Peavey Transformer 112

This amp was made in the early 2000's. It is a solid state amp, but can produce amazing tube sounds. This amp really has too many features to list. The greatest features are the 16 amp models (even though they may not all sound exact), the cabinet simulation (select from 16 cabinet types), and the PC editor. Between the amp models and cabinet types, up to 256 different sounds can be achieved. Added with pre and post gain controls and dual EQs, it can easily help you find the tone you've been looking for.

Like I previously said, this amp has too many features to list. If you do not have patience and are not willing to take your time dialing in a sound, then this amp is not for you. There is a Transformer site on Yahoo Groups which has a bunch of presets to use with the PC Editor software. This is a great starting point as many of the presets are usable and require minimal tweaking.

I've been using a stock Ibanez RG570 for the past 10 years now. I'm still in the process of playing around with the knobs and storing presets, but it sounds great so far. I'm just waiting for a moment where I can be in my house alone so I can really crank this thing. I've been playing this strictly in my bedroom and the T-dynamics actually works really well when playing at low volumes.

I play a lot of hard rock and metal which this amp seems to be great for so far. With the gain setting at 7-9, this can produce some heavy sounds using any of the hi gain, american modern, or peavey ultra amp settings. The cabinet modeling feature is truly where this amp shines.

I'm not a huge fan of effects, but I have grown to like the built in delay, chorus, flanger, and rotary speaker effects. I like the fact that I don't have to have extra effects pedals or processors. I currently have a Boss Metal Zone distortion pedal and a Guyatone MR-2 reverb pedal. I haven't found the need to use either of these once since buying this amp! I also like the adjustable noise gate (it can even be disabled). You won't find this feature on any of the Line 6 amps or Peavey Vypyrs.

Lastly, changing out the stock speaker and installing a beam blocker are two options I am considering. Why? I simply want to experiment and hear the results.

For now, I've just been using the amp for practice. Once I find and store all of the sounds I'm looking for and feel more comfortable with the footswitch, it'll be a great amp for gigging.

If you can get customer service on the phone, they are awesome. I had to order a treble knob, a midi cable, and the new EPROM.

I've been in touch with John Fera, one of the designers, and even though this is a discontinued product, he still stands behind it 100% and offers great advice and support. Support like this is really tough to find.

Last year, I decided to downsize my rig. I had a Marshall JCM 800 halfstack which was collecting dust. I was too big to set up in my house so I decided trade it in for a Line 6 Spider Jam. This amp was cool for about a week, but then I truly began to despise everything about it. I've spent the past year looking for a replacement to the Line 6. I almost went with the new Peavey Vypyr Tube 60 until I discovered the Transformer. I bought the Transformer 112 last month, performed the EPROM upgrade and I simply love it! I'm still in the experimentation mode, but I've already discovered many usable tones. I'm still looking into a potential speaker replacement, but for the $150 price tag, it was the best buy I've made in a long time.

Bought for 100 USD. Good condition. Came with new eprom installed. Too many features to go in to it. There are a lot of features i don't use because I found my sound and my operating method. Yes there are more features than anyone could ever use at once.

Takes a while to get it right. Pretty deep stuff but fiddling will produce the results you want. I love the sound I get. I get lots of compliments on my "solid state" tone. Resist the temptation to overdo it. Tiny adjustments make a lot of difference. Take your time. It's worth it. Plenty loud enough.

It's probably 9-10 years old. Looks good.

This is a very versatile amp with good features and the Peavey Transtube sound. Highly recommended.

Okay All this advice is for you if you get the new I.C. chip eprom version 2.0 Guess what? If you have a transformer but you dont have the new chip then you are missing about 80% of what this amp can do. You might as well just sell it.

Okay James Blake and roy Beck, these 2 guys did righteous reviews with good suggestions. Use the cab sim like they said to start off with and follow there advice.

Since the Peavy Transformer has so much to mess with for making different sounds I give it a 10.

Just read the next couple of reviews to get the best advice on using this amp the RIGHT way. Blake and Beck got it right. Heres some more advice from me. 1. the louder you run it the more harsh it sounds so make your patches at higher levels and adjust the highs, presence and brightness at the higher volume so it wont sound harsh. 2. copy the patches to another bank and turn the volume down. Set the highs, presence and brightness for the bedroom practice level to match the original high volume patches. Now you can have your tone at high and low volume. 3. Keep the t dynamics knob at 3 o'clock or less to prevent harsh distortion. Same for the master volume. 4. Keep your normal post volume levels around 5 and your "boosted" post volumes higher. Use the Master volume to get higher volume instead of the patch volume. Gives more headroom and less harsh and muddy. 5. For bedroom levels use the bass boost in the preamp for more bottom. For high volume bass boost use the resonance and dial back the preamp bass boost. gives a tighter sound to the low end at high volume. using the preamp low boost at high volume is best at 11 o'clock because it IS sensitive and it can get overdone real easy, ya know?

okay I use a les paul with this amp and a wah wah. I owned it for about 6 years. the new chip was put in three years ago. Been using it for a Friday night bar and grill gig every week since about 2005 and for practice. its very good for what i do.

Never had a single problem since 2003.

this came with a 5 year warranty. I never needed it to use it. I put in the new chip on my own. It was a little bit a pain in the *** but i just bent the ic legs to make it fit in the socket then it was fine.
i paid 25 for the chip and i got it in 2 days. good service.

Its a good amp for what it does and it comes with a midi controller. would i buy it again? probly not because i would try something else besides a modler amp. But for the way I use this I will keep it until it gives up the ghost lol. It sounds good for my use, it isnt heavy to lug around and its easy to use plus it has everything you could want for making patches that you will use. I have no regrets from buying this.

Hi again. I submitted a review in 2007 for this amp. I've been using it in small to medium venues since putting the new IC (eprom) in it along with a new speaker. I mention both of these things in my previous review.
As far as the features go, there are really too many to list them all. The big difference between the Transformer and other "modeler" amps is that Peavey gives you the tools to do your own thing-but not too many tools that wind up frustrating you. Having said that, it's easy to run the controls right past the sound you are looking for. I think that all modelers are prone to this fault so my advice is to turn those knobs very slowly! LOL!

I use Les Paul guitars. For my current live music projects I only have two basic patches that I use. One is a gritty, slightly overdriven "clean" sound and the other is a crunch sound. I'm playing rhythm mostly but I also do some bluesy soloing on a few of our tunes. The two patches I use cover everything we do. I have effects too, but they are all either off or at very low levels until I go into the effects mode. Then they are available like a row of pedals. Soloing is done with the boost feature.
Here's the reason behind this review. I hope it helps others who pick up a Transformer on the cheap-they sell for under 200 bucks on ebay these days.
Here's the deal: Number one--> Get the 25 dollar eprom update. The difference is significant. I would not own one of these amps without this chip upgrade. Number two--> take your time setting up this amp. For example: remember that the little red LEDs are 4 stage indicators, so turning the dials just a little bit results in dramatic changes in EQ. It's so easy to go right past a good, desirable sound. Take your time and go slow exploring this thing.
Number three--> Explore all the possibilities, but use only a select few that compliment YOUR sound. It's way too easy to over engineer your patches. Do a lot of experimenting to determine which features you want to include in your patches.
My patches-all two of them-are very simple. At the same time I'm using gain adjustment, preamp bass enhancement, mid frequency adjustment, presence, brightness and resonance adjustments and T-Dynamics in them. Simple sound-complex sound sculpting.

Yes...it's a bit noisy at high gain and high volume settings. The noise reduction helps.

So far so good.

Nobody does customer service better than Peavey. Nobody.

Won't waste your time here. These are nice "all in one" amps with a load of features including a nice midi controller to run it all. With a new chip, a new speaker and some learning curve time anyone can ge some sweet, low cost tones from this model. Well worth the 200 bucks you pay nowadays on ebay.

Don't know when it was made. Lots of features and easy to learn/operate. Comes with a midi pedal. I bought and installed the new eprom myself. That's about it. The other posts dig deeper on the features so read on if you want to learn more. There's too much available in the features suite to cover it all. Let's just say Peavey made this for EVERYBODY'S style.

This is the important part. I read all the reviews for this category. I agree with most of what has been said. My personal opinion at this point is that it can cover a lot of ground AND it can be set up to do so many different things. It does not deliver the true tube tone that everyone seems to want nowadays. That doesn't mean it doesnt sound GOOD. In a band situation it will do just fine if you give it a chance. You CAN get this amp to sound very good. Here is what I have found to be useful for me, using Les Paul and Stratocaster guitars:

1. Cabinet choices-just find the one you want to use that sounds best with your guitar. Make it permanent for your patches. It really helps to do the EQ if you have a single favorite cabinet type. Saves time.
2. EQ-You can choose the active or passive type, depending on the model of amp that you choose. Active gives you boost AND cut. Passive is the normal. A little gain goes far.
3. Forget the names of the amp types. Find what YOU like and use it. Use the tweaks to set presence and resonance BEFORE setting up your EQ. That is a big help. Don't take EQ too far or you will go right past your sound. Really there is just too much to tweak so KEEP IT SIMPLE.
4. Keep the patches simple with gain and EQ and maybe a little reverb. Add all the effects and boost from the EFX mode and call them up as needed. The main thing to remember is that your basic patch should be simple and clear sounding. Use the midi pedal like you would use a row of stompboxes-AS NEEDED.
5. Get the new eprom from peavey. It doubles the abilities of the amp and gives you more cabs and amps and tweaking tools plus it gives you a boost function that is a SINGLE STOMP function. It is worth more than the 30 bucks you spend to buy it.

So that's it. My advice is to remember that just because this amp allows for a trillion zillion options that doesn't mean you have to use them all. If you keep it simple you'll do a lot better than trying to tweak up the nirvana patch every time. This is a versatile amp for getting lots of different sounds but you're better off just sticking with a couple and working on them instead of trying to make up patches for every possible guitar sound. It will drive you nuts.

Think of this amp as a box of tools. Use what you need for the job you're doing and leave the other tools in the drawer.

Overall this is a good sounding amp for just about any style. Bear in mind that it has one speaker so the cabinet sims like full stack or 4 by 12 are not going to sound like what they are trying to emulate. Forget the names of the cabinets and just use your ears to find YOUR sound (cabinet) with your guitar.

I use this as my main practice amp at home. I can get the sounds i want at lower volumes and it's ready to go every time. Yes, I HAVE used it on a few jobs with no complaints. But I also own some very nice tube amps that I use for gigging and they DO sound better at high volumes with a few high end stomp boxes. As a practice amp the Peavey covers my needs the moment I flip the switch to on. Saves a lot of time and setup hassles.

Peavey stuff is tough. I have only had it since September of 2008 so I'll say no opinion for now. So far so good.

Really great. They treated me with friendlyness and shipped my eprom to me in a few days.

I've been playing for 40 years. I DO own some nice top end gear in pedals, guitars and amps. I have two other solid state amps right now. I'm way over being a gear snob. I use what works. Who cares what the nameplate says? I use the Transformer as a tool for practice and smaller gigs where I don't need a lot of volume or the floor space is limited. Believe it or not, it has gotten some compliments from other players who talk to me at jobs. That tells me there is something good about this amp. They sell cheap on eBay. Definitely get the new eprom for this amp if you buy one. I'd buy it again. It's a useful tool that i use almost every day.

I did a review last May for this amp after I bought the new chip from Peavey. Now I've discovered a feature that I want to share with other Transformer users-provided you have the new chip upgrade. Here it is: By pressing STORE for one second and moving the Amp Model selector knob to your favorite sounding model, you can program the Transformer to use your favorite cabinet sound with ALL of your programmed presets. This is very cool because it gives you the opportunity to select a model that sounds best with your choice of guitar. No matter which amp model you select for your programmed presets, the tone curve for your favorite cabinet will always be the starting point for eq-ing the preset. I use the "American Clean + American Modern " cabinet, which is an open backed 1 X 12 cabinet voiced for a Boogie Mark IV combo amp. It kills for clean, slighly overdriven, heavy crunch and high gain presets, no matter which amp model is chosen. In other words, I choose the amp model and that amp model assumes the raw tone curve of the Mark IV Boogie cab. You might like other cab tone curves...there's a total of 16 to choose from...so have at it! Discovering this feature has enabled me to move my sound to the next level. Band members all agree that my presets sound really good with the Boogie cab. Here's the unofficial Transformer website that John Fera maintains for users:

http://tform.home.comcast.net/~tform/index.html.

Check our all the cool stuff on that site. It's all good stuff and John uses a Transformer in his band, so you know he believes in it besides being one of the designers.

I use mostly Les Pauls but I use Single coil guitars too. Everything just sounds better to my ears running through the Boogie cab tone curve. It's extremely well balanced at all volume levels. My high gain preset absolutely KILLS with enough bottom end to rattle the doorframes. The other three "most used" presets mentioned above all sound great because they all sound like they are emanating from the same source-the Boogie Mark IV 1 X 12 cab. Duh...THEY ARE! Like a lot of guys who play this amp, I never cease to be amazed at the depth and flexibility of features / sounds that this little known, under appreciated, under rated amp has to offer. It can mimic just about any amp out there. The effects are good too-not super high quality but plenty sufficient for live performance playing.

Seven years without a single failure. The rubber around the midi connectors split but i fixed it. Other than that she's been a real trooper.

I've talked to John Fera, one of the designers. He's a guitar player and a very smart engineer who has answered every question I had...plus he's recommended hardware upgrades, too. What a nice guy!
Everyone I've ever talked with at Peavey has been super kind. Never had a question unanswered. I rate PEAVEY service at 100. There is everybody else...then there is Peavey. Simply the best by any measure.

I've gone through a lot of changes with respect to appreciating this amp. I used it for a bedroom amp for a long time and wrestled through all the features to eke out a decent set of bedroom presets. When I got the new version 2.0 chip I actually started using it to play live. Now the amp has evolved further as I've discovered yet another feature. I highly recommend this amp to anyone who wants to try a modeler but wants to retain an all analog (transtube) signal path with dynamics and "real" amp tone. You see them on eBay for 200-300 bucks, used. For that price plus 25 bucks for the new chip you can have a keeper.
Would I buy it again? No need to buy it again because I intend to keep this one safe and sound.

WOW. Where do I start? Transformers have 50 watts of power, sisxteen amp models with individual equalization, a bass boost, a treble boost, adjustable midpoint for middle frequencies, presence and resonance settings, a master volume and a T dynamics knob that cuts overall power from 100% down to 10% and anywhere in between. There is a MIDI controller for channels and banks and effects on-off. Effects are reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, leslie and octaver. You can cut the power to 50% and keep the basic tone for quiet jamming.
I got mine with a blown speaker so I put a Swamp Thing in it. It's not heavy. It's easy to use and get good sounds but you have to spend a little time to learn all of its features. The hardware revision and software is the latest upgrade that Peavey sells. Solid state Transtube pre amp and Transtube power amp. Comes with MIDI pedal and 25 foot MIDI cable. It's pretty cheaply made with plastic pots and poor quality MIDI cable. Footswitch is solid but the amp controls are flimsy. Made in the USA.

I have three Fender tube amps that I play through for gigs. I prefer tube tone and so you wonder why I bought this? Well first of all it was only 25 bucks "as is" with a blown speaker. It also had a broken volume control knob (fixed it) and the MIDI cable worked but the metal connectors were stripped (fixed it.)
The main reason this amp never took off is the eq section in my opinion. Theres way to much eq to mess with and its easy to treat the eq like any other amp, which will frustrate you. I only use three amp models for everything I do because I worked with all the models and found the ones that work for me. Then I spent a long time eqing those models until I got what I was looking for. It took over three months to get down to that and I would walk away from this amp frustrated most of the time. I will say this much about the amp: if you spend the time to search for a good sound there are enough tone features to get you there. The problem is learning to use them properly with all the different models. Every model is different and eqing is different for every model. Find a few models you like and work with them. Forget the names of the models, which some don't even come close and just work with the way it sounds.
Heres another problem with this amp: the power amp doesn't pump out the same frequencies at bedroom level as it does at stage volume. I know that most amps do that but this one does it to the extreme. Whatever you set in the bedroom is only good at that volume. You have to change things a lot for stage volumes to get the same sound. Its annoying. My solution was to use bank "A" for bedroom practicing and write the same patches to bank "B" for editing to use at stage levels.
I play classic rock with a 4 piece band. We do a big mix of stuff but nothing really heavy. I use the Transformer for practicing mainly. Its loud enough for practice and soft enough for the bedroom. Its light enough to carry between home and our practice space. So its just another tool that takes the place of my tube amps. I used this for a gig when i first got it and was pissed because I couldn't get it to sound good at stage volumes. I cured that but never played a gig with it again.
I have a couple of Epiphones a Les Paul and a SG. They sound good with this. I like this amp because it fits my needs and I finally got it figured out to make it sound good. I have no problem with it now, but it was a royal P.I.T.A. to get it sorted out.
oh yea...the effects are all okay but nothing special. reverb is good for digital, so is the tremolo. others are average. octaver sucks.

Fragile, actually.

Great practice amp. lots of potential. something here for everyone. downside is all the tweaking it takes to get it right. once you get the hang of it you can easily make some good presets to work with. i would buy this again "as is" for 25-75 bucks.

OK first of all take this with a grane of salt cuz I got this for free from our drumers dad. So it costs me nada. I play a Kramer bareta in a metal band and my rig is a old stile Peavy 5150 half stack. Thats were im coming from. So for nothing I get this. So I took it. Theres a website for this amp were you can download and find out about it. So I go there and theres a link to the new computer chip from peavy. So i call Peavy and order it. Noww I have a practise amp thats pretty good for a solid state amp. Im not kidding you. I would play a show with this amp. The fetures are too many to list.

Kramer with SD invader pup. I playd it before and it wasnt nothing speshil. After I put in the new computer chip it was 10 times better. So its pretty easy to put in too. Now I have a good practise amp for 30 bucks. Metal toe is possable. Even the presets for te new computer chip is good. Better then most. Pretty loud. The half stack kills it but I stil like it for practise and jams. Sometimes you dont want to carry a amp and bottem up stares for a jam. This is litewaite and you dont need no petals with it. Quiet.

for 30 who cares.

been plying since 2000. my half stack kicks serius ***. This one does to but its solis state so what do you expeck? I like it a lot but I like my 5150 better. For 30 I woud buy iy again. LOL its not bad for a solid state.

