Peavey Vypyr 15 Guitar Combo Amplifier (15 Watts, 1x8")
Experiment with a variety of sounds with this combo practice amp, which features 24 amp channel models.
Overall User Ratings (based on 18 ratings)
Submitted April 18, 2012 by Sean T in Northampton, MA
"The perfect amp for beginner rockstars!"
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I would recommend this amp to absolutely anybody with multi-genre interests. It simply has it all. Buy it if you want to be impressed!
Sound
The immense variety of sounds this box makes is more than $100 could ever ask for. Its distorted settings are nothing short of glorious and the clean and fuzzy settings are also sweet. I have had trouble with the octaver effect on both the one I first sent back and the one I replaced it with, but I can't honestly say I really need it anyway. Also, I wonder if it's supposed to sort of pulse when I let it ring? Personally I prefer a straight ring with my fadeouts, but it's not a priority when there are so many pros to consider and I suppose it gives my playing some character. My only real complaint in this respect is that there is a faint echo of whatever note/noise I last played whenever I silence the strings, which isn't very useful whenever I want a cut-off.
Before I bought my own, my cousin introduced me to his and then we went to the music store in town and compared its sound with all the pricey amps there. It beat them all hands-down. It was actually kinda sad how pathetic they all sounded next to the little 15-watt Peavey.
Features
I'm not much more than a beginner playing a Squier Jagmaster but I find every single amp model, clean and distorted, to give the right feeling in some context or another. They are all well-replicated from the original amps they were modeled off of and all yield to tremendous and useful variation from the equalizer and gain knobs. The effects are a bit overextensive and I can't honestly say that I would ever really use, for instance, the Reverse or Tube Scrm functions for anything other than messing around, but I don't complain at the chance to experiment with so many sounds like the Phaser and Tremolo without having to buy expensive pedals. The presets are very useful and although one will frequently erase itself at random (which may just be a particular problem with the amp I bought), it is easy to recover them quickly. I can't, however, say what it would be like to play with not-entirely-reliable presets live onstage. . . probably not too good.
Ease of Use
Everything is quite straightforward except for the "Edit Mode" This mode was barely explained in the manual but I have not found any need for it yet. Pretty much plug-in-and-play.
Quality
I have bumped it around a bit and cranked the volume till my ears bled, but I can't detect any loss in awesome. Having such a variety of sounds to cover, I won't expect it to last five years, but by then I will have gotten all I needed and more from it.
Value
My $100 couldn't have been spent better. My classmate has a generic Fender amp that he bought for more than $100 and it can't do 1/500th of the things this baby can.
Manufacturer Support
I haven't had need for contact yet.
The Wow Factor
Other than the rather ridiculous plastic "fangs," I couldn't imagine my dream amp looking any better. The metallic knobs and fancy lights pretty much steal the show from the conventional amp appearance, and the black leather look is NICE.
Musical Background:
Clarinet (7 years), piano (1 year), guitar (1 year), and I sing (whole life). I mainly jam at home and school.
Musical Style:
Heavy Metal (all types), Jazz (all types), Rock, Folk, Experimental
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Submitted February 28, 2010 by a customer from comcast.net
"Good Things Come In Small Packages"
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If it got ripped off I'd get another one. Although the thief could have walked off with a more powerful amp with just a little more effort. But that unfortunate circumstance aside I think this amp will keep my teenager's attenton long enough for me to save up for a bigger one. lol
Sound
First off this is a "practice" amp and not to be compared with larger amps like my Line6 75w Spider II which can really crank out the decibles. But for what it was designed to do it can easily accomplish it's mission...in "spades!". I wanted a true modeling amp that would dazzle my teenager with all the metal and ungodly distortion to keep her interest while still being able to spit out a clean tone for her regular practice sessions and this little sucker met my expectations and more. If you want a practice amp with the ability to crank out just about anything then look no further...this amp is for you. It'll still get plenty loud enough to fill any room your in without blowing it's speaker.
Features
This amp has alot going for it. First thing you'll notice is a pretty cool light show that will go on forever until you fill the input jack with a plug. Then you need to insert the CD instruction manual into your laptop to see just how cool this thing really gets. It has three push buttons (a,b,&c) and each one has four presets that work just like your car radio...find the sound combination you like and select a preset and hold it down for a couple seconds and voilla...it's there for the next time. There's a built in tuner that will recognize the string your plucking and then help you tune it in. This amp has just about anything you could possibly ask for less than a hundred bucks. Get it you won't be sorry. If you only want a "clean output" practice amp without all the "bells & whistles" then the Fender Frontman 25w for around a buck-thirty would be your best bet. A good solid proven performer. For me that's all I would need or want but for today's up and coming crop of "would be" musicians it (the Fender) wouldn't be extreme enough...but the Vypyr 15 TransTube Analog Distortion amp fills the bill...and then some.
