Its Cheaper to Keep Her, but.....

[stw146]

Looking to get some thoughts on something I have been struggling with.
Almost 20 years ago I bought a Peavey Deuce (2x 12" combo) from a buddy for $100. Its a hybrid with a solid state pre and four 6L6's for power. The amp was loud, had channel switching and took pedals and effects really well.
One of the downsides was the amp distortion was horrible, unusable (hence the pedals!). It was also difficult to get various sounds with decent tone- once I locked in the super clean sound, I stuck with it. And one of the biggest downers was its 85 pounds!

Although we've had some great moments together, I hardly use the amp any more and opt for my much small and lighter solid state amp which has much better tone.

So the dilema is this- do I keep it, try swapping tubes and speakers and enjoy the fact that I have a heavy beast from the late 70's. If so what are some speaker and tube recommendations?

Or do I save for a newer, all-tube amp? It is cheaper to keep her, that is for sure!

I play metal and blues. Any inout would be great!

Steve

[GuitarAttack Forum]

While it is cheaper to keep her, you will probably continue to struggle, trying to find that "right" sound. You will probably move headlong down the path of buying the newest pedal or rackmount unit, or having it retubed...then buying new speakers...then trying that...

Sometimes it is better to make the old amp part of your "museum" and just making the plunge with a new one. I've found that the newer tube amps, while maybe lacking that elusive "mojo", are more reliable and more vesatile than many of their vintage cousins.

My opinion only,
John