Peavey XXX lounge enter here

[Mustaine-who?]

My XXX is getting delivered either today or tomorrow...

Woo-hoo!

Still can't decide between KT 77s or EL34s...

Going to be using my VHT FB for a cab...hope this pairs up well with it...

[M-III]

Originally Posted by GUITARSTEVE1

do you find the master needs to be cranked with this amp.im getting one this weekend after waiting three years and buying other things.i played it in the store and was getting a great stock tone with the master low.i was thinking of getting a peavey rockmaster preamp,why not just use the preamp out on the xxx right?i could try different power amps tubes ect.can the pre out be used with speakers connected at a low level with the master and sound good?

Hey Guitarsteve1! Yes, I feel the Triple XXX "breathes" better with the master cranked AND the damping set to loose, that way both the power amp and the speakers are "unrestricted" so to speak. I agree about low-volume playing on the Triple XXX, it's a huge aspect of why I got the amp, it's volumes are very linear and don't jump up in volume quickly like the 5150/6505 series. As far as the Peavey Rockmaster preamp is concerned, GET IT! You won't regret it, I know I haven't and I've owned it for many years now.(even longer than my Triple XXX) It's an awesome little preamp for the money, however it is a bit different than the Triple XXX in some respects, not quite so modern sounding though but much more flexable IMHO, it can easily still bring the br00talz though. Oh yes, DO NOT connect the preamp out output into the speakers, you need a power amp to get any signal to the speakers, the preamp's signal is still far to weak to push speakers.(and I wouldn't take the small chance of damaging either unit either!) Hope this helps, rawk on dewd!

Originally Posted by Mustaine-who?

My XXX is getting delivered either today or tomorrow...

Woo-hoo!

Still can't decide between KT 77s or EL34s...

Going to be using my VHT FB for a cab...hope this pairs up well with it...

Congrats man, you'll enjoy it I'm sure, definately go with KT77's man. They are the best of both worlds of the EL34 and 6L6 all wrapped up in one tube. They will be my next retube power tube of choice, that's for sure. If the cab is kinda dark or is plenty tight with good, more neutral sounding speakers, I'd say it will work just fine. Personally, I'm not a big fan of bright speakers with the Triple XXX, as it's already a bright amp. Let us know how it works out for you man!

[LastCallKillIt]

Just ordered SED =C='s!

[cat five]

got mine and it has jj kt77!!! im not sure what preamp tubes are in because they are covered,its smoother than the stock amp with less gain it also has a screen put in instead of the trucker thing.i was reading the manual and the lineout is after the poweramp i just wish the level was higher.

[DrakkarTyrannis]

Originally Posted by GUITARSTEVE1

got mine and it has jj kt77!!! im not sure what preamp tubes are in because they are covered,its smoother than the stock amp with less gain it also has a screen put in instead of the trucker thing.i was reading the manual and the lineout is after the poweramp i just wish the level was higher.

Level as in volume?

Dime FX loop..dime master...turn fx loop on and set channel volume to taste..enjoy.

OR if that seems a little quiet, check your V3 tube. It's for the active EQ and if you put something really low gain there it will bring down the response of the EQ and the volume.

[coolstorybro]

guys, I have a xxx combo the 40 watt 1x12 with the efx
and when i turn it on it produces a smell sort of like something being burned kind of like a musty/cigarette burning/people dying type of smell.

This is my 1st tube amp, is this smell normal? Is it just the power tubes warming up or is there a problem I need to be concerned about?

Lastly, the amp, I bought it from the forums here from a member. He said that it has a power attenuator modded into the amp. There is an audio level knob on the back. Could that be causing the smell?

The smell is produced during the first 10 minutes of me playing through the amp.

[cat five]

Originally Posted by DrakkarTyrannis

Level as in volume?

Dime FX loop..dime master...turn fx loop on and set channel volume to taste..enjoy.

OR if that seems a little quiet, check your V3 tube. It's for the active EQ and if you put something really low gain there it will bring down the response of the EQ and the volume.

cool i will try this and it should work because now i had the effects loop off..

[Mustaine-who?]

Dumb question. I know the tubes go V1, V2, V3 left to right as you look at them from the back of the amp...but is that reversed for the combo, as they hang upside down verus stand upright in the head?

[eudaimonia02912]

Hi everyone,

I've had a Peavey XXX 2x12 120W combo for 2 years now. It is my first tube amp after years of city living where I couldn't justify having something like this. I've jumped back and forth between loving it and feeling disappointment, though I've found that JJs high gain pack with EL34s, a Sonic Stomp, and an MXR 10-band eq have done much to improve it.

Over the past 2 weeks I've been wondering if I should have bought a 6505+ instead. (I got this amp used in excellent condition for a great price from Daddy's Junky Music.) I've been longing for that grainy 5150 lead tone.