Dude! get the new chip and rock away with your Transformer! It gives you new models that combine existing models with active EQ. One problem with the old chip amps is no sustain on the clean models. With the new active models you can sweep the mids and do boost and cuts for low mid and highs. Plus you can do all sorts of other tone and gain tweaks. GET THE NEW CHIP. IT TOTALLY TRANSFORMS THE TRANSFORMER TO A NEW LEVEL. Its a 10 with the new chip.

I had this amp for 6 yearsin my bedroom. I used it as a practice amp then I got the new chip for 25 bucks and put it in. Now I use this amp to gig because it finally does everything I wished it would do before the new chip. With the original chip it was so so. With the new chip its SWEET! Big difference in the sound. Much better. I even think its louder now too but maybe its just me. Anyways I use it for playing out and I love it.

They still support it and the new chip is still available for 25 bucks.

I play rock and blues which I have played for 30 years. I have some nice amps that I picked up along the way but this amp just sat in the bedroom till I put in the new chip. Now I use the new active amp combinations to get really good tone from this thing. I'm telling you: GET THE NEW CHIP. You wont regret it. Best 25 I ever spent on my sound. Now I use this amp for every show. For big shows I mike it thru the PA and it sounds great.

This is a Peavey Transtube amp with improved 4560 opamps in the re-designed preamp section. Gone is the persistent hiss associated with the old 4558 op amps-which have hissed like snakes since they were created decades ago. Good riddance!
The transtube preamp is incredibly versatile and varied. There are at least 16 different ANALOG TONE signal paths in the preamp. When you switch the amp model with the rotary selector, you GET that amp's EQ, gain and timbre. It doesn't matter to me whether the "model" is accurate to the amp because it's about the ability to coax good tone that matters. In this respect the Transformer is excellent. The effects are mediocre when compared to the modern processors available these days. Once again..I couldn't care less, as I prefer just a pinch of effects for my styles. By the way there are so many hidden features on this amp that tweaking the effects properly requires reading the manual. This goes double if you buy the upgrade chip. I bought it and I upgraded memory too. These changes pretty much make the amp at least twice as good and improve the range of good tones immensely. The third section is the Transtube power amp. Except for the venerable ROLAND Tube Logic circuit used on their Blues Cube series, the Peavey Transtube Power Amp is the best. It has a power attenuator built in, plus a cabinet resonance and presence control. The Peavey Engineering team of Fera, Brown and Chappell left nothing to chance. Their designs and executions of those designs are nothing short of amazing. There is nothing else out there that compares in terms of the marriage of mechanical, digital and analog workmanship. If you can't squeeze a useable, sweet mojo from one of these..it's YOU that needs tweaking...not the amp.
The footswitch that comes with the amp is superb. Like having a row of individual pedals, plus boost. Also switches banks and has a tap tempo. With the new eProm it even doubles as another tweak device. Amazing!

Over the years I've added speakers, swapped speakers, swapped opamps, swapped eProms, swapped memory...you name it. Now I'm back with the stock speaker, stock 4560 opamps, the newest eProm I.C. and upgraded memory. Over the years I created hundreds of patches and tweaked endlessly.
Now I have two basic sounds...slight overdrive/clean and heavy overdrive. They are dynamic and possess about 90% of the characteristics of a decent Tube amp with pedals. I'll say it again...if you can't coax righteous tone from this amp...it's YOU, man! This amp does shimmery clean to heavy, heavy rock / metal.

No problems in 5 years but the rotary knobs are fragile. Be careful!

5 year warranty.

Great amp.

I'll toss my hat in the ring to do a review on the new firmware revision IC. For 25 bucks you can get a new IC to replace the original amp firmware with new, improved firmware. It is called version 2.0 and was released in 2006. Call PV parts and order it. Instructions come with it including how to use all the new features. If you don't feel comfortable installing it then take it to a shop. I put mine in but I took the amp chassis out of the amp to do it. (The legs on the IC have to be bent inward just a little to fit in the socket. They're a little fragile so if you have problems you should take it in to a shop.)
This IC is worth more than 25 dollars when you consider what you get for the money. Here's what you get:
On the new IC there are 4 new amp and amp cabinet models, a boost function that works without haveing to use the EFX mode, a new effect called octaver and some interesting new ways to set up the tap delay function. You also get global and patch gain adjustments, presence, bright switch and resonance adjustments plus a 1/2 power reduction and improved tuner. The PFC4 controller MIDI interface is expanded too.
If you use the PC interface, it has been updated to use the new IC.Not bad for 25 bucks!

All 4 new amp models are good and all have active EQ so you can use the same model to get very different sounds, plus you can set the range of the mids. It's more like having about 10 new models because they are mega tweakable.
The octaver kind of sucks because you can only use it at a minimum due to tracking problems at higher levels. I'll probably never use it.
The boost feature lets you go to the alternate patch settings right from the current patch. Just step on the patch button again to toggle between main and alternate. No more going to EFX mode to do it. Super handy.
The presence, bass boost and resonance features make big changes that you can hear right away. The presence is noticable on clean patches but not so much on distortion.
Bass boost has 4 settings, presence has 3 and resonance has 3. Patch gain is either -6 or 0 dB so its good for matching clean volumes to distortion patch volume in a bank of presets. This worked out a lot of stuff for me.
The global gain adjustment gives you +/- 18 dB of boost and cut so you can get more headroom or more gain. Yes, you can get stupid amounts of gain!
I played with the tap delay tweaks. They're interesting and can be adjusted to change on the fly. Don't know if I'll ever use it.
I definitely notice an improvement in the tuner.
All this adds up to a lot more dynamic range for the patches and better control of the amp. Cheap at 25 bucks. Makes the amp more flexible and easier to use the features.

While we're on the topic of sound here's a good tip for you. Put a multi band EQ and compressor in the Transformer effect loop. I have a Digitech TwinTube in the loop that I use only for a tube based EQ (seven band equalizer)and good solid compression. Boy does it make a difference in the clarity punch and tubey-ness of the sound.
Being able to equalize the sound after distortion is a life saver. Being able to feed a consistent signal to the power amp using the compressor adds tons of clarity too. I just use the tubes in the TwinTube for warmth and harmonic content-not for gain or distortion. For me it works real good and its quiet. Its like putting a sonic maximizer in the loop.
I rate the new firmware chip as a 9 because of the lame octave effect. The rest of the new firmware is must have.

PV parts got it to me in 5 days. I ordered on the phone. They knew exactly what i was talking about.

If you have a PV Transformer its a no brainer to buy this firmware chip. Its the best 25 you can spend to make it better.

This was Peavey's entry to the modeling amp genre. Not sure when these hit the market so I'll guess it was early 21st century. Stock amps have 12 amp models and an effects section with modulation effects, reverb and delay. The midi foot controller controls all the functions of the amp and it can be used to turn mod, reverb and delay effects on and off. You can store two separate versions of patches in each location and call up the alternate by using the footswitch in effects mode, using boost function. Delay has a tap function. There is a good noise gate. There is an effects loop and a mono headphone jack.
The stock models take you from vintage tweed to super high gain.

One big change that Peavey made in 2005 was the release of eprom version 2. This was a hardware change that involved replacing IC U506 with an upgraded chip containing improved and expanded microcode for the control CPU. It added many new functions and four new "blended amp" models for a total of 16-up from 12. It also expanded the MIDI control. Very cool and only 25 bucks from the factory. The new eprom makes this a totally new machine.

One reviewer below was complaining about the 4 ohm speaker. Transformers come equipped with a Blue Marvel speaker at 4 ohms, driven by a modern power amp IC. Before I bought this amp I ordered the schematics from PEAVEY parts (best service guys in the business) and checked out the components. At +/-25 volts on he rails of the power amp (LM 3886), the amp will produce 50 watts into a 4 ohm load. But the LM 3886 (a great audio amp, by the way) tends to run a little hot in this configuration so I went to an 8 ohm speaker, reducing the wattage to about 38 watts but giving the LM 3886 a cooler operating environment. Anyway, the amp will operate just fine with an 8 ohm speaker connected so you can stick any of the "cool" speaker choices that are available at 8 ohms, in this amp. The reduction in power can easily be overcome by selecting a high SPL speaker. For example, I have an 8 ohm SWAMP THING in mine and it's louder at 38 watts than the Blue Marvel was at 50 watts. MUCH LOUDER! Get something with an SPL rating over 100 and you'll be fine at 8 ohms.

Peavey went to the JRC 4560 op amp in the power section, which is a huge improvement over the old JRC 4558. More musical sounding and definitely quieter. Overall the power section is pretty tight and with the upgraded speaker and V2 eprom you can push some very nice tone from this amp. The V2 eprom also gives you more control over the power stage with presence and resonance tweaking available. In the preamp the new V2 chip gives you total control over the gain structure. If you get a Transformer 112 or 212, get the new eprom. If you have one of these amps now, get the V2 eprom. A no brainer and easy to install. For 25 bucks it's like buying a brand new amp.

The 112 model has stereo capability using the effects out jack. Insert the standard 1/4" plug to the first click and send the signal to any power amp. It will be the "right" half of the stereo sound. Not terribly stereo-ish but it's there.

With the standard V1 eprom this gets a 7 or 8. With the V2 eprom it's a 10. Either way, it is a very versatile machine.

Peavey took a way different approach to the modeling thing than the other guys. I've tried just about all of them and my personal opinion is that the Peavey approach is the best path to a decent overall sound. This is mainly because they use the computer to control the amp instead of going 100% digital with the model and effect sounds. The Transtube technology stays analog for a more traditional analog sound. Pure digital modeling has come a long way but it still tires my ears, if you know what I mean. Transformers have a more "real" feel to them in my humble opinion, and they are capable of more "in between" tones. Just my personal preference. Our other guitarist uses line 6 stuff and he sounds killer. I just don't get a warm fuzzy feeling when I play through his rig.

Speaking of tones, the Transformer is capable of a wide range of tones because they copy the selected amp's tone ranges and gain structures. The V2 chip also enables cabinet swapping, input padding, preamp gain -increase/decrease, bottom end and top end controls-beyond the tone controls, and some models have active boost and cut. In the end you can select any particular model and create 3-4 patches that sound completely different. So there is a lot of range to play with here. Unfortunately there are only 16 places to store them. For me that's enough but some may find it limiting.

I'm using humbucking pickups and single coil pickups on solid body guitars with the Transformer. You can hear the guitar with the Transformer. Different guitars and pickups sound different, which is great if you like being able to listen to the guitar's wood.

With the speaker upgrade and the V2 chip this amp is a total winner. It needs a second power amp to play really loud shows. I use an open back 60 watt powered cabinet with a 8 ohm Wizard speaker to play outdoor shows. Placing the two cabs about 20 feet apart and using the stereo function gives a nice wide spread.

With the upgrades this amp is a 10. No question about it.

Peavey makes reliable equipment, period. This amp is lighweight and the knobs are plastic so there's an issue there but overall if you're careful with it then you'll be ok. I'll shave two points for the plastic knobs and shafts. Don't drop it down the stairs and you should be ok.

Peavey is number one. You can get a manual or schematics from them.
The V2 chip is available too. Call Peavey Parts at: 800 821 2279 and order part number 99000974. It's the eprom version 2 for the Peavey Transformer. They'll get it out to you ASAP. Go to the unofficial Transformer webpage for all the info on this chip replacement plus other cool stuff. http://tform.home.comcast.net/

It's true that these never got the big push that the Johnson and line 6 stuff got when modeling amps came out. I think these were seriously under rated and under appreciated by the guitar mags and the industry in general. They weren't as sexy or as feature laden as the competition so they were overlooked.
I don't knock pure digital because it sounds pretty good, actually. Certain people are going to prefer pure digital modeling and I say fine, play what you like. I've been playing for 4 decades and I have listened to a lot of raw guitar through a million differnt amps in my day-some better and some worse than this amp. For me the digital stuff is impressive but it is still lacking in dynamics and after a while it all sounds kind of sterile to my ears. That's just me.

I gig with this amp. I like the way it sounds and I like how simple it is to operate. I like that is small and lightweight. I don't like the plastic knobs. Overall I think I made a good choice to pick one of these up. I'm dead positive I made the right choice to buy the V2 chip for it. Rock on....

I have owned two of these. See my previous review from a few years ago. With the second edition of the prom ($25 from Peavey) the Transformer has so many useful features that it is about twice as good as the first version. If you can imagine an amp sound, chances are you can find it in the Transformer 112. If you can't find a great tone with all the tools this amp has then you should seriously consider taking up thew piano. Read the rest for features but know this: The tools this amp has are all good, useful tools. It has the goods to craft the sound the way you want.

Transformers can go from sparkling clean 50's R&R music all the way to earth shattering death metal palm mute Recto tone. The cabinet swapping and the adjustable overall gain, tone, mids, power damping, power compression, preamp gain level, post gain, cab resonance, half volume sitch, low end presence,high end presence, brightness, delay roll off, etc, etc are really powerful sound sculpting tools. What the hell MORE could you ask for? These are not just vanilla flavored, digital "more or less of the exact same sound" tools. These tools actually DO SOMETHING that changes the tone and timbre of the amp. Quiet? Most models are dead quiet. At maximum gain on the high gain models the amp will hiss. It is NOT digital artifact hiss. It is the normal hiss you would expect from a high gain amp. duh, no shit!
When you crank up your Marshall or any other amp, you have to adjust the tone because more power will boost different frequencies, differently. Same for the Transformer. People set up a cool patch at bedroom levels then they say "This amp is shit when you turn it up!" Try setting your patches at high sound levels and you'll be fine. ALL amps act differently at different volumes. I'm giving it a 10 with the new prom in it. Obviously it's not a boutique amp but compared to other modelers it deserves a 10 for overall sound.

I read the review by Dave Williamson last night and thought, "This guy sounds like me!" I think he probably got frustrated with his Transformer like I did. With the new PROM this amp is unstoppable. I have whittled my collection to a Peavey Transformer 112, a nice old Les Paul and my old Ibanez fat strat. As far as the amp goes, the Transformer gives me the ability to have any amp i want it to be so there is no reason to ever own another kind of amp. This is an ass-kicking amp that has been overlooked by the snobs since day one, in my opinion. Yes I would buy another one and I recommend it..

This is a solid state, analog modeling amp. Peavey doesn't make it anymore. It was made in Meridian, Missippi, USA. The Transformer is not a digital modeler; it is analog and uses the patented Transtube preamp and poweramp, with a digital controller that switches the tone settings, cabinets, amp types and all that stuff. It's different from what most of us are used to in modelers. It has 16 factory presets and all are useless. But you can program 16 of your own by combining 12 amp types, different cabinets and effects. Lots of versatility here.
The software and hardware are version 2, which the previous owner paid about 30 bucks for. You send away and get a new control chip and download editing software for your PC from a website. Do it yourself, all the way. Pretty cool. The upgrade is worth the money because it gives you a few more useful features, tweaks and settings.
It comes with a midi controller for changing channels, using the effects mode, using the boost feature and changing banks. Effects are not all that good but the decent ones are reverb, delay and tremolo. Chorus, flanger, univibe and phaser are lame. Octave effect sounds like a whale farting in a tin can. Cab resonance, presence and bright switch come with revision 2. You also get a programmable preamp, a bass expander and controls over the pad on the input plus a final power cut. There is also a master volume and the famous Peavey power attenuator but I can't tell the difference between 10 and 100 perceny. Midi out for hooking up another Transformer (why?) or connecting the amp to another midi device, effects loop (why?), useless headphone jack, single 4 ohm Blew Mudville (Blue Marvel) speaker. It's all wrapped up in a cheap plywood cab. Is it versatile? Yeah I guess it is, for what it is. I think it came out in 2001. By todays standards it really doesn't measure up but it has a decent sound if you're willing to tweak it. Have to give it a 7 because it's pretty much an outdated model.

You can get cleans to palm mute metal tones. Lots of variety but nothing really special here. Totally solid state tones that are two dimensional. It's not bad but you could never get this amp to produce a good tube sound. At loud volumes it acts just like any solid state amp. In other words it goes to shit. The Blew Mudville is a lame excuse for a speaker but since it's 4 ohm speaker I say good luck finding a decent replacement. It can't handle the amp at high volume. No speaker out either so what you got is what you get. I managed to get six decent patches from the thing. They sound good at low or medium levels but not loud levels. Here's the amp's downfall: at 50 watts you expect to be able to gig with it but it sounds good only to about 25 watts so you've got a great practice amp, but not so good for playing in a band. That's about it.
For the price I paid I'm okay with that. I don't gig with it but it works out just fine in the bedroom and for friendly jams with friends and it's faily lighweight so it moves to jams in the back seat of the Honda.
I'm using an epiphone Les Paul with GFS Hot PAF pickups. I have a Squire Strat with Texas Specials but this amp doesn't like single coils.

Knobs are the weak point and the midi connectors look fragile. The rest is Peavey tough. Knobs are not well protected so you have to be careful not to break them. They don't have start and stop points. There are little lights to tell you where you are on the dials but the knobs just turn forever.

Played guitar for 11 years. Play mostly rock and blues. This is a decent amp for 80 bucks but I'm not sure I would buy it again. Probably a good amp for practicing and for a beginner.
If you want something decent and cheap as a kick around amp then it's ok but as a REAL amp it falls on its ass. I have a fender Blues Junior and I just bought a brand new Epiphone Valve Junior head with matching cabinet. Both of these amps beat the crap out of the Peavey Transformer in the tone category.
Anyone know where a player can get a decent 12" four ohm speaker for this thing?

I really don't care for effects, but this thing has a few built in. It's a modelling amp, and it has enough amp models to give you a variety of tones. The amp is pretty versatile.

I should mention that I got this from my friend, who had apparently obtained a new chipset for this amp that was built by the designers of this amp, but was never put into mass production. It gives the amp a few more features - for instance, pressing the bank button again on the footswitch instantly puts you to the boost mode of the preset (without switching to the mode that would regularly require you to go into boost mode). I've never played a regular transformer, but at the time, only the amp designers' Transformers and my friend's Transformer had this new chipset. Maybe that's not the case today, but I guess it was then.

