Peavey’s Classic 20 combo has been called one of the great sleeper tube amps of the modern era. With two channels that delivers pristine clean and aggressive overdrive tones, a boost option on both and a lush-sounding digital reverb, the Classic 20 112 sounds great and has an attractive vintage vibe, making it an impressive working-class amp for performing guitarists. And now you can save $100 off the $999 price at Sweetwater during its Cyber Monday sales event.
Introduced in the 1970s, Peavey’s Classic series tube amps took inspiration from the celebrated amp designs of the ’50s and ’60s. Today the Classic amps have been around long enough to become classics in their own right, and the Classic 20 shows why.
Its two channels cover all the ground you need for rock, blues, jazz and more. Channel 1 is supremely clean, while channel 2’s gain rolls from overdrive crunch to sizzling distortion. Both channels have a foot-switched-controlled boost for even greater versatility. (And yes, the amp comes with a two-button foot switch.) And while the two channels share a single EQ section (bass, middle, treble), that won’t matter for players who like to dial in a clean tone, then up the ante with various levels of gain.
But where this amp really shines for modern players is in the extras. There is, of course, the lush-sounding digital reverb, which can be switched on and off with the two-button foot switch. But look around the back and you’ll find such niceties as a 1-/5-/20-watt attenuator switch that makes it perfect for stage, rehearsal and bedroom practice. There’s also USB and XLR outputs with Peavey’s Microphone Simulated Direct Interface emulation, a 1/8-inch headphone jack, a speaker defeat switch and a Ground Lift switch.
The Classic 20 houses a Peavey Sheffield 1230+ 12-inch speaker, but should you wish to add an external speaker cabinet, no problem. An 8-/16-ohm impedance switch is onboard for just that use.
In short, this is a great-sounding feature-packed tube combo — which is why it’s been around in one incarnation or another for roughly 50 years. With a vintage-style tweed cloth and an oxblood-color grille cloth, it makes a sharp-looking part of any player’s rig.
Plus, with $100 off at Sweetwater for Cyber Monday sale, it’s the perfect time to get yourself a versatile tube amp that works as well at home as it does at practice and onstage.
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