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Innovation.
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We span continents and languages, customs and cultures.

Hartley Peavey

Trace Elliot®

For over 40 years, Trace Elliot® has redefined bass amplification. Elevate your stage presence with unmatched power and rugged durability.

Budda®

Discover the essence of unparalleled guitar tone with Budda® Amplifiers, where innovation meets tradition to redefine your sound.

MediaMatrix®

The audio world was transformed in 1993 with the launch of MediaMatrix®, the first digital system for audio distribution and control. Today, it stands unrivaled in scalability, flexibility, and global specification.

Crest Audio®

Crest Audio sets the global standard with its legendary, robust power amplifiers and mixing consoles for live, commercial, and networked sound systems.

Our Story

Driven by an unmatched legacy of innovation and a total dedication to quality and reliability, Peavey Electronics embodies the pursuit of perfection in music and audio. It's our unifying spirit. It's proven. And it continues today.

For nearly six decades, Peavey has blazed its own path toward musical perfection. Founded by Hartley Peavey in 1965 as a one-man shop, today Peavey Electronics Corporation is one of the largest makers and suppliers of musical instruments, amplifiers and professional audio systems in the world—distributing more than 2,000 products to more than 130 countries.

Hartley has famously said, "In order to be better, by definition you must be different." What makes Peavey different is a commitment to approaching business with a unique vision, from product design to distribution to being the largest independently owned manufacturer in the business. His quest has led to more than 180 patents and innovations in the way we hear and play music.

Hartley Peavey is not only the visionary, lead engineer and chief executive, but also the lynchpin that connects a rich history to a bright future. And his founding principles of quality, reliability and innovation are still the focus of engineering and manufacturing operations that span continents and languages, customs and cultures.

Distribution
130+
Countries
Patents
180+
Worldwide
Catalog
2,000+
Products
Founded
1965
Headquarters
Meridian, MS, USA
Founder & CEO
Hartley D. Peavey
President
Mary Peavey
COO
Courtland Gray

1955

An Innovator Emerges

Hartley Peavey inherits his first set of hand tools from his grandfather, J.L. Peavey, and becomes the youngest person to enroll in Ross Collins Vocational School in Meridian. Hartley's skills advance quickly as he learns how to use lathes and millings machines.

1957

Hartley Builds His First Amplifier

Hartley works in his father's music store, Peavey's Melody Music in Meridian, which is frequented by rock & roll, country and R&B pioneers. Inspired by a Bo Diddley concert, Hartley Peavey decides to become a rock & roll guitar player. After converting his acoustic guitar to an electric, he builds the first Peavey amplifier.

1958

Hartley's Creativity Flows

Hartley Peavey sketches his first guitar design in high school—and it bears more than a passing resemblance to the future Peavey Mystic guitar, complete with the trademark headstock scoop that will later distinguish many Peavey guitars.

1959

Lightning—and Inspiration—Strike

During his senior year of high school, Hartley designs his future company's lightning-bolt logo. "I wanted to have a very distinctive logo," said Hartley. "So I came up with the concept where the 'P' and 'V,' and the 'A' and 'Y,' would more or less intersect." Today, this logo is instantly recognizable all over the world.

1961

The Brand is Born

Hartley builds the first Peavey-branded amplifier, complete with rudimentary "lightning bolt" logo, in the basement of the Peavey family home.

1964

The First Patent

The U.S. Patent Office issues Hartley's first patent (No. 3,151,699) for an early Peavey amplifier design. To date, Peavey has earned more than 180 patents in music and audio.

1965

Hartley Peavey Establishes Peavey Electronics Corporation

Hartley establishes Peavey Electronics Corporation in the loft above Peavey's Melody Music in Meridian, Mississippi. In a time of mass conglomeration, buyouts and price hikes, Hartley establishes a new niche in music and audio equipment, providing "quality gear at a fair price." Production begins on the Peavey Musician™ and Dyna-Bass™ amplifiers, hand-built at a rate of one unit per week.

