Baxter and Jonathan talk about the demise of Peavey Guitars and Amps. After watching undercover boss episode at the Peavey Factory it really opened some eyes!
From Leo: Hartley Peavey started the Amplifier company from the ground up, and was the heart and soul of the company. In his prime he really did great, against well established big corporations. He aged out and no one was able to carry the baton. He did keep manufacturing in the USA for decades after everyone else closed the domestic factories. Maybe another driven leader can grab the controls for the next generation. I still have Peavey amps from the 1970's that are still rock solid. Our church has Peavey PA gear bought in the '80's that runs 4 times a week. The roofs has been replaced a couple times, the furnaces a couple times, but the Peavey gear just keeps on performing.
Yes, their solid state PA and Bass Amps are built like tanks and only need a clean up or minor repair on the repair bench every 20-30 years. Plus, they are solid circuits understood by most techs for low cost repair. The legend goes that for many years the lower paid Nashville tour bands carried Peavey amps a lot, due to their bang for the buck, affordable used prices, availability, reliability and easy, low cost repair. The exception would be the Mace tube amp, ha. Too much power that melted circuits when run full bore. Good effort poor implementation on that one.
Their guitars from the late 70s and early 80s were fantastic. He had the first splitable pickup that I had ever seen on a guitar but used a knob instead of a switch. I heard his EVH guitars were good too.
@@jigsorbmr7910 I had the Peavey Steve Cropper signature Tele style model in green burst or something like that, in the mid 2000s. It was really sweet. I sold it, as I had a lot of other comparable guitars at the time, but I still think about how cool it was here and there.
Honestly Peavey doesn't have to make a big commercial come back, their old school amps are indestructible and are bought and sold on the used market like crazy for that reason they're all still around and making music. Classics that never die, literally.
Why would you support a company that promises employees a raise so they don’t leave a better paying job then tell them they have 60 days to fund a new job 4 months later
I got rid my Peavey solid states like the Bandit and Rage. Never had a Peavey tube amp. I watched Undercover Boss when Hartley Peavey’s step son took over and closed US factories promising on TV that he wouldn’t. Right after the show aired on CBS he closed the US speaker factory. In my opinion he screwed up the business that Hartley started.
I’ve got a Peavey Bravo 110 tube amp I got used through a trade for a different ampZ Made in the US and LOUD if I turn it up. Maybe a bit scratchy and needs some cleaning, but a solid amp so far. Pretty good for an amp made in the 80’s!
Peavey made THE gear for gigging bands, it was all good (not great, but good) and you could afford it. And, by god, American made. True shame they didn't thrive and stick around.
Peavey gradually moved production overseas...just like EVERY major U.S. Company. The Trade agreements (NAFTA etc) negotiated by both Republicans and Democrats favored moving jobs overseas..and that strongly influenced Peavey,too. Hartley is a brilliant man. Not perfect, but a smart man. In this business climate...it spelled the end. I wish Peavey had committed to staying around in the U.S. CERTAINLY the employees deserved that. But like much smaller Carvin...they would have to become Kiesel (a premier ,top shelf guitar company..with a price that matches it)to survive..and after 50 years of becoming "affordable" "working man's instruments"..How can you simply start charging 3k for a guitar from Peavey??? Do you seriously think they would sell many? I dont think it's possible without years of heavy losses. But Hartley and his son SHOULD have taken care of the remaining employees for a sustained period of time...they put all the sweat equity in , some did for YEARS....before shutting down. The final act of Peavey, looks like a tragedy....not a rebirth, so far.
@@georgebarry8640 "The Trade agreements (NAFTA etc) negotiated by both Republicans and Democrats favored moving jobs overseas..and that strongly influenced Peavey, too." Not all Republicans - particularly patriots like Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot (both of whom I have voted for) were AGAINST, NAFTA. Free-traitors like the Bush Family, the Clintons, the Doles, the Obamas were all globalists. And then came Donald Trump talking about "Making America Great Again" and the DC establishment globalists and fake news media did whatever they could to "FRAUD" him out of winning another election. I'm guess you sand "we are the world" while mailing several fraudulent ballots for Jerkoff Joe. Am I correct? "Busted" Ha, ha.
The early to mid 70s stuff peavey made, what leonard skynard was using were great amps. Handwired ,big tranny's ,big headroom. The 80s were the worst of it
At 61 years old over the years I have owned almost every brand of equipment available out there. With that being said of all the equipment I've owned over the years the one I could always rely on was the usa-made Peavey. Nothing is more frustrating during a preformance then to have a piece of gear fail. I'll never forget the Peavey standard with the 215 cab that I used to play guitar through. One time I was carrying it by myself down into the basement I lost grip and the cabinet tumbled all the way down the steps onto the cement floor did absolutely nothing to the cabinet whatsoever but it did take a big chunk out of the stairway. And at the time our band had another guitarist who had a Marshall Half Stack which sounded amazing and he trashed talked about my Peavey. So I bet him if I plug my standard head into his 412 cabinet it would sound just as good. And sure enough it did I knew 80% of the Marshall tone is the speaker cabinet with green backs. Anybody with a good ear and a bit of knowledge can dial almost any Peavey amp to sound very good. In fact my classic 50 watt with four tens was just an amazing tone you couldn't get from any other amp. Like almost every American company started out with the mindset how good of a affordable product can we build. Today's mindset is how fast how cheap and what's our profit margin.
I'm 66 years old and I bought two Peavey amps for 50 dollars and both were tube amps for a handmade Strat this guy made for me. One was a 25 and the other was a 50 Watt tube amp. I've never owned a stack system. I currently have the VIP1 transtube amp and I wouldn't sell it for any reason.
Built like tanks, relatively inexpensive to repair when they needed a repair every decade or three, and the circuits were understood by most decent repairmen, no doubt.
They also had a guitar they called the “Mississippi mustang”. I’d love to score one of the old classic 30 amps. The tube driven one with tweed. Great gear
I use two T-60 guitars and they are the best. Peavey was successful because of Hartley. Once he retired, the company declined. It was his genius that made the Company and it’s products so innovative and superb. Succession is a dangerous game and his “heir” wasn’t up to the challenge.
Just bought a Peavey Delta Blues USA in immaculate condition and am having a blast with it! As my friend Bob says "it does the Fender thing better than a Fender!"
I have a 2x10 Peavey Delta Blues in my room and my roommate has the DeVille in the studio...I'd take the DeVille if I had to pick between the two, even though I like the Peavey
I was looking for a Delta Blues amp, when I entered a music store and directly down the aisle sat a Classic 50 410, I locked eyes on it, I was drawn to it like a magnet, it was one of those moments when you just "knew" it was yours. I still have it, it sounds great, I found the 410E ext cab for it. Yes it is heavy, and no I don't move it much. I have a couple of the US built Predators, one stock, one w/2 Mini HB. I've got a 115 cab when I want that 115 fix. I love the tone and the feel of this amp.
I live in Meridian, Mississippi and my house is about 1 1/2 miles down the road from The Peavey Corporate office. Peavey was great for our towns economy for a long time. I can tell you about a lot of the ups and downs about the town's Love-Hate relationship with Hartley and Peavey. This is not the space to do it here. I don't want to write an essay in the you tube comment box.
my parents are from Meridian, Mississippi! i lived there for a bit to go to MCC. grew up with Peavy amps and my first electric was a Peavy. my fav gas station was the one one right by the Peavy building
@@bobbyblair6862 Not as common over here in the UK. Much more likely to see something like a Marshall or Orange in these parts. Still want a 6505 myself though. The little 20w Lunchbox head is very tempting.
When EVH left Peavey, he took both the Wolfgang guitars and 5150 amps to Fender. Peavey had to lose out big time on that. They got skrewed royally, it's a shame
Peavey on the road was indestructible!!! The gear was used by every country and western band in America! PEAVEY could take it, night after night!!! Great amps, great guitars and basses!!!!
