# Peavey Classic 30 or 50?



## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Looks like the Classic 50 is a little bit too big for Ottawa and I'm thinking a Classic 30 might be more appropriate. What would you guys say it's the difference other than power? Could it be a straight trade?
Thanks a lot!


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Too big how? If turning down works, just turn down. Both are 112 combos right?


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

My C50 is 4x10 50w, I think the C30 is 1x12 30w


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Most 50's are 2x12 but some are 4x10's. The 30 is a 1x12.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I believe the only difference in the circuits is the bias circuit. That will effect the feel of the amps response. Play both and pick your favorite. The volume difference will be minimal.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Price wise, I see 50's listed for as low as 400 but usually for 500-600. I paid 400 for mine and it was mint. 30's for right around 400 but I let a deal for one fall apart last summer for 200.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Thank you very much guys. I don't mind trading mine hair by hair for a C50, I think I will be rewarded by having a 12in speaker. 

If someone is interested here in Ottawa...


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I have owned both. A 2 x 12 C50, and a 1 x 12 C30 (both older models). The C50 had a solid state front end (pre amp) and a tube power section. The C 30 was all tube. I liked the 30 much better as far as sound goes. I am mostly a bedroom player, so once above 4 or so on the volume it was friggin' loud!!!! (like, you are not wanting to stay in the same room loud). In a bigger room, or outside on the porch it was nicer. The best sound I got from it was plugging in a 1 x 15 extension cab. C 30's tend to run hot I found, but it didn't seem to hurt anything. 

The C50 I used to put the speakers in series, it helped, but I lent it out to a guy playing it on stage and it broke up too early because I forgot to put them back in parallel for him.


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## LexxM3 (Oct 12, 2009)

Classic 50 is all tube, you might be talking about very old Peavey Classic which believe had some solid state in the signal path. It preceded and looked a lot like a Classic 50.

For what it's worth, I have an old Classic 50 2x12, a modern Classic 30 1x12, and the Classic 20MH -- they are all awesome, but for tone, I like the beat up Classic 50 2x12 the most and will probably like it even more when I replace the old scratchy pots.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Where are you guys seeing classic 30's for $400?!?

The classic 50 is EL34 or 6L6 I believe, the 30 is EL84. It's going to sound a bit different.

I was not aware that the 50 was so big, I know they built a 410 but thought the other was a 112. I would probably switch to the classic 30 as well, or the delta blues (115).


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Budda said:


> Where are you guys seeing classic 30's for $400?!?
> 
> The classic 50 is EL34 or 6L6 I believe, the 30 is EL84. It's going to sound a bit different.
> 
> I was not aware that the 50 was so big, I know they built a 410 but thought the other was a 112. I would probably switch to the classic 30 as well, or the delta blues (115).


I thought they were both 4x EL84 but with the 30 being cathode biased, and the 50 being fixed bias. Same setup as the Crate Vintage Club 50 and 30


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

LexxM3 said:


> Classic 50 is all tube, you might be talking about very old Peavey Classic which believe had some solid state in the signal path. It preceded and looked a lot like a Classic 50.


Correct. It was labelled a Classic and was 50 watts, but it was an old one and had only 2 power tubes. 6L6's I think, but I could be wrong on that. The old original one in black with the aluminium down each side of the speaker. Kinda like:










The C30 uses EL 84's I think. I didn't find the 20 less watts that significant.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

cboutilier said:


> I thought they were both 4x EL84 but with the 30 being cathode biased, and the 50 being fixed bias. Same setup as the Crate Vintage Club 50 and 30


I haven't done the requisite google search to check


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Here's mine, it is 13-15 years old iirc.








The organ is 48yo


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I had a Classic 50 4x10. Awesome cleans. Some people like the gain channel but I found it way too bright. It needs to be loud, really loud, to sound it's best. It was too much amp for small bars unless I used an attenuator. I ended up trading it and haven't really missed it. Good amp but not my cup of tea.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Kerry Brown said:


> It needs to be loud, really loud, to sound it's best. It was too much amp for small bars


This is very accurate.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Most tube amps are too much for small bars though.


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

Kerry Brown said:


> I had a Classic 50 4x10. Awesome cleans. Some people like the gain channel but I found it way too bright. It needs to be loud, really loud, to sound it's best. It was too much amp for small bars unless I used an attenuator. I ended up trading it and haven't really missed it. Good amp but not my cup of tea.


Here's a picture of Kerry Brown in the early 70's playing his Gretsch Chet Atkins, coily-cable & Big Muff into the Peavey Classic 50 410..........











Or it's Pete Townsend, they could be the same person, you ever see Kerry & Pete in the same room at the same time?!?


Best mediocre guitarist in Calgary.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Budda said:


> Most tube amps are too much for small bars though.


