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This was the first Bandit that I was fortunate enough to work on. We basically took the Silver Stripe and took about 10dB of noise out of the preamp. We also made it as homely as possible on purpose. It was the last American made Bandit and it was the first amp that I got an award for at NAMM with James Brown, Ronnie Goss, and Mark Hays.

Still playing a silver stripe special 212. Its all I've ever needed Skynyrd to Pantera, Buddy Holly to Metallica. Thanks for your input on these.

Thanks for this. I used to have one of these amps way back in the day and somehow parted ways with it. About 10 years ago I bought an identical one off of eBay. When it arrived the volume control was unusable. I got around that by using my effects processor to control volume but always missed the Peavy sound. I did everything you did in this video and my amp looks and sounds brand new again. I really appreciate it!

The speaker was the weak link in this amp but if you changed out you could get a lot better sound. But cool amp

Great review

psychopath’s secret weapon😂

I have a Peavy 158 red strip

How do these compare to the Tech 21 Trademark amps?

Best ss amp around

Have look at the old Johnson Marquis series amps. They have a tube in the pre-amp stage and a SS power amp section. An early American modeler that even includes JC-120 voicing. True hidden gems. Very versatile amps but, not easy on the back!

Oh we are weirdos🙄 Ok I'm a weirdo, cause I do the same thing 🤣🤣

Just bought this same amp a few days ago in extremely good condition for $150.00! I gave the amp a good scrubbing, vacuumed all the dust out of the back, pulled the chassis and cleaned the pots. The only issue is a tear in one of the speaker cones. I found an exact replacement Scorpion speaker on EBay for another $64.00 and are waiting on it’s arrival. Even with the torn speaker cone the amp sounds amazing!!

I shut the video off at "Solid State."

I’ve owned about 5 of these amps since I got my first one in about 1993. Absolutely love this amp. You said “not a lot going on in the back” but you overlooked the fact that you have stereo power amp inputs. That makes this amp a fantastic way to amplify an effects unit like a Pod.

It is indeed a satisfying work, I did nearly the same thing to my amp a year or so ago. :)

Sssshhhhhhh I want to buy up all the classic Peavey amps. I have a bunch of them. Can't beat the deal

I had an early 80s Bandit 65 solid state amp. Its only shortcoming was the lead channel. When I hooked it up to a TS-9 it sounded phenomenal. Years later, in the 90s, i got a tweed Peavey Classic 50 2x12. My Gibson SG sounded so good without any pedals. I regret selling that amp. It was perfect for classic rock.

I still want one of these...

You should checkout the Boss Katana Gen 3. It SLAYS See my cover vids...

I love Peavey. I've been using them since 1975. I only wish they'd go the way of Fender and make them lighter. At age 15 , totting my Peavey Classic around was no problem. But at age 65, Even my Peavey "Backstage and Bandit" are too heavy for Gigging. @2:42 - Do those Ground switches really work?

Very good explained ! at the age of 69 and playing many tube amps over the years , I would like to tell you my experience. I have 3 Bandits, 2 Red Stripe, one with the unlabled stock speaker, one with the Eminence Texas Heat ( thank you Shane ;-) and one Silver Stripe the newest one with an Celestion Green Back. These amps sounds really great and you can play from nice clean sounds to ACDC, Van Halen whatever you want without a pedal only using the volume knob my Wolfgang guitar. The Silver Stripe I'm using with a Boss GT100 and a Vox AC30 simulation in the return input and the sounds get's very close to the original played on my old japanese Strat. I sold all my amps, except my JVM205.......... but it's not fair to compare these both amps. But all in want to say is Thank you for the music Mister Hartley Peavey well done Lutz

Huge price tag?????? You can get a JC120 for $350 😂😂😂😂

I always loved Peavey especially when it came to value. Peavey Amps of all types have never failed me.

Sunn was nearby so we got Sunn gear in all our schools. If you can get a wet/dry or wet/wetter thing going on in stereo then you've got a good chunk of the "dimensional space chorus" vibe.

I'd play a Mississippi Marshall any day ! Grew up on them

Super-Nar-Nar! 👊 💥 💯 😆

Scorpion speakers have a rather low cut-off frequency (high end). They sound dull compared to Black Widows. No real sparkle when needed.

