Peavey Rage 158

Not sure when made.

Transtube with Red strip.

Made in China.

I was impressed with this amp. It is very powerful.

15 wats, 8 inch blue marvel speaker

Cleans are very good. Lead channel gets crazy quickly. Good starter amp and practice amp.

Lacks reverb only.

1 instrument input, Headphone jack, 1 output.

2 channels, 2 amp options (modern & vintage), 3 EQ, low,mid,high

Good rock amp and good clean amp.

Distortion can be as nasty as you want.

Plenty of power.

If shown reasonable care this amp will last forever.

Peavey is Numero Uno.

The best.

They don't make this model anymore.

I'd buy Peavey without hesitation.

This is a simple, low cost, reliable amp.

I have no idea how old this amp is...I found it on the side of the road. It was damaged when I got it. The channel switch was gone, and there was a wire hanging out of it, my guess is that someone was trying to make a footswitch or some sort of remote switch, but failed. I brought it home, ordered a new switch, and it is as good as new! I used it for a couple years as a practice amp, but now my son is playing guitar so it's his now.

It kinda has that Peavey sound to it....a little grainy. Probably a good garage metal sound.

I guess it's dependable, who knows. No, I would not gig with it.

I did deal with peavey to get a schematic and the parts to get it working, and they were VERY friendly and helpful! Very good customer service!

I have been playing for 26 years. My son who owns the amp now has been playing for a few months. He loves the amp. I would get something else if something happened to this amp, unless another one came along for the same price (free).

This is a Transtube Peavey Rage 158 which I bought about 2 years ago. I sold it to a buddy of mine when I got my GT-8 for home practice, but now he's given up electric guitar, so I've got it again...

2 Channels, Shared three-band EQ with 2 voicings, CD input jack, headphone jack, 15W into a 4 Ohm 8" speaker. Low weight, and pretty hard to kill.

I really wish it had a footswitch jack (In the process of adding one myself, but the schematics on the web seem to be for the old green version, and the switch on the chassis has like 16 pins instead of the usual 3... this could take a little while :D), and maybe an FX loop (hell, the CD-In is basically an FX-Return - how much would it have cost to add an FX-Send?).

With the stock speaker, this thing sounds like *****. The clean channel sounds like there's a thick piece of cardboard in front of the speaker, and the distortion has a few incredibly rough and unpleasant mid spikes.

But hey, I'm not one to give up that quickly - so I yanked out the speaker cables and put in a jack, so that I could try out a few different speakers... I've now got the amp hooked up to an open-backed 1x12" cab with an Eminence Legend GB128 speaker in it, and it sounds INCREDIBLE.

The clean is now absolutely clean, with no trace of plonkiness or mud - it just sparkles and jangles, very nice. I can't even get it to break up when I crank the amp to 10 now... awesome. And even though the amp's running into an 8 ohm speaker instead of 4 ohms (=> half power), it's incredibly loud - a lot louder than the old 8" speaker. Probably because of the extra surface area on the speaker.

And the distortion. My oh my, the DISTORTION! I play a Laney VH100R at practice, and the Peavey, with pre-gain at 7 and a mid-boost on the EQ and the voicing on vintage, sounds EXACTLY like the third channel of the Laney (which is absolutely kickass). Incredible.

Roll back the gain to 4 or 5, and you've got a great AC/DC type sound - and at about 3, with a bridge single coil the amp just begs you to play licks from Sweet Home Alabama. And when you flip to a neck humbucker, it compresses just a little more and really sings when you hammer out notes with strong vibrato...

The modern/vintage switch is pretty cool, offering up modern rock tones with a lot of bass on the modern setting (very cool for stuff like QUOTSA, for instance), and more hi-mid focused sounds with tighter bass on the vintage setting. Contrary to the name, hard rock and metal sounds FAR better on the vintage setting - dime the gain and it'll take you roughly up to early Metallica gain levels. It's not quite tight enough for "heavy" metal (nothing like a good Randall or Engl in that sense - it's more like a Recto in terms of bottom end... a bit loose).

The EQ is not very sensitive, but rather effective - just don't be afraid to dime the mid control, even on the vintage voicing.

Hooking the amp up to two GB128s wired in parallel (so the amp could run at full power... 4Ohms=>4Ohms) in a closed-back cab turned out to be complete overkill. With the amp running at full power, I couldn't run the clean channel at over 4 or the distortion channel at over 2 at home... I think I might actually take this to gigs as a backup, it's THAT loud. Not to mention the incredible amount of bass...

All in all - with the stock speaker, this gets a 3 - even for the 77 Euros I paid for it (new). But hooked up to a separate cab, it sounds great! 10 points there... so I'll award a 7.

