Peavey Supreme 160

i picked this amp up because it was cheap, sorta like a solid state version of the vtm series without the dip switches. at the gates used this amp. it is very comparable to the ampeg/crate amps that cannibal corpse and others use... im pretty sure backstabbers inc uses these as well.
its a two channel amp geared toward metal. the features are listed below very well, no need to rehash it. this amp is very loud. in fact its hard to use it in your house at night time volumes that wont bug the neighbors. haha

unlike most people i wont say its only good for metal. it could be great for country, and i found a way to set the clean channel where it has a great bb king esque blues tone.. but bb king used solid state lab series amps.. so there ya go...

i have an sg with tony iommi pickups, and a fake sg with pickups alot like classic 57 pickups. i just mess around at home with the amp, and i have no trouble getting any sound i need out of it. on high gain settings it is a little noisy but its 15 years old and probably has never been cleaned or recapped. the clean channel is not 100 % clean, and does break up a little with my guitars at higher volumes.

the distortion is the most brutal distortion on earth. period. i have a damage control demonizer preamp. i prefer the dirty channel on the amp to using that through the clean channel.

solid state, built like a tank.

never dealt with them.

ive played off and on for many years. i own an old bogen tube head, ive owned the vtm 120 as well. this amp is amazing comparatively.

considering price, if you want a high wattage amp for metal, or other high gain applications, this cant be beat. if you want a clean amp that is slightly overdriven no matter what, with a rich yet not fender like tone, for country or blues, then this is also up your alley.

if anything ever happens to it i will replace it.

I wrote the last review for this, but since no one else has posted one in 9 months, and I've now had 9 months to mess with this excellent Peavey, I figured I'd write another one.

This is a 160 watt solid state head made for a few years in the early 1990's. It has what you need and little else. But that is good, as simplicity is king.

The thing I love about this amp is it really has an old school and NASTY sound to it if you're into that type thing. I'm not talking the new crap like Lamb of God or Unearth, I'm talking real Death Metal like Autopsy, Massacre, Cancer, Asphyx, and Incantation. If you crank the bass, cut the mids, and put the treble on 3/4, you can easily get an old morbid tone like Onward to Golgotha or Cross the Styx without a problem.

If you're more into thrash, take out a little bass and add a tiny bit of mids, and now you have a great ripping sound that would make Kreator and Sodom happy.

You can get other sounds besides metal, but lets face it, with a tone as evil as this head can get, all you people into soft stuff should donate your old Supreme 160 to a thrasher!

Peavey rules forever.

I've never had to deal with them, but I did download the manual for this head at their site just for the hell of it. That is cool for a head they haven't made in 15 years.

For the money, this thing gets a 10. I'm not sure how much they were new, but now you can EASILY get one for $150 or less and it will smash amps costing 5 times the price. Oh, and if it doesn't compete with your buddy's Uberschall, then pick up 5 of these heads for 1/3 of the price of his and show him who's boss!

All you metalheads better slap a new set of strings on your Ironbirds and Voyagers, dust off your old Bolt Thrower albums, squeeze into your sleeveless Into the Grave shirt, and crank this Peavey up!!!!

Early 90's, 160 watt solid state head, with the bare bones essentials needed for metal.

This is a head even tube snobs would appreciate, because it could easily fool most people with it's sound. I have it hooked up next to my Peavey XXX head and they have a similar sound [with the XXX being louder and more "modern" in terms of scooped metal]

The backwards Bass, Mid, Treble, on the gain channel is weird at first, but you get used to it.

The fact that this amp has a lot of power and drive to it is the main selling point. Oh, and the fact I found it used for 100 bucks.

If you hook this up to a good 400 watt Celestion cab with a downtuned guitar, you can pull off a nice old school Death Metal sound with the bass and gain all maxed out. Tweak it a bit more and you can get a nice 80's thrash sound.

