Power Amp suggestions

[GrimRiffer]

So I am new to the pre/pwer setup. I am looking for a good/cheap power amp to use with my Monolith Magma. Used/vintage is ok. I have heard good things about the 80's Peavey stuff.

[Frigo89]

the Peavey Classics [60, 60/60 (stereo), 120 and 120/120 (stereo)] are all great power amps as long as they are in good shape (they are getting up there in years) and they can be found for very cheap.

I had a 60 and a Marshall EL-34 50/50 at the same time, and tone-wise I liked the Peavey a lot more.

I also had an older (2 space) Rocktron Velocity 300, and that was a great unit too, I liked that more than the Mesa 2:90 I had. Much more straight forward, great tone, and loud as hell. (as well as no tubes to replace, though I have gotten over that aspect now haha)

[markD]

+1 on the peavey stuff. i have used the 60/60 (6L6s) and the 50/50 (EL84s). both were very nice. i also used to have a rivera hammer 120 (EL34) that was a complete BEAST - but it was insanely heavy.

the nice thing about the peavey stuff is that it is easy to have serviced, is tough and USA built for a good price.

[toejam]

Check out Carvin. They make great solid state or tube power amps.

[catzodellamarina]

Here is my rating of all the power amps I have owned and used live:

1. BEST = VHT Two-Ninety-Two. Tons of head room, monster low-end, and versatile wattage. I should have never parted with it.
2. Carvin TS100. My current amp. I only rate it higher than Mesa because it is more affordable. Clean, powerful, and flexible.
3. Mesa 2/50. Honestly, was not worth 3x the cost of the same wattage Carvin but Mesa has better resale value.
4. Peavey 50/50. Reliable. Way too many El84 tubes to replace. Less low end than 6L6/5881 amps.

TIE for worst = ADA MicroFet 100 and MOSValve 962. Both should only be used for bingo hall PA systems. At least the ADA takes up only 1 rack space.

[straycat]

Randall RMM series are great amps.
Peavey 50/50 or the 100's are also very good.
I run a Mesa 50/50 now and love it too.
Tube or SS really makes no difference IMO its all about the pre amp or FX your run thru it.

[leftykingv2]

Check out Carvin. They make great solid state or tube power amps.

+1 Carvin really is one of the best brands for not only amps but guitars as well. They're one of the most under rated high quality brands on the market today. I've also had a ton of Peavey equipment as well and it was all very reliable.

[Hellbat]

The matrix GT-FX series amps get a lot of love in Axe-fx land. And only 1u too.

[AdRock]

The matrix GT-FX series amps get a lot of love in Axe-fx land. And only 1u too.

The Matrix are nice units, but they're expensive.

Ever thought about a Velocity 300? I had one of the older 2U ones and now have one of the new 1U versions. It's a great amp.

[Hellbat]

Yeah I missed the inexpensive part. If you can find an old used Bryston amp, they are built like tanks and are sonically neutral.

[Tetsuo]

Here is my rating of all the power amps I have owned and used live:

1. BEST = VHT Two-Ninety-Two. Tons of head room, monster low-end, and versatile wattage. I should have never parted with it.
2. Carvin TS100. My current amp. I only rate it higher than Mesa because it is more affordable. Clean, powerful, and flexible.
3. Mesa 2/50. Honestly, was not worth 3x the cost of the same wattage Carvin but Mesa has better resale value.
4. Peavey 50/50. Reliable. Way too many El84 tubes to replace. Less low end than 6L6/5881 amps.

TIE for worst = ADA MicroFet 100 and MOSValve 962. Both should only be used for bingo hall PA systems. At least the ADA takes up only 1 rack space.

I had a carvin that was great but my VHT 2150 took the cake hands down. I agree the Mesa's are quality but you can get better value on the Carvin.

[Thanatopsis]

I use a Classic 60/60 that I'm very happy with. Only complaints are I wish it had a resonance & presence knob and knobs on the front like the 120/120. The 120/120 is just too much power, too many tubes to replace, and too damn heavy. I gig with mine and it's more than enough power than I've ever needed.