Peavey Classic VT vs VTX
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- čas přidán 2. 10. 2018
- 1978 VT-series vs 1982 VTX-series Peavey Classics played with a 2015 Squier Affinity Telecaster. Both 50W and 2x12, the VTX has Scorpion speakers and the VT has Eminence speakers. Tube power amp (6L6) and solid state preamp. The VTX has preamp circuits which includes saturation whereas the VT hasn't, why its much cleaner than the VTX. I'm miking the speakers where the dustup meets the cone. MD421 close mic and C414 room mic at the camera set to omni. All EQ knobs on 5 on both amps. Used the high channel on the VTX and the bright channel on the VT.
- Hudba
Take you back to 1999 me and my brother went in together on a peavey 212 classic vt with one blown speaker and bad tubes replaced the speaker with a pyle driver and the tubes played for a couple years and then he stopped talking to me January 2019 he passed away then I learned that he pawned it fast forward to last night I opened Facebook Marketplace and I'll be damned the amp was one of the first ads so a little road trip in the middle of the night and its back in the family Great video man
Holy hell, that VT verge of breakup tone at 2:19 is stunning.
That VT sounds really amazing! Crystal cleans and nice, open crunch. A true gem.
Thanks
I have a 1974 Classic. Owned it since around 1983. Great amp. Still has original RCA tubes in it.
Excellent, video, Johan. Old Peavey amps are so great and underrated. Cheers.
I agree!!
The amps sound great as usual, but that T-SHIRT is the star of this show my friend! God bless.
Thanks my friend!
yes!
:)
I have a VTX Heritage with Black Widow speakers. A friend bought it new, I believe in 1984. My friend passed away recently and his widow gave the amp to me. Every time I fire the amp up I can hear Danny pounding the classic sounds out once more… thanks for the great video!
Was given a VT today! It had been sitting in a barn for 20 years. Opened it up and had a couple dirt dobber nests in it. Cleaned em out and fired it right up! Couple scratchy pots and one bad speaker but overall in good shape. True workhorses! Can't wait to get it running properly. Great Vid!
Put in some good speakers ,put in some fresh filter caps and run it with 5881 tubes. You'll like! If it's Four tubes, remove two . This will half you wattage but you won't hear much difference in loudness. What this will do is give you better tone because youll have a bigger transformer/ iron ratio. Let me know....
Recently got a Special 130 from 84 on the cheap...Just re-capped it,changed some components and did the Burr Brown chip mod to it...Wonderful clean amp pedal platform..Still has the original Scorpion 12 in it...Years ago I owned two of the VTX Classics...Nice amps! Great video as always!
I recently picked up a 74 Classic VT 212 for $200 and this video helped me decide on it! Super happy with it, and it replaced the cheap Marshall with a gross speaker that I was using. Pretty good upgrade!
My god! The VT is amazing!! I think both Peaveys are fantastic each in there own way. Great demo as usual :-)
Hi Johan ! I really love the effort you put in when making your videos, they are brilliant and this one is no different. Thankyou so much, I've learned alot from you since I subscribed to your channel. G'day from Australia !!
Used to own a vtx. Great amp. Thanks for taking me back in time!
I was seriously going to comment on one of your Marshall Lead 12 video yesterday about the vt classic regarding your opinion. Thanks for uploading and great tone as always haha.
Great timing! Thanks man :-)
Wow... the Eminence speakers adds so many clarity to the sound.. thanks for the video
Thanks Markus!
What a great comparison video, Johan! All others should study this one!
You really make we want to buy an Affinity Cheapo-caster. You rock that thing in so many clips and it always sounds amazing. Cheers!!
Cheers!
Never tried a VT (i would love to) but i love my VTX, built like a tank was for years my poor man's tube amp, and i still favour it for some tones over other amps. Thanks for taking a look at these war horses!
Boom, knocked it out the park Johan. Great tones.
Another great comparison Johann! I owned a 1983 VTX and wish I had never gotten rid of it. Sounds like no other amp for sure.
Johan you are single handedly driving the prices up on these older Peaveys. If it wasnt for the giant leap in quality of the newer modeling amps these older solid state amps would be worth big bucks now.
