Members Deuterium Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 Hi folks, Fed X just dropped off my Peavey Vypyr 75 that I ordered from Sweetwater. I should start off by mentioning I was not happy with the packaging. It came in a single cardboard box, with friggin' pieces of bent cardboard used on each of the eight corners as bumpers. No molded styrofoam...no peanuts...I expect there will be MAJOR problems with shipping damage if this is in fact the way Peavey is packing these for shipment. Now, it is possible that someone from Sweetwater had pulled out my amp to check out out. I was told I was the first order, and my unit was first to arrive and ship out. Perhaps they lost the original packing material. I kind of doubt that, however, because I have ordered other gear from Sweetwater, and everything has always been double-boxed...with extra attention given to protecting the equipment for shipment. LUCKILY, the amp made it through in one piece, and everything works. Miraculously, there was no damage. There also was no instruction manual, however. WTF ?? No big deal, it is online at Peavey...but still, this did not give me the warm and fuzzies, nor did it make for a good first impression. Okay, so enough said about that. The amp is extremely simple and intuitive, and I had it hooked up and started playing within a couple of minutes. It is an open back combo, of course...and feels pretty solid. The actual amp chassis takes up a relatively small section of the total volume of the amp. The stock speaker on the 75 is a 12" Peavey Blue Marvel. I will post pics later tonight. My wife has our digital camera in her car, and she is out and about. It has a very clean looking front panel. However, the rotary dials used for the controls feel rather cheap and fragile. I connected one of my Fender YJM Strats and powered it up. The first preset that comes up when you power on is based on Peavey's 6505 model...and it is very impressive. I set the "Power Sponge" setting at 50%, and had the master volume quite low. I was getting a ton of sustain, and very natural tube-like feedback despite the low volume. The model is very warm and thick, with excellent response to picking attack and playing dynamics. I really can't comment on how close the 6505 model sounds to the real deal...but I also don't really care. What I was looking for was a plug & play practice/bedroom amp that could be played at a wide range of volume levels (including very low) and have an authentic tube tone, interaction and dynamics. IMHO, Peavey delivers on this score. Another feature that impressed me, upon further playing, is how the analog stompbox models interacted and complemented the amp models. Placing a Tube Screamer in front of a very high gain amp (e.g. the Diezel or 6505) resulted in way too much distortion, producing a muddy tone. The distortion stompboxes work best in front of the average to low gain amp models, or switching the high gain amp models to their Clean setting. The fact that each amp model has a "Clean" and "Dirty" setting is another nice feature, and provides a lot of flexibility in dialing in a wide range of tones. The Bad Cat, Classic and Plexi models are ideal for getting that medium, just-breaking-up, "crunch" tone, that seems so difficult to achieve with the other digital amp modelers currently on the market. I only spent a little time, so far, on the clean amp models...but I can attest to the fact that the Fender Deluxe model is very sweet. Adding a bit of post-amp chorus to this model yields a wonderfully lush, glassy tone. I think that people will be quite happy with the amount of massive, high gain tones that can be dialed in with this amp. I personally prefer a more classic, '80s lead style tone...but this amp can definitely deliver on any of the modern, over-the-top distortions, if desired. So far I am quite impressed with the Vypyr. Is it going to replace my beloved Marshall Vintage Modern? Of course not. But for $299 this sucker delivers just what I was looking for. I wanted a nice, small practice amp that I could keep in my bedroom...to be used for working out the guitar parts on the transcriptions I make (Guitar Pro 5). I had previously been using a Roland Cube 30 for this purpose. Some of the features of the new Peavey VYPYR series, that I liked, which made me decide to upgrade from my Roland Cube 30 are: 1) All the distortions/amp modeling is done in the fully analog realm, using their latest TransTube technology. They use a high powered SHARC processor, dedicated exclusively to the digital FX (e.g. reverbs, delays, etc.). 2) The ability to have both Reverb AND Delay operating at the same time. This was one of the pet peeves I have with regards to the Roland Cube, baby Vox Valvetronix units, and the Line 6 spiders. You could choose reverb or delay, but not both. Guess they just don't have the processing power to handle both at the same time. 3) USB out. Unit acts as a USB sound card, allowing direct recording via my Laptop and recording software. Of course, I am going to have to learn how to use Reaper. I have never done any recording, before. 4) A bunch of stombox/distortion models, which are separate from and prior to the amp models. Well, that is about it for now. I just wanted to post a short article giving my very first impressions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Eddie's Lester Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 Made in China? Can you make clips or vids? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Puddlegum Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 It certainly sounds interesting. However, without hearing one or playing, I'm going to reserve my judgement for the time being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dewysoss Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 Awesome. Anybody know about the tube versions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MightyThor Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 How about software? Is there a way to tweak parameters on the computer and save them to presets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Drifter182 Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 Hmm, might have to check one of these outs. I'm not really in a band right now, so I'm trying to get the widest variety of tones possible w/o compromising sound too much. Other than models, I was gonna go with something like a DSL or a Mesa of sorts, but this might work and be nicer to my current bank account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dewysoss Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 Hmm, might have to check one of these outs. I'm not really in a band right now, so I'm trying to get the widest variety of tones possible w/o compromising sound too much. Other than models, I was gonna go with something like a DSL or a Mesa of sorts, but this might work and be nicer to my current bank account. Yeah, I'm starting gigging again soon, and I may as well get a backup oh gas, I never thought I would have you for a ss modeler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spizzledude Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 "Tell me more tell me more Does it go very loud?Tell me more tell me more Will it cut through a crowd? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bhsbhswarp Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 more input,we need more,please tell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spizzledude Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 more input,we need more,please tell Yea man, crank it up, tell us if it gets thin and high endy at high volumes like most modelers. More specific comments on the models. Does it have good lows? How many ohms is the Blue Marvel in case I want to swap it out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blackba1 Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 So is it a keeper, or is it too early to tell? How does it stack head to head with your vox valvetronix head? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spizzledude Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Time's up. I expect a full report on my desk within the hour! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dewysoss Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Time's up. I expect a full report on my desk within the hour! this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brick Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 he's not signed in anymore n00bs :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metalfanat1c Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Cool. Clips or GTFO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Voltaire Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 RADDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA *BOMBARDS YOU WITHH QUESTIONSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS RADDAAA* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metalfanat1c Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 RADDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*BOMBARDS YOU WITHH QUESTIONSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS RADDAAA* Are you off your meds again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brick Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Are you off your meds again? and I :lol:'d, and yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Toshiro Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Sounds cool. I'll probably pick up the 75 if best buy keeps them at $209, otherwise it'll be the 30 for me. Another feature that impressed me, upon further playing, is how the analog stompbox models interacted and complemented the amp models. Placing a Tube Screamer in front of a very high gain amp (e.g. the Diezel or 6505) resulted in way too much distortion, producing a muddy tone. The distortion stompboxes work best in front of the average to low gain amp models, or switching the high gain amp models to their Clean setting. The fact that each amp model has a "Clean" and "Dirty" setting is another nice feature, and provides a lot of flexibility in dialing in a wide range of tones. So you can't use the TS9 sim with the gain on zero and level at half to tighten the amp models? That sucks, and means their TS9 model is inaccurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Deuterium Posted August 17, 2008 Author Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 So is it a keeper, or is it too early to tell?How does it stack head to head with your vox valvetronix head? Oh, it is most definitely a keeper. However, please keep in mind I would consider it success if I can get one or two very good tones out of it. Which I can, and there are a lot more. Also keep in mind, when reading my review and impressions, that my expectations have been exceeded, based upon the price point that this amp is at. I am not going to hold this $299 amp up to the same standards as my Vintage Modern. I will say that it has definitely retired (for good), by Roland Cube 30. There is just