Peavey Delta Blues

2000 model. As stated before, 2 channels, reverb, tremolo, boost. 4 EL84 (Sovtek) and 3 12AX7 (Sovtek lps) tubes. Shared eq for the 2 channels. 15 inch eminence speaker. 30 watts class AB.

Using witha hamer echotone or a Maton mastersound Ms500. The amp sounds better after breaking in at moderate volumes for a few months. Clean channel starts to sound nice with master at 4 or above. Breakup starts at around 6-8 depending on whether single coils or humbuckers are used. With master at 6, boost on and witha bridge position humbucker, a thick, warm sustaining overdrive is obtained. The same setting with a neck position single coil screams the blues. The overdrive channel is excellent so long as the master volume (pre control) is above half way. The best sounds from this amp are when it is fairly loud: if you buy this as a practice amp, you may be disappointed. Tremolo is fantastic. Jazz, country, blues and rock are easily achieved. Metal is OK as well. Overall, a versatile amp that sounds great once it is broken in.

Seeems to be well built apart from the exposed tubes. Came with good quality Sovtek tubes. Have tried JJ tubes and these sound different but no better in my opinion. Reverb began to howl when turned up. This was repaired under warranty: just needed some foam installed underneath. take care of it and it should go the distance.

Received an extended 3 year wrranty on purchase. Website good. Reverb repair done quickly and without fuss.

I don't regret this purchase. Tha amplifier sounds very good and witha good guitar, professional sounds can be achieved both at home and at gigs. There are better amps, but it is good value and gives very good clean, blues and rock sounds.

Just bought it new, so I'll assume it was made in 2001.
Other features have been already listed.
Has about the right number of features, so it's not overwhelming.
I would like a standby switch, though.
It has tremolo, but I haven't really used that much. I will say that on a Fender Vibrolux the "vibrato" (Fender's bad terminology) was immediately useful, easy to get into, and sounded great. Not the case for me, with the DBlues tremolo. However, the Vibrolux costs much more. In any case, I was not shopping for tremolo / vibrato, so I don't care much either way. I wanted a great tube amp and got it.

Love the tone. I did a lot of shopping in this price range, and feel very confident this is a great choice.
I have a 2000 American Srat with stock everything.
I enjoy playing classic rock and blues. I'm learning improvisation, and play a lot to blues tracks (Band in the Pocket is great). When I play songs, I'm playing stuff that was considered "hard" 20-30 years ago, like Rush, Zeppelin, etc.
I also like to play things on my electric that are supposed to be for the acoustic... "Blackbird" and so forth. The clean channel does a nice job for this.

I already knew I'd love the sounds this makes. After bringing it home, I was still surprised how much. It made my Strat sound much, MUCH better. With my old solid state amp (Fender Champion 30), I never played the 2 pickup positions near the bridge. They were just way too shrill. On my DBlues, these position sound sweet like a bell. Like having a new guitar.
I usually dislike "clean" sounds... I enjoy some character to an amp. With the Delta Blues, I am learning to enjoy the clean channel.
The lead channel and distortion SOUNDS GREAT!!! This is the overdrive tone I love. I suspect I'll be selling my distortion boxes.
After checking out Mesas, Voxes, Fenders, Riveras, etc. This is the one for me. The other amps are great, but one important consideration -- how loud do you to have crank them to get a good power tube overdrive sound? IMHO, that's why people get too darn many pedals. They buy an amp they can't crank enough, and have to get pedal to fake the great overdrive tone. Especially the Fenders. Price, tone, package, etc., this is the one for me.
I only give it a 9 because the best tone I've heard when shopping came from a big, expensive Mesa solo rectifier. Of course, that was $1500, and I'd have to get a lawyer to divorce my wife to play that sucker loud enough in the basement.

Just got it, but appears to be very solid.

I was AMAZED though at Peavey service *before* the sale. There's a discussion group anyone reading this should check out at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/deltablues/ Anyway, I put up a message there about a very minor problem I had with my DBlues on layaway. Mike Brown of Peavey jumped right on it, contacting me via the discussion board (keep in mind, Yahoo!s discussion board), then over the phone, and then calling the dealer. I'm in the web technology business, and this is the BEST example of being "internet" savvy I have ever experienced.
I've spent thousands of dollars on products or services from other companies who would never think of supporting a customer like that.

