Peavey Classic Chorus 212

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 16 Aug 2001 9:59 pm

Does anyone have experience with the above amplifier for use primarily with steel guitar. It has 75 Watts RMS per channel. Bargain price @ US$200.00 (like new) but wasted $$ if not fit for purpose (below).

I am considering joining a band to play weddings/dances, etc. in community hall (not night club) environment. My steel is a U-12 MSA Vintage XL SS2 with George L E66 pickup. I also intend to play occasional rock song on 6-string using same amp.

I have no comparitive experience with amps and steel guitars, and currently use my home stereo with some stereo reverb effects - which actually sounds good to my ear, but is obviously inappropriate for live work.

Opinions on purchasing this guitar amp for PSG+6-string purposes??

I am also interested in comments on other amp to meet this purpose Rating, speaker type, make/model???

Thanks in advance.

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 17 Aug 2001 5:21 am

Hello Tom,
This amp will sound OK for steel, but there was a post on the electronics forum a few days ago where a customer was seeking advice on using a Peavey Bandit 65 if you want to get some sort of idea from that post.

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 17 Aug 2001 9:56 am

Mike,

Are there any specifications and schematics on this amp that you could forward to me. I am particularly interested in the frequency response exit the preamp, power amp and speaker. Also how is the EQ configured (freq/width, active or passive?). What frequencies are enhanced when the "bright" switch is on.

Disregarding that this amp was not intended for steel - my first impressions of the unit (playing in a small room at gain=1) is that the lows are too compressed/muddy when playing the lower ranges of B6th. Mids come though well. Missing some sweetness and clarity that probably could be found in the upper-mids range.

If I was to add an eq in the effects loop, could I find a better sound, or does the overall amp filter out so much before and after the effects loop to make this redundant?

Are there some mod's that can expand the freq response of the low range? What exactly is the Lemay mod -is it a factory mod or home mod? Is it possible or desirable to adjust eq center frequencies?

The chorus feature notches out a considerable amount of low and low-mids - why?

Thanks, Tom

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 19 Aug 2001 6:42 am

Tom, The Classic Chorus would be OK for home/church, but doesn't have enough power for any live gig. I sometimes use my Peavey Stereo Chorus 212 (130 watts/channel) and before I "modded" it, it BARELY got the job done. It sounds pretty decent, now. I find most all amps severly lacking in the bass department, and the Peavey is no exception.

The Classic Chorus would be "better than nothing", but it's far from an ideal amp for steel.