Peavey Valve King (again?)
Lawrence�Logic
must have been abducted by aliens or something because I can't find it.
Anyway, a VK100 head and accompanying 4x12 box has presented itself at a
very good price. I've been loathe to go near them because they're made in
China but, with the exception of one reviewer who ripped shit out of it in
every respect, the Harmony Central reviews have been excellent. Does anyone
here have one or have any good or bad experiences to relate regarding the
VK100?
The Peavey Mace that I owned in the 80's and early 90's was probably the
best amp I've ever owned. 160W of absolute delight! The Classic 30 was
marvellous too, so I have a good history with Peavey valve amps. With the
Valve King, China keeps coming back to me. Theoretically the amp should be
able to be made anywhere in the world and be exactly the same quality. Nice
theory.
I have a Marshall TSL602 which will be dwarfed by its new companion in the
event that I buy the VK. I don't need another amp right now and had
actually decided to save my pennies to buy an Engl head and cabinet, but
this VK is not far away and very much the right price.
On Sunday (tomorrow for me and most others), I'll wander over with trusty
Strat and trusty cable in hand and put the VK through its paces. If I like
it, and I expect that I will, should I buy it? Or am I just talking out of
my AAS?
--
Lawrence
"You have so much spunk... so much life. If only you were an atheist!" -
Richard Dawkins - 1 November 2006
Stratbat84
"Lawrence Logic" <lawrence-Not...@amd-p.com> wrote in message
news:YnD3m.2523$ze1....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
Hey Lawrence,
I was one of the participants in the VK thread. My main complaint about the
VK 212 was that it had a "honky" quality which I attributed to the
"specially voiced" speakers in the combo. Since I had a few big gigs coming
up this summer, I decided to fix that problem--and every speaker combination
I tried, including a separate 4-12 Marshal cab, still had a tone I just
couldn't live with. The gain staging worked well for what I do, but I just
wasn't happy with it. So, I picked up a Vox AC100cph that one of the catalog
vendors had on sale--and I'm really happy.
A lot of guys really like their VKs, but I strongly suggest you put one
through the paces before taking the plunge. Made in China doesn't mean a bad
amp, but they do cut some corners compared to previous Peaveys.
Speaking of... agreed on the Mace and the Classic. My favorite Peavey that I
let get away was one of the first Butcher heads and stack cabs that came off
the line. I got it by a chance meeting with a Peavey rep at a local music
store--told him I was planning on going Marshall, and he told me to wait for
the Butcher. Never found another that was as sweet.
Take care,
Stratbat
Lawrence�Logic
"Stratbat84" <strat...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9HD3m.172629$DP1.62861@attbi_s22...
In a way, I hope that I don't like it. Then I don't have to worry about
anything going wrong with it.
> Speaking of... agreed on the Mace and the Classic. My favorite Peavey that
> I let get away was one of the first Butcher heads and stack cabs that came
> off the line. I got it by a chance meeting with a Peavey rep at a local
> music store--told him I was planning on going Marshall, and he told me to
> wait for the Butcher. Never found another that was as sweet.
>
And that's why I think that I will like it.
--
Lawrence
"Let all my fans know I love 'em, but a gay fish just can't live in the
outside world forever" - Kanye West - 8 April 2009
Steve Johnson
"Lawrence Logic" <lawrence-Not...@amd-p.com> wrote in message
news:YnD3m.2523$ze1....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
I did test out the 50 Watt Valve King combo, and although I did REALLY like
the clean sound it produced, the distortion sounded very "artificial". It
lacked warmth and to be honest sounded quite buzzy to my ears. I went with
the Kustom 36 Coupe. More money, but to me the amp just was more versatile.
Right now I'm "Jonesing" for the Epi Valve Senior 18 watt head. $299 from
Sweetwater and SUPPOSEDLY to be in stock by Jult 24th. We shall see. If it
disappears again into the land of the unicorn, I may be left with no choice
but to order the Baby Will mod kit for my Valve Jr. and turn IT into an 18
watt head.
-Steve
IUnknown
I've got the 1x12 combo.... here are my thoughts.
