Amp speaker cab advice

[DH46]

Hey Guys

In the next couple of months i'm hoping to splash out a bit and invest in a new head amp. I'll either get a Peavey 6505 or the new Laney Ironheart, leaning towards the Laney more as it seems to be cheaper to buy in the UK.

Currently i own a combo amp and this is the first time I've really looked into buying a separate amp and cab.

I was wondering if the amp is 120W what output the speakers need to have, and if anyone has any particular suggestions that would work well with either of the two amps.

Cheers in advance for any help.

[Dmoney]

rule of thumb is twice the rating of the amp.
so for a 120watt amp a 240watt cab is a safe bet. 4x vintage 30's will get you there.
I'm not sure what speaker is in the 6505 1x12 or 2x12 combos, but I think those amps are only 60watts, rather 120watts so there is more leeway.

[DH46]

In terms of wattage, for example, the price difference between a 120w and 60w head amp is only about £100. From what i understand it only gives you about 3Db of volume. As the biggest venue i'll be playing probably is an upstairs room of a pub or a small club, is it worth the extra money to get a 120w or would a 60 suffice.

[Dmoney]

You are correct. I'd say 60watt will be fine.

[Dave Sloven]

For the Peavey I can recommend the Orange PPC412 cabinet, which you should be able to find in the UK ;)

There is a thread on the Peavey 6065 series here:

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=30121.0

I've had a little bit of trouble with my 6534+ and it is going in for a service under warranty soon for a noise in the amp (there's a thread on that somewhere; I think it might be in the EL34 power section, as the ISP Decimator in the effects loop cuts other noise but seems to leave this strange dripping noise intact) but the 6065 and 6065+ have a rock-solid reputation.  I like the sound of the 6534+ but I might have gone with the 6065+ had I found one at the same price.

The thread also discusses the 5150 III amp, made by Fender in Mexico, which you might want to consider as it has a good reputation too.

I don't have any experience with Laney amps but the Ironheart sounds like a good deal.  I was interested in the new Laney Iommi signature but so far only one has been imported to Australia and the importer was asking a stupidly high price for it.

I can also tell you that the 60W is probably loud enough.  I put my 6534+ post gain knob on 3 and it was very loud.  You might have to crank the 60W a bit more but that is not a bad thing.

[DH46]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I was initially considering the Peavey, but as i live in the UK the Laney seems to be a few hundred pounds cheaper than the Peavey which i'm assuming are imported

[Toe-Knee]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I was initially considering the Peavey, but as i live in the UK the Laney seems to be a few hundred pounds cheaper than the Peavey which i'm assuming are imported

I highly recommend Roadkill cabs. UK based, Excellent quality and insanely cheap the fact its fully custom also is just a nice extra.

I've played a lot of cabs including my past peavey some zillas marshalls and engls and the roadkill came out on top. The only ones i got to do side by sides tests with though were the peavey, marshall and engl.

[dave_mc]

don't quote me on this, but i reckon two v30s would be ok with a 6505. celestions have the rep of being pretty conservatively-rated, and when i emailed them they said the wattage they quote was good for a tube amp of the same wattage.

obviously it's your call and do it at your own risk, kind of thing, but yeah. Also i'm guessing you'd very rarely be cranking a 6505-style amp, too (but i could be wrong).

[Alex]

The Peavey works well with many cabs, I had the original 5150 Mk1 and it wasn't too picky about the cab (the presence and resonance knobs help a lot).

However, in all honesty, I think the Laney is a far, far better deal, and, matters of taste beside, the better and more flexible amp.

[Dmoney]

the laneys are alright. the gh50l, gh100l, and gh100ti are cool. im only familiar with those.
a 5150/6505 is something i would only get second hand now. i wouldn't pay over £550 for one.

[Telerocker]

I would suggest to get the 60 watt version and a 2x12 V30's cabinet. It has enough power, unless you're playing big arena's or open air gigs. I've played many open air venues with a Rockerverb 50/2x12 cab. Loud enough!

[JimmyMoorby]

For the Peavey I can recommend the Orange PPC412 cabinet, which you should be able to find in the UK ;)

Agreed. Best cabs by the well known brands for sure.