Peavey 6505 Guitar Amp For Sale (2024 Update)

Why do I call it the Hyundai of Amp? It's an amp designed for people who look for boxes to be checked or compare features online. Like Hyundai or Kia buyers. It works like this: Is it tube? Check. Does it have spring reverb? Check. Does it have emulated line out? Check. 1st off this has to be the most Chinese amp I've ever seen. IT's CHEAPLY MADE. They oversized it and made it heavy to give the appearance or impression of quality. Fail. Peavey claims they did that for bass response. However the bass response is poor it is not tight or anything you'd expect from a 6L6 amp. It's flubby and loose. My 1 trick pony statement? Well, no matter how you turn the eq pots, the sound is always kind of the same. The EQ doesn't have a lot of impact. It behaves like a digital amp. If you've used cheap modeling before, you'll notice that turning up the bass seems to decrease treble and mid rather than increase bass. The reverb is just awful. Your better off with it disabled. Its unusable. Digital would have been better. So this amp is for people who'd buy a Hyundai over a quality car because the Hyundai comes with similar features for less. Buy yourself a Marshall DSL40. It's way higher quality for the same money. But again this one check's boxes for features the Marshall doesn't have: Spring Reverb… Check. 6L6's…. Check. Emulated line out…. Check. 60 Watts… Check. But again it's the Hyundai of amps. There are lot's of amps in this range like the DSL40 that are more reliable and just drive better.Guylemieux

i bought this head about 3 weeks ago and I also bought a 412 Marshall speaker cabinet. I have been playing guitar on and off for 26 or 27 years now and have played thru just about every name brand of modeling amp and tube amp but this has got to b in my top 5 maybe even top 3 favorites so far. Me personally I think it even sounds better than my friends 5150 head & cabinet!!! It may be only 20 watts but don't let that fool you this thing gets very loud and has a very good tone from everything from metal to classic rock to country this head will do it all!!! It has allmost everything the full size 6505 head has but it's much lighter weight and is smaller. I have this head and a Marshall mini head both sitting on top of my speakers so I can plug the speaker cable into which ever 1 i'm in the mood to play that day but since i've bought the 6505 I really haven't played the Marshall that much. I researched some different heads and went on youtube and listened to different heads before I bought this 1. I actually heard my friends 120 watt 6505 plus head and it wasn't far off from what it sounded like on youtube of course I have a nice surround sound system hooked to my tv & computer so I got pretty close to the real sound of the amp like that but usually I wouldn't just buy something like this or a guitar without playing it first. I am very pleased with this head and the price is not bad either. I would recommend this to anybody who wants an awesome sounding amp that you can use as a practice amp or play out with and record with also with tons & tons of tone this has to be one of the best amps from Peavey yet!!!!smileygene30

I've owned many amps over the years including several other Peavey amps (Valveking, Triple XXX head with Mesa 4×12 Cab, Triple XXX 1X12, Sterero Chorus, US Bandit, Chinese Bandit), 3 Mesa's (dual recto head, .50 cal, and Mark III combo) , several Marshal's (DSL 40, DSL 100, and a couple of Valvestates) and a BlackStar HT-60……among others too numerous to list. My point: I've owned bad amps, average amps, and amazingly good amps. I heard good things about this amp, and after getting back into playing after a 10 year hiatus, I was hoping this would sound and perform similar to it's cousin, my old Peavey Triple XXX. Not so. The XXX had a stellar clean channel, with lots of Fender Chime. The clean channel on the 6505+ 112 is brittle and never completely cleans up unless you roll back the volume on your guitar. Even then, it's not wonderful. The crunch switch adds some decent crunchy tones good for old school rock. No complaints here, other than it obviously shares the eq with the clean channel….. so compromises will need to be made on tonality between the two. The heavy channel sounds just OK. My biggest disappointment is that this amp does not have the chest thumping low end that my XXX had (also a 1×12). Also, there is a high end "swarm of bees" buzziness emanating from the amp that you just can't dial out. Even reducing the pre-amp down below 2 and increasing the post to ear splitting levels doesn't solve this issue. I'm going to throw a Celestion GT-70 in tonight to see if it performs better than the Sheffield. Tubes will be next, but this doesn't sound like a tube issue, and other players are complaining about the buzzy tone all over the Internet. This amp just isn't the fire breathing monster it's cousin the XXX is. Seriously, I just don't understand why this amp is so highly rated.Wild North

