Peavey Classic 20 Mini Head Amp | Review

"Well built, great looks and fantastic authentic sounds, a top class portable little valve amp"
Peavey Classic 20 Mini Head Amp Review by Guitar Interactive Magazine. Reviewed in Issue 38 of Guitar Interactive Magazine by Lewis Turner.
Welcome to GI 38, another bumper edition of the world's favourite online guitar mag!
We've three fabulous players featured inside - from the electric world, the amazing Paul Gilbert makes his long awaited debut, with a long interview filmed in his LA studio. Returning to the fold is the great Michael Schenker, filmed in London, and finally, as a Quiet Room Special, we have the incredible Antoine Dufour, the Canadian acoustic guitarist who not only gave us his time for an in-depth interview but also performed live in our studio. Whatever you do, don't miss this!
As always, we've a packed issue of reviews, with an expanded Quiet Room section plus our usual full review line-up of guitars, amps, FX, basses, acoustics, home/project studio and live gear (not to mention the unstoppable Jaime Vendera!). All that plus our free tuition columns.
As for competitions, this is our best ever issue! We've got a signature Ibanez Paul Gilbert guitar, the amazing Seven Sisters FX pedals from Red Witch and handmade Manuel Rodriguez classical guitar ALL up for grabs in this issue's competitions!
This is our last issue for 2015 (don't worry - Issue 39 is in production right now) so thanks for being with us and stay tuned for next year. GI - still growing and still unique!

[@JimmyBackbeat]

I have been a guitar player since 1995 and I still haven't learned how to play a guitar. These videos are killing my confidence

[@imlostinthewoods]

Fret King + Peavey FTW! Awesome tones and playing!

[@LarsBauer74]

I love the clean sound in particular in this clip!

[@paulenglefield5618]

A really useful review that gives a good sense of how this amp sounds.

[@lawlaw1]

Sounds great. I had the classic 50 combo, 20 years ago. Fantastic amp

[@anarmadillowithagun]

lawlaw1 I have that one now, despite being beat up it's an incredible sounding amp

[@tjnugent62]

I had one with 4x10 and it had an amazing clean tone and it would growl. Loved it.

[@josephgreto8943]

own and love this amp for 3 years now

[@Driftuner]

Joseph Greto cool man, has it been reliable?

[@josephgreto8943]

very! I use it almost every day. Besides 1 new set of power tubes in 2 years, no down time. great amp!!!!

[@Driftuner]

cool thanks dude!

[@lipeguitars]

Any issues with it how reliable is it ?

[@imlostinthewoods]

Joseph Greto did the amp need to be biased when you installed the new tubes? Or could you just plug in the new new tubes and play it? Thanks

[@MrStephenlederle]

I had a Peavey Classic 50 2x12 as my very first tube amp. Didn't know what tubes were at the time, I was 17 and just wanted a big, loud amp to gig with and it was the only one of its size in the small town music store I was in. I loved this amp but got swept away with Peavey nay Sayers. Anyway I was in the market for a smaller, lower wattage amp and I looked everywhere and kept coming across the micro head lines that Peavey offer. I ended up with the Valveking 20MH , but I seriously considered this amp too. These are definitely the best bang for the buck, for sure. I did see the undercover boss episode and was shocked at how heartless and dick heading Hartly was, but the product speaks for itself.

[@FreddyFromage-lk4mp]

good video, sounds like a great amp. its good t o see the EQ works on the clean channel, thats.

[@lanceburnett27]

I know it's four years later, but I bought the guitar and amplifier and both should be here by early May. I'm really looking forward to all the tone this combination is going to provide me

[@tedunguent156]

Did you get the rig in early May? What do you think?

[@lanceburnett27]

@@tedunguent156 the guitar came with problems and the amp got backordered so long I ended up getting a supro galaxy. All I can comment on is that an ASAT Classic through a Supro Galaxy is heavenly. I may visit fret king again if I find a good deal. I've had a classic 30 before, but I'd still love to get the 20 and the 2x12

[@tedunguent156]

@@lanceburnett27 Yeah, that Classic 20 MH with the 2X12-C is a nice rig. That Supro Galaxy is really, really nice but 50 watts. More than I need.