I bought a T-60 a few years ago for $130 and I was hooked (on Peavey and buying guitars). I now have one of each T series and a few others from the 80’s. I also have a bunch of their smaller amps. Hoping to make a video on them soon!
Loved my T-60. The electronics on the guitar are cool. I did not know just how special until after I sold the guitar. The knobs trigger different combinations of pick up when turning past the half way mark. The specific T-60 I bought in the early 80s - were the first to be manufactured with major automation - in order to save money. The reason I sold it was weight. As I got older - the T-60 started to feel like a boulder around my neck. That is also why I would never by a Gibson Les Paul. My Epiphone Wilshire Pro has been my main guitar for the last 12 years - but I do look back in fondness to the T-60. Back when it was first released by Peavey, the T-60 was popular to country music players and to punk rock players. That shows you its versatility and relatively low cost compared to Fenders or Gibson's. I have seen current guitarists put aluminum necks on T-60s - so that they can tune down for death metal, dark metal, doom metal and prog metal type music. It's sound is unique - in that you can't put it into either a Fender or Gibson sound. It is definitely a macho guitar!
I still got two Peavey Classics and a Peavy T-25. All USA made and all built like tanks. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the older Peavey gear.
I was a Peavey fan boy for years. Me and my boys had a handful of amps and PA gear between the three of us. At this point I hope they sell the company to someone who would do the Peavey name justice and move forward with the Transtube stuff (a personal favorite of mine) and find a way to capitalize on Peavey’s history of reliability and value. If I was running the show I’d go for a retro modern vibe, kinda like the Orange Super Crush.
When I was young we bought Peavey because that’s what we could afford and we knew it would last. When the other names became cheaper... Unfortunately most guys I know never really took Peavey seriously as professional guitars and amps until EVH then they lost his endorsement and seamed as if they just gave up. I’d love to see them come back.
I still have my Peavey Bandit 75 that I purchased brand new back around 1987 when I was 33 years old. It still works fine! And I still jam on it occasionally. Peavey was around at the right time for a lot of us young guys at the time that had very little money for equipment. I'm still thankful that they existed so I could afford a badly needed guitar amp at the time. I just looked on the back and the address was 711 A Street, Meridian, Mississippi. I'm almost 67 now and when I look at that old amp I still smile remembering when. I have a picture of my little boy in 1987 at 5 years old with that Peavey amp in the background. He died in 2000 at 17 years old. That Peavey will be a part of what I leave behind some day. Until then, there's no price that can buy it.
Peavey amps were the go-to brand for the pedal steel guitar for many years. Nashville 400 & the Sessions are highly regarded. Their Nashville 112 is still the most popular steel guitar amp on the market even after moving production to China.
I had nothing but Peavy bass amps in the seventies and eighties. Everything from tnt 100 watt combos to a bunch of 2x15 cabs with Vulcan heads. Peavy amps were cheap, indestructible and sounded good. What more could you want.
@@eoin474 Like I said Peavy bass amps are great. The company folded a few years back but there may be new stuff still floating around. There older bass heads have recently come into favor with some metal bands because 400 watts is a lot of power for not bunch of money. Solid state versus tube is not a big deal with bass amps. Peavy ss bass amps are wonderful. They make good little practice amps as well. Also cheap in comparison to other brand names. I don't know where you are from or what your situation is, but if you play in a bar band or similar size venues the Peavy TNT 100 watt,1x15 speaker combo will meet and exceed your needs. Peavy gear is mostly all used these days but they are easy to maintain and any qualified shop should be able to handle it. Good luck to you on your quest and feel free to contact me if you have anymore questions.
Guys, I have used Peavey amps for many years. Either tube or solid state, have yielded some of the best recorded guitar tones I have ever heard( these comments from my engineer) and the countless gigs played are beyond count. The last really great Peavey amp I owned was a 5150 212, a true powerhouse amp, but my recent purchase of a Valve King 212 has broken my heart. Gone are the reliability, the Road Dog tough as a tank, great American amplifier that I have relied upon so many years. R.I.P. Peavey you will be missed.
Picked up a Classic 50, 4x10 a couple years ago in bad shape and in need of an overhaul. Got it for a steal, put all new capacitors in it, removed the tweed, sanded it, stained it.....sold my Marshall 50 watt JCM 800 right after I plugged it in and smashed the first A chord. Thinking of parting with my 1971 Fender Vibrolux too. This amp has such a warm, juicy tone and takes pedals like a champ ! It's been my main amp since I fixed it. I absolutely love the sound I get.....the cleans are crystal clear....I use the clean channel only and add pedals for colour and dirt.
I've still got a USA made Classic 30 from 2002 and love it. Amazing amp for the price but when they go wrong its a nightmare...mine suddenly became "noisy" and started eating tubes for fun. Finally back in working order after 3 visits to the repair shop. Something to do with the circuit board being 'hinged' apparently...Love these chats, keep up the good work fellas.
Those tangents they seem to go on are an acquired taste. Came here to hear about Peavey and got very little of it. I get that it's their schtick but it seems like the appeal is a little too selective.
I have a USA Classic 30 that is still my primary amp. Great amp. Would definitely like to see a rebirth of USA-made Peaveys. Not likely unless Hartley Peavey sells the company. Not only were the USA closures handled poorly, upending lives right after a much publicized Undercover Boss, but the Chinese versions remained the same price as the USA versions. Not exactly an olive branch from the man putting more money in his pocket. I think folks can understand a need to transfer less-profitable, less-expensive versions of product overseas, but to eliminate all USA production in the manner they did is unconscionable
I have Peavey equipment from the ‘80’s that still works today in 2021. It was never considered boutique, but the boutique stuff I’ve bought has failed within 10 years.
My main amp is a teal stripe Bandit 112 with the Scorpion from '91. I some trouble with it a couple years back, and their customer service was second to none; offering me tips to resurrect it, and they sent me the official schematics, all free of charge. Still sounds amazing over 30 years later.
EVH and the 5150 saved Peavey's ass back in the day. I remember every guitar store in the midwest in the 80's carried Peavey. they had some great guitars like the Nitro and the Vandenburg.
From the time I was in high school until about the end of college, the amp that everyone wanted was that Peavey classic 4x10 tube combo. If you had that, you got the gig, even if you sucked
I just purchased a late 90s Peavy Classic 50 4x10 tweed with a road case for $400. Dude this thing has great tone and it’s loud AF! I can’t even play my Marshall DSL 40 Creamback now because it sounds like poo compared to the Peavy.
Searched almost this entire comment's section and nobody mentions the Peavey "Butcher's " I had a full stack...120 watt tube. Blow your roof off...great amp! 1986 I'm thinking
"Gibson's have gotten better, haven't they?" That whole thing about Gibson announcing that with new leadership they were going back to the basics: building great guitars. It seems that flew out the window. It's almost pathological with them, they just can't help it. They come out with 50s and 60s spec Les Paul standard, but do away with the long neck tenon's. After decades they came back with them in 2008, then get rid of them when they're building guitars that were known for the tenon's? I mean Christ, the Epiphone 50/60 spec Les Pauls have long tenon's, but the Gibson doesn't? In lieu of better constructed builds, we can look forward to a Gibson record label. Hell why stop there? They should invest in video rental store, Photomats and payphones too since their growth potential are about as good a record labels. I know people view short vs long tenon's in the game category as maple vs rosewood and nitro vs poly. I'm my experience as luthier for 15+ years, they do have different effects, though I wouldn't say it's the "tone" as much as feel and response, especially in attack and resonance. For the sake of argument, we'll say there's no difference. For me the tenon is like a canary in the coal mine. It's more labor intensive, and whether it has a long one or not can point to other parts of the guitar and the amount of effort they spend on building it. It's been a deal maker/breaker a couple times. Not that I wouldn't take one just because of it, but when trying to decide between 2 guitars, if one had the long tenon but maybe didn't have a finish I really liked or it was more expensive or not in good if condition as the other short tenon (within reason of course), I went with the one that might have lacked in certain areas. I wish Gibson would focus more attention on rebuilding their brand and it's instruments, and less time on record labels and $1200 cases.
