Peavey ValveKing 112 Combo

This is a minor correction to my post below. The fellow further down the page recommended adjusting the bias * -5ma *. I typoed.

I might as well also add that the overdrive box I drive the amp with to get my high gain sound is a Nady TD-1 tube distortion pedal. I just don't drive it into full distortion, just a small amount of boost and some soft overdrive. It's got a lot of tone-shaping controls to make it transparent or, at the flip of one of two switches, supply a treble boost for my slightly bottom-heavy Ibanez AR200 and/or a mid hump for a fat, Boston-like tone. I switched the tube in the TD-1 (predictable, am I?) with a Sovtek 5751. This is a bit cooler still than the Jan-Phillips and gives me another *slight* gain reduction and keeps the amp tight at high-gain.

After the TD-1, there's a Dunlop MXR M-109 graphic EQ. I cut it at 1.6K for my "mid-scoop", which is really more of a "slice" than a "scoop". "Flying V"-style guitars all produce a lot of nasty low-frequency treble because of the body shape, so when I get that Reverend Volcano, I'll use the MXR EQ to cut at 3.2K to tame the treble.

Real happy with the amp, though.

The 'ValveKing' 112's features have been covered adequately below so I'll only mention them when I need to. It has basically the same controls as any combo amp, plus the "Texture" (Class-A sim) and "Resonance" controls. The manufacturer claims the speaker is "voiced" for the 'ValveKing' series.

Out of the box, the 'ValveKing' 112 sounded "just okay". I knew what to expect since this isn't my first Peavey tube amp. I used to have a Classic 50 410, which actually sounded better stock than this one, probably due to the speakers, but that was a different animal for a different job. This is a $400 amp, not a $1400 Genz-Benz 'El Diablo' or $2000 Rivera 'Quiana'. It ships with stock Sovtek tubes ("eh") but frankly the weakest point of Peavey amps are the speakers. They aren't stellar and I've blown a couple, "specially voiced" or not. All that said, there's a lot of tweaking that can be done to drastically improve the sound and performance of the 'ValveKing' 112.

In a tube amp, the tubes are everything. Yank the stock tubes and swap them out. Your requirements will probably require different choices than mine. My sound is prog rock/fusion and I need a smooth, sweet, sustaining, singing tone like Santana or Larry Carlton. But I also need the versatility of an occasional hi-gain sound. I used a pair of Tung-Sol 12ax7's with a Jan-Phillips 5751 at the front end. This accomplished two things: It smoothed out the distortion and gave it a little extra edgy articulation (like what the 12at7 in a Hi-Watt does, but not as much so) AND it cut down the front end gain in the clean channel making it cleaner and more more dynamic while improving the soft breakup when I use the "Boost" function. I need a crystal-clear clean sound too.

Then I changed the power tubes. This is where you might want something different. I installed a pair of Golden Lion KT66's. A KT66 is an even bias swap for a 6L6 but has a rounder, warmer sound without the gravelly mids. They're just as bright and have just as much headroom. Most rock players *like* gravelly, so use Ruby Tubes or Groove Tubes or something.

Next I got the amp a new speaker. I looked at Guitar Player's taste test and opted for the Weber VST P12B "Blue Dog". It's half the price of a Celestian Blue and was reported to sound almost the same, if even a little "creamier", which sounded good to me.

At this point, the amp sounded absolutely fabulous.

A reviewer below recommended a slight rebiasing of -.5 which sounded reasonable to try. I tried it and it did just what he said it would. The 'ValveKing' got much more open and lively.

Now, the amp sounded absolutely *boutique* fabulous.

About those boutique amps. Go to the websites of the ones I mentioned and listen to their audio samples with your ears instead of your wallet. Then go to Peavey's site and listen to samples of the 'ValveKing" when it's set up properly. The Peavey actually has more character and nails the classic rock tone better. It's looser and sloppier at high-gain and there's a good reason why: only three preamp tubes.

