Nashville 112 U.S.A. Made Verses China Made Version.

[Vann Ray Cranford]

I Have Recently Finally Got Someone On The Phone At PEAVEY. I Was Told, That The NEW China Made Nashville 112 Amp Comes With A 12" "Celestion" Speaker Instead Of The 12" "Blue Marvel". PEAVEY Told Me, That The "Blue Marvel" Was Never Really A PSG Speaker. PEAVEY Claims, That Celestion Is Making Their Speaker Especially For PSG. Has Anyone Played Both Versions Of The 112? If So, How Do You Compare Them, Both By Where They Are Made(Quality) And The Speaker Differences. Finally, How Would You Compare Either Of The 112's With The Fender Twin Reverb Tone Master Digital Amp For PSG? Thanks For Any Input!

[Willem Langeveld]

I have a Nashville 112 and a TM Twin. I prefer the TM Twin and am still planning to sell the NV 112. The 112 is a 2014 model that says made in the US, it does not have a Blue Marvel (since all Blue Marvels seem to have an obvious label on the back) so I guess it must be a Celestion, although I can’t find any label that says so. So I can’t answer the question which speaker sounds better in the 112.

Willy.

[Jack Stoner]

All US made NV112's came with a Blue Marvel (custom made by Eminence for Peavey) speaker, whether or not a label is on it. The Celestion speaker is in new (2022) models, the 2014 model has the Blue Marvel.

Initially, the China made NV112's also used the Blue Marvel speaker and the difference was no chip sockets and instead chips soldered directly to the circuit board.

The Celestion is now the speaker in the NV112. I heard from a friend who got a new NV112 a couple months ago and was surprised with the new speaker. I was also told the Celestion went through a test period with some steeler's before it was finalized. I can't compare sound between the two speakers as I haven't actually heard the new one. I was never a fan of the Blue Marvel speaker so maybe I would like the Celestion.

I have had both several NV112's and a TM Twin. If I had to choose (comparing an older NV112 with Blue Marvel speaker) I would take the TM Twin.

[Richard Sinkler]

I inherited a NV112. How do you tell what year it was made?

[Jack Stoner]

I inherited a NV112. How do you tell what year it was made?

Bill Ferguson can answer that for you.

[Richard Sinkler]

Thanks Jack. I'll check with Bill.

[Vann Ray Cranford]

Thanks Guys For All Of The Input. You Have Been Very Helpful In Me Making My Decision.

[Jerry Overstreet]

https://secure.peavey.com/serial-lookup/
I noticed this link a few days ago. I haven't used it, so I don't know how comprehensive it is. Maybe give it a try Richard.

[Willem Langeveld]

I inherited a NV112. How do you tell what year it was made?

On mine, it's on the sticker (in small letters near the bottom right) on the back:

As you can see there's no sticker on the speaker, but I trust Jack Stoner when he says it must be a Blue Marvel.

Willy.

[Richard Sinkler]

I inherited a NV112. How do you tell what year it was made?

On mine, it's on the sticker (in small letters near the bottom right) on the back:

As you can see there's no sticker on the speaker, but I trust Jack Stoner when he says it must be a Blue Marvel.

Willy.

Mine doesn't have the mfg date on the label.

[Richard Sinkler]

https://secure.peavey.com/serial-lookup/
I noticed this link a few days ago. I haven't used it, so I don't know how comprehensive it is. Maybe give it a try Richard.

It doesn't find my s/n.

[Jerry Overstreet]

https://secure.peavey.com/serial-lookup/
I noticed this link a few days ago. I haven't used it, so I don't know how comprehensive it is. Maybe give it a try Richard.

It doesn't find my s/n.

Yeah, like said I don't know how comprehensive it is. I just tried it with an older 2A-xxxxxx amp and it works for that, so maybe not for the newer serial numbers. Oh well, just a thought.

[Dave Hopping]

My 112's serial number ends with "2007" and I'm pretty sure that's the year I bought it. The speaker is original,so it's gotta be a Blue Marvel, but has no markings on it. I installed the "Fox chips" and it sounds delicious. Wouldn't change a thing, although I do have to confess that since my Milkman Half & Half is ten pounds lighter and sounds just as good (although much different), it's the one that goes to work.

[John Fields]

The original Eminence 30777234 was a 4 Ohm 80W version of a larger speaker that was used by Webb many years ago. I have a couple of the originals. The new Celestion is being marketed OTC as the "Sterling 250" and it was developed with four different Nashville 112 endorsers who I suspect are all on here. It got good marks for better lows in that small cab as well as for the smooth mid to top end. The Nashville 112 (1000) preamp was actually the first thing that I designed at Peavey back in 1997 and it's still in production; unfortunately now in China.

[Dave Mudgett]

On the early ones I've seen (including mine), there is a serial number xxxxxx followed by a 2-digit code zz, and then what I am pretty sure is the year yyyy. Mine is a 2006 - I bought it in 2006 from Bobbe Seymour, the trannys are dated 2006, and the speaker date code is 67-0616A (Eminence Speaker Company, 16th week of 2006).

Jack has correctly summarized the features for the US-made amps - says Made in USA, chip sockets (a big plus to me), and a 4 Ohm Blue Marvel speaker (codes 30777234 and 122108). I like mine the way it came, and never messed with newer chips. But the fact that they're socketed makes it real easy to make the switch, and go back if you don't like them. The look, from the front, it also a bit different. My 2006 has the silver strip cosmetics, standard for that period, round knobs. The newer ones have a different-looking cabinet, and chicken-head knobs.