The VT sounds very Fender and the VTX sounds very Marshall haha. Very cool and both amps sound amazing, you really know how to dial it in to get the most out of the amps, seriously some of the best tone on YT.
my first amp in 84 was a peavey classic vtx. never realized how great it was back then. thought is was good until i got my marshall, but man they sound amazing to my ears now! need to get a VTX or VT again. wow.
I can not take my eyes off those Marshall stacks, great video Johan, awesome shirt!!
Thanks! :-)
They both sound great! The VTX has more breakup to my ears. Your circuit description in the description text probably explains that difference. One of those times when I say both are the right choice! Maybe depends on the tone you're looking for in the moment
2 brothers with different personalities. I really like both. Moset är, helt enkelt, gött.
Great video Johan! I used to use one of each in a stereo setup for cleans with a signal splitting pedal. Had a very full and and wide sound. Wish I hadn't sold them.
Thanks for a cool comparison video. I’ve got a 1981 Peavey Classic VTX that I’ve had sitting up in my studio that I haven’t touched since about 1998. Anyhow a few weeks ago, a buddy of mine who fixes tube amps got ahold of it and we ordered a bunch of new parts and tubes and he got it up and running again for me last night. I’m kind of anxious to see how it will sound playing country with my old Tele compared to my Fender Twin or my Mesa Boogie.
I played a VTX as my main amp from 1984-1990. Really liked it all around and it never needed servicing. A bandmate of mine has a 1976 Classic 2x12 and it sounds sooo good. I have a fondness for mid 70s to late 80s Peavey amps.
I own both. VTX is the first amp I ever owned. Still my go to on the bigger shows. I'm using lightweight stuff on smaller shows. VTX is basically a Bandit 65 with 2 6L6's in the power section and a phaser.
The VTX is like a Bandit mixed with a Musicman HD150, really weird amp
Dude I put 2 vintage 30s in mine and it is UNREAL!!! The vtx is a bit big for me now put I’ve had it since 1984
Those Eminence speakers,very American sounding. Scorpion speakers sound a little like 70s green backs. Both great in very different ways. Thanks Johan👍
Thanks Steve, that’s a good characterization
I had the stock speakers in my '73 classic, and they sounded not good to me, I swapped in some blue marvels, and I like thaat amp more than my '62 blond bandmaster. And these amps ate so cheap!
I've read that the Scorpions were copies of the EV speaker and it's almost JBL like...I have the Scorpion in my Special 130 Peavey..
@@johnspina318 i have an original SP130 as well. Found if you want more american tone you need to dial up the presence
I want the VTX!
That VT has beautiful tone. Wish I could find one. I have a crappy old Reknown model. Love it anyway. Peavey made some great stuff way back when.
I worked in a shop during the 80s selling Peavey guitars and amps. I really hated it but oddly I am overcoming it somewhat over the years. There is really something cool about the classic for sure. Nice playing and demo as always :)
Thanks, glad you like it!
Nice video. I have the classic VT and it is a warrior, however I never use the bright channel alone. I find the best use of the amp is using the "automix" input, the fourth jack and using both channels to create a blended sound. Simple twirling of the knobs (sorry for the sexual innuendo) between the bright and normal channels can give you a much greater range of sound. If you want it cleaner crank up the bright channel and drop the normal channel. If you want grit crank the normal channel and drop the bright. If you want sonic mayhem, crank them both and turn on the phaser (which is sweet !!!). Just a demo of the VT classic is a 20 minute video.
You can find these amps cheap and they are worth buying.
When you find out your ultimate axe is a squier affinity, it's priceless!!!
Squier Classic Vibe Tele is one of the best unsung heros of the Fender line...
Both amps sound great ... but the VT for blues would be a first choice.
Great video! Both sound wonderful
Whoa! That VTX sounded nice until you switched to the VT then it was like 😳, The VT is just cleaner and smoother but the VTX still has a good crunchy sound to it. Good demo by the way 👍
Wow- two amps with the same name from the same company- that couldn't sound more different! I liked the chorus and drive sounds on the VTX a lot.
Phase shifer....No chorus.