Most, but not all.

I played a small pub on Friday with my LSS. I had to tame it down (kinda funny for a 30 watt amp) for the first set as the bar wasn't very full. So I switched the clean channel to 15 watts. By the end of the 2nd set, I was back to 30 watts for the clean channel. The cranky channel stayed at 5 watts all night, right to the bitter (Black Sabbath / ACDC) end. 

My 2 X 6L6 amp hasn't been in a bar in years. It only seems to see outdoor stages. I don't mind, it's kinda heavy compared to the LSS.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

High/Deaf said:


> Most, but not all.
> 
> I played a small pub on Friday with my LSS. I had to tame it down (kinda funny for a 30 watt amp) for the first set as the bar wasn't very full. So I switched the clean channel to 15 watts. By the end of the 2nd set, I was back to 30 watts for the clean channel. The cranky channel stayed at 5 watts all night, right to the bitter (Black Sabbath / ACDC) end.
> 
> My 2 X 6L6 amp hasn't been in a bar in years. It only seems to see outdoor stages. I don't mind, it's kinda heavy compared to the LSS.


I play just about everywhere with my 45 watter. Just means I need pedals for dirt


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

There's the CLASSIC 30. Then there's the other one...


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Someone is offering a trade for a 15w Fender Blues Jr. What do you guys think? Thx


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## grumpyoldman (Jan 31, 2010)

Are you absolutely set on a 12" speaker? 

To me, the deciding factor is the pickups in the guitar. If I use something with humbuckers, I want to play through 12" speakers - for some reason, they just match up perfectly for my ear. For single coils, it is 10" speakers. I really dislike the typical Strat or Tele tones through 12" speakers (and I have had both Fender Twin and Pro Reverbs, and currently have a MusicMan Sixty Five with a 12"), but love them through 10" speakers. 

Everyone has different ears, and hear things differently, and prefer things that others may not, but for me
Single Coils NEED 10" speakers
Humbuckers NEED 12" speakers.

Only YOUR ears know what you need to have in the cabinet....

John
thegrumpyoldman


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

amagras said:


> Someone is offering a trade for a 15w Fender Blues Jr. What do you guys think? Thx


Funny. 
I traded my 50 for a brand new Blues Jr long ago. I only spent 400 on my 50 but the Jr was still in box with receipt going for 600-something at the time. I was looking for a manageable 112 combo and something I could mod as much I wanted to. I knew about Billm and wanted to do some of the work myself. The stock Jr isn't my favourite but I enjoy the heck of it now and have had many offers to buy from people after they play through it at jams.
I'm leaning towards saying don't do it if you expect a decent crunch out of it but the cleans are pretty good. The biggest thing about the Blues Jr is the size of the cab, it needs to be bigger and it would be a better amp right off the bat.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

bzrkrage said:


> Here's a picture of Kerry Brown in the early 70's playing his Gretsch Chet Atkins, coily-cable & Big Muff into the Peavey Classic 50 410..........
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I think the amp in the picture above is actually a Peavey Vintage 410.


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

vadsy said:


> I think the amp in the picture above is actually a Peavey Vintage 410.


Yep. SS pre with 4x6L6 power.


















Best mediocre guitarist in Calgary.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Jr's are great if you have a 412 to run it through 

Try it out with your guitar, see if you like it. Its your call.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Thank you very much guys for the advice, the b junior is potentially a great amp but only after the Billm mods Billm Audio » Why mod your Blues Junior? 
The difference is incredible but I don't think I'm smart and patient enough to make them.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

cboutilier said:


> I play just about everywhere with my 45 watter. Just means I need pedals for dirt


I don't like pedals for dirt. I prefer getting it from the tubes in the amp - both pre and power. My base dirty tone is from the amp (set to 5 watts usually), and then I have an analog boost to hammer the first tube preamp stage into submission. I also use a compressor and a TS808 with the gain pegged for that, ya know, over the top solo setting.

When I took my Sunn T50C out (my only 2 X 6L6 amp left) to bars, I was only getting preamp gain on the dirt channel. But lots of clean headroom on the other channel. I could reduce the global output from 50 watts to 12.5 with a switch on the back but the clean headroom suffered. All the switch was doing was halving the voltage rails on the power tubes, thus the drop to 1/4 power. But it only works on very quiet stages, IMO. And it's just too big to play on quiet stages. My LSS is the answer for what I like to do 90% of the time.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

amagras said:


> Thank you very much guys for the advice, the b junior is potentially a great amp but only after the Billm mods Billm Audio » Why mod your Blues Junior?
> The difference is incredible but I don't think I'm smart and patient enough to make them.


I can get good tones from a BJr if, and only if, I keep the master volume dimed. The preamp gain on those is just nasty.


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