Peavey Delta Blues

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

All tube amp with 3 12Ax7s and 4 EL84s. Really cool looking amp that is built real solid to take some abuse. See other posts for all the features. I would rate it higher here if it had a stabdby and seperate EQ controls.

I just got this amp used off the internet and am amazed at the sounds this thing produces. I play a Les Paul Studio Light, mostly rock and blues, and used to have a Fender Ultra Chorus, this amp blows that Fender away! It has a crisp responsiveness to pick attack, good sounding crunch on the gain channel, great tone at bass, mid, and treble. It is a little dark sounding but I keep the treble up to 10 or so and it sounds great. When I first got it there was a bad tube so I replaced the preamp tubes with JJ's Euros and that thing sounds twice as good! I can dial in sounds ranging from clean surf all the way to (almost) grunge. This is a really good sounding amp for anything from slight over the top blues to Van Halen sounding heavy rock and roll.

I have not had it long enought to make this call but have noticed Peavey reps showing up on different internet sites (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/deltablues) to offer advice and assistance, which I think is pretty cool.

None needed

I have played on and off for more than 20 years and have played through a lot of different amps but this one is a keeper. I am not playing out right now so I cant comment on how well it will sound live and suspect I will have some trouble switching sounds without a box. But this is a great sounding amp straight in and would like to keep it no matter. Now that I know what Peavey can sound like I'll probably be looking at a 5150, never satisfied, you know how that is.

This is a 2-channel amp w/on-board tremolo and 30 LOUD watts pumped through (1) 15" speaker. It uses (2) 12AX7 preamp tubes and (4) EL84 power amp tubes. The controls include volume (for the clean channel), pre- and post gain (for the overdrive channel), shared bass, midrange, and treble controls, reverb level, and speed and depth for the tremolo. The only minor negatives here are that (1) it only has a single input jack, and (2) there is no standby switch -- it's either on or off. The vibe is definitely vintage. Mine is an older model with the gold tweed covering and brown grill cloth -- very '50s.

For my style of playing the tones are perfect -- the clean channel is sweet and round, and the overdrive channel provides a smoothe, warm, bluesy overdrive -- even at reasonable volume levels (important for me in an apartment). Definitely NOT for shredders. The reverb is amazing! It's not as rediculously deep as Fender reverb -- the range is much more practical. The tremolo is OK -- it's not quite smoothe and rounded as my old Ampeg but with the proper tweeking it suffices.

This amp is built like a tank!

I've owned about a dozen amps over the past 20 odd years. Some were too clean, some were too loud, some were too heavy to lug, etc... I'm glad to say that I've found my LAST amp! The Delta Blues has the perfect blend of features, vibe, power and tone for me. I would never part with it.

Pretty well described in other above reviews. I play original blues tinged rock and roll so generally need a bit of distortion. Mostly in small club settings. Use both Teles and a Dan Armstrong/Ampeg plexi with it. A stand by would be nice. Really has enough power for a club and could be miked and run through the monitors in larger venues. Took me 20 years of playin gto figure out that any wattage over 50 is pointless with my style. If you need clean tone I could see it. Gets a good lead tone (when not crapping out:see below) and nice old school Stonesy rhythm. I always have liked the sound of 15 inchers.The tremelo sounds cool buit is hard to use as the vopume drops a lot when you kick it in making it difficult to incorporate into a song unless you use it corner to corner.

The distortion can get noisy at some points. I rarely used the amp in clean mode. Generally set it up with the post at noon and the pre around one o'clock with the boost channel in. I also used an ancient Fender Blender boost pedal on most of the time and controlled levels from the guitar volume knob. Sounds pretty warm but can still get that solid stateish cheese going.

And here lie dragons. Had a good bit of trouble with chassis rattle, tube problems and began making a high feeback sound when the reverb was turned all the way up. You could turn it down and it would stop only to return moments after you went back up. The various noise problems ranged from this to a breathing type sound to a tube rattle to the chassis vibrations. I never died on the job but often had to be talked out of it.

Dealer was most helpful and candid about the chassis vibrations, etc. Never dealt with Peavey but my experiences on other products ahs been excellent.

I am selling the amp and continuing the search for the Holy Grail (tone). I just bought a Boogie Nomad 45 and am trying to decipher it. I originally bought the Delta Blues as a back up for a 1955 Fender Pro Amp that could be touchy at gigs due to age (not unlike me) and wound up using the Peavey and leaving the old timer at home. the Fender has killer tone but no reverb and sometime shad to be cranked a bit loud to get what you needed. Tone was good when it was good. What can I say? I hated the noise and various demons that seemed to inhabit it though basically for the money I think it is one of the best amps I have ever had...I've been through Twins, Boogie SOB, Ampeg Reverborocket and now the new Boogie which, by the way, is not exactly noiseless and over twice the price.

