Had a guy in the guitar center saturday tell me that "Johan is just an amp jockey and all he is trying to do is sell amps" my response was to laugh in his face and ask " who in the hell is trying to sell old solid state peavey amps from the 80's ?!"
One more reason to hate on Guitar Center. That employee's comment has to be one of the stupidest things I've heard someone say lately. Johan is the tone meister pointing out hidden gems. He has completely changed my mind about these solid state Peaveys. Rock on bro!
What a crack-pot, if anything Johan's videos show that your choice of amplifier is damned near meaningless when you have the sound in your hands. He's "selling" people the value and appreciation of years of dedication and practice.
I'm not typically critical of any guitar people, but what guitar center employees know about quality fits in a thimble. I value their words as much as stepping in dog crap. That said, I'm not violent, but damn some of these guitar center employees are BEGGING for throat punch donations!
The real secret is Johan has the largest collection of Peavey bandit amps in the world, which he plans on selling after increasing their popularity by using his social media influence. Full disclosure this post is pure, unadulterated, bullshit haha.
I love your demos. They are honest, non-pretentious, and they shine the spotlight on a lot of great but underappreciated amps. I've owned and gigged with a number of Peavey's, had nothing but great experiences with them. I love the Bandit line.
I have a 1985 (198?) Peavey Bandit 65 that has it's original 200 watt Scorpion. The amp is a beast, and is probably my favorite amp to play live. At least at times.. It is a hard choice between the DSL20HR with the 2x12 Seventy-80. If you would like pics please let me know. I bough it last year for $85 in a pawn shop here in Arkansas. I was raised in Memphis, TN, and the Peavey's were made just down the road. I was 10 years old when this Bandit 65 was made. It is fine shape, and has the big knobs. It is of old style Peavey cloths and Tolex. The pots and inputs are as follows from left right. : HIGH GAIN / LOW GAIN Lead Gain: PRE - PULL BRIGHT / SATURATION / POST Normal Gain: PULL BRIGHT Equlization: LOW / MID / HIGH (PULL THICK) PRESRNCE -12-0 -+12 MASTER REVERB ARE THE SAME POT LABELING. THE LABEL/Model ARE AS FOLLOWS in white color font: SOLO-SERIES in yellow color font: BANDIT in white color font: 65 in white color font: INSTRUMENT SYSTEM If you ask me it is more like a DUMBLE. Sounds like a DUMBLE. Has the same pots as the OVERDRIVE SPECIAL, 200 watt RMS speaker. Can stay clean until your ears bleed, or rock out all night long at the same volume. It also responds nicely to the guitar volume and tone. I play the Normal, Channel mostly with a SoloDallas in front, and sometime into the efx loop.. Yes, efx loop.. I have put one of my EVM 12" 200 watt RMS speakers in it to test it. IT IS LOUD, but the same as the Scorpion, and the Scorpion is a lot cheaper for those out there who didn't know. If I could own only now guitar amp to play including gigs, pedal platform, and studio recording it would be this amplifier. FOR A WHOPPING $85.00 US. Reply to this post, and tell me how you;d like to see some pics. A video perhaps? Sound files? Email?
I picked up a second hand Peavey Bandit 65 today for only £40, it needs a damn good clean but I can’t wait to explore it. This video was definitely a factor in my choosing this combo 😁👍🏻
Wow... That was my first new amp at age sixteen. That one is in great shape to be forty years old. It has aged better than I have. Where have forty years gone!!! Great playing. So glad to see this. Brings back memories. Hope you are well. Blessings Tennessee.
It was my first amp too, bought it (used) in '88, looks exactly like this one, and same Scorpion speaker. It's awesome. Loud enough for band practice too. Don't think I'll ever part with it. Btw, try an "American Sound" pedal (sold (at least) under Joyo and Harley Benton brand names) and run it into the fx loop return (ie straight into the power amp). Bliss.
Great amp! I still gig with mine (1983) and it sounds huge. Currently I have an Eminence Governor in it and it sounds huge! I’ve had many people tell me that they are surprised that I get such great tone out of this little beast. It’s such a tweak-able amp. I don’t use mine generally with pedals, just channel switching. Hands down one of the best hidden gems.