1967

Hartley Hires His First Salesman

When an unsuspecting traveling amplifier salesman challenged Hartley to a shootout with his wares at Peavey's Melody Music, Hartley dutifully wheeled in one of his new amps and blew away his competition. The salesman left without saying a word, but his colleague soon returned and asked to be Hartley's salesman. "I can't afford to pay you," Hartley insisted. But that didn't phase Don Belfield. He convinced Hartley to give him the amp to sell, which he did—quickly. Belfield became an integral part of the company's early success.

1968

Peavey Enters Sound Reinforcement Market

Peavey diversifies into P.A. systems with the successful PA-3™, the first affordable sound system of its kind, allowing countless musicians to take their talents from the garage to the stage.

1968

Peavey Opens First Factory

Peavey leaves behind the loft space and moves into Plant 1, the first standalone Peavey factory. The building measured 100 feet by 32 feet, but eventually expanded to overtake the entire city block.

1969

The Silver Stripe

The Peavey "silver stripe" trademark design is born when Hartley puts the grille frame onto a speaker cabinet backwards, with the aluminum mounting extrusions on the outside. He likes the look so much it becomes the company's signature design aesthetic for the next 25 years.

1970

First Stop: Nashville

Country music embraces the Peavey philosophy of "quality gear at a fair price." The Peavey artist roster soon includes stars like Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr., Mel Tillis, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the Grand Ole Opry.

1972

Unprecedented Growth

Bolstered by the rapid success of its amps, mixers and P.A. enclosures, Peavey's production output surpasses 2,000 units per month—and increases by another 20% in the next 12 months—making Peavey the second largest U.S. manufacturer in the business. Peavey begins its Export Program, opening the brand to new markets around the world.

1973

Timeless Classics

The tweed-covered Vintage Series tube guitar amps, forerunner to the venerable Classic® Series, make their debut. While Guitar World magazine reports that even Kurt Cobain played through a Peavey Vintage 2x12 early in his musical life, later endorsers of the Classic Series include artists such as Soundgarden and Steve Earle. The Classic Series remains popular with rock, blues and country guitarists today.

1973

Takin' It to the Stage

Peavey launches the CSP (Commercial Sound Projector) enclosure, the first in a long line of high-power, long-throw concert sound systems—and a direct ancestor to the Peavey SP™ Series, a staple in the Peavey passive enclosure line since the late '70s.

1974

Doubling Down

Peavey opens Plant 3, doubling manufacturing capacity and allowing the company to keep up with its growing popularity. This facility remains the company's main manufacturing plant today, covering a quarter-mile strip and housing loudspeaker manufacturing, cabinetry, circuit boards, tooling, custom amp shop, carbon-fiber guitar lab and much more.

1975

The Industry's First Education Program Begins

Hartley encounters a poorly set-up sound system while on a weekend getaway to Gulf Shores, Ala., and jumps up to help the performer dial it in properly. He's surprised to discover it bears a Peavey logo. Hartley realizes the need for education and training for pro audio users, and after that night begins the music industry's first dealer education seminar, where he and his team train dealers and salespeople on how to properly use the equipment they sell.

1976

Field-Replaceable Perfection

Peavey debuts field-replaceable speaker technology on the Black Widow® and Model 22 driver, allowing users to easily replace blown speaker cones on the fly instead of costly re-coning or replacing speakers. With its four-inch, edge-wound voice coil, the Black Widow sets the new standard for efficiency, power handling and reliability in sound reinforcement.

1976

The Commercial Series

Peavey introduces the CS® 800 power amplifier, which offers 400W per channel and electronic-crossover modules that allow easy bi-amping. Due to its innovative design, high power and relentless reliability, the CS 800 becomes an industry standard.

1977

Pioneering Computers in Guitar Production

The Peavey T-60™, the first musical instrument made using computer numerical controlled (CNC) machinery, revolutionizes the guitar industry with consistent high quality and low cost. Today, virtually every mass-produced musical instrument is made using the methods pioneered by Peavey.