It's been kicked around quite a bit. Because it's so easy to throw in the back of a car (or just to take it along on the bus or to walk to a jam session carrying it), it gets taken everywhere, and gets a lot of dings on the way. Can't see it crapping out any time soon, even though the pots and jacks are all directly on the PCB...

Can't find a manual, can't find an up-to-date schematic...

Warranty is probably a year or so, but Thomann.de extended that to 3 years, as usual... Rating goes to Peavey for their shite website and the missing manual and schematics...

This thing was a pretty disappointing buy the first time I had it... but now that I've tried it out with a few decent speakers and cabs, I can't wait to try this out at an actual band practice, and see how it does. I usually play a Laney VH100R with a closed-back 2x12" (same speakers as above) or a Randall RG100SC, depending on the band, and we play pretty loud in both bands, but I don't think the Peavey will have any problems on a decent 2x12" or 4x12"...

I'll be adding a footswitch jack as soon as I find my multimeter (it's probably somewhere under the bed :D), and turning the amp into a head (I'll just saw off the top 15cm or so and then nail a plank to the bottom or something) so that it's even easier to transport. Other than that, this thing is pretty much perfect for playing at home and as a backup. I was surprised how good this thing sounds for my purposes, especially since I'd played it for about half a year before, and wasn't satisfied at all.

Overall, because it sounds so good when hooked up to decent speaker cabs, and because it packs an incredible amount of power for its size, it gets an 8. :)

2 channels (Clean/Dist) 2 styles (Vintage/Modern)

I use two of these amps for recording. I run my POD XT Live through them. I set one on "Modern" and the other on "Vintage" and then blend them in the mix. Obviously this amp is only meant to be used in recording or solo practice situations and for me it delivers the goods. It's not meant to be used at a gig or band practice.

It's a Peavey. It will probably outlive me.

This is by far probably one of the easiest little amps to use. Simple controls. Clean Vol, Channel Switch, Lead Dist, Lead Gain and a 3 band EQ (all very useable). What more can you want in a practice amp? Perhaps DFX though I hate most DFX systems. A pedal to switch channels would also be nice but I just do it by hand. I think the new 258 has this feature. Some reverb would be nice too but I use my reverb pedal which suits me fine.

Far out, I laugh out loud when I hear people say the Peavey Rage 158 Amp is a piece of crap (they don't know what they are talking about or they perhaps got a dud amongst the bunch which is believe me a one in a million chance! ). I've got one of these little beautys and I got it as my 1st amp at the age of 8 and I still play it regularly and I've just turned 19. it's still going. I got it second hand when I bought it. it's got a great range of tones you just gotta spend a bit of time tweaking the eq to find the sound you want. I mainly play my Squier california natural strat through it and it sounds just frigen awesome though I have also played acoustics, mics and humby electrics through it and all I love! The distortion is quite useable despite being quite high at a very low level but you can tweak the gain around a fair bit and still get a great range of tones. I'm not a pedal buff and am stilll yet to lash out and buy myself some decent pedals but essentially I primarily play as an acoustic guitarist and have never really needed them that much though I plan to get myself a Boss DS-1 soon. I've played Marshall MG15s, Fender Frontman 15s and a whole stack of other practice amps. None can face up to Peavey except maybe the Orange 15W practice amps but they're almost double the price and don't feel quite as sturdy.

I've mainly had this at home yet have brought it to pubs, parties and all kinds of venues and this has never once failed me. I've played a few of the newer versions of these amps and I don't believe they really sound quite as good and are definately not built as tanky however they are really the best practice amps in their price range the new 258 amp is a welcomed add-on to the great series.

Never Needed It, dont think I ever will!

I've been playing for about 12 years now and I've played though some fantastic upmarket amps i.e. Fender Twin Reverbs, Hiwatts, Marshall JCMs and certainly none seem to have that same ease of use, feel and great EQ. (Yet they all serve their uses. These amps are also plentifully loud for any venue up for bout 100 people. Mines a mid-late 80's model and what can I say but I still love it and would happily be buried with it. I'd be soooo peeved if somebody stole it. I would probably cry and then go out on a spree to find the bugger. If I couldnt get the amp back I'd probably go and purchase one of Peaveys 212 combos (Solid State) and a spare 258 cause of reliability and live with that happily also. Long review but hopefully my ranting hasn't been too long and has been useful to those Who have read it.

this amp doesn't have a lot of features but it is not suppose to.mine is the older version of the transtube model without the vintage/modern switch.this is a very versatile little amp.this amp has 2 channels.i play rockabilly music and it fits my needs very good.i needed a little practice amp that i could carry around with me this amp is perfect.