The older VT sounds much nicer to me, but that really doesn't matter. The really important thing here is that shirt! Great video Johan!
Hahaha! Thanks Rob ;-)
Back in middle and early high school before I ever had an amp of my own that was significant enough for gigging my friend's dad used to let me borrow his Peavey combo for gigs at the local clubs and outdoor gigs. I'm pretty sure it was a VTX, not certain. That was a great sounding, reliable amp! It could really roar and took pedals well.
Thank you for doing this, I have the VTX and I've always wondered what the VT would sound like in comparison. I replaced the stock speakers with vintage 30 16 ohm and the tubes with the Mesa Boogie green label. I get more of a Plexi tone with my pedals now. I wish I could get it to you so you could do a demo with it compared to others.
I bought one of the VT's, pretty much identical to this one, for $85 at Guitar Center 10 years ago. I don't think they knew what they had. Such a great impulse buy.
Both sound good to me. I prefer the VT, but they would sound great mixed together. The shirt at the opening was awesome. Love it!
Thanks! :-)
I recently bought a 1975 Peavey Deuce II for pretty cheap. Really like it so far. Great cleans and you almost get a fuzz tone when turning up the pre.
Been there, had that...For Deuces as with all those seventy era Peavey's tube amps it's advisable to change the speakers to something good. Even the Scorpion s sound cold. Also remove two tubes. I think you'll like the tone better that way!!
The preamp on mine (Heritage VTX model) actually went out completely a couple years ago and I use preamp pedals into the tube power section. So even if you didn't like the preamp, there's so many preamp pedals you could buy and put into that great power section. I got mine in 2008 for $150, I put some eminence crankin' country speakers in it which are really versatile for any sound you want.
excellent comparison and review
Great demonstration/comparison 🎸👍🏻
My nephew's VTX just sings! It's coupled with a '79 Peavey four 12 CTS cab. Best of both worlds!
Sounds great! Nice shirt Johan!
Thanks Matt! :-)
Peavey is probably the most consistently under estimated amp builder ever.
Groove on Johan. 👍
Amen to that. Cheers :-)
I had a vt that i had retubed and upgraded the speakers and OMG that amp sounded amazing and the biggest mistake was selling it...The clean was incredible...what an amp!!!!I love peavey
what speakers did you up grade with i have a 78 vt and thihought about upgrading speakers
@@tideslider664 i upgraded with wgs veteran 30s...they are smoother than a celestion vintage 30 and seem to really suit open back combos..celestion seventy/80s are very nice sounding as well
I just found one of each in a pawn shop.I bought the classic as it was pristine cosmetically.Got it for $100 but took it back today as it had some minor issues.They will probably let me try the VTX for the same price and give me a 3 month warranty like they did the other one.I want it but they are hard to carry for us old timers. "Buy It" keeps ringing in my ears Johan.They both have scorpions.
Johan I found one of these at a music shop here in Denver, CO because of this video and while I was there I also saw a late 1970's Yamaha G100-115 amp. If you haven't tried it I suggest you do an episode on it. It had a fabulous tone, better than the Peavey classic VT in my opinion.
Vt for cleans, vtx for leads
VTX sounds compressed. VT sounds lush. I have a Deuce VT BW series. I love it very much. Thanks this was great!
Ha! flashy shirt mate! Can't fault any of the Peavey amps,they all rock! Cheers Johan! \m/
Cheers Clive! \m/
Remarkably different, and both really tasty!
Love me some old peavy. Sounds awesome!
Thanks!
I think the vt sounded better, the sound kinda filled the room. I love your shirt in the beginning, I gotta get one.
I haven't heard either of these in a long time. Both sound great. I like the VT sound better. But, if I remember correctly, I had an early 80's Bandit with the blue knob that could be pulled out to give sort of a fatter sound, like the VTX. It also had a Scorpion speaker. Your far left white knob (bright switch) is not pulled out on the VTX is it? Great playing!!!
Best comp review l've seen yet!
Love the VT clean, like the VTX dirty. I'd take the clean and use a distortion pedal?
I had a vt classic. Definitely goes in the category of amps I should have never sold.