2 channels. all tube. Clean and Overdrive. Reverb, Tremlo, 1X15 30 watts. 1997 model. I don't have the footswitch, but it has one avaible and I wish I had it. Has effects loop and speaker out. EQ is shared on channels. I wish is was a seperate EQ.

The amp is very good for all tube blues amp. I love the clean sound. Very warm. The overdrive is cool. But don't expect Metal sounds out of this amp. Its pretty loud amp for 30watts. I like the the bigger speaker. The reverb is ok. The tremlo is fun to play with. This amp was a good deal cheaper than a Fender but able to get similar sounds

Never had a problem with the amp, but it has an open back with the tubes exposed.Seems fragile. I wouldn't gig with it. Its a cool homebound amp

never delt with them

Cool all tube blues amp to jam at home with

This is an update to a previous, very enthusiastic review. I loved the hell out of this amp till i started gigging with it. At gig volumes the clean sound seemed harsh and very hard to dial in. I play a strat and like Steve Cropper soul tones which this think delivers at low volumes in spades. cranked, it stays clean but there's something crackly and unpleasant about it. maybe the speaker just isn't for me?

Traded it in on a Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb which i'm VERY happy with. I also bought a used Peavey Classic 30 which to me does everything the Delta Blues did but sounds better loud with the 12" speaker. The classic 30's drive channel is awesome, but for clean i prefer the fender.

so i'm fickle. but aren't most people around here?

seemed solid as hell.

Two things: before you buy play at all volumes, stand back and listen. Also, consider the classic 30. almost as loud, and the 12" may work better for you. Lot's of people love the 15", but it wasn't for me and I also found it a bit hard to mic well for recording.

Features have been listed umpteen times, why waste the space?

I love the Clean Channel cranked! I bought the amp because it sounded just like a BF Vibroverb. I AB'd them with a Morley box and it was all good! So I had to get the DB! It has 10 less watts but you really can't tell when they are cranked up! I dime everything and control tone and volume from the guitar. I use a Strat with Texas specials, and this amp just sings. The 15 really gives you a killer bottom end, and the amp is just soo expresive, why blow all the cash on a boutique or vintage amp? If I want one that bad, I'll save up for awhile, while playing this. The drive channel can be brittle, but I just twiddle the knobs until I find a sweet spot and leave it there.
I don't use that channel much because it is a preamp kind of drive, I prefer power tube overdrive, sounds warmer to me

Well, I guess I have to be realistic, it is a PCB amp. I do expect some problems down the line, with the tube sockets being directly attached to the board, and the little wire jumpers that they used to connect and support the boards. If it ever just goes kaput, I'll just do a point to point job on it!
Oe problem everyone has with this amp is the exposed tubes. If you are not careful, you'll break them! They are exposed to help hem cool, this is a supposed "Class A' amp, meaning that the power tubes never idle (Another reason that there should be a standby switch) always run full out, so they get real hot!
The other is no standby switch, this tends to shorten tube life, because the tubes are slammed with alot of power before they are warm.
Other than that I can't see to many problems

Never have, hope I never do

I have been playing longer than I like to admit! I really hope I can find another if anything happens to it!
I wish it had,1. A standby switch. pretty obvious. 2. A tube rectifier, this would really make the amp breath, especially on a class A amp! 3. Seperate EQ for each channel, that way you could really work with the drive channel, and maintain a killer clean tone!
Problem is, with these mods the amp would cost alot more than it does! and for what I paid, this is a steal! I also played Fender hot rods and some others against it, it was for me hands down, and the least expensive. The only amp that I would love to other than this? A Fender Vibroking, Killer Amp, Killer price! The thing I love the most? The tone! I put a slide on the strat, crank the volume, and just enjoy the tone to the bone! I am giving it a 10 overall for the price and sound, I don't think you can do any better!

This is a depressed update. My DB 115 died. I went looking for a replacement, since I wasn't sure that I was happy with it. I've played everything, from the crappy Flextone amp modeler series, the Tech21 solid state amps, even looked into a Fender Twin or a Super Reverb.

I miss my Delta. What a great amp. When it worked, I was always thinking about that awesome TWIN tone, wishing for it. After actually playing through a TWIN, I've discovered that the awesome TWIN tone will work only if you set up your amp outside of the bar, otherwise, the volume will HURT everyone.