this amp sounds very good for what it is.i can't believe all the people who bitch about this amp not being loud enough.they whine that this amp isn't good for metal ,or speed metal but this amp wasn't made to play thar crap.if you play that garbage buy a bigger amp.this is a little amp.most rockabilly,blues and old country music was recorded using small amps.this amp sounds good on these styles.the clean channel sounds very good.the lead channel is not distortion it is overdrive.use it for what it was made for and it sounds very good.this amp uses peaveys transtube technology.i compared this amp to my fender bassman tube amp.this amp does not sound as good as the fender but it doe's have a very tube like sound.this amp can sound a little bassy at times but i think that is because of the speaker.i plugged a 10 inch celestion speaker from one of my other amps and it sounded a lot better.also if you use really cheap guitars with this amp it doesn't sound as good.this amp is a little noisy with my fender strat but my humbucker equipped guitar is very quiet.

don't know yet i just bought it today.the imput jack looks a little flimsy but the rest of the amp looks solid.mine is the older u.s.a. made one not the newer ones made in china.i bought mine used and it is in very good shape.the jacks are made of plastic so when i got mine it was very hard to push the guitar cable in and get it out of the imput jack.where i live is a very dusty enviorment so what i hade to do was clean them they where dusty and i used one end of my guitar cable and a clean rag with a little 3 in 1 oil.rub a little 3 in 1 oil from the rag onto the cable end and work it back and fourth in the imput a few times.now its as good as new.

i have been playing for 20+ years.i have a fender strat a silvertone ssL3 session master pro a fender bassman amp a modified peavey predator and a custom built strat using all fender parts.i was looking for a cheap good sounding small amp for practice and that is what i got.i like to take my guitar and play outside in the yard or to my friends house to just jam.the fender amp is just to big to move oround for practice or jamming.this amp fits the bill perfectly.

I bought this amp in 2001 when I first started playing, I play mostly metal but all kinds of styles as well. it has 2 channels.. 15 watts, its perfect for practicing or jamming

clean is decent, the distortion is good, you cant a variety of tones out of it. you can't get the best metal tones out of it but its fine for practicing, I use it with a epi les paul with a emg 85 and a mexi strat with hot rails. its not noisy. For the money the sound quality is kick ass

this was the first amp I bought, ive owned it since 2001 and it has never given me any problems whatsoever, and I have abused this amp reguarly (like letting a singer scream through it). I wouldnt gig with this because its just not designed for that, I would use my new marshall stack

never dealt

For the money this amp is great. If your just starting out to play I reccommend it highly. Its a quality amp that wont let you down.. if your expecting the tone of a fender, marshall or mesa out of thise you will be disappointed. If it got stolen i'd cry because it was my first amp, but then I'd realize I only paid $85 for it move on.

I bought mine new in 1999. It has 2 channels: clean, distortionn. 15 watts.

Clean channel: Its ok, it doesnt sound like an all tube marshall, but it sounds quite well for what it is.
Overdrive channel: It has kind of a warm distortion, but it needs more attack. Its like if it had a pillow in front of the speaker. But it is more than enough for anyone who is starting.
Again, this is an amp that its meant to be used at home. However, I??ve used this amp with my band when I was just beginnig, and it had enough power. I mean, even with the drums and everything else, it could be heard.

I??ve had mine for 5 years. When I sold it, it had no problems and it was working like if it was new.

I??ve never dealt with them. Never need to.

Of course, there is no way to compare this amp to an tube marshall, fender, mesa boogie... But this a good amp for any starting guitarist, who doesnt want to spend a lot of money, and will only use it at home, or maybe with a band.

This amp is pretty much a practice/jam amp. There are two channels, clean and lead and then there's also vintage and modern. Then theres a volume knob, pre gain, post gain, low, mid,and high. There's a CD input and a headphone jack. I wish it had reverb. I use it in my bed room and my rec room.

The amp can give you two sounds. Clean or Lead (which is the distortion channel). The clean channel is never distorted and the distortion is not too shabby. The distortion channel is the only get one and the clean channel isn't that good. I do though prefer my distortion pedal over the distortion in the amp. I'm using a Standard Squier Strat.

I wouldn't take it to a gig, it's just good for practicing and jamming with some buddies. I want to buy a stack to use for gigs and keep this one at home. The only problem I ever had with the amp was one time it just randomly turned off, but I've never had any problems with it besides that one time.

I've never dealt with customer support and I can't remember how long the warranty is.

I've had a guitar for 3 years but just started playing seriously in March and it's November now. The only other gear I own is my distortion pedal and my guitars. If it was lost or stolen I'd get a stack. I like how it's easy to carry and good to practice on but I don't like how it's not good for a gig. I compared it to my buddies Ion amp and my other buddies small little amp and it was better than both combined. I chose this basically because it's a practice amp and it was all I could afford.

