Peavey Delta Blues

30 watts, 2 channel, 3 band passive EQ (shared by both channels), reverb, mid-boost switch, tremelo(speed and intensity), footswitch and external speaker jacks, effects send and return. Basically the same design as the Classic 30, however the Delta comes with a 15" spkr and a trem circuit. Tube configuration is 12ax7 preamp and EL84 power amp tubes. Beautiful yellow tweed covering in a "retro" styled box (think 1940's luggage). The only negatives I can see are no standby switch, presence or individual EQ per channel. Considering this amp is geared toward the "vintage" market, I would rate the features as versatile and useful.

I play Fender Strats, a '78 Tele Thinline (w/Fender Humbuckers), and have even played my bass through this amp. Have only had it for about 2 weeks, but have given it a pretty thorough test drive at all volumes. The clean channel is nice and round, with great bass response due to the 15" spkr, but not much treble "sparkle". A presence knob would remedy this. The dirty channel is suited for blues and classic rock, NOT metal or heavy grunge tones.(after all they did name it Delta Blues). I have had great success with "Texas Tones", and the amp really shines with moderate overdrive (5-6 on the gain knob). I have a plethora of stompboxes, but only run an Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer and a Boss chorus into the front end - I never use the FX loop. I really love the tones I can get with the Tubescreamer on BOTH channels. It acts as a nice boost on the clean channel, but really cooks in conjunction with the dirty channel. Roll off the tone knob on a Strat, set the amp gain to 6, and step on the Tubescreamer ... WOW! Delicious compression and subharmonics and Hendrix/Trower tones leap off the fretboard. I agree with other reviewers about the boost circuit- it does sound awful at any tone setting, and I never use it. I do like the tremelo circuit for very limited use on the clean channel only. It works well on the intro to "Gimme Shelter" and is useful with the chorus pedal for ambient, clean tones. It's rather annoying on distorted tones (sounds kinda like there's a short in the signal chain). I have an old 2x10" spkr cab that I rewired for 16ohms, and using this with the single 15 yields wonderful tone. TRY THIS IF YOU CAN!!! It really gives a full sound, and the 10" spkrs enhance some frequencies that the 15 doesn't.
The amp is plenty loud for club volume, and you should have no problem cutting through the mix. NOTE: At higher volume, I was getting horrible vibration and noises from the chassis, but a Phillips screwdriver remedied this - almost every screw on the amp needed snugging up. I think Peavey could increase their screw torque requirements, and use a little Loctite to eliminate this problem.
Overall, this amp is best suited for blues, classic rock and funk. It is NOT a good choice for metal/thrash/punk/techno, and that's fine by me. I compared this amp to Fenders, and there was NO comparison. Fender makes nothing for $400 that sounds even close.

Haven't had it long enough to truly rate the reliability, but Peavey has a solid reputation so I'm not too worried. I was suspicious of getting an amp with Chinese tubes (due to poor quality and short lifespan), but was tickled to see that this Delta came with Russian pre and power amp tubes. When it's time for replacement, I will Groove Tube it, because this worked wonders on my Crate VC3112 (see review). Like other reviewers I am concerned about the exposed tubes, but have come up with a cheap solution: a 4" strip of expanded metal across the back of the amp works well without hindering ventilation.

I e-mailed the company with some questions initially, and they responded within a day. They offer online amp forums for questions and advice, and seem generally helpful. This is more than I can say for some of their competition.

Been playing for 21 years and have owned some top-end equipment, but due to budget constraints over the last few years, I have tried to get the most product for the least cost. I shopped extensively before purchasing this amp, and quite frankly nothing with tubes sounded this good in this price range. I do wish it had individual EQ for each channel, a presence circuit and a standby switch, but for under $400 bucks how can I complain? If Crate was still making the Class A VC3112, I would have bought a second one (I LOVE THAT AMP), but this Delta Blues sounds good, looks great and fits my needs perfectly. As a matter of fact, I am using an A-B-Y pedal to run the Crate and the Peavey which gives me EVERY tone I need, plus gives me a back-up amp should either one croak during a gig. Both amps together cost under $1000, and sound unbelievably good, so I'll leave the Matchless, Kendricks, Mesa Boogies and Victorias to the rich boys and the amp snobs.

