Peavey Classic 30 tube rattle

JackieB33

Hi all, 

Anyone share my gripe with their Classic 30 and found a working solution?

At certain frequencies it sounds like a broken light bulb being shaken vigorously. 

Absolutely adore this amp soundwise.. but i've gotten rid of amps in the past for much less. Ghosts in the cabinet really bug me. Moved my handwired AC15 on a few years back for the same reason.. and that was one of my all time faves.

I've seen the DIY tube tamer threads online but i can't see how that would work being totally honest, and people have mixed reviews on the results. 

Any help or advice would be much appreciated. 

Thanks!

ICBM

It's a common problem with valve combos. The C30 is especially bad for it because of the position of the valves right behind the speaker and the flimsy chassis which tends to vibrate as well.

If you get some heat-resistant foam that fits between the valve guard and the valves - pressing on the ends, not the sides - that's probably your best hope - have a look how it's done in the C50.

http://www.chambonino.com/work/peavey/pea3b.jpg

Or buy a C50, which is just a much better-engineered amp all round. (Although unfortunately much bigger and heavier.)

JackieB33

@ICBM Thanks a million! Will give it a try! 

JackieB33

@ICBM Also.. any recommendations on foam? Like is this something you use regularly. and if so any specific brands or suppliers i should look at etc.  Cheers for your help!

ICBM

JackieB33 said:

@ICBM Also.. any recommendations on foam? Like is this something you use regularly. and if so any specific brands or suppliers i should look at etc.  Cheers for your help!

Not really - I don't often use it, and I've usually just got bits of pipe lagging or similar and stuck it on. The top of the valve doesn't usually get *that* hot, unlike the sides, and it seems fine. I just wouldn't use normal low-density foam, that will probably melt.

NeilMcG

You could do something ingenious with the cheap heat-resistant rope that is used to seal woodburner doors. There is special heat-resistant adhesive too. (see http://www.stoveseal.co.uk/)

crunchman

As a former C30 owner I'd say get rid of it and get something better built like a Hot Rod Deluxe.

I'm not sure you will ever properly resolve the issue.   I used to get through loads of power valves as they would start to go rattly within months.  I don't think I ever got more than a year out of a set.  Having to buy 4 at a time gets very expensive.

When I sold my Hot Rod Deluxe, I'd had the same pair of power valves in there for years.  It's a lot cheaper to run, and it definitely a lot better built.  That 3 sided circuit board in the C30 is an abomination.  I did put a Weber 12F150 speaker in my HRD which made a big difference.  HRDs haven't come with the best stock speakers over the years.  The Celestion that they come with now might be better than the old Eminence, but Fenders don't normally sound at their best with Celestions.  With the speaker swap, the HRD sounded a lot better than the Peavey as well.

JackieB33

@ICBM Pipe lagging!! You're a genius.  That i do have. 

@crunchman Knowing how transient i am i probably won't have it long enough to warrant a tube change anyway.. ha! For now i will try to resolve the issue. Maybe they're inconsistent, as i've heard a few success stories.. but also lots of people with the same view as yourself. Watch this space. 

merlin

They are notorius. I had one and got a tube tamer that pretty much did the trick. Sold the amp in the end and replaced it with something that had a circuit board that could be worked on. 

p90fool

I tried tube tamers and they made almost no difference, you'd need to saw the top off the valve and stuff 'em down inside to get the results they claim (don't do that). 

The only real cure is an extension cabinet. 

DJH83004

It is quite a common mod to be honest (not my photo, but done by many over the years) - if you still have the cage fitted of course.
 

JackieB33

@DJH83004 Thanks for that mate. Yeah i took @ICBM 's pearl of wisdom yesterday and sorted it with a piece of pipe lagging. Cut it in half lengthways and sat it on the bottom of the cage. It was the perfect height, the cage just fit back nicely with the right amount of pressure on the foam, and aligned with the original screw holes. 

I'd say it's cured about 90% of the problem. Also what has helped is using the amp on a stand, which i also experimented with last night. There are certain low end frequencies that still bring out a slight jingle.. but it can only be heard at volumes where cabinet noise can be heard over what is coming out of the speaker. It's certainly not coming through the speaker, so no issues at band volume.

Thanks for your help and advice everyone! 

57Deluxe

so was it this amp that inspired the Rattle and Hum U2 album then you think??

JackieB33

57Deluxe said:

so was it this amp that inspired the Rattle and Hum U2 album then you think??

@57Deluxe Joking aren't you mate.. if there were noise gates and hum debugger's around don't you think Mr Evans would have been using them.. if this amp did rattle and hum, then he certainly wouldn't know about it. 

Anything for another pedal to mask his talent.