This amp is pretty much a practice/jam amp. There are two channels, clean and lead and then there's also vintage and modern. Then theres a volume knob, pre gain, post gain, low, mid,and high. There's a CD input and a headphone jack. I wish it had reverb. I use it in my bed room and my rec room.

The amp can give you two sounds. Clean or Lead (which is the distortion channel). The clean channel is never distorted and the distortion is not too shabby. The distortion channel is the only get one and the clean channel isn't that good. I do though prefer my distortion pedal over the distortion in the amp. I'm using a Standard Squier Strat.

I wouldn't take it to a gig, it's just good for practicing and jamming with some buddies. I want to buy a stack to use for gigs and keep this one at home. The only problem I ever had with the amp was one time it just randomly turned off, but I've never had any problems with it besides that one time.

I've never dealt with customer support and I can't remember how long the warranty is.

I've had a guitar for 3 years but just started playing seriously in March and it's November now. The only other gear I own is my distortion pedal and my guitars. If it was lost or stolen I'd get a stack. I like how it's easy to carry and good to practice on but I don't like how it's not good for a gig. I compared it to my buddies Ion amp and my other buddies small little amp and it was better than both combined. I chose this basically because it's a practice amp and it was all I could afford.

This amp is a 15 watt strictly room practice amp. I got it as a present about 2 years ago, along with my first guitar. It sounded ok with the gain on, and the clean channel is pretty much crap. It has a 3 band equalizer, and a modern/vintage setting, both of which are about as useful as 3 extra knobs that havent been wired. A few months ago, i bought a 1974 les paul copy, and that sounds mediocre as well, unless you crank the distortion. But then you cant turn it up too loud or it just sounds like static. It has a cd input and a headphone jack too.

Me playing mostly punk rock and ACDC stuff, it works because i barely ever use the clean channel. the gain is almost too much, because when im at band practice, i crank it and it sounds like crap, so i turn the gain down and its too quiet. Either way, you cant win.

This category i give a 10 because the thing is like a rock. Ive never had any problems with it, its very dependable, not too heavy, and could withstand live playing if only it had better sound and at least 50, not 15 watts.

I got this 2 years ago, first amp, i thhoght it was great. But now that ive learned the basics, and i speak for anyone else who can say that, GET A BIGGER AMP. If youre planning to have it sit in your room with you playing quietly for as long as it still works, go ahead. but this amp will only take you to a certain point.

vintage/modern switch
basic EQ

don't have much to say about the little fella, apart form it is the best 15 watter you can buy!

i use this amp with an ibanez s470, ibanez jem and a marlin state of the art. it sounds great at low volume with some effects on it. the distorion is quite nice, one of the best sounding practice amp avliable.

solid state and Peavey. what more can i say !!

never needed them

excellent first amp, great sounding, loud, nice and easy to use and very very cheap.

The peavey 158 is a practice amp. If you have no viasions of grandure, then this amp will do whats it's meant to.

2 channels, with a 3 band EQ. nothing fancy here, although it does have a line in/cd in put for those of you who wish to finally jam with your favorite axe man.

At 15 watts, this is amp is plenty for practice at home, and even collabs with your bandmates to get some wrinkles ironed of all those great new songs bursting from your brain.

I have many guitars, but play mainly an LP standard, and a washburn falcon. I play blues/rock&roll and this amp is satisfactory for the sounds i prefer.

Quiet, for a little amp, this puppy packs far more punch than my marshall valvestates (possibly the worst thing marshall ever did)

the Clean channel is crystal, and the overdrive channel packs a we bit of punch - although I wouldnt say it "sounds" like a tube amp - it does have a fairly sweet dirty channel that most anyone can squeak some good tunage from.

Running the clean channel with my les paul and my analogman BD pedal, and you'll think plexi.
for the dollar, this is a fine practice amp for all.

I cant really judge here. practice amps dont often leave my room here, but hey.... how unreliable can solid state be.
(some of you will pretend i never said that)

pfft. for 25 bucks, when it breaks i'll kick it to the curb

I've been playing for about 28 years, I guess you wouls say i have tons of "vintage" equipment. Yes, that makes me old :)

If this amp were stolen, I 'd buy another one if someone were standing right in front of me with it.

the clean channel is sweet, and this overdrive is something i can live with. not a bad sounding amp - and as I said, compared to my marshall valvestates, this amp is clearly better made, and has a better sound. And that comes from a marshall kind of guy.

This would be a much more popular series if peavey included an effects loop. Sure it isnt profitably feasable for them to add such a feature on thier smaller amps - but hey - if i use my effects on stage, why wouldnt i want to use them while writing, or just jamming through the lil bugger.

An overall 7. peavey has always made fine products - thisi s definately one of them.

Peavey Rage 158 - A solid-state 15 watt (RMS) with a 8-inch speaker.

