Peavey Classic 20

[blackba]

There is a used Peavey Classic 20 I am considering picking up. I did some searching on it and it seems its pretty well liked, just that it sounds a little boxy. Anyone have or had a Peavey Classic 20?

From what I can gather the features are a 10in speaker, single channel with boost switch, about 15Watts of power from 2 EL84's, headphone out jack, speaker output jack (not sure if it mutes the internal speaker or not).

BTW these pictures are just ones I found of a classic 20, they are not pictures of the exact amp I am looking at buying.

 

[Ventura]

Had a C30, and experience with the C50 - never the C20.

I can say this - they're outrageously good little combos. Easy to swap out the speaker for something a little more robust (ie: G12H30, or an Alnico Gold), and if you have a god tech in town, changing out some of the electronic components on the board to higher grade spec can make all the difference.

My last C30, I swapped out for an Alnico Gold, went with Genalex EL84s, and some boteek preamps, and had Ho from Ho's Electronics "booteekify" the electronic spec. Was such a fine sounding amp by the end of it all. Gorgeous. My buddy ended up buying for $750 off me with the clause that - at any given time - I could get it back from him for the same price. He runs a small studio in the city, so I know it's in good hands and well kept.

The mid 90s version of the Classics were the best spec'd at the electronics level IMHO, and the easiest to upgrade to full caviar if so inclined.

 

[rupe]

Raw, ripping little tone machines...I love them. That said, they weren't the best built amps...saw a lot of them come in for repair due to heat issues.

 

[Mudder]

Of the classic combos the 20 is maybe the best. It just has it all done right. Yeah, the 10" speaker is a drag but you can either upgrade it or run a separate cab. If you want it's easy to add a standby switch. Great amp, and usually cheap.

 

[D-Rock]

The Classic series is great. Speaker change will cure your ails.

 

[mjtripper]

Those are nice, great tones in a small little amp.

 

[BackCrack]

I own three C20's; two in stock form and one where I transplanted the chassis into a 2x12 shell. To really hear what this amp is capable of, plug a 2x12 or 4x12 into the external speaker jack (just make sure it's a 16Ω cab/load). There were two types of 10's that came in these. The earlier ones had an Eminence that was actually the pre-cursor to the current Ragin Cajun. Peavey switched over to the Blue Marvel 10" later on. C20's may sound boxy and somewhat small in most situations, but if you close-mike a C20 (especially the earlier Emi 10), it records amazingly well. Miked up through a P.A. also sounds primo.

 

[blackba]

I own three C20's; two in stock form and one where I transplanted the chassis into a 2x12 shell. To really hear what this amp is capable of, plug a 2x12 or 4x12 into the external speaker jack (just make sure it's a 16Ω cab/load). There were two types of 10's that came in these. The earlier ones had an Eminence that was actually the pre-cursor to the current Ragin Cajun. Peavey switched over to the Blue Marvel 10" later on. C20's may sound boxy and somewhat small in most situations, but if you close-mike a C20 (especially the earlier Emi 10), it records amazingly well. Miked up through a P.A. also sounds primo.

Great info. Is there any easy way to tell whether its w blue marvel or early rajun Cajun?

Also, is the c20 fixed bias or cathode bias?

Just waiting for the seller to reply back. I hope I get it.

 

[stephen sawall]

Friend of mine had one ... I really like it.

 

[BackCrack]

...Is there any easy way to tell whether its w blue marvel or early rajun Cajun?

Also, is the c20 fixed bias or cathode bias?...

The speaker ID is easy...Blue Marvels have a big sticker on the magnet, and the Emi's are just black. C20's are cathode biased; plug and play.

 

[blackba]

...Is there any easy way to tell whether its w blue marvel or early rajun Cajun?

Also, is the c20 fixed bias or cathode bias?...

The speaker ID is easy...Blue Marvels have a big sticker on the magnet, and the Emi's are just black. C20's are cathode biased; plug and play.

Sweet, I think its an emi based on this picture. From the picture it looks like there might be some mold in the cabinet, but I think that will clean off.

Did Classic 30's also have 2 speakers in them or were they always blue marvels? I just swapped out the stock speaker in a friend's classic 30 last night and the speaker looked just like the one in the picture of the classic 20, only 12inch of course. I also read that the speaker is the best way to tell the amps manufacture date.

 

[BackCrack]

Did Classic 30's also have 2 speakers in them or were they always blue marvels? I just swapped out the stock speaker in a friend's classic 30 last night and the speaker looked just like the one in the picture of the classic 20, only 12inch of course. I also read that the speaker is the best way to tell the amps manufacture date.

Don't know anything about the C30 and it's speakers; never owned one. The best way to date a C20 is to get in touch with Peavey Customer Service and give them the amp's serial #. PV-CS usually have very nice and knowledgeable folks with timely responses. Probably shouldn't trust speaker numbers 100% because of the possibility of speaker replacement.