[@lanceburnett27]

@@tedunguent156 more than I need as well, but it's surprisingly easy to tame. I play in my home, and the clean channel is fine to 33% volume, while the dirty channel is the same with low gain. At about 66% gain I can barely engage the power tubes though, lol

[@jas_bataille]

Well that sound better than any of the 5K+ "boutique amps" I've heard....!

[@GONZOFAM7]

Nice that is has good clean headroom. I own the classic 20, breaks up nicely but too soon and too hard. There is a sweet spot if you adjust the guitar and volume just right.

[@MetallenVikingr]

that can be fixed by adjusting the biasing of the amp, not an easy task exactly but it will affect how easily the signal breaks up.

[@GONZOFAM7]

I swapped the first preamp 12AX7 tube from for a lower gain one 12AT7 and had good results. It works just how I want it now.

[@MetallenVikingr]

yeah the 12AX7 is quite the gritty tube

[@MrAMF50]

Great demo, thanks.

[@thenewmedic]

What speaker is used here? Assuming it's not a Blue Marvel.

[@fedboy21]

Anyone ever try and compare this line peavey mini head with laney lionheart mini head? Any tought??

[@soberdave09]

I have this amp & just bought the Laney Lionheart L5 & I’m curious the difference too🤟🏻

[@johnymartin5411]

Same , curious also as I'm considering both.

[@everythingisopen]

@@soberdave09 any updates to share?

[@jello-tarzan]

I'm curious as well.

[@georgewilkins4231]

Important...... Amp has speaker defeat and DI out to an interface or mixer. So great for direct recording. You don't need to mic up to record.

[@ITigerbaum]

That guitar? Looks like it has some Tele-fixes -like the switch and weight. Killer chops!

[@ClovisBourrier]

I want to buy this amp, because of the warm jazz, blues, rock sound, very versatile. But is it the same today, or is it a bad chinese version actually?

[@mattgilbert7347]

It's a good Chinese version. Like almost everything we use nowadays.

[@3FlyingFarts]

EXCELLENT review

[@score58]

Great review, thank you

[@MinGamingKanal]

Im looking into silcent recording at home, and i do want to use an amp. Does the peavy have an internal dummy load. so if i were to just use the amp directly into my recording interface, it would not create a black hole and destroy me and blow up in the process?

[@allsic]

this little champ will do it..

[@mattgilbert7347]

I don't trust those internal load protection equipped amps...

[@BitchCityRocks]

bought one a month ago. so glad I did, this is a monster amp...running it through a Marshall 4x12. the direct out is so nice. I can plop it down next to the laptop and record without having to drag the can up stairs and mic it . reverb sounds surprisingly good.

[@allsic]

hi, how do you setup the impedance both in the amp and the cab? i have same setup but not sure if hooked up correctly..

[@BitchCityRocks]

allsic look on the back of your cab and it should tell you what ohm to use. most cabs are 8 or 16.

[@allsic]

cab has 2 inputs each says 8ohm left and right but also the one for the right says 4ohm and the one for the left says 16ohm... dont know which one the cab is a marshall 1960a please google the backplate and you will see what i mean.. thanks for the help..

[@DMSProduktions]

VALVES!!! This is BRITAIN!

[@Ellio1862]

Let me let everyone into a little secret. Guitar magazines never say anything negative about the gear they're demonstrating because the companies involved would stop spending advertising money in there magazines.

[@Carmelo.G]

Ellio1862. Cool

[@teachmehowto2658]

what negative thing can you say about this product?

[@blekfut5763]

Made in China.

[@PreacherAtArrakeen]

digital reverb, not real spring.