Single input, 2 channels, Preamp Out, 3-band EQ, Headphone jack.

Clean channel is what it is. The Supersat(R) lead channel is AWEsome!

I've used this so-called practice amp for everything from a bench test amp, home recording to live jams (the latter requiring a mic into the PA system) without any problems from the unit itself for several years...and before I got it from my brother, he used it to amplify his harmonicas (with a mic) and lap steels, mic'd into the PA when the power wasn't able to match the other instrument amps.

9 for versitility, as I've still not found anything I'm unable to use this amp for.

My only gripe is that there's no footswitch jack for channel switching, which I have added myself, otherwise this would have gotten a 10.

I've used too many instruments into this thing to mention, it has given me basic amplification to practice with, if I need more power, I mic it into the PA system or use the Preamp Out or headphone jack into the board.

Styles used with this amp are varied, from country and blues to rock and pop from the '60s to current. The Supersat(R) knob goes from a hint of distortion to mega-crunch, even a vast stare at the knob can change the entire spectrum it is able to give. (Those that hate this amp has not turned the knobs more than one extreme to the other at all, there's quite a range there!) I give it a 6 on Sounds because it only gives clean, EQ'd, and Distortion, no Phase, Reverb or anything else. I'd buy a Reverb version of this amp, as long as nothing else changes...

It's a Peavey. I've yet to see any Peavey solid-state amp that wasn't dependable, reliable and built like a brick bbq pit, takes abuse and keeps working like a Peavey should, and always has for me.

(Yeah, I've used Peavey solid-state amps for decades)

I've only dealt with the company once, just sent off an email today for parts for repairing a friend's Peavey amp (knobs broke off), tho from what I've heard from others and read here, Peavey's CS is as reliable as their amps have always been to me. I give a 9 as I've not ever had to deal with them before, tho I've gotten PDF manuals and such from their site on my other Peavey amps as well.

I've been playing for (at this review) one short of 30 years, and throughout, I have -always- had a Peavey solid-state amp in posession or use, these things rawk, and always have. The Zoo Bar here in Lincoln NE has been famous for Blues players for quite some time, and their PA system is Peavey, as they are reliable, and can get LOUD if ya need 'em to be.

This Rage 158 shall be with me as long as I still breathe, I may have it buried with me if I have no kids to hand it down to.

(See this and more gear at my site http://xan.dune.net/ )

It's like every other "Practice"-amps: 3 band EQ, clean, distortion.

Oh yeah... this thing got this "Vintage switch". To me, it sounds like it cut off the bass and boost the mids. But only very very little. Doesn't sound like tubes, but I think it's a bit more dynamic than the "Normal" mode. You hear that when clean is maxed :)

3+ for the "Vintage switch"

Cheap Strat copy (Morgan classic series strat) into this amp.

It's good for practise and that's it. I try to record it, but there's too much noise.

What suprised me was that when I had the PU-selector on my strat clone in the mode when it's combining the middle and bridge PU's, amp distortion cranked, post volume on an ear-pleasing volume, EQ voicing on "Vintage", the three EQ controls maxed and tone on guitar rolled all the way down. When I had this setting, I get a pretty good sound :) haha

Also, when on higher volumes (maxed), you can hear the difference when you twisting the EQ knobs, wich is hard to hear at bedroom-levels...

3- because the sound gets pretty muddy when cranked on clean "channel".

Nothing had happend to it. Then it's this little box inside the amp that gets hot all the time, even when it's off!
Pretty annoying. But like I said: Nothing had happend to it!

3- because the heat generated from the box

This is a very good amp for those who just brought an electric guitar, but as a "Practice"-amp, I think you'll find a better one!

Though very cheap :)

Good features for a practice amp, maybe should have different eq for the 2 channels

I dont know hwy everybody hates the sound so much. its not meant for loud use, its just a practice amp. i found it great for pretty much any style i played.

holy crap. i dont think anything can break this amp

ive only been playing for a bit but this is the best practice amp ve had. my previous 2 (jordin - total hunk of crap, and a fender one - ok but started sizzling after a while) were not as good as this one

its a peavey lol what much to say about a lil amp
good clean channel adn distrotion for a blusy mellow rockish sound
its a soild state that say it all their lol run this next to a Eq pedel or a dod grunge and it will surpirse u

This amp has lasted through partys adn drunking nights at hoem with som friends adn hasnt let me down

if i wanted it ya i would of had it
i bought it from HEL music and they offered support
adn it came with a 5 year warrrinty lol havent had to use it tho
a few times ihough i was gonna pop teh speaker