1978

The Guitar Program Takes Off

With the T-60™ guitar and T-40™ bass in full production, Peavey becomes the largest manufacturer of guitars in the U.S. Peavey receives the U.S. Presidential "E" Award for Excellence in Exporting from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

1979

DDT™ Speaker Protection—Engineering Ultimate Reliability

This legendary clipping-prevention circuitry becomes a pivotal invention that saves countless power amps, loudspeakers and ears. Originally issued as a CS® 800 upgrade, this major breakthrough becomes standard issue on powered mixers, steel-guitar amps, bass amps and more. And it's still standard on Peavey equipment today.

1980

Tube-Emulating Practice Amps

Durable, low-cost practice guitar amps such as the Decade®, Special, Renown®, Backstage®, Bandit® and Studio Pro® reinforce Peavey's dominance at the entry-level segment of the market and debut the patented Saturation™ circuitry, a tube emulation design that precedes TransTube®.

1980

Making Concert Sound Accessible

The Project One™ sound system, Peavey's most ambitious entry into the live sound market to date, is a three-way, long-throw system designed for tri-amping that delivers 109 dB at 1 watt, 1 meter, far surpassing the competition at the price point.

1981

Explosive Growth in Guitars

The guitar program continues to expand with models like the T-27™, which Carl Perkins uses on TV specials with George Harrison and Eric Clapton, and custom offerings like a double-neck that combines a full-scale 6-string and a short-scale 12-string, built for Neal Schon of Journey.

1981

More Advancements in Loudspeakers

Peavey engineers employ new Focused Field Geometry™ (FFG) magnet technology to enhance the effective use of magnetic energy in their loudspeakers, creating more efficient, high-performance loudspeakers.

1982

Hartley Peavey Day

April 21, 1982, is declared "Hartley Peavey Day" in his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi.

1984

Pioneering Class D Technology

Peavey is a pioneer in class D power amplifier technology, releasing the Digital Energy Conversion Amplifier series and paving the way for scores of manufacturers who eventually catch up to the class D movement.

1985

Peavey's Global Reach Expands Again

Peavey continues to expand the export program it began in 1972, establishing a manufacturing facility in Corby, U.K., increasing distribution to Latin and South American countries, and earning the U.S. Presidential "E Star" Award for Excellence in Exporting from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

1986

The 10-Channel Guitar Amp

MIDI technology allows the Programmax-10™ amp to offer essentially 10 channels of amplification through its user-programmable amp settings.

1987

Space Age Sound

Peavey introduces PVM™ Series microphones with exclusive diamond-coated diaphragm technology developed by NASA that add strength and produce a smooth audio response, combining the durability of a dynamic mic and the response of a condenser mic.

1988

The First Upgradeable Keyboard

Peavey partners with Motorola® to incorporate a new DSP chip into the DPM® keyboard line—the first affordable synthesizers to feature upgradeable software—allowing keyboardists to simply update their software rather than buy a new keyboard every time new presets are available.

1988

Hartley Makes the Hall of Fame

Hartley Peavey is inducted into the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Hall of Fame. NAMM is the trade organization of the music products industry.

1989

Soundcheck on Aisle 9

Peavey establishes the Architectural Acoustics® division to provide sound solutions for the demanding commercial sound installation industry. Architectural Acoustics products are now found everywhere from supermarkets to theme parks to major transportation facilities.

1990

Hartley Cements His Legacy

Hartley Peavey is inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California.

1990

Peavey Opens its New Home

Peavey International Headquarters, the company's corporate home, opens in Meridian, Miss., during its 25th Anniversary. The complex is a state-of-the-art facility that houses a fully operational recording studio, 227-seat auditorium, photo and video studio and multimedia classrooms designed for training and education.

1991

The President Comes to Town

U.S. President George H.W. Bush tours Peavey Electronics on December 3 and delivers a speech praising the company's commitment to education and its achievements in the international marketplace.

1992

Creating the Sound of Modern Metal

The Peavey 6505® guitar amplifier is originally developed and released as the 5150® Series to instant acclaim and success. Today, the 6505® Series is more popular than ever, especially with hard rock and metal guitar players.
5150® is a registered trademark of E.L.V.H. Inc. All rights reserved.