From there, I looked into the Vibrolux. Smaller than a TWIN, not as loud, but tone is as good. Sounds just like the Delta Blues.

Now, I'm not saying it sounds EXACTLY like it, but, put me in a bar with 50 dancing drunks, let me A/B the two amps, and stop the song, and ask these folks "which tone do you like better? can you tell?". HELL NO. This amp HONKS. If it hadn't died, I guess I wouldn't appreciate this.

Screams. Wails. Farts. Screams. Sours.

So, the problem originally was that I couldn't boost the amp during solos. But alas, I've solved the problem (well, 'til the fucker DIED) by using a Tube Screamer through the clean channel, then the distorted channel had just a little more bite added. WHOOOOO!

Doesn't COLOR the guitar sound like a Marshall or them crappy Line 6 modelers. This is a GREAT sound. My one beef was that there wasn't much of the sound cutting through the crowd -but, after comparing it to a TWIN, which cut the crowd in half via sound waves, I'm believing that this amp does the job fine. A presence knob woulda been good - I looked into a MOD for the DB, only to recently discover that I just need to change to MONSTER CABLES.

Well - like I said, Bessie's DEAD, so, I'd have to go 50/50 on the reliability. Them crappy tube holders are the problem (I think). And at the volumes I had it at, I'm guessing I must've overheated the puppy. Dunno. Gotta wait until the amp man tells me what killed it.

Their website's pretty thorough. Haven't actually CONTACTED anybody at Peavey, since I bought this thing used, but there's a damn CULT behind this amp.
http://www.egroups.com/group/deltablues

I WILL buy another one if this thing won't come back to me. Unless of course I find a SUPER REVERB for $200. I don't see that happening. This amp has been fantastic, from the looks to the versatility.

I purchased this amp new and believe it's a 1999 unit, with blonde tweed and a single 15" Blue Marvel 16ohm speaker. It looks fantastic, a very retro 50's kind of boxiness. I was searching for a smaller tube amp without the boutique pricetag that was capable of a good clean sound and a moderately overdriven blues sound for classic rock stylings or blues stuff. On all accounts I am absolutely knocked out by this amp. I've owned a bunch of amps of many varieties over the past 30+ years in bar bands and like everyone else, have been searching for the "holy grail" of tone. I've gotten great clean sounds with this amp that make my '71 Strat sing, and terrific dirty sounds with the Boost engaged (it's a one channel amp, with the Boost basically adding another gain stage). I love getting solid sustain without sacrificing all the tone at low and moderate volumes. The amp has decent spring reverb (although not as "surfey" as a Fender Twin or Fender Vibrolux) and tremelo. The tremelo is only marginally useful and not as buttery as I'd like. The amp has plenty of power at 30watts and would probably cut it easily in a small club setting.

I play a '71 Strat and a 1996 Yamaha AEX1500 primarily (mini-humbucker, jazz archtype). The Strat sounds very good in the neck and middle pickup position, with a great roundness clean. The neck pickup also sounds great with a little dirt from the amp's boost button. I'm also impressed with amp's clarity with the Yamaha, which I use for jazz instrumentals and occasionally with the piezo pickup for simulated acoustic guitar type material. The 15" blue Marvel could be brighter with the Strat but I really haven't experimented with my stomp boxes (a SansAmp with the brightness up might do the trick). I tried my Zoom 3030 foot pedal in the effects loop and it was ridiculously noisey, so for the time being I'm playing straight (or with effects in line and not in the loop). I've pushed the amp hard in the clean setting and was unable to detect any breakup up to about 6 (anything louder than that and you're a candidate for serious tinnitus anyway as this amp has plenty of balls). The pre/post controls on the boost setting enable you to completely saturate. Not to my taste, and probably too muddy for any serious metal wankers, but I really don't believe this is what Peavey had in mind for this amp. To my ears, this is great, great little club amp.

Also, I plugged my bass in just for laughs. The 15" speaker does a very nice job at a low rehersal volume. No thunderous lows, but certainly adequate for an acoustic jam or low volume band practice. An additional surprise!

Haven't owned the amp long enough to know. I also am pretty careful about my equipment. The exposed tubes in the amp is a serious design flaw that Peavey should have recognized. I plan on manufacturing a wood or metal bar to protect the tubes. However, my experience in the past says that most tubes get broken through sloppy handling and storing junk in the amp that subsequently bounces around and breaks the tubes. Also, the tube hangers on my amp are cheesy metal straps that don't do the job. I'd be interested in hearing from other users that have come up with alternatives. My amp came through with Sovtek tubes, which I plan to replace with JJ Electronics in the near future to improve headroom and overall tone.

