Now on to the specs:
•
50 watts (rms) into 16 ohms
•Two 6L6GC and three 12AX7 tubes
•Two independent footswitchable channels
•Separate EQ for each channel
•Foot-switchable gain/volume boost on lead channel
•External speaker capability
•12 inch ValveKing speaker
•Reverb with level control
•Buffered effects loop
•Resonance switch for "tight or loose" cabinet response
•New Texture™ variable Class A simulation control (patent pending)
•Dimensions21.125" W x 18" H x 10.062" D
•Weight41 lbs.
Woooooooooooooooo... fuck yeah, bitch! 50 fucking watts of all tube power. Tube power amps are fucking loud, but have a sound that is unique to them that no modeling amp can quite get. Solid states suck. Buzzy, sterile sounding things. The main power tubes are Sovtek 6L6WXT+ tubes for those of you who care about such things. They rock.
Right now, guitar-cable-amp is my only set up - no pedals - and I must say that my amp rocks suffieciently on its own and has pure tone just fucking oozing out of it. The pre-amp tubes are Electro-Harmonix 12AX7-EH tubes. Major motherfucking props to Peavey for using top notch tubes. In fact I had already made up my mind to swap out whatever Peavey had used for tubes before it arrived. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Peavey used the very pre-amp tubes I wanted in the first place. I will probably swap out the power tubes for something from TAD later on. That is not an indictment against the Sovteks, I am just dying to try the TADS. The biggest thing that rules about tube amps is you can do many tweaks regarding the tubes to change the sound of your amp, but most people are afraid to mess around with it. What the hell are you scared of? The fucking thing is not gonna explode in your face, unless you’re an idiot. Wait, better leave it to the pros, huh? Anyway. try swapping around and upgrading your solid state and let me know how that goes, mmmkay? As a side note, E-H tubes are made by Sovtek but are only available under the E-H brand.
The amp does indeed have two channels, but for some goddamn reason Peavey does not include the footswitch. -1 point to them for that, fuckers. MSRP of the footswitch for this amp is $51, not a bad price really but it should have been included. Come to think of it, $51 for a fucking simple construction like a foot pedal is outrageous. It should be included, period – free of charge. Peavey would get more sales if they did. I did order one but haven’t received it yet, so I can't comment on how it works. I am sure it fills its primary function of switching. I will just assume it does.
The EQs work very good, almost as responsive as an active EQ. +1 for that, which negates the minus earlier for not including a footswitch. The gain, the volume boost, and the brightness for the clean channel can also be controlled by the footswitch for this amp. Would be nice if I had one of those. The gain and volume boost works very nicely (manually – grumble) and I don't experience any delay or pops in the functioning of it, like some people have. No complaints on the bright switch functioning either. If you like that old Fender tube amp sound you will like this bright switch, it really opens up the sound.
I don't have a separate cabinet to try out the external speaker function, but the jack is there. The "specially voiced ValveKing speaker" is adequate and can really produce some sweet sounds. I think a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker will wind up residing in my amp at some time though. Celestions are the shit when it comes to amp speakers. All others are judged against them, in my opinion.
The reverb is an honest to God spring reverb, so it automatically kicks ass. I have never heard a bad spring reverb. Be nice if it was foot-switchable though. I don't have any effects so I can't comment on the effects loop other than that the jacks are there and that they are located on the face of the amp. Some people have bitched about the effects loop jacks being on the face, but I like them there. Makes more sense to have them there than on the back of the amp to me. Who wants to rummage around in the back? You can’t handle some cablage in front? Get a fucking Pod or some shit, you fucking aesthetical cry-babies.
The resonance switch is unique to the ValveKing 112. Its bigger brothers, the 100W combo and the 100W head, use a far more versatile dial for that function. The resonance control lets you choose between a closed back speaker cab sound and an open back sound. Very cool to have, in my opinion. The dial on its big brothers lets you blend those sounds. I figure the push button switch here is a cost cutting measure. I feel it should have been located on the face vs. being on the back, and it should also be foot-switchable - seeing as it is just that, a switch. The "Texture" control is what really sets this amp apart from the pack. It is a dial located once again on the back (idiots), and with it you can really sculpt your tone and sound. You can get either a true Class A sound or a true Class AB, or anything in between. I love this feature and I find myself tweaking it more than the EQ, actually, and that is why this function should’ve been accessible from the front of the amp instead. Do these fucking people who design amps actually play the fucking things?
I have played on raging Marshalls, Ampegs (one of the last solid state combos they built), and a few Boogies, and yet I feel that this little Peavey is by far the most versatile amp in the bunch. You want a Fenderesque clean soaked in 'verb? No problem. Want to sound like Kerry motherfucking King? No Problem. It can do it all. Its distortion does sound a bit scratchy at low volumes, if you get carried away with the gain knob. No problem though… just back off on the gain setting and you will still be rewarded with thick ass distortion. Crank it up and your neighbors will be pissed off like a wasp nest you just smacked with a baseball bat and call the cops, fuckers.
The retro inspired red pilot jewel light is a nice touch, too. No cheap LEDs on this amp. The standby feature functions flawlessly. If you need a break, switch it to standby and go take a piss, get something to drink, or whatever, and when you return switch it back to full on mayhem and lay the world awaste again. No waiting for the tubes to warm up. Don't leave it in standby mode for extended periods of time, though, just kill it completely instead or you will be replacing your tubes much sooner than you should need to.
Bottom line: This amp kicks ass and offers one hell of a good value. I would not be afraid to take this to a small club and gig with it as is. In a large club I would just mike the fucker and run it through the PA. I still love Marshall amps, but their prices are getting insane, and the QC is getting almost as bad as Gibson's is on their guitars. I see a ValveKing100 stack in my future, or I will get that B-52 tube head and build a stack with it. I am still curious as fuck about those B-52 amps. Someone out there who has a B-52 tube amp needs to write us a review on one and send it in.