1992

National Literacy Honors Award

Peavey is awarded the National Literacy Honors Award for distinguished achievement and personal initiative in the cause for a literate America.

1993

Pioneering the Digital Networking Age

Peavey MediaMatrix®, the world's first computer-based audio processing and control interface, revolutionizes the audio industry—and is still the world standard today, with more than 10,000 installations from the U.S. Capitol to Beijing Capital International Airport, as well as many major theme parks, transportation hubs, stadiums, arenas, convention halls and more.

1994

Hartley Garners Recognition

Hartley Peavey receives the Senatorial Medal of Freedom from the U.S. Congress and is named to the Top 100 Most Important People in Guitar by Guitar World magazine.

1994

Rethinking Drum Design

The Radial Pro® drum set is arguably the most significant innovation in percussion instruments in a century—the loudest, most acoustically pure drums ever mass-produced. The drum heads attach to wooden radial bridges rather than the drum shells, transferring the mounting stress and allowing the shells to resonate to their full potential.

1995

Is it Tube, Or is it TransTube®?

Peavey releases the TransTube® Series amps with its signature, patented analog tube-emulation technology, which mimics the sound and feel of real tubes with incredible accuracy. In a blind A/B test, many "golden ears" were unable to tell the difference between a real tube amp and the TransTube amp—and some even picked the TransTube as the real thing!

1996

Peavey Takes the Silver Screen

Bursting with innovations and creativity in every sector of the company, Peavey pushes into yet another market with its THX-approved power amps, digital processing and specialty loudspeakers for cinema applications.

1997

Boutique Basses

Peavey unveils the Cirrus™ Series of bass guitars, a range of high-end instruments designed with neck-through-body construction, exotic woods and expressive active electronics.

1998

Crest Audio® Amps & Consoles

Peavey acquires Crest Audio®, a global leader in designing and manufacturing power amplifiers and live-performance mixing consoles for the pro audio, touring and fixed-installation markets.

2000

Turbo-V™ Cooling

Peavey develops Turbo-V™ Cooling, a patented power amp design that speeds up the air as it passes over the heat sinks, allowing the amp to cool faster and more evenly. This innovation increases efficiency and reliability.

2001

Kosmos® Low End & Spectrum Enhancement

Patented Kosmos® dynamic phasing technology debuts and is praised by top studio producers such as Kevin Shirley, who uses it to recreate the live sound of Jimmy Page's guitars on the live Led Zeppelin DVD and Led Zeppelin: How the West Was Won. Shirley also uses Kosmos on albums by Iron Maiden, Dream Theater and more, while producers like Ryan Greene (Megadeth, NOFX) add this magic processor to their studio racks.

2001

Recognition in the Birthplace of America's Music

The Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame inducts Hartley Peavey, where he joins the ranks of fellow pioneers Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B King, Faith Hill and many more.

2004

Calling Dr. Peavey

Mississippi State University, Hartley's alma mater, honors him with an Honorary Doctor of Creative & Performing Arts degree. During his commencement address, Hartley urges the thousands of graduates to discover their true talents, use them wisely and never quit—simple but sage advice, and a blueprint of his own success.

2005

The New Age of Metal

Peavey relaunches the 5150® amp as the 6505®, in honor of the company's 40th Anniversary (1965-2005). The amp's rebirth attracts a new generation of fans, and the artist roster explodes with metal stars Trivium, Machine Head, Bullet For My Valentine and many more.
5150® is a registered trademark of E.L.V.H. Inc. All rights reserved.

2005

40th Anniversary Honors

On the company's 40th anniversary, Guitar Player magazine honors Hartley Peavey with its first manufacturer Lifetime Achievement Award; Hartley is named to the Vintage Guitar Hall of Fame; and he is declared Man of the Year by The Music Trades. Backbeat Books publishes "The Peavey Revolution," chronicling the company's first four decades.