No repairs to date. Two year warranty on amp (90 days on tubes), extended to five years by Peavey when they get customer info survey back.

I've been playing over 30 years. I own a bunch of guitars (an old Guild D35, '71 Strat, '96 Yamaha AEX1500, '65 Fender P-bass, '71 Fender P-bass fretless, generic Yamaha cheapo Bass, etc.), keyboards, and a mountain of recording and PA gear (Roland 880vsEx, Mackie 1604 VLZ,PA cab's, power amp's etc. etc. etc.)Although I haven't owned the amp very long, I am surprised at some of the other reviewers' negative comments about durability. This amp is an incredible value relative to the other Fender Hot Rod's-Crates-baby Marshalls-Line 6's of the world. I think the Fenders are over-priced and harsh sounding, the Crates are cheesy, Marshall's are one-dimensional (and expensive), and the Line 6's are tube-amp wannabe's (or a little of everything equals master of nothing). I would definitely buy another of these amp's and my guitar playing partner is currently looking to buy one (and he's played through every amp in the world, and owned about half of them). I'd like to get my hands on the 1 x 15" extension cab in matching blonde tweed, or a 2 x 10" extension cab to match this amp. I hope Peavey takes its users' comments regarding the exposed tubes, tube hangers, and tube sockets seriously and makes these simple design mod's on future versions.

This is an update to my previous review. I've been playing the DB for about a month now and I have a pretty good feel for its sounds. So I went back to the guitar store and played through every amp I'd compared it with when shopping and I few I hadn't. Fact is, I like the DB MORE now in comparison with the others. The only amps that had the kind of tone the DB does were the Fender '65 Twin reissue (very different tone, but very nice amp) and a Groove Tubes Soul-O 75. But let's face it: the Twin is too heavy, too loud, to expensive for what it is and it only does one thing. The GT is a phenomenal amp, very versatile, beautiful tone (your guitar's personality comes through no matter what) but do you have $2000 to spend on an amp? As for the other Fenders, (including the deluxe reissue, the hotrods,and the vibrolux) Crates, etc. FAGGEDABOUTIT! The peavey sounded good when I bought it and it sounds better now.

1996.
See other reviews for features.
Wish it had reverb and boost selection on the footswitch.
Came stock with cheap Chinese tubes... swapped out for cheap Peavey Sovteks with a pretty big difference in tone (I followed Steve Ahola's suggestions for preamp 12ax7's... much warmer sound).

Using primarily a 96 G&L Legacy Strat (tone pots control treble and bass for all 5 positions) with a Little '59 single coil sized humbucker in the Bridge.

Occasionally use a DeArmond Starfire (without the Bigsby Trem) with stock DeArmond pickups.

Optional Settings for warm, clear, chimey tone:
BOTH CHANNELS PUSHED...
* Normal Volume at 12 }
* Post Volume at 12 }> Control Volume and rumble with Legacy Volume.
* Pre Volume at 6 }
*Bass, Mid, Treble EQ's all at 1
(This dramatically reduces hiss at peak volume... Control EQ for 5 positions mostly with the Treble pot on the Legacy... Between 5 and 8.)
*Reverb at 5 (More sounds robotic... less sharpens the treble EQ.)
*Boost Button pushed in or ENGAGED (Actually gives more clarity to highs)
*Tremolo Speed - set to liking
*Tremolo Intensity - set to 3 (just enough to get movement without losing volume)

BOTH CHANNELS WARM AND BRIGHT:
* Normal Volume at 4-5}
* Post Volume at 12 }> Legacy Volume 7 for Distortions and 9 for
* Pre Volume at 4 } Clean
*Bass, Mid, Treble EQ's all at 12
(This seems to balance out the highs and lows VERY WELL... warm, round, chimey tone without shrill highs or muddy lows.) Legacy treble pot on 5-6 for Little '59 humbucker and on 7-8 for strat chime.
*Reverb at 4-5 (More sounds robotic... less sharpens the treble EQ.)
*Boost Button DISENGAGED
*Tremolo Speed - set to liking
*Tremolo Intensity - set to liking ( Can use Dirty channel as second clean channel with gain in volume for solo's or to compensate for lost volume with Tremolo.)

Tremolo Circuit pooped out after about a year, but was fixed by local Dealer for no cost.

I use it twice weekly for youth group times of worship and it has sounded sweetly for almost 4 years now.

Had to replace tubes, but that was more an issue of tone than reliability.