I just bought a red stripe Bandit..After trying it for about 10 minutes I had to have it..What a fantastic piece..With an extension speaker it easily cut through with a drummer playing full force and the clarity was stunning..I never felt any lack of performance..How they made a solid state amp with such rich tone..I can tell you really like them.Just by how you play it .Considering you have all these great Marshall's that says alot..
Scorpion speakers are one of the most "lowmid-rangiest" speakers ever heard :) Got this solo series Bandit under my workbench, great all-around solid-state amp like most of the PVs of that era!
Dangit Johan you killed it with the licks on this man.....just killer sound out of the bandit, which I go way back with...still have this very amp too.
I have an older version Peavey Express with the Sheffield 1230 12" in it. It pretty much is a Bandit with a different name. 65 watts of pure tone monster! It is one of the only amps I have ( and I have A LOT) where I have never put a pedal to it. The tonal variation I have been able to coax out of it is just unreal and covers damn near every genre I have put it thru. I could probably put pedals to it and be able to really explore it's capabilities, but so far I have not had a reason to do it as of yet. For years I overlooked Peavey as a viable amp because I listened to other peoples stupidity about how useless they are. Finally used my head and decided to find out for myself what they are about. Good thing I did as I have been hooked on them since. They are virtually indestructible as well which adds to it. Watching Johans videos got me to try Yamaha amps as well and makes me glad I found Johans videos. Nothing like an honest opinion on products that most overlook.
I must admit this, is the best amp demo I've ever heard from you which just goes to show, it doesn't have to be a big half stack to get killer tone. I got the black face plate vintage one on the way. Not sure how much difference the gray face plate from the blk faceplate.
The Bandit is an amazing amp for the money. I bought a very tidy Teal stripe model last year for £65 and love it. Good tone, relatively light and incredibly loud for an SS amp. As loud as my Fender Blues Deluxe so no problem gigging.
Hi I just picked up a what I think is a teal stripe (it has the green stripe but never knew it was called teal to now). These videos are great and honest. Looking to find a little more info on this teal amp as it is different to the layout on the video
i'm actually genuinely impressed. after reading stuff and growing as a guitar player i'm giving SS amps a second chance. i might pick one of these, not exactly this one but a bandit "112" solo series for 50€ - can't really go wrong at that price.
Yup, I love SS amps. I grew up thinking tubes where the bee's knees. But when I got one it didn't suit me. Dragged my old crate g40c out of the garage, and it really struck me how good SS can be, have a Peavey bandit too now, best pedal platform amp EVER.
Masterful hands. There is no way I could make these cheap(er) peavey's from the 80s sound this way. I ran out and bought a backstage but alas it sounds nothing like your video on the backstage. I think your playing is so great....doesn't matter what you plug into
Sounds awesome. I have a Bandit 65 which I use in a stereo rig with an 84 ‘vintage tube series’ Encore 65 (all tube). I have put the call out in a private peavey FB group I’m part of (includes a lot of enthusiasts, collectors and employees of Peavey) re the gun smoke. Cheers!
This is really great! I picked up a Bandit 65 (1984) for $50 CAD last year, and I'm still discovering different usable tones on the dirty channel. The EQ is really tweakable on these amps.
It was my first amp too, bought it (used) in '88, looks exactly like this one, and same Scorpion speaker. It's awesome. Loud enough for band practice too. Don't think I'll ever part with it. Btw, try an "American Sound" pedal (sold (at least) under Joyo and Harley Benton brand names) and run it into the fx loop return (ie straight into the power amp). Bliss.
Hi Johann! Another great job at demoing one of the old classic amps! Your tone and playing should make anyone see that this was a great classic old solid-state amp. And still is! Know that you are appreciated Johann by all of us guitar players! Stay safe and well! God bless you my friend!
Johan's tone on an 80s solid state Peavey rivals any other TH-cam tone - I actually prefer the Peavey tone to the Marshall tube amps as it would otherwise be overlooked in this era of boutique and high quality modelling amps.
Your description on the scorpion speaker was spot on, i own a peavey amp with one of those and always found it to be a bit diferent to EQ than the Blue Marvel Bandit's, but being dark is usefull sometimes. A friend of mine built a 2x12 cabinet with that scopion speaker to pair with his DSL that he always find to be a bit too bright, and i gotta say, it paired really well with that amp, considering the scorpion prices, it was a good bang for the buck. I wonder how they sound paired with a JCM 800. Excellent content.
