Peavey Classic 30 - A Meat & Potatoes Amp Gets Some Love

[@GOD_BLESS_THE_BEATLES]

WOW!!! I am so impressed with your mastery of this cabinet!! I imagine you can design a BIBLICAL combo amp!! impressive video!! Re: resistors back in the day, I needed to visit an old Army surplus store to obtain resistors! Know your color codes on resistors!!

[@triclone123]

I own lots of amps, including quite a few point-to-point hand wireds, but the Peavey Classic 30 is the "it" to me. Thanks for the video!

[@Kevincarignan]

Great video. I owned a Delta Blues and currently own a 2005 classic 30 and just picked up a Jack Daniels 30T yesterday for cheap. It is basically a classic 30. I worked music retail for 20 years and learned a few things about these amps. I saw these amps worked on and modded in the shop. i found the folding circut board very weird compared to all other tube amps. I took apart the JD yesterday (same as classic 30) to clean the pots. They are very easy to take apart if you disassemble in the right order. Remove tubes. Remove all the pot knobs and pot nuts and and remove all 1/4" 4 jacks as well as the power switch nut. Remove fasteners holding reverb and power cables from cab. remove 4 top screws and side screws holding chassis. Pull the chassis out until you see main circut board and remove connector from the reverb tank, i found the secret to taking out the folding circut board is to pull the separate circut board that has the footswitch and speaker out 1/4 jacks from between the folding circut board and now you can carefully remove. With nut drivers to remove tone pot and 1'4 jack nuts cuts the tear down time down considerably . Now I can take one apart in 15-20 mins also using a drill to remove screws. The JD amp has a metal cage over tubes. 4 small screws to remove other wise same as disassembling Classic 30. The delta blues is basically the same. I had one with the 15' when they first came out early 90's. Wish I still had it. My Tele with EMG's sounded huge doing steel guitar bends also tremelo was fantastic. Hope this helps somebody. Go slow and pay attention. Take pics as you go along

[@gilbertgauger3380]

Proud owner of a Classic 30 Limited and a production line Classic 30. Being primarily a classic rocker but occasional jazz swing player I have pulled the stock speakers and installed Celestion Vintage 30s. After fifty years these our the amps of my dreams.

[@TurdFergusonMatters]

Great video as always Lyle. These workhorses deserve care and respect!

[@Winterfell1066]

Thank you for the video from a few years ago. I have a lot of "high-end" vintage amps, but I also have a Peavey Artist 240 (early version) and a couple of Music Man amps. All with solid state preamps and tube power section. I love them for some things they are better than vintage fender. When I was growing up in the late 70s and early 80s in Mississippi, Peavey and later Music Man was what I could find and afford. Thanks for showing this.

[@wrekkingcru]

Lyle - Once again, I enjoyed yet another of your Amp Luv series. And after I was done with these two Peavey Classic 30 videos, there was another amp dude and I clicked on his video only to be quickly reminded of why your channel, content and general helpful and informative attitude shine above any other amp-related content I've seen on the Interwebs. You don't come off as a guy trying to be a "personality on KZbin", but really hit the sweet spot of something like This Old House or Holmes on Homes. Also really appreciate that you have all your amp videos in specific playlists per amp. Great idea and makes all this great content easier for me to watch and enjoy. Keep it comin' :)

[@sauce_aux]

I have a delta blues 210… one of the greatest sounding, slept on amps. Especially in the price range I paid for it, back in 2003. When you get a chance to crank it up; there is some serious fun to be had. Especially with a tele, some fuzz and octave fx.

[@curtiseverett1671]

I love your show........... thanks man.........but remember........we love your show, and we love the expertise//// but we also love it when you just talk....you are the next generation of TV I am going to recommend you for a guest host position on the Tonight Show.....

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

The amount of Peavey stuff you see out there in the wilds of cheap rehearsal rooms, or abused venue backline, that’s clearly never seen any kind of maintainence, but just keeps ploughing on. Their older solid state stuff will probably survive the apocalypse. I feel like the name ‘Peavey’ is probably a big part of why a lot of Peavey stuff is so slept on. Like if somethings a “peeve” it’s bad, “Marshall” and “Fender” are just stronger sounding words.