Peavey is an enigma... Suped up web site, but hard to find what a person is looking for... They emailed me promptly, but I still was unable to get the answers I was looking for at the time... (have forgotten them by now).

Before buying this amp I demo'd a bunch of Fenders (not too impressed with their reissues), Mesa Boogies (a bit too nasally for my liking, not to mention the $$), Marshalls (mostly valvestate, but a couple of tube as well - not the half stack earbangers though),and others (Laney's, Crate's, Epiphones, etc.) and decided that I liked the G&L Legacy Strat + Delta Blues combo together best. Now, I must admit that I was looking for a sweet vintage vibe rather than any head-banging stuff, so my review is obviously biased.

I use a couple of pedals that have made the amp pretty versatile sounding... they are:
Guitar
V
Visual Sound Route 66 (Compression + fat, deep, overdrive)
V
Purple Bud Wah (Round, warm, wow - wow, very vintage sounding, but not shrill at the top)
V
Boss DS-1 (More midrangy, fuzzy, than Rt. 66)
V
DOD FX 90 Analog Delay (Bouncy, smooth, slap-back mostly)
V
Boss TU-2 Tuner

Overall, this amp/guitar/pedal combination gives me all that I need for the styles I play (mostly Alternative/Rock/Mellow worship music)

IF ANYONE HAS ANY OTHER IDEAS FOR SWEET TONE WITH THIS AMP, PLEASE LET ME KNOW... IT IS A BIT LIMITED IN USE, BUT I'VE BEEN VERY PLEASED WITH IT SO FAR! Blessings!

I play soul, blues, funk and rock and roll. I use a '79 strat and a dano U1. This amp is extremely versatile. two usable channels (clean and drive), a decent reverb, passable tremolo. 15 inch speaker, 30 very loud watts, and a channel/tremolo footswitch.

negatives: no standby switch, no reverb on the footswitch, no "presence" knob (would help as this amp is on the darker side).

I compared this amp to the fender vibrolux, twin, deluxe reverb, and hot rods and it came out way on top:
vibrolux: awesome glassy fender sound, awesome reverb and tremolo. BUT it drives too early and it's a loose, rumbly type of drive. don't dig it. also too damned expensive.
twin: stays clean, but too loud and too big, and too expensive.
deluxe: too small.
hot rods: drive too soon, and sound generic when they do. too expensive for what they are.

peavey: stays clean up the dial on the clean channel. drive channel is nice and very controllable. 15" speaker means really full, tight lows, and surprisingly bright, round highs.

i have a '52 tweed deluxe and this amp sounds very similar. only thing it won't do is a glassy fender clean (i've been told you can do a bright switch mod), but it does the round tweed clean beautifully. i like the 15" speaker a lot (less harsh than the 2x10 and better with distortion). the highs brighten with volume and pick attack. this thing is loud for 30 watts and will stay clean if you want it to. drive channel is very nice, very full. pedals work great with this thing. dano fabtone gives me a marshall sound. crybaby is great. reverb (transistor driven long spring) is nice but more subtle and slightly less interesting than fender. tremolo is okay, not as buttery or subtle as fender.

not sure, just got it.

not sure.

just excellent value. i like this amp because it sounds distinctive. i think it's the speaker. and it's versatile. and very responsive to playing. a balanced sound, a complex sound. seems a bit hard to record (might be the speaker size). but i love it and for the money you can't beat it.

The overall features are decent, however, with no master volume, when you change the volume of the clean channel you have to do a trial and error deal to reset the lead channel. A master volume control would remedy this.

I ues a standard Tele. I like and play the blues and a little Rock-nRoll. The clean channel sounds nice until you get it up about half way. Then, it gets a little muddy when you strum cords. The lead channel is only average. I actually think they should have called this amp "Delta Headbangers". If you like a very distorted lead sound, it's not bad at all but if a little warm distortion with sustain is what your looking for this is not the amp. I'm looking for something else!

Have not had to deal with Peavey for any problems.

I give it an overall 7 because it just lacks the warm distortion on the lead channel and no master volume control. It's an OK amp, but I will soon put it up for sale and get something else.
One little glitch; One of those Mickey Mouse wires that prevents the tubes from falling out was missing when I bought the amp new.

Decent features, not the best reverb, but it will do. Would also like it to have better base, but that is what the $1200 Fenders are for. Boost switch creates a loud hum..needs grounded?

Sounds great, I play a Strat with Texas specials and it pretty much nails the SRV sound if that is what you like(love). Creates a nice overdriven Fender sound at a low volume. I need to pick up a Tubescreamer TS-9 and use a wah-wah in open wah.. I am sure it will be better.