I am so happy I came across your channel. When I first started playing guitar, my first amp was the Peavey Rumble. It was decent for a 15-year-old kid. I can remember going to the pawnshops around my area just hunting for decent affordable gear, and they always had Peavey gear. Anyways, I have been enjoying your content. You guys are great!
I was sent to clean up a property a couple yrs ago. In 1 of the closets was 2 keyboards a stand and an amp. I'm still so excited to own an older 60 watt Peavey keyboard amp. Great for my electric drums, small mixer, and/or the boards that came with it.
My first tube amp was 1982 made in the USA Peavey Classic VTX. Solid state pre amp and 6v6 power amp. It has 2 , 12 inch Scorpion speakers . I play a Vox AC30 now, but I still have my Peavey. I still turn it on ever so often. It is soooo LOUD. It is great.
My cheap Peavey Foundation bass I got for my 8th grade band is amazing. I hadn’t played it for 20 years and it came out of its case in tune. It’s as heavy as a rock but made in America and was so much value for the money.
I have two Peavey Foundations - a '92 fretless bass and a '86 fretted bass. They are great. I am rebuilding a T-40 from separate T-40 parts bought off Ebay, too.
@@91dodgespiritrt - The moves with the T-40 is such a good idea. It’s wild to me how decent Peavey instruments were, given their price-point, being made in America and all. The bass I’d love to come across is the one this dude I knew had - it was like the Foundation but had active pickups and sounded killer. I think it was called the ultra-bass? But yeah - there are worse things one could collect than Peavey gear.
Went to the HQ while on tour. Met one of the upper ups in the bathroom (the urinals are shaped like rolling stone mouths). He insisted we follow him into the board meeting he was about to go into once we told we only play old 70s and 80s Peaveys. That dude from undercover boss was heeellllaaaa mad when he saw us and he was forced to listen while we lobbied for them to reissue the Festival Series.
I've been a Peavey guy since the late 70s. I always wanted a band where all of us used Peavey. Even our sound system would be Peavey. Now that's not going to happen. RIP PEAVEY.
When I was 6 years old in 97 my dad brought home a 30 watt peavey classic 30 and a white les paul, I cane into the house and he had it blistering loud playing the riff to simple man, from that day on ive been hooked on peavy amps. I have a the same amp now and it is still high in the lineup of gear I own. Good or bad I have peavey and my dad to thank for my drive to pick up a guitar.
Keeps these videos coming, fellas! I'm a daily watcher and love seeing awesome guitar content coming out of my home state of NC, it is much appreciated. I think North Carolina is often overlooked in the conversations about musically important states, so it is nice to see such a high quality of content coming out of this state. I think if you guys sat down and made a podcast out of this kinda stuff, you'd see success there as well. Love it!
I've owned a few classic Peavey guitars and amps. And I still have a Patriot that I play regularly. The guitars felt like they were infused with lead, but always took any abuse you threw at them. It's disappointing that they couldn't survive the changing markets and unchanging management.
I was playing in Meridian, Mississippi in 1988. We went to an after hours club across town after the show. They had a southern rock band playing there and I think every piece of equipment on stage, outside of the drums was Peavey. Mics, guitars, amps, PA. Home town brand loyalty.
I've had plenty of peavey amps over the years. Most people think they are only good for metal, but you can get a ton of tones out of them. Just because they gave ridiculous amounts of gain doesn't mean that you have to use all of it.
Growing up in the south, heavy gear was a staple. My first amplifier was a Classic 2 x 12 combo from the 70s… I think it probably weighed about 150 pounds… With built-in Reverb and Vibrato. Two channels and so very loud! All of their old gear was unstoppable. I’ve seen mixing consoles get rained on, dropped down flights of stairs, beer and soda and who knows what else poured into amplifiers… They always worked, regardless. You might have had to turn them off and wait a few moments, but they always came back. And ugly! But they got me through a lot of gigs and we’re affordable, so I can’t say anything negative.
@@sjclippy9410 oh, no… Not these days. That was over 35 years ago and I have not used a combo amp in over 32 years. Once I went to a head and the cabinet I never looked back. Thanks anyway and good luck!🤠
My main amp was a Peavey Bandit, from the very last run of transtube amps made in the USA. I just sold it a few days ago, after owning it for 6 or 7 years (2nd owner). It was a really solid piece of equipment! I can feel at ease knowing that I can find one for pocket change on Craigslist if I ever want one again.
I had a Peavey TKO 75 Watt bass amp back in the day, when I played bass for a year, for the experience, to see where a bass player is coming from and his mindset. Which I highly recommend for drummers or even guitar players, I Iearned a lot!
Tony MacKenzie uses a phrase on his channel I think we should all remember.... “Some things are built UP to a standard and others are built DOWN to a cost.” Both have their place...it’s making sure you know which is which when spend your money. Great channel!
My first tube amp was a Peavey Classic 2-12 50W amp. Bought in late 70's. Was a great amp for me. Loved it but unfortunately sold it. 2 years ago I came across a Classic like mine. I purchased the amp and it now sits proudly in my collection. Everything works as it should. Testimony to the quality manufacturing of that era.
I sold that stuff back in the 80s and I agree. And I've always felt the name "Peavey" hurt them in some circles and maybe was not the best choice.....Maybe the company should have been called "Hartley" .... ?
Yep that logo is cheesy as hell. Branding is everything. Especially after 1980. Made them seem like a cheapo amp sitting next to Fenders and Marshalls.
I bought a Peavey Classic 30 as a teenager in Italy in the 1990s and still own it. It lives at my parents place (again back in Italy), so when I go back there (from the US, where I live now) I play it a bit. It's a pretty amazing amp: pristine clean, nice overdrive in the second channel, and amazing spring reverb. And it's just as good as my fancier Fender amps that I own now. Also it's LOUD.
Waiting for custom shops to start moving out of the US, it makes no sense that the products that require more work are the ones done where labor costs are higher. I have nothing against US made stuff, but do not like when guitar companies downgrade production overseas to artificially make US made stuff better.
Why wouldn’t they.. they not gonna make a 400 USA made guitar the margins would be garbage.. you have to do high end here because all the regulations (safety, pollution, inspection rent, minimum wage, benefits etc) drive up the cost of goods. China has no such regulation.. they have people Sleeping where they work. in order to be profitable you have to have good margin because just the cost of the labor and running a cnc machine and slight marketing would put the guitar at about a grand and that’s nothing fancy. Probably single color and basic pickups, tuners etc.
@@Woody103 Actually overseas guitar factories are has good has USA ones, for example in Japan and South Korea regulations are has tight or tighter than in the US. A product quality is not determined where it is made, maybe only in guitars people have this idea that US made means they are better, when in reality they are not, companies are deliberatly making worse guitars overseas to keep the USA premium. You don't pay a premium on a BMW or Mercedes made in Germany... they cost all the same no matter where they are produced, and they have the same specs and quality. The same should go for guitars. One other thing that is bothering me is the current shortage of USA made guitars, when they are supposed to be all made in the US, electronics and wood, which leads me to believe that its all a big marketing hoax. Most probably they are just assembled in the US and made overseas. I woud like for guitar companies to have the same specs in guitars no matter where they are produced, so I can buy a top notch Korean guitar without having it downgraded for marketing reasons.
Peavey made indestructible equipment. Best gigging equipment ever. 50 yrs later it still works! I remember not wanting to gig my vintage amps (68) bandmaster etc. so I purchased a Peavey classic 50 2x12. Ended up being a great sounding workhorse.
