Peavey Ranger 212

Purchased new in 2001 that???s right it sat in the music store for 2 years, someone???s loss was my gain. I???ve had the amp a years 8 almost to the day and thought it was time to write a review. The Ranger is one of the cleanest tube amps you will ever find it has a Hum & Noise or S/N Greater than 85 dB below rated half power it???s almost CD player quiet, even when turning up the volume it stays very quite even with noisy pickups, It???s amazing. The Reverb is good not quite Fender good but close. The amp was Peavey???s answer to a Fender Twin and it???s highly noticeable, I think it???s better in a different way. The clean channel is very very clean and warm (if you have one you know what I mean) and really easy to dial in a cool sound, if you can???t you have problems you can???t hardly make it brake up, it stays clean from 1 to almost 10. The Drive Channel is good for Blues, old rock depending how you use the pre and post drive setting it???s good for Jazz too for that lovely compressed feel. It works!! This amp is LOUD and Deep.! Not the wrong kind of brash loud it???s a comfortable loud. Setting the Speed at 9 the Intensity at 2 on the Vibrato produces and nice 3D effect and its tube driven it???s warm too. All the tone controls are very tonal and seem to be set in the perfect place for guitar frequencies, the preamp can handle any type of effect boxes, oodles of headroom. The effects loop is also tube driven, it???s warm with an input control. This amp has Peavey???s Resonance and Presence controls which is like a Bass and Treble control for the power amp section it works really good. The Master Volume works if you chose to a different preamp into the effects input you know bypassing the amps preamp. 2 Channel, Channel switching via foot switch or front panel. Tubes 4 6L6GCs 4 12AX7s. Rated at 120 watts off the cones.
For what the amp has it gets a 10 on Features because everything works perfect.

Using the drive channel with a OD/Dist pedal you can attain some really astonishing tone, everything from Marshall to Boogie but as with any amp you have to dial it in which isn???t hard. I use a Peavey Pro Fex for OD/Dist it has 5 different types of Eqs from which I can coax any type of sounds from, anything from very early Fender mid range sounding amps (that makes most hit the floor) to over the top controlled Marshall, Boogie non rectifier to really any boutique amp you can imagine. I usually keep the pre and post both at around 2 to 3 so with a driver it doesn???t take much with both the boost and shift buttons pushed in viola YJM. I use a Roland GP-16 in the effects for Reverb, Chorus and Delay. The clean channel can do pretty much anything you ask from in it???s native loud and clean to being driven with effects pedals. I use Ibanez RGs with stock pickup and a cheap Strat. The amp alone on the clean and Drive sides gets a 10 for sound.

It???s 10 years old and works as if it was new.

Never had to deal with Peavey's Custom Service.

If it were lost or stolen I would lose it because I don???t think I could replace it but I would try. It's never let me down when other amps have. It's a quality amp built like a tank. If you're thinking of getting one and it suits your needs I suggest buy it if it's in working and non abused order because you will be hard pressed to get a better amp for less or the same money. If it abused and the electronics work buy it and fix it up.

Bought new in 1998 and used several times a week since ...that's 10 years of fuss free use.

This amp is strong and clean and I've seldom had the main volume over half power. Versatile? Yes! From old school blues through Stones with Hendrix stuff and even Rockabilly twang or jazz. You could jack the 120 watt tube amp out to extension cabs and blow out eardrums if that's what you want. By itself it will drown out a drum set at full volume but that's not what its all about. In my opinion this is a near perfect combo amp.

Clean and High Gain channels with plenty of tone shaping are operated by foot switch that also works the trem and reverb and effects loop. For studio or small venue the presence and resonance controls give you the ability to fine tune the tonal range as you wish.

Effects In and Out loop with level control helps you work with external pedals and effects boxes.

I play a custom Tele with an SD str-2 Hot Rythm at the neck. A humbucker next to it and a really strong classic fender bridge PU. I've used the amp with pretty much every other kind of guitar as well.
The Ranger is clean and clear at all times and works well with effects boxes and pedals of all types. The clean channel only distorts when you overdrive the preamp...as it should. The high gain channel has great tone and distorts smoothly... if you want crunch get an effects box.
Reverb and trem are strong and deep.
The amp plays well in any envoronment and does not get drowned out by horns or percussion.

10 years = over 500 weeks at 2.5 90 minute uses per week that's nearly 1900 hours of use! ZERO problems.

Who cares?

35 years playing guitar. Other gear .. Amps ... 50 watt Marshall, Fenders, various stack speakers. Guitars .... keep looking for the perfect fit ... not found yet.
If this amp was stolen or lost I'd freak. And do anything to get another.
Compared to every other combo amp of the last 40 years... this one is the best.
Love the power, the tone and the reliability. Hate the 70 plus pounds.

I keep trying out effects and keep coming back to just the Ranger.

It's as close to perfect as you can get.

This is a late 90's Ranger212 that I picked up in 2006. Both channels are very good, the clean is among the best i've ever heard. Second channel is very nice, too..easy to get tones similar but not quite as good as my jcm 800. Really versitle.
It's the loudest combo amp I've ever heard in my life, almost too loud to be practical for me but the tone...I just cant bring myself to part with it. Headroom for days!!!!!!! Good reverb but not fender twin good.
Great tremolo.

Great sound!!!
I play mostly blues through an American Fender strat with lace pickups and this is the clean tone i was looking for all my life. Tons of headroom. I could go on about the clean channel but it's all been said by the other reviewers.
On the second channel, i can dial in tones similar to my jcm 800 combo, which is impressive. Perfect for classic rock from ZZ-Top to Van-Halen.
People lookin for nu-metal tone should look elsewhere or get a pedal. I have used a Dunlop Dimebag distortion pedal through the clean channel and was amazed, but this is a blues, classic rock style amp.
Awesome tone! Clean channel is fender twin clean. Very good and very usable second channel. Tons of headroom and super loud.
A very rare combination of some very sweet tones.

Built like a brick fort. Peavy did a great job. Has never gave me any trouble, knock on wood.

never had any reason to call the company so I cant give a rating here.

Been playing for 20 years and this is the best amp of this genre that i've ever owned. I only own tube amps that sound good to my picky ear and this amp delivers the clean that I was always looking for. Much more headroom than my DeltaBlues 210. It's heavy like a tank..had to put casters on it cause it must weigh around 90 lbs, maybe more. Super loud..I only play small gigs around town and this amp is almost too much for little venues. Can't knock it for that though and it sounds nice enough at low volumes. A "little bit to much" is a lot better than "not quite enough" ;)

I have a 1999 Ranger that I bought in a pawn shop. I paid so little for it I still feel guilty at times, but not REALLY. They made the deal. I had looked at it, then went to HarmonyCentral to read the reviews. Everyone was right. This is a GREAT tube amp! I removed the original tubes (one was not working anyway) ,and installed a matched set of JJ's, then turned ot on with my MIM Strat, Wow. This amp is in excellent condition, and came to life. It goes all the way from squeaky clean to classic rock with a few switch clicks. I have the original Blue Marvel speakers, but am looking for a pair of orange JBL D120's because I'm partial to them. The tremelo is the best I've ever personally used, and I've been at it since 1965. I also have a vintage JBL D130 in a ported cabinet, and plugged it in with my 62 Hofner bass. I was very surprised to hear the power and clarity with a single 15, with the master on 5 and the clean channel at about 4-5. So, I am able to use it for either guitar or bass when I write.