Ease of Use
There's truly alot going on with this amp, make no mistake about it. If being able to read a clearly outlined set of instructions is beyond your stress level then look for an amp with fewer buttons. However if you want to rock out with just about anybody who wails a Strat then this little performer won't let you down. I found a few minutes sifting thru the provided manual (on CD BTW) was all I needed to tame this ambitious little beast.
Quality
Hey...it's only a hundred dollar amp. What da' ya expect? I guess it looks sturdy enough. Probably should last forever in your den...which is where it was designed to reside. Fit and finish wise, I'll give it a solid 8 out of 10. Looks good and sounds better which is really where it counts...right?
Value
Best practice amp out there for under a hundred. 'Nuf said.
Manufacturer Support
Never really dealt with Peavy but I have with ZZounds and they are simply top shelf all the way.
The Wow Factor
This thing will keep your cats staring at it. The cool light show alone is worth the price tag....well maybe not, but it's a cool looking amp to have setting around.
Musical Background:
Hobbyist
Musical Style:
Southern Classic Rock
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Submitted January 28, 2010 by a customer from hotmail.com
"loud obnoxious midget that sounds great but a bit difficult to reason with"
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I like it. So many tones... each time I randomly screw around with an amp model I end up with some tone that almost writes a riff by itself. Very cool tool for creativity. I just wish I had an actual instruction manual for the effects so I woudn't have to get on a computer to figure out something as basic as turning off the built in delay or whatever.
Sound
I don't know what amp models to compare to the 'real thing' I just know it sounds good. You can coax feedback out of it, you can dabble around with effects if that's your thing, you can just set up a good crunch and blast away with it and it doesn't sound tinny and thin it sounds like a beast. I can compete with a drum set volume wise for practice. Certain amp models are EXTREMELY sensitive to your playing style, giving the impression that you are rocking a tube. I live in the blissful ignorance of just knowing what sounds good without having to know why.
Features
it has a power cord and a CD rom with the instructions, which is kind of a pain in the butt. What happened to a damn pamphlet with the instructions like all other amps? Not all guitardians are computer inclined.
I don't care about the built in effects once I learned how to turn them off (which took a while with the stupid CD rom manual). I guess its nice that they are there, I just wanted it for its tone though, which is JUST TOO GOOD TO DESCRIBE IN A LITTLE TEXT REVIEW.
Ease of Use
If you just want presets fine and dandy, but actually reprogramming the presets requires digging around on a computer for instructions. Not very intuitive at first glance. I spent an afternoon finding 4 sounds I liked and punching them into the memory and haven't looked back
Quality
It's just fine. Solid, loud, can be turned up all the way without crusting out. Mine tends to move around the linoleum floor a bit when certain low frequencies go through the speaker. Yeah, like it's dancing or something. But it won't rattle itself apart I turned it all the way up and the speaker didn't complain, it just moved the cab around a bit.
Value
as far as practice amps or home studio recording amps go this thing is very nice. Tone is the strongpoint here. For the price you can get some other transistory sounding mini amp, but this guy actually sounds good.
Manufacturer Support
Gets a 5 because I have no idea.
The Wow Factor
Its solid for home recording, and loud enough for band practice. It's not like its a wall of Marshalls or anything, so I give it a good to middle rating here... like it really matters? maybe if it was covered in sparkles or something? (truth is that rocking gets the ladies, not what gear you rock with)... But yeah I want it, I bought it.
Musical Background:
former pro, now just home recordist '1 man band' enthusiast
Musical Style:
unique and rockin
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Submitted December 14, 2012 by W S in Glendale, CA
"Killer Amp!"
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First, I've got to give another shout out to zZounds for their outstanding customer service and always super-fast shipping. I placed my order on Tuesday morning, zZounds shipped it that afternoon, and I had it in my hot little hands on Thursday afternoon. I've tried many music stores and have never been disappointed by zZounds. These people know what they're doing!