Hey guys, fun as always - way back in the 80s my band mate Steve had a Peavey (Stevies Peavey!) And it was awesome for pub gigs, but I remember it seemed to run hot as hell without ever actually dying. Another bandmate had a Selmer that you could fry eggs on - kept our practice room warm, those 2 amps alone 😂🥚
What happened to the "What happened to Peavey guitars and amps?" video? It seems to have been replaced by a video about two guys that are in love with the sounds of their own voices.
When I was on the road with Maynard Ferguson, he had an endorsement with Peavey. We had a Peavey PA system, and I had 2 of their 1X12 boogie knockoffs. Terrific amps The bass player had the DECCA amp and a Peavey Bass. All fine stuff. This was in the 80s. Their classic series were great amps. There are some real bargains with their guitars when you consider they are all American made and fine quality for low prices. Too bad they're gone.
My dad was a lifelong Detroit federation of musicians member. He once was hired for one of Maynards gigs. I went along and got to meet Maynard. He was as nice as he was talented.
i heard maynard ferguson- spokane wa, in the 80's.a really nice hall, great sound, and when they did "hey jude" the horns went up and down the aisle. perfect arrangement!
@@bonclif I still have mine & it's going strong, I don't use it much now but I easily could even if it were to for direct to front of house console as it has an effects loop (pre-amp out)
My early run 6505+ half stack has been bulletproof and has been my only amp for almost 13 years. My tastes are changing a bit now but I love this amp and I was shocked how versatile it really was after spending some good time with it.
They tried to re-logo the brand. Hartley told the story of extensive market research on several different new logo designs, and the surveyees pretty much all chose the old "lightning bolt" badge.
My first electric guitar back in 1981 or so was a Peavey T-25, paired with a 15 watt solid state Peavey amp. They also had a hard plastic case with a built in amp available.
And they are still quite decent. I bought a Peavey Milestone bass (with its tiny amp) for $150 in 2006... But the sad thing is,while Fender has Squier selling 150 guitars for you to later upgrade to a higher tier... There's no "up" with Peavey 😢 the $150 instruments are the only ones they have...
Hartley never "gave up" anything! He was forced out. His only choice was to either outsource most everything, or go out of business. Pretty much the same as most others manufactures did, "CHINA!"
From Leo: Hartley Peavey started the Amplifier company from the ground up, and was the heart and soul of the company. In his prime he really did great, against well established big corporations. He aged out and no one was able to carry the baton. He did keep manufacturing in the USA for decades after everyone else closed the domestic factories. Maybe another driven leader can grab the controls for the next generation. I still have Peavey amps from the 1970's that are still rock solid. Our church has Peavey PA gear bought in the '80's that runs 4 times a week. The roofs has been replaced a couple times, the furnaces a couple times, but the Peavey gear just keeps on performing.
Yes, their solid state PA and Bass Amps are built like tanks and only need a clean up or minor repair on the repair bench every 20-30 years. Plus, they are solid circuits understood by most techs for low cost repair. The legend goes that for many years the lower paid Nashville tour bands carried Peavey amps a lot, due to their bang for the buck, affordable used prices, availability, reliability and easy, low cost repair. The exception would be the Mace tube amp, ha. Too much power that melted circuits when run full bore. Good effort poor implementation on that one.
Their guitars from the late 70s and early 80s were fantastic. He had the first splitable pickup that I had ever seen on a guitar but used a knob instead of a switch. I heard his EVH guitars were good too.
@@jigsorbmr7910 I had the Peavey Steve Cropper signature Tele style model in green burst or something like that, in the mid 2000s. It was really sweet. I sold it, as I had a lot of other comparable guitars at the time, but I still think about how cool it was here and there.
Here's Mr. Peavey at the factory talking about it: th-cam.com/video/wT0htmRI8kE/w-d-xo.html
@andydguitar right, they should rehire james brown and focus on new amps with metal/hard rock artists
The amount of time you actually talked about Peavey is less than 10% of the video.
I'm bailing at 5:54, can't take it anymore. Too bad, was really interested at the beginning.
Made it 12:22
I think they were smoking that stuff they mentioned in the video, lousy video!
Absolutely........talk about going off on a tangent !
Agreed. I want to love these videos but there are way too many tangents.
Honestly Peavey doesn't have to make a big commercial come back, their old school amps are indestructible and are bought and sold on the used market like crazy for that reason they're all still around and making music. Classics that never die, literally.
but the company isnt making any money from the used amps being sold
Why would you support a company that promises employees a raise so they don’t leave a better paying job then tell them they have 60 days to fund a new job 4 months later
I got rid my Peavey solid states like the Bandit and Rage. Never had a Peavey tube amp. I watched Undercover Boss when Hartley Peavey’s step son took over and closed US factories promising on TV that he wouldn’t. Right after the show aired on CBS he closed the US speaker factory. In my opinion he screwed up the business that Hartley started.
I’ve got a Peavey Bravo 110 tube amp I got used through a trade for a different ampZ Made in the US and LOUD if I turn it up. Maybe a bit scratchy and needs some cleaning, but a solid amp so far. Pretty good for an amp made in the 80’s!
Peavey made THE gear for gigging bands, it was all good (not great, but good) and you could afford it. And, by god, American made. True shame they didn't thrive and stick around.
Peavey gradually moved production overseas...just like EVERY major U.S. Company. The Trade agreements (NAFTA etc) negotiated by both Republicans and Democrats favored moving jobs overseas..and that strongly influenced Peavey,too. Hartley is a brilliant man. Not perfect, but a smart man. In this business climate...it spelled the end. I wish Peavey had committed to staying around in the U.S. CERTAINLY the employees deserved that. But like much smaller Carvin...they would have to become Kiesel (a premier ,top shelf guitar company..with a price that matches it)to survive..and after 50 years of becoming "affordable" "working man's instruments"..How can you simply start charging 3k for a guitar from Peavey??? Do you seriously think they would sell many? I dont think it's possible without years of heavy losses. But Hartley and his son SHOULD have taken care of the remaining employees for a sustained period of time...they put all the sweat equity in , some did for YEARS....before shutting down. The final act of Peavey, looks like a tragedy....not a rebirth, so far.
@@georgebarry8640 "The Trade agreements (NAFTA etc) negotiated by both Republicans and Democrats favored moving jobs overseas..and that strongly influenced Peavey, too." Not all Republicans - particularly patriots like Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot (both of whom I have voted for) were AGAINST, NAFTA. Free-traitors like the Bush Family, the Clintons, the Doles, the Obamas were all globalists. And then came Donald Trump talking about "Making America Great Again" and the DC establishment globalists and fake news media did whatever they could to "FRAUD" him out of winning another election. I'm guess you sand "we are the world" while mailing several fraudulent ballots for Jerkoff Joe. Am I correct? "Busted" Ha, ha.
The early to mid 70s stuff peavey made, what leonard skynard was using were great amps. Handwired ,big tranny's ,big headroom. The 80s were the worst of it
At 61 years old over the years I have owned almost every brand of equipment available out there. With that being said of all the equipment I've owned over the years the one I could always rely on was the usa-made Peavey. Nothing is more frustrating during a preformance then to have a piece of gear fail. I'll never forget the Peavey standard with the 215 cab that I used to play guitar through.
One time I was carrying it by myself down into the basement I lost grip and the cabinet tumbled all the way down the steps onto the cement floor did absolutely nothing to the cabinet whatsoever but it did take a big chunk out of the stairway. And at the time our band had another guitarist who had a Marshall Half Stack which sounded amazing and he trashed talked about my Peavey. So I bet him if I plug my standard head into his 412 cabinet it would sound just as good. And sure enough it did I knew 80% of the Marshall tone is the speaker cabinet with green backs. Anybody with a good ear and a bit of knowledge can dial almost any Peavey amp to sound very good. In fact my classic 50 watt with four tens was just an amazing tone you couldn't get from any other amp. Like almost every American company started out with the mindset how good of a affordable product can we build.