Gives me a loud hum with boost turned on. But what do you expect for $400 out the door.

NA

Overall for the money, assuming you are not going to drop 600-1200 for a real Fender, it gets the job done. I love the sound. And, where else can you get a 15in speaker without buying an old Vibroverb?
Get what I am saying.

I believe it is a 97 model. The amp is relatively versatile. It can meet the ground from blues to rock to lite heavy. It has two chanels, clean and overdrive. The clean breaks up nicely as you increase the volume. External Cab out in the back and footswithch input. For my needs, the amp just barely falls short of having enough clean headroom, just barely.

The amplifier sounds great. It is capable of getting clean blues, rock, heavier rock. The 15" inch speaker compliments the overall sound and gives the amp a dark flavor. The only problem I have is that using P90's the sound is too dark. Its very difficult to use the neck pickups at all. The distortion channel can be "brutal" when pushed.

Haven't had any problems to speak of. As usual with tube amps, the tone does fluctuate at atimes but thats the nature of the beast.

N/A

All tube, 30 W, 3 band EQ, and 15" Speaker.

I love this amp the clean and distortions with pedals sounds great. The clean has a nice full sound, but the distortion on the amp is a little week. I wouldnt play it distorted with out a pedal. But hey it is suposed to be for blues, not metal.

The amp is a tube amp so maintaining it is hard. I play heavy music and this amp should be mostly used for clean. Tubes are a hasle....

Peavey is a great company. There stuff is some of the best on the market today.

Overall I am happy about this amp. I am thinking about switching to solid state, but am going to keep this amp for playing soft music. I love this amp.

This is to update my last review about the Delta Blues guitar amp with the 15" speaker.

I have been using this guitar amp extensively over the past few months. I have used it for electric guitar and even bass. Since I give guitar and bass guitar lessons, this amp has more than paid for itself. I have even used it as a home stereo and it sounds pretty good.

I have to say that this is the best combo amp that I have ever played through and heard in my entire life. I know that may sound like a huge exageration, but I am stating the truth. I have played through Fenders old and new, Marshall combo's, Mesa Boogie Combo's, and the list goes on. I just love the sound and versitility of this Delta Blues amp.

I have found that using the delta blues with a Peavey Classic 115E cabinet sounds even better. The extension cab makes the Delta Blues sound fuller.

We all know its great sounds, so I am just going to list the Delta Blues Pros and Cons. So here it goes:

PROS
-----
1.Affordable
2.Nice clean sound
3.Great distorted sound
4.Nice reverb(too bad it is not a tube reverb)
5.15" speaker awesome for blues and folk
6.Sounds great with electric guitar
7.Sounds great with bass guitar
8.Accoustic guitar can be used with it
9.Has both tremelo and reverb
10.Peavey stands behind their products
11.Looks cool
12.Clean circuit board/ good internal workmanship
13.Goes really loud if needed
14.Can create distortion at low or high volumes
15.Very versatlie
16.Real wood speaker baffle
17.Tubes are easy to get at
18.Easy to fix if needed.
19.2 channels
20.The best combo amp(sound and versatility) ever!
21.Modern output features

Here are the Cons:
------------------
1.Cheap clotheshanger-style tube holders
2.Does not have tube reverb/solid state reverb sounds good but a tad noisy
3.Tubes are mounted directly on circuit board(danger of melting c.b.)
4.Peavey discontinued the 15" speaker version of it(too bad!)
5.Amp's body(excluding speaker baffle) is some form of particle board.
6.No standby switch(should have been put on!!!)

I can just say that I love this amp to death and I will never sell it.

I have heard mostly good reviews and a few bad ones(mostly about the rattle). Do you know what the rattle is? I know part of the problem is those cheap tube holders. They love to rattle.

It still amazes me that Peavey can put out a comprable product to lets say Fender, offer more features, more varieties of sound, more everything and for less money. Fenders are nice, but each amp can only offer one sound(albiet an great sound), but Peavey has found a way to pack a variety of great sounds in one amp.

Some people really try to say Peavey stuff is s**t. My answer to that is:
1.Older Peavey gear(even from the seventies) is still around and being used without having to be restored.
2.Some people keep on thinking about Peavey's P.A. stuff and that's all.
3.Like any company, Peavey has put out a few duds, yet some people just focus on the few duds and nothing else.
4.Peavey's prices are really reasonable, so sometimes people may think "Well since this Peavey item is so inexpensive it must not be any good." The truth is that Peavey uses verticle integration(makes their own parts) which lowers the price. Other amp companies hire buy their parts of suppliers which raises the price.

