Peavey Delta Blues Amp... issues!

[Frank Bradley]

I recently purchased a new Peavey Delta Blues amp for my BMI D10. Nice amp BUT... even with overdrive disengaged it clips into slight distortion when cranking the volumne pedal and it's hard to bring out the "lows" even with the lows turned up. I thought this would be good "clean" amp for my steel. I am having to bring my Peavey Vegas 400 on gigs for backup and its having issues of it's own with pots/EQ going bad, thus the reason for buying the Delta. Any thoughts? Am I using the wrong settings or the wrong amp altogether? Should I just go ahead and revise/fix the Vegas (pots are hard to find for it now) or can anyone suggest another amp?

[John Billings]

EL-84s. Not a ton of wattage. I have used mine in the studio though, and it sounded quite nice. As for the lows,,,, I originally bought mine for use with my Baritone guitar. It pooped out on the low end. My tech and I traded out both transformers. The originals are tiny. They do what Peavey wanted, but not what I wanted. Put in a big old Hammond PT, and a Dr Z OT. Made a huge difference in it's ability to handle the low end. But, it's still an EL-84 amp with not a lot of power. Still breaks up when pushed.

[Keith Murrow]

Frank, the Peavey web site lists the Delta Blues amp as putting out 30 watts. By most standards, that is not nearly enough power for PSG to remain clean in any situation except perhaps practicing at home, studio recording, or possibly low volume band rehearsals. If you are playing live, the volume needs of pedal steel are far beyond the capabilities of this amp. Wattage-wise, your Vegas would be a better choice for playing live, no question.

There are many new and used options available for pedal steel amps, so it is a matter of finding what works best for you. You already own a pretty good one, and those older "400" series Peaveys like the Vegas should still be quite serviceable.