Today's mindset is how fast how cheap and what's our profit margin.
I'm 66 years old and I bought two Peavey amps for 50 dollars and both were tube amps for a handmade Strat this guy made for me. One was a 25 and the other was a 50 Watt tube amp. I've never owned a stack system. I currently have the VIP1 transtube amp and I wouldn't sell it for any reason.
When I played the grand old opry in 2008, the only amps they had were peaveys. They called them Mississippi Marshall's.
Built like tanks, relatively inexpensive to repair when they needed a repair every decade or three, and the circuits were understood by most decent repairmen, no doubt.
Churches use peaveys alot too
They also had a guitar they called the “Mississippi mustang”. I’d love to score one of the old classic 30 amps. The tube driven one with tweed. Great gear
Kickass! Mississippi Marshall's, gonna remember that one.
I love my little Rage 158. Still works perfectly.
I use two T-60 guitars and they are the best. Peavey was successful because of Hartley. Once he retired, the company declined. It was his genius that made the Company and it’s products so innovative and superb. Succession is a dangerous game and his “heir” wasn’t up to the challenge.
Just bought a Peavey Delta Blues USA in immaculate condition and am having a blast with it! As my friend Bob says "it does the Fender thing better than a Fender!"
I have a 2x10 Peavey Delta Blues in my room and my roommate has the DeVille in the studio...I'd take the DeVille if I had to pick between the two, even though I like the Peavey
The 1x15 was my first tube amp. Great clean and rock crunch...definitely punched way above its weight class.
I was looking for a Delta Blues amp, when I entered a music store and directly down the aisle sat a Classic 50 410, I locked eyes on it, I was drawn to it like a magnet, it was one of those moments when you just "knew" it was yours. I still have it, it sounds great, I found the 410E ext cab for it. Yes it is heavy, and no I don't move it much. I have a couple of the US built Predators, one stock, one w/2 Mini HB. I've got a 115 cab when I want that 115 fix. I love the tone and the feel of this amp.
In my experience less noise than a Fender
2-10 inch or 15 inch model?
I live in Meridian, Mississippi and my house is about 1 1/2 miles down the road from The Peavey Corporate office. Peavey was great for our towns economy for a long time. I can tell you about a lot of the ups and downs about the town's Love-Hate relationship with Hartley and Peavey. This is not the space to do it here. I don't want to write an essay in the you tube comment box.
I’d be curious
my parents are from Meridian, Mississippi! i lived there for a bit to go to MCC. grew up with Peavy amps and my first electric was a Peavy. my fav gas station was the one one right by the Peavy building
Hope you find somewhere to tell the story!
You’ve forgotten the EVH factor. When Ed left, so did a lot of their market share.
Nah, 6505 and 6505+ continued to sell like crazy. Basically the sound of metal since the day they hit the market
@@bobbyblair6862 Not as common over here in the UK. Much more likely to see something like a Marshall or Orange in these parts. Still want a 6505 myself though. The little 20w Lunchbox head is very tempting.
You're right
When EVH left Peavey, he took both the Wolfgang guitars and 5150 amps to Fender. Peavey had to lose out big time on that. They got skrewed royally, it's a shame
@@bobbyblair6862 are you on meth?
yeah ed leaving peavey didnt effect sales lol
Peavey on the road was indestructible!!! The gear was used by every country and western band in America! PEAVEY could take it, night after night!!! Great amps, great guitars and basses!!!!
could you imagine just rolling out of bed and being like, "Yep, hair looks great"
Seriously...wtf is wrong with people
Dude is cool. I like it, he owns it. It is good . These guys are good peeps.
@@miked7795 he's not cool, he's TRYING to look cool
These guys are wastoids, cant take anything they say seriously
Good to see Edward Norton still relevant and interested in old amps....loved him in Fight Club!
I bought a T-60 a few years ago for $130 and I was hooked (on Peavey and buying guitars). I now have one of each T series and a few others from the 80’s. I also have a bunch of their smaller amps. Hoping to make a video on them soon!
Loved my T-60. The electronics on the guitar are cool. I did not know just how special until after I sold the guitar. The knobs trigger different combinations of pick up when turning past the half way mark. The specific T-60 I bought in the early 80s - were the first to be manufactured with major automation - in order to save money. The reason I sold it was weight. As I got older - the T-60 started to feel like a boulder around my neck. That is also why I would never by a Gibson Les Paul. My Epiphone Wilshire Pro has been my main guitar for the last 12 years - but I do look back in fondness to the T-60. Back when it was first released by Peavey, the T-60 was popular to country music players and to punk rock players. That shows you its versatility and relatively low cost compared to Fenders or Gibson's. I have seen current guitarists put aluminum necks on T-60s - so that they can tune down for death metal, dark metal, doom metal and prog metal type music. It's sound is unique - in that you can't put it into either a Fender or Gibson sound. It is definitely a macho guitar!
I had a T-60 bass back in the day. Amazing axe for the money, couldn't be beat.
My 1st "real" electric guitar was a t-25 special. Got it in '82... still have it and it's basically mint.
@@stevestringer7351 I have that one too black with Rosewood fretboard, but it has the natural headstock, not the matching black one.
@@jeffthompson1869 I have played the serial number #002 T-60 guitar. Hartley has #001, last I knew. GREAT Engineering. great Manufacturing. Legendary.
I still got two Peavey Classics and a Peavy T-25. All USA made and all built like tanks. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the older Peavey gear.
These 20min talks are so relaxing, they're a perfect break for me. Appreciate it as always, guys!
I was a Peavey fan boy for years. Me and my boys had a handful of amps and PA gear between the three of us. At this point I hope they sell the company to someone who would do the Peavey name justice and move forward with the Transtube stuff (a personal favorite of mine) and find a way to capitalize on Peavey’s history of reliability and value. If I was running the show I’d go for a retro modern vibe, kinda like the Orange Super Crush.
When I was young we bought Peavey because that’s what we could afford and we knew it would last.
When the other names became cheaper...
Unfortunately most guys I know never really took Peavey seriously as professional guitars and amps until EVH then they lost his endorsement and seamed as if they just gave up.
I’d love to see them come back.
Well, there are 18 odd minutes I am not getting back the could have been explained in 8 minutes or less.
Exactly my point as well. Horrible video.
Weak banter
I'm at :37 and done. lol
Indeed, TH-cam is quickly proving that 2 guys, stoned, talking about gear and laughing at their own jokes, is NOT entertainment.
Ouchers Chris...are you always this harsh?
I have a 1994 Peavey Bandit 112 Teal Stripe & it is indestructible. Great foundation amp for pedals.
I still have my Peavey Bandit 75 that I purchased brand new back around 1987 when I was 33 years old. It still works fine! And I still jam on it occasionally. Peavey was around at the right time for a lot of us young guys at the time that had very little money for equipment. I'm still thankful that they existed so I could afford a badly needed guitar amp at the time. I just looked on the back and the address was 711 A Street, Meridian, Mississippi. I'm almost 67 now and when I look at that old amp I still smile remembering when. I have a picture of my little boy in 1987 at 5 years old with that Peavey amp in the background. He died in 2000 at 17 years old. That Peavey will be a part of what I leave behind some day. Until then, there's no price that can buy it.
Thanks for sharing.
My first bass was a 1979 T-40. Crazy good build quality, and it weighed a ton!
I miss my T-40
Peavey basses of that era were definitely amazing
Amen to that! Yes, it weighed enough to warp space time, but would NOT let you down.
Have a T-40 1978 in the studio, Incredible & well built . Will cover any genre , bought new !!