Okay - originally, I would have given this category a much higher rating, but my sound seems to have disappeared. The amp models are all usable and sound good, but now, I hear nothing but bad-sounding mids and grating treble. This could be a speaker problem - I am looking for a good replacement (I'm thinking Eminence Texas Heat or Swamp Thang).

Reliable amp. My friend openend this up and modded it, and it's still reliable.

Never dealt with them

This amp gives you the sounds you want - easily accessible through a good footswitch, and a lot of options. I must say that I prefer tubes - I regularly use a Peavey Ranger 212 (with speaker and tube upgrades) and a Fender Blues Jr. This amp is not a replacement for tubes, but it sounds good. I use a maple-necked Fender Strat and a Gibson Les Paul Studio through this, and I play most everything except metal (no 80's or modern metal). This amp adequately handles all of those, and it can even handle some very heavy sounds if that's your thing. I have been playing for 10 years; I have heard a lot of amps - this is the best modelling amp. Forget Line 6 stuff.

I bought amp brand new in 2003 to 560 dollars. You for features read which are covered. I come to this page to read review but I write my own now. As features rating I make 10 because Peavey gives all tools and make good musical sound. This is because Peavey wants amp in hand of musician, not fake guitar player wanting tone buried under effects and distortion. Many now amps like fake sound not Peavey.

I'm playing guitars as Ibanez and Fender with single and double pickup kinds. All sound the right with Transformer. Not with too much effects to make sounds not as guitars in Peavey Transformer but enough. This is good for musician who will to find own sounds like real guitar player not fake. To clean and distorted sound I say is best to sound as Peavey. I play to clean sound mostly plus little bit od distortion not much. I like sound as Beatles and also to rock and roll but not to heavy metal. Peavey is good to this sound and good to brutal which is distortion if wanting it. Transformer makes all sound you want and like. All good sound to Peavey Transformer and easy for making to sound tools.

I move from Russia to 2002. In Russia to play for 15 years as to play parties and to clubs not much. In Russia is not much guitar amp which is good. All is not to tube amps because are old and not so much reliable. I know of Peavey and not much play with one but I like one of friend not Transformer but Express. Is not Marshall or Fender or Sovtek amps in Russia to buy and are not reliable with costing very high. I best want to have Peavey amp but not to be able. So I buy it when I come to US which is good to my playing guitar. Is best to play and so I buy it again if stolen. To speaking English is not best yet but I am trying as improving to English and guitar play. Peavey is best.

I just finished reading Donald Raycher's review below. Everything he said is true. Less is more.

I use a lot of different guitars with this. The trick to getting good sound from this is to go easy with the controls and effects. The models give you pretty accurate renditions of what they claim they are modeled on in the manual so if you just make minor tweaks to them, you'll be fine. I always start with all tone knobs and pre/post gains at 12 o'clock. Some of my patches are just that...all knobs at 12. Other patches are slight variations. If you go crazy with the ajustments then you're fucked. You will go right past your sound. BTW, this amp sounds very good at high volume settings.

I've been hacking away since 1970. I play rock and some jazz/rock...no metal. This is a good choice for anyone who wants a lot of options and power, and who knows the sound they are looking for. It is more reasonable than a lot of modeling amps to operate.

I bought it used. I don't know when it was made. It's 100% identical to the first one I owned, which I sold to get another solid state and a small tube amp. The Transformer has 12 amp models and 16 user / 16 factory presets and digital effects, including seperate delay, reverb and modulation package. It has no speaker out so what you get is one 4 ohm BlueMarvel speaker and thats that. Headphone jack is included but it's mono. Compared with all the other Modeling Amps it doesn't have a lot of features. What it does have is a real feel and a real tone. I give it a 7 for features, compared to some of the other modelers.

I bought my first Transformer a couple of years ago and I had it for about a year before getting sick of endlessly twiddling with it in search of the "perfect" presets with my computer. So...I sold it and bought two other amps. Guess what...while using these other two amps I realized that my problem with the Transformer was an operator problem and not an equipment problem. (In other words...I was the problem.) I was fortunate to have access to another guy's Transformer, which I programmed in a different way from what I had previously done on mine (eg...no endless twiddling with my PC and the Txformer software.) The thing is, I discovered that my original Transformer's presets were such overkill, and that I had really overengineered them. I went way past the good sounds that the Transformer had to give with all the adjusting I was doing. No more. My "new" Transformer has 5 basic sounds (Fender, Vox, early Marshall, HiGain Marshall and Rectifier.) I don't have a lot of effecs on the raw presets...just reverb or delay. When I am using a preset, I go into the effects mode and I have a second "boost" setting for the patch as well as the delay, modulation and reverb settings at my footcontroller. This approach made me re-think the Transformer, so I bought onother one! Now I love it. Simple IS better, for me. It's loud enough for the gigs I play and versatile for every style I play. In my opinion the amp sounds really, really good

I'm an experienced guitarist. I play semi-pro and have done so since the early 80s. I play rock, using clean and distorted sounds. I like this amp because it isn't heavy and it gives me the basic tones and sounds I need, without needing pedals. My other equipment includes a Marshall Valvestate VS100, a Fender Pro Junior, a Les Paul, an Ibanes S-series HSS guitar, a Gibson SC and an Epiphone Moderne. I have BOSS pedals and a Crybaby wahwah. I only use the wahwah with the Transformer. Nothing else is needed. For me this is the best amp to choose. Would I buy it again? I already did!

I can't believe that nobody has come forth with an opinion that includes a review the fantastic Peavey software that is available for this amp. All you need is a PC and a midi cable (game port to Peavey midi in.) IMHO the software is THE feature of this amp that makes whipping up presets a joy. Everything can be done from my HP laptop and I can demo things in realtime as I adjust the tone, gain, presence and resonance and volume. The software is a real force multiplier. Without it I'd rate the amp as a "10" because it has so many cool features on its own. With the software on my HP I have to go with a "15" because there are features available only with the software, which round out the tone and power curves of this thing. Another thing people forget to mention is the stereo feature, using another amp. I've used a crappy old Crate as the left channel amp with success. It's a fifty watter too and I adjust it to be neutral tone-wise. There is a nice seperation with chorus and delay, across the stage. Another thing I've tried is using the "left" amp as a monitor and the Transformer as the backliner. Using a second amp adds to the power and cut significantly if you need to have more volume. I am going to buy a power-engine (Tech 21) for this thing!
On the con side...No speaker cabinet jack...you get a 4 ohm load and that's the Blue Marvel speaker, PERIOD. The stereo effects out is nice but I gotta ask, what were they thinking because it has a mono return. and while we're talking effects loop...what for? The amp has all the effects you'd need! Finally the headphone jack is mono..lame. Overall, I'm giving it an 8 but to be honest...it has everything you need for playing gigs, including the best, easiest midi controller in the business.

The only guitar I own is a Les Paul studio edition. Basically it's a Les Paul without the nice carved maple cap. Other than that it's your basic Les Paul. It sounds lie a LP with the amp's different patches, which I have set up to span clean (Fender tweed), crunchy clean (Peavey Classic 30 crunch), C-C-C-CRUNCH (Marshall High Gain JCM 800 with 4 X 12 cab), Solo (Marshall High Gain with mids boosted) and DOOOOOM (American High Gain Recto.)
All of these patches were so much easier to do using the software because you can set and adjust the gain levels. The "stock" gain levels are different for the different models so it can be tricky to adjust the overall volume to match patches. With the software it's a breeze. This is a MUST HAVE, in my opinion. With it you can open up the huge potential of this system. Peavey should consider a web updater that would allow for these kinds of upgrades to be incorporated in the amp itself. Bottom line...I rate it an 8 again for stock and a 15 with the software package. I'll compromise with a 9.

Peavey makes all their products to last. I don't worry about reliability with this amp. The knobs are cheap but recessed and protected. Plastic shafts save dough and keep costs down but BE CAREFUL!

Great website and the Transformer designer has his own website, too. I've emailed him and he's answered me personally. A Yahoo users group for Transformer owners swaps presets and other info. Manuals are available, schematics, etc. The Peavey boys do customer service right. The best of the best.

I've been playing since the mid 80s. My older amp was a Marshall Valvestate 2 X 12 combo...early 80s model. Killer amp in its own right, really. (Way better than the new Marshall stuff.) It just wasn't versatile enough for all the different styles I have grown into. The Peavey does Marshall and all the rest so it's a no brainer. I sold the Marshall to help pay for it and kept the shitty Crate as the stereo slave, which I don't use all that often anyway. I love just about everything this amp offers. Toss in the cool software and it is a fantastic value indeed. I'd choose it again and I honestly think it is one of the BEST modelers available, overall.

I bought my amp used off of ebay for 400 plus 35 shipping. The previous owner bought it new and took very good care of it. I consider myself lucky to have gotten a virtually brand new amp for the price I paid. I have had it for a year and a half and I started using it for shows the same week I got it. I won't bore you with a huge rundown of the features again. Basically it's a modeling amp with a slimmed down menu of effects and amp types. The features match up with players like me who do the weekend warrior thing, playing at parties and medium sized gigs. It's loud enough to handle gigs in parking lots and I mic it sometimes when needed. It does not have true spring reverb but some of the modeling reverbs are impressive. Not all the models are useable for me but there's enough different types to please anyone, IMO. The stock speaker sounds pretty decent. It's pretty light for its size at about 36 pounds. One thing I don't like is the front panel display. It has enough lights on it that you could use it as a runway marker at the local airport. To be fair, the WYSIWYG interface really does work pretty good at letting you know what your effects and tone settings are. The included midi pedal is one of the easiest and best designs I ever used. Everything you need to play live and nothing you don't need. Easy to use, set up and easy to carry.

I play mainly with a Les Paul. The band covers classic rock, surf and modern covers of 30s, 40s and 50s tunes, including bop, big band, swing, old TV themes (Peter Gunn, Route 66, Bonanza and other classic TV stuff.) It sounds wierd but people freak out at hearing something like the Bonanza theme twisted and whammied into impossibly tight sounding, high gain grooves. It's a blast to play this stuff in live settings. That's where the Transformer comes in with its array of effects like Phasor, Plangers and Rotary Speakers...not to mention the traditional Reverbs and Tremolos.
Here's my live setup: The transformer is my effects amp and I use a 65 watt Peavey Express as my clean amp. The volume settings are the same for both amps. They are fed from a BOSS ME 10 pedalboard (used for the compressor, EQ, master volume and gated reverb-no other effects.)
I play rhythm guitar mostly so I have to have a lot of amp types and effects at my fingertips to compliment the clean sounds of the Express, which is set to give a shimmering clean tone, for every song we do. The Express' tone and volume never changes except for patch changes in the ME 10 output which are Eq'd slightly different on the 5 patches I use to drive the two amps. The ME 10 is not a stereo device. It has two outputs in mono, which is what I need to make my rig work and sound the way I like it. The Transformer patches change according to the song requirements and the user mode allows for adding and taking away individual effects during a song. It's pretty easy and the two amps combined make for a really good mix with a crystal clear top end from the Express.
The midi pedal allows you to select a boost for soloing, which I do on a couple of tunes and jams.
It's very easy to create presets and there's a lot of versatility in the individual presets so that you can make several different sounding presets from the same amp models if that's your thing. Listening to recordings of our shows with headphones, I can easily hear my amps in the mix and the overall sound really does sound very different between the presets that I use on the Transformer. You'd never guess that the same amp was being used to make all the different rhythm parts. Top marks for versatility and overall quality of sound.
I don't use it to record so I don't have an opinion on that. For live shows I occasionally use a Shure SM 57 to mic (and another SM 57 for the Express) it and it comes through real good when it's mic'd.

I quit other amp companies years ago, when Peavey's teal-faced models came out. I thought the Transtube amps were a big step forward for the company and I own two of them. Very reliable and consistant sounding amps. I never had a problem with a Peavey amp.

Never used it. Never needed it.

I started out in the 70's doing covers of Deep Purple, Hendrix, the Doors, Zep, Jeff Beck. As the years rolled by I did mostly rock covers of the day. Played through Fender Twins mostly but I hated the weight, inconsistancies and cost of tube unreliability. Unlike a lot of players, I don't like tube amps because of the hassles. I think they have that certain something-tonewise-but it's not worth the downside of tube amps. Nowadays there's no reason to have to use them for shows because the newer SS amps are so good sounding. IMO the Peavey Transtube amps sound the best. The transformer is a very versatile, good sounding amp. I'm glad I bought it and I would do it again. It's as light as the Express and for my setup it's perfect.

I'm not sure when this amplifier was manufactured.
For all the styles that I play (i'm in three bands!) this little charmer makes life easy. I bought it mainly for the different amp models, although Peavey is more like SansAmp in that they give you 12 basic sounds...you EQ them into what you want. I don't use the effects other than reverb and chorus so I won't comment. Good speaker, which I have to think is a full range without much sound of its own because it has to be neutral. The headphone output is mono. Not too heavy and built solid, in the USA.

With humbuckers it is great. I don't have any single-coil guitars so no opinion. It's not noisy unless the gain is way up. Reverb sounds very good. The chorus is ok but nothing like a boss pedal. You can get almost any sound from it. Good cleans and distortions.

In the time I've had it (since 2002) there has never been any trouble.

Pretty good!

This is great. I wish I had one of these back in the late 60s when rock was experimenting with sounds. I'd be rich! Hey, this is a very good, versatile amp. Love it!

An interesting guitar amp.Pretty versatile and enough power for a small gig.The footswitch is great.Love the reverb and delay,modulation effects are ok.Got this amp for practice but it can do a lot more.Nice surprise.Wish it had an active presence control.

I am using it with a Gibson Les Paul and a Peavey Odyssey both guitars with humbuckers.I play rock and blues.You can get a good variety of tones through this thing clean and dirty.It is not noisy and can play and feel good even at low volumes thanks to the T/Dynamics control.I really like the vintage british and the modern american overdrives plus the tweed american clean tones.It's not a tube burner but if you tweak it you can get close.Not bad at all.

I've had it for about a year and it never broke down.Played with Peavey gear before and it's always been reliable.

I dealt with the company once regarding some info on my Peavey Odyssey and they were ok.Never had to repair something.

I've been playing guitar for twenty years.I use a Marshall Super Lead 100 with 4 x 12 cab, a Peavey VTM 60 with 2 x 12 cab, Peavey Transformer 112, Gibson Les Paul Standard and Peavey Odyssey.If it were stolen or lost I'd be playing sad,sad blues !!! What I really like is that I can practise at home at low volume and get a good sound and feel out of it.Keep up the good work Peavey.

Features...now there's a question. Would I say that an amp was superior because it came with a ton of digital effects with endless tweakable parameters? I think not. For me the question is simple: Does the amp in question provide the player with the tools to craft a good tone signature? Does it provide enough variety in these tone-crafting tools to be able to give the player a lot of options for good tone, depending on the style(s) he or she plays? If that's what features is about, then I have to go with a 10. This amp is very easy to use and set up for my diverse styles. It flat out does the job. I play squeaky clean, chime laden surfy, reverb stuff, 60s and 70s rock, 80s shred, 90s grunge / punk / modern and even a little White Stripes stuff. The Transformer does it all without the angst of having to endlessly scroll through menus, parameters...blah, blah, blah. Takes just minutes to set up great patches and store them. Sounds good with all my guitars. Let me put it this way...if I were going to record a CD for "XYZ record company", I might want to use a LINE 6 Vetta. As it is, I play live performances in clubs and halls. For 1/4 of the price (including a good midi controller!) I will stick to the Peavey. No one can hear the difference in a dance club...and nobody cares, either. Price / performance ratio is the best feature, by far.

Already mentioned the styles I play. Today I was rehearsing with three other guitarists. One was using a Les Paul through a nice Fender Princeton chorus, one was pushing a PRS through a Marshall combo and the third guy was playing a Nighthawk through a Peavey Transtube amp. It dawned on me that I was able to very nearly mimic each of their tone signatures with the Transformer, as I had created patches that emulate that sweet, Fender clean tone (w reverb), the famous Marshall crunch (Plexi / Greenback and JCM 800 / Vintage 30) and the Peavey Hi-Gain / Ultra tone / Sheffield 1230. Now ask yourself...just how much more do you REALLY need? I stepped on the midi-controller for some boost and phasor for soloing, then backed off for rhythm to the Marshall plexi / Greenback. Plenty of cut for solos and plenty of fat crunch for rhythm. Folks, it really doesn't get any better. You can talk yourself into a $1600 dollar amp way to easily. This amp sounds excellent for about $450. Do the math, people. Duh-NO BRAINER!

This is not my first Peavey amp. I never had any problems with any Peavey equipment I owned and cared for. Can't say the same for the Fender stuff I owned. Peavey is very reliable.

They really are the best in the business.

I still own a few old, small, tube amps and a few other solid-state amps. I own some rack gear, a lot of pedals and BBE stuff. Since I have had the Transformer 112 (for about 7 months, at the time of this review), I have become very familiar with the tone shaping functions / features / tricks and I have been able to sucessfully copy and store some of my all-time favorite amp tones in one box. (I have the PC editor software. It opens up the amp's potential and is well worth downloading-it's free)
What's It like having a lightweight, amply powered, portable, versatile amp to club with? It's like going to a gig with all my favorite amps, in one box. THAT is amazing! Of all the modelers out there, I'd rate this Peavey way up there...with the high-end VOX and LINE 6 stuff. A lot of people won't even give Peavey a second look unless it's a 5150 or the XXL, but let me tell ya...Peavey KNOWS how to do solid-state designs that bring the sound and feel of the classics to life, in their products. The "Transtube" circuit is a huge step toward the true emulation of tube tone / feel. I consider this amp to be a true sleeper in the midst of much higher priced units from other manufacturers. It's a damned shame that the amp was not marketed properly or positioned correctly during it's debut and marketing window. For those of us who now are fortunate enough to have picked one up...I doubt you'll be seeing many of us let them go. I'm keeping mine and I'd buy another one if it were lost or stolen. Are there other amps that boast better tone? Sure, but unfortunately they simply are priced so high as to make them unreachable for the average working musician, like myself who has been playing in clubs and on "B" stages for 25 years. The Transformer gives me all of these wonderful amps for $450. I figure I saved somewhere in the neighborhood of 3500 bucks, PLUS another 25 grand for a great big van to haul it around in! Fantastic value? HELL YES!!!