High-gain amps typically have four or five preamp tubes instead of three like a Peavey Classic, 'ValveKing' or old Marshall has. With three tubes in the preamp you HAVE to drive the power tubes to get that extra layer of distortion. The newer Marshall Super Leads and all the Boogies have four or five. The effect is different than just cranking up the Pre Gain. If you try to get that much distortion with three preamp tubes, the voltage will bottle-neck and it'll go "over the top". Your pick attack will get flappy, the noise floor will come up and sound like frying bacon, and your tone will turn to crap. Gain is like paint. Four or five thin coats give a better result than three thick ones.

Set your Pre Gain so the amp sounds solid. If you need more gain, put an overdrive box in front of it but DON'T crank it up. Just add a little extra kick and enough drive that it fades to clean. Set the tone on the box so it's transparent, no difference on or off. It'll act like an extra tube. Your amp will scream and the feedback will sing instead of howl. Without the mods...7. With the mods, 10. Average and round up.

I've used Peavey P.A. gear as a soundman and now use it to power my other guitar rig, which consists of a modeling preamp/processor, a graphic EQ (to correct the speakers), a Peavey PV900 power amp and a pair of small TSL112H P.A. cabs. Ten years and no problems. My grandparents got me a Peavey Pacer 112 solid-state amp when I was in H.S. in 1977. I blew the original speaker and output transformer and now, just lately, blew the transformer again. Not too bad for 32 years. I didn't have the Classic long enough to comment but if this 'ValveKing' proves as reliable as my other Peavey gear it will outlive me.

I needed parts for that Pacer so I called Peavey's Meridian, Mississippi plant. A very nice lady with a southern accent answered the phone, I told her what I needed, she connected me with the factory and a guy told me no problem, took my order, the price was cheaper than I expected and they were delivered tute suite.

I didn't mention earlier that the "Texture" control does give you *some* of that Class-A goodness. It cuts the apparent wattage, makes the overdrive more gritty and compresses the sound. Set it up right and you can do AC30 things with it. The "Resonance" control expands the low end nicely and makes a little amp sound bigger. Balance it with the BASS tone knob. I've been playing over 35 years. My main electrics are a '97 Fender Deluxe Strat Plus and a Godin xtSA. I'm still using my BOSS GX-700 for the effects but would like to get some pedals. They're fun.

Not only is this a great entry-level tube amp but at present I see no need to get a more expensive one. In fact, I might buy another one of these so I can run them in stereo.

2008 mfg. date
No need to review features as there are several reviews out there that do that.
Clean and lead channels separate eq's.
I play at home which means I never turn it past 3. Does everything I need it to do.

I use 01 Epi LP w/EMG p'ups and 08 Epi LP with stock p'ups, and a Fat Strat copy w/ stock p'ups. I play mostly Zep, Sabbath, Metallica, Judas Priest, SRV.

OK, here are the two reasons I am reviewing:

1. I depend on user reviews heavily to make most purchase decieions, as they are usually helpful.

2. I see, especially with musical equipment, very unrealistic comparisons. This amp is a low cost tube amp that performs very nicely in that regard. I get good tone, good distortion, sustain and, with my effects, a very good, inexpensive setup. It's not a Mesa triple rec. or a Marshall whatever. If you want that sound, man up and pay for it. A Ford mustang is a very capable $30K sports car. It will never be a Porche 911 no matter how much you want it to be. Yoiu get what you pay for. It's unbelievable the bad reviewf trying to compare one product to something 3 or 4 times more expensive. The valveking is a superior choice to a solid state amp and nothing more. If you are like me and love to play guitar, live on a budget and want something capable this is your amp. As stated above I use copy guitars because $2500 is too much for a Gibson. Do I expect my Epi's to sound like a Gibson? No, but when I am cranking out some killer tunes from a band I worshipped growing up, I couldn't give a damn. Joe 18 year old or 35 year old dude wanting a decent, affordable rig, this fits that need. Mr. self-proclaimed "tone freak" keep looking.

