Peavey Classic 20

[JGravelin]

I picked up one of these months ago and it's proved to be a very versatile amplifier. Swapping V1 and V2 12ax7 tubes make a big difference with this amp and there's some real 'glory' tone in there. Have any of you upgraded the speaker? If so, with what? And what about amp mods? I've seen a fleet of mods for the Classic 30, but this is a different amp. If you've got any insight to share, I'm all ears!

[tomteriffic]

Been down the road with a couple of Classic 30's and just got Ken Jones' Classic 20 and am likely headed there again.

The hitch with replacing the speaker is that the perfect upgrade would be an Eminence Ragin' Cajun.  But it's an 8 ohm only model and I know that the Classics are impedance fussy.  You could probably get away with it, but the minute you stuck something in the extension speaker jack, its bye bye baby fire-breather.  I just pulled the trigger on an Eminence Legend 10516, the 16 ohm version of the 1058 Legend.  It appears to offer much of the same benefit as the Ragin' Cajun with less weight.  I'll let you know.

Our own former member Teefus, aka Craig Schneider used to be a one stop shop for circuit mods and transformed two Classic 30's for me.  I inquired about his doing a Classic 20.  He said he doesn't have the parts any more, but DigiKey can fix that easily enough.  When I pull the chassis to put the speaker in, I'm going to see how scary unfolding the circuit board looks.  I may do them myself, they're simple enough.  It's just a question of geriatric eyes.     I'd be happy to send you the data he sent me.  What isn't on there is to use Sprague Orange Drop caps and silver mica resistors 10% or better.

FWIW, Ken's Classic 20 had had absolutely nothing done to it, even the Peavey logo was still there.  Original tubes, etc.  It's still a pretty damn good sounding amp, if a little on the boxy-sounding side.

ETA, Just to be clear, these mods are for the C20, not the C30.

[JGravelin]

That 16 ohm transformer really does limit the speaker options, for sure. Mine currently has that same Legend you've got- sound good! But I can't help but be curious about if there's a better choice.

I've been thinking about upgrading to a multi-tap Mercury replacement, but need to research it more. With a 4/8/16 out, would really open things up! Good idea on using quality caps and resistors, as that's something I could upgrade myself. Curious to hear how your C20 transformation goes down ..cool!

 

[tomteriffic]

If it were a color-for-color replacement it'd probably be a snap, changing the OT.  Had a friend who bought a Mercury replacement transformer for his Marshall and it wasn't that easy.  I'd definitely research it more. Once I get in there I'll see how tough the component replacement would be.  I know from previous experience you have to be *very* careful unfolding the circuit board.

[bubs_42]

If it was me, i'd put a WGS ET10 in there. The Classic 20 is one of those amps i've had my eye on for a while as well as the Fender Pro Jr. The sound comparison after tube and speaker swaps are impressive. After hearing a few amps with Mercury Magnetic Swaps, it really depends on the amp itself if its going to benefit from it. 

Keep us posted, i'll likely go down this road sooner or later. 

[tomteriffic]

1 hour ago, bubs_42 said:

If it was me, i'd put a WGS ET10 in there. The Classic 20 is one of those amps i've had my eye on for a while as well as the Fender Pro Jr. The sound comparison after tube and speaker swaps are impressive. After hearing a few amps with Mercury Magnetic Swaps, it really depends on the amp itself if its going to benefit from it. 

Keep us posted, i'll likely go down this road sooner or later. 

I've also got a Pro Jr. and love it. It's stock except for some vintage glass.  I replaced the speaker with the now discontinued Eminence Copperhead.  It turned out much like a Ragin' Cajun but with a smidge brighter top end, not to mention loads more headroom and volume.

[bubs_42]

Hum, I want to buy one or the other. Looking for that throw it in your car sleeper of an amp. I think the Classic 20 and a boost pedal and your done. 

[tomteriffic]

I wound up going with an Eminence Legend 16 ohm 10 since they don't make a 16 ohm Ragin' Cajun  Immediate improvement but not as much low end as the Cajun.  We'll see how it does after it breaks in a little.

There's one mod, common to both the Classic 20 and 30 that involves removing two components and replacing another, IIRC, that lets a lot more signal into the amp and allows it to get out of it's own way.  It did wonders for my 2 Classic 30's notwithstanding the other stuff.  Can't wait to get that one done.  I may even be able to do that one myself if I'm brave.

[Ting Ho Dung]

On 7/2/2016 at 2:08 PM, hertzsogud said:

That 16 ohm transformer really does limit the speaker options, for sure. Mine currently has that same Legend you've got- sound good! But I can't help but be curious about if there's a better choice.

I've been thinking about upgrading to a multi-tap Mercury replacement, but need to research it more. With a 4/8/16 out, would really open things up! Good idea on using quality caps and resistors, as that's something I could upgrade myself. Curious to hear how your C20 transformation goes down ..cool!

 

Has anyone checked to see if there are more leads (unused) coming from the output transformer? I have a Epi Valve Jr combo with the 4 ohm speaker. I pulled the chassis and there were leads for 8 ohm and IIRC also 16. I unsoldered the 4 ohm leads and soldered in the 8 to the output jack and hooked it up to an 8 ohm extension cab (non Epi). Now, if I want to get bold I could just drill holes and add the other output jacks and hook up all the wires but this is what I did in a pinch.

[Joe G]

I have a Classic 30 for several years, and for the Classic 30 there is no need to change transformers and you can use an 8 ohm speaker, as long as you do the following:   There is a simple trick to switch the built-in speaker from the 16 ohm tap to the 8 ohm tap: plug a bare 1/4" plug into the Extension Speaker jack. The internal switching contacts of the jack will connect the built-in speaker in parallel to the 8 ohm tap when anything is plugged into the Extension Speaker jack.

The above info and other useful mods can be found here: http://blueguitar.org/new/articles/blue_gtr/amps/peavey/c30mdrev.pdf

Edited to add that this works for a Classic 30. If the Classic 20 has the same external jack wiring and transformer, then it is worth trying.