Thanks man, Im glad to hear that! Im gonna compare the Peavey speakers (Eminence, BW, Scorpion, Sheffield and Blue Marcel) in a later clip, I can include other amps then too. Cheers
I just bought this EXACT old model you are using n videos. Everything you showed it exact to mine. It took me several days to figure out this amps finicky controls and how to get it to do what I wanted. But it was worth the frustration to stick with it and keep trying because eventually I cracked it and also found the right combination of pedals to drive this for heavier gain beyond it's magnificently warm and natural compression overdrive. I drive it with boss Ds1 into a boss super overdrive, into a time space echo delay. I highly recommend this amp if you like to play 80s metal, classic rock, or even Satriani type leads. It can do it ALL very well if you are patient enough to figure out how
My brother found a bandit on the side of the road a while back. He gave it to me since it was sitting in our grandparent's basement. Lo and behold the serial tag says its an '81. Broken speaker I was going to replace but now I think I'd rather get it reconed.
Remember back in school in the early 80's when the music teacher let us practice at school in the music room. Peavy bandit was the practice amp and we all thought it sounded sh''t. Well now I know it was us sounding sh't, not the amp n/. Rock Heavy Johan, good stuff.
Wow, that brings back memories. I had one of these in the early eighties that looked just like the one your are playing, and remember people always being amazed at this little amp. It was brand new. It would scream!!! I considered this my first good amp, but ended up trading it for a Marshall Club and Country in about 83. I wish I still had it.
LOL... It was a good trade Johan. The Marshall opened up new horizons to me. I remember hitting a chord and listening to that sustained Marshall grind and thinking..... wow, that sounds great! Hope you are having a great day!!!
My very first amp was the 1984 Bandit 65, and with my Ibanez Roadstar II and some Boss pedals, it was the best alternative on the market for an allround amp back then :)
Good video! IIRC, the book 'The Peavey Revolution' by Ken Achard, has a clear picture of the first Bandit, and a good explanation about the various versions... I've been using Peavey gear for many years. Currently own a Teal stripe Bandit 112, a matching Teal stripe Classic Chorus 212, a 260 series Standard head, paired with a 412F cab, (all Scorpion loaded). My band's PA system is all Peavey, as well. FYI, all Peavey amps with a Saturation, or Supersat control, are the precursors to Transtube amps...
I have its big brother. the 82 Special 130 Bought it new for the massive cleans as a jazz amp. Not quite perfect but here we are in 2024 and it still fires up with 1 count em players 1 ever trip to the tech for a loose internal connection. Did have to replace the original speaker from just age but the amp is still balls out the baddest dude on any stage it gets on. If you want to drop it on the way into the gig throw beer on it and still make the whole night get one of these early 80s Solo series amps. Them fellas in Mississippi did it right back then
Great riff at 2:21, wish it lasted longer !! My 1st amp was one of these, bought New when I was 13/14 (so very long ago). Rocked the hell out of it for a few years - daily with my drummer brother, but also full jam sessions with friends. Bandit always held it's own. True story: Loaned it to a pal one night, to play a house party with his band.. and someone STOLE it !!! Later found out who snatched it & tried to get it back, but guy had Sold it. So me & my crew cornered & scared him till he pissed himself & cried, in front of a crowd at another party. His name was Damian, but I think we cured him of his evil ways !!
That Peavey Bandit is the quintessential example of the 80's Peavey amps. Sounds great! And these amps have their own character too, which I think is really cool. They weren't trying to copy Fender or Marshall, but instead just make their own unique and good tone. That was a great comparison between the onboard speaker and the Celestions. Next I'd suggest trying some of those Scorpion speakers paired with an amp other than a Peavey. That's where I think they really shine, to take some of the top end off of a Marshall amp, for instance.
I had a peavey bandit 150 back in the day, i wired my alarm clock up to it once and the neighbors thought we had a fire alarm going off in our house. I think it had black widows in it.
People have preferences for Peavey Bandits. Red stripe. Teal Stripe. Silver Stripe. Transtube. This doesn't have Transtube, but it sounds mighty fine! Johan, have you ever done a video on how you adjust an amp the way you like it and finding the sweet spot? If you did, I'm having trouble finding it. Cheers!
