MAX 115 Review

The MAX 115 bass combo amp delivers more bass in a space saving package. Peavey's exclusive HyperVent technology pushes bass through specially designed ports allowing the woofer to respond to its full potential. With 50 Watts of power that includes DDT speaker protection and a 15" heavy-duty woofer, the Peavey MAX 115 is great for plenty of gigs and rehearsals.

Features:	6.3
Sound:	6.7
Reliability:	8.7
Impression:	6.7
Overall rating:	7.1
Users rating:	5.2
Comments:	5

overall: 10

Featured review by: satyavati, on december 06, 2007

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: When I went looking for an amp I had a very particular sound in mind. I brought my bass with me and literally played through every amp in the stores we went to. Originally I fell in love with a Peavey Tour 700 half stack, but that was out of my league. This amp is the closest I can get to that sound in a size and price that's reasonable. It has three channels: max, modern and vintage, an effects loop that can also be used as a CD input, and a headphone jack. It weighs about 60 pounds, and doesn't have casters, so be prepared for that if you plan on hauling it around. It has a 3 band EQ with a 'shift' knob that allows you to really get in and tweak the midrange. I use this amp at home, but I think that it would be fine in a small club. // 10

Sound: I use this amp with an Ibanez EDB700 and an Ibanez GSR190. For the most part I keep it set to Vintage with the bass and treble cranked and the mids more or less neutral. With those settings the sound is smooth and full. You can tweak it all day long if you're that kind of person; unlike some other amps I played that had different 'voicings', this one really does give you audible differences with different settings. One thing I absolutely LOVE about this amp is that it's totally silent. There's no hum, buzz, or extraneous noise even with a lot of other equipment around and all kinds of interference. This was a huge selling point for me; nothing irritates me more than hum, except maybe string noise. Even at higher volumes the sound stays clean. This was also a big selling point for me; one of the things I noticed about many of the amps I played through (Ampeg in particular, though I know lots of people Who worship them) sounded sludgy and tended to break up the louder they got. I was looking for somthing that would stay pure all the way up, and quite honestly, I didn't find anything that did it better than the Peavey amps I played. Quite honestly, I have only cranked the gain on it a few times because it's not something I like. To me it sounded pretty brutal, but to fans of distortion, I don't know what you'd think of it. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This thing is built like a tank. I think you could probably drop it from the roof and it would be just fine. No tubes to worry about; it has "Trans Tube technology" which, according to their documentation, basically replicates tube sound in the 'Vintage' setting. It's never broken down for me; once or twice I had some crackles from a dirty volume pot, but that was just because of a dusty room. I have no doubts this amp will last just about forever. // 10

Impression: I spent months looking for The Perfect Amp. It's hard when you have a particular sound in mind and you have to go searching for something to replicate it. I literally played dozens of amps, from the cheapest all the way up, and sometimes more than one of a particular model (I am a firm believer that every single one is an individual and can sound different despite everything externally appearing the same). I've been playing a year and a half and basically I play metal (Iron Maiden, mostly) but also as of late getting into more blues and classic rock. This amp works for me no matter what I play through it. I had really wanted the Peavey Tour 700 half stack, but not only was it way too much money, it was just way too much amp. For about a quarter of the price I am getting as close to that sound as possible in a package that weighs a ton but doesn't take up my whole room, either. It's perfect; everything I wanted, but affordable too. If this were stolen or lost I would have another within 24 hours. The only thing I'd ever consider replacing it with would be the Peavey stack I mentioned. Nothing else, of all the different brands and types of amps I played, came close to this one. The only thing it could use, and this is being nitpicky, is a set of wheels. I absolutely love this amp. // 10

overall: 2.8

Reviewed by: Aidy Damage, on november 12, 2007

Price paid: $ 366

Features: The Peavey MAX 115 is the largest, heaviest and (supposedly) loudest of Peavey's MAX line. Despite its gargantuan size and the fact that it weighs more than Andre the Giant, it only boasts 75 watts of power. It also includes three different amp models- MAX, Modern and Vintage. However, they are better described as Mud, More Mud and Even More Mud. The controls don't do much to help it, either, and the mid frequency shift only brings out this amp's weaknesses. The sloshy mess of 'sound' is pushed through a 15 inch speaker. // 2