Been playing acoustic for 20 years, electric for 2 years.
Yes, I'd buy it again.
Love the way it sounds. And love the fact I can get good tone at low volumes.
I very carefully compared this at my dealer with the DBlues 2 x 10". We had them side-by-side using my guitar. They sound very similar. But the DBlues 115 sounds more 'in your face', or 'live' or responsive. With the Strat, the 115 brought out the bass better. Overall, the DBlues 115 is a godsend for Strat tone.

I`m not sure, but I think mine`s a late 90`s model. Tweed, cool looking and GREAT sound! This is by far the BEST amp I`ve ever owned.I`ve owned about 35 amps over the last 30+ years I`ve been playing. @-channel w/effects loop and 1-15" speaker,and tremolo. I use this amp everywhere I play. The clubs I play are normally around 200 people capacity and I`ve never had the volume over 4. This amp is loud! It`s all tube 30 watts, but sounds more like at least 50. I love this amp.

I use mainly my '79 Strat which I`ve modded with a hot rail pickup at the bridge which I can get close to a Tele twang with when I want to. I also have a Mexican FatStrat and a Washburn electric (looks like a Tele but has 2 humbuckers, I can`t remember the model offhand.)All these sound great through the Delta Blues. I play mostly '60's & 70's music, old R&R, and some country. This amp suits all my styles to the "T". My search for the perfect amp is over, this is a keeper. It`s got a decent distortion channel, but I use my effects pedals for that. This amp is the epitomy of clean, so that`s what I use it for. There`s no problem with keeping it clean at high volume. Chances are, you`ll never crank it over 5.

I would definitely not worry about a backup amp. You have to be careful when transporting though because of how exposed the tubes are.
I haven`t had it long, but it seems to be very solid.

Haven`t had to deal with Peavey in years, but when I did I don`t recall any problems. I bought mine used so there`s no warranty.

I`ve been playing about 35 years. I`ve owned other Peavey amps, (MX, Bandits, Special 130, Classic 30, and a Transtube Bandit 112 (I really hated this amp), and also Marshall tube combos, Fenders, a Laney ProTube 30 and others I can`t recall. Anyway, none come close to the Delta Blues. For me-this is as good as it gets. The only thing that I could complain about is that it has no stand-by switch and the tubes are a little too exposed. I can live with these things no problem. I`ll keep this amp as long as I can. I love it and if anything ever happened to it I`d definitely replace it with another.

This one's a '98 model purchased used. Not sure if I'd call this a two channel amp because it doesn't have seperate eq for the lead tones. This would really help. It's name says what it's best at. Best feature is the great tone vs. price ratio.

I own quite a few guitars including Strats, Tele's and a hollow ASAT with humbuckers. They all sound fantastic through it (now that I've done some mods to it.. see below). The clean is as nice as any of my Fender amps. I have a couple of Vibroclones with 15" JBL's and Webers and also a Deluxe Reverb reissue with a Weber and the Peavey is as good. The reverb is outstanding. Blindfolded, I wouldn't be able to tell it from the Fenders. Also, the 30 watts and the 15 leave the DRri in the dust. When the clean is cranked you get a nice (blues) crunch. But, Yeooo, it's loud. With the lead channel button in you get a decent adjustable overdrive, from hardly any to grind city. For single note leads it sounds great, but like most other amps with preamp overdrive, chords get that 'razor edge' raspyness. A bit harsh. At bedroom levels there is a bit of hiss and hum (my DRri is dead quiet) but not too annoying. The boost button is a joke. Can you say 'honky'? One odd thing is you can floor the bass control and it won't come close to being flabby.

Not sure about the long term, I've only had it for month. It buzzed major 'til I sandwiched some thin rubber insulation between the chassis and the cab. The circuit board traces are very delicate and seemed like every time I removed a component, it would pull the trace with it. I guess if you don't mess with it, it should be ok.

Guess I won't be dealing with that after I messed with it. Peavey has been great on help with manuals. I'd give them a ten for that.