I haven't been inside the newer MIC ones, but the wiring in my US-made 2006 is generally solid and eminently serviceable. The only thing that's gone wrong (besides me breaking off the reverb knob) is that a filter cap solder joint broke loose, which led to a loud hum. It was a 5-minute fix - the hum was very recognizable to anybody versed in guitar amps. My experience is that more modern construction, MIC, etc tends to lead to 'less serviceable'. That has been my experience across a wide range of brands and models, but I don't own a MIC NV 112, so I can't say for sure this applies here.

I personally like the Blue Marvel speaker. I think it's a good compromise between a super clean high-power speaker and one with more warmth. I put one into a couple of different guitar amps just to hear what it sounded like. To my ears, it sounded good for both guitar and pedal steel. I'm OK with some Celestion speakers, and I imagine they've tried to make the NV 112 Celestion work with the amp. But I think the Blue Marvel is a good fit, sonically, for mid-sized amps that need reasonable clean volume but without the harshness that many of the super high-power speakers can impart.

My NV 112 takes pedals well, and thus with appropriate pedals, is usable for standard and slide guitar. The sweepable mid frequency knob is very useful. It's not a particularly heavy amp - more or less like a Deluxe or Vibrolux Reverb, weight-wise. The box is more or less Deluxe/Vibrolux Reverb sized, so it doesn't have the expansive air of, let's say, a Twin Reverb. But it's not really what I'd call 'boxy'. But more constrained than one of the big amps, much in the same way that a Deluxe Reverb is a bit more constrained than a Twin Reverb.

The input impedance of many/most Peavey amps, including the Nashville 112, is lower than the typical 1 MegOhm of other designs like the classic Fenders. This is irrelevant if the first input impedance in the chain before the amp is high - i.e., that input is buffered. But you might notice that you lose some highs with a pot pedal straight into the amp, again as compared to a 1 MegOhm input impedance. But this is easily dealt with.

I personally own old hand-wired Princeton/Deluxe/Vibrolux/Twin Reverb amps, and I have no reason to buy the Tonemaster versions. But I have played a couple in stores. I dunno, I thought they were OK but I never thought about buying one. If I want super-light and high-power, I use my 200 Watt Quilter Tone Blocks into a lightweight 12" cab with a high-power speaker. Pretty hard to beat a roughly 4 pound head into a 15-20 pound lightweight cab with a 300-Watt Neodymium speaker, if what you want to do is really cut the weight. In fact, that's why I'm selling some of my pedal steel amps - I've been using the Quilter a lot, and I highly recommend the Tone Blocks. Mine are TB 201 - they were so inexpensive that I bought a spare.

[Richard Sinkler]

I inherited a NV112. How do you tell what year it was made?

On mine, it's on the sticker (in small letters near the bottom right) on the back:

As you can see there's no sticker on the speaker, but I trust Jack Stoner when he says it must be a Blue Marvel.

Willy.

Mine doesn't have the mfg date on the label.

[Bill Ferguson]

I along with Buck Reid and Steve Hinson, did the evaluations on the new Celestion speaker made for the NV112.

I can tell you that I was a Blue Marvel lover and would never have considered using anything else in my NV112's (at one time I had 6).

However, I have been converted. the new Celestion speaker has the same tonal charastics as the Blue Marvel, but in mine and the others ears, the separation is better with the Celestion.

The reason for the switch was that Eminence (Blue Marvel) could not keep up with the demand during Covid and thus Peavey had to be on the hunt for a new speaker.

I played my Celestion speaker at the Dallas show this year and was blown away at how well it performed.

I asked several people how it sounded out front and the stock answer was "it sounded like you". So I don't know if that was good or bad. hehe

BTW: Peavey is not selling these speakers by theirselves, but they can be ordered from Celestion. If you are interested I can get you a Catalog number. I can't seem to put my finger on it right now.

[Wiz Feinberg]

Bill;
Is that Celestion speaker light weight? If so, I would like a catalog number to check it out.

[Bill Ferguson]

Fix
It is about the same weight as the Blue marvel.

I will get that info and post it

[Carl Williams]

Here’s info I posted earlier this year about the new speaker:
I sent Celestion a message right after buying my Nashville 112 asking for specific info on the new 12" Celestion® Sterling F250 speaker…here is the response: (I sent a second message about the weight and they said 9 lbs)

On Feb 3, 2022, at 2:46 AM, Info <info> wrote:


Nominal diameter ...........................12in/305mm
Power handling ….…….................................... 250W
Nominal impedance ….…...……...…….…………….....4Ω
Sensitivity ..................…........…......................….97dB
Chassis type …….…...….........……….... Pressed Steel
Voice coil diameter …….….………...…...2.5in/64mm
Voice coil material…........................Round copper
Magnet type …….…...….………..…….…...........Ceramic
Frequency range.............................60Hz-5000Hz
Resonance frequency …….….….……......………. 55Hz

[Bill Ferguson]

Watch the New Products Section of the SGF.

This afternoon I will be posting all the current specs, pictures and how to purchase this great new speaker.

[John Drury]

What year did the NV112 MIC's start?