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I am in the Sacramento area this weekend, with my daughter. We popped in to a little music store yesterday. In the amp room there was a Triple X Peavey half stack. I played an ESP double cut guitar with a JB pickup in the bridge.
First of all, this amp begs to be cranked. It does have a good quot;high gainquot; tone with very tight bass response. It was a little too gainy for me, in a preamp saturation kind of way. I still thought it was fun to play, especially when I cranked it! Some of the kids in the store came over and said quot;dude that rocksquot; My daughter thought that was pretty funny. I played some Offspring and Hendrix for them.. on high gain of course I think that a single coil guitar would sound killer through the triple x, but I didn't have much time to play
The clean tone is very nice, and the option to switch from angel to devil is pretty nice, something I don't get with my Marshall.
I'd say it's a pretty cool amp if you want quot;modernquot; gain and some versatility. It's a little too buzzy for me but I still think it's a cool amp for what it does.

I loved mine aside from the buzziness you speak of.

That said, the 5150 fixes that . Killer that you tried it out and liked it, though.


Originally Posted by DeadSkinSlayer3That said, the 5150 fixes that .

Interesting. I guess I need to check one out. The local Santa Barbara music store carries the 5150

You mean a mesa type buzz in tone or just a characteristic buzz from high gain amps? I played one of these not too long ago but not loud enough to get a good demonstration.

I have learned to love that Marshall power tube distortion and preamp tube saturation does not usually float my boat


Originally Posted by StevoInteresting. I guess I need to check one out. The local Santa Barbara music store carries the 5150 Instrumental Music should have that and a JSX .

Has anyone spent any time playing the Peavey JSX? I've seen them, but haven't plugged into one. I'm pretty sure it's Peavey's best sounding rock amp if Satriani is putting his name on them.

I haven't tried the JSX but I did play through a Penta yesterday for a very few minutes...still not sure what I think about it!

Oh yeah, I forgot about the Penta....basically a vintage styled head with a tone shaping rotary knob. Why does nobody talk about those? You liked it or not?


Originally Posted by GearjoneserOh yeah, I forgot about the Penta....basically a vintage styled head with a tone shaping rotary knob. Why does nobody talk about those? You liked it or not?

my dad played through a full stack Penta at NAMM.....i thought it sounded pretty cool.....there was a clean woody plexi type clean, then a couple shades of marshall gain, from slight breakup to hot rod marshall, and the other position seemed like a recto type gain sound......overall it seemed pretty warm sounding to me. but we didn't play through it very long to see how versatile it really was, and at freakin 140 watts tube, we didn't get to crank a whole lot at all

thus why i love my ultra plus over the XXX. the ultra plus 120w (6L6) is the amp they based the XXX off and they messed something up IMO. the ultra plus has NO buzz to it just a FAT warm high gain sound without the flubby bottom. it's a great amp and while i keep buying other amps i ask myself each time why since the ultra sounds so cool.

-Mike


Originally Posted by GearjoneserOh yeah, I forgot about the Penta....basically a vintage styled head with a tone shaping rotary knob. Why does nobody talk about those? You liked it or not?I didn't play through it long...it was at a small shop around the corner and the place was FULL of pre-teen kids with their mothers and it was driving me nuts. to be honest, base on my first impressions, Im not sure I will try iot again, but I might. If I swing back in that store and it is not slam full of kids more than likely I'll give it another shot.

Yeah, I'm interested in that Penta. Tried the XX and um, it's not for me.

I tried both the JSX and the XXX and I didn't really like either but I generaly prefer nice simple 1 to 2 channel amps with not too many controls and slightly warmer sound. It seemed pretty well made though so I can see why someone looking for a versitile high gain amp would like it.

i might be getting a XXX within a month or so, but i also wanna try the JSX see how that is, im hoping it has an equally heavy sounding distortion

I tried the Penta briefly at low volume and was pretty impressed. Sounds like you can get a plexi and an 800 in one box. Plus there are two dials (5 settings each), one on front and back and you can footswitch between two of your favorite settings. Although it only has one EQ so that will have some negative impact on the switching. Overall I'd like to try it again at some volume.

The JSX left me very underwhelmed. Has the same upper mid nasal metallic thing that every other PV I have owned or played has ( outside of the classic and Ultra line which I like esp the late model). I have had an Ultra ( Original version from 1990) VTM, Butcher and 5150 and they all have an unnatural tonality about them. The thing is with the new PV price points they are no longer a bargain, I think they are over priced for what they tonally deliver. Hell of a 500.00 amp but if I have a grand to spend on an amp PV does not get a look from me. New Traynors are tonally superior at 1/2 the street price. My 200.00 Laney Pro Tube is better than anything I have played from them . I used PV for years, got solid workman tones out of em but nothing memorable and nothing I would put on any recording from this point forward.

Look at the very solid prices Scott has going with the Celtics and tell me a PV should cost me more... No way.