[@notasilicaanimus]

Also the goofy looking logo.

[@Crunchifyable2]

It's a shame too because the actual amps sound great especially anything designed by James Brown (5150, JSX, etc)

[@tperki2322]

I have one of these amps. A nice versatile amp. But mine was very hissy and had bad hum. I pulled the circuit boards and replaced all the electrolytic caps with F & T caps. Made a huge difference, now it is very quiet. Replaced the blue marvel speaker with an Eminence Cannabis Rex. Now if I could just make it a tad lighter. Great video Lyle.

[@charlieburnett3710]

For what it’s worth, in the admittedly small number of classic 30’s I’ve serviced, I’ve found, and customers agree, putting a 5751 in V3 noticeably increases usable tones achievable from this amp… Thanks for all the knowledge you share in your videos Lyle!

[@1dotele]

5751 are these different tubes ? sorry for my ignorance but interested I have one of these

[@michaelfeliciano5731]

@@1dotele Yes - The standard preamp tube that you find in the C30 is the 12AX7 for V1 through V3 positions. This tube has a gain factor of "100." The 5751 drops your gain to a factor of "70." This creates some warmth and headroom, and tames that ice-pick treble gain that you may have noticed. You can do a drop in gain even further to a factor of 40 with a 12AY7 tube. I love my C30 and just ordered all new EL84 power tubes, 3 12AX7s, and both a 5157 and a 12AY7, for a couple more to play around with in different preamp positions. Fantastic amps.

[@1dotele]

@@michaelfeliciano5731 Where is a good place to order these tubes? Thanks for the reply

[@luthiervandros]

Dude same here. Every amp deserves the best we can give them. They provide a voice to people.

[@richardbrucemusic]

The Peavey Classic series runs at a +400v plate voltage. EL84s are generally rated around +300v. So they eat tubes. I learned this after throwing NOS EL84s at my C30 and C50 for years. Now I run NOS 7189 tubes rated at +400v and everything is good. Replaced all the caps in the 90's-era C30 and it's a lot quieter now. Also replacing the Eminance no-name" speaker with a Celestion helps. I bought a Relic 60 from GC back in the day and it sounds much better. Rock on!

[@jcsk8]

After this year you have any other problems in the circuit using those other tubes? How things are going and it changes the sound?

[@TheJstewart2010]

Great information for a new Classic 30 owner here. I really appreciate your taking the time to walk through the common problem areas so I'll know what to look for if and when they do occur. It was also really nice to see the U-shaped board before I took my own apart and found it for myself. Yeah. Not so great for servicing. I'm not looking forward to that.

[@michaelk5507]

I think your attitude to these Peavey amps is... commendable. Showing them the respect they probably deserve. It's a bit like industrial archeology on a small scale. Artifacts from a bygone age of US innovatio and consumer production, before 'deindustrialization' and globalization, when all those manufacturing skills faded away.

[@motokev2727]

Picked up a peavey delta blues 1x15 today for cheap at a local thrift store for $75. I didn't think it would work, but works great. Who ever owned it must of gigged it for years, purty beat up.

[@edwardhannigan6324]

Nice service and lots of tips..I have a new Peavey Classic 30, great sound, but they look like a nightmare to fix..Thanks for sharing..Ed..uk..😀

[@wiganlad2006]

Makes me miss my PV Classic 30. Was an awesome amp. But moved to a smaller house and it was in a huge flight case, so sadly had to sell :-(

[@sski]

I had one back in the mid-90s when I fronted and played rhythm guitar in a cover band. That little bugger kicked ass and chewed bubble gum on the backline, being fed by a DOD Overdrive Preamp 250. The lead guitarist was using a Marshall JCM800 half stack and our tones blended perfectly. I graduated to a 1994-vintage PV Classic 50 212 combo a few years ago. It's like the 30, but with MORE. :D Get one if you can.

[@trbr1799]

Lyle, thanks for doing this one. Last weekend, I bought a mid 90s Classic 50 4x10 that I absolutely love. For the price, I don't think I'll ever find a comparable more versatile amp. So, learning how to service it when it's time is gold. Appreciated.