It has channel switching and it shouldn't as it quite noisey. Overall it does look cool (love that tv styling) The reverb is alittle lacking

'61 strat, '56 Mary Kay relic, '88 american tele, 83 paisley tele, 47 gibson es-150, Again the distortion channel is noisey and not well suited for blues. Distortion is best achieved through an outboard box of some sort (we used a tube screamer and a H& K metal shredder) With all guitars the amp seemed brittle and very tight. No singing sustain here
My dog howls, my neighbors fear me HELP ME JESUS!! We wasted several hours of band practice coaxing a tone from this beast

I've seen the inside of this amp and it's a repair bill waiting to happen. Using capacitor leads as a structural point is just silly and no access to pots and tubes is intolerable.

I have Hartley Peavey's phone number on speed dial.

I own a 53 deluxe, 63 bandmaster. No I wouldn't buy a delta blues again, in fact if you wanna buy one still , give me a call.

Mine was made in 1997. I wanted a tube amp that could distort at low
volumes or be clean at high volumes, sounded good, inexpensive,
with reverb. Yep, I know I asked for a lot, but I found it too.
I use the tremelo at low, medium, and high settings. I love this
amp. Peavey really outdid themselved this time.

Clean-nice and warm Distorted-from blues overdrive to heavey metal nasty. (I heard some guys say,"Stay away if you play Heavey Metal." I disagree. I play a strat with zero effects and I just put the gain at max, and I can totally play metal even at low volumes)
(I must add that no amp that exists with distort as much as a dedicated transistor fuzz box or distortion box.)

Reverb is O.K., but slightly noisy too. So are fenders, so both companyies should start using better transistor drivers for reverb.

Everything about this amp screams reliability except for those
cheap-assed tube holders that look like bend clothes hangers.

Superb.

I have been playing for 5 years now. I love everything about the
delta blues, expecially the 15" speaker. I hate the tube holders.
Fenders tube holders are 50X better. I would replace it if it were
stolen. I would have to kick the thiefs ass and at the same time
buy him a drink since he would have to have great taste in stealing
this amp.

I compared it directly to the Fender Blues Deville. Why is this amp
still better than the Fender? The Fender is way too loud even at
the one setting. The fender has to be cranked almost full to get
amy real distortion. The Delta Blues give me distortion whenever
I want it at whatever volume I want it at.

Oh, I opened the Delta Blues. Some people have said in past reviews
that the amp looks cheap inside. I disagree. The amp is very clean
and the circuit board is exactly like those expensive ones Trace Elliot uses in their rack pre-amps. The only thing that just sucked about the inside was =>tubes mounted directly on circuit board(the
sound is the same of course, but I worry abou those tubes melting
the curcuit board over time). Also I wish the tube holders were
ceramic. I hate plastic tube holders because they may melt.

Hey Check this webpage out:

http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/radiohead/1364/

This site is a new website about Peavey gear done by "who knows?"
but not done buy Peavey Electronics. Really neat and different.

Two Channel, trem, 15" speaker,tube

I use a Fender Strat Deluxe Plus with Red, Silver, and Blue Lace sensors. I play a wide variety of styles but with a lot of blues and soul. The clean channel is okay and kind of breathy but I have to have the bass control up all the way to get the tone fat enough. I miss my old Fender Twin. The distortion is either to edgy & muffled and/or not enough clarity. I have had trouble finding a sweet spot.

This has been the most unreliable amp I have ever owned. It has been in the shop five times since I bought it 9 months ago. The tube sockets, tubes, chassis rattle etc. makes this amp unsuitable for gigging or recording. The tube sockets and circet board seem cheap.