Sound: I have used this amp with various basses, and I've wasted hours trying to tweak the settings to something bearable. Instead of the powerhouse tones I was promised, all I got was mush. At any volume above 3, the sound only gets muddier and mushier until there's no definition between notes what'soever. For this reason, I have to gig through DI. I didn't pay good money to put up with this. // 1

Reliability & Durability: I've had this amp for a year and a half and it hasn't broke yet, despite a dodgy volume pot. Everything else is pretty solid, and it's survived many, many gigs, including a few festivals. The only good thing about this amp lies in it's reliability. It won't break, but what's the point when it sounds like a cold, wet fart? // 7

Impression: I play hard rock in the likeness of Muse, InMe, Fightstar and the like, and I also play in a female-fronted punk band a-la Tsunami Bomb, Daisy Chainsaw, Bitch Alert etc. I only bought this because I needed an amp after I sold my beloved Ashdown Electric Blue 180, which I intend to replace. If this were stolen, I'd pity the Foo' who'd have to live with it, let alone lug the hefty bugger out of my house. I miss my Ashdown. // 1

Reviewed by: unregistered, on september 17, 2008

Purchased from: Gear4Music.com

Features: I'm not sure what year this was made in, but it's a farely recent Peavey model. It fits my kind of music; rock, indie and some metal. It has a headphone socket, an "EFX" loop and inputs for CD etc. I don't use that kind of thing, I just play along to music to practice. it's 60 Watts, though at this point I haven't tried, I'm sure it will be suitable for medium sized gigs. There are 3 channels - max, modern and vintage, which uses the special tube emulation. All channels are cool but I don't see the difference in some ways. There are enough for what I do, but some kinda built in thing like chorus would have been a nice touch. // 7

Sound: I used a rubbish P-bass by a company called bluerock (heard of them?) A Fender or something at that kind of quality would sound awesome through this amp. The amp suits most styles, it can be made warm and mellow for jazz and funk or sharp and gritty for punk and modern rock. it's not noisy, there's no annoying hum at all. Turn the gain up to get an overdriven kinda sound, really muddy. if the gain's in the middle it sounds "just right". // 9

Reliability & Durability: It's solidy built, as you'd expect. It's a nice size for the wattage, it doesnt't't take up masses of space, it looks rugged. I'm not gonna say "one of my friends dropped his down the stairs and it works fine" because firstly none of my mates are that stupid and second they don't own one. I'm sure if I dropped it down the stairs it would probhably be fine, though! // 9

Impression: For my kind of music, it's pretty spot on. I think it's good for any kind! I've been playing just under a year, and wanted an amp to compete with a drummer for practising with the band, this'll be great for just that. If it were stolen I'd buy a new one definately, it's great for what I do and is a workhorse of an amp. I didn't compare it to anything, I just expected it would be good from playing my school's Peavey amp (a similar wattage) so I thought this would be good, and it really is! If one thing could be changed I'd probly have chorus on it and make the channels sound more varied. Great amp for this kind of price, perfect for small gigs!! // 9

Comments

[Brad_Bassist]

Yeah this bass amp is great I hve like a retarded cousin of it. I have the MAX 158. Peaveys MAX collection is great.

[BassManDan101]

It's a great amp! Fair enough it's VERY heavy and doesnt go as loud as you sometimes want, but it still packs a hell of a punch!

[bass rocks]

yea this bass amp just does it all for me, it is heavy but you get used to it,its awesome

[UP_THE_IRONS!]

well the review from Aidy makes it seem proper shit and the others make it seem awesome...

I've tried out the MAX 112 and that was alright, I'm considering getting the 115 as a rehearsal amp.

[aday1225]

I tried this amp out the other day and thought it was just o.k. sounding. After tweaking all the knobs on both the amp and my bass(an Ibanez BTB450QM), I still only managed to get a so-so sound that was still too heavy on the low end for my taste. The high end sounded kind of tinny to me as well. While this is an affordable amp, and Peavey generally makes some rugged gear, overall this amp sounded pretty generic to me(even with the vintage-modern-MAX switch).