[GuitarT]

I've been toying with the idea of replacing my current amp with something smaller. I've been using an older Fender Blues DeVille 4x10 for the past 20 or so years. I love the amp, it gets the sounds I want but it's waaay louder than I need and getting too heavy to lug around. As of now the Peavey Classic 30 is on my short list. I'm looking for a smaller simple tube combo, 1x12. Hoping to keep it in the $600 and under range (used). Blues/classic rock tones.
Anything else I should be looking at?

 

[Budda]

What wattage do you need? Vintage traynors and small marshalls and fenders come to mind.

 

[capnjim]

When you ask a question like this, you will get 10 different answers in the first ten replies.
I love the Peavey Classic 30. My buddy just got one and it sounds great. Good fender type cleans, and as much overdrive as you could want.
Plus, they can be found for around 400$ used. My buddy paid 300$ and got a 6 guitar rack for 20$ with it.

 

[greco]

Fender Blues Junior?

Seems to be a very popular amp.
Versatile, great cleans, good reverb, 1 x 12", 15 watts, tubes, not large and heavy, under $600.00 used, etc.

You might want to consider renting one from L&M and taking it for a thorough test drive.

Good Luck with your search!

 

[cboutilier]

Classic 30 is great.

Also Blues Jr, Pro Junior, 5E3 Clone

 

[LaRSin]

I owned the Classic 30 ,sold it, and they are great amps , , Been thinking about getting another one as I miss it. My only complaint was no standby switch..

 

[cboutilier]

I owned the Classic 30 ,sold it, and they are great amps , , Been thinking about getting another one as I miss it. My only complaint was no standby switch..

Meh, standby switches are virtually useless.

 

[Jim DaddyO]

I had a Classic 30 and thought it was a great amp. It too was really loud. Going from a 60 watt amp to a 30 watt amp is not a huge drop in volume (It takes 10x the power to double volume in dB approx, so to double a 10 watt volume, you need 100 watts).

I played mine for a while through a 15" extension cab, which sounded great. But really, for me, playing a tube amp on 2 in a bedroom was not the sound I was looking for. Once you get it sounding good, you couldn't stay in the room.

If you play out, then it may be just what you're looking for. Great amps, everyone I have talked to that had one liked them.

 

[GuitarT]

I owned the Classic 30 ,sold it, and they are great amps , , Been thinking about getting another one as I miss it. My only complaint was no standby switch..

The newer ones have a standby switch.

Meh, standby switches are virtually useless.

To some maybe but I use mine a lot and would miss it.

 

[Chito]

Classic 30s are excellent amps. You can't go wrong with it. But if you are willing to add a bit more, look for a DRRI.

 

[ekim]

I just picked up a classic 30 and I love it! Great amp! Sounds good and takes pedals really well. I'm using my firehawk fx with the 4 cable method to hook it all up. Wish it came with a fan tho...Made a bracket for a pc fan to keep everything cool in the back.

 

[mister.zed]

I just traded for a Classic 30 last weekend based on advice from Budda in a different thread (and I just couldn't get the cash I wanted for the amp I had grown out of). Mine is the head version with a 15" speaker cab. It can be LOUD. I like both channels very much and though I'm not much of a reverb fan or user, I find this one's reverb is quite nice. The dirty channel does blues to heavier rock. No high gain, but that's fine with me.

I also tried an attenuator and cranked the clean channel and it breaks up very nicely. All around I'm very pleased with it. Slide on my electric resonator is especially nice through the dirty channel.

Thanks Budda for the tip!

 

[butterknucket]

Pro Jr

 

[Hamstrung]

I've owned Classic 30 and 50 amps in the past. Great amps. I've recently been using my Blues Jr. for the last couple months. Excellent amp. This past weekend I pulled out my Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 36. Everyone in the room commented on how much better it sounded and I noticed it as well. The H&K can be found in the same price points as the others on the used market. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the above.

 

[rwe333]

Am I correct in thinking most thought the Classic 50 the jewel of that Peavey line?
Fender HR Deluxes have great cleans & reverb, though still a 50 lbs. combo - also a bit prone to repairs.
Always found the Blues/Pro Jr. too bright/thin, but YMMV... Things like RI Deluxe & Princeton or newer Supro great but pricey.
Not tube, but the (non-ToneCapsule) Roland Blues Cube reissues are killer - 2 very useable channels, reverb, good for direct recording... Tech 21 Trademarks similar.

 

[GuitarT]

Well, my quest ended yesterday. Thanks to forum member "ekim" I've got an awesome Classic 30 in the fold. Spent some time this evening cranking my semi hollow through it and man, what a great little powerhouse this amp is. Sounds a lot bigger than it looks. Great clean channel and an amazingly useful drive channel. If I make to Riff Wrath tomorrow this guy will be coming with me.

 

[greco]

CONGRATS!

Being a Peavey, it should go VERY well with your semi-hollow!

ENJOY!

Cheers

Dave

 

[ekim]

Glad you're enjoying it!!

 

[Chito]

Great amp. When I went to the Riff Wrath Jam 2 years ago, I brought my Peavey C30 with me. You will have a lot of fun with it.