This is the loudest 212 amp I have ever used. I once owned a 1962 Fender blonde tolex Bassman, and had it loaded with 2 12 EV SRO's. This amp is quieter at idle and louder than that was. The distortion is very smooth, almost creamey, and great for classic rock and blues. The boost control lends an immediate tone change to the distortion channel. Only problem is to get the REALLY great sound, I like to turn it past seven, which is way too loud for most clubs, and way, way too loud for a living room. So, it's onto E-bat soon for a vintage Rockman power soak. I have turned it up to eight with the clean channel at 5, and NO distortion. Wonderful for surf music, or clean country pickin'.

I would certainly play without a backup. This thing seems really tough. I have not had it long enough to form an opinion on overall dependability.

I have sent several E-mails to Peavey with questions about this amp, and they ahve responded within 24-48 hours. I feel confident that any service I may need would be met with the same care.

I have been playing over 40 years. If it were stolen or lost, I would track the thief down like a dog and beat him senseless with a gig bag. Then I would look for another one. I have tried the Fender Deville, and the Pro reverb, and this amp is louder, as clean, and much more versatile.

Read a few reviews down... I bought this amp from my buddy mikemac. All of his mods (except the tubes) are present. He swapped the speakers to an Eminence Swamp Thang and an Eminence Wizard (I'm not sure if that's in his review below). Those are some really nice speakers, and they sound fantastic together!

This amp is just plain awesome. The great thing about tube amps is that you can easily change the tubes to get exactly what you want out of them. I really liked this amp when I first got it, but I wanted to get the clean channel to sound a bit more like my Fender Blues Jr. That little amp has so much character! Anyway, I swapped the preamp tubes for some JJ's, and it made a night-and-day difference. Clear, soulful, powerful tone! I use pedals for overdrive, and I use the gain channel on the amp just as a lead boost - with the preamp gain set low and the post gain turned up, you can get a one-click boost in volume and a little boost in gain to bring solos way out front. The overdrive channel is quite versatile and produces a very nice sound when used more conventionally, but I just prefer my overdrive pedal.

I accidentally dropped the thing twice. I absolutely freaked out the first time, but I soon discovered that the amp was perfectly fine. I hate to say that I was the cause for any abuse, but the amp has held up like a champ! It was also in a room that was heavily damaged by Hurrican Wilma in 2005. No damage to the amp! The thing is a tank!

I haven't had to deal with Peavey - mikemac is a pro with amps, and he fixed this thing up when he had it.

I've been playing for 11 years, and this will be my main amp far into the future. For guitars, I use a Gibson Les Paul Studio, a Hamer Duotone, two Fender Strats (one maple fingerboard, one rosewood), an Epihone Dot, and an Epiphone Les Paul. In front of the amp is just a Dunlop Crybaby 535 (the early one before the 535Q) and a Korg G1 distortion unit. Simple, very toneful setup. This amp (and the rest of the rig) sounds fantastic - and very unique to each guitar. This amp is probably my soulmate.

I bought my Ranger in 2000 but I think it is a 1999 model. It came with Blue Marvel speakers and standard Peavey tubes. I bought it new. I wanted a Twin Reverb kind of amp but looking at the difference between the Fender originals or the reissues left me cold. They were overpriced and didn't sound as good as the stock Ranger did to my ears. I like channel switching and the footswitch reverb-tremolo, effects loop features. This is an amp with all the features I could want. I play rock and blues. For my styles it is perfect.

I'm using a Jay Turser Serpent and an Ibanez JS model. I replaced the speakers with Eminence V12s. It sounds fantastic with the Les Paul. I think it likes humbuckers a lot. No problems with single coils too but I have to set the mids EQ at 0 to get a good strat tone from it because the V12 speakers are very midrangy. I don't have any pedals to go with it except a Crybaby wa wa.
Cleans are very warm and fat. I use the clean channel the most and it will break up nicely at high levels just like a Fender Twin. The distortion channel is good to go no matter how much or how little the gain amount is set. I use this channel sometimes with just a little overdrive on it and a louder post gain volume but I really like the way the clean channel sounds when it overdrives.
This is a very loud amp but it's quiet, too. I hardly ever crank it past 6 on the master volume, which is loud as hell. The Ranger has a good reverb and a very good tremolo.
In my opinion the Ranger sounds good to excellent with either the stock Blue Marvels or upgraded speakers. I think this was one of the best super power amps (120 watts) that Peavey ever made. It rivals the Twin Reverb on the clean channel and does a respectable job of mimicking the older Marshall Plexi sound on the distortion channel. What more could a classic rock or blues player like me want from an amp? If you need more distortion than it comes with, use a good pedal like the Metal Zone. It will give you the brutality you need for that kind of stuff because it reacts very well to pedals and has enough raw power to get heard in a loud, heavy distortion environment. It's just one hell of a versatile, good sounding amp.

Replaced the speakers during the first year. Replaced the tubes after three years. Still have the second set of tubes in her. Never had a breakdown with it in 5 years.

I am an older player. I have about 30 years behind me now. I own some other amps but this is the only tube amp i have now. I use it mainly for live performances and it's never let me down. I like the warm true tube tone that it has. It's heavy so I put casters on it, which Peavey should have done on their own.
When I bought this amp I compared it to the Fenders and Marshalls of the day. No comparison in the sound and price category. These are better built and better sounding and way more versatile for all styles than the Fenders or Marshalls. I would buy this amp again and recommend it to anyone.

Mine is a 1999, I think. I bought it second hand from eBay. I play old school rock, blues and funk from the 60s and 70s. We do some surf covers, too. For those styles the Ranger is perfect. For country players it will do the trick.
It has the same features as a Twin Reverb basically, but add channel switching and adjustable effects loop to the list. It's as heavy as a Twin, that's for sure! With casters it's manageable.
I wish it had a footswitch for the boost feature. That's my only complaint.
It has plenty of power to spare with 120 watts of 6L6 tube crank.
For the money it delivers a real value. The Ranger is a great sounding, versatile tube amp.

As I said I bought it used. I got it with stock Blue Marvel speakers and Chinese tubes. Actually it sounded pretty good like that but I put a set of JJs in it and that made a bit of difference. Then I swapped out the speakers for some Eminence Wizards and that made a BIG difference. The Wizards are way more efficient for one thing and they are much more responsive to tone controls. The amp is noticably louder, too. I'm rating the sounds with the new tubes and speakers.
Clean is real clean. With the bass and treble on 10, mid on 5-6 and the channel volume at5-7 the clean channel sounds so pure, using a Strat or a Tele. Country pickers and funk players will love the clean sounds. For surf and funk it is the ticket. With a Les Paul and a PRS the clean channel is a bit fatter and breaks up sooner with a nice musical sort of breakup that I like a lot. If I keep the channel volume at 5-6 with humbuckers there is no distortion at all. Just crank up the master volume and enjoy a nice, pure tone. It's plenty loud at 5-6 on the channel volume-believe me!
The dirt channel has a range from clean to 70's hard rock distortion. It's not a high gain type of distortion like a Marshall or a 5150. It's a musical sort of overdrive, actually. It sounds aggresive and has nice harmonics but it's reserved and retains a pure clarity on notes and chords. It almost sounds like a "clean" distortion if you know what I mean. I does not get brutal without a boost pedal in front of it. On its own the dirt channel won't go past a 38 Special, Lynard Skynard, Van Halen or Blue Oyster Cult kind of distortion. Not a problem for me because that's perfect for Cream, Hendrix, Zep kind of stuff. Very clear and pure overdriven crunchy sounds with the distortion cranked to about 5. From 7-10 it gets pretty heavy, sort of early Plexi Marshall overdrive or Van Halen-ish distortion where you hear the notes being played when soloing and the crunch on chords is big but not mushy or fuzzy. For blues and old school rock like AC/DC this channel delivers the goods. With a boost pedal it will do metal but I wouldn't call it a metal amp and it's really not set up for that style without a serious metal pedal to push it. I doesn't sound like a trip Rectifier. If that's what you like then this isn't your amp.
Bear in mind I'm rating the sounds based on the styles I play, the guitars I use and the tube/speaker upgrades. I love the sound of the amp which I would describe as pure, loud and clear even with high levels of overdrive on the dirt channel. For classic rock, blues, country or funk it is the ticket.