The dealer that I bought the amp from has tried to be helpful. But, Peavey has been horrible in sending the right parts and or shipping the parts and with answers on what is the problem. The last parts took two months to arrive. Nobody seems to know why the amp keeps having a tube rattle,etc. Peavey says the clips are the culprit but the clips have been removed. The tube sockets have been replaced with new horrible noises. They just do not seem to know what is wrong!

I regret ever buying this amp. I used to think Peavey was a super company but their handling of this warranty service, poor service, shipping and cheaply made product means that this is the last Peavey product I buy. (I have bought many Peavey products through the last 25 years.) What happened to quality and relialibility?

This Delta Blues amp with the 15 inch speaker was made in 1997.
This amp is very versitile for the 60's and 90's music that I am now into
playing. I read in the owner manual that it can also be used as an
Accoustic Guitar Amp which is just great. An all tube accoustic guitar
amp is something I have always wanted. I have not used it for the
accoustic purpose yet.

It has two channels(boost and norm) which work effectively as well as
reverb and tremelo. The tremelo is a great addition to this amp. The
gain is a bluesy type of distortion due to only 2 12AX7s pre-amp tubes and
the 15 inch speaker adds to this.

I bought this amp because it only has 30 watts. I also have a Blues
Deville but it gets way to loud with distortion. The Delta Blues
distorts at a moderate volume.

Great sound for my single and humbucker electrics. I haven't tried the
accoustic on it yet. I wonder about whether bass would sound good through it. Vocals sound warm through this little 30 watt wonder.
The sound with the boost switch is better than the sound without.

It is not as versitile as a rackmount system but it is much more portable. Sounds as good as a Fender tube amp, but for way
less money!

This is the part in which I have a big problem with my amp.
I don't trust it entirely because(Here the part with my story):

I presently don't drive so I took the train to the downtown area
to pick up my Delta Blues at the Greyhound Bus Terminal. You see,
I ordered this amp from a really great music store in Kelowna, B.C.,
Canada called "Wentworth Music." I no longer live in Kelowna; I now
live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Anyway, I unpacked the amp
from it's box and packaging so it would be easier to carry to the
LRT station(rapid train system). The amp is almost 50 pounds. Not heavy
if you are taking it from your house to your car, or from your car to
your gig. Ah, alas. I wasn't. Thanks Quinty?!

As I was carrying the amp out of the Greyhound Bus Terminal, one of
the tubes (EL84) fell out of the amp and on the the cement. The tube
was fine. I looked in the amp and I noticed the major thing I hate
about this amp. Instead of a spring-platform kind of Fendery device to
hold in the tubes were bent wire(like clothes hangers but thinner)
which were shaped to each tube. O.K. if the amp is stationary, but
once the amp starts swinging, the wire system swings and lets go
of the tube. Kerplunk. Good-Bye Tube!

Anyways, this amp was really heavy and a complete hell to carry
to the LRT and a real wench to carry from the LRT station to my
house which is three city blocks away. My hands were red by the time I
arrived home. I went to plug in the amp and try it out. Damn another
tube is missing!!!!!

I looked in the back of the amp, and sure enough another tube had
dislodged itself. Oh great! The wire thing is missing. I put the fallen
tube back in. KERBALMMM!! The tube shorts out and takes my amp with
it....Now I wish I had never laid eyes on this amp. I should have used
my money to get laid in another kind of way. Just kidding !

I phoned Wentworth Music. He said check the fuse. I did. Ah-ha
the culprit. The next day I had to make a special trip to an
electronic repair shop(no I didn't have to bring my amp) to get a new
fuse. I got home.. Voila. The amp works!! It sounds great and has not
given me anymore problems. The holders for the tubes still really suck.

It is great for home and gigging(when I get a vehicle that is). But I'll
never actually carry it to another gig. It sounds great, but those tube
holders totally turned me off. I am happy that I bought the amp since
the sound it super, it is versitile, and I got it at a super sweet price.