I'm a knob and own at least six guitars and ten amps. Been playing obsessively for four years. Not out, but I'm pretty decent and know the difference between good and bad tone. When I first played through it I thought it sounded lame, somewhat nasal. Definately not much better then my DRri. I'm thinking "Geez, now I own another amp that sounds like the rest". I was thinking of selling it until I found Steve Ahola's site (Blueguitar). His opinions on the Classic 30 (basically the same amp) were pretty much identical to mine on this amp. I love messing with stuff, so after a bit of Steve's recommended parts swapping this thing now sounds very nice. It really has a great clean tone. More bass and punch than the DRri. The mods smoothed the lead tone. By no means is it creamy smooth, but it's a bunch better than stock. A 470 or 680 pf cap on the boost circuit will tame that honk. There were also (Fender)mods to the input on the clean side and these helped make it sound more like... you guessed it... a Fender. All in all a great amp, especially when you can pick these up for $300 used. I stole mine off ebay (am I the price winner?). Thanks Mickey. If it disappeared, it would probably replace it. It's really grown on me.

This amp was purchased new in late May of 2001. One 15" Blue Marvel speaker, two channels, passive EQ, reverb, tremelo, boost switch, foot-switchable clean/lead channel and tremelo defeat, EFX loop. Not a whole lot of gizmos--especially the way things are hyped these days. Just an old style (pretty much) simple guitar amp. It would be nice to have easier access to the fuse holders, though.

I am playing an American Strat (stock) and a Matt Guitar Murphy Signature (two splittable humbuckers--very powerful guitar) through this amp. We play mostly blues and rock (old Stones, Cream, Doors, Matchbox 20, Tomy Petty, Elmore James, Howlin Wolf, Eve 6, Travis, A3, Bugs Henderson, Al Kooper, Richard Thompson, Elvis Costello, J. Geils, etc.) and gig part-time in local taverns, outdoor shows. I hardly ever use any effects--just a very occasional Vox wah--maybe on three or four songs. I've got a Boss EQ hooked up through the EFX loop and it is tweaked just slightly at the top and bottom ends. Gives me a bit more presence and fills the sound up a tad. I would agree that this is not a heavy metal amp, but that said, my girlfriend's son seems to be able to get those kind of tones from it. But that doesn't really interest me. For the type of music we are playing, this amp is full of tone. I play mostly clean and use the lead channel for solos and some crunch chords on occasion. This amp really sings with full tones. I came from a Fender Deluxe 90, which I had liked quite a bit, but now sounds tinny and harsh next to the Delta Blues. At other shows I've played, and occasional guesting with other bands, other musicians comment about how toneful this puppy is and how "classic" my Strat sounds through it. My Strat is a 1999, and frankly plays as well as my old 59/60 did and sounds better and more classic too. I know that is blasphemy to some, but that's the way this puppy sounds. The tones are full and strong, though not piercing--with the Boss EQ I can make them that way too. I can't say I've heard dramatic changes in the box since changing to JJ tubes from the original Sovteks the way others have reported. Though my Matt Guitar Murphy axe also sounds big and strong through this amp, my feeling is that this amp was really voiced mostly for Fender single coils. My Strat just sounds so much bigger and fuller through this amp than it does through anything else I've played. I tried the Fender Hot Rod DX, and though it is pretty good, nothing happens on that amp after 6. The Fender Hot Rod DX cuts through very well, but I don't feel it is as full and toneful as the Delta Blues. That's why I bought it. Simply stated it just sounds better than anything I've yet heard. Affordable is nothing to sneer at either. When I first got the amp, I wasn't crazy about the lead channel. But I've grown to really like it for what it does (again I'm usually looking for pretty clean tones). When I use my Strat on the neck pickup and kick in the lead channel (Pre on 8 and Post on 5 to 6), I get plenty of presence at both rehearsal and at gigs (we mike the amp, the drum kick and the bass through our PA) along with a real sweet "chimey" bell-like tone from the guitar. It sounds great. After looking at lots of drive pedals, I've gotten comfortable with this lead channel and can make other adjustments more to my specific needs with the Boss EQ. I am only recently returning to music after not touching any guitars (or owning any gear) for 25 years. Back in the old days, I owned a silver face Fender Bandmaster with an oversized cab that was a dud. I then also had a Peavey Vintage 212 (100 watts) that was OK, but this amp far exceeds any of the others I've ever had. I don't find much use for the boost switch, however.