That’s funny. This was the first amp I ever purchased, summer of 1987. I was 14, it was my first job and I saved for weeks to buy the thing. Played it for roughly the same time period as you as my main amp. Really couldn’t get a good sound from the Saturation, but leave it around 3 when it started to harden at boost it with a Boss SD-1 and I had a lot of fun with it.
I have a small '95 Envoy I bought for like $40 when I had an issue with the amp I will keeping in the house, and I wasn't going to be able to get any of my others that I had at various parts of the city for a week or so. I remembered the little Peavey SS Amp that I got with my first electric guitar (back in 87-88, a black Kramer Pacer). Everyone I knew at that time had Peavey amps, as we were all between 12-14 years old, and I remembered how much I hated them. Turning up the gain more or less just made it sound muddier and harsh. But though my normal home amp was out of commission, I had an Ethos Overdrive preamp (2 channel Dumble ODS SS premp, that even when comparing to the Dumble clones I have now, a couple which are about as close as you can get to the actual ones, still sounds REALLY good), along with a a couple other Preamps (an Orange and a Sansamp), so I planned on just running through them. The Ethos has its own post-gain FX loop to run my delay and reverb through. But when I ran my Les Paul right into the front of the Peavey, I was actually shocked at just how good it actually sounded. It had a real Marshall quality to it, that sounds good enough that since then a few times I actual recorded running into the Peavey preamp and running it into an external power amp or into a sound board. I believe it was a Trans tube model. The only downside to it (which is a big enough downside as to render it to only be used once in a while, was that while it sounded really good, it had Zero dynamics and touch sensitivity. Turning the guitar volume down just made it quieter, it didn't clean up the tone at all. However, it does made it work well for late night playing. I think it's a 40W, with a 10" speaker. I actually wish it had more touch to it, since it weighs like nothing compared to a tube amp. It's lighter than my Princeton Reverb.
My first amp the 65 bandit solo, I wanted the hot rod Marshall sound, took me 10 years to get it. But the peavey BANDIT and a overdrive box with a delay in the loop was good for my first years.
Johan any chance of a review of the Peavey Rage Transtube Combo of the 80s? The early ones came with Blue Marvel speakers and sound amazing for the price. They are great little recording amps
Had the pleasure of playing that model of Bandit before. Reminded me of a Mace VT type sound and could have well had a similar circuit at the time who knows. Ended up with a Studio Pro 40 for $75 and a "Just get it outta my store" door opening for me! hahaa. Sounds in the Solo or Bandit 65 ballpark but smaller lighter 112 combo size
Damn, how do you do it - you can pull a marshall tone out of an AM radio! lol, I remember the bandits, and I had no idea you could get this tone out of them. Good job, Johan! I think I will pick one up for the collection! Later, Jason. "Let's Go"
I've still got my early '80s Peavey Solo Special ( 120W version on the Bandit ) With normal EQ, the parametric EQ came a few years after I got it new. It has the Saturation circuitry, which came before the TransTube versions.
They could be bought with 2 different speakers, the Scorpion ( which mine had) and the more expensive Black Widow. I never had them side by side to test but was told the Black Widow was a bit "tighter" and "focused".
Wow you really got the tone dialed in on this one! Sounds incredible, especially though that 1960A! If you just hid the amp and said you were playing some vintage Marshall I think most of us would've had no trouble believing you.
I used one for years, stage and studio. Even, on occasion, for electric bass. It's a quality tool that accurately represents the skills of the player - which can make some players a little uncomfortable... :)
Hello Johan! I have just found this earlier video of Yours. Man, I really loved the sound of Your amp. If You play old school technique (playing with pot and dynamic picking) then You can really generate classical sounds with this amp. Most of the people are snobbers when its about Peavey. Now everybody could see that You can generate classical blues-rock sounds with this amp without any toy. In the early nineties I dint have money for a tube amp so I used the Peavey Express 112 with a Celestion Sidewinder for 5 years. I used the drive channel only and a BOSS CE-2 and BOSS DD-3 in the effect loop. The sound was very simillar to Yours. Thanka for Your video! I would be curious about Your opinion about these old solid state Peaves amps
Bought one of them new in '81, loved it . Sounded great through a 8 ohm Marshall cab with G80's. Tone was similar to my friends 50watt. Plex The bandit had more upper mids. Scorpion speakers do sound alot Green backs, and they handle way more power. Like most Peavey gear , bullet proof. A friend of mine has a red stripe transtube bandit, sounds killer with his Nashville Tele. You should do a scorpion, green back comparison.
