I bet this will last me at 20 years. I have a Peavey Backstage Plus that has lasted 18 years and still sounds good with a decent distortion pedal. Peavey puts out quality products in my experience. If I ever play bigger venues and need a bigger amp I may get an amp just for playing live but I don't expect to need to replace this for a long time.

Sound
I play mostly classic metal (Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc.) and thrash (Slayer, Testament, etc.) along with CDs in my basement but I wanted something that I could jam with or play small gigs (VFW?)if I got a group together. This amp has good overall sound. The clean channel is great. The distortion on the lead channel leaves something to be desired because it is kind of muffled - can't get enough Highs to make it great. But it is better for metal than on the overdrive channel on the Marshall MG series which only gives you a classic rock sound. Actually, I bought this to replace a Marshall MG50DFX, which I didn't like at all. Marshall's good for tube but I think Peavey is the best for solid state. I have a Kramer Focus 1000 with a Seymour Duncan Distortion Humbucker and a Jackson DKMG with EMG-HZ Humbuckers that I run through a BOSS ME-50 multi-effects board into the clean channel. I can get any sound I want this way so the amp is mostly there to provide a speaker and volume. It has more volume than I need and can get very loud. Putting any louder than 1 is usually too much for the environment… read more I use it in. I think it has enough power to use live in smaller venues.

Features
The footswitch for the channels and the reverb is not included. To swtich channels you have to flip a toggle on the control board. The external speaker jack disengages the amp speaker when you are running a line to a larger speaker, which makes it hard to use for direct line-in digital recording. Each channel has a switch for a modern or vintage sound, which is kind of like providing two extra channels. Vintage mode offers more treble less bottom. Modern is reverse. No headphone jack. There is an effects loop but my effects sound terrible when patched through the loop. I have to run my instrument through the effect and plug the effects into the High Gain input. No annoying cooling fan! Good reverb and T-Dynamics control (function as a compressor).

Quality
Very solid, yet light-weight. I wouldn't worry about using this amp live in a small setting.

Value
Best amp available in its price range for overall sound quality and power. Especially compared to the Marshall MG series. Just look at the features as extras that you can use if you want. The footswitch should be included for the price but you don't really need it if you are using effects pedals through the clean channel.

Manufacturer Support
Because I have never needed it.

The Wow Factor
The new design with the thin red stripe is pretty cool. Attractive control panel.

Musical Style:
Classic 80s Style Metal read less