2005

Peavey Partners With Trace Elliot®

Peavey announces a North American distribution arrangement with U.K.-based bass amplifier manufacturer Trace Elliot®, which is recognized as the first true bass amplifier specialist. Peavey eventually moves manufacturing of the Trace Elliot family of bass and acoustic guitar amplifiers to its Meridian, Miss., facilities.

2007

Design Your Own Guitar Online

PeaveyCustomShop.com allows users to design their dream guitars from more than 16 million colors and hardware options, or personalize with images uploaded from their own computers. The online portal wins NAMM's Best In Show award as is named Adobe® Site of the Day.

2007

Peavey Enters Line Array Market

Peavey enters the upper-tier of the live sound marketplace with the Versarray™, a true ribbon line array system that debuts at Ozzfest on the Jägermeister® Mobile Stage. That trend continues the following year, as major concert tours such as Tim McGraw's Live Your Voice multi-stage extravaganza and the Rockstar® Mayhem Festival feature the Versarray™ line array system.

2008

Innovation. Amplified®.

Hartley Peavey is inducted into the Mississippi Innovators Hall of Fame.

2008

Boutique Business Boom

Peavey establishes a strategic alliance with Budda® Amplification and commences manufacturing and distribution of the Budda amp lines in the Peavey Custom Shop.

2008

Defining the Future of Music

Peavey ReValver™ amplifier modeling software pioneers unprecedented deep editing of virtual components like tubes, power supplies and tone stacks on the circuit level. The only amp modeling software that models on the circuit level, ReValver wins multiple industry awards and praise from all quarters for its tone, accuracy and editing capabilities.

2009

More Amps, More Effects, More Modeling Power

The Peavey Vypyr® modeling guitar amps combine state-of-the-art digital modeling with analog TransTube® technology to create amazingly accurate models of popular guitar amps. The Vypyr® Series collects major industry awards including Product of the Year and Instrument Amp of the Year from The Music & Sound Retailer, Amp Line of the Year three years in a row from Musical Merchandise Review, and the Gold Award for Overall Value from Guitar World.

2010

The New Revolution in Power Amp Technology Begins

IPR™ power amplifiers utilize an advanced class D design that allows Peavey engineers to dramatically reduce weight while increasing output power, reliability and thermal efficiency—starting at 1,600 watts at under 7 lbs., for just pennies per watt.

2011

Making the "Forever Guitar" With Sustainable Materials

Peavey commences manufacturing of Composite Acoustics® acoustic guitars. Crafted from carbon fiber, an incredibly strong and sustainable alternative material, Composite Acoustics guitars are impervious to moisture, temperature and climate changes and deliver amazing tone that will last a lifetime.

2012

The Self-Tuning, Self-Intonating Future of Guitar

Peavey revolutionizes the guitar industry once again by debuting the AT-200™ featuring Auto-Tune® For Guitar by Antares, creating the self-tuning, self-intonating guitar of the future. With the simple push of a button, the AT-200 digitally self tunes and intonates for perfect pitch all the way up the fretboard.

2013

The Next Generation of Amp Modeling Technology

After the award-winning Vypyr® series set the new standard for modeling guitar amplifiers, Peavey launches the VYPYR® VIP series featuring Variable Instrument Input™, the world's first amp that contains Bass guitar, Acoustic guitar and Electric guitar amplifier models.

2014

The Most Advanced Enclosure in Peavey History!

Over 48 years of Peavey speaker enclosure knowledge culminate in the RBN™ Enclosures. Unique to these enclosures are Peavey's world-class ribbon drivers. Used in studio environments for decades, Peavey innovation brings this high-quality sound technology to powered speaker enclosures designed for live applications. The result is a crystal-clear sound that no other traditional compression driver can rival.

2015

Peavey Celebrates 50 Years

Peavey's golden anniversary celebration kicks off at the 2015 Winter NAMM Show with an exclusive party featuring performances by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blue Öyster Cult, Michael Anthony, Robert Randolph and more. The company continues its legacy of innovation with the release of the revolutionary Dark Matter™ speaker enclosures, the VYPYR® Pro guitar amplifier, and the PV® AT series, the world's first non-powered mixers with built-in Auto-Tune® technology.

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