Now, on to the review of this product. I've been playing guitar for about 15 years and have continually been on the search for tone since the start like many other players. As a home hobbyist, I don't find it practical to invest too much in gear. But I eventually accepted that I had to own quality American and Japanese guitars and invest in a tube amp with a few decent pedal effects to sound professional. I tried the cheap guitars and early digital modeling and solid state amps with very little satisfaction. I wanted digital modeling amps to deliver and felt that they should, but was always disappointed in both the amps and the "pods." The emulators sounded thin, fake and tinny. So I always sold them at a loss or made even trades for usually equally bad junk.
So I've now got the good guitars and a really solid tube amp. Only problem? The amp is 60 watts out of a1x12 and, as mentioned, I'm just a home hobbyist. I'm not in a band and not gigging. Yeah, you guessed it , way too loud for home practice and experimentation. Plus, the tubes have to warm up and it takes time to connect and disconnect pedals depending on what I'm playing. So I decided that I'll keep the tube amp -- just in case -- but search for a lower wattage addition. I did a lot of research on mini, lunchbox and small tube amps. There are some nice options out there, but a bit overpriced in my opinion and most are one-trick ponies. You either need to want to play clean all of the time or otherwise sacrifice clean tones for one type of overdriven tone. See, I'm cursed because I want a lot: fair value, professional tone like what I hear on my favorite records produced in the best studios with the best gear, and versatility and variety. I knew that digital modeling was my best bet but didn't want to be disappointed again. Luckily, there are a lot of online reviews and YouTube reviews out there these days. And I finally stumbled on a demonstration of this Peavey Vypyr by accident. I watched and heard the guy playing the guitar he was demonstrating and found myself trying to identifying the amp he was playing through because it wasn't revealed and sounded great even through my computer speakers. I was able to make it out in the background and recognized it. I was surprised. I did more research and found very strong reviews and more videos. I was sold. I placed my order.
The amp arrived from zZounds a couple days later. I was surprised that Peavey didn't box the amp with some protective Styrofoam and/or cardboard (it's just the cardboard box fitting tightly over the amp) and worried that maybe it could have been handled roughly in shipping. But there are no tubes so I figured it was likely undamaged and confirmed that upon opening it and plugging in.
So finally on to the part you're waiting for. The sounds I'm getting through this little solid state modeler are MAGICAL! Yes, I said magical. Do you know what it's like to play guitar for fifteen years and never really have the satisfaction of pleasing tones at bedroom volumes? Frustrating is an understatement. But here was this cheap little amp that, with the twist of a few dials, instantly was delivering tones like those I've heard from artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, and David Gilmour and bands as diverse as The Police, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Green Day, The Clash, Queens of the Stone Age, Van Halen and Tool. Pure heaven! I literally played for about three hours straight after plugging in today. And I didn't spend anything close to a fortune for it! I spent about as much as a decent meal and movie during a date with my girlfriend! I experienced none of the fakeness and thinness that disappointed me with previous modeling amps and none of the boringness of my former tube amps. The tones are right and the feel is right, right down to that feeling of tube saturation with overdriven sustain! Yes, real SUSTAIN. The overdrive I've experienced on other modeling amps was fake. It was distorted but without the sag and sustain you'd get from a tube amp being pushed. This little Vypyr actually sustains and fades out in a sensible amount of time. I'm not sure, but I feel like it actually also reacts to my guitars' volume and the intensity of me digging and picking into my strings. Honestly, it's an almost organic and analog experience.
The available range of amps is perfect for my taste. I appreciate solid clean tones as much as most guys, but I'm not an Eric Clapton fanatic. I also usually want some blues crunch, and often am hungry for aggressive hard rock and metal tones. This little Vypyr has the amps I would have chosen for inclusion and the modeling accuracy is almost uncanny. Peavey wasn't limited by the selection of amps in feeling pressured to provide mostly the variety of amps offered by some amp manufacturers. They've got their much beloved 6150, but they've also provided popular amps by even boutique makers. The range of effects is perfect and their quality outstanding. As if all of that weren't enough, the amp is relatively compact, and very light weight! And if all that wasn't enough, this little modeling marvel actually allows the unique personalities of my high-end guitars to shine through! Yes, my American Fender Strat has the funky and chimey Strat punch that I dig, and yes, my Gibson Les Paul has the sustain and rock quality that we all dig. That was another complaint that I had with previous amp emulators, they hid the unique sounds and qualities of my guitars. Not this Peavey Vypyr. Also, my style of play and range of practiced techniques were audible and accented: pick scrapes, scratching, hammer ons, trills, tapping, string muting, natural harmonics, pinch harmonics, squeelies ... they were all there! Nothing was covered up or hidden! On the high-gain settings, I was actually able to produce squealies on the single coils of my Strat. I didn't think the guitar capable of it.