I had previously bought a Roland 80GX but it required too much tweaking to get the sound I was looking for. So I still wasn't satisfied. When I was playing out in the early nineties I was using an all tube Carvin half-stack which was pretty basic…clean or distorted with reverb and very loud. Great amp but I eventually sold that because it was way too much for home use, and frankly, it sounded best when cranked up. I teach guitar now and I don't intend on playing out again, but I still wanted an amp that was simple to use, solid state so I wouldn't be concerned about replacing tubes, and would be powerful enough to do a gig if I ever got swayed into that again. The only built-in effect on the Bandit is reverb which is all I want besides distortion. I've read that it takes pedals great but I haven't gotten around to trying any. The best thing about this amp (for me) is that I can stop searching for the amp I want. This one is perfect. Clean or dirty, it has great sound and can get seriously loud. For my purposes it also sounds very good at low volume.Russ

Overall: I was able to gig with the unit twice before I had to send it back for exchange. The one I got had issues that occurred,buzz started to happen when nothing is plug in and even when all the controls are set to zero,buzz is still fairly loud!and then the three way switch in the rear panel that switches from 100%-50%-25% does not engage to 25% percent. yes this amp is loud! and last of all you have to buy the peavey footswitch….The Great news is, this amp sounds very good both clean and dirty channel. The cleans can be dialed well(fendery!) and takes Overdrive/Distortion well and that's if you need a pedal. The Lead channel has great gain depending on what you use it for! I like the classic Overdrive/Distortion(aka- marshall) setting allot. I play in two different bands, the first band I'm in plays Rock/Alternative,Twang Rock,Blues Rock,Heavy Rock, Responds real well to volume knob adjustments on the guitar during live playing. The other band is more Funk,Jazz fusion,Gospel,R-n-B type and this amp does it well without any pedals! and that's what I bought this amp for! basically I don't wanna use pedals,just amp cable,guitar and the footswitch to switch from clean to dirty and solo boost when needed. And it does it very well! I dig this amp allot. All the features and especially the solo boost function is awesome! the effect loop works well. I hook up my Boss DD20 with two 15ft cables(not live just for home use!) and there was hardly any tone lost or I could not tell at all. And this is coming from an overly picky Guitar Player. This amp is well thought out by Peavey Engineers and last of all its pretty light amp!Now I just have to wait for the other Peavey Bandit to be delivered to my front door and hope its trouble free!,and thank you zZounds for taking care of business, you always took care of me when there were unexpected issues and you got on top of it fast. Thank youWb

Everyone treats this like either a country/blues amp, or a metal amp. But it does fantastic tones for bands in between. Think Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, Kings of Leon, The Gaslight Anthem, Death Cab… those in-between tones…it NAILS them. The amp sounds tube. And i mean that. And i've played/owned a LOT of expensive tube amps. I love this thing. Sounds great. Is it a JCM800, Princeton, AC30, or Deluxe? No. It's not. But it can get amazing ballpark sounds. And I dont mean "Line 6, Fender Mustang" ballpark, I mean close your eyes and it would take a discerning ear. Sounds great at low volume but absolutely keeps up with a drummer at half volume. I can gig with mine no problem. If I HAD to pick something to gripe about, it's that by now the new ones should have the 3 different overdrive types foot-switchable. As it is, you can switch between clean and overdrive. But you set which type of overdrive (vintage, modern, high gain) at the amp and if you want to change your OD type you have to do so with your hands. This is an extremely minor complaint though and I'm being crazy picky. Especially considering that between a tube-screamer, Joyo AC Tone and the vintage channel, I can get every sound I'll ever use. I'm not really into the heavy stuff, but it does do that very well too. Oh also, it takes pedals like a tube amp. I've read reviews from people who say that it doesn't and they must be insane. Also..i dont know why the youtube videos comparing them to fender amps sound so muddy or dark, that is DEFINITELY a settings problem. I can get mine sounding VERY fender. And i'd put it up against a Hotrod Deluxe any day of the week.underXtheXradar