Has never let me down.

Never needed it.

I love this amp. I would have had to settle for a solid state at this price range. I would buy it again if it were stolen. I love the decent performance and the paltry price you have to pay for that performance. I comparison shopped for months and couldn't find anything comparable without paying hundreds more. Fender Hot Rod Deville was better but almost 2x price. Marshall MG50DFX was more expensive but solid state. Probably my second choice. Line 6 Spider III 120W is a kids toy. I just kept coming back to this amp and eventually bought it.

Amp was bought new in 2008. You can set the amp from class A to class A/B. Also has a damping button. Plus the usual bass/treble/middle/gain, increase volume and increase gain buttons.
Clean and dirty channels

I only really use the overdrive channel. Gives a great classic rock sound with lots of middle. Not so good at doing cystal clear overdrive like Marshall. The gain boost makes everything really noisy - but as I say i only do classic rock. The reverb sounds poor - maybe best to ignore it for professional use. I try to get the scooped metal sounds from it but its a very very thick sound compared to marshall. I've never had the anp above 2 yet in my bedroon and then my ears were ringing afterwards !
The class A - ClassA/B dial didn't seem to make much audible difference - I think it's supposed to mean that with Class A you can fully crank up the amp to give a sound only obtainable usually with high volumme gain. It also has a damping button but I can;t really hear the difference.
Overall I'm happy with it - great for classic rock - not so sure about metal as it doesn;t give a clear sound at all.

n/a

One year warranty

Been playing now for 6 years - if it was between a Marshall AVT and this I probably couldn't decide. The AVT gives a clear sound but this gives a thick sound - verging on muddy. So that is what the option would come down to.
However try buying a valve amp at this price !

2008 made, it's not the "versatiliest" amp in the clean channel, well, in some way, it sucks for everything but ska, I find the OD channel pretty "versatile", although it's high gain.
it has a lot of gain, you can play punk, hardcore, rock, and with the gain at 2-3, you can also play perfectly well led zeppelin-style with it.

it has a silly, useless thing on the back called "a-a/b" switch; ok, it does almost nothing to the sound....in my opinion, of course

ok, 2 channels, the clean one with "bright"-switch, the OD with footswitchable "more gain"- and "volume"-switch.
It does have an effects loop, but there's any headphone jack(just because it's an ALL-VALVE AMPLIFIER)

I wish it had an DI-out, because you have to have a microphone when you play live.

I use it for practicing and live, and it's rough enough not to break when bringing it up late at night after a gig, with a couple of beers of more

i have an aria guitar with an SD invader at the bridge, i play mostly punk, hardcore punk, ska and a sometimes, metal(but only sometimes)

it fits perfectly well, but before I installed the invader, i have to say that i did not really like my amp.

but now i'm the happiest person in the world

it sounds it's best when it has been warmed up for 2/3 hours, what can be sometimes a problem live, butwhat the hell, it's a tube-amp, it's normal


of course, i have to say the clean channel sucks, HIgH tones are always there......ska......that's the only thing for what can be used this channel..and sometimes, with a lot of tweeking of the knobs, you can make an OD-pedal sound really good(my jackhammer fits well after half an hour of tweeking....but then it's really ok)

hell yeah!!!

it's ROUGH, very rough, better look it for yourself, you won't be dissapointed

keine annung, but i don't think they would be very useful...

i have been playing punkrock for 6 years, i am not a pedalist-man, i like to keep it simple, so i have only the jackhammer(which i do not usually switch because i find better the OD of the amp) and an MXR-microamp in the effects loop, that i switch in the solos


FOR THE MONEY, GREAT VALUE, i really mean it when i say that you WON'T find anything better for 389???(new)

Good solid features to this amp. 2 channels each with seperate EQ-awesome. Passive Effects Loop works great with my setup. I like the texture control, although it just feels and responds more like a volume boost? I wish it had a line in/out or preamp in/out, something like that. No worries, I just mike it or plug into an external cab. This amp is loud, loud, loud! Don't be afraid to turn it up and let those tubes do their job! An excellent amp for an excellent price!