Today I spent 40 minutes playing a used 5150 combo and was pretty convinced I should trade my XXX in for it. But then I got home, cranked the XXX to a higher volume than I normally get to play at, and changed my mind. I can get some great tones out of this, including some wonderful tones that the 5150 can't get, and the XXX is much more versatile.

Still, I'm curious: has anyone found a way to get 5150-ish lead channel sounds out of the XXX? If I could wave a magic wand that would transform either the XXX's crunch or ultra channel into the equivalent of the 5150's lead channel, I'd do so.

Also, after reading over these posts, it seems that people with the 2x12 combo seem to like Celestion V30s the best. Is that right? Or, if I'm going to replace the speakers, are there some better choices?

[M-III]

Originally Posted by eudaimonia02912

Hi everyone,

I've had a Peavey XXX 2x12 120W combo for 2 years now. It is my first tube amp after years of city living where I couldn't justify having something like this. I've jumped back and forth between loving it and feeling disappointment, though I've found that JJs high gain pack with EL34s, a Sonic Stomp, and an MXR 10-band eq have done much to improve it.

Over the past 2 weeks I've been wondering if I should have bought a 6505+ instead. (I got this amp used in excellent condition for a great price from Daddy's Junky Music.) I've been longing for that grainy 5150 lead tone.

Today I spent 40 minutes playing a used 5150 combo and was pretty convinced I should trade my XXX in for it. But then I got home, cranked the XXX to a higher volume than I normally get to play at, and changed my mind. I can get some great tones out of this, including some wonderful tones that the 5150 can't get, and the XXX is much more versatile.

Still, I'm curious: has anyone found a way to get 5150-ish lead channel sounds out of the XXX? If I could wave a magic wand that would transform either the XXX's crunch or ultra channel into the equivalent of the 5150's lead channel, I'd do so.

Also, after reading over these posts, it seems that people with the 2x12 combo seem to like Celestion V30s the best. Is that right? Or, if I'm going to replace the speakers, are there some better choices?

Hey eudaimonia02912! After playing the Triple XXX for so many years and playing various 5150/5150II/6505/6505+ amps (playing friends and store amps) over the years, my conclusions to your dilemma is this:

I don't think you'll ever 100% cop a 5150/6505 type tone out of the Triple XXX (or the 3120 for that matter). However, I will say the crunch channel will come the closest out of all the channels in "copping" the sound. For all the benifits and advantages (IMHO) of the Triple XXX and it's versatility, personally I'd stay with the Triple XXX as the 5150/6505 series has several drawbacks that are annoying to me, namely it's nearly useless volume controls. For example, at 1 on the post gain of the 5150/6505/5150II/6505+ it's already getting loud, at 3 it's already getting deafing at 30 paces, it's lack of a true clean channel is a big deal with me as well.(and the fact it's shared EQ on the original 5150/6505) One thing I will say about owning the combo in your case is to perhaps get a 2x12 closed back cab to project and get a punchier sound out of your combo(look hard at the Genz-Benz G-Flex) instead of replacing your speakers.

Again, you'll never get the exact 5150 sound out of a Triple XXX, period. If you're happy with nearly acheiving a 75-80% approximation of it though, keep the Triple XXX. If not, trade it up for a 5150/6505 series amp or better yet, get the 5150/6505 combo and keep your Triple XXX combo for where you can cover all the bases. (and slave either amp into the other for more speakers and volume!) Hope this helps and good fortune in your tone quest man!

[eudaimonia02912]

I brought my amp to Cranky's Guitar Repair in Mansfield, MA, today. The amp had been developing some hum issues and had an inconsistent tone. He's going to go over the electronics and make sure everything is fine.

 

We tested my tubes--they were all fine. The tech biased the output tubes and that made a huge difference for tone. My tubes were running about 40% cold. Then we tried playing around with different pre-amp tubes. I ended up with some fancier than normal Tung Sol and a NOS EI in slots 1 and 2, and I kept my JJs for the driver and the slot 3. Wow, what a difference those tubes made. I didn't realize just how dramatically a pre-amp tube could affect sound until now. The amp sounds so much better--less bad compression, more usable gain, more sizzle, more grit, more raw, more harmonics. Damn. The NOS tube was pricy, but worth it. If you'd been there, you'd agree.

 

The crunch and ultra channels sound much more distinct now, too. Originally, with all controls at noon, they sounded more or less the same. Now the crunch has a more hotrodded Marshall sound while the ultra has a killer Mesa tone.

 

So, I'm keeping this amp. It's really sweet now. I can't wait to get it back.

[sahlomonic]

Maybe I should have mine checked out, too. I've been toying around with selling it for a different amp, but since the last deal with a Marshall 6100 fell through, I've decided to keep it and just maximize it's potential.

[yoyodunno]

i finally got my triple xxx back from the shop where a guy was trying to fix it for 3 weeks lol.

