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Re: EL84 amps

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9/26/1997 5:19 AM

Re: EL84 amps

Hi John,

If I were you I would try different speakers first. I've played quite a few Peavey amps (including the Classic 50) and must say I don't like the speakers they use. When I connected a Bandit to a 2x12'' Celestion G12-S50 it sounded 200 % better, especially when distorted. You can't beat Celestions for that low end whoomp and smooth high midrange. You could maybe try to replace your stock 10'' Peaveys with Celestions G10L-35, which is a very nice and smooth speaker. I think Matchless and Diaz use these speakers, and they are not too expensive (at least in Holland)

Regards, Niek from Holland (but currently in South Africa for study)

9/26/1997 11:38 AM

John,

Try a good 412 cab at the store and see if you like it better. Sparkle is a bit subjective, and is just as often a function of the speakers and the guitar itself (what guitar are you using, and do you have new strings on it?).

Anyway, you should only have to change a few caps in the preamp to increase the treble response, so you only need a Fender schem, since you can trace the Peavey's PC board connections with a little effort. An easier way is to use an EQ pedal in front of the amp.

As for excessive distortion, turn down the gain in the lead channel and turn down the amp. You can only get so much volume from the amp, and you merely have to turn it down to clean it up. If it's not loud enough then you need more wattage, not different preamp tubes.

The advice on replacing the EL-84's is good if they are more than a year old with regular use. Don't go gutting the amp when there are easier solutions out there.

Regards,

Brendan

9/26/1997 6:45 PM

I have a Classic 50 head myself. It DEFINITELY sounds better through a Celestion-loaded 4X12. As for the tone, you need to get some new EL84s. The stock Sovteks distort easy, and have a softer quality. Supposedly, Sovtek EL84M's are harder sounding, and may add a little sparkle to the amp (personally, I like the dirtier sound!). Another option could be to get a set of Groove Tubes with a high hardness rating. Either of these should get you a little more sparkle (but recognize that NO EL84 will sound as sparkly a 6L6).

As for the lead channel, how are you setting it? Mine has a Pre AND a Post knob; the "Pre" controls the amount of distortion, and the "Post" controls the preamp volume (while the "Volume" serves as the master). If you're not getting enough volume out of the amp on the dirty channel, make sure the "Post" knob is up high enough (sorry if this is already obvious). You should be able to roll back the "pre" knob to smooth out the distortion, but with the "post" cranked and the "volume" set, you should be plenty loud. Some guitar magazine a while back called this a "loud 50 watts"...if you're not getting enough volume out of the lead channel, something's wrong.

I also have 2 Sylvania 12AX7's, in the input and driver sockets. They're smooth and bright sounding. I left a Chinese tube in the middle socket, because I like the upper midrange snarliness it gives, but I don't think you'd like it. I'll bet you'd like the sound of 3 NOS American tubes. Not only would the clean channel sparkle a little more, they'll smooth out the dirty sound.

Good luck - if you do any of this stuff, drop me a line...

9/26/1997 8:22 PM

I'm currently drawn to EL84s. I use a Fender Pro Jr that I did a few mods on, and a SF Princeton Reverb that I rebuilt with a Vintage 30, bigger transformers and a Marshall 1987 circuit but cathode biased. I got a couple of 6V6 to EL84 converter sockets from Doug Hoffman in Florida that I use in it and I'm really becoming attached to the sound of EL84s. Personally, I wouldn't buy a Peavey because from what I've seen they are near impossible to work on. The 5150 sounds good, but that is the only Peavey that ever impressed me soundwise. But try to set the bias on one if you want to use 5881s...it's a resister, not a pot. My amps are all Frankensteins, but I understand that since Peaveys are relatively cheap and somewhat reliable a lot of guys have them.
If I were you, assuming you are like me and on limited funds, I would get rid of the Peavey and get one of those new Fenders with EL84s like my Pro Jr. Put a Celestion and a Deluxe output transformer in it and you won't be dissapointed.
I bypassed the cathode resister on the first triode with a 25@25 cap. And I changed the .01 coupling cap between the 2 12ax7s in the preamp to .0022. The gain increase is subtle, but it is definately there. Its a PC board and a PIA compared to the older Fender, but its worth the trouble. The Pro Jr has a 10 but Fender has an EL84 amp, Blues Jr or something, that has a 12 and reverb, and they are about $350 new. Mine was $250, but then it only has a 10 and no reverb. Reverb is for pussys anyway. Just kidding. These amps have (2) EL84s also, so they aren't so loud you can't make them work without killing the front row. I'll take a smaller amp and make it work, you know? It's cheaper, easier to carry, and sounds a hell of a lot better. If its not loud enough, use 2. They're cheap.

I hope this isn't too much, but you said all suggestions were welcome.....

Mike Tremante

10/1/1997 8:59 PM

You can get a schematic from Peavey for $3;
check their web site.

I have a classic 30, which is similar but with different speakers and less power.

I would replace the preamp tubes with NOS tubes.
You could also try using an 12AT7 and a 12AU7 in place of the two 12AX7s in the drive channel.

This will reduce the gain in the preamp circuit, and give you more headroom and a wider range of "in-between" distortion sounds.

I used this for a while, and it worked OK.

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