1 - the 'specially voiced' speakers are crap. flabby and has a nasty
mid peak that i couldn't dial out. I placed it with a celestion
g12t-75 (which i normally HATE).... and the amp now kicks ass.
2 - it is TERRIBLE for 'metal' sounds, but does pretty darn good with
classic rock tones..... especially with my strat. It can be a little
'middy' when pushing it with humbuckers.
3 - the 'class a-b' dial on the back is kinda neat, and does have a
huge effect on the 'tightness' of the power section.
4 - the clean sounds are *spectacular*.... the best i have heard
through a low-cost tube amp.
5 - The reverb tank is awful...
6 - The stock tubes were pretty good (jj and eh pre's, ruby powers)
7 - the effects loop is pretty transparent....
8 - it has been totally reliable to date...... and i ran it through an
8ohm cab at full volume for a gig one day.... never skipped a beat.
I think I paid $349 for mine.... I use it for small gigs, and drag it
to rehearsals when i am too lazy to drag my half-stack :) For that,
it was worth the $$$.
Lawrence�Logic
"Lawrence Logic" <lawrence-Not...@amd-p.com> wrote in message
news:YnD3m.2523$ze1....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
Well, I tried it and saw much promise. So much so that it's now sitting
beside the Marshall, which looks like one of those little battery-operated
things by comparison. I should construct a 2x12 box for the Marshall so
that it can sit the same height.
I've only played it for a few minutes but it seems much crisper than the
Marshall when the gain is wound up. The Marshall tends to get a bit muddy,
particularly on the neck pickup. It's 18 years since I sold the Mace, but I
guess the only thing I can liken the Valve King to is the Mace. Once I
located and disabled the "bright" switch, it brought back some dim yet
joyous memories. I haven't even twiddled the knobs much and I'm already
toying with the idea of selling the Marshall and getting another VK. This
one was AU$750, which was a good price considering the RRP is a fly poop
less than AU$2300. Ironically, the guy who sold it to me just bought a
Marshall TSL100.
[one hearty lunch later]
Perhaps I'm selling the Marshall a bit short because I've never cranked it
up. I won't part with it before at least giving it a chance to show me what
it can do.
Anyway, I may be a Peavey man again. If the VK billows smoke one day, I
shouldn't be alarmed - the Mace did precisely that at band practice one fine
evening in 1986. It cost me a 750ml bottle of Johnny Walker to get it
fixed. It blew up after I sold it too and was repaired by the new owner.
Just on the "break down" side, having a spare amp has always been the
furthest thing from my mind. If a resistor gets a better offer and decides
to decamp from the amplifier business, however, it will do so suddenly and
without warning (save for the smoke in the case of the Mace). Methinks I'll
start a new thread on having a spare.
--
Lawrence
"They're French, so they surrendered immediately!" - NATO Captain - 22 April
2009
Squier
Personally I don't see how you can go wrong with an amp
with a 6L6 power tube section.
I have found that 6L6 power sections make for a big open
sound that you can EQ or adjust nearly anyway you want.
And I also happen to think that most 6L6 amps are very pedal friendly too.
The only thing now is to match it up with a nice cab/speakers
for what you want to do or sound like.
You're all set.
I know someone with a Peavey Valveking combo (the 50 watt 1x12)
and after he changed out the stock speaker it sounds really good.
(He has changed in/out a lot of speakers but I think he is now
using a speaker called the Eminence Swamp Thang in there).
Nice big clean 6L6 power on tap. Adjust to taste.
(He actually runs pedals in front of the clean channel which
sounds better than the gain channel) But YMMV.
Hard to go wrong with 6L6 power section. (imho).
Lawrence�Logic
"Squier" <squ...@strats.net> wrote in message
news:050720091016475517%squ...@strats.net...
>
> Personally I don't see how you can go wrong with an amp
> with a 6L6 power tube section.
> I have found that 6L6 power sections make for a big open
> sound that you can EQ or adjust nearly anyway you want.
> And I also happen to think that most 6L6 amps are very pedal friendly too.
>
> The only thing now is to match it up with a nice cab/speakers
> for what you want to do or sound like.
> You're all set.