 

well i hadn't played my triple xxx for over a year and whew i forgot how good this amp is! i've got a tungsol 12ax7, jj 12ax7, jan phillips 5751 and 2 jj kt77s i'm waiting to put in once i know the amp is fixed for good.

[sahlomonic]

What's your best tweak to get a Marshall type sound out of the XXX (aside from EL34's)? I'd love for my XXX to sound like this:

 

[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

[GibsonVMan]

I dont have an xxx anymore, but when it did: it was best through my Randall XL cab loaded with v30's. I hated the matching xxx cab as it had no balls to it.

[M-III]

What's your best tweak to get a Marshall type sound out of the XXX (aside from EL34's)? I'd love for my XXX to sound like this: /snip

 

Sahlomonic, my best advice to you to copping Marshall sounds is of course, use EL34s,(KT77s would probably also work) use the crunch channel, get a parametric or graphic EQ in the loop, tweak and go from there. Hope this helps!

[Mustaine-who?]

 

 

 

And get leopard pants....:poke:

[eudaimonia02912]

I just cranked my XXX more loudly than I have in months.

 

Does anyone else have the experience that the channel voicing changes dramatically as you crank the amp? At low volumes, the ultra channel sounds dark and midrangey to me. I use it for leads as it doesn't scoop well. But when the volume is cranked, it opens up and becomes a very articulate, clear metal rhythm channel. At high volumes, I tend to have it at gain 4, bass 7, mid 3, treb 5. At low volumes, I go gain 5, bass 5, mid 4, treb 6.

 

Same with the crunch channel. At low volumes, I use it for rhythms. But at high volumes, it seems to have more midrange, and I use it for leads.

[shredloud]

 

 

 

Sounds like my old stock XXX combo did:confused:

[chaos2767]

WooHoo! Glad I found this thread. I just picked up a Triple XXX 212 combo this weekend and I am lovin it. I run a MXR KFK 10 band thru the loop and it sounds like heaven IMO. I cant wait to swap out the speakers and do some of the other changes because it is all stock and better what already is a great amp!

[broken_sound]

IDK if this has already been stated, but something cool i found out while playing with my friends XXX is that the volume for inactive channels acts as a contour for your active channel. you can really only tell at higher volumes, but it's pretty damn cool.

[Lucius]

Hi All, new XXX user here. I've owned the Ultra plus before and I still own a Rockmaster Classic60/60 rig that I run into my V30 equiped mesa cab. The XXX sure is a swell amp! Cheers, Lucius

[sahlomonic]

Why is it that the XXX has so much gain, and only 4 preamp tubes? Compressed signal? The more I mess with my XXX the more I think that it's compressed somewhere, which would explain the over-saturation of gain past the halfway point. Even with the damping set to Loose it still doesn't feel very "loose" or raw.

[Derelict]

Why is it that the XXX has so much gain, and only 4 preamp tubes? Compressed signal? The more I mess with my XXX the more I think that it's compressed somewhere, which would explain the over-saturation of gain past the halfway point. Even with the damping set to Loose it still doesn't feel very "loose" or raw.

 

Try replacing one of the preamp tubes with a 12AT7. Heard that's supposed to help . But then again I don't know much I actually came in here with a question.

What are the differences in the Crunch channel of the XXX and the JSX?

[M-III]

Why is it that the XXX has so much gain, and only 4 preamp tubes? Compressed signal? The more I mess with my XXX the more I think that it's compressed somewhere, which would explain the over-saturation of gain past the halfway point. Even with the damping set to Loose it still doesn't feel very "loose" or raw.

 

Sahlomonic, I suspect one of the reasons the Triple XXX's excessive amount of gain is due to the use of the active EQ employed on the amp's gain channels. It's also a known fact that more gain employed at the total saturation point starts bringing more compression as well, for some people who like to play lead alot on the amp, this is a good thing,(definately makes it effortless) for others looking for more dynamics,(read, i.e. low to mid gain sounds and feel) not so much. As far as the damping switch goes, it controls the amount of movement of the speakers, it has little to do with the actual feel of the preamp's feeling of looseness or tightness and IMHO not a whole lot either with the power amp's feel aside from it's interaction with the speakers. Even with the damping switch the amp is still relatively tight and punchy on any setting even as you crank the volume, however the tight setting restricting the speaker movement at high volumes will likely cause it to sound flubby in the bass registers and hinders it's overall volume output the most.

 

Simular to Derelict's suggestions, you can try using a 5751 or a ECC832(12DW7) in V2 or V3 to lower the gain of the amp's distortion channels and in turn, get some dynamics back with less compression. IMHO, I've tried a 12AT7 in the V1-V3 spots, but it made the amp seem "lifeless" or dull sounding. I do like a 12AT7 in the V4 spot though, in the power amp driver/phase inverter position, it definately tightens up the power amp a bit, at a small cost of slightly lesser overall volume output.(even then, the amp is still plenty EFFIN loud at full blast) Hope this helps!