My first bass was a T-40, played through a combo-300. (Which was a fantastic amp, for the $$)
Peavey amps were the go-to brand for the pedal steel guitar for many years. Nashville 400 & the Sessions are highly regarded. Their Nashville 112 is still the most popular steel guitar amp on the market even after moving production to China.
I had nothing but Peavy bass amps in the seventies and eighties. Everything from tnt 100 watt combos to a bunch of 2x15 cabs with Vulcan heads. Peavy amps were cheap, indestructible and sounded good. What more could you want.
I just purchase a peavey max 150 and it will be delivered in a few weeks! Any other thoughts on there bass amps?
@@eoin474 Like I said Peavy bass amps are great. The company folded a few years back but there may be new stuff still floating around. There older bass heads have recently come into favor with some metal bands because 400 watts is a lot of power for not bunch of money. Solid state versus tube is not a big deal with bass amps. Peavy ss bass amps are wonderful. They make good little practice amps as well. Also cheap in comparison to other brand names. I don't know where you are from or what your situation is, but if you play in a bar band or similar size venues the Peavy TNT 100 watt,1x15 speaker combo will meet and exceed your needs. Peavy gear is mostly all used these days but they are easy to maintain and any qualified shop should be able to handle it. Good luck to you on your quest and feel free to contact me if you have anymore questions.
@@janetowens7288 Thank you!
@@janetowens7288 the tnt100 is silly because it has a suitcase handle on it, but it weighs 100 pounds so the handle is pretty much useless.......
@@marzsit9833 The handle never failed. Mine had casters so it rolled easily. So not so silly after all troll boy.
Guys, I have used Peavey amps for many years. Either tube or solid state, have yielded some of the best recorded guitar tones I have ever heard( these comments from my engineer) and the countless gigs played are beyond count.
The last really great Peavey amp I owned was a 5150 212, a true powerhouse amp, but my recent purchase of a Valve King 212 has broken my heart.
Gone are the reliability, the Road Dog tough as a tank, great American amplifier that I have relied upon so many years. R.I.P. Peavey you will be missed.
As an ex pizza delivery driver, I can assure you.
Its basically a requirement
King shit
🤣
Verified lol
Still loving my Peavey classic 50 410 from the late 90s
My 410 classic 50 is my favorite amp. Dark as hell though.
D'angelico is a fad though. Every semi hollow I've played of theirs an Ibanez of 20% less cost plays and sounds as good or better.
Bandit 112
Picked up a Classic 50, 4x10 a couple years ago in bad shape and in need of an overhaul. Got it for a steal, put all new capacitors in it,
removed the tweed, sanded it, stained it.....sold my Marshall 50 watt JCM 800 right after I plugged it in and smashed the first A chord. Thinking of parting with my 1971 Fender Vibrolux too. This amp has such a warm, juicy tone and takes pedals like a champ ! It's been my main amp since I fixed it. I absolutely love the sound I get.....the cleans are crystal clear....I use the clean channel only and add pedals for colour and dirt.
@@bobjenkins1757 exactly how I use mine.
I've still got a USA made Classic 30 from 2002 and love it. Amazing amp for the price but when they go wrong its a nightmare...mine suddenly became "noisy" and started eating tubes for fun. Finally back in working order after 3 visits to the repair shop. Something to do with the circuit board being 'hinged' apparently...Love these chats, keep up the good work fellas.
Can't believe you guys don't have more subscribers, I love your videos/conversations and topics, don't ever stop doing them.
Those tangents they seem to go on are an acquired taste. Came here to hear about Peavey and got very little of it. I get that it's their schtick but it seems like the appeal is a little too selective.
Still have my Classic50 head with the original 4x10 cab and if you put the right OD in front of it, its great.
Delta blues and classic’s are great amps still! USA ones
Yeah got 2 delta blues from the Mississippi plant. Great amps. Sad they closed the plant.
I have a USA Classic 30 that is still my primary amp. Great amp. Would definitely like to see a rebirth of USA-made Peaveys. Not likely unless Hartley Peavey sells the company.
Not only were the USA closures handled poorly, upending lives right after a much publicized Undercover Boss, but the Chinese versions remained the same price as the USA versions. Not exactly an olive branch from the man putting more money in his pocket.
I think folks can understand a need to transfer less-profitable, less-expensive versions of product overseas, but to eliminate all USA production in the manner they did is unconscionable
if I want a Chinese-made Peavey, I can buy a Bugera. :)
@@markbrooks8623 ...or a Blackstar, or a Vox, or a PRS, or a Marshall, heck even Amazon Basics etc 🤔 🤷♂️
I have Peavey equipment from the ‘80’s that still works today in 2021. It was never considered boutique, but the boutique stuff I’ve bought has failed within 10 years.
I hate that word. What are we in a makeup hair salon?
My main amp is a teal stripe Bandit 112 with the Scorpion from '91. I some trouble with it a couple years back, and their customer service was second to none; offering me tips to resurrect it, and they sent me the official schematics, all free of charge. Still sounds amazing over 30 years later.
Peavey HP guitars are trying to come back and the Incentive MH20 amps are the new generation of Peavey
Peavey solid states in church and they sounded so good!
our church is still running Peavey PA equipment. It has been rock solid all these years
EVH and the 5150 saved Peavey's ass back in the day. I remember every guitar store in the midwest in the 80's carried Peavey. they had some great guitars like the Nitro and the Vandenburg.
From the time I was in high school until about the end of college, the amp that everyone wanted was that Peavey classic 4x10 tube combo. If you had that, you got the gig, even if you sucked
I've been sucking happily with the classic 50 for awhile now
Yep, I’ve got one that is still mint. I’ll never let it go.
I always thought the Peavy Cirrus neck through basses were so good
I just purchased a late 90s Peavy Classic 50 4x10 tweed with a road case for $400. Dude this thing has great tone and it’s loud AF! I can’t even play my Marshall DSL 40 Creamback now because it sounds like poo compared to the Peavy.
I have the blues classic 1x15 version of that amp. I have enjoyed it!
@@drewrischbieter1891 I also have a patent pending Peavy Wolfgang. I’ve had it since 96. It’s a blast to play through 50 watts!
Great Score! Now you need to track down a matching 115 cab!
@@PeedarTragedy the 15" cab is definitely a different sound than the 4x10. Having the 15 cab with the 4x10 would be monsterous!
I still have my Peavey Delta Blues 30 watt, 1x15 amp built in Mississippi. Still looks and sounds like new. I’ll never sell it.
Searched almost this entire comment's section and nobody mentions the Peavey "Butcher's " I had a full stack...120 watt tube. Blow your roof off...great amp! 1986 I'm thinking
No one wants to give them up...not for cheap at least...but can’t blame them lol
And the VTM series...wow!
@@rockerz57 VTM's came right after the Butcher's...great amps!🤘
"Hell, If Peavy made a car, I'd drive it" - South Man as performed by Rhett Shull
It would weigh 10 tons and not go over the speed limit, but you could set it on fire, run it out of oil, and it would still run... LOL!!!
Peavey is like the International Harvester of musical gear...
"Gibson's have gotten better, haven't they?"
That whole thing about Gibson announcing that with new leadership they were going back to the basics: building great guitars. It seems that flew out the window. It's almost pathological with them, they just can't help it.
They come out with 50s and 60s spec Les Paul standard, but do away with the long neck tenon's. After decades they came back with them in 2008, then get rid of them when they're building guitars that were known for the tenon's? I mean Christ, the Epiphone 50/60 spec Les Pauls have long tenon's, but the Gibson doesn't? In lieu of better constructed builds, we can look forward to a Gibson record label. Hell why stop there? They should invest in video rental store, Photomats and payphones too since their growth potential are about as good a record labels.