Solid. Rangers will take a lot of abuse. It IS a tube amp so treat it with care and chage tubes. Peaveys are known for being reliable. Scroll down and read the review by Mr. Doc Woodman. Enough said.

I've been playing guitar since 1988. Before that I played bass. I own several guitars and 3 other amps which are all solid state Peaveys or Rolands. I would buy another one of these. I'm glad that Peavey is still making a "gentleman's tube amp" as opposed to the flood of high gain metal tube amps being marketed today. I don't like playing metal at all for the most part, either 80s or nu metal. It's just not as musical sounding as the old school stuff that I grew up on. How can you compare KORN's sound to .38 Special? Don't get me wrong, I respect and appreciate some of the metal bands out there but old school and nu metal are on two completely different wavelengths. For what I do this amp is perfect. I am so glad I own one.

It's a poor mans Twin Reverb. It has more features than a Twin Reverb but basically thats what it is. Hooorah. Read the other reviews because its been covered.

Its not for everyone. If you do the metal stuff than you wont like it. Thats because this is a rock or hard rock or country amp. How many metal amps have trem? But if you like the sound of a Twin Reverb than you should get one of these for half the price. i use a Ibanez with HSH pickups. mostly I play hard rock of the 70s and some stuff from the 80s and 90s. This thing can cover it all. It is very versatal. I play the clean channel mostly. With the volume way up it will distort just a little. Thats all i need. If I need it real clean I can back off the guitar volume. lots of control and lots of sound variety with the Ibanez. its loud enough for anything.

Well when i got it off ebay the guy sends it to me with only 2 6L6 tubes in it. I emailed him because he sent me 4 tubes but only 2 are in it. then he sends a email with instructions on how to switch it back to 120 watts and so thats what I do. But i switched back to 2 because there isnt a big difference anyway and I found out a lot of people play it like that. I have had no trouble with it and I don't think I ever will. I gig every week and play it every day with just two 6L6 tubes in it. You have to change the ohms switch to do this right but its easy.

its used. i never had to call peavy.

I started in the 90s. this is the first tube amp for me. I would never sell it because it sounds exactly like I want to sound. For the money you cant beat this thing. i bought mine used but it was mint.

I?m an amp repairman. I have 22 years under my belt, doing repairs and modifications to tube and solid-state amplifiers; 12 of those years have been with my present employer who will remain nameless. Without giving too much away (I LIKE my job and want to keep it! LOL), I work for a major, medium sized outlet, privately owned, in a Southern city. We provide cartage, product and tech service for some big name acts and we pride ourselves on providing the same level of service for Joe regular customer as we do for the rich and famous. I also play the electric guitar, but only as a diversion in a garage band. My gigging days are long behind me at this point! I judge equipment by how well the hardware is put together and by the quality of the components / overall build. Sound is important of course but good design, good components and cabinets generally make for good sound especially in open-backed combo amps.
This is a full-featured amp for the classic rock and hard rock guys. The old timers will like the tremolo and reverb and the ability to get some classic overdrive grit from the overdrive channel, to compliment the clean. Clean channel is very nice, very adjustable, with 3-band EQ and bright switch. Overdrive is extremely versatile with gain and channel volume adjustments plus your standard 3-band EQ. There are modifier buttons for shaping the mids and a bright switch. Overdrive can be played almost clean, and the drive goes all the way up to a brown kind of overdrive/distortion. Not a good amp for metal or vicious distortion. IMHO, this amp has the perfect gain for any style short of the brutal stuff. Most of the previous reviews say exactly what you?re reading here, so I think you can rely on what you read about this amp. On to features?.
The power section has presence and resonance circuits. They are effective (some might say dramatic) circuits for adjusting the overall timbre of the amp, once you have set up the channel Eqs. Master volume and reverb. Well-conceived output stage design. Power tops out at 120 watts. Three impedance choices. This amp can run at half power by pulling a pair of tubes, which is a popular mod that a lot of people do for themselves because it?s a no-brainer. (Don?t forget to change the impedance to ? of the former value, assuming you keep the same speaker setup.) Comes with a pair of Eminence Blue Marvel speakers, four 12AX7s and 4 6L6s. SS Rectifier. Four button footswitch for turning on/off: Reverb, Effects loop, Tremolo. Channel switching. You can hear the tubes working in this amp. Buy a good 6L6 output set. It?s worth the money.

Sound is a subjective thing but I have worked on so many amps for so many years that I have gotten accustomed to dialing in the ?right sound? for the customers I service. As a stock amp I know of plenty of owners who love it. I?ve sold serviced this model for a wide range of customers and by now I know what the old timers want to hear. I know what the rockers want and what the jazzers want to hear. In terms of sound, I think I?ve heard every style and created every type of circuit mod to obtain it, over the years. Most any decent amp can be modified to create the exact tone that the customer wants, so that?s a lot of what I do in addition to fixing lots of broken gear.
The Ranger is a tube amp. My experience tells me that tube designs DO sound different than the SS types. But people should play what they like to hear. ?Play what you like.? is what I tell customers. Sound is subjective.
From my perspective the Ranger is a very flexible amp for getting a lot of good sounds right out of the box. I have modified a lot of Rangers and I?ve gotten a reputation for taking them to a pretty sweet level of tone, depending on the customers? preferences and their cash flow. Trust me on this: The myth of point to point superiority is soundly defeated every time I fire up a Ranger that?s been modified with good components and speakers. Granted, it?s still a ?production? amp, even after a tone / gain mod but you?d be surprised at the quality of tone these amps are capable of. It?s a matter of changing values for the components, whether they are caps, resistors or speakers, whether in the signal path or not. Peavey uses good components to start with and their chassis layout is easy to work with. Using the proper tools and techniques, most Peavey amps can be easily fixed and/or modded by any amp tech with basic experience. So for a good starting point that sounds pretty good right from the factory, the ranger rates high marks.
As a stock amp it has a very good, rich sound. Lots of people compare the stock Ranger to a Fender Twin Reverb. (It?s actually much more versatile and better sounding than the Fender re-issue Twin, IMHO.) I?ve worked on a LOT of Twins over the years and one thing you come to realize is that individual tube amps-including Fenders but especially Marshalls-all have their own individual characteristics. Some Twins sound better than others because components vary, transformers and speakers vary, tube sets vary?get the picture? People buy Twins and Rangers because they want a ?clean to edge of overdriven sound? at very high volume levels. Either the Twin or the Ranger will give you that. So it?s a matter of individual taste after that. The Twin?s reverb circuit is better than most, the Ranger?s tone circuit is more effective than the Twin?s. Six of one, half dozen of the other. If price is a consideration, the Ranger wins every time. If the Fender logo and that deep reverb is a must for you, go ahead and spend the dough. For country, rock, blues, classic sounds they both do the job for the people I deal with in the store. No real complaints in the stock category for either of these amps.
Personally, I?d choose the Ranger because it?s better built, in addition to the sound, and it?s way cheaper and more versatile. This is a solid amp with a good bloodline and it will continue to sound good with simple, proper maintenance, for a long, long time. Peavey?s support system is way better than Fender?s, too. That?s just my opinion but I know a thing or two about both amps and companies.