[@piezoman79]

Same amp here. Love it, though I wouldn’t want to have to haul it back and forth for anything. But can’t beat it for its full sound for anything close to their price on the used market.

[@lighthunt]

@Psionic Audio, This video is spot on and very helpful, thank you. I own an old black tweed USA made version, bought it used with vintage 30. It's one the amps people say they sold in the past and regret later. I will not make that mistake. It's a great sounding (and looking IMO) amp, but a true nightmare to work on. Mine hummed a lot, developed funny sounds and was red plating. I am not pro tech, but I know enough to fix moderately difficult things, I had to replace all filter caps, resolder all tube sockets, jumpers where the PCB bends and few other things. Sounds great now, but still has a little bit of hum, but i believe I will need more time to elaborate and probably change tubes or put it on oscilloscope when I have a chance. I agree with your your evaluation on the dis-balance between clean and OD channel. OD sounds so thin, but it improves a lot with boost on, but that button is not on the remote, so it's not great for gig and that mod is difficult probably not worth. There is an extremely simple mod to thicken up the OD channel IMMENSELY. Replace ridiculously teeny 470 pF coupling cap (C4) with a .002 uF cap . I didn't do on mine yet, but but for sure will do at some point (we are literally half a word apart from each other now, have to wait for covid madness to end first). I plan to do the bias mod, but for sure the screen resistor advice is very helpful, I haven't seen discussed it elsewhere. Thank you!!!

[@dubdelay]

Great video, thanks! I was lucky and got a nice USA 2004 one of the for peanuts and a couple of weeks later scored an old 1982 soldid state with a min Celestion G12-65. I swapped the Celestion into the Classic 30 and its sounds much better. Less mids. The Blue Marvel speaker went into the solid state and I use that as an external cab or for playing bass. 250 bucks in and I'll never need another amp. The interesting thing is the Blue Marvel sounds much better in the old 1982 solid wood cab. And the classic 30 sounds much better when I run it with the cab, much fuller across the spectrum. Would be great to get a nice solid wood combo cab to swap the classic 30 control panel and electronics into. I think the cheap cab lets it down more than the Blue Marvel.

[@markmakineste]

Thanks for posting a great video. This inside view and explanation helped me decide to go for a hand-wired alternative. Keep'em coming!

[@matthewtaylor534]

Love to see this! Bring on the common-man amps.

[@progresspedals]

I did two pvC30 recap jobs this week- I would love to know where to put individual screen grid resistors, I have a bag of 1k 5w ready to go. I will say that on the suggestion of D-Lab, I opted for the slightly more frugal single 100uf 500v cap instead of the 2x 47uf in parallel and that does work, but beware the JJ 100ufs I used are big boys and just barely fit under the chassis. I scored mine cheap and wanted to do the recap to either enjoy a meat and potatoes meal, or feel good about flipping them. The glue was the hardest part, and I only broke one of those jumpers, so for my amateur skill level, I was happy. Thanks for the inspiration and information. For the pvC30 fans out there- a Drivetrain or other TS style OD with Treble/Bass controls sound great through these amps. Ketchup?

[@richclayton5785]

Yup! 12 year old fan here and yup I drool over cool vintage; but I play a JTM 30

[@rickcurtis2983]

I am seriously enjoying your channel, so glad I found you!

[@Potatoast]

I own a Classic 50 head and I dig the sound of the drive channel. In fact I like it better than the clean channel with an overdrive. But that's just me.

[@ParaBellum2024]

I bought one of these online and unseen several years ago, on the back of good reviews, and its relatively low price compared to a Fender BDR that I'd tried in a local music shop. When I opened the box I was disappointed to see that, rather than the real tweed that covers the Fender amp, this was covered with vinyl, printed to look like tweed. The amp had also sustained damage in transit, so I sent it back. Then I went to music shop, and bought the Fender.

[@Earlvis]

Nice outro (Over the Hills) at the end. Great vid, Lyle.

[@thomasdavy594]

yes thank you, we just love your vids.