The amp is miles warmer than the old Peavey Bandit 112 amps I was using for small clubs and church. It suits my style well, which is a fusion of blues/country/classic rock. I play alot of small and medium clubs and this thing handles them well. I am used to keeping my bass turned up but on this map I have to roll it back a little cuz it tends to get overpowering and muddy. The mids and treble or nice, but I really love this amp for it's overdrive. I can get a great, clean crunch, chunky rhythm, or smoothe, milky sustain drive, perfect for leads when the boost is kicked in. This amp really convinced me to take all but 1 of my overdrive pedals off my board...which I now use to boost the 2nd channel.

I've only had this for a short time and gigged twice with it. So far, it's been a tank. I have never had a bad experience with Peavey products..so I don't expect that this will be any different.

Peavey is a great company and I love their products. I would trust them with any and all of my musical needs.

I've been playing for going on 13 years now. I've been through many amps and to date, this has been my favorite, next to my old Delta Blues. I may purchase another Delta Blues in the future, then A/B it with the Valve King. That would make for a sweet sweet setup. I use my own custom modified "strat style" electrics, as well as a Reverend Club King. This rig changed the way I approach the electric guitar forever. I'm really grateful that I stumbled across this deal. Got is used for $299.00. Can't beat that for a great Tube Amp.

2008 made Peavey ValveKing 112. This is an amp I'm using for home use, and its plenty loud and versatile enough for my style(s) of play, primarily classic rock, jazz, and finger picking electric guitars. The features are covered in other reviews, so I won't repeat. A feature I don't like is that when you use the line out to add a speaker, it turns off the speaker in the cabinet, as opposed to just adding it, so you cannot achieve a stereo effect (I suppose this can be used as a headphone jack).

I'm using it with a very well made custom Telecaster with Rio Grande pickups in a strat configuration. This guitar is very sensitive, and I wanted an amp that would be equally versatile. Out of the box, this amp was not that -- though I should say that I did not find my Marshall 401 to be that great off the shelf either, and neither are the Fender Hot Rods. Pretty much all of the entry level tube amps are a bit chilly and narrow, and only a small step above well made solid state amps. Stock tubes and stock speakers in all of these amps are really nothing special, despite all the talk about "warmth" and "presence". This one had a problem with the speaker, and the previous owner upgraded to an Eminence speaker and Ruby tubes ( I did a similar upgrade to my Marshall 401 before I enjoyed playing it). With these upgrades this amp is very satisfactory.
On the back, the RESONANCE switch works essentially as a bass boost. In the clean channel, I found this to be an excellent tone, when accompanied by using the Bright button on the front, and then turning down the treble a bit. I found this maxed the bass tones, when playing clean, using the neck pickup on my tele. The TEXTURE button on the back, though subtle, does allow you to get a bit of very natural breakup while playing clean (rotate the TEXTURE button all the way to the left). This is true distortion without using any of the gain boosts. Basically, if you're playing clean, you can play softly with no distortion at all, then hit it a bit harder and get just a bit of crunch. Very nice.
The Gain controls are adequate. I never find that gain controls on amps are as good as pedals, but these aren't bad. I use a Fulltone OCD for distortion. If you don't have a good distortion pedal, you'll get one eventually. But in the meantime, you can get by with what's on this amp (not if you want to play metal, but then, this probably isn't the amp for that to begin with). I rate this as an 8 including the upgrades, but I think it would be a 6 out of the box -- as would a Marshall 401 or a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

Too new to know.

I've dealt with Peavey in the past and found them very responsive with information, but I have no experience with getting them to replace a part.

I've been playing on and off for 35 years. I've gone through Marshalls and Fender twins, a Peavey Classic 410, Les Paul Custom, 82 Fender Strat, Jackson USA Sl2, G & L Strat, Epiphone Sheraton, Eastman 335 s, uhh, and so on, and my current custom Tele. If it were stolen, I would replace it, or get another Peavey Classic and upgrade it (I might prefer a 2 x 12 cabinet). With the upgrades, this is a solid entry level performing tube amp.

