They are reported to sound wonderful. It is one thing that is named Peavey I would buy in a heartbeat for the right price. It is a shame they no longer make them. I think many people just could not get past the name to see what a great piece of gear it is.

I want one.

I agree with tom. These mic pres were manufactured for Peavey by AMS, same company that manufactures some of the "late model" Neve consoles.. sooooo, Neil, who did you say had this thing??? :D Grab it fast!

Originally posted by Kurt Foster:
These mic pres were manufactured for Peavey by AMS...

Actually, I'm pretty sure it was a Canadian company by the name of AMR (not the British company AMS-Neve).

In answer to the original question, they sound far better than you'd expect.

nikko,
Can you research that? I am pretty sure that I read it was the same company that built the Neves.. (the not so great ones with the automation problems) ... in Mix / EQ, or something like that. If I am wrong, I will stand corrected ...

I would do it myself but I am in the middle of a few other projects, recording the "Cheesburgers", reviews of SP mics, (coming soon, sorry for the delay Alan) the Yamaha MSP10s, a CAD mic (on the way) and a Great River MP2NV, which just arrived today! ...(droooool) Thanx, K.

[ November 14, 2003, 05:04 PM: Message edited by: Kurt Foster ]

I have a VMP-2. It sounds great. It is of the clean tube sound along the lines of the A Designs. I've used it successfully on vocals, guitars (both acoustic and amplified), kick, snare, overheads and found it particularly great on bass.

AMR is the company name, not AMS. This was a subdivision of Peavey that was started for recording gear. They built some nice consoles and were very quality conscious in their designs.

They made an el-op stereo compressor (VC/L-2) with an all-tube make up gain that's also quite a steal for the money if you can find one.

Originally posted by Kurt Foster:
Can you research that?

Check this out:

http://web.archive.org/web/20010223215450/www.peavey.com/amr/

It's definately AMR (which stands for "Audio Media Research"). I seem to recall that they were a Canadian company, but I'm not positive about that. They made some mixing boards and some studio monitors too. I don't know what came of them though.

nikko,
Cool, and thanks.. That's why I like to hang here.. everyone has something to offer. ALWAYS something to learn for everyone. I stand corrected sir! :tu: good stuff!

[ November 14, 2003, 05:32 PM: Message edited by: Kurt Foster ]

The two Grammy winning albums by Bonnie Raitt,produced by Don Was were recorded on AMR consoles.I think I remember hearing that one of the first ones made was delivered to Don's personal 'home studio'......I looked long and hard for one before finally settling on my Ghost.As for the AMR status, I also dont know,however,I do know that they made some REALLY killer near-field monitors that were unfortunately way way overpriced for the market at the time.But if you can find a pair in good condition,you should be able to land a real bargain.The rack gear that has been mentioned is still some of that 'unknown' yet killer sounding stuff.The mic pre is a very very nice unit.

Originally posted by Davedog:
The two Grammy winning albums by Bonnie Raitt,produced by Don Was were recorded on AMR consoles.

Yeah! Using one of your favorite mics too! The Shure SM7A ... Don Was is a hereo of mine! love his stuff and .. "Was Not Was"...

Wow! what a surprise to find this thread alive. I actually posted this question back in Sept 2000 when I was shopping for my first mic pre. I just posted this in another thread before I saw this one so... duh may as well peg the question.

Check this out!

I have a friend that helped in the design of these. The Peavey VMP2 discrete tube preamplifier with two inputs xlr and 1/4" balanced in/out, 48V phantom, 40/60hz pads,two band classic tone controls and four tubes per channel. This is not a fake pretend to be a classic tube pre, it is an accurate reproduction of something you would have purchased in late 1960's.

It's said to sound like the new Sebatrons. Maybe look around for an old one and re fit it. I think they go back to the mid 90's

Chris, You didn't buy your first mic pre until after Sept. 2000? Talk about being late to the party...

The Peavey/AMR was fairly similar the Altec 436/437. With the Peavey being brighter and the Altec being a tad darker and thicker.

There's an AMR/Peavey Console for sale at the guitar store I go to. It's large. I figured it was not so hot because it was Peavey. The name certainly carries a Stigma, huh? When we are all a bit older, people are going to start paying out the ass for AMR/Peavey gear like what happened to NEVE. It could happen.

Joing the party late as usual.

I've got a VMP2 and love it. Gives a nice bit of tube attitude when you need something like that. There's one up for sale on ebay:

[[url=http://[/URL]="http://cgi.ebay.com…"]E Bay link[/]="http://cgi.ebay.com…"]E Bay link[/]

[ November 16, 2003, 04:35 PM: Message edited by: Kurt Foster ]

IN My HighBorn OPINION....Anything with chicken-head knobs and Aircraft switches has GOT to sound good........but thats just me.

As for Peavey stigma, there are very few amps that can faithfully reproduce all of the notes and sonic overtones of a pedal steel as well as SEVERAL Peavey models.And the 5150 series heads for heavy rock'n metal stuff is in a league with many of yer boutique amps.Yes they have made junk over the years, but the fact that they're nearly bullet-proof, makes them a good bang-fer-da-buck in my book.

Most stigmata is created through the uninformed opinion becoming gospel to the lazy and uneducated mind.

Peavey is a staple in the club circut world.. as Dave points out lots of "roadability" and bang for the buck. I think it is a real testament to the companies philosiphy that they can build stuff with such cheap parts and have them take the knocks of real world use. There is probably more old Peavey stuff out there that almost anything else. I prefer how Fender amps sound but every one I have ever owned has fried on me at one point or another. Every Peavey amp I have had has lasted until I sold it.

I have a Peavey Valve-'Verb that I have had for years and I love it. It sounds as good as any Feder tank I have heard.. They do make some good stuff onece in a while.. BTW, Sebatron should use those chicken heads too! :D

Gigged with a 5150 full stack for several years (venue permitting of course) and still have it. Built like a tank. The dirty channel can lay waste to a live audience with the right settings and the clean channel is actually pretty nice.

I'm with Dave - the chickenhead pots are bitchin.