First of all, this came shipped with 5 levels of protection (Andertons box, insulation, Peavey warehouse box, invective box, insulation). Therefore it could have survived an explosion, thumbs up to Andertons! That said, this head is simply wonderful. Materials and construction are high standard and looks are clean and aggressive. No Christmas-style-ubiquitous LEDs, but a slight blue glow which blends with red valves and white panels. Speaking about the sound, this has a slightly high bass output at standard settings and could be tweaked a little. When correctly matched with pickups output and cabinet it produces a marvelous clean sound, very dynamic and warm. Lead channel is simply astonishing: gain is dense and controlled, tight and boost functions work well together and give high gain leads and well articulated notes as well. The noise gate is a nice touch. I will explore the various functions (recording via usb directly from the invective, and so on) over time, but I’m very satisfied overall. Volume output is huge and for room plays I set it under the first point of the scale…but i get high dynamics as well! This is seriously one of the best heads available for metal and progressive, with djenty touches and experimental features (same sounds as the Invective.120, but with a more “socially acceptable” volume output). I’d have liked a better footswitch from peavey instead of the cheap plastic one included, but I will eventually recase it.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This amplifier is amazing for metal players. The inclusion of a very-effective noise gate makes this head completely perfect for live and recording situations. I have always used the Boss NS2 in front of all my amps, but the noise gate in this head works easily as well. If you have quick stop/start songs, this thing will track. The distortion channel on this head is the 5150/6505, so you will get the legendary 5150/6505 sound. The clean channel is a TON better than the 5150/6505, however. The cleans are creamy and not brittle at all. You will really enjoy all channels on this amp, as the cleans blow the 5150/6505 away. There are two effects loops that work independently, or in concert. If you use a lot of effects, this head is destined to be your favorite. I am not a big effects user, so it doesn't mean a lot to me, but the loops are clean, independent, and controllable via the foot switch. I can say, without hesitation, that this head is the best Peavey has ever made. Full stop.TheTerrorBeyond

Overall: The Peavey Invective 120 is the best sounding high gain amp I have EVER played…and after 22 years I've tried many. A big thanks to Misha Mansoor and Peavey as well as zZounds. The lineage is apparent in this amp. What else is apparent is the time and energy Misha and Peavey put into refining this product. The lead channel…oh the lead channel. Downright sinister. Modern aggression that is completely unrivaled. The Invective puts all other high gain amps in their place. It's simply meaner, more modern and has more harmonic content and responsiveness through the entire frequency range than other amps. Lead and Rhythm channels sit excellently in even the most dense mix. Bear in mind im hitting my favorite parts of this amp…it can so much more than metal. And the clean channel is absolutely beautiful. Lots of clarity and fatness. Two things that can often be hard to achieve on a clean channel. The gate…perfection. The boosts (technically there are 3 different kinds)…perfection. And with the dual effects loops and 9v power on the back panel as well as the a foot switch that really does do it all. The Invective is the all in one solution…its so beautifully engineered. Plug your effects in the loop(s). Done deal. And it's midi controlled. So streamlined. And the best part…the Invective sound is MASSIVE. This is the new benchmark in high gain. Period.Keola

Fender-esque tube amp. As it comes from the factory, the clean channel is borderline unusable, it is overdriven. An easy fix is replacing the 1st preamp tube with a less gainy 5751. I put a NOS GE JAN 5751 in mine. (70x gain vs. the original 100x). That yielded a very usable clean channel for me. The factory speaker is a bit harsh sounding, I swapped it out for a Jensen. It comes with a spring reverb, check if it is screwed down properly, they have a tendency to be loose and rattling. The spring reverb also has a tendency to feed back and howl. at certain settings, I have not figured out why it does that, perhaps it needs some acoustical isolation from the cabinet. That is still work in progress. You have to mess with the settings to get it to howl, does not always do it. I never noticed it, but at one time I was trying to sell it and the guitar store found the setting and demoed it to me. With the 3 changes I mentioned (tube swap, speaker swap, reverb tighten) it is a charming tube amp, sounds pretty loud for the 30 watts it has. 2 negatives: it is heavy, built like a tank, and the howling spring reverb. Do not be afraid to get a modded one, esp if someone swapped the speaker already. People usually do not ask for extra money for that, and this is something you likely end up doing anyway.code_slinger

My Classic 30 and related Delta Blues are both US built models so I'm unclear on whether the amps have changed since production moved to China. That said, the Classic 30 replaced my very nice Fender Hot Rod Deville that had been modified to reduce gain and improve the tone stack. The Peavey has a wide range of tones and can produce excellent sound at both lower and high level volumes. The pre/post channel produces a very useful range of overdrive. Finally the amp is an excellent weight and size in terms of portability. The Deville was very nice but still liked to be loud, the Classic 30 is comfortable loud or at home volumes.TomH