way more versatility and range of tones available in the Vypyr 75. This amp is LOUD...in fact, I now wish I had just ordered the Vypyr 30 version, which is a veritable STEAL at $199. Unlike the Roland Cube 30 (in which I tended to stick with one model), every model on this Vypyr can be tweaked to sound very good to great. Again, I make no claims as to the fidelity of the particular amp models to the real amp...but as I mentioned earlier, that wasn't an issue for me. I just want the different amps models to sound good in their own right...which they do. As I have played with it some more, now, I have saved a few favorite patches/settings. The first is a "Brit" model (Vox AC 30) with Tube screamer on the front and some delay and reverb. This provides a great '80s lead tone. The second is a "Plexi" model with a "X Wild" (MXR distortion?) in front...with a hint of phaser, some delay and medium amount of reverb. This provides a nice early Yngwie tone. I find that the high gain models (Diezel, 6505, JSX, XXX, Rectifier, Krankenstien) do not require a stombox on the front...as there is more than enough gain for some searing leads as well as massive rhythm tones. By the way, the amp responds perfectly to palm muted lead runs or palm muted rhythm. The amp was able to take the very low output signals from my Dimarzio YJM and HS-3 pups, and still make some huge, over-the-top sounds. My favorite tones are still the slightly lower output "Plexi" and "Brit" models, with either a Tube Screamer or X Wild distortion stompbox in front. This amp is particularly well suited for lead/neo-classical type soloing. Nevertheless, the modern, "Nu-Metal" / Death metal type of gains are available in this amp, no question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Deuterium Posted August 17, 2008 Author Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Sounds cool. I'll probably pick up the 75 if best buy keeps them at $209, otherwise it'll be the 30 for me.So you can't use the TS9 sim with the gain on zero and level at half to tighten the amp models? That sucks, and means their TS9 model is inaccurate. Actually, Toshiro, to be honest, I didn't test that. I typically had the Level and Gain controls at noon for the Tube Screamer stompbox model. And this was bit too much for the high gain amp models. I am pretty sure that you could back off the gain on the Tube Screamer, and just use it as a clean boost (although there already is a "Boost" model in the stombox options) in front of the high gain amp models. In fact, I am sure this would work just fine. I think my favorite high gain amp models are the Diezel Hebert, and the 6505. I don't like the Rectifier very much...which is not too surprising, as I don't like the sounds from a real Dual Rectifier. But I'm sure others will love the Rectifier amp model. And the Bad Cat is just an all-around utility player. I couldn't get a bad tone out of the Bad Cat. I already mentioned this in my original post...but the amount of sustain coming from this amp is really quite special. All in all, I am seriously impressed with this Vypyr 75, especially considering the price point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flyingrhoads Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 awesome, i need a new bedroom practice amp, cuz i cant play my krank late at night and my roland 20 that i use for traveling sounds like ass looks like i might be selling the roland and upgrading to one of these Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Deuterium Posted August 17, 2008 Author Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Cool. Clips or GTFO. I have never done any recording, so clips will have to follow. I have to learn the USB interface, and I have downloaded the free "Reaper" recording software. But this will take some time to study before I can make a few clips. And by that time, someone else will have a Vypyr who already knows the ins and outs of laptop recording...and will have already posted clips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Strenge Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Excellent review, and I'm glad to see it seems to be a good one. As someone else said, I may get the 75 if it's only 10 bucks more than the 30 (Bestbuy doesn't seem to carry the 30)--however, weight and the fact I need a quiet amp plus your comment about getting the 30 may mean I forget the 75. Unfortunately BB seems to be the only ones with the weight on these ams, assuming it's accurate. It lists the 15 at 20 pounds and the 75 at 45 pounds. Since the 30 also has a 12-inch speaker, do you suppose it would be closer to the 75 in terms of weight/dimensions? Argh, wish I could see these in person already Thanks again, far as I can tell you have the very first non-marketing vypyr review on the intarweb--and I've been looking hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metalfanat1c Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 I have never done any recording, so clips will have to follow. I have to learn the USB interface, and I have downloaded the free "Reaper" recording software. But this will take some time to study before I can make a few clips. And by that time, someone else will have a Vypyr who already knows the ins and outs of laptop recording...and will have already posted clips. Usually, all I do is plug in and hit record. I don't like altering my recorded sound because I'm a lazy {censored}. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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