The customer support is always top notch at Peavey Electronics.
There customer service is the best in the west. Wentworth Music
was incredibly helpfull to me. And that's why I still shop there even
though I live 1000 miles away.Wentworth Music's customer service
is the best out of any music store in Western Canada. Believe me!
They were willing to pay for its repair. Also they are sending me
another tube and a replacement tube holder for free.

I really don't have too much else to say. I hope everyone got some
good entertainment out of my story. The amp is a good amp. The only
aspect that sucks is those simply garbagey tube holders. Those belong
in the Peavey junkyard along with the Peavey Rages with
the screwed up pots and harsh sounds.

Wentworth Music rules as usual. I would probably be screwed,
blued, and tatooed if I bought this amp from a less reputable store
like _.X._ M.U._.I.C.

Bought this amp about one month ago after swapping my BOSS ME-30, SansAmp GT2 and a Fender Champion 110. After lusting for a real tube amp and having done extensive research on tube amps in Harmony Central, I went to the music store and tried out several amps including a Fender Blues Junior, Gibson Gold Tone (this amp is superbly built and it has a killer clean tone it being a Class A amp) and a Fender HotRod. I brought down my guitar which is a Yamaha Pacifica 604W (Black with pearly white pickguard, Wilkinson Tremolo and locking systems, original HM, SC, SC pickup combination, D'Addario 11 - 52 Strings gauge and Jim Dunlop 0.96mm picks).

I tried the Gibson GoldTone first and have one of the store salesperson used my guitar to show what the amp can do. I was amazed at the clarity of this amp. It's real loud and every note seems to just have that sparkle that's not too trebly and at the same time not to mushy, very tight and deep. I love it but the price is a bit beyond my budget. I moved on to the Fender Blues Junior. This has good clean tone too but it's not the same after hearing that Gibson. Mind you, the Blues Junior is a very good amp with hearing that Gibson first just does not seems to do the Fender's justice. The price is within budget but I decided to snoop a bit deeper. I ask them for an amp that has more gain than the previous two. I tried the Fender HotRod (2 x 12), this has plenty of gain and it's a hybrid tube/solistate technology. It's just not the same as an all valve amp. I am nearly frustrated at this stage. The store salesperson then decided to show me the Peavey Delta Blues which just came the day before. It was not on display yet (still boxed) so they brought the box out and pulled the amp out and plugged it in for me.

This amp totally blew me away with it's golden tweed cabinet and chrome chassis and has the control placed at the back (just like the Bassman and Vox AC30). It's a 30W all tube (2 x 12AX7 preamp + 4 x EL84 power section), has a single 15" speaker, 2 footswitchable channels, 3 band vintage EQ, effects loop, Boost switch which i never seems to use or need so far, Tremolo and Reverb.

It has the same sparkling clean tone that I heard from the Gibson and the drive has enough gain to make me happy. I am not really into heavily distorted tone so it's good enough for me. After playing it for 10 minutes and testing out all different variation on the pre and post gain settings, I found it to be quite flexible for my taste. I bought it and never regretted it. This amp is something I want to keep. If I ever need more gain later on, I will buy another amp but I will not trade or sell this one.

I listen and play to classic 70's (Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Creedence, the Doors and Eric Johnson and of course SRV). For the type of music I play, I do not need any fancy effects, just a bit of reverb will satisfy me. I have a whole dozens of rack processing equipment that I have sold off (during my Ibanez Satriani and Vai days......it's over....don't get me wrong.....they are fantastic players, but i'm in love with the old guitar tone and most importantly the music, the blues).

This amp when cranked up will deliver smooth creamy singing lead tone with a bit of added noise. The dynamic is very good, has good headroom (for example : with the neck pickup at full 10 volume and with the pre at 9 and post at 4, I can strum quietly and when picked harder you get that distorted tone without even using the volume control). At gigs, I can get awesome blues tone with the pre set to 5 and post to 7 or 8 which is loud and will cut thru the other instruments. This amp will be used with a Fender Stratocaster Vintage (which is my dream guitar) so i know it will sound even better with that. I tried a Fender SRV Custom Shop Guitar with this at the store and it blew me away.