Peavey makes a reliable product line for SS or Tube amps. The Ranger is no exception to the rule. The chassis is well laid out and wired neatly. Transformers are stout. Speakers (Eminence makes Peavey?s speakers) are not the very best but they are adequate for most people and are equal to most of w2hat you find in the production amps of today. Circuit boards are good quality. The pots and switches are not the very best, but they are average for the off-the-shelf amp, and better than some nowadays. Cabinets are strong and well constructed. Peavey spends their bucks to make products that last.

I deal with Peavey all the time. There is no comparison between them and the other manufacturers, IMHO. I can?t ever remember a problem either as a dealer/repairman or as a private person dealing with them over the phone or with email. They?re not perfect but they?re way better than Mesa, Roland, Digitech, Ibanez, Randall, Fender, Marshall, Crate?you name it. I TRUST Peavey service to get me what I need and do it on time.
These sold with a 3/5 year warranty. I've seen Peavey go way beyond the call on many occasions. They are the best.

I?ve been in this business for a long time and I?ve seen trends come and go. The classic sounds of a good tube amp will always be sought after, long after each and every phase of high gain, digital effects, stereo features, tube emulation circuits have run their course. ?Trends? are designed to market gear to the uninformed. (PT Barnum was right.)
In the end, your own tastes and experience will lead you to the tone you REALLY want. For a lot of experienced players, this amp delivers great tone, and can be modded into a very sweet ride if you want to spend a little money to do it right. My advice to anyone considering this? It?s an outstanding value and the stock is on the rise for these babys. You?ll never lose money on one if you buy a well cared for Ranger, second hand. Nowadays that boils down to 400-500 bucks. Well worth it.

As has been said by others, this seems to be Peavey's brilliant answer to the Twin reverb, with some modern add-ons (effects loop, selectable impedences, overdrive channel and channel switching) to keep it contemporary. As someone who has owned and played through Fender Twins for most of my gigging career, I have to admit that the "old" Twin is superior to the Ranger in the reverb comparison, but that's about it. In my opinion, the Peavey Ranger beats the stock Twin for versatility. In the all important categories of tone and power, the Ranger is at least as good. I wish it had the boingy, lush reverb of the Fender amps of yesteryear but I can live without it in lieu of the rest. This is one hell of an amp, period!

I replaced the speakers with the JBLs from one of my old Twins right off the bat because I'm used to their characteristics and I love their clarity. Also, I'm a humbucker fan. I play a stock Les Paul custom and an Ibanez Artist with this amp. I use a wah wah pedal, but that's it.
My clean channel is set to all EQ knobs on 10, no bright switch. For the overdrive channel (it's overdrive, NOT heavy distortion) I set the gain at 12 o'clock and have the EQ knobs on 10. I use the shift button to fatten up the mids. That's it.
After some experimenting with it, I found it sounds best with the EQ all the way up. (Some have said this actually removes the EQ from the equasion. I don't know about that but my ears tell me the Ranger puts out the best tone with the EQ pegged.)
When I was fooling around with it I found that there seems to be a noticible overall gain boost when the treble tone control is pegged on both channels, so I just pegged them all and found the tone I was looking for, which turned out to be the Fender Twin tone that I have played for years. Clean stays pure to about 7 on the channel volume. It is dynamic at this level . It reacts to volume knob sweeps and pick attack and breathes very nicely.
Having the overdrive channel is a very nice bonus. As has been said, it can be played clean. I don't push the gain up to distortion levels because I don't play too much hard rock or metal. For blues and classic rock it does sweet justice to the humbuckers. There is no dropout when switching channels.
As for the power and loudness, the Ranger is very loud. It just might be the loudest amp I have ever played through. It does not get mushy with the volume up. In fact, it sounds very clear on both channels and seems to get sweeter with the master volume up at 5 or so. At 5 this amp will undermine the structural integrity of buildings. At 8 or 9 you had better not be in the same room if you want your chromosomes to remain in proper order. It sounds pretty good at lower volumes too when you bring up the presence and resonance circuits to account for the drop in power level. By the way, these circuits are wonderful additions to the power amp section. Every amp design should incorporate this power stage EQ package. Hats off to the design guys at Peavey (James Brown?) for dreaming it up and sticking it in there.
I have played single coils through it but I'm biased toward humbuckers so I wasn't impressed. I found that the clean channel remained clean almost all the way out and the overdrive sounded better with the boost and shift buttons on. Don't get me wrong on this...I think your average Strat player would love this amp. I just never developed a taste for the single coil sound.
This is a very musical, articulate, dynamic sounding amp.

I've owned it for a year and two months. No problems. Everything you hear about Peavey reliability is good. I have no complaints.

Nothing to report.

Thirteen years, playing da blues. I have my old Twin, the guitars I mentioned and a couple of overdrive pedals that I don't need anymore. I'm not a gear person. This is the first non-Fender Twin that I ever considered. I tried it out because I had heard that it is a Twin clone with a fixed bias. I use the new Svetlana 6L6 tubes in it. They are great with the Ranger, and not too expensive either.
I find the Ranger is easier to operate, has more features, is better built and supposedly it will be much less of a pain to maintain this amp than my older Twin. So far I love it. If you want that good old Fender Twin sound, get some JBLs into one of these and you won't be disappointed. For 500 bucks, this is a fantastic value. I would buy it again.

I got this 2 months ago to replace a SS Marshall. What a difference. The previous owner put Red Fang speakers in it and some "Winged C" 6L6 tubes. They are killer. I did the tube reduction on mine, too. Now its a 60 watt amp and I have spare tubes. The footswitch makes everything easy to operate. Every amp should have a resonance and presence adjustment. It makes it so easy to adjust to wherever you play. Good reverb and tremolo. Heavy mother.

I tried out a lot of tube amps looking for a great clean to overdriven sound. None had the sheer range of the Ranger (pun intended.) Seriously this amp kicks ass on the others I tried including Mesa, Marshall and Fender. For the price I paid I feel I got a much more versatile amp.
I run a Les Paul standard through a Keely compressor-->Boss BD 2--->Dunlop wah--->low gain input of the Ranger. It responds well to the pedals for boost and the shift button calms the wah wah on the lead channel very nicely. You can plug any decent guitar straight into this for a great sound, too.
I recommend the Eminence Red Fang speakers as an upgrade. They are rich and have a perfect breakup. I can't comment on the original Peavey speakers.
I'm still shocked and amazed at the great sounds of this amp. Frankly it beats all others I tried. To be fair I was going for a clean sound so the Peavey 5150 / XXX amps were never on my list because they are known for the distortion thing. The Ranger's overdrive is great but it's tame by comparison. On the other hand the clean is spectacular. Volume is no problem even with the power reduction. Tone is good to above average.

