Peters Amplification 3CP1 Head

Not much on features, and that's OK. Very simple class a, self-biasing amp (sort of--the maker warns against certain preamp tubes). I prefer simple. However, i just didn't like it. Has an edge switch and a boost but neither is noticeable. There was no bottom end anywhere. I can't believe the reviews i see on the forums and here. This amp was nowhere near what i expected. If i hadn't read all the marshall meets matchless talk beforehand, i may have been more lenient, but big claims require big proof and i did not hear the tone. I sold mine to a friend right away.

I tried it with a PRS, a Les Paul, and a strat. I thought it sounded fizzy and thin. I wanted to like it, but i didn't. I like my zinky mofo, my budda sd30, my bogner xtc, orange ad15, heck even my marshall transistor lead 15 microstack better. Along these lines (self biasing, low watt, high gain), i've had allen class act and univalve and this one. Univalve is first, then the allen, then this. I tried and tried but had no luck getting any tone i could use.

It didn't break down, but i didn't have it more than a few days. It just seemed to be built sort of off-square. The rectifier looked crooked to me.

Peters is a nice enough guy, but i think he should have worked on this a bit before his release.

I sold mine and don't miss it. I wish it had been what i expected. It did not stand up to any of my other amps. I think if this builder sticks with it, he'll come up with a better one, but i just don't like this amp. I'm not leaving my name in case my friend who bought it reads this. I don't want him to know how I really feel. Also, sorry, Mr. Peters, but i would have liked to have read this sort of review before i bought mine.

#15 made by james peters out of canada. 2 12ax7s and inputs in back for either 6V6,6L6,and EL34 tubes. one power tube of your choice without biasing. will also accept KT66 and 6550 tubes. ten watts max with a 6L6 down to 4 with a 6V6. lightweight head, treble bass and mid, edge and boost switch and master and gain. i am casually comparing this amp to a dr z carmen ghia which uses 2 el84s and a couple of 12ax7s and a rectifier. i think both of these amp makers could learn something from each other, and at the risk of sounding pretentious, without being arrogant, it is too bad it couldnt be done. i like both amps a lot, but they are different. the peters is in the vein of the very popular thd univalve. there are drawbacks to both of these amps,the carmen ghia:i get tired of el84s, and the ghia is just a bit limited, but a great great amp though. the peters: not a fendery amp, but it doesnt need to be, perhaps lacking a bit in the treble department, but a well thought out concept, perfect for certain kinds of music. i want to compare both of these amps, why not? i have owned 2 ghias and now am glad to own a peters.

a terry mcinturff polaris pro, 69 les paul deluxe with lindy fralin p-90s and a reverend (yes reverend) slingshot with p-90s. i can use this amp to record modern tones, fender does not apply here, this amp could shine in a p.a. situation or a recording mode, perfect for home sounds, but it is not a practice amp. the ability to use different tubes makes it very worthwhile. i have alot of nice tubes from about 5 years of buying and trading amps and buying tubes, the better the tubes the better this amp sounds. ideally , this amp really needs a pedal to switch the boost on, but that would drive up the cost. it is a really nice feature. the peters has the fine tones like the ghia in that you can set it to harmonic breakup/trailing sustain/just on the verge of feedback at a reasonable volume, it wont kill your ears. someone might say, well, why not just get a nice pedal to do that with a fender,,, it is not the same, the tube warmth is why you play a tube amp. there is something midrangy about, say the fulltone fulldrives i have played, and something just not exactly satisfying about say, a menatone.. drawbacks to the peters would be a lack of treble, but then again, i seem to want to compare to a fender treble clean ( i DO like fender clean) and that is not fair, as this peters is not made for clean sounds, although it can get them, but it is made for basically getting a real big overdriven high gain tone at a volume that is toneful and listenable. the carmen ghia has plenty of bass, and is not middy in my opinion,,, and what i love about it is the just-o-the-verge of feedback that is gives. but it is a one trick poney. and good poney though,,,, the peters offers a bit more versatility and range of tones. same nice build quality, smaller transformer, but, a different animal. both amps, the carmen ghia and the peters, are dependent on the right speaker arrangement. the carmen ghia is one of the most popular small amps available right now. 3 years ago you could get one for 599, now they are 800. the peters has the potential to be in this category, it is voiced for the modern tone that is popular now. not heavy metal, but able to fit in a lot of styles. it is not an amp for everybody. it is not a big high gain monster or a fender clean. but it is not a practice amp. it is more than that. it is a players amp, for the player who likes to use different tubes and refine his sound. not for a country picker although you can get that tone, not for blues, although you can get that tone I think fender when i think blues) but alternative rock. the amp sounds stupendous with my les paul with fralins ( i am not a tone snob here at all, i bought them on ebay and refer to them as frindy lalins), i bought them to replace some worn out p-90s that were over 30 years old and havent gotten around to having them rewound. the humbuckers come out fine with this amp ( the mcinturff), using the amp without the boost gives a nice clean, the neck pickup on this sometimes sounds too bassy on other amps, but surprisingly comes out nice and full on the peters. the carmen ghia is best with single coil pickups and not so hot with humbuckers,,, the peters needs more treble and possibly more bass that the carmen ghia has, but then you would have to have a bigger transformer etc, i think james peters has had many requests for a 20 watt amp, and he probably will get around to it. if it is in the vein of this amp, and he prices it at 7 or 800 he will do well, the amp world is a very competitive and hard place to be, you have to really love what you are doing and be resiliant. i hope he is. many might be turned off at the "10 watts max" of this amp, but you have to have good tubes, good speakers, and a good guitar. i am of the opinion that many players in this world have none of these things,,, hah,,, then again, many do.. so give me a break. it is a loud 10 watts. the overall tone that a 6L6 or a quality EL34 puts out is a lot bigger than a pair of el84s. el