The clean channel is superb. Clean, sparkly and deep with a tight bottom not mushy. Even when cranked up to 7, it still is clean. This amp is pretty loud. Another good thing is that, you can get pretty good drive tone even at low post settings. Good for a quite practise in the room. A good combination for someone who craves a little more gain is to use an Ibanez Tube Screamer which I did try at the store as well. I did not buy the Tube Screamer yet simply because i'm still happy with this much gain that i have at my disposal at the moment.

Gain-Head or metal head Beware : DO NOT BUY THIS AMP. If you are into the classic 70's blues or rock, it will not disappoint. It's a simple all valve amp with the classic look which is an added bonus and at this price, that tremolo is almost an extra bonus. It's cool.

I does not do extensive gig like I used to. I've been playing for 14 years now and finally I found a truly good friend which will hopefully last me for another 14 or more. I only have it for about a month and so far no problem. Stock tubes are in good working order still. I rate it a 5 since I will not know what will happen in the future days.

I have not dealt with Peavey directly (apart from the fact that I posted my warrantly card to them after purchasing the amp) so I would not know what their service would be. The amp came with a 3 year extended warranty if you posted your warrantly slip within 7 days of purchase which is what I did. Again, I will rate it at 5 for this category.

I love the look and the sound of it. It satisfy my need for a good guitar tone so far. The first amp on my list before I go out to the music store is a Fender Twin Reverb but sadly, I do not have that kind of money. I will get it someday. I choose the Peavey becuase of the price. I think it's very good value for money.

An excellent tube amp!! Needs a headphone jack - but otherwise I love it!

Works great clean or dirty - this amp covers a variety of sounds from rock to blues to country very well

No experinces yet

I have been playing for 20 years and compared this amp to a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. The Peavey sounded just as good, was cheaper, and the Peavey dealer was excellent!!(The Fender guy was a jerk!!)

1998 model with the "upgraded" Blue Marvel 15" spkr. 30watts, 2 channel (clean and lead) reverb and tremelo, effects loop tweed covering, oxblood grill, looks like a classic blues amp, but its a wolf in sheeps clothing. EL84 power tubes w/12ax7s in the preamp. The only thing it lacks that I wish it had is a footswitable reverb...I like to use reverb, but not all the time, I have to compromise a bit with this but its only a minor gripe. A presence control like the Classic 50's would be nice as well. There is also a boost button which seems to boost the vol and mids of both channels...but to me makes the amp sound way to muddy...LEAVE IT OFF and get a TubeScreamer and you won't miss it. They should have left this off and added the presence knob, to me its totally useless and corrupts the nice tone of this amp. Lots of features packed into a nice little amp

Eventhough this is a "Blues" amp...I am a bastard who pushes it to play heavier stuff...and it holds its own!! The first thing I did though was put better tubes in it...the stock were microphonic! Read on later for comments on this. I use a 72 Gibson SG loaded with SD pickups, a Custom in the bridge, AlnicoII Pro in the neck spot...it screams and growls! Through this amp the sound is monster...the amp is made to be pushed and the SD's do just that and do it well. Let me just say..this is the loudest 30 watts I have ever heard, its wonderful...loud without being ridiculous, it just performs beautifully and pushed some major air from the 15" spkr. I wasn't real sure about this amp for my style, I play quite an array of styles but mostly what I fall back on is stuff like Social Distortion and The Damned. as well as Leeds era Townsend. But after playing the amp on the store and throwing some Social D chords down I fell in love with it. I needed an amp that was loud enough to gig and record with but also didn't break the windows if I wanted to crank it up at home and this fits the bill perfectly. The clean channel is warm and round and will break up past 4 or 5, add some reverb and tremelo and you can turn out some nice spooky tones for haunted rockabilly or surf. This channel is nice but doens't sparkle like a Fender...like I said, a presence knob would help. The lead channel is great....fat fat fat. Get the bass knob over 5 or 6 and its too much low end via the 15", keep it down and crank your treble and set your mid at 4 and you have a wonderful sound. The secret though is to crank the Post (power amp vol) knob and then adjust your Pre from there...really thick overdrive with harmonics and sustain that last for days...its great. It almost sounds like an old cranked Marshall...not a small EL84 powered amp! Its really that fat with my Gibson. I would say the cranked lead tone at the right settings is a cross between Angus Young and Mike Ness. I should note however, again, I did change the tubes to Sovteks which made it sound a bit darker. It nor made for "brutal" distortion but rather very fat smooth overdrive like an old Marshall...not a 5150 or a Rectifier. Its a warm fat sustaining tone, not a crushing tone. If you need more gain or a boost for leads an Ibanez TS works very nicely. If you need more than that you need to think about another amp. Again, a presence knob would be a great addition....PEAVEY do you hear me? Again, the boost button...crap, you don't need it, it destroys the amps tone. The amp also has a slight hiss in the lead mode when you are not playing, such is life though, right? Play loud and you won't have to hear it!