I highly recommend this amp as a low cost option to the "other guys" that we hear so much about. This has been called a poor man's Twin Reverb. I think it's a smart man's Twin Reverb! Great amp for a cheap price. Only problem is the weight...but once you plug in, you'll forget about the weight. I have 30 years of playing behind me, mostly blues and hard rock. This would work for all styles except the hardcore stuff.

Features? Yah..lots. Enough power? Enuff to make the ears ring at high volumes. Where do I use this amp? ( Where do you THINK I use it...under water? Yah, I'm SpongeBob's Lead guitarist.) She come with the JJ tubes for everything...with reverb and trem she is full up with features.

Yah. The les Paul. She sound preeeety good. Then I change to eminence speakers. Now she sound even better. Clean she sound very nice. Lead channel she can go anywhere with blues or heavy. Good for the Reggee and Soul sounds on either. Yah. She is good for everything. She make no noise.

What you think? I don't know. She seem good and heavily built.

What you think?

I play Island music and in church. I always bring her to every show. She never fails me. She is very good. She is quiet as a mouse too she make no unwanted noise.

This amp has two channels, an impedance switch (4, 8, 16 ohm), a ground switch, passive EQ for each channel with bright/boost/shift (contour) switches, spring reverb and tremolo (both with on/off footswitches), an effects loop with an adjustable level for the return, which also has its own on/off footswitch, Master Volume, Master Resonance, Master Presence and standby. The four-button footswitch is included, making feature management very nice and convenient, and for a 120 watt tube combo it has a lot of features going for it. It comes equipped with two Blue Marvel speakers, which are respectable sounding loudspeakers (Eminence manufactured.) The Blue Marvels are 8 ohm, wired in series for a 16 ohm load across the tranny with all 4 6L6 GC tubes operating. BTW?the amp ships Sino ?RUBY? STR tubes. They are okay sounding but they look cheap and weak, construction-wise. Reverb is pretty nice?about 2/3 as deep as your typical Fender reverb. It will do surf, but won?t match the benchmark depth of Fender reverb. Tremolo is excellent?I never put the trem?s depth above halfway?it?s deeper than any Fender?even Vibrolux / Vibro-Champ! This amp is heavy (almost 85 pounds, stock) and it needs casters to move it around. On the plus side?HEAVY amps sound the best?always have?always will. If SPL is a feature, this amp is LOUD!

STOCK RANGER: I?m using a Les Paul and an Ibanez SA 160 (FAT Strat clone) plugged into the low gain input. Dead stock with original speakers and tubes, the Ranger exhibits an acceptable & unremarkable, loud, clean signature up to around 7 on the dial of the clean channel, which is deafeningly loud, by the way. Pickup and wood character comes through acceptably. The sound is wide open, with almost no detectible compression. As the channel breaks up, it moves into a nice overdrive with single notes and chords decaying into clean fades. Very nice, with the kind of clean that brings to mind a Fender Twin, but not as round-shouldered. The overdrive channel will do ?Hard Rock? and early metal (Van Halen tones) with the gain up at 2/3 or so, using humbuckers. Single coils don?t sound nearly as crunchy as humbuckers through the Lead channel, in my opinion. Overall, the amp is respectable albeit unremarkable.
MODIFIED RANGER: I have modified my Ranger in the following ways:
1. Lowered output by removing two power tubes and switching the output impedance selector to accommodate the impedance mis-match. It?s just as loud but pushes only half the watts. The new power tubes are NOS ?original? Svetlana 6L6GCs, with the brown base. BTW, these are great tubes in this amp. JJs were a little too bright for me?just my personal taste.
2. New alnico Eminence speakers (35 watts power handling, each.) These speakers produce an exceptional clean AND crunchy tone, with zero mud and an unsurpassed clarity.
3. Preamps are NOS Phillips JAN types except for the driver, which is the original Peavey (SINO) 12AX7.
As with the stock appraisal, I?m judging the SOUND with a Les Paul and an Ibanez SA 160 (FAT Strat clone) plugged into the low gain input.
With the modification, I love the sound of this amp. As a matter of fact, I got this amp with the intention to get it ready for sale on ebay?it didn?t belong to me. I was asked to look it over and fix a bad pot, so the guy could sell it. I offered the option to him of selling it to me when he brought it to me, and he agreed. So I fixed the pot, installed the new speakers, lowered the overall power rating and installed new tubes. Once I did this, it came to life and I wound up buying it! Then I added casters, of course!
In modified form, the clean channel mimics the classic, powerful Fender Twin Reverb sound-sans the deep reverb and the JBL D-120 blast. EQ settings: all knobs on 10, effectively removing them from the circuit, which is how I ran my FTRs. Twins are like Porches; there is no substitute! This amp comes close, but no cigar. Mind you?the Ranger is terrific, as modified?it simply doesn?t match the sound of the two Twins I have owned. The Eminence alnicos very nearly match the clarity of the legendary JBLs, but fall short of the sheer POWER of the D 120s. To compensate I use the resonance control (a GREAT feature) to introduce a fuller low end (trying to emulate the FTR low end) and I?m telling you?this amp really delivers the goods for loud, round-shouldered clean, a beautiful crystal clear articulation and top-end shimmer. It sounds very full, rich and penetrating without a hint of nasally, midrange honk. Single coils or humbuckers deliver their personalities with authority and pick-attack is almost too articulate...you can?t hide any mistakes! String definition is the best I?ve ever heard?this amp has a SS rectifier, which helps of course. The Eminence speakers are extremely tight and surprisingly bottom-rich, with zero mud. The cone breakup doesn?t really start until they are up near full power, which is a level that is stupidly loud. I have to give this channel glowing remarks at all volume levels including living room levels, too. Try THAT with a FTR!
I play with clean tones mostly but I appreciate the original, Van Halen Brown Sound. I happen to love this sound, actually because it resembles a clean voicing but has the added capabilities of easy pinch harmon

Peavey Tube Amps are solidly constructed but REPLACE THE STOCK TUBES?that?s the only weak link. The Ranger has nice PC boards, a well constructed cabinet (heavy too) and it?s nice looking. As a platform for easy, non-invasive modifications, they are amongst the best choices. I had a BRAVO 112 for a while and that little guy was a fun amp with just a new speaker and some JJ EL84s?but not enough clean headroom for me, so it went to eBay. Peaveys are not P2P wired, so you can only go so far with the more ?organic? types of circuit mods, unlike P2P Fenders, Marshalls, etc. They ARE reliable. I never gig without a backup...do you?

I own (or have owned) lots of Peavey amps. Of the four that I have in my home right now, none has ever failed me at a show or rehearsal. I had a minor ?digital? glitch with a Transformer 112 and they took care of me like I was Hartley?s first-born son. They are the best.

Don?t overlook the Ranger 212. It is a fine starting point for building a first class machine. As a stock unit, it is very respectable, too. I would buy another one if mine ever got stolen. I would do the same mods, too.

Previous reviews cover this stuff...in short the Ranger is a two channel tube amp with 120 watts of power, on tap. Master Volume and channel volumes. Passive EQ. Reverb, tremolo and effects loop...all switched from a four button Peavey footswitch. Bright on clean...bright and contour and boost on lead channel. Pair of Peavey, 12" Blue Marvel speakers. Lots and lots of features. This amp street-priced at around 700-800 bucks when new, as it represents one of the most feature-filled amps in the peavey lineup, circa late 90s. For rock, it's hard to beat.