There it is! Yep, its a good amp. Truth is a speaker swap out for a vintage 30 celestion probably would have a similar effect, even though you may have to watch the volume.
Kenneth Dismukes It doesn't sound digital because it isn't digital. It's analogue. The reverb is also analogue (it has real springs in it). Analogue is always better than digital.
I think they expected Solid State amps to be the future in the 70-80s and put some recourses and research into it then. But I think the current Peavey Rage sounds great, at least the previous version did.
Great video as usual! I have this same Solo 65 model but the reverb section is broken (tank is ok, I swapped it into a cyclops Bandit to check). One possible problem area could be the op amps and so I ordered a pack of the '458' (#from memory) and the other 221(also maybe wrong#) that people change out to 'improve the tone'. Very cheap to get the op amps (maybe twenty cents each?). Didn't fix the reverb problem but while in there I swapped several of the op amps and the tone didn't really change much at all. Maybe you want to do A/B/C with the spectrum of compatible op amps (all socketed plugs on the Bandit so an easy test). Fortunate I got my fleet of Bandits before the Internet caught on ;)
Oh man, listen to that! ... I think I know the answer, but I must ask: do you use any pedal along with the amplifier in that video? It sounds incredible!! I have just a peavey like that, I have some questions because it is the best video I've seen about this amp on TH-cam ... -Any recommendation to maintain the amplifier? I feel that it no longer provides the same saturation as when I bought it. The previous owner told me that the amplifier was abandoned for many years ... in a church. I do not know if that loss of saturation is due to something in some component ... -How and how do you recommend cleaning the outside of the amplifier? I could not take the dust that accumulated for years ... I apologize for my English, Ha! It is not very good and I supported myself with the google translator. Greetings from Mexico!!
Thanks, glad to hear it! Maybe you can try playing the amp through some other speaker, to see if it has gone dull. Otherwise you can take it to an amp tech for a service. Cheers Johan
Had a guy in the guitar center saturday tell me that "Johan is just an amp jockey and all he is trying to do is sell amps" my response was to laugh in his face and ask " who in the hell is trying to sell old solid state peavey amps from the 80's ?!"
Thanks man, I really appreciate that. It’s important to me to keep the channel uncommercial. Cheers Johan
One more reason to hate on Guitar Center. That employee's comment has to be one of the stupidest things I've heard someone say lately. Johan is the tone meister pointing out hidden gems. He has completely changed my mind about these solid state Peaveys. Rock on bro!
What a crack-pot, if anything Johan's videos show that your choice of amplifier is damned near meaningless when you have the sound in your hands.
He's "selling" people the value and appreciation of years of dedication and practice.
I'm not typically critical of any guitar people, but what guitar center employees know about quality fits in a thimble. I value their words as much as stepping in dog crap. That said, I'm not violent, but damn some of these guitar center employees are BEGGING for throat punch donations!
The real secret is Johan has the largest collection of Peavey bandit amps in the world, which he plans on selling after increasing their popularity by using his social media influence.
Full disclosure this post is pure, unadulterated, bullshit haha.
This particular version with the grey faceplate is one of my favorites... the 1981 version. The tone he's getting here is world class.
I love your demos. They are honest, non-pretentious, and they shine the spotlight on a lot of great but underappreciated amps. I've owned and gigged with a number of Peavey's, had nothing but great experiences with them. I love the Bandit line.
Thanks! Really good to hear that!
Bandits are they most underrated amps on earth!
Teal stripe range is unparalleled.
@infinitesimotel A teal stripe Bandit is God like.
Legend has it his tone comes from the crocs!
Hahahahaha! ;-)
It's not voodoo from his hat? XD
You, Sir, are a master musician with limitless inspiration -new amp , new riffs EVERY time and they are always original melodic and funky
Thanks, I’m so glad to hear that!