I was looking for a pair of SS amps to gig with (I run stereo reverb), ones that sounded good clean but also had a tube like attack and compression. These TransTube do. Sure they aren't AS good as a tube amp, but they sound really good none-the-less. Better than all my other SS amps. They DON'T have the annoying ultra-high freq, almost ice-picky thing going on that so many SS amps have.I own four of the TransTube amps: the Solo, Rage, Envoy and Bandit. If you're looking for clean tones, this Rage 258 seems the best of the bunch.On the higher end models (Envoy and Bandit), you get to select separate EQ'ing for your clean and lead channels, but I find most of the lead selections not really my taste. But the Rage's three EQ selections all sound good to my ears.The other three models' clean channels tend to start breaking up earlier on as well. With the Rage, you can be almost to full volume before the break-up starts.I did a side-by-side with the Envoy and the Rage. I connected each to a single spkr in my Peavey Classic 50 combo, so both were playing from identical speakers in the same cabinetry.I found that the volume level of the Envoy wasn't really much greater than the Rage, and if you turned them up just to the point of break up the Rage was slightly louder. The Rage is EQ'ed a bit differently, so even the two models' clean channels sounded a bit different. The Rage was a tad brighter, a bit more presence, perhaps a bit less compression. I also noticed that going through the 10" speaker from my cab, the Rage had all the depth and character of the Envoy. In other words, I'm betting the limiting factor on tonal depth with these amps is the speaker and enclosure. I suspect I could plug my tiny Solo up to a warm 12" speaker and get some thunderous bass. I'll have to try that with my Solo and Bandit!How am I using this amp as a clean amp? By running ultra clean, I can more easily make my electric sound like an acoustic (I use an EH Knockout pedal). I also have the option of getting whatever kinda dirty I like, without limiting my ability to play clean – I treat the whole amp as the power-amp stage of an amp and use overdrive pedals to emulate the pre-amp stage, putting effects in-between like an fx send/rtrn on an amp would. I put my dirt boxes in front of my phaser pedal (A behringer PH9 – the cheapest phaser I found, and the BEST one [true bypass, low stage count so it sounds all warm and gooey like the Vintage 74 MXR]). After my phaser I've got a Vox Cooltron Big Ben Overdrive (basically a pre-amp stage from an amp). Then I do my chorus and reverb before going in the Rage.Chorus and Reverb sound MUCH nicer when not overdriven. By putting a tube pre in front of those effects, I get nice glistening effects. I put the phaser before the tube pre because it's a bit bitey and the tube pre smooths the edges a bit. More of a Robin Trower effect that way as well.FrostBottomBoys

Overall: As a studio musician, I get to try dozens of Boutique tube amps for free in return for my opinions and advice. You can spend thousands more and not get better tube-tone or "feel" than this little guy. As another reviewer pointed out, the speaker could be improved but is OK for low volume practice or very quiet jazz gigs, like those where people eat dinner. You can very easily improve the already good tone by plying this through a better 8 inch speaker OR putting the head into a better cabinet with a premium 12 inch speaker. I use both of those strategies. For lightweight low-volume jazz gigs, I bring TWO of these to run in stereo from my stereo effects board. In those, I merely replaced the stock "blue marvel" speaker ( which is not terrible) with a much better 8 inch with wider frequency response and a lower FS. You'd be amazed. I had a woodworking friend build another cabinet that encloses this amp with an italian neodymium speaker. WHOW! You probably won't believe how beautiful and loud this thing gets! So, if you just want a good little practice amp or play VERY quietly, use this as is. These are so inexpensive, you can get two and make a very affordable stereo rig that fits in a rolling suitcase. And if you need boutique low-wattage tube tone, just use this amp with a good 12".Geo

Love the quality of the product. Easy to use and sound quality for the price is excellent. I love buying products from Sam Ash!!!! Selection is great and everyone is knowledgeable and very helpful.Rita

I have bought and sold several amps over the past few years, and I think this one's the keeper. It reminds me a bit of the katana 50 in that it has lots of features – but it is far easier to figure out how to use. I wish it had a slightly smaller footprint, for portability's sake, but the sound and usability make up for it. I also wish manufacturers would provide more useful documentation, but there are lots of helpful videos on the web. From clean, to crunch, to filthy – and some Fender Vibratone if you like – this amp can do just about anything.CR

