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Pros:
- Transtube technology works wonders
- Has an amazing sustain
- Two channels
- Offers wide range of distortion
Cons:
- Would be better if it had even more gain
- The only effect it offers is distortion
The appraisal of Peavey amplifiers has been prevalent in music history for years now. The quality of their devices has astonished even the best of the best, which led to their ubiquitous utilization. Till this day, Peavey amps are integral to famous performances and sounds. I will cut to the chase and say that Solo 12W is just as amazing as its bigger siblings and delivers their quality in the compact body. This practice amp will quickly become your go-to unit and assist you in perfecting your sound a great deal. If you are looking for a badass practice amp, just keep on reading, because we are about to dive into the features and sounds of Solo 12W.
Features
Peavey Solo is a solid-state amp with a little twist (I will get to that in a second), one 8” Blue Marvel speaker and 12 watts of power. The most outstanding feature of this device is probably the Transtube functionality. It includes special design of the preamp and power amp sections. The former shapes the gain according to the amount of distortion you want and adds sustain, while the latter acts like a tube amp – it compresses the sound once the amp gets louder. This way you receive a wide range of tones that are reminiscent of the legendary tube amps. Peavey Solo has two channels: Clean and Lead, ¼” input for your instrument, ¼” stereo CD Input, as well as Direct Out jack. It also has ¼” input headphone input, which allows you to practice silently. This bad boy has low damping, which means that the tube amp sound is lively and dimensional.
Controls
The controls on Peavey Solo are quite easy to grasp. Finding the perfect sound is a piece of cake with this one. You just have to plug in your instrument and start performing. Your tone will dictate what to do and how to tweak those knobs. But until then, you have to know what each of them does.
Let’s start with Lead switch. It allows you to choose between two channels: clean and overdrive. Sequentially, the first one delivers pristine tones, while the second one distorts your sound and engages the overdrive. The latter can be controlled using the Overdrive knob, which will allow you to modify the amount of dirt added to your sound. Next comes the Volume control, which modifies the level of both channels depending on which of them is turned on. Last but not least, we have a three-band EQ with Low, Mid, and High knobs. Each of them modifies the said frequency range and enables you to shape you sound to perfection. With the help of EQ, nothing will be squeaky or too dark. That basically sums up all the controls. You will probably agree that they are more than enough for practicing and offer a decent amount of sonic options.
Peavey Solo Amp Sound
Sound is where Peavey Solo really shines. No matter how you set everything, it knows how to get the job done. The clean channel is super pristine with smooth and defined sounds. It has clarity and dimension to it, and with some additional tone shaping, you can easily get mesmerizing results. The overdrive is a real badass. It can go from subtle to extreme distortion with just a twist of the knob. You can get anything from a little crunch to AC/DC girth to metal craze. The Transtube does really make this amp sound like a high-end tube one. It has sweetness and vintage vibes to it and guarantees to deliver the legendary tone of tubes. All in all, Peavey Solo has distinctive sound that will be hard to compete with. Do your research, listen to demos and you will know what I am talking about.
Conclusion
And we have made it to the end. I hope that this little venture was informative and interesting for you. I did my best to provide you with all the details you need to know before and after your purchase. I can proudly say that Peavey Solo sets the high bar when it comes to practice amps. It has enough volume, girth and controls to take care of small settings. Plus, it offers tube sounds at a small price. This amp is the combination of build quality and killer tones, which is what makes up the badass device. Experiment with it and trust me, you will find your perfect sound. Good luck!
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