[@therealjustincase]

The yellow glue can be separated from the board or the caps pretty easily after treating it with 99% isopropyl alcohol by letting it penetrate between the glue mass and whatever is is stuck to - starting at the edge and lifting the glue blob with an exacto knife while adding alcohol into the gap, letting it sit a little bit and peeling it off nice and slow.

[@larrydering1598]

Great tip, thanks for sharing.

[@jkf9167]

I've had much fancier amps that I didn't love as much as I loved my Delta Blues or the Classic 50 I had before that. I only have ever owned one amp at a time.

[@josephballerini3730]

Good amp. Owned for many years and then sold.

[@jasonstone1046]

Great little amps.

[@jwiegand1022]

I got one of these for 50 bucks. Guy said it didn't work. I replaced tubes and it fired up but had an annoying hum. Sent it to a tech and for 100 bucks he was able to get rid of the hum. Amp sounds really good loud.

[@waltjames407]

I'm a big fan of these amps. I installed a back panel on mine to protect the tubes, after a tube was damaged from a cable getting caught on it. I call it the "DUH mod." Used to own a Classic 50, traded it for a Classic 30. The 50 seems like an overall better built amp, though. I was just tired of lugging it around and getting volume complaints for my trouble. I prefer the earlier breakup of the 30 as well, I just wish that the build were a little more solid.

[@1Dougloid]

Agree about the cleanup.

[@cvdevol]

Wow. First time I've seen an ad on one of your videos.

[@sski]

Cool! Found it, a video related to my Classic 50. I'll take a look at the things you looked for, found, and fixed. The screen resister mod might be something I'll need more info on, but it sounds like something worth doing.

[@zbaby82]

Shoddy short lived IC caps held in place with glue that will last thirty years. Nice playing at the end there.

[@ernestschultz5065]

Loved the Led Zeppelin outro

[@scottraycraft5151]

my classic 30 was a problematic crackly dying out eating tubes sounded great when it worked hunk of junk...finally had a good tech replace the caps...been fine ever since

[@nonemlinus]

Thank you for posting. I was looking around for some details about the design or even what class the circuit this classic amp is but could not easily find them. I see now why. I was thinking to buy one, they do sound nice but maintenance might be fugly. Respect, and peace.

[@jawbla]

I attached a piece of unistrut to the back of my Peavey Classic 30 to protect the tubes.

[@TheWyattstrings]

Great information, thank you!

[@GreggBennett-j3p]

Thank you for this. I wish I could drop off my classic 30 at your shop. My classic 30 has a weird vibration and muddiness. Almost unusable. Multiple amp techs said they ‘hated’ these amps, they all ‘suck’ and they refuse to work on them. Is this vibration and extreme muddiness a common classic 30 issue?

[@aimp4598]

The schematic seems to show a screen resistor "R58". Or am I mistaken?

[@JohnDriver-k8y]

Thanx Amigo ! Don't own one but am thinking bout it >> Ciao >>> J D

[@surge98]

Great video, thanks. What do you make of the 400 ohm, 5 watt resistor on these amps (R58). I've read that Peavey intended for this to act as a screen grid, and the 100 ohm resistors on the tube sockets are only to control oscillation. Doesn't make sense to me that a single 400 ohm resistor could act as an effective screen grid for four tubes.

[@jameskaihatu6209]

Thanks for this. I've got a Classic 30 and am having issues with one of the power tubes suddenly lighting up very brightly. There is an accompanying loss of volume so I think the socket isn't gripping the legs of the tube very securely - if I pull on the "TubeTamer" device that was installed on it (I bought it used) it will go back to its usual level of illumination. There's no way to adjust tension of the socket so it might need to be replaced, and this video shows me what whoever I get to work on this (I hope there is someone in the vicinity) will have to face...

[@gearoftones8585]

I used to have a peavey classic 30. Really liked it but it used to get extremely hot!

[@soundknight]

Have you ever worked on a peavey wiggley?

[@cgavin1]

That is truly one of the more shoe on head construction methods I have ever seen. o_0

[@guyco]

you mention the classic being a convenient amp to manufacture but not convenient to service. in your opinion which amps are convenient to service (and also sound good)?