Sound: Its odd they make you choose a rating for manufacturer support seeing as I imaging you would only contact them if you had an issue with your new item and zZounds didn't resolve it Overall: Its way louder than I expected. We don't turn it up past 3. The distortion sounds great. The amp modules sound great. For metal and grunge which my daughter plays its fantastic. I used the acoustic channel for jazz ukulele and it sounds great as well.James

I work at a guitar store so we recently got these amps in, I have to say that it genuinely shocked me? For the price and for what you get, it's pretty darn good
I'm really picky with my amps, so much so that I've only had one amp my whole 5+ years of playing and seeiing this new amp really, made me wanna get one, don't think of it as a legit replacer to a real 6405 or a XXX Head and Cab, think of it as a beginner amp, something to get started one, yes it has a lot of knobs and buttons that may seem intimidating, but take some time to get to know the little beast? You're gonna be kicking fun with this thing for hours.
It has some pretty alright effects besides the amp itself, the only thing I will say is that when passing 4-5 on a distorted amp like the 6505 it rumbles, and not in a good way as well as the whole amp kit app, IOS only? That's a bummer
Besides that, great amp.David Romero

I got this in on Wednesday, took it to church, set it up and played through it that night. I am very pleased with the clean sound. I don't know much about dirty sound as I only play clean… But it seems like it's easy to get about any sound you want! That being said, you should probably invest in a hand truck or something if you will be moving it much as I think it weighs approximately 73 thousand pounds… Or at least 70 pounds.Pastor Bryan

This amp is easily up there with my Bassman and Blues DeVille 4x10s, with plenty of power and headroom baby. Good value due to lower price point. Built right, sounds warm and clear, but gets thick and growls too, nice wet reverb. I got a great condition level 1 – mint deal on this monster tweed tonal heavy hitter. This amp is great for country, blues, and classic rock. but depending on your pedals, anything perhaps? Wow, love it.Lunk

What a surprise this amp is! Sounds every bit as good as the best clean amp ever produced, The F*nder Super Reverb, but actually has a little extra warmth. This is a durable, extremely well made amp with premium sound. I've owned them all including several V*ctoria amps and I know great sound when I hear it.Magic_Biddie

Its lightweight but maaan this thing kicks. Its loud and can easily be used at smaller gigs. Just Peavey being Rad as usual!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This is a really neat little amp that has more than enough gain to be usable for modern metal tones right out of the box. To get it sounding exactly how I want, I needed to put an overdrive/boost into the front (Boss SD1 sounds great to me), and use a noisegate. But that's pretty much expected of most amps to get tight modern tone. Overall, I am very happy with this amp.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I couldn't find these local and I mounted the amp right next to the stereo. The thing was I didn't want a 2 to 6 ft cord hanging out that I was gonna have to hide so these little Rca jacks did the trick and they work perfect. No wires to hide!josepbusto0

Its lightweight but maaan this thing kicks. Its loud and can easily be used at smaller gigs. Just Peavey being Rad as usual!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This is a really neat little amp that has more than enough gain to be usable for modern metal tones right out of the box. To get it sounding exactly how I want, I needed to put an overdrive/boost into the front (Boss SD1 sounds great to me), and use a noisegate. But that's pretty much expected of most amps to get tight modern tone. Overall, I am very happy with this amp.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I couldn't find these local and I mounted the amp right next to the stereo. The thing was I didn't want a 2 to 6 ft cord hanging out that I was gonna have to hide so these little Rca jacks did the trick and they work perfect. No wires to hide!josepbusto0

I bought this for the nostalgia. This was my first amp back in the day. Fun to jam on, just straight up sound. No effects or reverb.mybads10src

Its lightweight but maaan this thing kicks. Its loud and can easily be used at smaller gigs. Just Peavey being Rad as usual!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This is a really neat little amp that has more than enough gain to be usable for modern metal tones right out of the box. To get it sounding exactly how I want, I needed to put an overdrive/boost into the front (Boss SD1 sounds great to me), and use a noisegate. But that's pretty much expected of most amps to get tight modern tone. Overall, I am very happy with this amp.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I couldn't find these local and I mounted the amp right next to the stereo. The thing was I didn't want a 2 to 6 ft cord hanging out that I was gonna have to hide so these little Rca jacks did the trick and they work perfect. No wires to hide!josepbusto0

