Slithering Vypyr

I've finally told myself to sit down & try Peavey's Vypyr amps which I did but managed to deal with only the 15W & 30W versions. What made me want to try these amps? These are virtually multi-FX/ amp modelling units with drivers, they are chock-full of details & entice the drive-hungry players; with the 6505/ JSX/ Triple XXX replications on board, who would not want to hear what's on offer, yes?

The 30 watter was what I heard first. It's a deserving amp in terms of drive but I should warn interested players out there not to part with cash just because the Vypyr emulates some of its best amps- it's emulation, mind you, however convincing & good it sounds, it's still within the emulation domain. However, the 30 watter did well to churn out some the most desireable tones this side of LINE6, it very much has its 12" driver to thank for that.

The 15 watter, on the other hand, was as colourful as its bigger brother but it fell short in the ear candy department, much attributable to the 8" driver it's equipped with. Additional low frequency didn't help much as the overall voicing proved to be too shrieky & less wholesome. Peavey should offer the users out there workable volume increments; the big volume jump from 0 to 1 on the MASTER control is a put off. We know volume increments would change the dynamics of tone & picking/ fretting nuances but we are let down by the lack of opportunities to do so in the store (because it's simply irresponsible to play out loud when the rest of the world are there to do the same) & for many of us- at home.