My son and I collaborated in obtaining this amp for him to use. We play in a band together and he has been wanting a tube amp (he owns a Peavey Revolution 112) so we took the plunge and stole this dusty gem for around $300 bucks. It came with a weak reverb and end-of-life tubes, not to mention the previous owner decided to use rubber cement to hold his cheap, chinese tubes (Ruby / Sino 6L6...made in china) in their sockets. The cement melted and congealed every time the amp was fired up so you can imagine the mess and the barnacle-like bond achieved by the cement. We had to break the tube base of one of the 6L6s just to remove it. It required some real effort and a lot of elbow grease to get the chassis back in tip-top shape, but we managed to clean it up and get it re-stuffed with Sovtek 5881 and NOS 12AX7 tubes. Whoa...what a difference! This amp flat out rocks for surf, rock, classic oldies and hard rock. Metal? Stick a pedal in front. The amp doesn't do NuMetal on its own. Not a problem for us...we do classic rock, surf and bluesy stuff.
So...how does this thing sound when it's in good health? For starters, I heard my son punching out PIPELINE on it today. Dead-on NAILS the soaking wet reverb and tone of the Ventures. The Tremolo is perfect for Ghost Riders or Apache. Clean is glassy and authorative...Lead is definitive ROCK..
If you purchase one of these and it doesn't sound excellent... replace the tubes. If you still have doubts, remove the chassis and clean the pots. This is a sweet sounding, powerful amp in the same vein as a 100 watt Fender Twin. It ought to sound excellent and it will with proper tubes and care.
The Clean channel's power curve is linear till about 5 on the channel volume. At 6 the amp gathers palpable power unto itself and begins to show a pronounced bottom end that thumps-no kidding. Incredible punch and clarity. This...with the master volume on about 4-5 and the resonance tuned to 4. Very reactive tone controls and the bright switch enable the user to precisely tailor the EQ to the power. Nice. Well mannered.
The lead channel has every texture from clean (Yes, you can play the lead channel clean, too!) to serious, biting crunch. Nice harmonic content, nice harmonic feedback. Doesn't get away from you, if you know what I mean.
The boost button is nowhere as reactive as the gain boost on my Peavey solid state amps, which is a good thing actually, since the Ranger's pre gain has more power and drive than I'll ever use. I don't use it or the contour button, either. This channel sounds great "as-is" without too much in the way of bells and whistles needed, IMHO.
Just for jollies, we tried a BBE sonic-maximizer processor in the effects loop...couldn't get a better sound...in fact ...it diminished the raw tone...so we deep sixed that idea. Adding a compressor to the front end enabled us to dial in the "sweet-spot" easily. I highly recommend a little compression up front, using the low gain input, for a nice smooth attack, focused punchiness and crystal clear definition.
At high volume levels the Blue Marvels get muddy. The previous reviewer suggests removing a pair of output tubes and adjusting the impedence of the amp to lower the overall power and get some power amp soak going at lower power levels. If you do this, you can climb to higher volume levels without the muddiness. It's a good idea, actually. At 120 watts, you really need to be pushing another 2-4 speakers, so as to balance all that power more efficiently. Dropping two tubes and running at 50% is worth investigating. (Don't try this if you don't know how to do it properly...email me for details.)
I can't fault this thing. It doesn't have any flaws that I can find.

All the tweaking was done with an Epiphone SG 300.

Reliability = PEAVEY. I'll change the tubes and check their tightness in the sockets every time I move it. That's all you need to do. Peavey makes 'em to last.
We don't do "no backup" gigs. It only takes one disaster to ruin your day...nevertheless, I trust this amp because of the Peavey nameplate. I never had a Peavey amp go south on me, ever.

Dealt with 'em on several ocasions. THE BEST.

I'm a long time player, over 50. Started out in bands in my late teens. I only recently got turned on to Peavey amps in the last 5 years or so. We own several Peaveys between us, and we are true believers when it comes to the Peavey products. The Ranger-although somewhat abused by the previous owner-turned out to be another reliable, good sounding Peavey amp. I recommend it. For the money it is an excellent buy, and I'm sure this one will be around for a long, long time.

BTW...spend 10 bucks and install good casters. Eighty pounds!

These were made in the late 90s and have the same livery as the first wave of TRANSTUBE amps...black and silver tolex and brushed aluminum. Comes stock with 2 X 12 Blue Marvel loudspeakers, Two Channels...clean and lead. The clean has a bright switch and passive EQ. (Close your eyes and listen...you'll swear it's a Twin Reverb.) Mine came (used) with replacement, Chinese RUBY 6L6 output tubes and Philips 12AX7WA preamps (4), which closely resemble the 7025 in tone. Lead channel sports the typical Peavey linup...pre and post gains and passive 3-band EQ with boost (more of a FAT switch), shift and bright buttons. The power amp has a tuneable cabinet resonance knob (very nice for dialing the amp's bottom end thump-very effective!) and a master presence, also very effective. Comes with the best tremolo I've ever heard and a decent but not fender-type reverb. Footswitch turns on/off: Reverb, Tremolo, Effects Loop, which is adjustable BTW. Also the channels switch from the 4 button footswitch. Impedance select switch (4, 8, 16 ohm) and a line out. Aux speaker jack. A LOUD 120 watts. Master volume and standby switch. Peavey's improved version of the venerable Twin Reverb...without the killer reverb. Tremolo makes up for it...it's better than the one on my Vibro-Champ. Features-wise...this thing rocks! Gotta take one point off cuz there's no casters on this 80 pound mutha!

With humbuckers in the clean channel it sounds very rich and full with nice harmonic content. Honestly, it can be made to sound more like a Twin than a Twin! (Except for the sopping wet reverb that is not present, of course.) Plenty of midrange bark with the volume (master) at around 3-5 with the channel volume at 9. This puppy can really growl and it's loud. Dial up the trem circuit and you're putting toes on the nose. Very surf-o-licious!
Clean has a nice variety of tone signatures. Sounds very nice through the Blue Marvels.
The Lead channel is touchy but it reacts well to individual guitars. Once dialed in properly to fit the guitar, it reacts well to volume roll-backs and picking nuances. It can be set for clean, grit, edge or full-on distortion. I can't get my SG to push it into a metal sound but it is perfect for bluesey stuff, rock and hard rock. The boost fattens up the channel's overall sound and seems to cut the presence some. I prefer the tone without it but it by no means is a bad feature. The midrange is selectable using the shift button; out is upper mids, in is lower mids. A nice touch for attenuating single coil harshness. I can achieve Marshall-like crunch easily with the pre gain at 5. Past that it's very compressed and loses some articulation, with the SG. From 1-5 there are a lot of nice tones. Good harmonics. Bright switch is very effective. What a killer sounding crunch this thing has. There is also a very nice bluesy tone available and it can do the Santana tone/sustain thing, too. Very versatile and it has enough power to play ANY venue. I can't wait to mate this with a 4 X 12, which brings me to a point...I prefer this thing with two 6L6 tubes in it rather than the stock complement of 4. It achieves a decent breakup sooner and at high volume levels the low end is tighter. I pulled the outer two tubes and changed the impedence to accomodate a pair rather than a quartet. I have never used pedals of any kind with it. No need thus far. Maybe a clean boost pedal will work its way into my lineup...but that's about all I'd ever need. I'll go with a 10 in the sound category.

I own several Peavey Amps. They are well built and last forever.

They know me by name. They're like family.