[@Andrey.Balandin]

@@teachmehowto2658 it can only do light Overdrive on crunch Channel gain at one, and all the gain past five or six is utterly useless because it is very fizzy, it is a lot of distortion but it is completely unsuitable for metal and to much for rock. So The Sweet Spot is very narrow and I get a feeling that the drive is too hard clipping for a smooth edge-of-breakup Overdrive. I don't hear anybody play creamy Blues on this amp. Only Crystal cleans and Hardrock kind of distortion. Being called a Classic it is missing a lot of the classical tones. You may use the clean Channel at full whack for overdrive but it means you losing your cleans. You end up with a 1 channel. If you are thinking about switching between cleans and light overdrive I don't think it's possible with this amp.

[@sylwestersosniak220]

Super !!!

[@finishin.my.coffee8780]

Refresh my memory...did Peavey make this same amp or a very similar one around 1995 or so, or am I thinking of something else? The one I remember was definitely a head and not a combo.

[@pb12661]

I'm pretty sure they made both a classic 20 combo and head. I don't think they made the classic 20 head for very long.

[@finishin.my.coffee8780]

JONATHON SEAGULL Thank you!

[@dalehumphrey8765]

no head, but a combo with 1 10" speaker

[@ricmel8008]

Can you use the DI out to a PA and use a regular cab simultaneously? Can both use together, DI and regular input?

[@tactlacker]

Ric Mel yes

[@ricmel8008]

@@tactlacker TY

[@jeremynollen3569]

what is that guitar?

[@lanceburnett27]

Fret King country squire deluxe

[@JWCFB]

Will it take overdrive and distortion pedals well?

[@JWCFB]

Can we see how it rocks one time?

[@godzilla964]

If I use a tube screamer could this amp be good for metal?

[@anarmadillowithagun]

Ryan they make a version of the Peavey 5150 that is a mini head like this one which would be much better for metal

[@rocki4k]

It's a 6505 mh. I have one, and it's incredible for metal. Got it on the facebook marketplace for $300. The previous owner put in a tube set from a mesa boogie mini rectifier in it.

[@johnymartin5411]

I'd be intrested in it for doom metal , curious if it would pull off some C# sludge like an orange.

[@ricmel8008]

Nice guitar, anyone know the guitar?

[@expresidentfortune]

Fret King Country Squire semitone

[@ricmel8008]

@@expresidentfortune nice

[@PreacherAtArrakeen]

So, the 30w Combo has a real spring reverb (I have one) and the 20w head has a chip. Why? My C30 needs replacing (110v model in Europe, not exactly convenient) and, after finding this out, I am passing on it in favour of a VOX AC15H. Also, my unit was made in the US. Now they are made in China, and sold for the same price? Nosirree, bob.

[@LeviBulger]

Are you really asking why a head doesn't have an actual spring reverb?

[@daw162]

Where are you going to put the spring reverb kit inside a head that small? I have two US made peavey amps. Peavey was making amps in the US under its original owner probably at a rate that's not sustainable, especially as ownership transfers. You're also comparing the price of a US made amp from half a decade or a decade plus ago and not accounting for the fact that it would've increased in price more than staying the same if it stayed in the US. Have a look at marshall's overseas stuff vs. US made. The origin 20 is in the same ballpark as this head, and the english made studio 20 head is more than twice as much. Certainly, if you feel like peavey's asking too much for their amps now, you can either buy the used US made amps, or go into business proving how much better of an amp you can make and support for the same price or less.I don't think it'll be that easy. Most of the low cost stuff I've come across (and I'm a sucker for it) isn't really that great, or isn't that reliable.

[@AwebbnFriends]

Excellent playing and great information on this Peavey amp - I have the very same one and love it. BUT you need to RELAX Dude, you come off WAY too serious . A smile every now and then would make you look more personable. Don't take life so seriously...

[@rockwriter9054]

A. WEBB were you just looking and not listening?

[@JB-xz6dt]

A. WEBB A. WEBB Dude, you need to STOP telling people how to act, you're coming off as pretentious and very unlikeable

[@ArielsSmartyPants]

Very nice :)

[@Ian10111]

Can you plug in a acoustic guitar into this?