[@timsullivan1940]

Is this an amp that needs to be biased if I'm replacing all or even 2 of the power tubes?

[@jacobbockover1628]

So when i was a teen i would take stereo and guitar stuff that didnt work and look for basic issues like broken contact or burnt components (for a while i lived in a flood area) and i would have some success but if i had opened that amp or alot of new stuff id just get rid of it. I am no tech and lost my sight in 2007 so i missed alot

[@spyroskontogiannis1701]

Very interesting video, thank you! At one point you say that the peavey delta blues is the same to the classic 30 (apart from the speaker and the tremolo). Do you mean the circuit is identical? I think the stock tubes are also the same (at least in the old USA made ones). Does this mean they are supposed to produce 'roughly speaking' similar driven sound? I find that my delta blues lacks saturation in the crunch channel compared to the classic 30 reviews i hear.. Is delta blues supposed to be lower gain on the crunch channel or is there something wrong with my amp? Thanks!

[@Robert-Smith]

Could you explain the screen resistors a little more in detail also include information about location of not seen resistors. I have the same amp and will be taking it apart and would like to do all the preventative maintenance while it is already apart. Many thanks for the great information

[@PsionicAudio]

Honestly, this is in the category of "if you have to ask..." The amp has screen grid resistors on only two output tubes. It is better with resistors on all four. If the person doing the service is qualified, that's all the instructions needed. If more is needed, stop. Do not attempt.

[@Robert-Smith]

@@PsionicAudio Do you know of any good amp techs in Ontario Canada that you would recommend to do the screen resistors thanks. I have already replaced all the caps and the normal potentiometer that was not working. The amp sounds great and works good but I would like to make sure my tubes last as well.

[@hyivideos]

where does one order a replacement pot for post on these Classics?

[@PsionicAudio]

www.amprepairparts.com/peaveypots.htm

[@jacobbockover1628]

You know i traded away my bassbreaker cause i felt it had a life span and i really like more sag in my crunch. Im still searching for "the one"

[@alanpecherer5705]

Peaveys always gets a lot of razzing, and they have done so for 40+ years. Objectively, I do not think they are built one bit less good than Fenders. I bought a 1-12" ValveKing because I like the power and the size of the package (40 watt, 1-12" spkr) and I was used to my modded '68 Princeton Reverb, but wanted to stop dragging it around to gigs because it was getting beat up. The stock ValveKing speaker is an absolute piece of Chinese garbage, but replaced with a quality speaker (an old Altec 417-8H in my case) the amp is quite good. These are for sale under $200 all day long and with a good speaker, I think you get a pretty versatile amp for under $300 all in.

[@dominicisnthere9687]

My dad gave me a 1977 classic. Simply says classic on it, and it has a transistor preamp but tube power section. Pretty weird. Sounds kinda like crap and has weird gain/volume fluctuations, plus only seems to have a clear signal with the reverb turned up...so it lives in my closet with the peavey renown he also gave me

[@PsionicAudio]

Very different Peavey Classic. It can be confusing.

[@jonnybeck6723]

@12:58... 'sounds papal' (?) Is this a Catholic analysis?

[@PsionicAudio]

Heh. *Painful.*

[@brianbarrett5987]

Where did you get the 5 watt resistors?

[@PsionicAudio]

Mouser

[@JeffBostick222]

The design of Peavey's isn't necessarily bad but the build quality is sketchy imo. I have heard that Peavey equipment was what emerging bands would take on the road because it was the only brand widely supported across north America.

[@scottk27332]

Great video as I am researching a 1974 Classic 50 - 212 in my area for sale and the guy says the "trem" doesn't work? Any thoughts on that, maybe bad solder joint? Might give it a whirl for $150

[@PsionicAudio]

Tube most likely but could be components.

[@richardbrucemusic]

The old Classic 50 bears little resemblance to the "more modern" 90s-today" Classic series.

[@dangitdan9938]

What a tech nightmare. Design aside that glue looks like a major PiA! Killer amps to play though.