Do you know that this amp was the answer to the acclaimed Fender Twin Reverb; to make a long story short, it kicked “plenty of ass”, and I hate that I never bought one. Peavey, back in the day were always there, for struggling young musicians, and I Thank them for being there. One of my first bands, when we practiced, the lead guitar player, shared his Peavey Musician (100 wt. head w/ 6 12” cab) with me as Rhythm Guitar and a Bass Player; unbelievable, and it sound was balanced, I’m not lying. Looking back, that’s where dedication comes, because it’s “make or break”, a group of “Clueless Kloos” ( People would stop by that garage and listen to us play, until we closed rehearsal, as we played through a Peavey Amplifier). 1979 was like “vintage wine” that was a good year, it was also the last year, Ibanez stopped copying Fender, Gibson, Richenbacher, and whatever manufacturer they could duplicate; that part I wish would comeback again, and if you don’t believe me, go on eBay and see what that “valuable to vintage 💩” sells for, and I’m not hating, although I would never buy it today, it just amazed me on how well they were put together, and if anybody remembers, back in that time, where you would see Peavey amps, Ibanez guitars and basses were hitting the next. Here’s me, I may never make it to the Big 💩 of Time, but I give it up to The Manufacturers that paves a way for those that were interested in the pursuit of Soul Satisfaction. Why?? They got to eat and feed their families as well as anybody else. So “Stop” feeding these “Greedy Bitches”(😂😂😂😂😂😂)!!!
in 83 I had the VTX head in the flight case it was killer... great clean channel. The overdrive channel sounded best with my Boss SD1
Hey, I just got a classic 2x12 (but the one with tremolo), what improvements should I do? Sounds really good btw.
The thing is that I don't know if I should put new cables or something, this is my first tube amp. Great video.
I have a peavey heritage vtx and I'm really happy with it
Something about changing between channels and the boing sound of the reverb bothers me on a friends VTX... But that VT lacking lows really helped it out
I had the VT .As a Teenager and I loved it..
that SHIRT!!!! Johan, YOU RULE!!!!
John, have you ever done a vid on the Musicman 212 HD 130 combo? It's very similar to the Peaveys of the time. SS preamp with all tube poweramp. It's loud with tons of headroom! Mine is a pre-77 model. I'd love to hear your take on one of these amps! 120 watts in a heavy as heck combo! Very clean and a great pedal platform.
I liked the bark of the VTX, whereas the VT had abit more clarity. NICE!
I like both amps for different reasons. The '78 is more open with a flatter response where the '82 VTX has a much more pronounced midrange that would probably make it jump out in a mix.
the classic w/ the eminence speakers takes it hands down. nice headroom on the cleans and very precise gain tones
Thanks!
I got the Classic VT series and the first thing that had to go was those tight Emmy speakers. You could bounce a dime off them. I cut a new baffle and put in a vintage Jensen 15. Yeah, that's the ticket...yeah. Then I changed the 6l6 tubes to 5881s and this amp kills! Very warm and blackfacey!!
would be cool on tests like this to run both amps into the same cab. the scorpion spks and eminence are radically different sounding
Have to start your hunt for a VT now.
Hey Johan, in future amp comparison videos like these, you should add a section where you run each amp into the other amps speakers for a fairer comparison. We all know speakers are pretty much the biggest factor of an amps tone.
That's a actually a really good idea.
Not really a bad idea but the cables might not be long enough. Typically the speaker cables on combo amps just clip onto the speaker terminals and are just short enough to plug into the amp. I have a combo amp and I couldn't even place an amp on top of it to plug into the combo speakers. You'd have to buy longer cables.
I dont really understand why that would make it a better comparison, what it proves.
@@robertwhite9824 what don't you understand? The speakers are the biggest factor in how an amp sounds. Eliminating that as a factor would compare apples to apples how the amp's circuitry handles the signal. I myself have a VTX but would love to hear what it sounds like with the same speakers as a VT.
Both are decent sounding amps, but with that guitar, the older VT definitely sounds a lot nicer with more presence and a richer sounding distortion. When played clean or lightly overdriven, you could really hear "the wood of the guitar" as I like to say. But cranked it just sounded more pleasant. The VTX also wasn't bad, but definitely a lot more mid-range "honk" for lack of better words and a little less clarity. That was surprising to me as I've used Scorpion speakers before on similar amps but never experienced that. Perhaps the Scorpion speakers didn't age too well. Who knows.