My only complaint is even with hooking this head up to two 400 watt cabs, I still can't turn it up past 5 without it turning to mud. Only there does the solid state aspect shine through. But, for most situations, playing this at 4 will be more than loud enough.

It weighs as much as the Peavey XXX head I have.. which is impressive considering the lack of tubes. Everyone knows the reliability of Peavey and you can't question their products.

You won't ever need it.

I'm giving this a 9 because it's a GREAT amp at an unbeatable price. I've seen these on eBay with Buy It Now prices of $125. GET ONE.

There are better heads out there, but this one is worth checking out if you care about your sound and not just the name on the stage. You can get one of these for less than half the price of a Marshall MG100 or Peavey Transtube Supreme head, and the Supreme 160 just crushes them both for metal.


Check my other reviews: Charvel Avenger, Jackson Kellystar, Westone Dynasty, Kramer Voyager, Fender MH-500 Metalhead, Marshall Mode Four head, Peavey XXX head, Peavey Transtube Supreme head, and more to come!

This amp is truly something amazing if tweaked right. The features are pretty simple and plain. 160 watt solid state(don't let that fool you, it doesn't have any solid state characteristics), 2 speaker outputs, 4/8/16 ohm switchable, ground selection switch, spring reverb, and an effect send and return. The clean channel has presence, high, mid, and bass controls, and an independent volume knob. In addition, the clean channel has a handy-dandy bright switch. It has a treble, mid, and bass control, an independent volume knob, and a gain knob. It also has a gain boost button, and a mid scoop button.

First and foremost, this amp is LOUD. I had an old Crate Blue Voodoo 100 watt, and the Peavey outmatched it at half volume with the Crate at full. The clean channel is pretty basic. Doesn't distort too much when crankin it up. Nice and twangy, beautiful sounding with the reverb turned up. Without the bright switch engaged it's kind of dull. I'm a metal head, mainly thrash and death metal, tons of speed picking palm-muted stuff. The distortion channel is absolutely amazing. Something to note about the distortion channel: the volume knob acts greatly as a tone-shifting knob. I have the treble all the way up, mids all the way down, and the bass at 1 o'clock with the gain boost and mid scoop engaged. At a low volume(1-4) I can get a nice, brittle Iron Maiden tone out of the amp. Hovering between 4 and 6 it really kicks into high gear. The distortion screams, and the mids suck out completely. The gain is more than enough for me, and it manages to stay perfectly clear and quite percussive. It gets a cross between Dimebag's tone on CFH and Deicide's early tones. Incredibly brutal and perfect for what I do. Anything beyond 6 and it begins to get muddy and overload the speakers, not to mention ear drum shattering in volume.

Haven't had a problem yet. I haven't had the pleasure of gigging with it yet, but it seems to be built like a tank. The thing weighs close to 50lbs and is solid as a rock.

Never had to deal with them.

I've been playing for 6 years. I've played through Crates, Marshalls, Fender, Line6, and B-52 and this tops them all hands down. If it were stolen or destroyed(if possible) I would first cry, and then remember that there is always at least one on eBay and go immediately buy it. There is no other amp like this.

Early 90's model
It has 2 channels clean and mean!
has an in and out F/X loop and footswitch input no head phone jack.
I use this amp for practice with my band and personal room use as well....
This thang is a loud mo-fo on both channels....enough for my taste.
This is the real deal in solid state amplification comparable to the more modern amps that i've ever used....

I currently use a Rand Rhoads guitar with seamore ceramic hums on the bride and regular seamores on the neck....
I play everything from thrash to death to grind and jazz.What a combonation huh?......
Mostly the heavy $%^&!@' metal my friends.....
This amp is the perfect piece of equipment that I have. for that punchy low end madness that will amaze you[put with a MXR 10-band equalizer on front tweak it a bit and you can dial in the freaquencys that you are looking for and hold on for some metal thrashin'n madness my metal bros.....
The clean I havent really messed around with yet but I have fx units that i'll try with the clean.

