Peavey Century 120 Bass Series 100W Head

Built in the 1970s, the Peavey Century 120 Bass Series is a solid-state 100W head from the era when Peavey was becoming the go-to brand for working musicians who needed reliable, serviceable gear that could take real road use. Peavey Electronics was founded by Hartley Peavey in 1965, and the company’s early reputation was made on rugged amplifiers and PA systems that delivered a lot of output for the money.

The Century 120 is a straightforward, gig-friendly design: two inputs (high and low gain), a practical EQ section, and a built-in controlled distortion circuit that can be switched remotely with an optional footswitch. It also includes a “Booster” output, which is a low-level line signal intended to feed an additional power amp, not a speaker output.

While it’s branded “Bass Series,” the Century platform was often used as a general-purpose head for bass, guitar, and keys, especially in rehearsal rooms and small venues. Peavey’s reach only grew from there, from Mississippi artists like Luther Dickinson using Peavey amps to later high-profile collaborations such as Eddie Van Halen’s 5150 line.

In modern times, this has become a classic in the doom metal genre, belonging to the same family of amps used by Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, and it can be heard on studio recordings of countless desert rock anthems.

This example shows cosmetic wear from many gigs over the decades, but it’s fully working and ready to rock some more!

SPECIFICATIONS

• Type: Solid-state amplifier head
• Rated power 100 W RMS @ 8 ohms
• Music power output: 130 W RMS @ 1% THD
• Speaker outputs: Dual 1/4″ outputs, designed for 4 ohm total load (higher impedance usable with some power loss)
• Inputs: Two 1/4″ inputs (Input 1 high gain, Input 2 low gain; auto-balances when both used)
• Controls: Volume, Treble, Bass, Middle, Presence, Distortion
• Tone controls range: +20 dB @ 50 Hz and 5 kHz
• Middle control: 20 dB cut
• Presence control: 10 dB boost @ 5 kHz
• Distortion circuit: Continuously variable, footswitch cut-off capable
• Made in U.S.A.