Its lightweight but maaan this thing kicks. Its loud and can easily be used at smaller gigs. Just Peavey being Rad as usual!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This is a really neat little amp that has more than enough gain to be usable for modern metal tones right out of the box. To get it sounding exactly how I want, I needed to put an overdrive/boost into the front (Boss SD1 sounds great to me), and use a noisegate. But that's pretty much expected of most amps to get tight modern tone. Overall, I am very happy with this amp.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I couldn't find these local and I mounted the amp right next to the stereo. The thing was I didn't want a 2 to 6 ft cord hanging out that I was gonna have to hide so these little Rca jacks did the trick and they work perfect. No wires to hide!josepbusto0

This is a fun little amp that offers a variety of tones at whatever volume you need. 20 watts in an all-tube amp is more than enough volume to keep up with a drummer and gig. With built power attenuation that lets you switch between 20, 5, or even 1 watt, you can practice at low volume at home (or no volume with headphones), and still achieve a rich tube tone. Rhythm channel: Acts as both a "clean" and "crunch" channel. Fender Twin Reverb cleans are out of reach, but still surprisingly lush and useable. Turn up the pre-gain to add a beautiful smooth break-up. Bright switch available, and I'll note that it's useable, and doesn't turn your tone into an ice pick. Toggle the crunch mode on (or switch on with the included foot switch) to add another level of drive and a bit more compression. There's quite a bit of gain on tap here, enough for classic rock of any variety, even 80's/90's hard rock, grunge, alternative. This would be a complete, excellent amp with only the rhythm channel. But there's more…. Lead channel: This is why you buy the amp. Hot, searing lead tone designed by Eddie Van Halen himself (Peavey 6505 = Peavey 5150 with a different name). Used by rockers and metal-heads alike for decades now, this ultra high gain tone is iconic. Plenty of bass for chugging palm-muted riffs a la Metallica or [insert heavy metal band name], but don't worry, shredders, lead lines maintain remarkable clarity and character. Shared EQ across both channels; not an issue for me, and you can always get an EQ pedal. Effects loop, options for recording via USB, headphones out (no auxiliary out for your MP3 player). Bottom line: This amp offers a lot of options, and it does an impressive job at each. I LOVE the built in attenuation for late night jam sessions while still having the volume and power for full band settings. I carefully researched and listened to dozens of YouTube demos before buying, recommend you do the same. If it's your cup of tea, buy with confidence!Slashaholic Anonymous

Bought used, had the pots cleaned to get rid of some crackling. I love this amp but I will say, the standard overdrive does suck if you aren't using any boosts or pedals. I really recommend an eq and tube screamer pedal with this. I had no problems with feedback, just weak gain and needed just a push on the overdrive punch. Love the presence and resonance, its also nice having reverb. I have the 100 watt of this amp too and the pedal is NOT cross compatible sadly. Clean channel could be cleaner, a little on the muddied sound, like a jazz pick up trying on crunch overdrive. Definitely play through 12 inch speakers, tens don't give you full bass capacity,even with eq boosts. All in all, amp is built well and adaptable if you have your sound dialed in outside of your standard amp controls, i.e.- pedals/compressor, etc. Through just standard amp distortion on overdrive, at most you get an ac/dc amount of over drive/distortion.jeffro records

The amp sounds phenomenal. You have to hear it in person to appreciate it. When you dig into the guitar you not only get a gritty, gain-heavy sonic assault, you can feel the amps power hit you in the gut. It has a very nice controllable compression that still enough headroom to feel when you play. Peavey amplifiers are frequently regarded as "high gain" amplifiers and this amplifier is definitely one of them. It's light in weight, yet powerful enough for practice and gigging. Pair it with a 4×12 cabinet with some Celestions and there are few could find fault with your sound or volume. It's got several tone-shaping controls, including presence, resonence, a bright boot and a separate gain-boost on the crunch channel. The amplifier is smart about it's electronics, and gives you tube status via LEDs above the power and stand-by switch. The amp has a nice feature set including cabinet-less recording out, a USB interface, variable power output (20 watt, 5 watt, and 1 watt). It has an XLR out for recording. The amp doesn't support 4 ohm speakers, only 8 ohm & 16 ohm. Ergonomics: I'm used to gain first, by the input jack, followed by tone, followed by main power amplification (loudness). Not this amp. First are some tone-conntrol functions mixed together with gain, then more tone control, then loudness, then reverb, then more tone control. I don't know why all the tone control was grouped together, but it wasn't. The labels for the knob are below them, so unless the amp is almost at eye level you can't read them. The speaker ohm setting, something presumably you wouldn't need to swtich often, is handled by a big, ready to be flipped toggle-switch. The power/power soak function, something you may actually flip back and forth in a given evening, is an uninvited plastic slide switch. Peavey got these switches backwards. Then there's some obtuse buttons that control things like XLR wiring and if a cabinet is selected. The ergonomics are weird. I like the amp A LOT, though.Salvador