I know people view short vs long tenon's in the game category as maple vs rosewood and nitro vs poly. I'm my experience as luthier for 15+ years, they do have different effects, though I wouldn't say it's the "tone" as much as feel and response, especially in attack and resonance. For the sake of argument, we'll say there's no difference. For me the tenon is like a canary in the coal mine. It's more labor intensive, and whether it has a long one or not can point to other parts of the guitar and the amount of effort they spend on building it. It's been a deal maker/breaker a couple times. Not that I wouldn't take one just because of it, but when trying to decide between 2 guitars, if one had the long tenon but maybe didn't have a finish I really liked or it was more expensive or not in good if condition as the other short tenon (within reason of course), I went with the one that might have lacked in certain areas.
I wish Gibson would focus more attention on rebuilding their brand and it's instruments, and less time on record labels and $1200 cases.
I am so happy I came across your channel. When I first started playing guitar, my first amp was the Peavey Rumble. It was decent for a 15-year-old kid. I can remember going to the pawnshops around my area just hunting for decent affordable gear, and they always had Peavey gear. Anyways, I have been enjoying your content. You guys are great!
I was sent to clean up a property a couple yrs ago. In 1 of the closets was 2 keyboards a stand and an amp. I'm still so excited to own an older 60 watt Peavey keyboard amp. Great for my electric drums, small mixer, and/or the boards that came with it.
I still use a late '90s Classic 50 212. It's one of my main amps. That amp will be with me until one of us craps out. lol
My first tube amp was 1982 made in the USA Peavey Classic VTX. Solid state pre amp and 6v6 power amp. It has 2 , 12 inch Scorpion speakers . I play a Vox AC30 now, but I still have my Peavey. I still turn it on ever so often. It is soooo LOUD. It is great.
My first amp was a solid state Peavey Rage from the 80s. “Love” is not really the feeling I had for that amp.
Yes, I don‘t regret selling it.
My 1st amp was also a Peavey Rage bought new in 1988!!!!!
I've still got my ´88 Peavey Rage. Well, a friend has it, because it's not gonna take up even its little space in my pad!
Same!! Rage 108!! I want one now just for nostalgia lol
@@MrShreddykruger I'll swap you mine for a decent offering!
I still rock a Classic 50 that is garage AF. Tweed coming off, dirt, rust. Still works and sounds fab.
My cheap Peavey Foundation bass I got for my 8th grade band is amazing. I hadn’t played it for 20 years and it came out of its case in tune. It’s as heavy as a rock but made in America and was so much value for the money.
I have two Peavey Foundations - a '92 fretless bass and a '86 fretted bass. They are great. I am rebuilding a T-40 from separate T-40 parts bought off Ebay, too.
@@91dodgespiritrt - The moves with the T-40 is such a good idea. It’s wild to me how decent Peavey instruments were, given their price-point, being made in America and all. The bass I’d love to come across is the one this dude I knew had - it was like the Foundation but had active pickups and sounded killer. I think it was called the ultra-bass? But yeah - there are worse things one could collect than Peavey gear.
Went to the HQ while on tour. Met one of the upper ups in the bathroom (the urinals are shaped like rolling stone mouths). He insisted we follow him into the board meeting he was about to go into once we told we only play old 70s and 80s Peaveys. That dude from undercover boss was heeellllaaaa mad when he saw us and he was forced to listen while we lobbied for them to reissue the Festival Series.
I would buy reissued festival stuff as long as they don't mess with it at all. Those amps are great as is.
I miss my Peavey Mark IV with the 2x15 cab. Heavy as can be but what a sound. I have had nothing like it since.
My very first instrument was a natural finish Peavy bass I got in 1979 when I was 15.
I've been a Peavey guy since the late 70s. I always wanted a band where all of us used Peavey. Even our sound system would be Peavey. Now that's not going to happen. RIP PEAVEY.
I miss my old Delta Blues 210 with Blue Marvels. My all time favorite amp.
Still have mine
Ever!
I had one and it was horrible. Ended up selling it for $200 that's all I could get for it.
Peavy is doing fine, did you mean to do a "what happened to" video about gibson and you got confused?
Do they not still manufacture? I see they have a website full of gear.
Peavey Pacer got me through high School in the 70s. Love my Peavey stuff still. Great PA speakers.
Peavey started when he was a student at Mississippi State University. He seemed to really screw everyone in Meridian.
Sadly, It looks that way.
When I was 6 years old in 97 my dad brought home a 30 watt peavey classic 30 and a white les paul, I cane into the house and he had it blistering loud playing the riff to simple man, from that day on ive been hooked on peavy amps. I have a the same amp now and it is still high in the lineup of gear I own. Good or bad I have peavey and my dad to thank for my drive to pick up a guitar.
Just sold my delta blues 115 and I’m genuinely heart broken.
Mine still sounds great but my back just won’t do amps anymore.
Keeps these videos coming, fellas! I'm a daily watcher and love seeing awesome guitar content coming out of my home state of NC, it is much appreciated. I think North Carolina is often overlooked in the conversations about musically important states, so it is nice to see such a high quality of content coming out of this state. I think if you guys sat down and made a podcast out of this kinda stuff, you'd see success there as well. Love it!
I've owned a few classic Peavey guitars and amps. And I still have a Patriot that I play regularly. The guitars felt like they were infused with lead, but always took any abuse you threw at them.
It's disappointing that they couldn't survive the changing markets and unchanging management.
My Peavey T-60 has hit the floor a number of times and still is in great shape.
I bought a Peavey PA amp in the mid 90's and the damn thing still works as good as the day I got it. Best purchase ever.
Had one.....seems like the guitarist for “Alabama” was a big sponsor of those.
He may have been a "big sponsor" but that's because he got them for free.
Wasn't that a Parker?
I was playing in Meridian, Mississippi in 1988. We went to an after hours club across town after the show. They had a southern rock band playing there and I think every piece of equipment on stage, outside of the drums was Peavey. Mics, guitars, amps, PA. Home town brand loyalty.
Harttley Peavey retire and I believe the Son-in-Law took over and that was the beggining of the end
I bought a Classic 20 head last year and I love it. It would be great to see Peavey return to what they were in their U.S. made prime.
I've had plenty of peavey amps over the years. Most people think they are only good for metal, but you can get a ton of tones out of them. Just because they gave ridiculous amounts of gain doesn't mean that you have to use all of it.
Always a pleasure to watch you guy's really enjoy the channel.
Growing up in the south, heavy gear was a staple. My first amplifier was a Classic 2 x 12 combo from the 70s… I think it probably weighed about 150 pounds… With built-in Reverb and Vibrato. Two channels and so very loud! All of their old gear was unstoppable. I’ve seen mixing consoles get rained on, dropped down flights of stairs, beer and soda and who knows what else poured into amplifiers… They always worked, regardless. You might have had to turn them off and wait a few moments, but they always came back.
And ugly! But they got me through a lot of gigs and we’re affordable, so I can’t say anything negative.
I have a Classic 2-12 50 watt beast in great shape that I would like to sell, if you have any interest? Too big for my use.
@@sjclippy9410 oh, no… Not these days. That was over 35 years ago and I have not used a combo amp in over 32 years. Once I went to a head and the cabinet I never looked back. Thanks anyway and good luck!🤠
Peavey classic 30 is my main amp til this day. That tone that comes out of the pre gain. Is so rich and saturated. Complete goodness.✌️
Seems like their heads are doing well in the Metal community
The Blockface 5150 is the sound of Metal. It makes Marshall cry.
I like my USA 6534 head unit.
I still have and love both of my Peavey Bass Amps. One from 1987 and the other from the '90s.
I still have a Peavey Transtube Envoy 110 from the early to mid 2000s. Great amp! I still use it often
My main amp was a Peavey Bandit, from the very last run of transtube amps made in the USA. I just sold it a few days ago, after owning it for 6 or 7 years (2nd owner). It was a really solid piece of equipment! I can feel at ease knowing that I can find one for pocket change on Craigslist if I ever want one again.