This amp has been very reliable. It is solidly built and I don't have any complaints about the tube exposure like others. Granted we are not doing tons of road time, but I also use the amp cover that Peavey sells ($19, I think) to transport this thing and it fits tight enough to the cab to allow good protection for the tubes. I NEVER put anything in the back of my amps to transport them. I feel you're asking for trouble with a punctured speaker cone or something. When I first bought this amp (my first version), it blew in 10 days. It turns out that it had some bad diodes apparently. However, the dealer (2 hours from here), had the factory ship me a brand new one directly from Mississippi, which is the one I've been using all these months. That was great dealer and factory support and I have no complaints. I never take a back up to a gig. During one rehearsal, I played a Chris Izaak's tune with the reverb way up and then it began to hum quite a bit. It wouldn't quit until the reverb was practically off. I pulled the reverb tank from the bottom of the amp, installed some of that adhesive backed foam weatherstripping to the bottom edges of the pan, returned it to the amp and there has been no further problem. The reverb springs in this models are just a bit sensitive, but it is an easy fix.

Five year warranty is great. As I stated above, Peavey and the dealer have been great about standing behind the gear. They never hesitated about replacing the first amp that was a dud. They answer all your questions promptly, have a great website and users group, plus the Yahoo users group is excellent source for info as well. I've been impressed with their instant response to any of my questions, orders, or needs.

I played a bit as a kid, but gave it up (along with all of my gear) for 25 years. While I missed it, I was busy having a great time as a magazine and commercial photographer and skiing everyday. Some friends talked me into picking this back up and I am grateful. Between the two fabulous guitars I have and this Delta Blues, I have never been more satisfied with the quality of gear and especially the full toneful sounds I am getting. I'm playing better than ever and it helps to have this great stuff to push your developing sound along with. The Delta Blues is an excellent amp, so full of sound, nice and simple, portable (over 50 crowd) and has really added a great dimension to our sound as a band (3-piece).

I just bought a new 2001 Delta Blues 1x15 and it rocks. Its tricky to rate an item on its sound and features with out telling you my style of music. I guess im a blues player. I've tried to play different styles but I always end up going back to the blues. So with that in mind it covers all of the bases. I like things simple. The more opitons im givin the more prone I am to messing things up. So thats why it gets a 10. Other player might give it a three because it does lack in toys like the digital amps, but do any of you favorite guitarist us digital amps. I hope not. And you get what you pay for. Nothings more true in life than that. So to say that a $400.00 digital amp is going to sound like all of these high dollar amps is crap.

There's always been this coment of "if only you could find an amp that had the clean sound of a fender tube amp with a tube screamer built in" well this is a close as it gets. I have a tried every thing to get that Stevie Ray Vaughn tone. I even bought a Fender 65 deluxe reverb, and a ts 808. And that does sound cool but you have to turn it to 9 or 10 and it still doent sound like one complete unit. It sounds like and amp with some fuzz or an edge on top. Im just not a petal person. The Delta Blues functions as one complete sound. Very Cool. Its one of those amps that you can crank it to 6 or 7 and let your volume controle on your guitar determine the amount of gain you get out of it. Very touch responsive. And with a 15 it has a very full sound. Im sure all of this depends on what type of guitar you use. I perfer strats.

I have only had it 3 hours so im not qualified to answer that.

I have only had it 3 hours so im not qualified to answer that.

If you want a tube amp with at least 2 channels with what seems to be of good construction and under 500 dollars look no further. I work at a guitar shop and have had the opportunity to play every thing under the sun. And for this price, this is as good as it gets and then some.
I have researched everything. If theres something better out there I would love to know. And dont get me wrong, there is lots of other cool stuff out there but in the 500 to 600 price range, this is it.

Well, let me start by saying I traded a line6 Spider 112 for this. As you probably already know, the Line6 spider 112 is an all digital "amp modeling extravaganza" which looks good in a magazine add and sounds pleasant enough in the comfort of your own home, but just wasn't cutting it playing out. I play blues music and a Line 6 digital amp is kind of like driving a Lexus in an Off-road Rally. So I went from an OK sounding digital amp with effects galore, to this tube driven monster which is minimalism at its best...nothing but reverb and the sweetest tremolo north of Stovall's Plantation. Normal and lead channels. Effects send and return. Not many features, but what little it does have is darn close to as good as it gets.

