We Lost Our Identity | Inside Peavey’s Return to Roots

I had one of these beasts for a while. Sounded pretty damn good.

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Peavey’s already re-issued the 6505 and 6505+ as the 6505 Original 1992 and 6505II just a few years ago. The marketing for the reissues seems nonexistent when compared to how Gibson hyped the Mark IIC+ and Rectifier releases. The prices on the Peavey reissues have also risen a bit since then.

Peavey already repackaged the XXX without the mudflap girls as the JSX, 3120, and XXX II.

Something like a hot rodded Windsor, Butcher, or VTM reissue seems like a missed opportunity with the resurgence of the modded Marshall circuits in the 2010s.
 
I have not watched that yet, but plan to. Probably just need to throw in the towel and hang it up. Sad, but really what do they have to offer for the future other than a big loss for investors. Too late to enter the modeler/capture arena and amp sales aint what they use to be 20 years ago.

I use to love Peavey products. I still have a powered PA that is built like a tank and works great. It's been rained on, beer/wine spills, drunks kicking out speaker cables, and still works. I've owned a few of their lower watt SS amps and played through a 212 combo that was loud as hell back in the 80's for the HS Chorus band. I just dont see how they can dig themselves out of the hole they have been in for a while. Hope I'm wrong...
 
Byrdman said:
I have not watched that yet, but plan to. Probably just need to throw in the towel and hang it up. Sad, but really what do they have to offer for the future other than a big loss for investors. Too late to enter the modeler/capture arena and amp sales aint what they use to be 20 years ago.

I use to love Peavey products. I still have a powered PA that is built like a tank and works great. It's been rained on, beer/wine spills, drunks kicking out speaker cables, and still works. I've owned a few of their lower watt SS amps and played through a 212 combo that was loud as hell back in the 80's for the HS Chorus band. I just dont see how they can dig themselves out of the hole they have been in for a while. Hope I'm wrong...
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A lot of older companies are trending toward nostalgia and reissues these days, for Peavey that limits them to 5150/6505s and bulletproof PAs. Thousands of kids cut their teeth on little Peavey combos back in the day, but digital owns that market now.
 
Long ago and far away, I had a Peavey Mace with two cabs, 4x12 and 2x15, and a Bandit for practicing and recording. Today, one of the venues I play at regularly here in Japan has a Peavey combo in its backline.
 
Frodebro said:
A lot of older companies are trending toward nostalgia and reissues these days, for Peavey that limits them to 5150/6505s and bulletproof PAs. Thousands of kids cut their teeth on little Peavey combos back in the day, but digital owns that market now.
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I don't think there is much of a nostalgia market for that stuff or anything Peavy really. Not at prices they would need to charge for new builds in 2026.

For many of us growing up in the 80's, a big reason you mowed lawns and worked summer jobs was so you could move on from your Peavy gear and get the stuff you wanted. The only plus was that it was rugged so you could buy used, abuse it until you saved up some cash, and then sell it to the next kid who would do the same. The 5150 was a rare exception.
 
Chocol8 said:
I don't think there is much of a nostalgia market for that stuff or anything Peavy really. Not at prices they would need to charge for new builds in 2026.

For many of us growing up in the 80's, a big reason you mowed lawns and worked summer jobs was so you could move on from your Peavy gear and get the stuff you wanted. The only plus was that it was rugged so you could buy used, abuse it until you saved up some cash, and then sell it to the next kid who would do the same. The 5150 was a rare exception.
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The Rockmaster preamp was the core of my gigging rig back in the nineties, I still have it and it still works perfectly.
 
Dez said:
My first was a heavy as shit bandit and I didn’t know what the hell I was doing with it lol - the volume knob was also scratchy and would cut out unless I tweaked it just right. I don’t even remember what happened to that thing.
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The best bass player I ever played with owned a heavy as shit Combo 300 with an 18 inch speaker. It would randomly cut out all the time. He somehow discovered that if you tilted it back and kicked it really hard, it would start up again.
 
Dez said:
My first was a heavy as shit bandit and I didn’t know what the hell I was doing with it lol - the volume knob was also scratchy and would cut out unless I tweaked it just right. I don’t even remember what happened to that thing.
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You just had to turn it up and pull the Blue (I think) gain knob out:rofl
 
Yeah actually if they revived the XXX I want the mudflap girls.

Also the first refresh of that amp and the JSX was confusing. JSX became XXX II and the XXX became the 3120. If you weren’t aware of that and went to play a XXX II thinking it was a new XXX with global presence and resonance controls you were in for a surprise in that both channels gain channels were lower gain than the XXX. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but man, while the XXX isn’t the best 3 channel amp (clean, high gain, even more ridiculous high gain), that middle channel is glorious on the OG amp.
 
I really need to get an XXX at some point. I've only played on once in real life and was very surprised at how much I immediately liked it despite it being a "complex" amp. I'm not snowflaked out at the mudflap girls; I just think it looks trashy af and undercuts the awesomeness of the amp visually :hmm :rofl
 
JiveTurkey said:
I really need to get an XXX at some point. I've only played on once in real life and was very surprised at how much I immediately liked it despite it being a "complex" amp. I'm not snowflaked out at the mudflap girls; I just think it looks trashy af and undercuts the awesomeness of the amp visually :hmm :rofl
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Like an idiot I just googled XXX mud flap girls without putting Peavey in front of it. :facepalm :rofl

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Listen I’m partial the mudflap girls because the lead guitarist of my first band had one with the mudflap girls 20+ years ago. I should have bought one too. I played his and loved it but I’d already gotten something else. I had a B-52 AT-100 (Egnater designed circuit) which wasn’t a bad amp actually but I should have listened to my other friend and bought either a XXX or 5150 then. And being a poor college kid trying to also work a crappy full time job didn’t help with being able to buy another amp.
 
greatmutah said:
Listen I’m partial the mudflap girls because the lead guitarist of my first band had one with the mudflap girls 20+ years ago. I should have bought one too. I played his and loved it but I’d already gotten something else. I had a B-52 AT-100 (Egnater designed circuit) which wasn’t a bad amp actually but I should have listened to my other friend and bought either a XXX or 5150 then. And being a poor college kid trying to also work a crappy full time job didn’t help with being able to buy another amp.
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I'm kind of glad I didn't have money for all the gear I wanted back when I had zero responsibility. It would have been ugly :rofl
 
JiveTurkey said:
I'm kind of glad I didn't have money for all the gear I wanted back when I had zero responsibility. It would have been ugly :rofl
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I wish I'd kept amps from when I was younger instead of selling them when I didn't have to. Back then I didn't get the point of multiple amps so used to sell them when I bought a new one. I'd kill for some of those amps back now.
 
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