Peavey Delta Blues Upgrade Advice?

[Bryan B.]

Hi All,

I just purchased a new Peavey Delta Blues 115 amplifier and am looking for advice as to what upgrades are needed (if any) to achieve a Standel 25L15 sound.
The amp already sounds good with the big 15" "Blue Marvel " speaker but I am wondering how it sounds after installing a JBL D130 speaker as some have done.
It already has JJ output tubes in it and I will probably replace the preamp tubes with JJ tubes as well.I have had good results with JJ tubes in other amplifiers.

I want a good smooth Standel sound but don't want to waste money "chasing tone".

Thank you

Bryan

[DLM]

Bryan, I bought a Weber JBL copy and installed it in my Peavey Delta Blues. I'm very satisfied with the sound. It is more smooth than the Peavey speaker, which is more for blues.
Dan

[jim fuqua]

hey brian i also just got my peavey blues amp and i think it sounds great all i added was a exciter to itmgives it a warm tone i think// jim

[tyguy]

JJ's are fine tubes and as stated the Weber speaker JBL is fantastic.If the amp has printed circuit boards,It'd be hard to modify to make it cleaner sounding.I hope the tubes and spkr. do the trick for you. God Bless, Ty M.

[jay]

The problem I had with mine was tube rattle. Drove me crazy. I tried every trick under the sun...i could still hear them. Not sure if it afflicts all DB/s but you put a big ol 15" speaker under some tubes and start thumping E...not sure how you get away from it.

[tyguy]

The problem I had with mine was tube rattle. Drove me crazy. I tried every trick under the sun...i could still hear them. Not sure if it afflicts all DB/s but you put a big ol 15" speaker under some tubes and start thumping E...not sure how you get away from it.

Get yourself a tiny(wee)flat blade screwdriver(one that will fit behind socket tab you are going to bend).Remove the tubes and tension the tube sockets by pushing in the tab on the pin socket a little with the screwdriver blade(put the blade straight down behind the pin socket,careful not to bend in too much or tube pins won't fit back in).If the amp has printed circuit boards be careful with too much pressure and take your time or you'll crack the circuits.While you're at it clean the sockets with contact cleaner or denatured alcohol.The tubes now will be very tight with no rattle and the amp might sound better with the retension.Make sure the cleaner is dry before turning amp on.I make mistake of turning on with wet sockets "once" and got a real light show.This retensioning is normal,routine maintenance on a tube amp.An important point!Unplug the amp and drain off high voltage before procedure!Note:JJ's had 6L6's for awhile that had smaller than normal pins.Anyway retensioning will fix and you'll be good to go. God bless, Ty M.

[Dan Smith]

A few years ago Paul Yandell posted some instructions on changing the speaker in the Delta Blues amplifier. I don't know if that information has been carried over to the new board or not. It was pretty easy. If I can do it anyone can do it. I think the amplifier sounds much better with the JBL D130 than with the Blue Marvel. I was initially skeptical that I would notice a difference. But after I did the changeout I was quite pleased with the improvement in tone. This is the amplifier I use all the time. Unfortunately I don't have a Standel so I can't do an A-B comparison. One thing to watch for though is when you take out the speaker or put the new speaker in be careful that the magnet doesn't attract to the metal housing inside the case or the speaker might contact a screw head and poke a hole in the cone.

Good luck,
Dan

[Vidar Lund]

To avoid buying an expensive amplifier just to change the speaker, are there amps with the JBL D130 installed already? Or is this excellent speaker only available separately? Just wondering.

[bill park]

To avoid buying an expensive amplifier just to change the speaker, are there amps with the JBL D130 installed already? Or is this excellent speaker only available separately? Just wondering.

Fender used the D130 in some of their amps (Dual Showman, for example) back in the 60's, but the speaker has been out of production for decades. It's difficult to find one in good shape.

[chanavin]

I never saw the original note from Paul about changing the speaker, but I recommend taking the AMP
chassis out of cabinet before removing/installing speaker. Also, have good lighting and don't be in hurry.
Its easy to poke a hole through the speaker, I know from experience!