Peavey has made the 30 W Delta Blues tube amp with a 15" driver since the early 1990s. The amp has a vinyl covering, which is called "black tweed," as it has two lines of black and gray. It has a look like an old '50s TV-front. The amp has garnered critical approval from players with a combination of vintage and modern tone with likewise features.
The newer Delta Blues 210, priced at $579.99, is the same amp as the 15-inch version (also $579.99), but with two 10" speakers. It is also covered in black-tweed vinyl.
Features
The Delta Blues series contains a switchable clean and overdrive channels, spring reverb and a very nice sounding tremolo. The tube amp/preamp section consists of four Sovtek EL84 power tubes run in push-pull Class AB, a 12AX7 phase inverter and two 12AX7s for the two preamp channels. As standard with many modern-day guitar amps, rectification is solid state. The preamp tubes have no branding, although they look like Chinese tubes.
Controls include clean channel volume, bass, midrange and treble (for both channels). The overdrive channel has pre- and post-controls. The tremolo has speed and intensity controls and the reverb function operates via the level knob. Throwing in a modern touch, the 210 also has an effects loop (as does the 15" version).
Jacks include a single instrument input, the effects loop in/outs, and an external 16-ohm speaker output. The Delta Blues amp section cranks out 30 W into 8 ohms or 16 ohms, according to the manual.
The audition
Peavey sent me a 210 and the 15" Delta Blues to check out the differences. I used an American Standard Telecaster, an American Standard Limited Stratocaster with Lace pickups, a stock Gibson ES-135 and a Les Paul Standard. Because of the identical amp section designs, the two versions do not sound that different. In my sonic conclusion, the 210 had a tighter bass and was, thus, a little better suited for humbuckers. The 15" version, with its 15" driver induced plumper sounding bass, is more tailored to single coil guitars such as a Tele'.
The Delta Blues' overdrive is not Marshall-like, but with a high output pickup guitar axe, it can coax a crunch-like distortion or the less gain of a warm blues-tone that many players favor. The reverb is very good, not too clangy or splashy and the tremolo has a nice control range, so you can dial in slow or fast speeds and deep modulation if desired.
The Delta Blues fit and finish was good and its sound revealed little noise or hum from the tubes. The chicken head knob controls also had a solid feel.
The only changes I would recommend on the Delta Blues Series is the addition of a low-level input and a stand-by switch. On hotter pickup guitars, I found that the Delta Blues cranked up pretty fast, making it difficult to dial-in a "clean" sound with the guitar volume wide open. I had to roll-off the guitar volume, which changes the tone on many guitars. A lower level input would add some sonic flexibility for cleaner tones. (I ended up substituting a 12AT7 in the phase inverter stage to get less gain.) Also, the stand-by switch would extend tube life. Tubes last longer if the heaters have chance to warm up before the plates get their current, according to several tube amp manufacturers.
Conclusion
Overall, the Delta Blues 210 and the 15-inch original model are quality tube guitar amps and are in keeping with the great value and sound of other popular Peavey guitar combos - including the Classic 50, Classic 30 and the EVH5150. Modern and vintage looks with a choice of speaker sizes, the Delta Blues amps offer an old Fendery kind of clean guitar vibe with tremolo and spring reverb, but yet sport modern features such as OD and an effects loop.
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