Has a bit of a rattle coming out of the back but its nothing that is cause for concern. The normal channel is very clean and you can tweak the lead channel to dirty it up as much as you like. I'm not a gear snob so I dont own a PRS or ES335 or "limited edition" this or that. I have an Epiphone Sheraton, a '78 Fender Mustang, and a couple of other guitars of no real significance. Although I believe there are far to many harmonica players in the world (me being one of them), this amp a perfect companion to any Marine Band in your arsenal.

My beef, if I have to have one, is that the tubes are exposed in the back. So extra tubes are a good thing to have lying around, just in case. Hasn't broken down yet (knock on wood). The thing is built like the proverbial Brick S*%t House.

Bought it used and downloaded the manual from the websight. What a great time to be alive. Never had to have it serviced.

Been playing for several years. I actually had my heart set on buying a Fender Blues Deluxe. I sat down and played around with the F.B.D. and was about to sign on the dotted line when a voice in my head told me I should try the Peavey. "Peavey?" I said to the voice. "Thats absurd, what could a Peavey amp have that a Fender Blues Deluxe doesn't?". Pound for pound these amps are dead even but, to my ears, the two amps didn't even compare when it came to overall tone and mojo. I cant imagine someone stealing it (it's freakin' heavy), but if they did, I would first admire the amazing feat of strength and then after a day or two of being pissed off at man's inhumanity to man...I would explain to my wife why me getting another one of these amps is more important than making a mortgage payment.

I bought this amp new in 1995. It was my first tube amp, and my first amp with tremolo. I like it OK. It's got a cool tremolo, effects loop, reverb, a clean channel and an OD channel, and a boost switch. It's loaded with features, and that tremolo is a feature not found on most modern amps.

I play mainly blues, rock, and metal, and this amp works OK for all of those styles. I say OK, because I'm not too fond of Peavey's choice of speaker for this one. I don't know if it's the 15" speaker, or just the brand, but it has a fuzzy tone to it, something that you may like or dislike, but I don't like it. The clean channel is great, and has a very "Fender" like quality to it. Nice thick low-end and good chime on the top-end. The distortion, on the other hand, is brutal. The OD channel sounds OK with a Tele or RI Danelectro, but it's not nice with humbuckers, that's that fuzzy sound I was refering to. The amp is fairly quiet. The OD channel is a little noisier than the clean channel, but that's normal. Don't ever use the boost, unless you have a death wish! Feedback from hell, and shrill highs, too.

Not too bad, but would sound a lot better with a different speaker.

Don't know, I don't play out much. It's still hanging in there after 5 years of playing. I haven't had to take it to be repaired yet!

Great customer support. The techs at Peavey.com are very helpful.

It's a good amp for the money. If you spent $500 on the amp, and another $100 on a speaker, it's still a great deal. Much better than a solid-state amp for the same money! I love the tremolo, hate the speaker. The boost switch needs to be modified too, unless you're suicidal.

Very straight-forward amp. Simple but powerful.

This amp can do just about anything. I run it exclusively on the clean channel playing either a Tele or a Strat through a Digitech RP7. From metal grunge to classic rock to twangy country, this amp can do it all.

I've never had a problem with the amp except a little tube rumble, probably due to rough handling. I agree with other reviews that the tube setup is unprotected and vulnerable to damage. I've been hard on this amp and, after 6 years it still works great. If anyone has a solution to the tube rumble problem, please e-mail it to me at nectaral@yahoo.com.

Never needed it.

Overall, a killer amp for the money. I hear you can get a used one for 250 or less. For that money, you can't touch it. All tube, 15 inch speaker, incredible volume and bottom. Buy one today.

This thing is a powerful instrument. I play in a alternative rock band and have found the gain channel to be sufficient for a heavy tone. You don't loose the fullness of your midrange with the boost on which is a neccissity with our music. i do use the tremelo and find that it does cut back on volume, but for light music it's a nice touch.

I haven't heard anything better yet.

It's tube chasis is unprotected, so in travel I have broken two or more tubes. I have stripped the crossover before as well and have blown the fuse box. When in working condition though, it's never gone out on stage.

great.

for $250 it's the best amp I've ever seen