If you get a chance to buy the Peavey Delta Blues, buy it. It is a really great amp that is accessable to anyone. I am totally happy with mine even though it is not perfect. Nothing is.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at my new email address: newdelta@excite.com

THis amp was made in 1999. I purchased it new from Electro-Music in Doncaster, UK. I played my Godin LGX thorugh a number of amps before choosing the Delta Blues. In the end both the tonal qualities and the price convinced me to buy - so far I have not been dissapointed. I play in a pop/rock covers band, mostly rhythm, the guitar/amp combination suit me perfectly - the Tremelo is a nice touch - I wont use it a lot, but in comes in useful on Blondie's "Sunday Girl"! The amp isn't packed with features. It could do with a separate EQ on both channels, a prescence switch and a standy switch. The sound is typically tube, very warm and full of rich harmonics and swells. The 15" speaker clealry adds to this. It has a boost switch, but unusually this can't be accessed from the footswitch which seems rather silly.

I play a Seymour Duncan Hunbucker equipped Godin LGX and the only pedal I use is a Boss Chorus. The amp suits my music style down to the ground. It is also light enough to carry and just fits in the boot (trunk) of my Saab. It is not a noisey amp. It can produce a reasonable range of sounds from very clean (although this does start to break up once you pass half way on the volume knob) to a rich meidum gain distortion (not good enough for Metallica though) - but as we don't play much metal - I'm not too worried!

As yet no problem. I do worry about reduced tube life from not having a standby switch and as you will have read in other reviews the tubes are mounted right onto the PCB. However, if others are to be beieved this is not a problem. I use it to gig with and find the 30 watt amp to be full of balls - no problem whatsoever in small to medium gigs. For large gigs we hire a sound system and mike up the amps anyway.

No problem so far. The Peavet website is brilliant (www.peavey.com) and has a number of information forums, where you can ask questions and share views with the experts and other users.

As stated I play a Godin LGX thorugh the Delta Blues. I also own a Martin HJ28. If the amp were stolen, I would seriously consider replacing it, although I might look at a Peavey with a few more features.

This is an update of my previous review.

I love the tone that comes from that 1x15 speaker, but the thing is,this is the second one that I owned and they both have the same problem - CABINET RATTLE AND HUM - which is quite intolerable! What it is is that the wrap-around chrome/silver cover for the amp ends up resonating/vibrating on certain pitches so as to make those notes unusable - just like a snare on the snare drum. Anyway, like I said, I love the smokey, ratty lo-fi vibe of this amp, I just wasn't satisfied with all that vibration. Oh yeah....after waiting for a couple of weeks for this amp, I went to the dealer, picked it up in the box, brought it home and not only noticed the cabinet buzz but also - TWO PRE-AMP TUBES WERE DEAD!! They needed immediate replacing.
Dealer did that but still couldn't figure out the buzz/rattle part. But they were great and refunded my money right away. I did try a classic 50 4x10 to see if I'd like that but still didn't think its tone was as good as the delta 1x15. So I give Peavey a 1 for this amp.

Dealer good. Peavey? - don't know.

I've had two of their competitors' combo tube amps and they were both dead quiet compared to this one(Marshall, Fender). What can I say, Peavey lost a customer because of poor quality. I would never get one of these again unless it was proven to me that it was dead quiet and would never develop a chassis hum or other bothersome cabinet noise again. I ordered a marshall Dsl401 and can't wait to hear it!

1999, 1x15, two channel, shared EQ(passive treb, mid, bass), boost switch, reverb level, tremelo w/speed and intensity, 30 Watts, 3 12Ax7, 4 El84(sovtek), basic effect loop, Speaker out jack. Pretty versatile for the $$. Footswitch(optional) for channel switching and tremolo on/off. Wish it had either a presence knob or a bright switch/jack. Maybe seperate Eq for each channel although the tone isn't so drastically different between the two channels as on one of Fender's Hot Rod series which IMO make their practical usefulness nil.