I have a 1985 (198?) Peavey Bandit 65 that has it's original 200 watt Scorpion. The amp is a beast, and is probably my favorite amp to play live. At least at times.. It is a hard choice between the DSL20HR with the 2x12 Seventy-80. If you would like pics please let me know. I bough it last year for $85 in a pawn shop here in Arkansas. I was raised in Memphis, TN, and the Peavey's were made just down the road. I was 10 years old when this Bandit 65 was made. It is fine shape, and has the big knobs. It is of old style Peavey cloths and Tolex. The pots and inputs are as follows from left right.
: HIGH GAIN / LOW GAIN
Lead Gain: PRE - PULL BRIGHT / SATURATION / POST
Normal Gain: PULL BRIGHT
Equlization: LOW / MID / HIGH (PULL THICK) PRESRNCE -12-0 -+12
MASTER REVERB ARE THE SAME POT LABELING.
THE LABEL/Model ARE AS FOLLOWS
in white color font:
SOLO-SERIES
in yellow color font:
BANDIT
in white color font:
65
in white color font:
INSTRUMENT SYSTEM
If you ask me it is more like a DUMBLE. Sounds like a DUMBLE. Has the same pots as the OVERDRIVE SPECIAL, 200 watt RMS speaker. Can stay clean until your ears bleed, or rock out all night long at the same volume. It also responds nicely to the guitar volume and tone. I play the Normal, Channel mostly with a SoloDallas in front, and sometime into the efx loop.. Yes, efx loop.. I have put one of my EVM 12" 200 watt RMS speakers in it to test it. IT IS LOUD, but the same as the Scorpion, and the Scorpion is a lot cheaper for those out there who didn't know. If I could own only now guitar amp to play including gigs, pedal platform, and studio recording it would be this amplifier. FOR A WHOPPING $85.00 US.
Reply to this post, and tell me how you;d like to see some pics. A video perhaps? Sound files? Email?
I picked up a second hand Peavey Bandit 65 today for only £40, it needs a damn good clean but I can’t wait to explore it. This video was definitely a factor in my choosing this combo 😁👍🏻
Wow... That was my first new amp at age sixteen. That one is in great shape to be forty years old. It has aged better than I have. Where have forty years gone!!! Great playing. So glad to see this. Brings back memories. Hope you are well. Blessings Tennessee.
It was my first amp too, bought it (used) in '88, looks exactly like this one, and same Scorpion speaker. It's awesome. Loud enough for band practice too. Don't think I'll ever part with it.
Btw, try an "American Sound" pedal (sold (at least) under Joyo and Harley Benton brand names) and run it into the fx loop return (ie straight into the power amp).
Bliss.
Great amp! I still gig with mine (1983) and it sounds huge. Currently I have an Eminence Governor in it and it sounds huge! I’ve had many people tell me that they are surprised that I get such great tone out of this little beast. It’s such a tweak-able amp. I don’t use mine generally with pedals, just channel switching. Hands down one of the best hidden gems.
I just bought a red stripe Bandit..After trying it for about 10 minutes I had to have it..What a fantastic piece..With an extension speaker it easily cut through with a drummer playing full force and the clarity was stunning..I never felt any lack of performance..How they made a solid state amp with such rich tone..I can tell you really like them.Just by how you play it .Considering you have all these great Marshall's that says alot..
I have a bandit 112 blue stripe with the scorpion speaker. And I simply love the amp. Thanks for the video
My high school classmate bought it new in 81....i bought it from him in 82 during 11th grade.....i still have it!!!!!
Scorpion speakers are one of the most "lowmid-rangiest" speakers ever heard :) Got this solo series Bandit under my workbench, great all-around solid-state amp like most of the PVs of that era!
Yeah, quite useful in a mix. Cheers Johan
Nice Johan! My first amp was a Peavey Bandit... After hearing you play it I wish I never sold it! Lol,
Thanks :-)
It sounds amazing to be honest...
Sold mine when I was 18. I wanted a Marshall. I made a mistake.
This is just an awesome demonstration of an awesome amp. Thanks Man. 🤘
Hi friend:). Good job have a great week!
Thanks my friend, you too!
Johan, it’s YOUR hands !! Everything you play thru sounds great !! You could make a wet cardboard box sound good !!
