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As per usual, I'm digging for other's thoughts and experiences on amps. I posted this on a couple of sites (telecaster.com and harmony central), and so far, very few bites. I'm asking this question because I am concerned about a future where I will possibly be pouring money into my excellent sounding C30, and wonder if I might be better off with a C50, as it has been pointed out that due to the size of the cabinet, the EL84s are not punished as much (as in the C30) due to the increased size of the C50 212's cabinet. Or, the other viable option being the Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue (read below).
Reading the posts on user's thoughts, concerns and praises to their BDRI has been a lesson in "better the devil you know than the devil you don't". If I didn't know better, I would've sworn that I was a reading a thread on the Peavey Classic 30.
I currently have a Classic 30, and like a lot of people, there are things about it that I like: channel 1 is great, channel 2 is good but not great, the boost switch is okay, but needs tweaking, the size of the cab is great, looks good, durable fake tweed in tolex = a little Fantastic and its clean, speaker is mediocre, Weber Blue Dog Alnico would likely be BIG improvement, a Mercury Magnetic OT might make an improvement, nice selction of controls, particle board cab is a downer, made in Mississippi is a very big plus.
When I did a search for Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue vs Peavey Classic 30, I was surprised at the number of posts that came up extolling the strengths of the C30 over the BDRI. Harmony Central posts towards the BDRI are generally quite favorable. All in all, I would say from the reviews that users concerns, and users praises are pretty well equally balanced (though I can't account for the very high number of users who felt the C30 sounded better). After readingf the comparisons, one is left with the feeling that the majority of posters woudl prefer a C30 over the BDRI.
To be fair, I thnink that if I was to take a 25' cable (as one BDRI user/poster did) and stand that far from the C30 it too would probably sound like a transistor radio. The C30 and the BDRI should both be miked for large venues, or use a extension cab, and to get the most out them, both shoud have their volumes controlled from the guitar, as in the "old days", not from the amp, and the C30's volume control is very incremental, quite sensitive at least up to at least 6, and maybe beyond, a feature not to be found on the BDRI.
Having said all of that, I am not entirely sure if I want to keep my C30. It is very new, so I was told by the store that I could exchange it. One of my concerns is the reliablitiy of the EL84s. One of them in my C30 has already gone microphonic, which the store said was likely a faulty tube, and they will replace it (the whole set actually). I have heard elsewhere that the EL84 is not as stable as the 6L6. Is there truth to this??
The only other amp out there in this price range, size, wattage, configuration is he BDRI or the Peavey Classic 50 212 (I have not heard the Marshall MA50). I was in a store yesterday checking out the BDRI, and I quite liked it. The first channel is amazing. I think that they could have added a little more gain to channel 2, but other wise it seems like a well made product, sounds like it should. I have read that you should put a coat of polyurathane over the tweed, otherwise it'll look like sh*t in no time (a big plus for the tolex tweed covered C30/50).
The C50 212 is a force to be reconned with. It is large(r) AND it is 50 watts. Its a C30 on steroids. There is no mistaking the Classic throatiness reminiscent of the C30. It does not want, it gives, and plenty. Too much for an all around amp in a house though???
There are a number of mods to the circuit board for either one, and plenty of simpler mods, and like the C30, the stock speaker in either the BDRI or the C50 is nothing to write home about, an easily rectifiable problem though.
Any thoughts? I'm not brand loyal. Fender, Peavey, Marshall, what ever. Its the sound and reliablity that I am after. Oh, and I play a Strat deluxe.
Regards.
Reading the posts on user's thoughts, concerns and praises to their BDRI has been a lesson in "better the devil you know than the devil you don't". If I didn't know better, I would've sworn that I was a reading a thread on the Peavey Classic 30.
I currently have a Classic 30, and like a lot of people, there are things about it that I like: channel 1 is great, channel 2 is good but not great, the boost switch is okay, but needs tweaking, the size of the cab is great, looks good, durable fake tweed in tolex = a little Fantastic and its clean, speaker is mediocre, Weber Blue Dog Alnico would likely be BIG improvement, a Mercury Magnetic OT might make an improvement, nice selction of controls, particle board cab is a downer, made in Mississippi is a very big plus.
When I did a search for Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue vs Peavey Classic 30, I was surprised at the number of posts that came up extolling the strengths of the C30 over the BDRI. Harmony Central posts towards the BDRI are generally quite favorable. All in all, I would say from the reviews that users concerns, and users praises are pretty well equally balanced (though I can't account for the very high number of users who felt the C30 sounded better). After readingf the comparisons, one is left with the feeling that the majority of posters woudl prefer a C30 over the BDRI.
To be fair, I thnink that if I was to take a 25' cable (as one BDRI user/poster did) and stand that far from the C30 it too would probably sound like a transistor radio. The C30 and the BDRI should both be miked for large venues, or use a extension cab, and to get the most out them, both shoud have their volumes controlled from the guitar, as in the "old days", not from the amp, and the C30's volume control is very incremental, quite sensitive at least up to at least 6, and maybe beyond, a feature not to be found on the BDRI.
Having said all of that, I am not entirely sure if I want to keep my C30. It is very new, so I was told by the store that I could exchange it. One of my concerns is the reliablitiy of the EL84s. One of them in my C30 has already gone microphonic, which the store said was likely a faulty tube, and they will replace it (the whole set actually). I have heard elsewhere that the EL84 is not as stable as the 6L6. Is there truth to this??
The only other amp out there in this price range, size, wattage, configuration is he BDRI or the Peavey Classic 50 212 (I have not heard the Marshall MA50). I was in a store yesterday checking out the BDRI, and I quite liked it. The first channel is amazing. I think that they could have added a little more gain to channel 2, but other wise it seems like a well made product, sounds like it should. I have read that you should put a coat of polyurathane over the tweed, otherwise it'll look like sh*t in no time (a big plus for the tolex tweed covered C30/50).
The C50 212 is a force to be reconned with. It is large(r) AND it is 50 watts. Its a C30 on steroids. There is no mistaking the Classic throatiness reminiscent of the C30. It does not want, it gives, and plenty. Too much for an all around amp in a house though???
There are a number of mods to the circuit board for either one, and plenty of simpler mods, and like the C30, the stock speaker in either the BDRI or the C50 is nothing to write home about, an easily rectifiable problem though.
Any thoughts? I'm not brand loyal. Fender, Peavey, Marshall, what ever. Its the sound and reliablity that I am after. Oh, and I play a Strat deluxe.
Regards.
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