I've been playing for 20+ yeares. I used to love my old Twin Reverb but I sold it because it was too heavy to cart around. After a few years, I realized what a prized sound that amp produced. I have it back again (and more) in the Ranger 212. I love the sound of this amp; it's big and fat and cuts so well. This is an amp that is not well known. You can get one much cheaper than a Twin or a Super Reverb and it has more features! What an incredible amp this is. I'd buy it again in a minute. BTW...I'll be putting casters on this thing, for sure.

Have no idea what year this amp is. I bought it used off eBay. The lead ('drive' or 'dirty') channel is excellent in that it is so adjustable, with the pre and post gain controls. You can set it up extra overdrive or almost as a 2nd clean channel. Reverb is very adjustable and the tremolo is one of the best. Too many amps have set reverb and trem. Resonance and presence controls give even more control to sculpt the sound. Effects loop is very good, with no pop when selecting it.

Pretty much stated this above, clean is extra clean, from low levels to extreme volume. Lead channel very versitile, from clean to total dirt and extreme overdrive. I use this for a wide range of styles, early '60s British, old Blues, southern rock, metal, it does it all. It is LOUD, if you want it to be, but sounds great at lower volumes as well. It will do all a Fender will and, in my opinion, alot more.

seems to be built like a tank. I move it often and have never had a problem (except with my back from moving the weight of the thing, it is like 75 lbs.)

Haven't dealt with them, it is a used unit

I love it. very versitile, good tones, reliable. I'd look for another one if something happened. for the price I couldn't find anything close. Almost stayed away from the Peavey brand, but glad i didn't. Only amps that is comparable, for me, are the messa boogies, and you can't touch one of them for the $450 i got this for. I've played them side-by-side with Fenders and Mesas and they definately hold their own, and get compliments as well.

Well, I just wanted to say, that I bought the Peavey Ranger 212 because of these posts here. I was looking for a new amp for quite a while, played sum Marshall amps, but wasnt really satisfied with them. So i saw this 120 Watt tube amp on ebay, and thought what the heck i ll give it a shot, since it got such a good review. Anyway, I really like them amp. The sound is not as flat in the low volume range as the Marshalls are in my opinion. With the reverb on I feel like B.B. King ;-) the blues sounds awesome.

Well I am playing guitar for like a year now, and still got my Collins guitar an ST-10. Its one of the cheapest guitars ya can buy on the market, but actually sounds as good as the low price fenders.
As I said the clean channel is awesome, even cranked up the sounds is clear and just a little disorted.

Well, its my first tube amp, so my only fear is, that the tubes might brake sumtime. Since the amp is kinda heavy, almost 40 kg (could be 50kg ;-) ) its hard to move it around.... but with the amp's sound in mind, , ya will carry it everywhere ;-)

Never dealed with it, so dunno.... might find out sometime :)

Its just awesome! Good clean channel to play blues with reverb. The disortion isnt to bad either, I do like the Marshall's one better though, even if it sounds kinda artificial to me. BUT the sheer power of this amp, confinces everyone. Its loud, its clean its just wonderful to have !

Made in USA. purchased about 18 months ago new.

2 channel combo. features are pretty standard, 2 input, 2 channel, effects send, preamp out etc. but a few features really stand out.

First the power amp has presence and resonance control. This can really help you control your low end.

Second, the effects sent is great. It is switchable from the pedal swithces, and has voltage control. This is the best effects loop i have ever used.

third, 120 tube watts. super loud without mud.

I bought this amp, because I needed something really loud that had a good clean channel. I play lead, and tend to use a lot of effects. Many people with much more expensive gear than mine have commented on how nice this thing sounds. I think you can find these things used for $400 or so.

Only major complaint i have is the weight. Should have come with wheels. I've seriously considered buying a speaker cab, and chopping this thing up and making a head out of it. My other complaints are pretty minor. Wish the drive boost was more pronounced, and could be controled on the floor. All in all more features than any other combo i looked at.

BTW I almost never give 10's

Honnestly, I was hesitant to try this amp simply because of the peavey label. I looked at Marshalls, Fenders, Line6, Mesas, Johnsons, and a few other brands i cant remember right now. Of all of them the only ones that I liked as much or better were the mesas, I had about $1100 to spend, and The only mesas i could afford were the 1x12 combos. I liked the nomad quite a bit, but I wasnt sure what perspective bands would think when i showed up to try out with a 1x12 combo (I was bandless at the time)

Anyways the clean channel is super clean, but has a sepparate preamp volume which if cranked yields a nice mild over drive. The drive channel is versitile for just about any type of music you might want to use it for. A marshall stack sound will never happen, but i did jam with a metal band a few times, and it seemed to mix in quite well. My current band is kind of a straight up hard rock with 2 guitars. I live in Seattle so there's a hint of that early 90's sound in it. This amp fits it quite well when dialed in correctly.

I use an ibanez js100, and a hammer wannabe prs (dont know the name) The JS100 sounds great, the hammer (which sounds like crap through everything) sounds pretty good through it to. I tried my other guitarist thinline telle throug it and it sounded magical, and his les paul sounded great too.

Lots of variety and control on this amp, works great with effects. Would give it a 10 if the drive channel sounded more like that mesa nomad, but it sounds pretty great anyways. Sound very solid loud probably partly because of how heavy it is.

Havent had a problem yet. Year and a half in to it, should probably replace the tubes pretty soon. I play with out a backup, and this is not a piece of gear i really worry about, unless someone drops it. Give it a nine, because i have only owned it for a year and a half. If it no problems after 5 yr warranty expires then i guess ill come back and give it a 10.

When i bought it the shop had lost the manual. They called peavey, and i had it in a week. I've never dealt with them directly. This is my first peavey purchase, but i will make it a point to check them out in the future.

Love this amp. Maybe someday if i have $2500 burning a hole in my pocket i'd buy a mesa stack, or find some boutiqueish type stuff. I think i'd be better off to spend that money on a nice guitar or two. Sort of wish i bought a used one after seeing what they go for, but I think i did pretty well considering they were asking $799 for it.

I would give it a 10 if i could cary it on my shoulder, and not change anything else about it.

Bought my Ranger in 1999. It has great coverage and a big sound with lots of flexibility! I play a Fender set-neck custom shop strat w/Anderson-bucker and two "hot" single coils (can't remember the name?)I play country-rock and need lots of clean with headroom. The Ranger has enough to handle! My last amp was a Mesa Tremoverb.(Too heavy!) I also use a Burner tone/overdrive pedal to suppliment for some crunchier tones. This amp has been reliable and I have only one complaint...it's still too HEAVY! Otherwise...PERFECT!

Fender Set-neck Strat w/Anderson-bucker and 2 "hot" singles. Suits my "country-rock" style perfect! Noisey only in old buildings with bad wiring or close to RF waves. Lots of headroom for clean solos and overdrive to almost match my previous Mesa Tremoverb. Clean channel is undistorted at high volume. 7-8. Distortion is either crunchy or smooth. Doesn't have the snarl of a Boogie, though!

Never broke down yet! No backups for me! I don't neglect my equipment. I even bought an amp cover for it!

Never needed customer support! Yet!!!!

Been playing for 38 years! No other amp. I own a Pod, Mackie sound equipment, etc. If stolen? Gotta think about it! The weight gets to me! I love the versatility! I hate the weight! Compared it to my old Mesa Tremoverb. Wanted "balls/guts" with less weight!