Am I excited and encouraged? Hell yeah! Finally I'm getting tones, results and performance out an amplifier that I've dreamed of for a decade and a half and I got it all for cheap! My hat's off and major kudos to Peavey! Finally, I have faith in amp and effects digital modeling technology at prices affordable to the masses of guitarists yearning to rock out. I am sold on their TransTube technology. I really am. Finally, I can lock myself in my home and play guitar all day without lamenting that I'm not getting the sounds I hear from my favorite players -- and considering quitting guitar in frustration because of it. Finally, I can plug in and dial in the tone and effect I want in and instant and not feel self-conscious that I sound cheap. I'm excited about playing guitar again. Thank you, Peavey!
I now look forward to further advancement of this technology. I'm really feeling good that wide ranges of tones and effects are available to all us, even those of us on limited budgets by necessity and/or choice. I hope that Peavey and other companies keep moving quickly with improvements and enhancements. I'm going to enjoy this amp for awhile and wait to see what Peavey does with it in future releases. If they keep the quality up and the prices the same, I will very likely also purchase one of their higher-wattage versions of the same model with some of the added features for possible live performances.
I also hope that Peavey will look into offering all of this in a floor pedal that I can hook into my tube amp, and even better, play directly into a PA if I join a band getting real and professional tube tones without worrying about breaking my back lugging my 50-lb amp and 15 lbs of pedals around!
Guitar dreamers, I encourage you to try this little magical killer marvel out. I really don't think that you'll be disappointed because my standards have been higher and my expectations perhaps more greedy than most. Even if you own boutique tube rigs, I think that you'll be very pleased with this thing, particularly when practicing or warming up at low volumes.
Musical Background:
Home hobbyist playing guitar for fifteen years.
Musical Style:
classic rock, modern rock, hard rock, metal, alternative, grunge, punk, new wave, pop
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Submitted October 1, 2012 by Brian G in Roanoke, VA
"Awesome amp!!"
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For the money, this can't really be beat in my opinion.
Musical Style:
Rock, blues
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Submitted May 6, 2012 by John S in Southport, CT
"killer amp or pedal for tube, SS amps"
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I have 3, yes 3 of these amps a 15w my son has the 30w head and I also have the 100w. The 15w is great for the price. The 15w and 100w have that killer sound because In my opinion the speakers are at 4 ohms (tighter bass) The 15 has a 8in 3owatt @ 4 ohms speaker. The 100w has (2) 12in ?watts 8 ohms speakers wired in parallel = 4 ohms. The sound changes if you run a 8 ohm or 16 ohm cab/speaker. You can also run the headphone out into a tube amp or SS amp either in the input or FX loop to give it a tube amp sound or for the SS more volume into a 4x12 cab. You can also run it through a DI box to get around the simulated effect through the Headphone jack. I have gotten rid of most of my pedals and use the 15 watt to my tube amps. Amazing for only $99 bucks.
Musical Background:
40+ years
Musical Style:
Metal, Rock, Blues, Jazz
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Submitted January 12, 2012 by a customer from yahoo.com
"Great practice amp!!!!"
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Sound
The sound is great and powerful. don't be fooled by the size o fthe amp and that it says 15 watts. I turn it half way and it is very loud for my basement.
Features
The features are very good. The effects and the different sounds of the amps.
Ease of Use
Getting the right sound and storing it for next time is tricky. Need practice doing it few times,
Quality
Quality is good. The cabinet is sturdy but the control panel in the back seems weak. Need to be careful with it and not to use to much force unplugging and plugging the ac cord in the back of unit. It would be nice if it had a back cover. it is open too much in the back, I know it is done to make it light but some kind of cover would be nice than just open.
Value
Great value for the money and it's a Peavey!!!! Great sound and effects!!!
Manufacturer Support
Support is very good. When I received the amp it was damaged on the top back of the cabinet. ZZ sent a ups label to ship it back and sent a replacement right away and the replacement amp is good. Thanks ZZ.
