Peavey 3120 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head 

Comments about Peavey 3120 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

Basicly, the Ultra Plus reissue but redefind. Great amp for a grand! Comes w/ f/s and tons of gain! The 2nd and 3rd channel eq section has active eq. What this means is the knobs are very sinsative to a touch which changes the sound little to alot. The gain is massive! I love this amp! Also kinda quite. Not bad Peavey. From country clean, 80's rock, metal, DEATH metal to BLACk metal!! Also pushes live stage shows to max! Buy this amp! My last amp.

Comments about Peavey 3120 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I give it an 8 on the overall because of the missing reverb and the presence/resonance controls that are Peavey standards, but the active tone controls make up for that. I can get an early Metallica sound, an EVH "brown sound", a Fender "blackface", and clean Vox tones out of it.(Without alot of trouble.) Dialing in my own "signature" tone was a no brainer. I have a preference for American tones, so I relaced the output tubes from EL34s to 6L6GCs, but brit tones are available. (I know a dude that has one and he kept the stock EL34s in it and it sounds great if thats what you like. Nice upper mid presence) This thing kicks major butt. Did I mention that this is the LOUDEST amp I have ever owned? Well, if I didn't, It is the LOUDEST amp I have ever owned. I've owned probably 75-80 amps over the years, and this one (with the exception of a modified '71 Marshall Plexi that got stolen way back in the 80s) is my favorite of all time.
I love the features of this amp. I have owned this amp since it first came out.( I special ordered it before it was available to the public) I replaced the stock EL34s with 6L6GCs and it has more bottom end than you could ever reasonably use. The active tone controls on the crunch and lead channels are dramatic. There is no tone I cant conger up, and it does a nearly spot-on early Metalica tone. The damping switch can be set for modern or classic tones and anything in between. In my opinion, the only thing lacking is a on-board reverb. But a good reverb stomp works for me.
The 3120 sounds good with every cab I've cranked it through. But it really shines through an old Peavey "Silver-side" 4x12 that I've had since the 80s. It's rugged and road worthy. I am brutal on gear, and this thing has taken everything I can dish out so far.
You can spend $1000 more and you will have wasted your money. I know that everyone has their own preferances as to what they want or expect of an amp, but in my humble opinion, there is not a more versatile amp for the money available on the market. Great job Peavey.

Comments about Peavey 3120 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I wasn't planning on getting this head. It was suggested to me after I'd owned TWO Randall RT100Hs within a month; one that was defective when I received it, and a replacement that died two weeks later. Spend the extra money and get a quality product made in the USA.

This head has a nice Clean channel and the Rhythm/Lead Overdrive channels provide more gain than you'll probably need. The Overdrive channels belt out the distortion but do it crisply and clearly.

I see a lot of YouTube videos of people bashing this head because it's a "recased Triple X," but we all know the type who post on YouTube; the same people who don't have any clue and have probably never even seen this head. DO NOT put any stock into what these 3120 bashers say about this head! I own this head and I've played it. I can tell you from experience this head is a good head. If you love high gain and want something close to a 6505 but with more versatility, this is your ticket.

The best part about this head isn't the way it performs, but the pride that comes with buying an American made product and keeping a few American factory workers employed for a few more days. The high quality and excellent performance are bonuses.
This head has an effects loop (which I have not used), plus some adjustments for either a "loose," "medium," or "tight" sound. I'm assuming these are in place of a "Resonance/Presence" control.

It has separate EQs for all channels, including Volume, Gain, Highs, Mids, and Bass controls. There is also a Master Volume. Turn the Volume controls up halfway and turn the Master Volume control up to about "2.5" and this head will shake your house right off its foundation! It is LOUD!
This is NOT a "modeler," which is even more of a reason to like it.

The reason I gave this head a "7" rating is because of the absence of a "Reverb" control. That'd be nice to have, but I haven't found it necessary.
Quality? The best. It's what you'd expect from a USA-made head, and what you'd expect from Peavey.

It worked right out of the box, there aren't any bubbles in the tolex, the knobs are tight, and it is as solid as it looks.
This head is awesome for the money. Where else are you going to find a head that's made in the USA for this price and performs at this level? Nowhere.

