Folks, I am one happy little camper here! I've spent the past year-and-a-half trying tons of amps, looking for the one that would give me the tonal options, gain, and flexibility that I need; both here in the studio and out on stage,(yes, I do play live from time-to-time). I'm happy to report that I have found EXACTLY what I needed: The brand new Peavey 3120!
I tried everything from Marshall to Bogner, from Diesel to the outstanding EVH 5150III,(made by Fender, if you're wondering). In the end, I was torn between the Bogner Ecstacy and the Peavey JSX heads. The Bogner was WAY out of the price range,(over three thousand bucks JUST for the head!), and lacked something I couldn't quite put my finger on. The JSX was great but still had overtones of Satriani's sound,(I'm trying to forge my own sound here, folks).
Then, out of nowhere, came this bad motherfucker right here! Peavey debuted the 3120 at Winter NAMM in December and I had heard absolutely nothing about it until I tried it. Melinda,(a.k.a. Mrs. Brown) and I were killing time at the store,(Guitar Center, Nashville - where I once worked)and I spotted it on a Gear Guide display. My buddy Travis helped me get it all hooked-up and it took all of three minutes for Melinda and I to be absolutely blown away by this amp!
Beyond all the stuff listed above, it did the one thing no other amplifier had previously been able to do: I sounded like me when I played through it. No overtones, no references to someone else's tone. Just me - 100%!
With three channels and 120 watts, it's got exactly what I need in both selection and power. It comes stocked with four 12AX7's in the preamp section, and four matched JJ EL34's in the power section,(swap-able with 6L6's, should the desire ever arise). A dampening switch on the back allows me to go from ultra-tight to loose at the drop of a hat. There's also an effects loop with level controls for both send and return, a direct out, and it comes with the footswitch.
All this stuff for just $999 at your local Guitar Center!!! Seriously, Peavey could have set the price higher for this amp but there, apparently, is still a company in this country who still believes in giving the customer every single "bang for the buck" possible. A damn fine policy in these days and times!
I matched it with a Peavey JSX cab for two reasons: Firstly because it's a solid, great-sounding cabinet that can handle all the power you can throw at it! Secondly, because of the great mic-simulated XLR out on the back. Once again; tonal options. I have a small home studio, and it's nice to know that I can record without running mics, should I need to.
BIG thanks to "Gimli"(Zach Bohanon - Guitar Center asst. manager AND the drummer on the upcoming Chris Brown solo album!), Chuck Tate, and Coach for helping to get this puppy into my hands! It was a busy day and these guys went the extra mile to hook me up!
I'm using this setup for the first time on the Roswell Six album - www.myspace.com/roswellsix - and am looking forward to cutting new tracks for both next Ghost Circus album and my upcoming solo album in the near future. I have a feeling the Peavey 3120 and I will be together for a long time to come!
Later:
Chris