i do wonder about the switches etc, but,we will see. who knows? i have had problems with several new amps i have bought. not the makers fault, but components are not perfect..

very upfront and responsive,,,

i have played for over 30 years and grew up going over note for note with hendrix and the stones and jeff beck etc. i have owned over 20 amps in the last 5 years. fenders, old and new, soldanos ( 2), blues pearls (5), mesa boogie, and ADA rocket reverb 20 ( similar to this, but PCB board) and now own a fender super reverb and a harry joyce 100 watt head and cab. the ideal situation for this amp would be, if playing live, miked through a p.a., A/B'd with a small fender. switch back and forth between the two. i love the ability to use different tubes and the overall tone of this amp. i know that doesnt say a lot, but, i really get tired of pedals, i dont need one with this amp. this amp is priced about right. there is no way this amp will do a fender hot rod deluxe sound, but there is no way the hot rod deluxe will get this sound either. i love a low volume roar in the vein of a mesa boogie DC2 ( a fine amp that is discontinued, but is not really a live amp ( limited clean)), and this gets that at a reasonable listenable volume,,, i love the amp...

This amp is a completely hand-built, point-to-point, cathode biased, non-negative feedback, single-ended Class A tone monster.

It has everything I need in an amp - Volume, Treble, Mids, Bass controls, gain, boost switch, and for extra tone shaping, an Edge switch.

I'll give it a 10 because it is a really simple, straight ahead amp that is ideal for me. The ability to swap power tubes - EL34, 6L6, 6550, 6V6, KT66 is great for tone-shaping.

I'm using a Fender American Standard Tele, Strat and a DeArmond M75. They all sound amazing and the character of each guitar shines through. I have yet to hear a guitar that didn't sound great with it.

The sound is somewhere between a classic Marshall and an overdriven Matchless. You have the classic Marshall roar with the clarity of a Vox AC 30. You really get that definition of each note in the chord you strum. It also has tons of gain to really push it beyond any standard Marshall I've played. It gets really aggressive and has that real snap like Pete Townshend used to get with his modified Hiwatts.

There is a lot of low-end thump, and a really round, glassy character to the amp. The notes really blossom when they sustain, and you can tweak the amp to get your solid body to sound like an overdriven semi or hollow body. Very cool bonus!

You can tweak the amp a lot and the controls are very interactive. It's unbelieveable how many tones you can get in the classic rock vein up to modern tones. You can nail the AC/DC tone, Page, and get a very useable early EVH tone as well. Surprisingly enough, you also get a very useable, nice clean. I can do some great chickin' pickin' with my tele.

We were playing it in a music store, and another guy was there playing through a really nice Dual Recto combo. Super nice amp. We were trading licks with the guy, and side-by-side I was able to really hear where the Peters shines. It had the gain that the recto had, but the Peters was much fuller and richer sounding. It had a real warmth and aggression that was lacking in the recto. The recto aggression seemed a lot harsher, and the tones with the Peters sound more versatile to my ears.

You can really tweak it to get a ton of sounds. Most amps to me have some great tones, but are much more plug-and-play. With the Class A rich tone with sweet power tube distortion, the glassy tones are addictive.

Built like a tank on an aluminum chassis, solid wood enclosure and a beautifully crafted board that's done in point-to-point. James stands behind his work and takes great pride in his craft.

Unbeatable. James is a perfectionist and really wants to help you get some great tone. He really loves building amps and loves to talk to people about gear and playing. Super nice guy. In my case, he accidentally put a tiny scratch on the chassis. He called me and told me that he was going to have one redone because he didn't want it to go out of his shop like that. It was a tiny scratch that you could barely see, but he takes great pride in his work and wanted to know if it was okay if the delivery date slipped so he could do a new one.

James has a good warranty, and if something were to go wrong would bend over backwards to make it right.

I've been playing for about eight years. I love this amp. It has the tone that my Marshall Jubilee has, but with better attack, much more gain and a much better clean. It has all the things I need in a good rocking head. All the tones I need from country to metal are in there.
I was looking for something to get more gain out of my Marshall when I felt the need, and was considering getting a Hiwatt for the attack, and a Soldano. Now I have the sounds and character that I like in all three plus a very Vox AC 30 character in one amp.