Made in 2000. The best features of this amp are 1. Analog amp with REAL amp sound. 2. Free footswitch. 3. Easy to set up and use. Effects are not the best but I'm comparing them to your standard digital rack processor. "Best" is subjective...for my taste, the effects are fine, since I use a little reverb and maybe an occasional delay. Players who are majorly anal about creating complex effect algorithms will be better off elsewhere. The reverb is digital, but it's very good. The variety of sounds is adequate. I use this amp for live performances. Great features

I run a variety of guitars through my Transformer. Since I prefer the sound of my Les Pauls, I have to say that the patches I set up for them sound awesome. I never try to emulate this or that kind of amp, I just set up patches to sound good and save them. For someone like me, this amp is perfect. With my Strats I have to use different amp models, but I'm able to get a very woody, strat tone going with them. It has all I need to create great sounding patches and nothing I don't need. Simple to get great sounds from this amp.

Peavey is reliable.

They are very good. I've been to the unofficial website and it is great. The software update is worth downloading and playing with.

I own a lot of gear. I started playing seriously in the mid 80s, but I started playing in the 60s. This amp is my main amp nowadays because it contains the tones of all my other amps (or nearly so) and I can step on a switch to get them all. I love this amp because it's not complicated, not too heavy to move around and it sounds so good. Yes, I'd buy it again.

I think it was manufactured in 1999. I think this amp is sort of like a 12 channel amp with lots of effects and 16 different patch locations. Anyway, you can look at the other reviews for all the features. The effects are the typical ones you'd expect, with reverb, delay/echo and modulation stuff grouped seperately. Fifty watts with T Dynamics to bring poweramp levels from 10 to 100 percent. Plenty loud for what I do. I have the newer software level and I create patches with the software and a PC. I highly recommend this. It extends the amp into a whole 'nother realm.

I use this with strats, Ibanez RG series guitars, LP and SG copies and some Turser jazzboxes. Classic Rock and hard rock is the style I mostly play. I use clean mostly but I use some distortion, too. One thing I notice about this amp is that it can be setup to keep the sound of the guitar intact or it can be setup to create a sound that makes all my guitars sound the same. This is a handy thing. Noise-wise it's not bad except at high gain levels, which is what you'd expect for any amp. I am particularly impressed with the clean tones of this amp. They are very nice and extremely adjustable for country twang to jazzy warm. Sounds good for single coil pups or humbuckers. Bear in mind that I'm reviewing this amp with the full software package in play when creating presets. This is a totally free feature (download it from Peavey's website) that adds some cool stuff to the tone and gain circuits. It's very easy to use and you can create and store presets on the amp AND in the computer. As a stand-alone I rate it as a 8-9 but in the framework of the software and a PC...I gotta give it a 10. So I'll compromise with a 9 in this category.

Had a problem with the pedal. They took care of me quick and with no charge. That's the only problem I had. It was a minor problem with the pedal cable, actually. Peavey makes reliable products. I own several and have never had any serious problem.

Perfect in all respects.

This amp is highly underrated if you ask me. I use it to gig with and as a rehearsal amp. It gets a lot of work. Great amp. I've been playing since 1983. I'd buy another one.

Made in 2000 I think. This has 12 models and cabinet switching. I never did the math but let's just say there's plenty of versatility when you switch models with cabinets. The stock speaker sounds surprisingly good. Plenty loud enough to gig with. Wish it had a stereo headphone jack (the 212 version does) but it's really not a stereo amp so maybe I'm asking for too much. The amp models are good starts. You have to take it from there to create your own sounds, which is easy to do. Excellent sounds for a SS amp. Decent effects section. Excellent midi-controller.

Teles, Strats and a few choice Gibsons. I have set up presets for the different types of guitars I use but it's very easy to do that with this amp. To be honest, I don't do a lot of switching between presets during a song. I use the boost for solos but that's about it.
As far as sounding like the amps that are modeled, who cares? I can make the amp sound like just about any other amp I want by fiddling around with it and storing the newly created "amp." That's the beauty of this. It can be set up to do anything.
By far, my favorite feature is how it lets the true sound of my guitars come through. I don't use a lot of distortion or effects and the versatility of the clean to just slightly overdriven amp types suits my styles perfectly. If I want a little chorus or tremolo, I can set them up in the EFX mode and step on a switch. Easy. Mind you, for the shredders there's a lot of hardcore sounds available too.
I play classic blues, rock and surf. My styles call for clarity and a lot of chord & note definition. The Transformer allows me to step on a footswitch and reliably cop an amp that perfectly suits my guitar's sound. That's what I was looking for when I started hunting for a modeling amp. The Peavey Transformer is the only amp out there that stays true to the guitar, which is why I chose Peavey.
Like most amps, the Transformer sounds best at higher volumes.

So far so good.

Here is where the men are seperated from the boys. I've emailed them and called them. They have been more like friends than customer service reps.
The amp's designer has his own webpage and he answers mail personally. Impossibly good service and customer service.

I have 20+ years of playing & gigging behind me. I wish I had one of these when I started out. Would have saved me a lot of money!
I compared the line 6 and Millenium (Digitech) amps to this when I was hunting for a modeler. Of the products available in 2000, there was no comparison. Peavey was superior in sound, hands down. Now there are other modeling amps that sound like real amps, too. I lke the Behringer and Vetta modeling amps. I would buy one. As it is, the Peavey does what I need it to do, very well. I'd buy another one for the features, sound and price.
Right now I own a Laney LC 15 and a Newcomb 12 watt tube amp that I made from an old record player chassis. They are nice sounding amps but nowhere near as versatile as the Transformer.

Mine is a 2000 model, I think. Twelve starting points (amp models) from which to choose. Effects are sparse and not really outstanding at all, which is a good thing because I want to depend on the tone and power to get my thing across, not a bunch of effects. Having a bunch of cheesy effects doesn't float my boat.
This has 16 different preset locations for storing your selected sounds. I use 8 regularly and with the 2nd set of storable preset parameters, I have gain boost, reverb, modulated effects and delay settings on standby for each preset. This is all that I need to get the job done. (What's the point of having 128 choices? Nobody ever uses more than a handful, it seems to me.)
Has an effects loop, headphone jack and master volume & master power (power dynamics.) For building the right sounds, this amp has all you'll ever need.

Les Paul and Strat. I mostly use a Les Paul for gigging. In terms of settings, I like to have a blackfaced Fender Super Reverb sound, a crunchy Marshall JCM sound, a clean Peavey Classic sound and a nice VOX, class A sound. I can get them all with this amp.
As for the great tube vs SS debate, I've gotten over the tube thing. Just give me a good foundation for building my sound and I'll do the rest. Solid state amps have come a long, long way and Peavey is on the cutting edge of the SS tone thing with the Transtube stuff.
As far as the different models go, I suggest that Transformer 112 owners buy an A/B/Y box and compare the Transformer to their favorite amps in an A/B "side-by-side" test. That's what I did with a 66 Super, a Marshall JCM 900, a Peavey Classic 30 and a VOX AC30. I was pleasantly AMAZED at how close I could get to the sounds of these classic amps. Just punch the store button and you've got your favorites saved in the Transformer. With these 4 basic preset sounds I can cover all that I want to do. I have two sets of these 4 settings with the post-gain volume set being the only difference between the two sets of four.
Basically, this amp operates as if it had 16 different "channels" to choose from.
The Transformer has a bit of hiss at higher preamp gain levels. Not really a big deal. There is a built in noise gate that is very effective. There is a tiny bit of breakup at high volumes and 100% power, on the clean settings. The overdrive and distortion capabilities are pretty intense and can get brutal. Feedback is controllable from the guitar volume. The picking nuances come through on the clean to overdrive settings.
I don't use a lot of effects but the reverb and delay settings are both usable and the modulated effects are okay, too. If effects drenched presets are your thing, you can create them.
By the way, I tried out a Transformer 212 too. It has a nice stereo sound but not nice enough to offset the price / weight factors, IMHO. You can run the Transformer 112 in stereo if you want. (I use an old 30 watt Crate as my slave amp in this configuration. Sounds fine.) The bottom line with the Transformer 112 is that it is versatile, compact, lightweight and sounds like a lot of great amps.

Bank One, Patch #4 drops the pre-gain parameter regularly on some models stored there. I just don't store those models there. That's the only glitch. The pot shafts are plastic. Gotta be careful with her.

Great web page. The designers have a web page, too. Cool. Software is available (for free) to update and expand the functions. Never had it in the shop.

Overall, I like Peavey products. Like a lot of people, I thought Peavey was a low-budget, junk-amp manufacturer for a long time. I never bothered to even try them out. When I did, I was surprised at the way they sounded. I bought my first Peavey amp two years ago, mainly because the Transtube thing sounded excellent. Now I own three of thier amps; two SS and one tube amp. I like the way they voice their amps and I like the different approach to things that Peavey takes. The Transformer is different than most of the modelers out there in that it gives the user a bunch of possibilities instead of trying to nail perfect renditions of classic amps. That's more in line with my way of doing things. I would buy another one of these, over the competition.

I reviewed this amp last year. Now, I have some playing time under my belt with it so...Here we go, again.
Twelve amp models?the usual stuff?Peavey gives you what you need to emulate amps and cabinets, allowing you to mix and match them. As "raw" canvasses on which to paint your own, personal amp "pictures" I have to say the amp models and cabinet type renditions are pretty good. Sixteen presets (32 if you count the second set of preamp, tone and effects settings that the footswitch allows you to set up) to create and choose from) PLUS the 16 factory settings. MIDI controller included. Lightweight cabinet. Plenty of power?loud enough for stand-alone use. It mics up very well, too

Let?s start at the preamp, which has high and low input impedance jacks. I use the low input with humbucking pickups. As for the gain pot (good old Peavey pre-gain), it serves up the same gain structure as the amp type being modeled. Fine job of it, too. (Using the "TWEED" amp model for example, I was able to put together 4 distinct clean textures, each of which was a winner. Same goes for the other 11 amp model types. Get it?) Suffice it to say that the versatility of the models & cabinets makes for a wide range of possible tone palettes to choose from. (Can you say virtually endless??!)
It?s also very easy-surprisingly easy-to get this thing up-and-running from the get-go... you?ll be building favorites in no time. More importantly, you?ll be SAVING and KEEPING them because this machine has a real analog preamplifier to play with, which makes your presets breathe and flex with your pick attack and your guitar?s volume & tone pot settings. This is a feature that is worth the price of admission: it?s a real preamp instead of a virtual electron generator, like TRON. Post gain is the channel volume and sets the preset level.
The passive tone controls available on most of the amp models mimic the actual tone stacks of the amp types offered?a nice touch that saves editing time and gives the user yet another "quick & easy" tone shaping tool. Straight to the point, without the need for a doctorate and a 50 page tutorial. The active tone stacks on some models are EXTREMELY sensitive. Trust me, you can make the darkest, wide-bodied jazzbox sound like a Telecaster if that?s what you want, with the active controls. Otherwise (when used tastefully, NOT in the extreme) the tone controls allow for the wood & electronics of the guitar to show their personalities. This feature ALONE is worth the price of admission.

Okay?on to the effects section. If you?re one for having a million parameters, each with a million adjustable sub parameters? then what you really want is a computer hooked up to a speaker. (The Peavey Transformer is NOT for you guys. You guys want the NASA, white lab coat models.)
The effects section on the Transformer gives you only what you need to color the tone, nicely?they are not overpowering and certainly NOT NASA approved. I don?t use them very much, except for reverb and delay?and only sparingly in my presets. The modulation stuff is adequate, even fun to mess with, but this is an amp that is pretty much a performance player?s amp as opposed to a NASA approved mainframe computer with a connected speaker. I?d rather PLAY MY GUITAR than program a computer.

Onto the power amp section. This is where Peavey shines. I don?t know how they get so much power from such a nice, compact machine but they do it, real well. Master volume is the way to go with this class of amp as it allows you to dime the power section and use the T-Dynamics to influence compression, top end presence and overall power level. It?s good for sculpting the SPL to the venue, if you know what I mean. Transtube, T-dynamics power attenuation is a very happening thing for moving from stage volume to bedroom volume, too. I can cop harmonic feedback at levels you can?t even hear in the very next

Blah, blah?double blah. Tone is in the ear of the beholder, so this is MY opinion. I?ve played a long time and I know what I like. Once again let me say that this is a performance player?s amp. Sure, I play it in my living room, too?but I bought this to gig with, pure and simple. No more pedals and processors to lug around.
As a performance machine it is everything I ever dreamed of wanting in a portable package. I love ALL the sounds I have created and I use them all. For surf music-clean with reverb-it is perfect. For bluesy rhythm and solo work with subtle, muted delays it smokes. For the BIG AMP (can you say Mr. Marshall?) sounds of the usual suspects?no problem. Whacko-Recto, dropped D or C or B(?) "wall-of-death-dry-tone" sounds?yep?rrr! Good enough renditions to do it all with conviction.
So what else is there? Can you do Jimi?s rotovibe stuff? yeah? it?s in there somewhere. Nobody will mistake you for JIMI (he?s dead, God rest his soul) but you?ll get the song across to the listeners. That's what you want to do if you're a guitar player in a band, folks.
Is it what you want when you go into the big rockstar studio to record for "XYZ records?" Nope. Get a lab coat or a boutique amp for that stuff. For a performance player?it rocks, big-time. Ten ring!!!

Peavey makes things that just never die. Their gear rarely breaks. I?m too old to gig w/o a backup (seen too many tragedies, broken gear-wise), but I trust this amp. So far so good. Never had a Peavey break on me but I did have to re-solder a BRAVO PC board, once upon a time. Pretty reliable stuff, overall

Customer support is excellent. You can go to different websites and download a PC editor stuff to store presets or download them from other sites. Peavey has a Forum and I think YAHOO has a users group. If you call these people, they?ll treat you as if you are family. Gotta go 10 here.

Okay?so that?s it for my (second review) humble impression the Transformer 112. I?d buy it again?no question. It has WAAAAY surpassed my expectations for this class of amp. I own a Peavey Revolution, too. The transformer is in the same class as the Revolution, which is to say that they are both excellent sounding, above-average-feature laden, "choice" amps in their classes, for performing guitarists. I have played a lot of modelers and I have to say that I made the right choice to buy this one. I know it sounds mean but I have to admit that I still get a chuckle out of watching the "NASA guys" lug all the huge MIDI-pedalboards and ten-ton, stereo modeling amps to shows. (Some of those $300 dollar "extra-cost" midi-pedals have larger stage footprints than the amps they "control"?Yikes!) Not for me. To add insult to injury?those high priced ($1300-$1800 with pedalboard) NASA jobs sell for 3-4 hundred on ebay nowadays. That?s a load of dough for that new-car-smell?know what I mean?
For the long-haul Peavey Transformer is the way to go. Small, lightweight and self contained (there?s even a Velcro tie-down for the PFC-4 controller in the bottom of the amp?s cabinet. Can you say, "thoughtful?") It?s a beautiful thing, sports fans. As a performance player?s tool, it is unbeatable for its price / features ratio.
Sincere apologies to you Johnson Millenium owners...say hello to your chiropractors for me! See you at the Kennedy Space Center. Aloha!

Versatility, decent tone, flexibility, adequate power. The guy who reviewed this amp before me said the Transformer got built on the back of the Transfex Pro. In a way it's true. I own a Transfex pro 2 X 12 amp. It IS unbelievable. In terms of its sophistication it blows away every amp I ever owned. But I still bought the Transformer to use for gigging because:
1.) It is very easy to carry (36 pounds?)
2.) It is very easy to set up (5 minutes.)
3.) It sounds great, with plenty of power.

"SOUNDS" is a very subjective category but I'll give it a whack!
I have experimented with the amp a lot. I have it set up to give me the sounds I use for a wide variety of different styles. It's very versatile for this. Somebody said it's more like a "SansAmp" than a true modeler. I think that's one of the best features, actually. I don't give a shit if it nails a 1964 Blackface Fender Twin with JBLs at Carnegie Hall (Fender chassis serial number OICU812. GIVE ME A F'KING BREAK!!!) All anybody cares about is if an amp can cop good tone or not. Perfectly modeling all the different amps is a load. Everyone is going to dial in the sounds they like, anyway. Why else would amp makers give you the option of tweaking presets? So just give me a lot of different choices and I'll set it up myself. That's what makes this amp easy to use. It's very easy to get a good sound (actually, LOTS of good sounds) from this amp. Brutal distortions? Hell yes...what modern, full-featured amp doesn't do that, these days? This is a little chunk of dynamite...it sounds great for everything without all the bullshit that comes with the high price tag.

No worries. Peavey is rugged.

Excellent.

Read on. The other reviews sum things up. I agree with mostly everything that has been said. It is a great buy compared with the other amps in this category. For one thing, the Transformer (and the mighty Transfex Pro) has an all analog preamp and poweramp. That alone is a good reason to choose it. It comes with a midi pedal and it's lightweight, too.
Gripes? The one thing I don't like is the lights on the control panel. I think they are embarassing on a dark stage. Makes me feel like I'm on the bridge of the f'king Enterprise...Beam my sorry ass up, Scotty!"
Overall, I'd choose it again...it rocks.

Sixteen user & 16 factory presets. Midi controller, made of steel. 12 amp models, lots of cabs to choose from (you can mix and match them too) and a master volume. Built in tuner. Nice features in a 40 pound package pushing a twelve-inch Blue Marvel speaker. Headphone is not stereo. Very flexible and a loud 50 watts. Transtube amp, which means it sounds kind of tubey, which it does.