>
> I know someone with a Peavey Valveking combo (the 50 watt 1x12)
> and after he changed out the stock speaker it sounds really good.
> (He has changed in/out a lot of speakers but I think he is now
> using a speaker called the Eminence Swamp Thang in there).
> Nice big clean 6L6 power on tap. Adjust to taste.
> (He actually runs pedals in front of the clean channel which
> sounds better than the gain channel) But YMMV.
>
> Hard to go wrong with 6L6 power section. (imho).
>
I had actually been wondering if I'm a 6L6 junkie deep down. I was even
thinking of starting a thread about 6L6 vs EL34 and what the inherent
differences are. Wikipedia had the following:
[wiki]
The EL34 was widely used in higher-powered audio amplifiers of the 1960s and
1970s, such as the very popular Dynaco Stereo 70 and the Leak Stereo 60, and
is also widely used in high-end guitar amplifiers because it is
characterized by greater distortion (considered desirable in this
application) at lower power than other octal tubes such as 6L6, KT88 or
6550. The EL34 is found in many British guitar amps and is associated with
the "British Tone" (Marshall) as compared to the 6L6 which is generally
associated with the "American Tone" (Fender).
[/wiki]
Ironically, I've always loved the Strat/Marshall sound and not been too keen
on Fender amps. I played a Fender twin something long long ago in a local
music shop and didn't like the sound, probably because it wasn't dirty
enough to hide my inability on the guitar. Perhaps I might like them now.
The Mace had Black Widow speakers. My understanding is that they were very
good but I really don't know. They sounded fine to me. The Valve King
cabinet has Valve King speakers, and it would be safe to assume that the
quality is commensurate with the target price range. Of course, while I
paid $750, the RRP including the foot pedal is closer to AU$2400. I have to
keep reminding myself of that because otherwise I see Behringer instead of
Peavey when I look at it. Anyway, it has what it has and it will stay that
way unless there's a compelling reason or opportunity to try something else
eg a lazy quad just lying around waiting for someone to plug into it.
I'd like to say that the reverberation unit is wonderful, but "shitful" is
about as far as I could make it through the dictionary. It's a spring
reverb but it sounds really tinny. Noisy bugger too! There was a
reasonably loud 50Hz hum after I plugged in the BOSS Chorus, the first
effect that I used with it, which went silent when I turned the reverb to
zero. More reverb, more hum. Perhaps there's a shielding problem due to
less-than-tolerable manufacturing tolerances. (Note: I wirr probabry brame
China for any rittle probrem, justified or not!)
--
Lawrence
"In the outside world I am a simple geologist, but in here I am Falcor,
Defender of the Alliance." - Randy Marsh - 4 October 2006
TheChris
@attbi_s22:
> Speaking of... agreed on the Mace and the Classic. My favorite Peavey
that I
> let get away was one of the first Butcher heads and stack cabs that came
off
> the line. I got it by a chance meeting with a Peavey rep at a local
music
> store--told him I was planning on going Marshall, and he told me to wait
for
> the Butcher. Never found another that was as sweet.
>
> Take care,
> Stratbat
Wow - I can't believe anybody remembers The Butcher! Cool amp.. Around
the same time as the early VTM amps...
boardjunkie
> "Stratbat84" <stratba...@hotmail.com> wrote in news:9HD3m.172629$DP1.62861
The Butcher came out around '86 IIRC. The VTM was a couple years
later. I still have the VTM 120 head and 2-12 cab I bought new in
1990. The VTM was just an updated Butcher with the option switches.
With all the switches off they are the same amp. Both
are.....*heavy*......
TheChris
b327-faa...@18g2000yqa.googlegroups.com:
In a good way :)
Flasherly
p.com> wrote:
>
> I had actually been wondering if I'm a 6L6 junkie deep down. I was even
> thinking of starting a thread about 6L6 vs EL34 and what the inherent
> differences are.
I00Watt VK combo version - 2x12 farts but was only $50 more for a
combo's speakers (was looking at the VK head version 1st). Have a
4x12 cab w/ greenbacks. Blew a fuse maybe a year or more later. Found
one suspect burnt tube, and ordered out a matched quad. Haven't had
any problems since.