the smallest amp I own, yet it's the noisiest. It's a shame that Peavey has built an amp that produces such great sounds (great for howling leads, lots of crunch, and great clean sound for rhythm) but will drive you to distraction (it makes me crazy) because of it's noisiness. You have been warned.

This particular amp was purchased in March 2007. This model seems to have undergone many manufacturer changes in recent years. They appear to be listening to user comments. Many of the user mods you read about on the net have been incorporated. I make note of this since older/newer models may be different from the one I own.

This is a popular amp and the features are described elsewhere. The biggest cons are:

1) There is no standby switch which is generally unheard of on tube amps.
2) The foot pedal is cheap plastic and has no lights.
3) The foot pedal switches the drive channel and the reverb. Who ever switches reverb on/off? It should switch the MID Boost.
4) The cabinet is particle board instead of plywood. My only complaint here is that it adds to the weight, all just so the manufacturer can save $1 on each unit.

Since I paid $525 for this new, the CONS are minor. It's not like we're talking a $2000 amp here. It's also a very attractive box.

Sounds quality is where the amp rules. The clean channel is wonderful--especially after you break the speaker in. I play mine for several hours daily and after 3 months, the box took on a sweet sound. Very nice breakup when the volume is turned up to 5 or 6. The drive channel is not bad, but the dirty/distorted sound is quickly lost in the mix. I have had much better results using a good TS808-based overdrive pedal on the clean channel. I also like the tone better after I changed out the SOVTEK EL84 tubes with JJs. Some people suggest changing the speaker, but I think they are nuts. This is a great sounding $500 amp. Change the tubes and break-in the speaker. Plenty of volume. I play with 6 to 7 guys and this amp can cut thru easily. The amp also includes an effects loop which is great for chorus and echo. I occasionally plug it into my 72 Marshall 4x12 cabinet and this amp takes on a whole new and unbelievable tone!

I have recently started to experience annoying tube rattle at low freqs. This is confirmed by grabbing the tubes (with an oven mitt on) to see if the rattle stops. I have a Tom's Tube Tamer on order to solve the problem ($20 on ebay or build your own).

I called Peavey once and reached a real technician on pickup.

This is my daily go-to amp. Also great for hauling to jams since it is small. It is inexpensive, so if it is lost or stolen, it can be replaced easily. Always receive complements on the tone.

Features are basic but good. Too many amps have features, features, features but sound sh*t. This sounds great!!!!! I'm giving it a 9 for guitar sound without effects or 5 channels for nothing.....it is what it is!!!!!

I have 3 amps now...... a Marshall AVT100x (poo!) lots of features all sound crap, Ashdown FA-40 great amp for rock but not metal as the company advertises, and this wild Peavey animal!!! This thing beats them all, it's truly fantastic. Great clean that beats any Fender and i know..... i just sold my fender bassman! I use a BC Rich (USA) Warlock with seymour duncan humbuckers and an ESP Custom Mirage with Gibson Explorer humbucker. This may sound like a strange combination but it really sounds great, i play metal and classic rock and this amp is great with a metal pedal (i use Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff). The overdrive channel is great for things like AC/DC etc, smooth tone etc. but don't expect anything heavy without a pedal it's classic after all. Loud enough to gig? hell yeah unless you're plying in a stadium!!! great for small bars, parties etc. (Beats my marshall on volume and that's 100W)

No opinion

No opinion

I've been playing for 12 years and have owned lots of amps over the years (unfortunately!) Marshall TSL:- Marshalls do what marshalls do....great for classic brit rock but no good for anything else (by this i mean versatility for a good price), Fender Bassman :- Thought it was great until i bought this Peavey..now sold. Mesa Boogie (can't remember the model) maybe more depth in tone than this but look at the price and for the clean i would honestly say the classic 30 is better. This is the best amp i've ever heard ....basic features which sound great and in my opinion that's the most important thing......want features buy a multi-effects pedal and sound digital! want tone buy this!!!!!!!!!

Features have been mentioned plenty. No need to rehash. Could use a standby switch. Plus, it should have come stock with a tube guard. Slackers! I do like that it has an Extension Speaker out.

Great clean side. Stays clean fairly loud without the boost on. Actually, I don't use the boost at all. It does boost the volume, but it adds too much noise. Plus, it's loud enough without it. The dirty side is great! You can zero in on a small amount of grit or full out distortion. Excellent for blues and even rock, but not so much for metal. However, I'm a bluesman and this amp is perfect for the blues.
The guitars I play thru it- 1983 Squier Bullet. This is not the $99 Bullet you find today. In 83, they were made in Japan, with a beautiful maple neck, a truly sweet guitar. This amp and guitar are a perfect match for my ears. I also play a 1979 Fender Stratocaster (autographed by Buddy Guy) and a 68 re-issue pink paisly Fender Telecaster that I bought new in 1985. As of yet, I've really only played the Bullet thru this amp. It sounds that good!

I wouldn't gig with any tube amp without a backup, but this amp does seem reliable. I've had no troubles and have yet to re-tube it. I've read a lot of reviews where users upgrade the speaker and tubes, but honestly, I think it sounds just fine stock.
This past weekend I had an outdoor gig and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see exactly how well 30 watts and one 12 inch speaker would perform. For outdoors, would it have the power to cut thru the rest of the band? If not, I had my Fender Twin 2/12 100watt waiting in the wings. Wow! I knew this amp would be plenty for any indoor gig, but outdoors it held it's own just fine! I was pleasantly surprised. It had plenty of power, volume, and the tone was still there. Nice.

n/a

I've been playing for 30 years. I play Blues, Rock, Country and Jazz.
My main love is the blues. My other amps are- Fender Twin 2/12, Fender 85 (solid state), Fender Blues Jr. I run a variety of Boss effects pedals- compressor, overdrive, Octave, Delay, Chorus, tuner, Earnie Ball Volume Pedal.
Pair this amp with your favorite Fender guitar and revel in the blues!