I recently purchased this amp as a back up for the exact one that I've been using as a musician/vocalist for years. It has great sound, both for acoustic guitar, and vocals. the effects are terrific. And it was in excellent condition upon arrival ( like brand new) The only negative was that it was advertised as a 100 watt amp, when it's actually 75 watt. But I rarely have the volume above 3 on my guitar, and maybe 6 on the vocal, so there's plenty of room. Very happy with this amp, and the price!kevies-0

I play out a couple of times a month, either solo or in a duo and I've been trying to replicate an acoustic/folk rock sound with my Epiphone Casino, with a little fiddling around with the EQ and the built-in effects I've achieved this along with my Zoom A2 acoustic processor which adds a little more warmth to the tone. This enables me to be able to play rich tonal chords and then solo as well, the vocal effects are very good too, The only negative so far is that the amp itself is very heavy to carry.Burningstone

After all the hype I have heard about the Peavey Nashville 112 about how great it is… and I needed a good amp for my pedal steel, I went and bought this amp. The amp is ok but not the "Holy Grail" for steel players. The tone of the amp is just fair. It is the weakest 80 watts I have ever heard. I had an old PV KB 60 that would blow it's doors off! (The KB 60 was rated @ 50 watts). This Nashville amp is noisy. Especially if you want to add a delay pedal. Whether you put it in front or in the FX loop…still noisy. I think the amp is WAY over priced in MHO. The quality and tone is just not there. I know that with a 12 in. speaker you can't get the lows and hefty tone you can with a 15 in. speaker but this 12 in. speaker just doesn't have what it takes to get the full range of a pedal steel.(It needs a 15 in. BW speaker). All in all I say this amp is NOT worth the price they are charging. The amp is small so it's easy to haul around but I wouldn't want to take it out because of it's poor tone and lack of power. If you hide it in the backline and mic it with a lot of EQ you might get away with using it for live shows. But who wants to spend a lot of money on a amp that doesn't do the job? I have been a professional musician for over 50 years and I have heard a lot of amps. The Nashville 112 is not the best pedal steel amp. ( Evans anyone?) If you just have to have a Nashville 112 then buy it. But if you want the best bang for your buck this amp is NOT the way to go. *(Fender twin reverb is a nice amp. Plenty of power. 85 REAL watts and tone to die for). But, hey, I'm just say'in!Bob the banger

Bought this for my grandson to use. My other amps are too big for him to take to lessons and school. This isn't the cheapest practice amp but the sound is great and the overdrive DSP is as good as much more expensive amps. Excellent amp for the money.digital_photog

I recently acquired a vintage Peavey 4×12 cabinet which is rate for 4Ohms impedance, and would cause most other heads rated at 8 or 16Ohms to draw too much current. I saw several promo videos for this head online and decided to give it a go around instead of rewiring the cabinet. As a guitarist that plays a little bit of everything, I was really impressed with how much of a range of tones this little head can deliver. It can deliver good clean tones, as well as a lot of good rock and metal tones. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of low gain and clean sounds I was able to achieve, since this head was designed to replicate the high gain sound of the 6505 series heads. The nice thing is being 20W, it puts out good distorted sounds at reasonable volume levels for practicing compared to 100W counterparts. It only has a single EQ pot, so you don't get the same tonal range you would with a 3 band EQ. You can still dial in lots of good sounding tones, its simply a matter of playing with the EQ. Having the two channels for crunch and lead really allow you to dial in a wider variety of tones, with the lead channel offering a bit more gain and sustain than the crunch channel. This does not give you quite the same high gain you would expect from its bigger brother 6505 heads, but it can achieve those super high gain tones with an overdrive pedal to give it that push over the hill. Overall this head was a good buy for the price, and has been a lot of fun to play with.Matty68

I was expecting too much from this product. Peavey should take the "6505" tag right off this product. If you own or like the original head, you will be disappointed in the Piranha. The sound is thin and tough to dial in a tone. The gain is decent but extremely lacks the low end. I through an EQ pedal into the effects loop, which seems to help, but doesn't really solve the sound issue.ISoulfly