I bought this amp in 2001 or 2002 New From a local store
it has a good sound for starting out i used it up untill now(2005)
were i bought a classic chours 212

i play with a knock off strat with 3 SC
adn with teh rage it has a nice crisp clean channel but not the best but with carful tweaking of ur mids and lows and highs
u get a really good soundi play kind of a Thrash metal punk any heavey or punky kind of style it was good enough to get better but after about 2 years with it u need more power

i ran a DOD grunge with it and it opens teh amp to better sounds adn tone i use to use a danelectro Eq adn it really improved teh sound but as everyoen knos gear comes and gos i use the dod now adn still keep this amp cuz its good fow low level jaming like with a acoustic or a cople of budeys but not enough for a drummer well at least for teh way i play maybe a coffi shop or on teh cornor or at home kickingback over all i think this is a good pratice amp with a distortion pedal next to it and very versatile enoughe fer low level stuff
good amp for playing on a budget or if your looking for something
for a apartment or so your mom dosent get mad at u

I bought this amp in February of 1998 (My Birthday) so I assume it is a 1997 model.

Simple features, after all, it is a practice amp. Read other reviews for features.

I rate it highly becuase it is only a practice amp and doesnt really need many features.

For its size, I would have to say that this is probably the best 15W practice amp out there. People seem very loyal to this little gem, including Butchers who want to project their voice even further at the markets.

You will never get "that sound" out of an amp of this size. But it sounds great for what it is.

This was the first amp I ever bought and I have had this little baby for 9 years without a single problem. It has been dropped, used to amplify vocals and yet it still performs as well as it did when I first bought it.

Never needed it, and probably never will.

For practicing, this amp is great. It has been my faithful little companion for the last 9 years without a glitch.

i would say that this is the best practice amp out there. I's so impressed with it, that I just had to review it :D.

First of all, I thank all reviers here, I made great use of the reviews in my purchases. Unfortunately I bought this amp before getting to Harmony Central.

This is a small practice amp, so I would rate it as such. Clean channel with volume, lead channel with gain and volume. Shared EQ low/mid/high. Vintage-modern voicing switch, CD in and headphones out. No reverb. But it's real light, I like that. And you can use the open back to suff in cables, pedals etc.

I had this amp for about six months, and the bottom line is this: I tried hard to make it sound good on its own, with little success.

On its own the only usable sound (with humbuckers) is on the lead channel, with the gain at 10 o'clock, bridge pickup, with the pickup volume rolled back to about 7. Then it sounds approximately like AC-DC, or LedZep.

Otherwise I typically use the CD-in to plug a Digitech multieffects pedal straight to the power amp. That sounds ok, not great though.

Some people say you should not compare the sound of a 15Watts solid state combo to a bigger tube amp. Well, that's only partly true. Even for practice, an uninspiring sound can really be offputting. I have a Marshall all tubes combo, and that sounds really great, with almost all settings. Although this little Peavey says "TransTube" it has nothing to do with tubes. Sharp attack, cold sound, unmusical distortion - sounds solid state through and through. Emulating tubes with solid state just won't please my ears. And it's not about snobbery.

Try this: register with a site like soundclick.com that features amateur bands, where people specify the amps they used for recording. Google the site for names of amps, then download 10 solid state and 10 tube amps tracks, play them in a random order and judge the sound if you like it or not, then see whether it's a tubes or trannys track. I did that, hated 8 of the solid state sounds, liked 9 out of the tube sounds, and bought an all-tubes amp as my main amp...

I use bigger amps in the Peavey transtube line - the Envoy sounds much better. I have no idea why this little one sounds way worse than the next step up in its line.

Absolutely reliable.

no idea.

I have been playing for about 17 years. If lost or stolen, I would be happy to have an excuse to fill it's niche as my carry-around little amp with something nicer.

I think the amp was made in approximately 1996 in USA, it is a single channel solidstate amp with pre-amp out, headphone, 3 band eq, distortion and spring reverb. It's rated at 15 watts with a 8 inch speaker.

I am currently using a peavey usa predator strat copy and 1958 gibson es-125 tdc semi hollow. It's a modest practice amp that sounds reasonably good clean, the distortion is just passable but will give you an approximation of distortion pedal through a tube amp. I play mostly originals but I guess my tastes are mostly classic rock. I have been playing for awhile and also owned and used most of the famous vintage gear. Sometimes when I am working with modest equipment like this it helps me get a better sound out of it than most people because I know sonically what I am looking for. It took about 15 minutes to a half hour to figure out the eq/distortion/reverb settings to leave the amp set at. There is no possible way you could play over a drum kit with this. It is strictly a bedroom/coffee table amp. It does a good job with surf guitar instrumentals and country western (peavey is so associated with this type of music.) My mom had a Kustom 150 2x10 from the CCR era time and is the standard I judge solid state amps by. The clean setting is about 8/10 of a late 60s kustom amp. I played the first few bar chords of "proud mary" and the amp did a good job with this. Also "walk don't run" by the ventures. Zep was a strain for this amp but the fuzzy distortion did a nice job with "Do ya" by the move.