Musical Background:
30 years , Guitar
Musical Style:
Rock and acoustic
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Submitted October 2, 2011 by a customer from yahoo.com
"the vyper 15 is not worth the money and i wouldnt buy it agin"
im not satisfied with it and yes i will be searchin for another product
Sound
the 8in speaker has alot of distoration and the features dont really change with any different sounds overall its probally one the worse amps ive ever bought
Features
its has a good selection of options but none of them really have any difference between them really need to take a look over the amps and change the whole layout of the vyper 15
Ease of Use
needs to made with more explainotory bout how to use which features
Quality
yes
Value
it wasnt a price but still wasnt worth a hundred dollars
Manufacturer Support
?
The Wow Factor
no and the music would sound better without it
Musical Background:
active musician
Musical Style:
rock coutry alternitive
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Submitted February 22, 2011
"Peavey Vypyr 15W Amp"
I believe I will keep this for a couple years, as long as its running like my cousin's I'm happy. I believe the next purchase I make will be on an effects pedal, because I would like to have access to tremolo and other effects on hand (my hollowbody doesn't have a whammy). This is a great amp and I encourage anybody that is looking for one in this range to buy it. It has all the features you'll need to please your ears, and while it isn't too much of a gig amp, it is perfect for practices or maybe even a little show or jam session. Kudos Peavey. Kudos.
Sound
This amp sounds amazing. I just got this today, but I have been using my cousin's for a little while. I already have it set to make exactly the sounds I want it to and it is just awesome in terms of sound. Too bad its not a tube amp, but it is just half a step down from one.
Features
This thing pretty much has an multi-effects pedal (without the pedal part) built in. It has 12 effects settings, 12 different amp tones, 2 settable parameters, delay volume, delay speed, and reverb settings. It has a great setup for under a Benjamin.
Ease of Use
This is where it can be a bit tricky. In order to change delays and such you have to push the effects knob. Sadly, I just now figured this out. It may either be because I am dimwitted or it's just hard to figure out at first. Other than that it's alright. Another thing, when you first turn it on make sure the volume is all the way down. The first preset is an obnoxious screech that should definitely be written over ASAP. (To set presets you have to find the settings you like and hold the button to the right of the preset number you want to save it to. Make sure the light flashes before letting go.)
Quality
Like I said, I just got it, and while the only true problem is merely a minor aesthetic problem I can tell you that my cousin's Vypyr 30 has lasted him over a year, and it runs like brand new. Make sure not to be too harsh on it though, because like most sound equipment, enough abuse will kill the amp or main board. On the contrary, it's not a tube amp, so you don't have to worry about blowing tubes.
Value
For 99 dollars, this is truly a steal. It comes with everything a 250 dollar amp would have and yet its cheaper and available.
Manufacturer Support
I have not tried to contact the company, but the instructions that came with it were... insufficient. I haven't looked at the CD yet, but there wasn't any document showing me how to set the presets and etc.
The Wow Factor
This was an amp I bought for my new (actually it was used) Ibanez AF75 Hollowbody, and the amp I had was pretty much dead, so it was reasonable to get a new one. I looked everywhere for a decent amp that was within 100-150 dollars. This and a Roland Cube were the only amps truly worth buying. This being said, this amp was a real turn on in terms of guitar amps. Beautiful and clever, that's the way I like my women, and that's the way I like my amps.
Musical Background:
Active Musician, Hobbyist
Musical Style:
Rock, Funk, Jazz, Blues, Alternative
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Submitted May 17, 2009
"great product unbelievable practice amp beginners buy this right now"
best amp for your money and a beginner should buy this no question about it
Sound
it is a great practice amp with a million features that can fit your style of music.
Features
Didnt come with anything special but the amp has great features
Ease of Use
a retarted cat could work this amp
Quality
made well never had any trouble very reliable...yet it should only be a practice amp
Value
THE BEST AMP FOR YOUR MONEY
The Wow Factor
not anything special on lokks but its cool
Musical Background:
hobbyist
Musical Style:
classic metal, hard rock, blues, hair metal
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Submitted September 17, 2008
"Not bad..."
This is probably the best practice amp you could buy for under $100, and I've looked. The 8" speaker could probably use a little work, but with all the amp and FX models it's worth every dollar. 12 amp models, each with a clean and distorted channel! That's 24 channels in one! Where else can you find that? Oh, did I mention most of the distorted channels actually sound good? The FX are pretty decent, although a lot of them are FX I'd rarely use. The Tube Screamer model isn't worth anything; it shouldn't have been included. I compared it to the Raven RG20, Line 6 Spider III 15, Fender 15R Frontman Series II and Marshall MG10CD, and the Vypyr blew them away, although the Fender was not half bad.
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