I really love the 6505 sound, so I put this on my wish list as something I could play at low volumes or even record with. The first thing I noticed right away was that it lacked gain when dimed. This is a 6505 right? Gain is nowhere near the levels of it's big brothers. Another thing is that this head is really really noisy. If you want to get into modern high gain metal, you won't be able to without an OD in front. The gain is just too week. Get a noise suppressor too. Headphone jack has no speaker emulation which sort of makes it useless unless you like the sound of bees. Changing out the stock JJ tube improves the noise, gain, and fidelity. Yes, I know it's a micro head under two franklins, but I expect a little better from Peavey. If you are going to put the 6505 label on it, it's needs to have the main allure of the 6505 name- and that is tons of gain and good quality for the money.illinismitty

First of all, this came shipped with 5 levels of protection (Andertons box, insulation, Peavey warehouse box, invective box, insulation). Therefore it could have survived an explosion, thumbs up to Andertons! That said, this head is simply wonderful. Materials and construction are high standard and looks are clean and aggressive. No Christmas-style-ubiquitous LEDs, but a slight blue glow which blends with red valves and white panels. Speaking about the sound, this has a slightly high bass output at standard settings and could be tweaked a little. When correctly matched with pickups output and cabinet it produces a marvelous clean sound, very dynamic and warm. Lead channel is simply astonishing: gain is dense and controlled, tight and boost functions work well together and give high gain leads and well articulated notes as well. The noise gate is a nice touch. I will explore the various functions (recording via usb directly from the invective, and so on) over time, but I’m very satisfied overall. Volume output is huge and for room plays I set it under the first point of the scale…but i get high dynamics as well! This is seriously one of the best heads available for metal and progressive, with djenty touches and experimental features (same sounds as the Invective.120, but with a more “socially acceptable” volume output). I’d have liked a better footswitch from peavey instead of the cheap plastic one included, but I will eventually recase it.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This amplifier is amazing for metal players. The inclusion of a very-effective noise gate makes this head completely perfect for live and recording situations. I have always used the Boss NS2 in front of all my amps, but the noise gate in this head works easily as well. If you have quick stop/start songs, this thing will track. The distortion channel on this head is the 5150/6505, so you will get the legendary 5150/6505 sound. The clean channel is a TON better than the 5150/6505, however. The cleans are creamy and not brittle at all. You will really enjoy all channels on this amp, as the cleans blow the 5150/6505 away. There are two effects loops that work independently, or in concert. If you use a lot of effects, this head is destined to be your favorite. I am not a big effects user, so it doesn't mean a lot to me, but the loops are clean, independent, and controllable via the foot switch. I can say, without hesitation, that this head is the best Peavey has ever made. Full stop.TheTerrorBeyond

Overall: The Peavey Invective 120 is the best sounding high gain amp I have EVER played…and after 22 years I've tried many. A big thanks to Misha Mansoor and Peavey as well as zZounds. The lineage is apparent in this amp. What else is apparent is the time and energy Misha and Peavey put into refining this product. The lead channel…oh the lead channel. Downright sinister. Modern aggression that is completely unrivaled. The Invective puts all other high gain amps in their place. It's simply meaner, more modern and has more harmonic content and responsiveness through the entire frequency range than other amps. Lead and Rhythm channels sit excellently in even the most dense mix. Bear in mind im hitting my favorite parts of this amp…it can so much more than metal. And the clean channel is absolutely beautiful. Lots of clarity and fatness. Two things that can often be hard to achieve on a clean channel. The gate…perfection. The boosts (technically there are 3 different kinds)…perfection. And with the dual effects loops and 9v power on the back panel as well as the a foot switch that really does do it all. The Invective is the all in one solution…its so beautifully engineered. Plug your effects in the loop(s). Done deal. And it's midi controlled. So streamlined. And the best part…the Invective sound is MASSIVE. This is the new benchmark in high gain. Period.Keola

Its lightweight but maaan this thing kicks. Its loud and can easily be used at smaller gigs. Just Peavey being Rad as usual!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This is a really neat little amp that has more than enough gain to be usable for modern metal tones right out of the box. To get it sounding exactly how I want, I needed to put an overdrive/boost into the front (Boss SD1 sounds great to me), and use a noisegate. But that's pretty much expected of most amps to get tight modern tone. Overall, I am very happy with this amp.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I couldn't find these local and I mounted the amp right next to the stereo. The thing was I didn't want a 2 to 6 ft cord hanging out that I was gonna have to hide so these little Rca jacks did the trick and they work perfect. No wires to hide!josepbusto0