Been playing for decades and I think I have a fairly good ear. This amp model has been around for a long time and it keeps selling consistently in the marketplace for many reasons. It's a solid, simple, great sounding amp. It has channel switching but the magic is in the clean channel. Also keep in mind the speaker needs to break in. It's a bit stiff brand new so give it time. It gets creamier and smoother the longer you play it. Very touch sensitive with glassy transient and smooth round sound. IMHO the drive channel is not that great. It's usable in a pinch but where this amp shines is as a pedal platform on the clean channel. Overdrive, distortion, fuzz all sound great. At the wattage it's loud enough for a full band. Plus at full band volume the tone really starts to shine as the sound gets creamier and sustaining. It's a solid workhorse product that will last a long time and is easily repaired because it's so simple. It's a breath of fresh air compared to many modern amps that are so complicated you need to FaceTime with the engineering dept to figure out how to use your amp. The spring reverb is also a nice touch. At a live gig once my main amp blew up on stage and my pedal board had a short in it. This amp saved the gig! A ran a single Boss overdrive in front of it for the rest of the night and it sounded killer!!! If you want simple reliable clean tones this is your amp!

Standing slightly larger than my Fender Blues Junior, but packing a punch comparable to the Fender Blues Deluxe, this amp is a steal for the money, with tone possibilities for days. Compared side by side to both Fender amps, the Peavey beats them out by a long shot. Not only does it deliver the warm, full, crisp cleans that I'm looking for, it's also got a hefty overdrive channel, that sounds a bit more Marshally to my ears. The boost button also adds some additional girth for those that want to go a bit further. The onboard reverb is as good as any Fender amp, and this thing weighs similarly to my Blues Junior, if not less. This little monster is definitely underrated, so don't discount it by its name, and give it a try.

This amp is very versatile. Great clean channel for pedals. Nice overdrive. Powerful. Can't go wrong with this amp. Pure quality. Warmth and Power. Good for Rock, Blues and if you have the pedal, even metal. The sustain and fullness when using a pedal is awesome. Buy it!

Bought Classic 30 II, USA made, in 2014. Amp has had multiple JJ preamp and EL-84 tube changes. Non-smoke, mint condition. First, the amp runs very hot, which I was told by Peavey is "normal". Second, the clean sounds like mud, and adjusting tone controls is useless. The dirt channel is ok. Third, it does not play well with pedals. I have a solid state Fender Champion 20, which was bought for $100 at the time, and the Tweed modeling sound clarity blows away the Peavey. Those same pedals sound great through it.

I have one of the older models that were made in the USA. I haven't had a chance to play one of the new ones, but I do like that they added a standby switch and detachable power cord. I also have a Fender HRD and I always grab the Peavey to gig with, not that the Fender doesn't sound as good, in fact, I think it may sound a little better, having a Celestion Vintage 30 in it, it's just the Peavey is a few pounds lighter and looks better. Mine has the Blue Marvel speaker, but I may soon be buying another V30 for it. The classic 30 is a killer sounding tube amp, and the dirty channel sounds better than my tube screamer, so, that's one less pedal to deal with. Now I have trimmed down my pedalboard to just a tuner and compressor, but keep all my pedals wah's and phasers and the such in a gig bag and only bring out the appropriate pedal for the song. I'm getting closer to plugging straight in and keeping my tuner on top of the amp. Us old guys, 62, aren't as strong as we once were. Great portable amp. Get one, you won't regret it.

This is my second tube amp. I also own a couple Bugera v22s that get bashed a lot but have quite a bit of versatility from wonderful cleans to overdriven british tones. The Classic 30 is lighter, more portable, and much louder with greater harmonic complexity at higher volumes. It also has a wider array of sounds - from cleans (with or without the on board reverb) to texas blues (SRV style) to dirty tones which can sound Hendrix-like with a strat, or can sound like heavy rock/metal tones. Still exploring the mid boost function, but it seems practical and not harsh or brittle. At only a couple weeks old, this amp has warmth rather than brittle tonal qualities. Look forward to the speaker breaking in a bit more.