Anyhoo....once again great comparison Johan!
Hey next time maybe we could get a humbucker demo? I was staring longingly at that SG lol. That said, Ain't a darn thing sounds like the Peavey hybrids. Currently have a 320t Mace, a dead Mace VT I need to repair, and a Deuce VT that sounds very much like your classic but WAY heavier weight! haha. Last word I'd like to add is I hope someday you get to experience the original Mace/Deuce/Classic with the Series Input that cascades one channel into another. Its quite a beautiful high gain swampy tone NOTHING else has.
distortion greatly improved from the VT to the VTX, I own both. you have to add pedals to the older classic
Those amps sound incredible! I like the VT more but honestly I feel like they would both work great in a mix hard panned respectively to each side. Also, the chord progressions between 1:02-1:40 are excellent! Reminded me a bit of old 70's Aerosmith. Kind of an Uncle Salty vibe.
Great to hear that, I’m a huge fan of early Aerosmith!
I had a VTX Heritage. That thing was LOUD and HEAVY!
Yeah its a beast
VT sounds like a great pedal platform.
vt sounds amazing
hi johan!! how did you equalized the VT for this vídeo? can you share it? :) exellent channel
Purchased a VT Classic several years ago and took it to the regional AMP Wizard. Wiz put in tungsten tubes, all the diodes with original Pevey parts, and did some laying on hands to the VT. A good amp became a Great amp! Kept the original speakers. I have a total of $625 in the VT, and for my $ and ear this is a BARGAIN!!
Love the VT
Just picked up a VT for $140. On the Automix input with combine selected on foot switch the amp sounds amazing. With heavy distortion it kinda turns into a fuzzy sound similar to a Proco Rat. Really surprised an amp so old has this much gain on tap. Clean sounds are fantastic and Fender-ish. Great amp, just gotta replace the power cable with a grounded one. Never had an amp so old, really surprised that 2 prong cables were normal back in the day.
Hey man, I have the VT series myself. What settings did you use at around 1:45? Mine usually sounds like a baked potato when I try to push the gain on it.
I love the VTX. I had the Amp in the 80s. The Phaser hmm.....great!
The VT is so clear. VTX sounds like there is a blanket over top of it.
The VT by far!! Wow!
If someone told me the VT sound was a Marshall I'd have no reason to doubt them.
Back in the 80s I ran a wet/dry/wet set up with a pair of Dean Markley combo amps running the amps reverb and slight stereo chorus (boss CE1), and linked to switch to OD on both combos (CD30 and CD212 both with EVM 12l) Using a digital delay (boss DD3) dry out to the wet stereo amps and a few milliseconds of delay no repeat went to a Hiwatt Custom 50 for the center dry channel tweaked till it made a huge 3d soundstage. My girlfriend's brother had a VT classic and said I was stupid for hauling 3 amps around and that his classic alone was the greatest amp ever made and could sound just as good as my entire rig. Finally we set up both of them in a room one day and and ran things head to head. I'm sure he is still convinced to this day that his classic could do 90% of what any of my amps did, and I'm still convinced classics sound flat, coarse, constipated, and barky.
Hahaha ;-) Cheers
I recently purchased a classic 100 which has Carvin speakers. Not sure if they're stock but I'm not really impressed. Thinking about swapping them out with Black Widow's. That will end up costing me about as much as the amp itself so it better be worth it. Any thoughts?
I just picked up the vtx at a great price but I jumped the gun and am reading that you can not change channels without the foot switch. Just want to make sure is that true and do you know what foot switches are compatible?
You know Johan what's mightier than your mighty Crocs?
Your funky new flashing T-Shirt man!!!
As for the Peaveys: I'd take the VT. I especially loved the clean sound of the VT.
Hahaha! Glad to hear it :-)
Keep it up man!!
I have an original classic 212 like the first version. Is it any good and is it even worth anything?
Is the footswitch necessary or can you engage distortion and effects manually?