We guitarists have a reputation for being musicians who are very obsessed with our gear, which makes some sense, since our instrument isn't just the guitar itself; our rig is made up of a chain of interconnected elements. It's true that not every component in that chain is equally important; personally, I find that beyond the guitarist's fingers and personal tone, we should place more value on the guitar itself and the amplifier than on the other links. This brings us to the next product taking over our entire test bench: an all-tube, single 12” speaker combo amp from Peavey.
We can lay out a few basics to shed some light on the amp. The Peavey ValveKing is a two-channel combo, but you could say there's a third channel, since it gives us access to a boost on channel 2. It has a 12” speaker, and we can add a cabinet to increase the number of speakers pushing air. And there are many other details we'll explain throughout the article.
As we all know, there are lots of amplifiers out there: some are very specific to certain situations, others try to be as versatile as possible; some have a single channel, others three or four; some are heads, others combos, and so on and so forth. So let's dig deep into this amp to get the most out of it and find out which situations it's best suited for.
Description
Let's start by explaining what we'll physically find behind the name Peavey ValveKing 112. The amp is built into a cabinet that's not really big for a 1x12, which is handy for transport. It has black tolex that gives it a serious, no-nonsense look. I get the impression they've gone for a classic amp aesthetic, very much in Peavey's style. Let's start by analyzing the front of the amp, and later we'll describe the back. The first thing we find is two inputs, one High and one Low, so we can plug into one or the other depending on our pickups. In other words, if we have high-output pickups, such as humbuckers, the high input may make us saturate right away; or, on the contrary, we may have a guitar with single-coils and need the high-gain input. The difference between the two inputs is 10 dB, except when we plug two instruments into both inputs at the same time, in which case both inputs work as low gain.
The first channel we come to is the clean channel, which has a volume knob and 3 EQ knobs: bass, treble and mid. I should mention that the knobs are sensitive, and in some cases the EQ controls can be quite sensitive, to the point of saturating and giving a boost-like feel. This channel also has a switch that, when pressed, gives us more high-frequency response. It's very useful mainly when we want that “chimey” sound, and highly recommended paired with a Strat or Telecaster. The channel selector is located on the clean channel; that is, there's a switch that lets us choose between the clean channel (switch Off) and the overdrive channel (switch On), but keep in mind that if we want to use the channel-switching footswitch, this switch must be engaged.
Next is the overdrive channel, which has an input gain control, a channel volume control and a bass, mid and treble EQ. We also have two switches: one increases the gain, booster-style, giving us more distortion and an output so saturated it can even sound fuzz-like. The other switch gives us extra volume, perfect for solos or lines that need to stand out in the band's overall mix. The great thing about these two controls is that you can access them via the footswitch. That makes them very appealing, since we can use them at any moment from our pedalboard. At the end of the chain we find the master reverb control, which both channels share. One possible improvement would be independent reverb controls for each channel, since the reverb we want on a clean channel usually isn't the same as on an overdrive channel. And finally there's the effects loop, located on the front panel, which is really not very common, since it's normally found on the back. It has a return input and a send output.
That covers the front panel. Now we can move to the back, which isn't as packed with controls as the front but has some very interesting ones. We start with the fuse and power input, then move on to a “texture” control. This is one of the big secrets. This knob lets you set the amplifier to behave as if it were class A/B or class A. In other words, it gives us the option, at the power amp stage, of how much current we want reaching the power tubes. So if we set the control toward the A/B side, we'll get more of the result from the preamp than from the power amp, since, to sum it up, the power amp will pass along whatever comes from the preamp as neutrally as possible. On the other hand, if we select the class A option, we'll have 60% less power, but in exchange it gives us more power-tube harmonics, so we'll enjoy greater dynamics.
Before moving on to the next section, where we'll discuss all the details of the amp's sound and response, let's describe at an even more technical level how the amp is built.
In the preamp section, the amplifier uses three 12AX7/ECC83 tubes, plus two 6L6GC power tubes. This generates 50 W of power driving one speaker, but you can still add another speaker, whether a 4x12, 2x12 or 1x12 cabinet. Its output is always 16 ohms, and keep in mind that connecting an extension cab disables the combo's own speaker.
Sound
We've reached the most important part of any musical product: how it sounds. Really, the ultimate goal of this whole process, from manufacturing to design and so on, is to get the best possible sonic performance, since the point is to sound as good as possible.
Focusing on the combo in front of us, we can say that, as with any combo, the sound we'll get is different from that of a head and cab. The main difference is that the combo's sound will be more compressed, with less punch, but we'll get better results at lower volumes, although that will also depend on the head's power, the type of speakers in the cabinet and so on. In the ValveKing's case, we can say it's an amp “that pushes,” and let me explain that term: it's an amp that, on its own, tends to have more punch than a regular combo would. This also starts to give us a clue as to what kinds of sounds the amp is aimed at, namely Blues/Rock sounds, where the guitar doesn't go unnoticed. Let's analyze each of the sounds the amp offers, one by one:
The clean channel is rather particular, since it stops living up to its name as soon as you turn up the input gain a little. That is, its tendency to break up is always lurking, and it's accentuated by how easily it compresses the sound. We can also say it brings out the lower frequencies quite readily, which gives it a tone that's more dark than bright. In other words, we move away from the more Fender-like sound toward a more American high-gain flavor, à la Soldano, Mesa and so on, though without quite getting there. In short, it's a very Peavey sound: round but punchy, with lows and highs. That's why it gives us that switch to boost the treble and lift the EQ at the top end.
The overdrive channel gives us a couple of options. We can use it the standard way, where we get a crunch channel in which, once again, the lows and highs are easily accessible frequencies. We can't say the gain knob is really sensitive in a fine-grained way: at the slightest movement the channel starts to break up easily, not leaving much range to find that crunchier sound. To my ears, I don't find it a very Marshall-like amp; instead, more American sounds come back to mind. Pressing the boost option gets us more saturation, but with the peculiarity that it doesn't add more punch; that is, we get a sandier, grainier distortion, but no extra heft at all. This boost is ideal for adding a delay and using as a lead channel for all our solos, where we need that extra saturation and volume to rise above the mix. Here we're back to where we started: the gain control doesn't have much more range; it feels more like an on/off.
So that's our take on how the two channels sound. But now we need to talk about the Texture control, for choosing how the amp's power stage operates, that is, class A/B or class A. I have to say I'm a big fan of class A amps myself, and with the ValveKing, we have options that let us get close to how a class A amp would sound: more harmonics in the power stage, less power but, at the same time, more dynamics; we can even get power-tube saturation more easily. With the selector at class A/B, the weight of the sound falls more on the preamp itself, so the sound has less power-amp feel.
Conclusion
Peavey is a brand that evolves quickly and knows how to adapt to the times we live in, when we need all the features of a modern 21st-century system but with the best vintage sound, and if it can be as versatile as possible, so much the better. These ideas are easy to see across the product line, and the Peavey ValveKing 112 is no exception. So we can conclude that, although it's a relatively small combo with just a 12”, we get enough volume to handle all kinds of situations. On top of that, the two channels plus the extra boost make the amp quite an all-rounder. In terms of sound, we can say that although the aim is to cover the widest possible spectrum, the end result is an amp that can go from blues to rock, and even some more metal territory. In other words, it's an amp that likes to roar. So if we add that it has a very convincing price, it becomes a highly recommendable option if we need a rock amp at an affordable price.