This amp made in 1999.I Play hard rock and classic
and this one really KICK ASS.It have two
channels,a footswitch,I play every were and this
one no need more I mean it have 120w of TUBE POWER
thru a pair of twelve's.

I use a gibson custom,a fender Yngwie signature
and a Jackson RR.With them together l ready for
the WAR.The distortion kick ass and there fender's
like clean.With the distortion I can play anything
I mean its all tube power.

I can really depend of it in any
situations[gigs,jams,etc...]this one its like made
for war.Stock tubes no problems.

I never had to deal with peavy yet.5 years
warranty.

I been playing for 21 years,and I also have a mesa
heart braker,carvin legacy and there no compare
with the sound and feel of the ranger.If this amp
were stole or lost and I no money,I sold one my
others and buy it again.GET ONE THIS AND GO KICK'S
SOME ASS*************

This amp was probably made in 1999,he have killer
tone in both channels.I must play metal and heavy
rock,ozzy,iron maiden,etc..,thru a jacksonRR and
the sound is really fucking loud l mean there 120w
of tube power in 212 configuration.Before I get
this one I see some marshalls,fenders,etc...,but I
come home with the RANGER. RANGER'S REALLY KICK'S
ASS**********

My Peavey Ranger was made in 1998 or 1999. It's a very versatile tube amplifier. I like to play blues/rock and this amplifier handles that and more. It features two channels: clean and lead. It also features reverb and tremolo. It is 120 watts, which is plenty of power for me.

I play Fender Strats with single coil pickups and Gibson guitars with humbucker pickups. These guitars sound excellent on the clean channel. It is a very warm, crystal clean channel. The lead channel is very versatile. On this channel, you can lower the volume on your guitar and get a decent, overdriven clean sound. Crank up the volume for increased distortion/saturation. Leads come through clear and sustained. Overall, my guitars sound well defined on both channels of this amplifier.

So far, so good! I have never had any problems with this amplifier.

N/A

I have been playing guitar for 11 years. I own a Fender Twin Reverb Reissue, a Marshall JCM 2000 TSL 122, and the Peavey Ranger 212. If the Ranger were stolen or lost, I would buy it again. It sounds great, is very versatile, very powerful, and affordable. However, it is pretty darn heavy. But that's because it has all kinds of good, quality stuff in it! The Peavey Ranger 212 is a fantastic value.

Bought new in 98 or early 99. Reverb is awesome. Tremelo? I don't even like the Beach Boys so I never turn it on. It does work though. Channel switching is Quiet (non of the anoying pops common to older tube amps). Bright switch a waste of space, but presence and resonance controls on the power amp are usefull to adjust to differant size room. I play alot of small clubs and sometimes i'ts difficult to fill a room without killing people with too much treble but peavey has fixed that problem.

I play a 74 Les Paul, a peavey T-60, a jasmine accoustic, and a 5 string bass through this amp and love the sound with all of them. single coils can tend to be a little shrill on the clean channel though. distortion gets REAL fat and will scream if you roll the mids off and use the gain boost. Use stomp boxes, a processor sounds thin through the clean channel and ruins the distortion. helps to plug into the effects return and not use the preamp for digital effects.

I've owned this amp for 3 years and use it daily. Never any problems except for the footswitch buttons work loose from time to time. I don't even own a backup.

never had to call them

I've played for 27 years-14 professionally and have never owned a more versetile amp. Wouldn't trade for anything else. Wish it had a built in chorus or delay though.

the features of this amp are well covered under the first article, It is very versitile. Peavey harolds this as a specialty Amp. It has power to spare. But it weighs alot(O/P transformer). I've installed Mesa Boogie tubes, in place of the originals and it sounds awesome. This Amp, in some areas blows Marsha(LL) away. I've done the taste test, compared similar Marshall tube combo's and stakes to this unit, and I'll pass on the Marsha.

I've tried this amp with Humbuckes(gibson SG) and a Strat(fender)with a seymor duncan hotrail(wow)on ch. 2. Ch. 2 with high gain will be hissy. I use a Tom Schulz power soak so that I can warm up the O/P tubes. This helps alot, if your trying to get away from only using pre amp distortion

It's been a year....play every week(reheasal, etc) it's never let me down (yet, lets not forget....eventually a tube will go at a bad time...get spares)I gave it a 9 out of 10 only because tube amps are typically more delicate

Their nice....I requested electrical schematics....and got them for only $2.50 US....other then that. Ive not had to deal with them

I've been playin for awhile(yearsssssss) I use Boss pedals, with a Fender strat with a seymor duncan hot rail bridge pickup. The neck and Mid are Lace Sensors...its a very nice versitile unit. I've owned lots of amps mostly solid state, and I've tried the ususal get a pedal and get close to the sound I want(tube)theory. If I lost this amp...I'd cry for week, then go out and get another one. Or if Mesa wants to swing a deal and drop there price by half I might think about it. At first I was going to by a Marsha(LL) but after researching the Marsha's and hearing them back to back to this one. No Marsha, in the same price range can come close this one.

Amp was made in late 98 or early 99, all tube design with nice reverb and nice tremolo, handles country and early rock and roll with power to spare. Clean channel is clean and loud. Lead channel will get as dirty as you want, still has power to spare. I wish Peavey would've installed at least two other instrument inputs so we could use this amp like a mixer or PA. This amp is sure to give the the Fender Twin Reverb and the Mesa Boogie Tremoverb a run for their money in cost, reliablility and sound. Congratulations to the Peavey folks.

I use both single and humbuckers thru this amp and like the sounds. Channel switching and reverb or tremolo on/off are nice and quiet. A real plus instead of any annoying pop.

I've only had this amp for 4 months (bought it new) and nary a snag thus far and would use it with confidence with no back up. Peavey makes good and reliable gear. I've owned Peavey amps since late 70's and have yet to have one problem with any of their items.

I've never had any reason to contact Peavey or any of their dealers for help or service. Hats off to Peavey for making good amps.

I've been playing for 40 plus years and have played thru or have owned many different brands but I always go back to Peavey because of their reliability. This new model, Ranger 212, is the type of amp that I prefer, 2x12's with reverb and tremolo and all tube. Like I said earlier, I wish the amp had more plugins so a few pickers could plug in. That is the only snafu that I find with this amp. I tried playing thru smaller amps with EL84 tubes only to find that a person cannot get a good sound thru smaller amps with small power tubes, this is my personal findings. I gladly went back to an amp with 6L6's in the power section and have learned my lesson there.

All tube 120 Watt amp built in 1998. It has clean and lead channels, reverb, tremelo, and an effects loop. The footswitch controls all of the above. This amp has more than enough power for almost all applications. This amp will play crystal clean to raunch dirty at all volumes. I play blues, rock, jazz, and alternative on a Peavey T60 and it covers all styles.

Sounds awesome. Great warm tube sound. Pre and post volume on the lead channel allow you to dial in the amount of distortion. The clean channel stays clean to ear piercing levels.

The amp had an intermittant reverb problem when I first got it. This was fixed by the dealer under warranty. However, my last amp was a 1978 Peavey Classic. This never had a problem. Bought the Ranger to get a cleaner clean and more power.

The amp has a 5 year warranty. Not to tough to take. They also have customer service / chat pages on the web.

I've been playing for 25 years, this will probably be my last amp (but you never know). I've had my 1st peavey since 1978. My only gripe is it's heavey (80 lbs or so) Originally went looking at the Transfex 212 but the tone of the Ranger won me over.