It's Peavey USA you can throw it at a brick wall and it would be fine. Drop it from an air plane. They are indestructible highly underated amps and there solid reliability was one of the reasons I got it.

I'm sure 10/10 even though I got the amp used Peavey has wonderful reputation of helping owners with old out dated equipment. They are a good company and it's a shame they do not get the credit they deserve.

Well, I've had all the great ones. Fender tweend harvard, Fender blackface princeton reverb, 68 champ, several vibrochamps and broncos (best practice and recording amps of all time but now worth $400.) JMI vox ac-4 and ac-10s (great amps but not worth the $1500 they are going for now.) It's unfair to judge this little Peavey practice amp against them and I won't. I gave that list though so who ever reads this will know I have had the best so I know a good tone when I hear one. I would say the little peavey gets about 78% of the sound of any of those at about 5% of the price. If your a good guitarist with decent pickups in your guitar most listeners would not be able to tell the difference. I think this is a great amp for practice around the house, traveling, dorm rooms, first guitar amp and playing with others. Before buying this thought about the Vox pathfinder reverb 15 (made in china $119) and also the Behringer gm-108 (made in china, highly rated $59 would still like to try.) I imagine the little Peavey is as good as either of these and feel a lot better plugging into something USA made. I imagine this amp will be around decades longer than the above. At $26 in used but like new condition with a guitar cord you can't beat it. I am happy with my purchase. I do wish it had a CD plug but this was made really before that became popular. I can get by with out it. If you see one with reverb for sale for under $50 I'd get it.

This is such a hard review to write... I'm a teacher and I own three of these exact same amps, though they were made in different years and are different styles. The two I use for teaching are the two latest makes. I got one last December (2004) and the other is probably a late nineties model that I've been using for teaching for years. The oldest one doesn't work at all, it got left out in the Alberta winter cold. Versatile amps, I can get lots of sounds out of them, which is great considering I end up teaching different things from day to day. Clean and dirty channels, headphone jack. A line out for recording would be great. Lots of power for what I use it for. Adequate features for the money.

Every half hour a different guitar gets plugged into these guys. I only use my Godin G Series. Sometimes teaching I think they're noisy, but it's always because of a ground problem with a guitar a student is using. Sometimes the distortion is pretty noisy and full off little clicking and popping noises which are only really noticable if you try to record through them, especially microphone recording, like with my SM57. I definately don't recommend this amp for recording. The eq is good, I can get a lot of different sounds out of these things. I've never been able to distort the clean channel, and the distortion itself is great. Again, for the money, it does pretty much what it should.

I put these amps through at least five hours of solid playing everyday. Sometimes I do travel with the older model (probably a late nineties) and it's never given me any grief. The closest to maintenence I've done on either is taking the speakers out and cleaning them with a can of compressed air, just to remove a slight buzz that was noticable. I've done part time travelling lessons for the last few years, hauling my Godin and the nineties Peavey 158 around, and again, no grief.

I've been playing for fifteen years, and teaching for four. I loved the nineties Rage I was using so much I got another one December 2004, and now they're all I use in my teaching studio, with the exception of my bass amp, a Peavey Mark III. Along with the Peavey 5150 4x12 Stack I just sold my brother, I'm pretty much a Peavey promoter... I'm going to approach them for sponsorship money ;)
I'd definately buy more of these if anything did ever happen to them. As above, a line out would make this thing a lot more complete. I've tried tons of little amps, this one is just a basic model with no effects, but I'm not really a lover of built in effects anyways. For the money, this amp is a solid investment that sounds really good that has, for me, more than proven itself. Just don't use it for recording!

I speak Spanish so high chances of bad spelling here.
Peavey Rage 158 Transtube Series amp. Bought it almost 2 years now. New. The high price I paid for this awful box is because I?m in a #$$$ country where musical stores doesn?t import decent amps and likes to rip off musicians.

Solid State, 15W RMS.
One channel, clean/dirty switch. One input, clean volume, pre gain, post gain, cd input (I will prefer a line out instead of this), modern/vintage switch, Bass, Middle, Treble, headphones input. Black Marvel 8? speaker.
No reverb, line out, fx-loop, 2 channels w/ footswitch and speaker out on this. One point deducted for the lack of each of this features. I know most people don?t care about this features, but I do because unlike them I do know how, why and for what use are these for.

Clean sound is dull, flat, boring (the EQ is useless). Gain sounds like a u$5 overdrive pedal. Although the modern/vintage switch does work and changes the sound a little (that?s the ?Transtube? feature). However, I?m using it with a Zoom505II which allow me to make this amp sound decently. 5 points added because of the Zoom.