I have a lot of different guitars. What I like most about this amp is that the character of all my guitars stays consistent, no matter what model that I'm using. This is the main reason that I bought this amp. Have you ever played through a Line 6 or a Johnson Millenium of the Fender modeling amps? Sure, they sound cool when you're at the store, changing presets and messing with them. I was impressed with all of these different amps until the same realization came through all of them...NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE PLAYING GUITAR-WISE-IT SOUNDS THE SAME. I started to hate that flat, lifeless digital tone. You can't EQ it away or shine it up with all the effects chains. There is no tone in these amps. You get the same flavor, no matter what you choose. It takes a while to figure out what's "not quite right" with the amp modelers, but I think I figured it out. They have no souls.
Enter the Peavey boys with this new idea (stolen from the unbelievable TRANSFEX PRO?) about shoehorning a nice digital control engine under the hood of a transtube (aka ANALOG) amp and tossing in some effects along with midi control. Dud it actually sounds like a REAL FUCKING AMP! A star is born. It isn't the holy grail of tone as some have mentioned...but it's pretty easy to dial up a whole shitload (16, as a matter of fact) of cool sounding amps, all in one box. The coolest part is that each of them behaves like a real amp, not some cheese factory fartbox digital shitbox like the also-rans. I've had this box in my house and on the road for a couple of years and I'm keeping it. To be fair ro the other guys out there...VOX makes a decent amp...but it tries to be a Peavey Transformer (same idea...analog amp w/digital controls) and it doesn't quite make it. Peavey rules the modelers, period.

10! reliable...unlike most of the others...

Free soft ware, official and unofficial websites, user groups, forum, monitor magazine, 1-800-we-always-answer-your-calls-and-your-email. 'nuff said.

Worth every fucking penny. I love it. Go get one.

35 stereo watts, 200 tube watts. has flanger, phaser, chorus, rotary speaker, octaver, funk wah, tremolo, reverb, and a nice echo-it has two seperate channels, clean and distorted, accessable through a foot switch and a button on the amp. under each channel there are different channels for different types of music. it has one 12 inch speaker (transtube 112) and can defanately get pretty loud-

i am playing a dean playmate evo p-and i havent replaced the pickups, because i just don't have the money-so im playing everything standard. the distortoin is very nice-best i can describe it is hard, and not too "screeny". the clean channel is pretty nice, but has an odd ring to it-but not too noticeable.
for me the amp is great-has everything i would want right now (i have only been playing for a little mor than 3 years)-and saves me money on buying a b unch of pedals-the only thing i have is a Dunlop Crybaby wah-
and i have read alot of comments about this amps sucky effects, such as the flanger, phaser, etc...-but you cannot expect to have a good quality effect when it's biult into an amp-and if you don't like the effects it has-buy some if thats more your style-and you should know anyway-who makes a buy without first trying it out? so i don't think anyone should complain about them-

i have never had any problems with it. i trust peavey equipment-and it's been serving me good for about a year now

never had to deal with them

i have been playing for a little more than 3 years. i play a Dean Playmate Evo P, and i still own my first guitar, a Squier strat, and an Ephiphone electric/accoustic.
for effects i have a boss DS1-which i don't use anymore-and a Dunlop Original Crybaby wah.
if this amp were stolen i would probably replace it with another.
i like the fact that it's relatively small and light-weight, so i can take it places, like practices and small shows...
i also like the footswitch alot, has alot of variety of controls for a footswitch. i do wish it had some volume control though, like in pedal form.

Summary from Peavey Web Site: 50 Watts, One 12 inch speaker, TransTube technology, 24-bit A/D/A conversion/24-bit DSP processing, 12 amplifier models, WYSIWYG interface, 32 presets (16 user/16 factory), simultaneous reverb, delay and modulation (chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, rotary speaker).
PCF4 channel footswitch (Included),Bank/Preset selection, EFX mode provides Boost, Modulation, Delay, Reverb and Delay Tap Tempo switching, flexible Boost function toggles any combination of pre gain, post gain and 3-band EQ, effect setting toggle for all 3 effects - not just on/off, LED's show bank/preset/effects info in all modes (except tuner), access to tuner, and strobe display (along with main display on the amp), Single cable (included) provides communication and phantom power.
Software to edit and transfer patches.

I have had this amp over a year. I would not say this amp is the "holy grail" of tone, but it is very versitle. With 12 amp models including British, American, Peavey, I am able to dial up a variety of clean or distortion sounds. The crunch-distortion tones are thick and fat, especially for a transitor amp. It also includes speaker cabinet models, 4x12, 1x12, 2x10, etc., extending the tonal capability. The effects are great: reverb, chorus, phaser, flanger, tremelo, rotary speaker, and delay. The delay has a tap tempo on both the footswitch and amp. It's nice to have the footswitch included (instead of paying an arm and a leg for one that's not worth the price, like the over priced Line6 floor board @ $300).
Peavey also has software to edit upload and download patches. It's easy to use to save patches from you amp to the computer, tweek existing patches, or download patches off the internet and load them into the amp. The software adjusts in real time, so with my guitar plugged in, if I make an adjustment with the software, it updates the sound from the amp immediately. Sweet.
It includes a built in adjustable noise gate, making the Transformer very quiet, which is perfect for playing in church. But it is also a loud 50 watts. I never turn it past 2 or 3.
I tested several distortion effects pedals through the Transfer to see if I could find something better. Although the pedals I tested were all good, none of them were better sounding enough to justify buying them. With all the amp models and effects, the transformer can stand alone without additional pedals (except maybe wah-wah). I can setup in a few minutes. I take my amp on stage, put it on the stand, plug it in, mic it, and I'm ready to rock!
The WYSIWYG interface is a nice feature. That is when you swith patches the LED display shows exactly what the all the settings are (unlike other effects that just display a patch number and you don't have a clue what any of the settings are for that patch).
The Peavey Transformer is a versitle amp if you need want an all in one combo, need a variety of styles and simplicity.

So far so good. It appears to be a solid amp. No problems in over a year.

The folks at Peavey, especially the guy who designed the amp, are very friendly. The guy who designed the amp even has a non-official Transformer 112 web site with some helpful information. I have not needed any repairs so I cannot comment on that. Peavey also has an amp forum on the www.peavey.com site. I posted several questions there and always got an answer.

I mostly play a Brian Moore i88.13 with Seymour Duncan JB in bridge. I also have a strat, Aria Les Paul, 7 string, Steinberger GT-Pro. I play a variety of styles, jazz, rock, pop, etc., but mostly I play in a contemporary praise band. I've been playing about 25 years.
I chose this amp because of it's simplicity, versitility, and not having to pay extra for a foot switch(seriously). In fact, after I heard my local dealer tell me about it after coming back from NAMM, I waiting to buy an amp untill I could test this one.
My wish list would be to include a compressor.
If it were lost or stolen, I may consider getting another Transformer 1x12 or Transformer 2x12. The 2x12 sounds great as well.
I'm giving an overall rating of 10 because as far as combos go in this size and price range, it's a great amp.

This is the most versatile and best sounding amp I have ever owned. A digital modelling amp complete with foot switch, 16 factory presets & 16 user presets. Attach a MIDI cable and use your computer to change settings or download patches over the internet. 50 watts of Transtube power means that tube sound with solid-state reliability.

Used with a Gordon Smith with humbuckers, Fender Strat with single coils and an Ovation acoustic, all sound great. Clean sounds remain clean & there is as much distortion available as anyone could handle when required. Totally hiss free at high volumes too.

This is the 3rd Peavey I have owned, the only one which ever gave me any trouble was fitted with tubes, as this is solid-state, I'm not expecting any problems.

Only had trouble with tubed amp before, but Peavey were more than helpful. Good website for downloading manuals, software etc.

I've been playing longer than I care to mention, I would buy this amp again, in fact I'm thinking of buying another for true stereo sound. I compared all the digital modelling amps before I bought the Peavey, none could match the sound quality for such a reasonable price, plus the footswitch is included, unlike the rest.

I bought this amp in 2000/2001 so I have used it for a good while. I use this amp about 40% of the time for rehearsals, practice and performance. The effects are as those listed before. The versatility and feel of this amp are unique and extremely usefull. I am a tap dancer when it comes to effects boxes because I want to go for the most accurate sound possible. This amp makes switching a breeze (big plus and one of the reasons I purchased it). I also own among, other amps, a Marshall JCM 900 and various high end foot pedals (strictly analog). This Transformer is about 80-90% there for sound but 10 times more flexible not to mention lighter!! The Marshall wins hands down for tone, volume and dynamics but it's also more tempermental and cost much, much more dinero. I agree with the reviewer before me. Basically, this amp still can't beat tube tone and intangibles but these guys at peavey are getting close enough to leave me satisfied for the money (I am quite picky about tone). Bottom line: if your a decent guitar player who plays with emotion this amp will get your attitude and personality across no problem (this is how I judge any piece of musical equipment-can it inspire me-it does). The tuner does have chromatic mode (some readers complained about only having E and E flat settings) but I admit it is a little tricky to get used to using, especially live and with a bunch of individually tuned guitars. The Tformer software package is a big plus (downloadable from the internet) and definetly helped me get more useable and realistic sound from the amp. Kudos to Peavey for this. The software opens up new parameters (especially E.Q based) to assist you in making the amp more dynamic and flexible. Pretty cool. The software doesn't take long to download. I hope Peavey continues to update the packages. Now for a little critical feedback. The Power Dynamics section is pretty neat and adds some edge to the sound but I am not sure that it really cuts the power all that much. For, example I want to be able to cut the amp power to 5 watts or so (all the way down) but I still can't turn the amp master volume past 1-2 in my apartment or I may get evicted. Maybe I just need to mess with it some more or maybe it is only more prominent at higher volumes. The lack of line out also bugs me because it would be cool to be able to drive some 2x12's or even a 4x12 (I don't know if this can be done or not - has anyone tried this out there?) I haven't taken the time to do this but I am curious. Next time install a stereo headphone jack. Next, the cabinet could come with a little better construction, for example, some thicker wood and for cripes sake dull or cap the speaker and cab screws (do not reach into the guts of this amp haphazardly or you may get gouged!) Finally, the midi cable that powers and connects the footswitch should be a tad bit more heavy duty. It looks like it is not easy to replace and I messed it up at the usual stress area near the terminal jack within weeks of purchasing it.

As stated before this amp's strength is in it's tonal flexibility and ease of use. The cleans are very good (as expected - solid-state). The distortions are good and useable (can sound tubey but require a lot of tweaking, don't be afraid to max or completely turn off the respective E.Q. knobs, and I also agree with other reviewers - use the low gain input for humbuckers it makes things much quieter and even). The amp is weakest doing the crunch thing. Not to say that it is bad by any means (just a personal taste), for example rolling back the volume knob on a good tube amp can clean the sound up considerably without killing or weakening the tone and volume too much. There are some Transformer modles that can do this (especially the British Vintage model and American Tweed model) just not nearly as well. I am getting pretty picky now. When you really crank it up or are in a live band situation the amp doesn't cut through as easily as a good tube amp either. Having said that, if you can get a hold of the downloadable software package you will definetly be heard. No problem. For what it does at this price impressive.

I own the Peavey Wolfgang Special guitar. No problems whatsoever and I see more old Peavey amps still alive and kickin that it isn't even funny anymore. From what I've heard about Peaveys reputation I am not too worried.

Have not dealt with yet but since this amp has a five year warranty I will test out the service with the bum midi cable aforementioned above and update review.

I have played on and off for 14 years and I am a self proclaimed tone freak. This amp is best used in the hands of someone who knows what kind of sound he or she wants (tweaking the settings is where it is at). Overall, I give this amp an 8. I could live without it but would probably replace if stolen. Fix the things mentioned above and I would give it a 9. Make it sound just like my Marshalls and Fenders and I will gladly award a 10 (ha ha!! I wonder how much longer the wait?). Peavey, getting closer but still not there. Guitarist, especially this one, will always be on that fabled quest for "the sound". What matters is that the audience is not as neurotic about "the tone" as we are and they seem satisfied with the sound. That is what justifies my overall rating.

This is a 2002 model. Comes with a compact, user-friendly pedalboard/controller. Average, 12" Blue Marvel loudspeaker. Cabinet is of average quality. Front panel/controls are well marked and slanted at a 45 degree angle for quick/easy viewing. Has an effects loop and a headphones out jack. Twelve amp types to choose from.

The amp has built-in effects. Effects are: modulated effects group, reverb and delay, in three seperate, adjustable and selectable groups. Sixteen factory /sixteen user presets, storeable in the unit's memory. MIDI capable and user updateable from the internet. All the features that serious players will ever need.

Wieghs 40 pounds. Compact unit. Enough features to deliver every sound imagineable, in my opinion. Extremely versatile amp.

I play a 1970's Les Paul Custom and an old-style Ibanez Artstar as my main guitars. I also have an Epiphone Sheraton and an Epiphone SG 400. All have medium output pickups except the SG, which has slightly hotter pickups than your standard PAF types.

I play light jazz (clean, warm clean, slightly overdriven clean), blues (gritty clean to distorted), retro-rock (surf, 60's covers, clean), classic rock (70's style/AC/DC distortion, overdriven, clean, funk), hard rock (Van Halen, 80's "big" sound, neo-classical metal/ speedmetal/shred, new wave, punk), modern (ska, grunge, rap, hip hop, nu-metal) and contemporary Christian, which covers a lot of different styles all by itself! I'm able to cover all the above styles with just this single amp. Outstanding.

I like to play a lot more than I like to fiddle with equipment. I don't like rack gear for the most part, or those "all in one" footpedal boxes. (I did buy this kind of gear because it is necessary for copping the sounds of other artists; e.g. necessary for cover band projects.)

Personally, I like the straight ahead sound of the amp with a little bit of delay or a little bit of chorus and reverb, occasionally. I bought this amp specifically because it is easy to use and it is easy to get the tone and sound that I'm looking for, plus it is compact and easy to move around. I have owned lots of amps over my 30 year playing career and frankly, this is the amp I've always hoped would surface, as it's perfect for a variety of sounds without having to carry outboard gear.

Without getting too deep on the sounds this thing is capable of getting, let me say that I can get everything I need from it. From sparkling clean to heavily distorted, the Transformer does it all. The effects are not stellar but they are adequate. The amp types are the best features of this amp as far as I'm concerned. They are real sounding and have a real feel to them. Effects are not why I bought it, they are just an additional feature to me and I use them only sparingly.

The amp sounds so good by itself that the modulation effects are completely unnecessary. I do use reverb and delay and occasionally some chorus, but that's it nowadays. If I ever go back to the "cover band" thing, I'm sure the Transformer will handle it with ease.

Variety seems endless. I have created my eight basic sound presets and I have only "played around" with it for a few hours, once I developed my patches. The boost function is great for live performance soloing. The T-dynamics is another great feature, allowing me to get my sound at lower volumes.

Overall, this amp can duplicate a huge variety of excellent sounds. I believe that it would take years to fully explore it's full capabilities.

Never had any trouble with Peavey products. They deliver exactly what they advertise.

Excellent.

I've played guitars for 30+ years. I've never become too attached to amplifiers. You couldn't classify me as a "loyal" fan of any particular amp. I played through tube amps for most of my career because that's what was available when I first began my career. I played them into the 90's, as a matter of fact. The "tube amp tone" phenomenon is very overblown, in my opinion. (I do believe there is a difference, especially in Class A tone, but I moved into solid state amps in the 90s for the ease of use and reliability factors. I am pretty much in agreement that the tone differences in modern SS amps are not worth debating anymore.) I still have one tube amp, but I'll probably put it up on ebay this year because I really never use it anymore. I own 4 solid state amps, including a Peavey Revolution (great 3-channel amp) that I used for the past several years as my main amp, in all venues. My other solid state amps are practice amps.

I own a Roland/Boss SE 70 rack processor and a Roland/Boss ME 10 Foot pedal processor, both of which I bought new, way back when these devices were just beginning to surface. I still use them with the Revolution and I still like the way they sound. I think Roland is the best sounding effects gear and I have not found any other manufacturer that equals them in the price range that I can afford.

Compared to it's competition, it is a "10." As a stand-alone review, I'd also rate it as a "10." It's a fantastic value, like owning several different amps for the price of single amp. I highly recommend this product to all players.

If you have already checked into all the modeling amps available today and find yourself feeling a little "sterilized" with the sonic texture of "all-digital amplification" then you owe yourself the chance to demo one of these. Mine is new in 2002. For starters, even though it's got plenty of digital effects and digital computer control, the signal path starts off with a pure analog, transtube pre-amp with REAL gain and REAL volume controls. The digital controller actually changes the gain structure and the tone controls INTO the amp you are modeling, instead of merely "modeling" it. You still have complete control over the tone. More importantly, you have control over the analog gain structure. It's not like digital modeling in the sense that you don't just get "more or less" of the exact same, one-dimensional-digi-sound being modeled, but you actually have REAL control over the gain, contour and texture of the tone for each and every amp being modeled. Very cool. (Every modeler should have this feature.) It widens the tone possibilities by a whole order of magnitude, for every amp model in the Transformer's 16 amp types. Speaking of types, twelve are available to cover everything you will ever need in terms of amp types. All are tweakable. (None are labeled by name of course, but we all know which makes/models that Tweed, Clean, Crunch and Hi Gain are meant to represent.) Will the Transformer sound exactly like a full-on Recto driving 2 Quad bottoms? C'mon, get real. No amp sounds just like another. Try and A/B two JCM 900 amps. They will sound different because they ARE different, even if they came off the same assembly line. Get over the "...it don't sound like a Marshall..." attitude and appreciate this amp for what it is, not for what it never claims to be, which is all the "fantasy" amps that don?t really exist, anyway. For what it does, this amp really shines.
Want more features? How about a really unique, cool control panel? The rotary knobs are real different. No 1-to-10 indicators but instead, they have little recessed LEDs to mark levels. Good for dark stages. The digital effects include a modulation group with the usual offerrings. There is a seperate delay module and a seperate reverb module. The Master section includes a master volume and Peavey's Power Dynamics circuit, which adjusts the power level of the output section. By the way, the power section is a Transtube power amp, developing 50 watts and it's downwardly adjustable-to output hi-gain sound at just 5 watts (at 5 watts, the amp is surprisingly loud, by the way.) A great feature. Effects loop and MONO headphone out.

