Hey, amp guys, can you take a look at this Classic 30 and comment?

[AntKnee]

I'm considering buying a Classic 30 and have found one in my area. I have some concerns with it, and want some more eyes on these photos to see if you guys spot anything that I miss, or maybe you can relieve my concerns with logical reasoning.

1. Two tubes are secured with improvised wire holders, and one has no holder at all.
2. The speaker is all black. While not unheard of, in my experience Peavey usually uses a labeled Blue Marvel or Steven's Trusonic speaker on these.
3. The tolex is stained and dirty. Of particular concern is an apparent water stain on top.
4. The reverb was replaced with an accutronics. (Why? Rust? From storage in a moist environment?)

According to the ad, the amp was recently serviced and plays great. Asked seller if he had a service receipt, he said he is selling it for a friend that fixes amps, who did all the work. I don't know if he is a pro who knows what he's doing or a hobbyist who is just flipping a junk find.

Here's the pics. Any comments are welcome.

[gordo]

I've serviced a few of these and remember thinking it was a nice little amp. They make reverbs so cheap these days it could be a replacement. Tech would appear to be a hack judging by the tube cages. If the price is right and you like the sound you can always fix the cosmetics. Peavey is nice to work with in terms of parts and schemes. Those tube holders should be cheap.

[matmosphere]

I say you have to go play it and just see how it sounds. Getting your eyes on it in person will help too.

Tolex like that is difficult to keep clean if you're taking the amp out to play gigs. I wouldn't worry about that too much unless it looks like there is a lot of water stains on the bottom where it could have been flooded in a basement or something, but I think that'd be obvious if you see it in person.

The speaker thing could be that the sticker on the speaker was just taken off for some reason, that's hard to say. Or it could be that they replaced a broken speaker with something cheaper and i trying to cover it up. The best judge of that would probably be your ears.

I'd say if it sounds good and the price is right it would be a nice little amp. If you get it cheaply enough you could always replace the speaker pretty inexpensively and still come out way ahead. 

[AntKnee]

Thanks, but I passed on it. I ended up talking to the tech who did the service and he is just an amateur electronics hobbyist who just started playing guitar. He finds dead electronic gear, gets it cheap or for free and flips it and has a friend who puts it on ebay and craigslist. I found out it was dead, with no tubes or reverb when he got it. He told me he added the tubes and reverb, cleaned all the pots, and reflowed all the solder joints. That, together with my concerns was enough to pass on it. The seller wanted no less than 375. Not worth it.

[midwayfair]

the tech who did the service and he is just an amateur electronics hobbyist who just started playing guitar

I mean, this also describes me. Would you trust me to refurbish an amp?

There's a kind of funny thread on GroupDIY right now about servicing these. John Roberts (one of the moderators there) was an engineer at Peavey and might actually be the guy who's responsible for the annoying PCB sandwich.

[gordo]

I mean, this also describes me. Would you trust me to refurbish an amp?

Ummm, to be honest Jon...yes I would.  And I'd pay extra if you'd paint some graphics on the side.

[gordo]

YES.  I was trying to remember what I DIDN'T like about working on the amps and it was the multiple boards with connections.  I think Traynor does the same thing.

Still, a shame.  For a good price (and that was NOT) it would be fun.

[klonisgayjplay]

Good move. Those amps don't sound that great. For 375 you can get a reverberocket RI

[Jebus]

John Roberts (one of the moderators there) was an engineer at Peavey and might actually be the guy who's responsible for the annoying PCB sandwich.

I've fixed couple of these and this is probably one of the most bizarre PCB designs I've seen. Works great most of the time, but when it doesn't (for example because of heat from the tubes) its goddamn annoying.