Peavey 6505+ 112 combo "Beast" club

[Duffy]

Being the owner of a new Peavey 6505+ 112 combo I thought we might set up a place to share information on our awesome amps.

Anyone having a "Beast" is welcome to share their observations, problems, questions, and jubilations here.

Hopefully we will get some members to participate in this club.

Everyone with an interest is invited.

Mine is a very awesome amp with lots of gain on both channels and when you engage the "crunch" button on the rythym channel it is like having a three channel amp.

I like the way it has completely independent eq sections for both of the channels, plus independent presence and resonance controls. I don't mind that the three spring accutronics reverb unit is shared by a master control knob. I think the reverb is a very nice sounding unit.

I was surprise how well single coil guitars like strats and teles sound thru this amp. They overdrive very well and don't sound thin like on a lot of amps and pedals. Humbucker guitars like LP's sound really great as well.

I am personally not a heavy metal player but I've noticed that I am able to introduce some heavyness into my playing style with this amp that is very welcome.

I'm even able to get some excellent hot blues sounds out of it not to mention great sounding power chords. The amp has been able to reproduce every type of sound that I am looking for so far, with a little adjustment of the channel control, without using any pedals so far.

I'm going to try my Line 6 HD500 before long and see if I can get anything awesome out of it into this amp. I'll get back on that. I'll also post a couple pictures of my new amp.

Welcome anyone who thinks we need a 6505+ 112 combo club.

[iambloomsurf]

Saw one of these at GC for $550 a couple days ago, and I'm kicking myself for not getting it... Might have been the 212 version, but regardless, they are great amps and for some reason the combos go for WAY less than their head counterparts... I'm not an owner, but good luck with the club!

[Hand of Doom]

I have a head. What tubes are you using?

[Duffy]

I just got mine with stock Ruby tubes which I heard should cone out of there.

[Duffy]

That 212 is supposed to be awesome.

[Hand of Doom]

Originally Posted by Duffy

I just got mine with stock Ruby tubes which I heard should cone out of there.

I like the TAD 6L6WGC-STR. I actually mix two of those with two China KT66. Sounds great. I like old tubes for the preamp. Input tube is a Tungsram, really sounds fantastic.

What speaker comes in the combo?

I have a Soldano 4x12 cab, really punchy with this amp.

[rob2001]

This might be my next amp. Does anyone know if the circuits are the same for heads and combo's?

[rockon1]

Originally Posted by iambloomsurf

Saw one of these at GC for $550 a couple days ago, and I'm kicking myself for not getting it... Might have been the 212 version, but regardless, they are great amps and for some reason the combos go for WAY less than their head counterparts... I'm not an owner, but good luck with the club!

The new 6505+ 1x12 combo is made in China hence the 599$ new price tag. Bob

[Duffy]

It seems to be a real good import compared to the two Mississippi made Classic 30s I had to send back with problems right out of the box, 2 in a row.

My import AC30c1 has been great so far. The Classic 30 is a great amp if you can find a good one, but the unit is very small compared to the 6505+ combo and no where near the amp in my experience. I have a Delta Blues that I've had a few years and works and sounds great but is a different,although American made, animal - not to be scoffed at, although I find the fake tweed contact paper to be quite tacky.

The import 6505+ combo seems well built, as if Peavey had someone on site managing production. I've heard this suggested elsewhere as well.

Also, the more I play it I'm able to get a huge variety of great tones out of it and have found it to work well with a lot of different guitars, especially surprised how well it amplifies single coils. Today I might try a P90 that is quite particular which amp it plays thru. I'm confident that even with flat wounds it will rip with this awesome amp. I'd say it is one my best amp purchases ever amnd time will tell if it runs down the same path to destruction my Egnater Tweaker so catastrophically did, but I got a full credit 6 months later without going the warranty route and this is a way more impressive and versitile amp, curiously. I'm staying away from amps that claim to do all sorts of things. My Fender Super Champ XD does a few things very well in a modest sort of way, however.

The American made head would definitely make a great amp with twice the power.

I haven't plugged my combo into my 4 X 12 cab yet but will when I get it situated in my amp wall the way I want it. That should be fun. I also haven't played my active pup Ibanez Art300 alligator hide simulated top guitar thru it yet.

[Hendog]

The only difference is that it's made in China? Same circuit and transformers?

[Hand of Doom]

I had never used the rhythm channel until today. Damn, I need a foot switch!

[twoheadedboy]

Originally Posted by sangre azul

I had never used the rhythm channel until today. Damn, I need a foot switch!

When I had one of these amps, I ran it almost exclusively on the rhythm channel, and it sounded amazing. With the gain up, it sounded a lot like a lot like a cranked Hiwatt. Try running a fuzz into the rhythm channel with the gain halfway up! I only used the lead channel when I wanted to play straight ahead death metal.

Anyone tried the 6534+ head yet? I'm really curious about it.

[marshall2288]

My friend has the 6534+ head. It pretty much kills.

[Duffy]

Well, I have been using my 112 combo almost everyday for several hours. It is sounding great to me. I like the high gain.

I just picked up a used PRS SE Singlecut tremolo in tobacco sunburst flammed maple. This is an awesome guitar and sounds real good thru the combo. In fact I haven't played it thru any other amp yet.

I know this is supposed to be a heavy metal amp but it sure can play the blues. All I have been using is a reverb foot pedal and the channels on the amp, also using the crunch button on the rythym channel. The lead channel is clean enough for some great blues tones with some awesome sustain, which blends with the reverb well.

I don't know about the power tubes though. I definitely don't trust those RUBY tubes. I had two amps blow up on me with RUBY power tubes and the power tubes blew catastrophically. I don't know if this was because of the tubes or a cap or resistor or what, but they were both good amps and sounded real good.

A place by me sells exclusively Groove Tubes, but I wouldn't have the first idea what heat level to get or if it would be way smarter to get some other power tubes than Groove Tubes, like JJ's or whatever. I have JJ's in my Delta Blues and haven't had any complaints. Every tube in that is a JJ except maybe one preamp tube.

I guess I could call Peavey and ask them what a great pair of power tubes would be. I'm sure they know RUBY's are not the best, but you know sometimes in manufacturing you have to do things you don't want to do just to stay in business and compete. The expensive head units probably also come with RUBY tubes, which is a mystery.

Anybody have any ideas what would be a real good pair of power tubes? I have heard both good and bad about Eurotubes and JJ's. On their website they sound like the greatest, but you know how it is - just go to guitarfetish.com and read all the fantastic elaborations they have on there regarding their guitars and pickups and everything - you'd think that the GFS stuff was the greatest. I'm sure some of the stuff is great, but from my experience you need to know just exactly what to buy from them because a lot of it is not high quality. I bought a LP type guitar with a three quarter inch solid maple cap on mahogany. Not a bad guitar and good pickups, but the craftsmanship is not very good, not up to Agile's in my opinion, dollar for dollar.

Anyway, I need to find out what tubes I should be putting in this beast, so I can get those RUBY's out of there.

[ken374]

I have a 150 watt Eminence swamp thang in mine, works perfect for this amp and it takes the high end harsh out!