Maybe you guys should check out the new peavy invective amp. 20 watt and 100 watt, Released this past year. Not exactly a dead company.
I had a Peavey TKO 75 Watt bass amp back in the day, when I played bass for a year, for the experience, to see where a bass player is coming from and his mindset. Which I highly recommend for drummers or even guitar players, I Iearned a lot!
Tony MacKenzie uses a phrase on his channel I think we should all remember.... “Some things are built UP to a standard and others are built DOWN to a cost.” Both have their place...it’s making sure you know which is which when spend your money. Great channel!
Agreed. Tony is a gem. In fact..jus thinking aloud...I'd LOVE to see Tony interview Hartley...Holy Crap!!!!! I'd PAY to see that! Tony is on point.
My first tube amp was a Peavey Classic 2-12 50W amp. Bought in late 70's. Was a great amp for me. Loved it but unfortunately sold it. 2 years ago I came across a Classic like mine. I purchased the amp and it now sits proudly in my collection. Everything works as it should. Testimony to the quality manufacturing of that era.
"Joe Bonamassa should buy Peavey," hell yeah.
Their tube amps work okay for raunchy blues, but that is about it, so they might just serve him, who knows, heh?
@@nealixd.3011 you havent heard the 5150/6505? Your as wrong as possible
@@Ottophil or the Triple X!
@@HenritheHorse there’s one for sale near me for $400!! I’d buy it but wth am I gonna do with 150 watts😂😂😂
@@MrShreddykruger Blow the planet up :D
My Peavey Rockmaster tube preamp has gotten used every day for decades. Love it to no end.
I had an 80s predator when I first started playing back in 92. Gosh I wish I had saved that thing.
I have 2 Classic 50s love them. Had them for 25 years. They work great.
I know it may sound strange but I think Peavey would have done themselves a world of good if they had changed that awful, cheesey 1983 logo font.
I sold that stuff back in the 80s and I agree. And I've always felt the name "Peavey" hurt them in some circles and maybe was not the best choice.....Maybe the company should have been called "Hartley" .... ?
Yep that logo is cheesy as hell. Branding is everything. Especially after 1980. Made them seem like a cheapo amp sitting next to Fenders and Marshalls.
I kinda like that cheesy 80's font, it could circle back around.
I bought a Peavey Classic 30 as a teenager in Italy in the 1990s and still own it. It lives at my parents place (again back in Italy), so when I go back there (from the US, where I live now) I play it a bit. It's a pretty amazing amp: pristine clean, nice overdrive in the second channel, and amazing spring reverb. And it's just as good as my fancier Fender amps that I own now. Also it's LOUD.
I had a Peavey Classic 50 from the early 80's and it was built like a tank. What it lacked in tone, it made up for in reliability.
Been playing Peavey amps for 40 years. Mace to VTM to Classic series. Still have 'em all, still all working as good as ever.
Waiting for custom shops to start moving out of the US, it makes no sense that the products that require more work are the ones done where labor costs are higher. I have nothing against US made stuff, but do not like when guitar companies downgrade production overseas to artificially make US made stuff better.
Why wouldn’t they.. they not gonna make a 400 USA made guitar the margins would be garbage.. you have to do high end here because all the regulations (safety, pollution, inspection rent, minimum wage, benefits etc) drive up the cost of goods. China has no such regulation.. they have people
Sleeping where they work. in order to be profitable you have to have good margin because just the cost of the labor and running a cnc machine and slight marketing would put the guitar at about a grand and that’s nothing fancy. Probably single color and basic pickups, tuners etc.
@@Woody103 Actually overseas guitar factories are has good has USA ones, for example in Japan and South Korea regulations are has tight or tighter than in the US. A product quality is not determined where it is made, maybe only in guitars people have this idea that US made means they are better, when in reality they are not, companies are deliberatly making worse guitars overseas to keep the USA premium.
You don't pay a premium on a BMW or Mercedes made in Germany... they cost all the same no matter where they are produced, and they have the same specs and quality. The same should go for guitars.
One other thing that is bothering me is the current shortage of USA made guitars, when they are supposed to be all made in the US, electronics and wood, which leads me to believe that its all a big marketing hoax. Most probably they are just assembled in the US and made overseas.
I woud like for guitar companies to have the same specs in guitars no matter where they are produced, so I can buy a top notch Korean guitar without having it downgraded for marketing reasons.
Peavey made indestructible equipment. Best gigging equipment ever. 50 yrs later it still works! I remember not wanting to gig my vintage amps (68) bandmaster etc. so I purchased a Peavey classic 50 2x12. Ended up being a great sounding workhorse.
Hey guys, fun as always - way back in the 80s my band mate Steve had a Peavey (Stevies Peavey!)
And it was awesome for pub gigs, but I remember it seemed to run hot as hell without ever actually dying. Another bandmate had a Selmer that you could fry eggs on - kept our practice room warm, those 2 amps alone 😂🥚
What happened to the "What happened to Peavey guitars and amps?" video? It seems to have been replaced by a video about two guys that are in love with the sounds of their own voices.
When I was on the road with Maynard Ferguson, he had an endorsement with Peavey. We had a Peavey PA system, and I had 2 of their 1X12 boogie knockoffs. Terrific amps The bass player had the DECCA amp and a Peavey Bass. All fine stuff. This was in the 80s. Their classic series were great amps. There are some real bargains with their guitars when you consider they are all American made and fine quality for low prices. Too bad they're gone.
I have a live album that is obscure and awesome
My dad was a lifelong Detroit federation of musicians member. He once was hired for one of Maynards gigs. I went along and got to meet Maynard. He was as nice as he was talented.
i heard maynard ferguson- spokane wa, in the 80's.a really nice hall, great sound, and when they did "hey jude" the horns went up and down the aisle. perfect arrangement!
First real concert I ever attended was with M.F., in March 1977. Remains one of the top 5 most awesome concerts I have ever attended!!!
gone, but not forgotten....
I have a 112 Express. Got it some 20 years ago used and it is still going strong.
My 1st guitar amp was a Peavey Special 130. I had it from 1982 -1997 ... totally loud and reliable
I still have a special 130 still my go to for most gigs.
A lot of steel guitar players still look for this amp
@@bonclif I still have mine & it's going strong, I don't use it much now but I easily could even if it were to for direct to front of house console as it has an effects loop (pre-amp out)
My early run 6505+ half stack has been bulletproof and has been my only amp for almost 13 years. My tastes are changing a bit now but I love this amp and I was shocked how versatile it really was after spending some good time with it.
Peavy could have benefited from a logo and image update too.
They tried to re-logo the brand. Hartley told the story of extensive market research on several different new logo designs, and the surveyees pretty much all chose the old "lightning bolt" badge.
I love the old lightning bolt logo.
I think he designed that back in the 50s. They’re never gonna change it.
My first electric guitar back in 1981 or so was a Peavey T-25, paired with a 15 watt solid state Peavey amp. They also had a hard plastic case with a built in amp available.
Once Hartley Peavey gave up and outsourced all of his work, it went to shit
ayeeee big al!!!
miss ya buddy! been stalking your IG where you been working on those sweet guitars.
And they are still quite decent. I bought a Peavey Milestone bass (with its tiny amp) for $150 in 2006... But the sad thing is,while Fender has Squier selling 150 guitars for you to later upgrade to a higher tier... There's no "up" with Peavey 😢 the $150 instruments are the only ones they have...
Hartley never "gave up" anything! He was forced out. His only choice was to either outsource most everything, or go out of business. Pretty much the same as most others manufactures did, "CHINA!"
I still own an 84 Peavey Patriot face love it won't ever get rid of it made in America cost me pennies to buy better than my Fender
I think mine is an 87 Peavey patriot