Peavey triple XXX??

ronnan

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Apr 14, 2006
270
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18
Ireland
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Hey all, Its been a long time since i bought an amp and im thinking of buying a XXX.Came across a cheap enough one recently and just wondering what any one thinks about the amp?? I heard that a change of tubes does it a world of good.....Its going for 1000 Euro new, and its 1400 euro on thomann...

Thanks

Ro
 
Its a very decent amp.

You can make it sound pretty close to a 5150.

I think I like it better for recording than I do playing live.

I recently left my usual guitar rack at home and tryed bringing some Tube Heads out to band practice.

The Triple XXX was ok, but I honestly needed to run my Sonic Exciter through the effects loop and turn the send and return effects loop volume controls up to get additional volume. The XXX Manual actually tells you if you want more volume from the head to do this. I just happened to notice it before reading it.

It was a bit noisy for me live. And I felt it lost its tone a bit at loud volumes.

The next week I brought out my 5150 and was much more impressed. I actually used the Rythm Channel and it sounded awesome.

It was quieter and had a more tight and focused distortion.

I think the XXX and JSX have a slight processed sound that you would get out of a Line 6 or something when it is turned up really loud.

But if its a good deal it cant hurt anything.
 
Thanks man...i may check it out as i need an amp that isnt complete shit..using marshall avt that ive had since i was 15:Puke:...5150/6505+ are about 1500 euro so i might hold out and get one...
 
I got one recently to compliment my 6505+. It's a nice amp. I actually like the rhythm channel more than the 6505+ in the room, although miced up not always. It's more scooped than the 6505+, and you have more control over the tone (as in, the knobs seem to have more of an effect on the sound). So you can tailor it to what you need, or royally fuck it up. :D One thing about it though, is it's gain monster! Unbelievable quantities of gain. I can't even begin to describe it to you. I had the gain on 3/4 (yes, less than one) and it was still too much for one project. Had to use the 6505+.

Overall, I recommend it.
 
''I had the gain on 3/4 (yes, less than one)''
Haha,thats insane!!!!no shortage there anyway...the damping switch seems like a cool feature...Dont think ill be gigging it too much so probably just stay in the studio...
thanks again...
 
really good amp i think. not as heavy sounding as 5150 but v tight sound and active eq means pretty varied tonally. better clean sound as well (but then what doesnt?), i still prefer my 5150 (cause of the sheer beef!) but have gigged and recorded with xxx before and certainly wasnt dissapointed.
 
Great amp, got one recently.

It definitely justifies its extra cost over the 5150 - for a start it has 3 independent channels.

The effects loop engage just works as a volume boost for me - it's easily lound enough without it, then for solos i just enage it and get a boost.
The clean channel is fine.
It has the damping switch and a switch for changing between El34 and 6L6.
Active tone controls for extreme shaping.
Shit loads of gain as stated.

Basically it's a very versatile rock and metal amp that's still quite 'no frills' despite having some really good features.
 
I also have a 6505+ and a XXX and it's a killer amp. IMO, it's a different beast than the 6505+. Running the Ultra channel with the master volume set high and then the channel volume to taste gives me a crazy thick gain tone, and it's not as "fizzy" as my 6505+ (which I LOVE). The Crunch channel has more of the fizzy top ended Peavey gain tone, which I love as well. It's not quite as aggressive as my 6505+, but it can definitely have as much if not more "grunt". The active EQ can make dialing it in to taste a bit more difficult, as it allows a wider variety of tones.

All in all I'm more than happy with the amp. I haven't got to track with it yet, but I can't wait to try it out.

I scored mine dead mint with a road case for $650 (US). Probably one of the best deals I've found.
 
I think new they are overpriced. Used though, they can be a bargain find for a multichannel amp.
I bought mine Trace modded, so it has some of the harshness taken out and voicing mods. I really dig the crunch channel most of all. I typicaly don't run my gain past 5 or 6 and I'm able to get harmonic feedback at very low, apt level volumes (which is a Trace/Voodoo feature-sounds equally good at low volumes)

The effects loop and active tone controls are very nice. The Ultra channel can get more 'modern' metal tones.. I won't use any comparisons, as it usually is a matter of ears, taste, personal preference and can start a flame war but it'll get into crossover territory of emulation in voicings of other amps, especially using other tubes, or pedals but I prefer the 6L6's so far in the amp.

It'll take a pedal to the front to smooth out any harshness quite well.
The only weakness is really the clean channel and non active eq on that channel. The mod that Trace did to the clean channel was to take outsome harsh edge, but I find its more of a pain to match volumes to the clean and gain stages much like on a ADA or similar older processors than anything else.
 
I have had a XXX for over 2 years now and I'm pretty happy with it. It really works for modern metal, deathmetal and anywhere in between imo. I tend to use the crunch channel a lot more than the Ultra.

The only thing that has bothered me as a guitarist is that the relay switching time between channels is too long...