I can't respect Peavey anymore, what they did to their American workers is terrible!! 🤬🤬

$200ish used for a big anodyne clean and uninspiring crunch is one way to go.

I had a Bandit 112 and gigged the crap out of it back in the 90's and it never missed a beat.. great cleans and took pedals like a champ..those scorpion speakers were great..I want another. For me this was a golden era for Peavey.

It’s very easy for me to like Peavey amplifiers. I don’t have this model, but I have heard it in the hands of other musicians I played with while I was in college. As of January 2025, I’ve got a base stack that starts up when I need to play bass in my apartment, and the place where I play music most Saturdays includes a multi-channel keyboard amplifier into which I plug my guitar signal and those from two synthesizers. I will say that if I did not have any suitable combo amps and needed something like this one, I would consider it above the JC120.

I've had a Peavey Stereo Chorus 400 for 35 years (basically the older version of this amp). Its been the best transistor amp I've ever owned. The chorus on these are the best Chorus I've ever found. And you can really hurt your neighbors with sound pressure level if you feel the need. Only amp I've ever used that hurt more was a JCM 900 with a 4x12 cab.

I always called the older distortion tones as peavey mudd ! They've come a long way since those days !

Roland who?? Wow, the clean/chorus is fantastic, and even the distortion sounds good.

Crate made a great 2x8 with super lush chorus. The G40C. usually priced around 200.

Are these kind amps enough for getting into more stereo effects, or is better to get two amps? Like, are the two speakers far apart enough for more than chorus?

My best friend had this amp, and I borrowed it for a few months. Always loved it way more than the JC…those Scorpions can definitely fart out though.

Had the Deuce, giged in germany while in the army, great amp. I used to remove 2 output tubes for 50 watt in smaller clubs, all 100 watts with added 4x4 cab for larger ones. VERY HEAVY AMP tho!

The first amp I ever used live was a Peavey Stereo Chorus 212 borrowed from a friend. I eventually bought myself an Ampeg VH-140C, another great amp of that type.

I had one of these for a short while. Maybe a slightly different model, because I think it had digital reverb. It was old when I got it, and the speakers were faulty. I took the backs off and cleaned them, which helped, but the amp was past its best, so I moved it on. It was also stupidly heavy. More recently, I've bought a 1989 Bandit. It too needed a new speaker, and fortunately I had a Celestion Sidewinder available, so that's now in the amp. It is fantastic, but anyone looking to buy an old amp shouldn't be surprised if they have to spend money fixing it.

I used to look down on smaller versions these amps, until i tried one. Bought another one right away. Love them 💕 ❤️ 💓

I have a Peavey stereo chorus 2x12 and the Peavey Bandit teal stripe, amazing amps. I run a Radial JD7 Injector rack unit, so I run those 2 amps with a Carvin X-50B head and 4x12 cab with a Marshall JCM800 simultaneously, such an incredible sound, full frequency spread lol. Pretty freaking loud too !

Those Peaveys are great but they sure don't sound like a JC120. I have owned and used both. The Peavey has that Peavey mid range hump and you can't change that by scooping the mids. That might be great for a guy using a bit of overdrive but not a guy expected to sound twangy in a country act. Solution: Often those were the backline amp on tour and they have a great " Power Amp In" that bypasses that front end Peavey preamp/EQ. I'd carry a Line 6 POD or an old MP1 and go direct into the " power amp in" Man! It is a beautiful power amp! And the speakers are way nicer than those in a JC120.

Nice

I have a red stripe banded and the little brother studio pro 112 they both sound great

So many people had this or a variation of some solid state Peavy with chorus in the late 80s, 90s. As soon as you struck that first chord I was like, yep, that's the sound I remember.

Great amp. They also brought out a version with a phaser. I had one of the first Peavey Bandits, which also had the Scorpion speaker. One of the best guitar speakers ever imho. If you jumped on a wooden stage, the reverb tank would go off like thunder. Still one of the best amp reverbs.

It's old and will die soon

Great demo i had to hit you with a sub the reverb and chours sound great.

A salesman said Peveys are a good amp . Nobody wants a Pevvey T - shirt ..