A BEAST 100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dont think a sledge hammer would break this thing(LOL)

I cant picture ever needing a back up for this Raging tank!

If this was stolen I would by another only because that the prices for these supreme 160 heads are decent in the price range depending where you go.....

This weighs a lot 50+ lbs....

I traded a Randall rh100 for this and it was well worth it because that thing was difficult to work with and it sounds like $%^&. Dont buy one of those amps!....

This is a sure thing for whatever style you are looking for!!!!!
Hint:get a 10band eq pedal and you will see what I mean!.....

Best solid stae I have ever heard and ever played through period!!!!
STAY METAL!!!!!

As said before: 2 Channel. each has a different type EQ.
very nice features: Preamp out and Poweramp in jacks (for cascading).
One Effects loop, no options. No Headphone out. 2 different input jacks (hi/lo).
Footswitch for channel switch and Reverb on/off.
No different Reverb settings for each channel.
Onboard reverb (produces some hum and noise though).

Supersat EQ is very versatile, can produce very very heavy sounds (I'm thinking of Pantera etc.) It offers boost/cut of about 12 db (I think). Therefore with extreme settings you get extreme sounds.

I bought this Amp new, used in on various gings and for practice.
It has never let me down.
(Once it didn't seem to work properly, after opening the thing and closing it again it worled fine - maybe it needed some air).

For 1350 DM (about 700 Euros) it was the cheapest half stack awaylable at the time (it came with a Hughes&Kettner 4*12, I never replaced that.)
Versatitlity is great, but, as mentiones before, you have to spend some time to find 'your' favourite sound.

2 bad things, though:
1) It doesn't really sound like a tube (but definitely the best solid state I've heard).
2) Although the sound is versatile (esp. in the supersat mode) you can only have one at a time. I would like to have more Options for sound changes during playing (via footswitch).
For those two reasons I am going to get a more versatile amp.

everyone below has done well on listing the features. i bought this amp brand new in 1994, lost it in a fire a year and a half later. i just recently decided to find one used. why ? because it is LOUD. i dont use any fancy effects (distortion) and i play in a noise band, so all i want is LOUD. i used this amp live between 1994 and 1995, always had folks comment on its loudness (i play it on 10). i like the reliability of solid state. so this amp is perfect for my needs. i dont use the reverb, effects loop, or anything other than turning it to 10 and running people out of the room. i dont go for versatility in my playing but like i said it works great for what i do

fender jazzmaster, suits me perfect. the amp isnt 'noisy' in terms of hissiness, but i wouldnt be the guy to ask. the clean channel is clear at high volumes, i play small to mid-sized gigs. i never mic it

i tour often and dont use a backup. the only reason i dont have the original one i bought is that i lost it in a fire. never had a problem with it then, and dont now. this thing is solidly built (not like that amp modeling, digi-whack bullshit they foist off on kids today)

never had to deal with them

ive been playing for over 13 years. signed to a record label since 1997 and played regular gigs + recording. i use this for volume, the music i make is not everyone, but if you want a loud amp and dont wanna deal with tubes then this is the way to go

You know by now the info. Mine is a 1993 with the 412MS cab. It sounds awesome and has lots of power.

I use a 1997 Peavey Wolfgang Std. with it, playing many different styles from classic rock to mellow to modern alternative to blues. It sounds awesome! I run a Digitech RP300 through the effects loop. This amp rocks, even at higher settings. Like any true hi-gain amp, it is a little noisy with the supersat turned up, but that's to be expected. Easy to get a Marshall like sound, a Recto sound and a Fender Blackface sound, once you've had a chance to tweak on it awhile.

It's a tank, like everyone has said. I bought it used and the input and effects jacks could use a change...I'll probably have that done before long. No, I don't use a backup with it. I bought it to play outdoor gigs.

Haven't dealt with them on this amp, but they've been pretty supportive with other things that I've dealt with them on.

If it was stolen, I'd cry a river. I bought it for the price, but I'll keep it for the awesome sound. Low ends really boom.