The amp seems very sturdy, the tween will probably earn some scrapes and nicks. The thing that really got me though were the tubes. After playing for about 15 mins the thing started squealing like a stuck pig, and wouldn't stop, even with the vol down and nothing in the input!! SO I turned the thing around and started giving the preamps tubes a once over...sure enough, total microphonic SOBs!!! I yanked them out and stuck some spare Sovteks in and the problem was solved but the amp sounds a bit darker now. The thing that surprised me though was that the phase inverter tube was a Phillips!! The rest were all shitty Chinese made. I don't think this is a reflection of Peavey's reliability or workmanship, the amp is solid...they just use cheap tubes and don't test them as rigorously as high end amp manufacturer's do but what do expect for this price? I can excuse this little "problem" but I dont think it would hurt Mr Peavey to use some better tubes as stock, I would pay a little more for better tubes than get the amp home and have to replace them right away. I should also mention that I tried out a 5150 combo in a store once and it had the same problem, bad preamp tubes...the salesman agreed that is seems to be a trait with Peavey, you can expect to put your own preamp tubes in right away. The amp comes with a 1 year warranty on the amp and 90 days for the tubes. The store I bought it from also includes there own added 90 day warranty on both over Peavey's

I did email Peavey about the tubes but have not gotten a response, but it has only been 24 hours. In the past with other amps I have owned, mostly used models they have been very helpful and quick when I need a manual or advice. I can't give them a rating yet though based on this amp.

Ive been playing ove 10 years now and have used a lot of different amps from cheap combo's to expensive Mesa 1/2 stacks and I have to say this is one of the nicest little loudassed amps I have ever used, I like it a lot and am very happy with it, which is hard for me considering my picky ears.

THIS IS A TRUE BLUES TUBE AMP WITH 2 CHANNEL (I GOT A FREE FOOT SWITCH WITH THE DEAL TRY TO WORK THIS WITH THE DEALER IF YOU CAN) 3 BAND EQ, PRE AND POST GAIN CONTROL, BOOSTER, TREMELO EFFECT, EXT. SPEAKER JACK, EFFECTS LOOP, REVERB, 30 WATT ALL TUBE. THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE A 15" SPEAKER THAT SETS THIS AMP APART FOR HIGHER PRICED BLUES AMP.

I PLAY A FENDER STRAT WITH DIMARZO VINTAGE BLUES, THIS AMP IS MADE TO PLAY TRUE BLUES, BLUES ROCK, SOUTHERN ROCK, ETC. THE CLEAN CHANNEL CAN EVEN HANDLE A LITTLE JAZZ SOUND. THERES LITTLE NOISE, AND THE CLEAN CHANNEL STAYS CLEAN WITH A NICE DEEP TONE. THE DISTORTION CHANNEL IS MORE OF A OVERDRIVE IT DOESNT GET REAL DISTORTED BUT IT CAN STILL HANDLE MOST ROCK SOUNDS. I STICK WITH BLUES ROCK AND IT DOES THE JOB.