Downside? How about no line out, either compensated (amp simulator) or not. Tuner is pretty lame in both function and form. Cabinet is not as nice as the series it replaces (the older, black and silver, first generation of Transtube amps.)

Les Paul, stock pickups. Be sure and use the low gain input with humbuckers, as it will give you much better performance. I assume the high gain input will work fine with single coils, but I haven't tried it out. I haven't had this long enough to explore it fully but I CAN say that I like all the models that are emulated in this box. Some of the presets are good enough to use "as-is."

I do a lot of clean playing. The American clean/tweed, the Peavey Classic clean and the British vintage/clean offer a stunning variety of tones for jazz, early rock, Beatles-like tones, surfing-verb, and blues. To my ears they all sound respectable and I use them all.

For my heavier rock work, there are also a wide variety of tones to choose from in high-gain and crunch modes. These patches have varying degrees of compression and gain, similar to what you would expect from the amp types that are being modeled, which makes it easy to select a foundational tone/texture to build upon. You can't get the singing, compressed "holy-grail" power amp distortion of a saturated tube/output trannie, but even with an expensive tube amp...this is an elusive thing. So...get over it. There are enough good tones in this box that you won't be disappointed. (If you have to have the "holy-grail", go elsewhere, friends. I don't mean any disrespect to taste or to the engineers at Peavey. Nothing sings like a good, EXPENSIVE tube amp. That's where the "holy-grail" lives.)

Clean is clean, distorted is over-the-top and the in-betweens are adequate. It's pretty quiet, even in the high-gain modes. The modulated effects are straight-ahead meat and potatoes... nothing fancy but adequate. Reverb is okay. Delay is pretty good. If you're going to demo this amp, play the amp types with just a touch of reverb and/or a touch of delay. The character of this box is in the amp models...NOT the effects. That's what sets this box apart from the other modelers, in my opinion. This thing sounds pretty convincing, without additional effects. Good gain structures and good EQ functionality for each of the models.

The downside: For the money and owing to the fact that this is one of the premier Peavey products, you would think the boys at Meridian would put a Sheffield 1230 in this pup. The Blue Marvel does the job but a Sheffield would make it all that much nicer. As mentioned, the effects are not the greatest (they're not the worst, either.) The MONO headphone output is pretty lame, considering that the amp outputs in stereo to an effects processor (stereo effects send) or to an outboard mixer, etc.

I've owned plenty of Peavey gear over the years. NONE of it ever broke down, ever.

This amp has a 5-year warranty. I can have it fixed at the factory or at the dealer...my choice. Peavey has the best customer service in the music business. Period!

Ive played professionally for two decades and I've played for over 30 years in total. I've been around and I know a little something about equipment, playing styles and tone. I like this amp because it's light (39 pounds), it delivers a wide range of tones and vibes and it is easy to operate and control in live situations. It comes with everything you need for playing whatever style you play. I would replace it if stolen. I like this amp a lot. I resisted the modeling amps up until now, both for economics (hard to justify 12-15 hundred on an amp) and because they were so one-dimensional, not to mention unreliable. Peavey has changed my mind about this class of amp.

Everyone has covered the feature set for this amp fairly well. For anything from country to blues to metal, I can find a sound which works. I give this amp an 8 in the features catagory only because I doubt that ANY one amp can possess ALL of the features someone prefers.

83 Gibson V is my main guitar, though I have played through this amp with a variety of guitars. This amp is fairly quiet, though I do get some chassis rattle at high volumes. As for sounds available, I can normally get something close to whatever I am looking for. My only complaint, is that many of the sounds are very two dimensional. I realize that much of this is due to the single 12" speaker, and since I use this for a practice amp only, I can overlook it.

I have had many Peavey products and never had a major problem with any of them.

My local Peavey dealer did not impress me with thier knowledge nor thier willingness to help, though the Peavey customer service line and on-line service department was very good.

I bought this amp because lugging 4x12 cabs around gets old QUICK. I wanted a practice amp that was loud enough for full band practice, yet had enough features so I did not have to have a truckload of stomp boxes and patch cables to get a decent sound. If you are buying this, or any modeling amp with the expectation that it will sound like a tube amp, don't waste your time. Tube amps have a three dimensional sound to them and a dynamic about them that I have yet to hear "emulated". That being said, for someone wanting a great little amp which will fit 80% of the sounds you want, with 80% accuracy, this is the one for you. If you are looking for a combo to gig with, I would definitely get the 212.

I'm reviewing 2001 and 2002 models with the PFC 4 controller. It's a modeling amp with features associated with this class of amps. It has a few "hidden" attributes that Peavey makes evident on the literature / promo stuff and in the manual, which is very well written. Peavey Transformer amps are easy to use and can be adjusted on the fly. The front panel is unique-it has red LEDs for knob indicators instead of the more traditional number system. If you've ever demo'd a FENDER CYBER-TWIN, you will note that Fender uses servos to move the knobs themselves, as you move from model to model. Peavey moves the positions of the LEDs. Very creative and they show up well on a dark stage, which is an unexpected bonus! At 50 watts, the amp has plenty of power. The 12" Blue Marvel speaker is adequate for the task. There is an effects loop (why?) and a headphole jack. The Modulation section has chorus, flange, phasor, trem and rotory speaker. There is a seperate delay section, too. The reverb slaves to the selected amp model, but can be adjusted to taste. The EQ is the same setup...it "becomes" the selected amp's EQ section so it adjusts and sounds like the selected amps's EQ...either active or passive. The tone circuits and cap / pot relationships are modeled for the user. Cool. There are 12 amps being modeled here...American, British, Classic and PEAVEY's 5150 / ULTRA amps with a mid shift to differentiate the two and active EQ on both. (The PEAVEY HIGH GAIN mode is waaaaaay SMOKIN' folks! It's my favorite, with no tweaking required.)
The PFC 4 foot controller (included) opens up a lot of this amp's versatility. Without going into too much detail, this foot switch enables a lot of very cool options including toggling between 2 sets of parameters, gain boosting, and selecting. There is a global (master) volume switch and the very cool TRANSTUBE power dynamics adjustment that enables the amp to output 10-100 percent of it's rated power, according to the user's wishes. There's MIDI too. The amp is internet ready, but the suite is unfinished as of today. In the future, software updates will come down the WEB. Very cool, very happening. In terms of adjustability...this amp can achieve just about any sound you might be looking for in a single 12 combo. It is light enough to move around easily and compact enough to ride on the seat of a small car. It sounds way bigger than it looks. The RED-LINE appearance is pretty cool to look at...but it took a while to grow on me.
Feature-wise, this thing has a lot of things going for it.

Humbucking equipped Les Pauls and SGs go through this thing, using the low gain input. It rocks, fer sure! I played every selection, tweaking some to taste and saving them for my personal preferences. To make a long story short: You can get just about any sound you want from it. As far as the modeling goes, there are a lot of amps represented here, by "vibe" rather than by name. Peavey does a good job of catching the vibe of the classes of amps that are represented on the amp model selector switch. I can tweak the models (total of 12 models) to my own taste and save 'em. How cool is that? Does it perfectly capture that '58 Bassman that your dad owned? C'mon...get real! Does it do a good job of getting all the great sonic "vibes" of the classic tones we all know and love? You bet. It captures ALL the tones I want to play and a whole lot of them that I'll never ever use. The point is that no matter what style or tone you like...it's in there. This amp sounds great, surprisingly great.

Go to the dictionary and look up the word "RELIABILITY." You'll see a picture of a Peavey amp in the illustration picture. Get it?

Perfect.

Compare it to all the others out there. Only the new VETTA compares in all the categories above. The VETTA costs way more, like 3-4 times as much when you toss in the foot controller. The PEAVEY comes with a foot controller at no extra charge, too. Can you say FANTASTIC VALUE? Duh!

I felt compelled to write a review of this amp because it ended a 10 month long search. Please keep this in mind as you read this review- I am critiquing this unit on what it actually is- that being a $600 guitar amp. Period. It is not a stack of Marshalls or a 60's tube-amp combo- it is an impressive Y2K amp that is incredibly useful. As far as features go, read the other reviews, and then go check one out.

Here was my dilemma- I wanted something versatile, compact, and toneful. I checked out most of what is on the market in this price range including Vox, Rocktron, Line 6, Tech 21, Yamaha, Fender.
I found the Vox 'modelling' amp had very nice cleans and mild dirt, but the saturated lead sounds were very weak. I really liked the Replitone, but found them difficult to find. I also read horror-stories about the reliability. Once I found a used Replitone, it was broken! As far as Line 6, I just did not like the feel of how the older generation stuff responded. It is hard to define, but if I played some soulful blues-type lead, it just did not feel right. Just my opinion. I did not want to lay down $2K for the new Vetta. I really like Tech 21 products, but even thier new amp only has 3 channels, and I wanted to get away from stompboxes. I wanted something compact, so the PSA-1 rack with additional processors, amp and speakers would not do. I have never had any Yamaha equipment to judge reliability of thier product, although I did like the sound and feel of thier amps. The Cybertwin is weak.
So I plugged in the Transformer. Very quickly I noticed the smooth sustain, I loved the interface, it felt wonderful, like a real amp. I like the fact that it came with a nice footswitch and it was actually cheaper than most of the competition. I have owned Peavey in the past with no, I repeat, no problems. So I bought it. This amp shines. It has cleans that range from 'bell-like' to warm. They also warm up nicely when you crank the pre-gain. The middle-ground SRV type sounds are wonderful, very tasteful. The dirty sounds are great. I love a saturated, double-humbucker, violin-like lead sound- this amp has it. Also the high-gain sounds sound good when you turn down the gain, this is something I could not find on some of the aforementioned amps. I really enjoy this amp. Keep in mind my rating is based on this being a $600 amp.

I have owned many Peavey products in the past with no problems. Ask any gigging musician how frusrtrating it is to show up at an important gig and be let down by his equipment. This was a factor to me in buying this product.

Never had to deal with them. I call this a good thing since all thier equipmant I have owned has never let me down.

Please check this amp out. Tweak it, play with it, love it, buy it.
It is the most compact, easy-to-use, cost-effective amp on the market in this price-range. Dollar-for-dollar it is extremely impressive. Great for a first amp, or the tenth!

Greetings! I haven't bought this amp, but I plugged-in at the store and gave it a whirl. I was impressed enough to sit down, and write a long-assed review for it, so here goes:
Transtube Technology Solid-State Amplifier with "Type" modeling( similar to Sans-Amp, where they're going for a particular STYLE of amp as opposed to a SPECIFIC MODEL( Mesa Recto etc;), and digital effects with basic parameter controls. Also includes Peaveys' proprietary "Power Dynamics" control which simulates power tubes being pushed to varying degrees, GREAT for high volume "tube thump" at bedroom levels( a VERY cool feature which more amps REALLY need to investigate and incorporate IMHO). Front panel has 10 types of "Amp Models", High and Low gain inputs, E.Q. section includes pre-gain(pre-amp gain modeling), Bass-Mid-Treble, and Post Gain( for adding even more gain or balancing the tone; I just used it to experiment with and try to get the best sounding distortion from each model ).
Effects section includes a simulated reverb( couldn't really tell if they were going for spring reverb or just digital verb; kinda' weak sounding, but the effects are NOT the main draw here), then onto a Modulation section which includes Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, and Rotary Speaker. After that you've got a mono tap-tempo Delay w/ feedback & level. Last stop is the Master Volume and then the aformentioned "Power Dynamics" control.
All in all, a simple, streamlined, and easy-to-use interface that even the most inexperienced guitarist can navigate( I promise! )
Footswitch included( WHY don't all amp companies do this? I mean for Gods' sake; you spend over a grand on a TSL or Recto, THROW IN THE DAMN FOOTSWITCH! And make it the GOOD, HIGH-END MODEL! DAMNIT, some of these companies can be SO cheap!) which allows you to do all of the normal tricks associated with this kind of amp. I didn't check the back end out, but I'm going back to the store tomorrow to do an A/B comparison between this Models' 2x12, and a Peavey Tube Amp of the same configuration. I want to hear ONCE AND FOR ALL if the "Tube Argument" is still valid in this day and age. Personally, almost all of the tube amps I've ever heard or played seem to have this kind of "Scronkily" or "Boxy" kind of sound in the mids. Is this supposed to be an asset? Tubes seem to have smoother highs, but if you play grinding, screaming Rock guitar, and you want SERIOUS Oompf! and "Wuh-Wuh-Wuh-Wuh" in the Bass when you palm-mute; it's gotta' be Solid-State all the way. Trust me. I don't know if this amp has enough wattage for larger clubs( in terms of pushing enough air onstage to really feel it without depending upon your monitor-mix), but in a smaller venue, miked-up, you should be O.K. I would probably be comfortable calling this "The ultimate practice amp". Would also be great for home recording due to the "Power Dynamics" control.

I demoed' the amp using an off-the-rack Ibanez X-Series Iceman( you know; the smaller ones with the basswood bodies, and binding on the body only ) with 10-gauge strings. I used this guitar because I'm a firm believer that a great amp can help a low to mid-priced guitar achieve a gig-worthy sound. So, Imagine your nice Gibson or PRS running through this amp and getting an even BETTER sound.
Okay, here's where I get indignant; WHY do guitarists give these amps, and Trans-Tube in general, such a crappy review? THESE AMPS ARE INCREDIBLE FOR THE MONEY!!! No, they won't nail a Recto, Twin, or TSL down to the last minute detail, but they WILL give you a GREAT assortment of Tube-flavored sounds that are VERY gig / studio worthy! Guys and Gals SERIOUSLY; I've plugged into a LOT of amps lately in my quest for a new rig, and I'm here to tell you; unless you plan on spending THOUSANDS of dollars on hand-built, point-to-point wired, Boutique-quality tube amps, the DIFFRENCE between mass-produced tube-amps and high-tech, lower-priced Digital / Analog Amps and set-ups is becoming MORE MINIMAL AS TIME GOES BY. And with THIS amp, that line is becoming VERY blurred indeed! Unlike most modeling amps and pre-amps, the models in this Peavey are musical and VERY usable. Those "in-between" sounds are well-served, and the clean sounds are full, colorful, and robust. The distortion flavors vary so much, that you will most certainly find a gain and a tone that will suit you. The high-gain Peavey selections are absolutely devastating. Like most amps in general, if you're looking for the Dimebag scoop, you'll have to augment with a pedal. I suggest the DOD Death Metal.
Now; in comparing amps that seek to emulate tubes, one factor above all is truly prized and scrutinized: The Feel.
I've played alot of these types of amps, and I've yet to come across one that has captured the feel and air-punishing quality that this little 1x12 Peavey has. I can't WAIT to plug-in that 2x12 combo, and see how it fares against the real thing! A good tube amp has a three-dimensional quality that when pushed, will seem to really permeate and animate the space around it. Those who have stood in front of a Marshall or Mesa Stack, on about halfway up or more, will know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. I'd say this amp is about 93% there in terms of achieveing those qualities. Guys; the Tube vs Solid State war of the last 30 years is coming to an end. I predict that in less than 10 years from now, the gap will be closed. It will then become a matter of guitarists who've done things the same way all their life and don't want to change, versus those of the younger or more experimental set who wholeheartedly embrace the technology.
The effects, like all Peavey effects, are toneless. Just get yourself a good processor or pedals, and you're good to go.

Peavey builds their stuff like a tank. I've seen old Peavey P.A. cabs from the late 70's and early 80's still in use all over clubs throughout the country. Just make sure you replace your speakers on Peavey amps every 3 to 5 years, and you should be good to go.
I've never dealt with Peavey customer service but they're an American company, so expect better than average results and support.

Never dealt with them.

Either improve the effects section, or get rid if it all together.
Great Tube emulation and feel.
More dimensional than Roland, Line 6, Yamaha, or the others in this class that I've played.

The amp was made in 2001. It's very versatile. See features listed in other reviews.I still don't care for the tuner as it seemed a little inconsistent. I have returned to using my BOSS TU-12. I set it next to the foot switch and my volume pedal.

I play a Strat with EMG DG20's and it sounds great! I play worship in a church. Most of my playing is on the clean patches but I have been experimenting with the distortion. I didn't care for the pre-set distortions, they were too intense for my style. I am using the "crunch" mode and get more of an "overdriven" sound. I'm very happy with this.I've had the amp for 3 or 4 months now and the sound just continues to get better as I make minute adjustments on a weekly basis.

Very reliable. My first map had a problem but there havae been no problems with this amp at all.

Very helpful.

I've played for over 30 years. I would replace this amp if it were lost or stolen. For the price and with the features it has, I don't think it can be beat. Get beyond the name, "Peavey" and give it a try. Very impressive amp.

Customer Support is great, considering I run into the Peavey Rep often. Its nice to get to talk face to face with someone who practically built the amp. (He could tell me stuff the tech support line didn't know.)

I've been playing about 3 1/2 years, I've got a Genuine Fender Strat. If this amp were stolen, I would...call the police. If they couldn't recover it, I might buy a new one (if I didn't go for the cyber-twin)

The reason I bought this amp is because it is so versatile! I play worship in a church and I need a wide variety of sounds. The features have alredy been described better than I could. The only effect I think I won't use is the phaser. I was initially concerned this amp might not be loud enough or have enough power. I was wrong. It is loud!The features are what made me look at this amp. It is the most versatile amp I have ever owned and it is a blast to use!

I play a Strat-type guitar I bought used. I replaced the pickups with EMG DG20's. The guitar sounds great through this amp, particularly the clean sounds. Sparkly and shimmering which is a sound I was unable to get through my Fender Champ 25SE. This amp can make a lot of sounds, more then I will ever need or use. The trick is really having the time to experiment and find the sounds you like. I've only had the amp for three weeks so I am still working and tweaking the amp. I only find it noisy on extreme settings and I will never use them.In all fairness, this has been when I was playing in a small bedroom. On stage, in a more open space, the noise might not be as detectable. I have found overdrive sounds that I am really pleased with. I have every reason to believe my sound will improve as I continue to work with it and become more familiar with its features. As others have said, it doesn't exactly replicate the sounds of the amps it supposedly models. This wasn't my intent when I purchased it anyway. It sounds great to me and I like being able to get 2,3, or 4 cools sounds as opposed to only getting one sound. If it's a trade off between sound and versatility, it's one I'm willing to make. It sounds pretty good to me.

