1977 Peavey Classic 212 distortion problem?

[psingman]

HI, thought I already entered this new thread, but it is not up on the forum and it has been awhile, so looks like it is lost in cyberspace.

I bought a 1977 Peavey Classic 212, the 50 watt tube one with the 2 12" speakers. The previous owner just put in new Fender 6L6GC tubes for the output stage and tidied up the speaker connections. Now, I turned it on and it is quite quiet. However, when I pick a note or strum a chord it holds on to the sound too long and distorts slightly. I am not a tubified one, but is it supposed to do this that long?

So, should I look into replacing the tubes, even though they look good and are new, or change the speakers? Last question, if the output transformer was bad, would it still work well enough to make the amp perform? The reason I am asking these things is I have heard that old Peaveys make some strange noises due to tube rattle and was wondering if that is all it is and I would be wasting my money upgrading. By the way, for recording, any amp like this is totally out of the question, but that is a different path for a different thread. Thanks for listening, hope you can assist me, Derrick

[Enzo]

That is the PV Classic. Is it a plain old Classic or does it also say VT or VTX under the name? It makes a difference.

Why would we think the transformer was bad? It could be of course, but so many other things are more likely,

As far as I know, the tube ratttle issue is limited to EL84s and specifically in the CLassic 30 and to a lesser extent the Delta Blues. They are the same amp circuit, just different cabs and speakers. I manufature a tube retainer for the CLassic 30 that prevents tube rattle, so I am well aware of it. It is not an issue in other PV amps.

What we need to do is isolate your probelm to the preamp or power amp. Plug the guitar into the power amp in jack and see how it sounds. Likewise, run a cord from the preamp out/effects send to another amp to see what the signal sounds like.

[psingman]

Enzo, it is just a plain old 1977 Classic, no VT's, hehe. I don't think you can do any of the actions you mentioned. On the front, there is only normal, bright, series and parallel inputs, and on the back,none but for a wierd din footswitch that I gather is hard to come by.

I tried it out some more this evening. With the guitar cord open and not plugged in and touching the tip (yes, I know you aren't supposed to do this, but I am trying anything to pinpoint the problem), there is no noise and the speakers don't make any bad noises and the electronics seem smooth. After that I turned it off, of course, and plugged the cord into the guitar, waited until it warmed up and played some.

Now, it really is not a bad sound, just slight buzzing and holds the notes or chords too long with a small dirty distortion. Also, earlier I tried to see if the speaker cones were bad and there was a slight scratching when I moved them in some, but wouldn't you not hear the guitar if that was the problem?
I am really thinking it is not the tubes but Jay at Eurotubes says those Fender's might not be the right 6l6GC's for the job.

Anyway, keep the cards and letters coming in, appreciate all assistance. What I am really trying to do is narrow it down and get it repaired, so I can use it to play it or trade it in, as I don't think we are talking about anything major here. The speakers seem to be doing something when I listen to the sound fade out, so I am more inclined in that direction, but one bad tube could do it, too. Getting longwinded, and outta here. TIA, Derrick

[Enzo]

There might be one 6L6 that is "better" for this amp than another, BUT ANY 6L6 will work in it just fine. The "wrong" 6L6 will not cause odd symptoms like loss of sound or level.

So connect the amp to some other speakers and see how they sound. And play some other amp through these speakers to test them.

The preamp is all transistors, so we would want to start with the power rail to them. We would want to check the voltages around the power tubes.

After that, it is just signal tracing.

[psingman]

HI, again, well, I have gotten some responses from some tube dealers. They say the bias has to be adjusted on these older Peavey's after the new tubes are installed. I have read around and a few people, perhaps Enzo, saying that isn't necessary. I am going to keep testing out things, esp. the speakers, but when you don't have the right equipment to do this, it is difficult. I don't think this is a major problem, but it is noisy enough that it might be difficult to resell or trade in unless it is rectified.

One good diagnosis from a friend who listened to it, said, tube amps he has heard weren't even that quiet when they were on, so it must be something to do with the input being amplified and possibly the speakers buzzing from that or being compromised by being old and possibly slightly blown or worn out. Will get back to this thread later today, thanks for all info, Derrick

[psingman]

Hi, well I hooked up the speakers from my Behringer amp via speaker out and that is what it is, the speakers are shot, tried them separately, defiinitely, so must change them. Any input on doing this right would be appreciated now. Then if the noise is still there, it is somethng major.

The guy who sold me the amp soldered the speaker jack on the first loudspeaker out which needs to be plugged in when he tidied up the speaker connection. When I checked each one though it was still each speaker acting up and that is from my Behringer, so will change them out and hopefully this will take the noise away. I am more relieved as 31 year old speakers probably need replacing anyway if they got damaged or rotted out, thanks for all info, Derrick

[Enzo]

Some older model Peavey amps like this one had adjustable bias, but many many Peavey tube amps of later years were not adjustable. SO it depends on the model whether we say it needs adjustment or not.

Tube bias can affect tone and distortion to some degree, but a mis-biased tube wont sit there making funny noises or adding odd signal artifacts. What you described would not have been the fault of bias.

[psingman]

Hi, all again. I thought I would come back and share my upgrade of my old Peavey Classic 212. I took out the old blown speakers and put in Eminence Texas Heats...got a fender amp cord from that N.C. dude, someone clued me in, and cleaned all the pots with that stuff you buy that you spray on the connections. Everything came out great, and it sounds dyno. There is a bit of hum, but I guess that is expected.

If you know of a simple way to quiet down the hum or what effects unit mates well with these older tube amps, please direct or redirect me, Thanks for all the previous help and allowing me to testify of my first tubing experience, psingman

[Gtr_tech]

It needs the filter caps in the pwr supply/bias supply replaced.

[psingman]

Hi, sorry if this is a double type post. I want to change the filter caps on my Peavey, but can I do this myself, and what kind will I need and where do I find them to replace them? OK? Thanks for assisting me, psingman

[macwhisper]

VT Classic

Enzo,

I own a Peavey Classic Vt 50W 2x12 that I bought new many years ago.
I never liked the amp that much until I recently replaced the speakers. I was looking for a lighter weight amp for practice sessions so I wouldn't have to lug around my Twin reverb so I removed both original speakers from the Classic VT and replaced them with one Celestion Century Vintage 60W Neodyme plugged into the 8 ohm speaker tap. Sounds great and saved a ton of weight. Question is: 1.am I OK using the amp with this set up and 2. Do you have any info on the specs of the original speakers since the amp sounds really great now and I'm thinking of adding a second speaker when I want to use it for gigs.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give

Don Wiklund

[Enzo]

I have no idea what specs were on the old speakers, ask PV, they may still have records.

As long as a speaker or speakers have sufficient power ratings and suitable impedance, the amp has no idea how many or what size they are. If it sounds OK, then it is OK.

[thedoctor28]

Get celestions!!!!!!

I have a Peavey Classic VTX Series. I know its a little different than yours BUT, you are running 50 watts or tube power. There are several Celestion speakers you can go with. My amp has 65 watts rms. So i got 2 V 30's for mine. If I knew the difference, I would have put the celestions in years ago!!!. SCORPIONS SUCK!!!! Unless you play country, YUCK... You have a 50 watt rms amp. You can go with the greenbacks (25 watts each =50) or the g12H's that are 30 watts each =60. My V 30's are 60 watts each at 4ohms gives my 120 for my 65 watt amp. Make sure you look at the ohms on the back of your speakers, 8 or 16 and get the same. beleive me. My amp Crushes now!

Tony....