No problems so far. But I use it only in my bedroom, never gigged with it (or intend to) even in my dreams. Volume never past 4, it?s not a valve amp so there is no need to push the volume higher.

See above.

I play from ?90s heavy rock (Satch, Vai, Malmsteen, Friedman styles) to standard jazz and blues.

I've been playing for 10 years. Have owned many amps: Fender Super 60 (great amp), Fender M-80, Crate GX 80, Peavey Bandit, Marshall 30 something, Marshall JCM 900 and many others. Have owned many guitars too: Ibanez Roadstar II, Ibanez RG350, Ibanez RG570, Washburn CS780, Washburn N4 (incredible guitar), etc.

I? am currently using this amp for home practice. A line out would be nice for home recording. I?m using the Zoom for that.

For a 15 watt practice amp there are a lot better choices on the market (at list in the USA).
If stolen I?ll be sorry because I can?t get back some money from selling it.
I will look for a Laney LC15R if I could find one in my #$$%% country. The Laney is all valve, has all the features the Peavey don?t (except the 2 channels and footswitch) but it sounds 1000 times better (I tried the LC15 model). I know the Laney it?s more expensive, hey, is a tube amp, but you can have a great sounding practice amp and even dare to use it on small gigs through a PA system or for recording at home. If the Laney is too expensive for you, try the VOX15 Cambridge. The Marshall AVT20 seems a good choice also, especially since the AVT line out is DI (speaker emulated). BUT its waaaaay overpriced.

I rate accordingly. I paid $10 for this amp, PLUS got a Zoom 505II and a braided cable thrown in. For the money, therefore, is how I'm rating. Get a $1,000 amp if that is what you are looking for feature and sound-wise.

The eq switch for 'vintage' and 'modern' is handy, and a nice feature on such an inexpensive amp. The CD-in input is nice too.

Again, for the money, the amp rocks! It's not going to get you much satisfaction at a gig, but then again why would you play out with a 15w with an 8" speaker? The sound is a bit sterile, but with some tweaking it sounds great for a practice amp. I run a dynacomp in front of this, and it takes on a whole new vibe. Recorded with a mic, this thing sounds pretty cool too (not to be used all of the time, but for an occasional 'different' kind of sound it works great).

Never have had to do anything with it.

I've been playing for 25 years, and have Mesa, Marshall, Fender, Roland and Silvertone amps. It's none of the above, but then again I can take this anywhere in an instant (like for my guitar students) and it sounds great for what it's used for.

Unsure of the year. It's a newer one with the block Peavey logo and as appoosed to the traditonal logo they have used in years past. It's a snall practice amm and nothing more. One clean and one overdrive channel. Pre and post gain knobs, knobs for low, mid and high. A headphone jack for late night practice. A bare bones practice amp. I picked one up on eBay, like new for $25 including shipping! It gets a 10 because it's best in class compared to the other amps at this price when comparing sound and construction quality.

You have to rate it for what it is. Anyone that compares Mesa, Marshall or other similiar amps to this a idiot. Did you want glowing tubes, 300 watts and a Celestion for $100? It's for practice or jamming at someone's house. Not stadium tours or the local bar. Looks like a practice amp and sounds like a practice amp. Peavey has sold so many of these because they do the job better than other amp makers. You should of bought a $100 guitar and a $500 amp if you were worried about good sound. I compare to other amps in the same price range.. not some frickin stack. I get good tones on a strat and tele. The tone and volume on the guitar is as important as the amps to get good sounds.

I take care of my stuff. Peavey stays around because they build good stuff at a fair price. More bang for the buck than most others.

I buy used. I am customer support.

Needed a drag anywhere back saver. Owned Peavey stuff in the past and for the price these sell used I am quite pleased. I have a Blazer also which is the same thing with reverb. They both get a workout and do the job they were made for

Early 80's manufacture, I'd guess. Headphone jack and a preamp-out, and definitely solid state. Extremely loud for a tiny little peice like this, I never take it above 3. It's served me well for years as a home amp and a booster for recording direct-to-4-track stuff with a synth or guitar. Definetely a great beginner's amp, but obviously not suited for anything more than sitting at home.

The distortion is crunchy and really sounds like Minor Threat, if I were to compare it to any band's sound. Clean sound is definetely crisp, basically adds nothing (which can be a good thing, really), but it can really pull out the tone in the sound.

I bought it broken for $20, had it repaired for $20, and have never had a problem since. And I haven't exactly treated it very well.

Never had to deal with the company.

If it were stolen or lost, I probably wouldn't replace it. It's still a great amp for beginners, and that's what it was intended for. I bought it because it was cheap and I was just starting out, and I haven't yet been disappointed by that purchase.