The first transformer I bought died after six hours of play. It was a floor demo and it just shut off. Instead of getting it repaired, I told the store I wanted a new amp. It took over a month to get a new one, but the new one seems fine. I will write a new review if I have any problems.I have an Anvil case for it so it should last forever. I would gig without a backup.

Because of the problem mentioned above, I was on the phone with a company representative. He was very helpful and friendly. He took care of me and contacted the store to ensure my new amp was ordered and I knew the status of it. Yes, an authorized service center was easy to locate. The warranty is for 5 years.

I've been playing for 30 years.If it were stolen, I would replace it . I love this amp! The only feature I'm not crazy about is the tuner. I like that it's one less pedal I have to carry around and one less battary to worry about going dead. The tuner is a strobe-type and it seems a little touchy. It might be because I use fairly light stings. Yes, I compared it with other amps. I had tried Line 6 and was unimpressed. I had every intention of buying a Yamaha DG50 but I couldn't find a single store in my area that had one in stock. In my search, one store mentioned the Transformer and said I should check it out. I will admit that I was initially turned off to the idea. (I have never been a Peavey fan.) I did my homework and read all I could find about the amp and kept hearing good things. When I finally played one, I was impressed enough to buy it. As I said, I play on a worship team. I have never had a killer rack or major pedalboard. My ideal set-up would be an amp and my guitar. This comes very close. I'm not out to impress people with my equipment and I don't want to lug around stuff I'm not going to use. I use the floorboard, (which is very cool), and a volume pedal.I am not gigging for money (anymore) and didn't have $1,500.00 to spend on am amp.
This amp is versatile, lightweight, affordable and has a ton of features that seperate it from other amps in its price range. I am very pleased.I feel it was a great value for the money I could afford to spend.

Alot read the manual though every features makes sense and are easy to excute in a live enviroment.

If you are looking for accurate reproductions of models look elsewhere. What you do get some real great sounds and effects. My favorites are tweed really good,vintage, American modern, british vintage & 5150 through a british vintage cab emulation. You can also pick what cab to use to which is a big plus. The amp has punch and had no problem micing it for gigs. Can get loud enough but I do mic it. Digital reverb is one of the best I have heard for a added built in effect. One thing the amp likes good sounding pick ups I changed my pick ups to some dimarzios what a big improvement. My vintage sounds dearmond m75t with p-90 pick ups sound excellent.

no problems

This amp has everything to do a gig no excuses with this one. Sounds have solidstate sound to them but are very good and like able.Reliable so far to make me think twice about wanting to lug my tube amp to small gigs.For rehersals jams and practice its my first choice. My first peavey and I am happy. I have been playin for a while.

50 watts, 112 Transtube Modeling amp. Loud enough for band rehearsal and small gigs. More Features than I care to list really, insted I'll ask...What's doesn't it have? On a regular basis, I use not even half the features this amp's got. The extensive footswitch (which is more complicated than most amps) is handy when trying to use all the features while playing.

The best thing about this amp is you can almost make it sound like ANYTHING. I say almost because none of the sounds are quite "there". I play a PRS CE 24 and basically I can take any sound in the world an mimic it, but never exactly get the same feel. The only decent distortion is the American Modern, and if you don't take the time to tweak each channel just perfect, it sounds like you are playing through a cardboard tube. Some of the cleans and crunch channels are alright, and the Tweed is nice and punchy. Most of the effects are great though.

I've had it for two years, and only had a few minor problems. The handle broke while i was on the road with it, but it was easily fixed. The very first preset has a bad habit of changing itself on me, it's wierd, but nothing that can't be fixed in a matter of minutes. Other than that, pretty solid amp.

Couple year warranty. Never contacted Peavey so I don't know how they are.

Overall, one of the most versatile amps I've ever played. Then again, it's a modeling amp. Plenty of power behind it. If your looking for a amp to get a wide veriety of sound, this is the amp. If your an effects freak, save yourself the money on buying stompboxes and get yourself a modeling amp. But if your looking for a good quality sound, find yourself a good tube amp.

2001 model I believe. 50 Watts power, but sounds more like 75 Watts. I have not tried to crank it that loud so see other reviews for detail. I mostly use it for recording/jamming.. Two imputs, one low and one high.. This is a digital modelling amp with 16 factory presets and 16 user banks. With 14 different amps to model it is quite versatile, and that is how my relationship towards this amp is; I use it for its versatility and not for accurate modelling of other amplifiers.
I love the interface with its infinite rotating knobs and the LED indication (looks cool in the dark) which enables for easy switching between sounds. The interface is quite intuitive; select the amplifier to model and then adjust the parameters to your liking, then store it.
"Standard" parameters are pre- (distortion) and post-gain, EQ (low, mid, high) and reverb, but what probably makes this amp so versatile is its impressive effects section. The effects section besides delay has five modulation-effects (chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo and rotary) of which you can choose one at a time.
Other than this there are "hidden" options which allow you to tweak this amp more (input gating thresshold and sensitivity f.ex.). Read Peavey's site for how to.

The accompanying foot-controller controlls the preprogrammed Boost-, Modulation-, Delay- and Reverb-settings. You can also switch banks with it as well as controll the tap tempo. It Also has a built in tuner which to me is quite useless as I tune in C where it only has settings for Eb and E.

Other features are an effects loop and a headphones jack, but what I feel it lacks is direct out which is present on the 212 edition. Why?
The effects loop is not good enough for DI because it has no speaker/cabinette simulator. The headphones jack obviously has a power stage which renders it useless for DI too. I really believe they should have bothered inserting one. Even if it would be mono.
The amplifier is also supposed to be internet ready, which most likely means that you can in the future download presets from the internet and transfer them to your Peavey Transformer.

Finally the master volume stage has a T.dynamics controll which enables you to tune down the overal power, though I usually run it at 100% as I need to feel the lows, heh.

My guitar is quite obscure it seems, Rayhorn (?) "seven", but is was modified with two Marshall humbucker pickups some 10 (I estimate) years ago. Anyway, it has a great tone. I use 11-gauge GHS Electric Boomer 52s strings.

I play something between ambient and doom metal (ambient drone doom to be more exact - http://www.mp3.com/hlidolf for more info). Basically (though I do a lot of experimenting) what that means is that I generally use distortion (I prefere the Peavey Ultra setting) and very high lows, as well as a heavy load of effects. And I must say that I love the sounds which the Peavey Transformer can produce; everything from down-to-earth stuff to far out, trippy tones of delay-heaven.. It is all there, just experiment and have fun with it. At least I am satisfied with it.
Great effects, which are tweakable.
Great distortion. Very much to my taste.. And to the people who say it is not brutal or powerfull enough, turn your volume pots up.

The amp is quiet, though there is some bottom noise, but this might be improved if you have grounded sockets (which I do not have where I "work"). And the input gating thresshold and sensitivity can be adjusted for quieting the effects from working during playing-"silence".
Just keep guitars away from monitors and high EM fields.

I have had this amplifier about a year or half now, and I have experienced no problems. Of course, I expect it to work for more years.
The amp is built with protection paddings on the corners and otherwise looks like it can take a beating. I am not sure about the knows though.

Never dealt with Peavey, never had to. Peavey have an optional extended warranty for US residents, but not for international users it seems.

I have been playing for 4-5 years and I find this amplifier to inspire me very much.. If it was somehow lost I would probably look for another Peavey Transformer, but perhaps I would have gone with a 212 instead.

The Amp is a 2001 Model. Fantastic well thought out features! I learned to play Guitar in 1950 when I was 6 years old so I have seen a lot of stuff come and go in over 50 years but have never seen or heard an Amp as good as this one. I play 1960's Ventures style a lot along with some Bo Diddley, Duane Eddy, Rolling Stones and Chuck Berry style plus a lot of my own stuff and of course, Blues and Country. This amp can handle it all! Has a lot of stuff I have never tried but it is going to be! Great sound for 50 watts! I will use it for multi track recording mostly.

G & L Custom Shop Samick Strat Copy, 1962 Fender Jaguar, Guild Starfire V. Play mostly Older classic rock and R&B and my Own Stuff. No noise problems. Sounds the Amp can make will be impossible to list if any thing, it has too many features to learn in less that a year or two of experimenting. Factory presets are about all I need, but it is fun to experiment with. I seldom use distortion.

Too soon to tell but dealer says no problems with any he has sold and will provide loaner if any problems happen. That alone is worth a lot!

Great Dealer. Very helpful. Local service if needed.

50 years plus. Several fine insturments and Computer with Cakewalk Guitar tracks pro software. Yes, I would buy another after I caught the S.O.B. that took it and Casterated him with a Chainsaw!I like the Amp as well as any gear I have ever owned. It can even mimick my beloved old Silvertone Twin Twelve 1963 Tremolo/Reverb tube amp PERFECTLY! Looked at Fender Cyber twin but this amp can do what I want at about 1/2 the cost. Several Old Farts I play music with have had nothing but praise for Peavy Products and this is my first Peavy Amp. Try it Out it is not for a beginner but if you really know music, it will blow your socks off!

This thing has a lot of great features which is why I bought it. Great sounding effects, easy to use controls, and a tuner which makes it great. It has 16 programable channels and 16 factory preset channels. Comes with it's own footswitch which allows you to do a lot without touching the amp controls.

I usually play my wolfgang guitar though it for practice. The wolfgang has different pickups than most, I have a pearly gates in the bridge and 59 in the neck so I can get a variety of tone with the guitar. If you turn the pre-gain up to 10 it will get a bit noisy but if you back it off to 9 it goes away. Clean channel sounds great, very full and punchy not thin and weak. The thing has a dozen or so amp models but most sound like crap to me. It does have a speaker cabinet simulator which does give some options and if you search for the right cabinet it doesn't sound too bad. However, most of the distorted sounds sound like every peavey solid state amp I ever owned. The amp also sounds much better if you open up the volume a bit. At lower volumes it doesn't sound very good. Great effects.

Built solid and I have always had great luck with peavey products. I have seen a peavey 212 amp fall 5 feet during a gig, pick it back up and it function just like new. No issues with this amp yet.

They have also given me great support and helped me with problems and parts. A bit slow but helpful.

I have been playing for 17 years and owned many differnet brands and types of amps. Peavey makes a good product but this amp falls short of other modeling amps. I own a Johnson Millennium and a Tech 21 trademark 10 and these amps are far superior in sound quality. I sold my Line 6 spider to buy this because that had no balls. Sounded great but no balls. I bought this for a nice loud reliable practice amp with some good effects and that's what I got. The amp models truly stink for the most part and sound similar but you can get a few good sounding ones which is enough to make me happy. You have to play with this amp and tweak it a while and the sounds get better.

Just bought a Transformer 112 (2001 model year) after checking out several other "modeling" amps out there on the market (Line 6, Rocktron, Johnson, Crate...). Didn't get the chance to try Yamaha, but by then my ears were getting a little mushy and I was wondering if I could afford any of these. I play in a pop-rock, variety type band so I really needed something versatile enough to play anything from "country-twang" to balls-out, overdriven modern rock. My main guitar is a PRS "Studio", which is PRS's version of a "super-Strat" (single, single, humbucker). In a nutshell, the key to why I bought the Peavey is this: I doubt you'll find anything else with as many features, this compact, in this price range, and even more importantly, so damn easy to tweak and re-program. Which in live performance situations, is cricially important...to me, anyway. That's NOT to be interpreted that I think this is the best-sounding amp out of the bunch I tried. In fact, some of the Transformer's pre-set amp simulations sound kinda weak to me and sound....well, typically "Peavey-ish", for lack of a better description. It's not a bad sound mind you, but you'll NOT mistake any of this amp's sounds for an overdriven, honest-to-God-class A tube amp. Period. But after all that's said and done, the Transformer 112 holds up pretty darn good, and I sincerely doubt there are many people in the audience (even other musicians) that will be able to discern your amp's tone from the "real" thing. In the studio, yes, but not live...
The Transformer tries to do what all the other guys do: simulate Mesa-Boogies, Fenders and Marshalls. This is a 50-watt, 1-12" combo that weighs in at under 50 lbs. It comes supplied with a footswitch that allows you to switch/select among 4 banks (each bank with 4 programmable amp sounds, so in effect, you can have 4 pre-set channels immediately available to you without additional button- stomping) as well as the effects (e.g., chorus, tremolo, rotatiing speaker, flange, delay, reverb, all of which sound pretty rich in my opinion...). It has an effects loop and headphone jack, but no speaker extension jack, and no direct out. However, I did check with Peavey and they assured me that I can always use the send-out jack of the effects loop as a hi-Z direct out with no problem.

As far as it sounds, this thing is still new enough to me that I haven't quite figured out all of it's possibilities. Which in essence, means that I am really impressed with how much you can do with this. So far, I've been really happy with it's clean sounds, crunch and flat-out overdriven modes, but you really have to play around with the EQ to get what you like. Myself, I like the British vintage and American hi-gain best, but to each his own. I like to set my first bank of 4 channels to: clean, slightly overdriven rhythm, crunch and then high-gain, overdrive. This gives me the best of all worlds and is easy to switch while playing live. I also like the "boost" function that is available for each pre-set. Very handy, especially if you just need to quickly boost your clean rhythm very quickly.

As far as reliability, I have another also own a Gallien-Krueger 250ML, a Rivera R55-112, and a Peavey Stereo Chorus (2-12"). Out of all of these, I've had the most problems over the years with the GK, and none ever with Rivera and Peavey.

The only times I've had to contact Peavey was to ask general questions about their product(s) and they've always responded promprtly (within a day or two at most). Otherwise, I can't complain about anything.

I've been playing in bands on and off for over 20 years now, so as far as amps and other guitar products, I think I have a pretty good idea of what is just hype and what is not. since this amp is so new to me, I haven't really gotten attached to it yet, but barring the discovery of any monumental deficits, I can't imagine that I'll be unhappy with this amp over the long haul. It's just too convenient, compact, economical and comes with effects and features that are so very easy to program that I just can't bitch about it. ....Maybe it doesn't reproduce the quality tones of Vox, Mesa or Rivera, but for the money, it comes close enough and I'll bet you can't find anything else that can touch this...

I'm not going to waste your time giving all of the features. The other reviews did an excellent job of that. It's just a very versatile amp with tons of features and gadgets. It's almost got too many features. I usually only use 2 of the banks with 2 or 3 variations of 3 or 4 different sounds. I really love the tuner, too. Mine has always been dead on. I guess the other reviewer got a lemon.

When it comes to trying to sound like other amps, it's not a perfect amp. But, it has an almost unlimited number of sounds. I am a little disappointed with some of the amp models, but it already has more than I need, so I just ignore those. I love the flange. I'm not too crazy about the tremelo and the rotary speaker, though.

VERY RELIABLE
It has turned over a couple of times and it still plays like a brand-new amp.

Peavey has great customer support if you have a great local Peavey dealer. Both places that I've lived have had different service. But, both also were directly related to the local dealer.

I really like this amp. Honestly, if I could afford a Line 6, I wouldn't own this amp. But, if I could afford a Line 6, I would just buy that used Marshall head and 4x12 stack down at the local music shop. If you're on a limited budget, I would really recommend this amp.

Bought this amp about two months ago. Very happy with it. Like always the factory presets are adequate but with a bit of tweaking you can really get some nice sounds out of this amp. It has an effects send which is stereo. I have used this in conjunction with another amp and it sounds very cool. User interface is a load of LED lights which I find easy to use and easy to read at a glance (No menus to plod thru). I find the built in tuner to be somewhat inaccurate so this is really the one thing I was not happy with. The footswitch supplied with this amp is also a very well set up and easy to use interface.

I use this amp with primarily two guitars. A regular strat and a EC Signature series strat. Both work well and both have a direct effect on the amp performance. I play a variety of music from hard bluesy material to picking. I like the EC Strat for the bluesy stuff and the regular strat for the cleaner stuff. In all cases the amp performs well with singing blues lines to the clean sweet style guitar playing I like. I am still developing my own tones with this amp but I feel like I will have few limitiations. Again the factory presets are fine and range from sounds that are drenched in effects to clean. Since you can store a bunch of your own sounds I have just begun to do this. In addition to this there is a Midi interface in the back of this amp which allows you to store your sounds. I also understand a sound edit and patch storage program is in development for this. But if you have any regular Midi Interface program like Cakewalk for example you can store the patches.

Never had any problems with the amp. No humming, clicking etc. Very happy with this amp so far

No real need to contact Peavey for service. I did send them an email because I was curious about the software package for this amp. It mentions this in the owners manual so I was curious. They answered me via email that the sound editing and storage program was due out next year for this. I am rating this based on the timely response to my email but otherwise I would have to say I have had zero trouble.

Overall I love this amp. Would replace it in a minute if it were needed. In fact I am considering buying a second T112 to make my rig stereo. Like anything some people are going to love this amp and I have seen some people complain about it, its really a personal thing. For me this amp is great, dont sell it short by what you read, try it for yourself I think you'll be glad you did. I found this website is a great source of additional information if your interested http://www2.netdoor.com/~johnfera/Tform/Tform.html

2001 Model. Modeling amp, with 12 amp "models". Has a midi controlled footswitch, built in tuner. You can switch cabinet types with different amp models. 50 watts. WYSIWYG interface. No numbers on the dials, just LED lights. Looks cool in the dark. Has an effects loop. No DI. It does have a headphone jack. It's part of the Transtube series, with T-Dynamics control. Has Midi IN/OUT. I give it a 9 because it does not have a DI. Otherwise it would get a 10.

I'm using a 1997 Les Paul Classic, and a Kramer Pacer Carrera. Let's start with the obvious. On most of the amp "models", the Transformer falls miserably short. The sounds are thin, and have no life to them. That being said, the "Tweed" sounds (a Bassman 4X10), has the most punch to it. The British settings are weak. The Boogie settings (American Modern and High Gaing), just don't have "IT". I've heard alot of other Modeling amps, and the Peavey falls short on every "model". Peavey claims that the amp doesn't emulate specific amps, but are approximate sounds. That's a good thing, because it lets Peavey off the hook. If your looking for a good modeling amp, go with a Johnson or a Line 6. The effects: Phaser, Flanger, Chorus, Rotory Speaker, and Tremolo are good. The delay is good as well. Nothing to complain about.