I think its a 1991 model. It is a tank! I dont think an elephant could break this thang! I play hard rock, grunge, progressive rock, alternative, nu-metal, post-hardcore, and more. It covers them all well. It has 2 channels(footswitchable), clean and lead, and the super-sat function. Plus the gain+, midshift, & bright buttons. Also, built in spring reverb. I use this amp live and for rehearsal, and it has way enough power for my applications, although do mic it at shows to spread out the sound. Its not tube, but it is close, its a Peavey.

I use a Davison Les Paul with stock pickups, I can get a very low end Mesa-Boogie type sound out of it easily, not so much the high/mid soudn of the Marshalls, but Id rather have a Mesa than a Marshall anyday. It is a bit noisy, but only on some settings, I have a dbx noise gat to stop that though. I havent had the volume up high enough to tell you if it distorts clean. It has so many sounds, amazing. The distortion can go from low-end rumble to mid boosted screaming drive! Its suits my music style perfectly.

Anything Ive had that is Peavey has never broke down on me, nor anyone else that I know. Peavey is some the best equipment ever, Peavey never dies.

Never ealt with em'

This is a really good amp, it has a broad range of sounds, is loud as fuck, and lasts forever. BUT BEWARE, THIS THANG WEIGHS 6 TONS!!!!!

1991 2 channel mono transistor amp head. It has a clean and "supersat" channel, reverb, effects loop, preamp out, power amp in, 2 speaker jacks, reverb and channel footswitch. 80 watts per channel (NOT 160 each!). it's loud enough for my purposes, ok for rehearsal but needs a PA boost for live work. it has everything I need and no frills, although we all dream of custom amps. this is my favorite amp.

I mainly use solidbody superstrats with medium output pickups (duncan jazz or '59 for example). This amp is not particularly noisy although I like to gate the effects loop a tad. the clean channel is loud and clear, although I hardly ever use it. The distortion is my favorite part. Most simple (non-modelling) amps make a lot of sounds but only one or two really useable ones. This amp is no exception. Most users of this amp like its thick early Metallica sound with the gain boost on and the midshift in. I think that sounds gross. This amp really sounds its best with the gain boost OFF and the midshift OUT and bass 10, mids 2, treble 8, reverb 2. Set like this it makes a sound that I describe as "Medium-Well", meaning it sounds good for AC-DC and for Slayer and everything in between. This setting really enhances the difference between the pickups on the guitar and gives the player the widest range of tones this amp can provide. It can really make a nice, musical sound for those of us who like to hear their GUITAR through all the fur.

ok, this amp is 13 years old and has never had a visit to the shop. I bought it off a guy who only played it in church (I bet he never had a problem with someone spilling beer on his rig!) on sundays, no joke. It weighs at least 50 lbs, the heaviest amp I've ever picked up, and is bomb proof in its construction. They really don't make 'em like this anymore, the new peavey amps feel like they are made from papier mache'. My other peavey combo from the same year has had a whole lot more abuse and never had a problem and it was made in the same factory.

bought it used, never dealt with peavey. they do offer easy access to owner's manuals for long-discontinued gear though.

played off and on for 15 years. I have a couple of other practice amps and some cheapie asian/pacific guitars that I tinker with. If this amp were stolen I'd simply use the 1 kiloton remote controlled self-destruct device I installed on it and blow the crackhead who stole it off the face of the earth. Then I'd cry like hell. This amp is my favorite sounding amp, period. It's nothing special all in all, but I've played through this same distortion circuit since high school and it doesn't sound like me when play through anythng else. It is very unique, especially for a transistor amp. I wish it had wheels. BTW for those who are struggling to get a good sound out of a transistor amp, it really helps to NOT use high-output pickups. Medium (7-10k) pickups sound much better through a solid state amp, I recommend the Seymour Duncan Jazz, the '59 or the Seth Lover (yeah!). Try it, I bet it'll sound better.