Comments about Peavey 3120 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I use this amp for country, rock, and metal and it delivers! I have several and tour the world. Great amp,great sound. Really warm, but cuts great. Super smooth lead tone, with or without pedals. I highly recommend it!

Comments about Peavey 3120 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

The Peavey 3120 can sound like any other amp just by changing tubes. It has the ability to be biased hotter and switch between 6L6 and EL34 type tubes. Want it to sound like a marshall, put EL34s in it. Want it to sound like a mesa, put 6L6s in it. My faves are KT77s or 6CA7s. This thing can emulate them all. Why spend $1500-$4000 on a head when this can do it all. Very Brutal, no bs amp. The only head better is the JSX/XXX II (not as dark and more mids/presence). Slay away!

Comments about Peavey 3120 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I use the new Steve Vai Dimarzio Breed Humbucker(not high output)which really chews sweet in the midrange. I don't think this amp would be good for single coils. It's way too bright. I'm into AC/DC and old Van Halen mid-gain up to older metal tone so you may think....."What is he doing with this very HIGH gain amp?". Well, if you know how to pick with a dynamic range and if you......"ACTUALLY USE THE GUITAR'S VOLUME CONTROL". Very sweet classic tone is available up the gazoo!! I like it better than any amp I've ever had including all tube Marshall's, Fender's, Carvin's, and Crates. If you are a traditionalist like me do NOT be freaked out by the VERY high gain. Just keep the amp gain under 1/3rd and USE your guitar's volume control IF you need to. It sounds sparkly and juicy and not just screamy. ALSO the TONE controls on the crunch and lead are not only active, they are HYPER ACTIVE. BIG changes can be made with only a very slight movement of the treble, mid and bass controls. Reverb would be nice at home, but let me tell you beginners that using reverb live usually will merely dilute your tone.

Comments about Peavey 3120 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

Even thou this is a re-dressed Triple X, it still kicks butt. I have 2 Mesa's, and this amp stands on it's own without hesitation. I digg the Peavey sound, the simplicity of being able to dial in a tone quickly (unlike a Mesa that you've got to completly understand the nuances of the tone controls sequence and interactions) It has an awesome response, that allows for musical feedback at low household volumes. My only negative comment would be that they should've made the gain structure of Ch2 less "over the top", so that Ch2 would cover more range as an Crunch/Overdrive, and left Ch3 to the Super Heavy stuff. With that said, I use Ch2 set with a volume for Rhythm, and Ch3 pumped for solos. Get yourself an RJM amp switcher to simultaneously change amp channels & midi FX patches and rock on.

Comments about Peavey 3120 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

i tried this out at a guitar center over spring break-great crunch for death metal and deathcore-which is primarily what i play. the lead channel is all i really go for in an amp for this tyle and this amp delivers! clarity, punch and devastating, but articulate distortion are what this amp does well. i believe guitarists like myself were in mind when releasing this head- it doesn't have the presence of a 6505, but it comes CLOSE! also, the simplicity of this head makes dialing in your "sound" and playing a breeze! i looovveee the dampening switch and line out feature! makes recording/live shows a snap and the dampening helps tone wise- though i would personally only ever use the "tight" selection. the effects send/return on the back helps me clean up my set up for live-cables snaking through the front are messy! all in all, this is a phenomenal powerhouse capable of delivering live! the output wattage is more than enough for clubs for 300+ people. BUY IT IF YOU DONT WANNA PAY MORE FOR A 6505!!!!

Comments about Peavey 3120 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I have had this amp for about a month now and I really can't find too much wrong with it. The only things I don't like about it are the dampening switch on the back and the dramatic difference in volume between the clean channel and the two dirty channels. Other than that, get yourself a reverb pedal and crank out tha jamz!!

Comments about Peavey 3120 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I played a JSX the same day that i tryed this, and they are similar voiced, probably because of the el34s. But they are both nice sounding amps. The JSX sounds a bit better to me, but this one for the price wins as its is a bit cheaper. The dampening switch on the back is a nice addition which allows you slightly alter the way the speakers produce your sound. It has plenty of gain for me on the Rhythm and Lead Channel, the clean channel is nice and clean, and loud, it kept up well with the rhythm and lead channel. Its a nice amp.