Made in 2008.
Very versatile as is. I play a Boss ME-50 through the clean channel and it sounds really good too.

I paid $290 for a used one and it is a great deal for this 50 watt tube amp.

Replaced the stock Sovtek tubes with Matched Groove Tubes. Not much difference in tone to my ears.
For kicks I connected my MESA 2x12 rectifier cab to the speaker jack. WOW!!!!! Straight into the amp with no effects is awesome. I riff out some slash and old AC/DC and it sounds like a marshall stack!!. Even without using the boogie 2x12..it's a great buy. I recommend this one.

Been playing 30 years now.

a lot already said
Texturing feature is useless, no real effect noticable. Who sais it gives it??s great and gives you lot of variaty is a peavy promoter or just repeats peavy advertising without own opinion.
2 channels, bright only for clean channel, EQ for both but low effect range.
Gain Boost and volume boost switchable by foot pedal, must be preselected on the amp. That means you can??t switch them individually by foot, only both if they??re booth preselected.
Volume boost works only noticable from 5 on (12 o??clock), at lower level it??s useless - you need to use gain for an increase, as long as you use low gain settings for standard. But this changes sound dramatically.
No foot pedal delivered, but a simple stereo 6.35mm cable connected to 2 on/off switches will do the job. Same system is for my old Peaveay Backstage 50, seems to be Peavey standard.
16 Ohm external Speaker possible.

Playing Les Pauls copy with SD humbucker, and Kramer with SD humbucker at bridge and single coli at neck. No effects except compression for the clean.

Was impressed in store by the sound, but at home i became more and more dissapointed. Sound felt not very precise. Clean is ok but no highlight. Distortion comes early but seems to come partly from the speaker. A friend played a Engle Screamer 50, for classic rock much better, much clearer sound. With the 112, i had the impression to come close to the sound of "money for nothing" however. It lacks brilliance, hard to describe.
I had an external box with a Celestion, sounds much more precise with less distortion ( i need higher gain settings). Changed the speaker now. The valveking speaker in the box sounds horrible now, especially with overdrive, the combo sound nicer now. So i think the speaker is a problem in the combo.
Reverb is not the best.

It??s a cheap amp. Wall thicknesses are low. It??ll not break up for me, but it??s not as tough as others for sure.

Played it half a year now in a band with standard rock songs and found it not very useful after all. It may have a lot of distortion, but for guys loving the heavy side: who is going on stage with such a small amp? For kids starting playing and who search a cheap startup equipment, searching distortion more than any other, it??s probably ok.

2008 valveking 1x12
versatile amp
2/3 channels
used from practice to gigs of 500+ - plenty loud

i use a prs se semi-hollow, gibson les paul special sl, and a tele with semour duncan lil' 59er and vintage tele pickup. Each has its own unique sound (this is expected because they are all different guitars and this is a tube amp). I have had no problems with noise, though i have a hard time getting just slight breakup on the gain channel. I am about to retube that channel with a 12dw7, that should solve that problem. Though plenty of gain - no longer use any distortion/overdrive pedals except my boss metal zone.

I have not had any problems with it. I haul it around everywhere in my truck - rides VERY rough. Not a single problem. There is a delay in switcing channels - going to the boost stage. Not a problem, most people would never notice it. To all of those who complain about the footswitch - there are schematics online to build one. I ordered all the parts for about $20-25 and built it in an afternoon. Only 6 total solders - easy project. The volume boost DOES work. Very versitile amp. For those who complain, most of them just can't set it up right.

I have not had to have ANY involvement with customer support

I own two fender amps and this one trumps both! My dad has been using the same peavey bass amp for his acoustic guitar for almost 18 years and the only problem is a dirty pot. Peavey makes VERY reliable products