[@loudguitar]

I have a 1994/95 Classic 30. that has been a trooper. I have never had it serviced, but several years ago, I replaced the stock tubes with JJs and EHX preamp tubes. and installed a V-30. Made it a completely different amp. I have been wondering about replacing the filer caps. Should I wait until it fails or do you think it is worth have the work done? It is in pristine condition.

[@PsionicAudio]

Absolutely worth it. Remember, when things do fail in these, the board tends to burn. Much better to refresh before damage occurs.

[@loudguitar]

@@PsionicAudio Contact info?

[@inessalazarkopp4579]

I am a stripter, and whenever someone asks me what is the dirtiest or most unpleasant thing what have I ever done , I always answer thaking apart a PV classic 30 PCB .

[@Kanthon]

They seem to all have that startlingly sharp attack. Like someone clapping your ears. I do like the tone of them otherwise. Much better than a HotRod Deluxe.

[@gben2457]

May be a great amp, but why wouldn't you get a 5E3 if you wanted a classic amp tone?

[@pierrederesistance]

Cost.

[@jkf9167]

1) money, 2) volume. The Peavey classic series amps have a ton of headroom for what they are without sounding unpleasantly harsh at low volumes. With a 5E3, you have want to do something that a 5E3 does. Also, the Classic series don't necessarily have classic amp tones, they have Peavey Classic amp tones. There's a difference.

[@YTPartyTonight]

As Mike Watt might say, jamming econo.

[@scottk27332]

Oh and what would a service like your video cost someone?

[@PsionicAudio]

In this video, with no changed filter caps, $150 labor and $25 parts. Not including output tubes (usually needed in these amps with the abusive stock circuit).

[@scottk27332]

@@PsionicAudio Caps have to be checked out of circuit to get the correct uF value correct?

[@PsionicAudio]

Depends on the role in the circuit. But in general.

[@scottk27332]

@@PsionicAudio Filter caps you were suspicious of in this video and said you usually replace.

[@gregsenko9855]

Interesting - but seems like it would be easier to just build a similar amp

[@randywood5406]

I like the tone but those folding boards are the most dumbassed design I've ever seen. I've repaired maybe a dozen and have had to repair the connecting wires on at least 6 of them. Also the power resistor mounted too low has burned the board on almost all of them. Otherwise they are fairly good amps.

[@jameskavanagh4300]

The first thing I would do with a classic 30 amp is throw it in a dumpster. That folding pcb is ludicrous.

[@benlogan430]

They don’t hold up? Mines only 30 years old.

[@pkdude5334]

A damp microfiber would do better than a paper towel and less prone to scratching.

[@patrikez1]

Aw crap,i repared a lot of these pigs in the mid 90´s to early 2000´s.-Transformers blowing Inputjacks failing,Pots failing. Plus they sounded shit on stage,no projection at all. '-The poor boys and gals had to dime it to be heard,and yet all you heard was a middlefrequency hum.=Crap.

[@anthonysilva5312]

Not sure what I was supposed to learn from this…..?

[@thomaswashington3201]

,,if you're not a skilled technician, then don't bother purchasing one. I was ready to purchase one locally, and all I can imagine now is a long drive to repair shop.

[@darrenshorsky2984]

why bother?? this kind of amp couldn't possibly be worth the labour cost. or did you do it just to show us the issues?

[@merrillaldridge2775]

Lyle understands the scope of his demographic audience. Believe it or not...he is not just a vintage gear snob. He honestly desires to touch on subjects and equipment familiar to everyone. His demographic is not just other amplifier technicians, but also players and amateur amp builders. He is building common "awareness" and that means sometimes he must include lower budget/more common equipment and show the capabilities and limitations of that equipment compared to the "more desirable" vintage and boutique.

[@merrillaldridge2775]

The "labour cost" Lyle invests into these videos of "meat and potatoes" is his investment in the wider guitar/audio culture. Friedman, Suhr, and even Dumble had a deep experience with lower budget equipment that fed their experienced choices in their vision of the ideal answer. Lyle keeps his spectrum of information open to find solutions in both the humble and the expensive. If you pay attention, Lyle arrives at great solutions that are both dependable and sound great.