Peavey makes rugged equipment. The amp has not broken down. No tubes, so I don't have to worry about changing them. I'm sure Peavey made this thing rugged as well. Not a very heavy amp, which is good. I'm just concerned about the chassis and whether or not it can handle a bumpy trip to a gig. I would gig without a backup.

Peavey is pretty good when it comes to customer service. Always very nice when I've had questions concerning this amp.

Overall, this amp is not worth the money. Peavey needs to go back and rethink it's approach to this amp. Compared to Line 6 or Johnson, this amp is WEAK! The only good thing about this amp is that a foot controller is included. Sort of a concellation prize for buying an OK amp. If it were lost or stolen, I wouldn't buy another one, I would buy a better modeling amp. The sounds it models are just horrible. This amp can't escape it Peavey heritage. For some reason, all Peavey amps have a "drawl" to its tone. Sorry Peavey, but better luck next time.

its a 2000 model i believe
its got 2 inputs so if you and your bud wanna jam out and only have 1 amp you can,, 1 is a high gain and 1 is a low gain.. so if your guitar gives you alotta feedback you can plug into the low inout and if 2 guitars are plugged in you both get low input to keep feedback down.
as for channels,, i guess 2,,, distortion and clean but there are so many variations of each, so,,, technickly 2 but if you look at it like me you can say 16 cause the 16 presets all being difrent from each other, lead, crunch, 80's metal, a death metal tone,, (peavey ultra)..err 1 thing i wish it had was a GOOD tuner,, where i can tune down to A or B acuratly,, its a got a tinny little Eb and E tuner,, but i dont know how to use it or care to learn how to use it. i recently joined a band it it so happens when i bought this amp, the guy who sold it to me is the singer, a coincadence? maybe but its plenty powerfull for playin in basements, outside ora small gigs,,, w/o a PA you can probably play a small show (under 300 people).... very great portable easy to use, and plenty of balls for a 50W solid state,, it honestly sounds like 75, but except for the shitty tuner id give it a 10

im using a BC rich NJ series MOCKINGBIRD with stock BCR100 H/H, ill soon buy a new set of george lynch screamin deamons and slap them in there so i can get the pinch harmonicks i love to whale... for playing 80's metal, grunge metal, heavy metal,, black metal its great,, probably just my pickups but i cant seem to get a death/extreme metal tone out of it.
i get some noise on 1 of the difital effects,, flanger and makes a bit of noise if i play close to my computer...
i can get a mess of sounds,, anything from blues to extreme metal and there are many variations of each as i stated above,, plus the thing is internet ready,, whcih from what i hear means you can download patches and store them as a preset, so its unlimited as for as how many sounds you can get...
the clean channel sounds very nice and crispy,, i notice a tad of dirtyness if i have it past 8 and i play hard,,, (also did i mention i play 13 ga strings?) im sure itd sound much better on 9's or 10's
.. as for brutal distortion, any amp with distortion and more than 20 watts sounds brutal cause you feel it more than hear it, but if youv ever played through a digitech RP2000 with the "SCOOP" effect selected,, thast the mother of all distortions so in comparison the distortion is good but not the quality distortion you'd want at a show
suits me perfectly,, peavey is top of the line gear,, its up there with mesa and marshall's and for what i paid for it,,, 510 bucks new,, its a steal

would i gig with it with out a backup? absolutly,, mainly because its the only gig worth amp i have but its a tough and i dont think you can destroy it unless you tok an axe to it,,, its solid state so pretty much maitnince free and no its never broken down on me, also its got a 5 year warrentee! yippee!!

5 year warrentee
never needed repairs but i always go to the peavey website to look at what other people are saying about problems with their amps,,, iv never seen a problem wih a new transformer 112 or 212,, but it looks like the bandits are real pieces of garbage,,, the 2000 and 2001 modles anyways, the older ones seem to have a good reputation.. and if i have a question for the techs,, they ALWAYS giveme detailed answers and always get back to me that day, great work peavey! anyways... the internet ready deal isnt estabilished yet but expect it soon,, im really looking foward to it

ive been playing 15 months, iv got a shitty crot pro m600 guitar with a trem,, piece of shit with a crack at the neck and body,, (its a thru neck), uhhh synsonics terminator its got a built in 3" amp (hey it was my first guitar.. uhh,, got a 15W epiphone EP-800R amp,,, my first amp,, lil practice amp and it kicked for a 15watter... and iv got a johnson blue dreadnaught acoustic guitar, first acoustic, i like it... if someone jacked my amp id be a pissed off kid,,, i just want to let you know iworked many hours,,, to get 600 bucks,,, it was 2 weks worth of 48hours a week @ 7 dollars an hour off the books so you can say i worked my ass off and it means alot to me... so id hawk that fucked down and lynch him in my front yard then chop off his arms with an axe and beat him with the blody end,,, then save up another 520 bucks and buy another one! before i bought it,,, i was really looking at the transformer 212,, but it was $975 and a bit out of reach financialy speaking.... and this crate GFX212+ and it was only 350 bucks mind you,,, 120 watts! you'd probably say i was crazy,, if i ever had another 600 bucksid buy the crate and a RP2000,, cause then i have 120watts and killer sound insread of 50W and pretty good sound.. i really love the foot switch included with it,, 6 button doo-hickey andi can dance around it like no tommarow so thats a plus,,, but the 1 thing that sucks about it is the tuner they tried to build into it,,, they might as well not put 1 in to begin with i think,, and sold it for a few bucks less...i wish they wouold have thrown in a free t-shirt,, i mean i wouldnt mind advratising for peavey like that,, and actully i think its a good idea if they did that,, ill mention it in the forums, but overall,, its an excelant amp,, lotta bang for your buck and id recomend it to anyone that likes to play metal, funk ,fusion, punk (old punk like black flag and shit,, not faggey blink182-ish shit), rock and psyc type of stuff,,, very versatile and very portable amp @ only 40 lbs great for practice or recording or small gigging

I just bought this last week . . . picked the guitar up again after laying off for 3 years . . . I needed something for my son (12 year old beginner) to bang metal on and me to rekindle the search for blues tones. This amp is GREAT . . . I've been a tube lover since I started playing at age 10 and most recently had a Peavy Classic 30 Hot Rod (See the reviews at Harmony for Danny - we owe the blueguitar a huge thank you!!) and until 1998 owned a 1967 Black Face Fender Vibrolux. This Peavy is wonderful!! Easy controls . . tones of tones . . footswitch, great effects, solid state transportability, lots of volume, easy to use features ALL IN ONE EASY RIG!!! I'm impressed . . . it nails many tones you need in an easy to dial up fashion with solid state reliability. Great home practice amp . . . and it would work on a gig as well.

Using this with a Vintage 50's Mexican Strat with Custom Shop 54's Pick-Ups . . . Clean, Grind Bluesy Tones just flow . . . One knob and you dial in 16 different pre-sets and/or 16 different amp model emulations . . . NO, it ain't the real thing . . .but you hit up a 50's tweed and its DAMN close . . . 60's black face - reverb - YEP - REAL DEAL . . . This is not an EVERYTHING AMP . . . its a VERSATILE AMP . . . dial it up easy and play away. Great footswitch, tuner, and easy navigation. Way to Go PEAVEY . . this thing is tone heaven for about $550 bucks. You really can get rid of stomp boxes and such as the effects are easy to dial in (either from the panel or the footswitch or the panel) and you can layer in reverb, modulation, gain etc. as easy as pie! And, THEY SOUND GOOD. Straight out of the box, you want a high gain brit - damn good. Tweed anything . . your doing the blues . . .Classic Peavy with Transtube - which is a cool feature . . . your singin'. NO KIDDING . . . For what you get, its the steal of all amps out there! Plus, they're literature says there's a PC interface on the way (hook to the MIDI) to allow (I assume) upgrades/patches to the pre-set amp emulations on their Internet site. A little cabinet buzz . . .but I fixed mine with some insulation/silicone "custom" mods and a cabinet stiffener . . other than that I'm ROCKING! The Blue Marvel speaker is loosening up, and sounds better everyday!

I've owned 2 Classic 30's and an Ultra . . . very reliable gear . . . as we used to say . . "Bang It Or Twang It . . . It still Rocks after It Rolls" So Far . . So Good.

Anytime I've called I've gotten just what I asked for . . we have a great local dealer as well.

I'd buy it again . . Peavey has a winner here . . . GOOD Tone! Easy to Deal With Interface . . and lots of features (footswitch, amp emulations, CAB emulations, effects, tuner, transtube, etc.) in a SIMPLE, SINGLE, Cost Effective, Portable (40 lb) COMBO . . . It ain't Marshall, or a Mesa, or a Tweed Fender - It's all of 'em CLOSE in one package without tubes . . . . I'm a tube freak - owned some of the finest - but the funds wouldn't allow TWO amps. I bought this amp because my 13 year old can bang metal, etc. or take on 70's rock (which thank God he appreciates how great it was) and I can still sit down and enjoy SOME tone when I want to do the blues . . . Without a doubt - As versatile an AMP as I've seen for the money in some time and A GREAT BUY! By the way, compared to Line 6 (Peavey is much easier to use and much more natural sounds when effects are rolled in overall - not digital sounding) the new Fender Cyber Twin (Way Cool - Way Features - Way Tone - WAY Close to A Grand!) a Vibrolux Reissue (I owned the real deal - c'mon Fender - this is a piece of dog poop compared to a 60's blackface!) and another Classic 30. For the bucks, this thing is versatile enough to keep a gigging musician pretty happy and more then fills the bill anywhere else. (home, practice, jamming on Friday's etc.) It's a Keeper! If your in the market for a combo for low bucks . . . then this deserves an audition!!!!!!

This is the peavey 112 transformer amp new 2000 release.
I own a flextone(line6) and I happen to go in to a store and
see these new transformer models out, so I gave it a try, and
WOW!! was I inpressed they sound awesome,They have what most people
are looking for, a wet and silky sound wich you get out of high end
processors. The chorus and flange are amazining sounding. the
distortions are perfect for me they have a massive saturated sound
or you can have a classic ac/dc style sound. The delay is awsome, when
you change channels it keeps on going into your next preset.
Does this amp sound like a tube amp NO but neither does the
line 6 I own. There are a lot of people that think they have found
a amp thats rates at a ten but I have owned almost 38% of whats
out there AND NOTHING IS 10 OR A 9. each amp has its perks and its
lows If it didnt every one would owne the same amp(THINK ABOUT IT)

I was using a gibson sg standard, only played it for about
an hour and half. I will definetly be selling my line 6 and buying the
peavey, dont get me wrong the line 6 sounds awsome also and is not
lacking but for my tastes(pantera,earthcrisis,coalchamber,threedoorsdown)
the peavey got my atention.

N/A

peavey is very desent company they have been around forever.
Very nice when I needed questions about my supreme head.

If you are geared to digital amp modeling, I would try this prouduct
You will not be let down. If you like new age metal please try!!!!!!!!!!!
It sounds very good for late 70s also.Very vesitile!

The Peavey Transformer 112 is a brand new modeling amp that has only been available within the last 3 to 6 months (as far as I know). Y'all probably think I'm crazy, but I traded a less than 2 year old Line 6 Flextone XL (100 watt stereo w/ 2-12 inch speakers) for this Peavey. I did this mainly because the Flextone was SO huge and almost impossible for me to lug around, but also because the flanger on the XL sucked and because you are very limited in using effect combinations on the XL. I HAVE NO REGRETS! Like the Flextone, the Transformer is extremely flexible and has more than enough power for my needs (50 watts max). I play jam-based rock, psychedelic, folk, and original stuff and I can manipulate the Transformer to meet any style I need. It has 2 input jacks (hi gain and low gain) and 12 amp models along with 16 presets and another 16 user presets. There is also an effect loop to hook outboard gear to (I use 2 Line 6 Delay Modelers (one as a dedicated looper) and a Modulation Modeler). The Transformer has all the features I need (I'm not a pro but I play A LOT and do play out occasionally) and the fact that it weighs half as much as the XL means I'll be taking it with me much more often than the Flextone. Don't get me wrong, I liked the Flextone but really wanted a smaller more portable amp. Both amps have similar features: multiple amp models (the Peavey may not be as specific, but they are very good), presets (the Peavey has more), pre gain and post gain (they aren't called the same by each company), 3-band EQ, delay and reverb, and modulation effects (although the Peavey has a phaser where the Line 6 doesn't). Also, with the Peavey, you have more of an option to mix modulation effects with delay. It's not stereo and while it is solid state, it does a great job of emulating the tube tone, definitely holds its own with Line 6 and is better than Johnson and Crate (IMHO).

I'm playing a Parker Nightfly with 2 single coils, 1 humbucker and a Fishman piezo in the saddle and the Peavey sounds awesome with it. It remains relatively quiet even with the single coils except on EXTREMELY high gain settings (which I don't normally go there very much) so it's not a problem for me. Any modeling amp suits my style because I use the models like I use effects (as tone colors in a palette as I layer my loops) and the Peavey is no exception. It does Fender and Marshall (clean, crunchy, vintage, and high gain) as well as the best that Peavey has to offer. I prefer the clean and tweed/vintage settings and add distortion with a Line 6 Distortion Modeler. An added feature is the included floorboard that accesses a boost and on/off for modulation and delay effects. If you want this amp to get wicked and ugly with distortion, it's available. If you want a mild to bluesy grind, it's there. And if you want a clean, crisp tone, you got that too! (And these distort if you want them to as well.) Not only that, but the effects (chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, rotary) are excellent. You can instantly control speed and depth and while they may not be vintage emulations of these effects, they are exactly what you'd want and expect them to be: rich, versatile, gooey, and deep (not metalic and edgy, but fat and round). The delay and reverb are good as well, although I do prefer the emulations of the echoplex, space echo, and memory man from Line 6. Compared to the Line 6 Flextone XL that I traded for the Transformer, the tones are versatile and stand up well against the XL. Being that the Peavey is a single 12" speaker compared to 2-12" speakers in the XL, there is not quite the depth in the Peavey, but... I HAVE NO REGRETS!
I'd give this a 9.5 if that rating were available (I gave the XL an 8.5).

Another reason for making this trade is because I've owned a Peavey Ecoustic 112 amp for almost 5 years and have never had any problems with it whatsoever. I've also been hearing about more and more problems with the Line 6 amps and I really wanted a smaller amp that didn't kill my back. I'd depend on this one much more than the XL. If anything changes, I'll post an update.

NEVER have had to contact them.

I've been playing for close to 25 years and own and have owned a plethora of gear during that time. Right now I'm partial to Lexicon (Jamman and Vortex) and TC Electronic (M-One and D-Two) rack gear, Line 6 Modelers, and some Boss pedals (octave, auto wah, od/dist, & DD-5 delay). I think this amp is a keeper as it has everything I love about the Flextone and then some. I'd replace it if it were stolen (and if I lost it I'd probably have to question why I'm even playing music in the first place- how in the hell could anyone ever lose an investment like an amp or a guitar?) This is a cool amp and I think it stands up with all of the other modeling amps that are currently available.

Features....Preamp vol, treb. mid, bass, vol, effects rate, send knobs, delay mix knob, master vol, t-dynamics control, plus selection of the internal 16 programs or 16 user programs, all accessible via a footswitch and LONG cable, also is MIDI compatible. This amp allows you to throw away all your pedals and have selectable sounds that can be recalled via footswitch! NICE!!!! Even recalls tremolo/chorus/flanger/phaseshifter, reverb, and delay settings! Way cool! Amp size is about what my old Fender Super 60 was, and it don't weigh a ton!!!!! Plus it looks modern! The built in tuner is basically worthless to me, I still use my Boss tuner. I set the amp up for 4 sounds per bank (4 banks x4sounds=16 switchable sounds) as clean, edge, crunch, lead per bank. Almost like have 4 amps at my disposal for different guitars on stage. Wayyyyyy cool! If it had a great tuner and less digital noise on some of the sounds, I'd easlily give this amp a 10! This amp allows setting for ANY style of music quite easily. You WILL find a setting that you like.

Well the sounds do NOT perfectly emulate the amps it is supposed to though the Peavey Classic clean and crunch are very close though. For some amp emulations, I wish I could change the eq's tone knobs center frequency, but there is supposed to be editing software to do so. Will it sound like a Marshall stack? No way! But it does allow you to dial in your preset sound selections and save them for FAST recall on stage, this is definitely a plus. Some of the emulations are plagued with digital noise. Also the amp chassis rattles quite a lot. There were obvious cost cuttings on the cabinet design. Still I can dial in enough sounds for most band work quite easily. I love the way the pots retain their digital settings upon recall. The T-Dynamic control almost seems like a compressor in the power amp stage. Sounds similar to an old overdriven tube amp with a tube rectifier to get that compressed "sag" sound. Very useful. However, the classic clean tube sound is not quite there yet. That's always what makes a good amp, the nice clean sound that you can control with a volume knob on the guitar from edge to clean.

Too new to tell....hopefully it will be reliable. The cabinet is a little flimsy. The digital noise (not really THAT much) bothers me in that it is either a problem, or just part of the design. This is my first digital amp.

Never called Peavey since none of my Peavey stuff ever went down, however they run a halfway decent web site which is a plus nowadays.

Fantastic amp! Good clean sounds, good distorted sounds and inbetween.
They rate it a 50 watt amp that sounds like 75! I rate it maybe equal to a 25 watt tube amp in loudness. It ain't really THAT loud, but loud enough for most bands in a 200-500 seat place. My 15 watt Fender Blues Junior will almost keep up with this amp. Some amp emulations are not very loud at all. But for what it is, it's great!
I would buy another. I compared it to the Line6 spider, and the Peavey is far superior (for $200 more) Just wish it had a better cabinet, better tuner, and less digital noise on some amp emulations.
I just wonder what lousy power in some places will do to the digital circuitry in this amp. Time will tell. I been playing since 1967.