Clean channel - GREAT! It never gets to a point where its muddy or unusable although you do want to cut some bass if you're playing it *very* loud. Holds together well with humbuckers on my Heritage 535 which can't be said about my Fender Vibrolux Reverb (absolute low end mud on chord work!). It's a little thin sounding on my stock Mexistrat which, in turn,sounds quite good on the Vibrolux.
Dirty channel - I actually like this channel. Again with my 535, it sounds kind of like a TS9 with a tube. You can get from an almost clean sound to a very Marshall-like Overdrive(I know, I've owned them). It really doen't sound all that good with my Strat though which is partly due to the cheap pickups I'm sure.
Reverb - Sounds really good and on a par with any Fenders I've played.
Tremolo - Well, this really can't compare to the trem on my vibrolux but it is usable.
Again, the clean channel is what really shines on this baby. It almost sounds like a class A amp (probably the El84s). Sweet, natural OD which cleans up real quickly, responds superbly to pick attack. It's plenty loud enough for club work, cuts through the mix, and can really sing. There's plenty of lowend (this thing moves some air!) but great high end clarity. I popped in a copy of BB King Live At The Regal and I swear I was getting that kind of tone out of this amp with my Heritage.
As far as styles go: Blues, Jazz, Rock, Hard rock I want to see if it will handle some Metal Pedals I have (the Vibrolux sounds like s%$# with them).
I compared this against other peavey and Fenders (Hotrod Deville 2x12, 65 Twin reissue, and a Vibrolux) I don't really like the sound of the 65 Twin - it's harsh and brittle, The clean channel on the Deville actually sounds quite rich and of a better quality than the Delta, but it costs 250-300 more and the disparity in the eq voicings between its two channels make it useless as a channel switcher.
So I must admit, the Peavey does sound kind of like a poor man's Fender. But I love it! Its got a kind of lower fi sound to it that reminds me of all the classic blues and Rockabilly tunes of the 50's-60's which have a kind of smokey, ambient magic to them (& I'm no nostalgia head either- I wasn't born when that music was recorded).

Well here's the thing. I bought it, took it home, plugged it in and was confronted with a huge chassis rattle and hum. I cursed it, isolated the main rattle and tightened down the chassis mounting and baffle board screws and this lasted for a whole day! So I took it back to the dealer, turned it in and asked him to get me another one. He said sure and so I await my new beast with baited breath. I figured after reading the reviews here that I must have ended up with one of the 1 or 2 out of ten that come crappy from the factory. We also did check a 2x10 version side by side and this one and it didn't have any rattles at all. Even though the 2x10 is more midrangey, it still moves alot of air and has tons of low end too. I like the sound of the 1x15 better it sounds richer and fuller and so I ordered another and am hoping that Peavey gets it right this time! If not, the dealer said I can get a full refund, so while I will be majorly disappointed because I love the tone, I at least won't be stuck with a lemon.
You know, I've heard people say things like "What do you expect for the money?". But that's a really dumba$$ed opinion. I expect to get quality for my $450.00. I mean I bought this thing brand new w/my hard earned bucks and I don't want some piece of junk that is unusable!

Dealer gets big points for standing behind their products even when they know my money could very well walk right out their door. I'll either get my money back if the next one doesn't work out or I'll keep ordering one until they get it right.
I guess it's kind of hard to assign a score because we'll see how Peavey does and then I'll submit a follow up for you.

I'll wait on this one until I get the new one and play with it for a while. From the amount that I've played the first one, all I can say is I HOPE IT WORKS OUT!! It's a potentially perfect match for my Heritage 535 if I can just get a decent one.

Mfg. 97, but bought used in '99. 30W, all-tube combo w/15" speaker (other features have been detailed by other reviewers). Tremelo and bass-mid-high controls are a bonus, but no standy switch is a minus. All else is pretty standard in this class. However, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts - this is one flexible little amp! It also looks cool with the Tolex/tweed style covering.

The 15" speaker is a real asset - it can add warmth without mud. With a Fender Standard Strat, it can speak the blues or stay squeaky clean (I don't use the boost channel, so no opinion there). With a Rickenbacker 360, it adds warmth to the chime and ringing tone, but can get gutsy too (this is also a very versatile guitar). However, the best surprise is with my acoustics. Separation and tone with a Taylor 414ce (standard Fishman saddle pick-up) is great, but with a Martin HD-28 (Baggs Dual-Source - simply the best acoustic pick-up system) this amp really shines. It even adds depth to an Ovation CS-257 shallow-body. You need to make the effort to experiment and learn the right settings, but there's a very wide variety of sounds in this little box. I'd give it a 10, but no amp is really perfect and this one can exhibit some noise.

No problems yet, but I agree Peavey could have put a bit more into construction. I keep it at home only, so I can't really add much to how it would stand up to gigging. I'll give it a 7.

No opinion.

I've been playing on and off for 25 years. Mainly acoustic, but some electric, as well. All in all, I think this is a great package, especially for the price. Nothing else came close to the sound and versatility for the money, plus the power is useable in the home without window damage. I would buy it again.