IVE HAD IT 2 MONTHS NOW WITH NO PROBLEMS, SO I WONT RATE IT HERE. THE TUBES ARE EXPOSED IN THE BACK AS OTHERS HAVE LISTED, AND IT HAS NO STAND BY SWITCH THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE, BUT... IM NO EXPERT BUT IT APPEARS TO BE WELL BUILT TO ME. THIS IS ALSO MY FIRST TUBE AMP AND WHEN ITS TIME TO REPLACE THEM I THINK I'LL STEP UP IN QUALITY.

IVE NEVER DELT WITH THEM. I SENT IN THE 5 YEAR WARRANTY CARD AND HOPE I NEVER HAVE TO USE IT.

IVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 4 YEARS AND JUST GOT IN A BAND TO START PLAYING SO I PICKED THIS AMP FOR SOUND, DONT LET THE 30 W FOOL YOU ITS LOUD AND I JUST MIC IT TO THE BOARD AND ALL IS WELL. IT SOUNDED BETTER THAN FENDERS FOR LESS MONEY AND THE 15" SPEAKER GIVES DEEP TONE. IM HAPPY WITH THIS AMP, I CHECKED OUT A FEW AMPS IN THIS PRICE RANGE AND SOUND WON OVER ALL OTHER, NEXT TIME AT THE STORE TAKE A LISTEN...

The Delta Blues features switchable channels (normal, lead), three band eq for the normal channel, effects loop, speaker out, boost switch (adds more volume), tremolo, and reverb. There are a few things i wish it had: headphone jack and a standby switch. The lead channel is a little on the cheesy side, so metal guys steer clear. I would not really define it as distortion, but more in between over-driven tube and a distortion. As for the tremolo, i don't use it that often, but it can replicate some Skynyrd stuff (I Need You). Reverb is nice, and you can get some BB King sounding things out of it. This amp has plenty of power (30 watts all tube), and can gig or do as a practice amp. I primarily use this amp at home, and anywhere past '3' on the main volume gets complaints from my roomates. It also has a 15" speaker which really moves a lot of air, and kicks out a lot of dirty, low tones.

I use this amp with a Les Paul 100 from Epiphone with stock neck and bridge pickups. It perfectly suits my tastes of Southern rock, blues, classic rock, and alternative. It takes some fiddling, but with the right combinations the aforementioned styles can all be had with the Delta Blues. It is very quiet even at high levels, until you start plugging in pedals, etc. Feedback rules, but I usually curtail this problem by adjusting my guitar volume and tone. The clean channel starts distorting at about 4 or 5, and it is wonderful. All classic tube tones here. The lead channel leaves something to be desired, so the most distortion out of that is like Lenny Kravitz 'I Wanna Fly Away.'

I have had this amp about a month now, and I have not had any problems whatsoever with it. If anything, I would screw a piece of wood in the back to protect the exposed tubes. If I gigged a lot, i would trust this amp without question. It does not get very hot, and it is very sturdily built (except for the exposed tubes).

I have not tried to contact Peavey, but the warrenty is for five years i think. Although it is limited, it covers things that would happen in transport, or a factory error. If you kick in the speaker, you are screwed. Finding a service center is easy...Peavey are like Japanese cars. They're everywhere!

I have been playing guitar for six months, but have been playing drums in rock bands for about four years now. I have seen a few amps, and this one definitely sounds the best. It is cheaper than a Hod Rod deluxe, and in my opinion is more versatile with its sounds. I was going to buy a Classic 30, but this one was available closer to my home. I feel I paid a little too much for this baby, but when I look at other options (Marshall VS65, Hod Rod deluxe, Blues & Pro junior, any Crate tube amp) this was the most I could get for the money. Many people have written about the shabby build quality, but if you don't abuse it, there is no way this thing is going to break. I do wish it had a headphone out, but I have a Gorilla amp for headphone playing. I love this amp, and if it were to be stolen, i would buy another, or look for a bigger used Peavey tube amp. I am satisfied, and the name Delta Blues says it all.