Thanks Steve, that's kind of you! ;-)
A wet BOX would be even BETTER! ;oP
It's the hands AND ears. I would like to believe, Johan LISTENS to the amp. With that he can assess what are the amps best spots.
Dangit Johan you killed it with the licks on this man.....just killer sound out of the bandit, which I go way back with...still have this very amp too.
Cool video. I really like the photo reel of all the technical/geek stuff on the side as you work through on your Les Paul. Very tasteful, all around.
I have an older version Peavey Express with the Sheffield 1230 12" in it. It pretty much is a Bandit with a different name. 65 watts of pure tone monster! It is one of the only amps I have ( and I have A LOT) where I have never put a pedal to it. The tonal variation I have been able to coax out of it is just unreal and covers damn near every genre I have put it thru. I could probably put pedals to it and be able to really explore it's capabilities, but so far I have not had a reason to do it as of yet. For years I overlooked Peavey as a viable amp because I listened to other peoples stupidity about how useless they are. Finally used my head and decided to find out for myself what they are about. Good thing I did as I have been hooked on them since. They are virtually indestructible as well which adds to it. Watching Johans videos got me to try Yamaha amps as well and makes me glad I found Johans videos. Nothing like an honest opinion on products that most overlook.
I must admit this, is the best amp demo I've ever heard from you which just goes to show, it doesn't have to be a big half stack to get killer tone. I got the black face plate vintage one on the way. Not sure how much difference the gray face plate from the blk faceplate.
Dude we are huge fans of your vids here in L.A.
Stand up and shout! 2:21. You are a genuine rocker! 🇺🇸
That sounded absolutely stellar.
Great vid. This was my first amp and it rocked.
Always great demos. They really show off what the amp can do.
Keen to see more 70s/80s solid-state amps: Yamaha, Acoustic, HH, Roland, Fender, etc!
The Bandit is an amazing amp for the money. I bought a very tidy Teal stripe model last year for £65 and love it. Good tone, relatively light and incredibly loud for an SS amp. As loud as my Fender Blues Deluxe so no problem gigging.
Hi I just picked up a what I think is a teal stripe (it has the green stripe but never knew it was called teal to now). These videos are great and honest. Looking to find a little more info on this teal amp as it is different to the layout on the video
i'm actually genuinely impressed. after reading stuff and growing as a guitar player i'm giving SS amps a second chance. i might pick one of these, not exactly this one but a bandit "112" solo series for 50€ - can't really go wrong at that price.
Yup, I love SS amps. I grew up thinking tubes where the bee's knees. But when I got one it didn't suit me. Dragged my old crate g40c out of the garage, and it really struck me how good SS can be, have a Peavey bandit too now, best pedal platform amp EVER.
Masterful hands. There is no way I could make these cheap(er) peavey's from the 80s sound this way. I ran out and bought a backstage but alas it sounds nothing like your video on the backstage. I think your playing is so great....doesn't matter what you plug into
Thanks, that's kind of you! :-)
Alright Johan, I am convinced now. You can make any amp sound good! haha. My first amp was a same era "Special 130". Love your vids my friend!
Thanks my friend, really good to hear that!
I bought one of these in HS back in the 80's - still works well today.
I know this video is old but i have this amp and this helped me learn about about it so thank you
Glad to hear that! Cheers!
Sounds awesome. I have a Bandit 65 which I use in a stereo rig with an 84 ‘vintage tube series’ Encore 65 (all tube). I have put the call out in a private peavey FB group I’m part of (includes a lot of enthusiasts, collectors and employees of Peavey) re the gun smoke. Cheers!
Have a nice '81 Bandit with the original Scorpion on Ebay right now. Awesome Amp! Located in northern Illinois. ✌
Thanks, fun to watch. My first amp was a Peavey Backstage. It was a little amp . . but I was little too
This is really great! I picked up a Bandit 65 (1984) for $50 CAD last year, and I'm still discovering different usable tones on the dirty channel. The EQ is really tweakable on these amps.
Thanks man!
Oh wow the memories. My first real amp was a Bandit 65. Heavy loud rugged
I waited ten years to find other Peavey 65 in my price range.. just got another one today June 27th 2020..🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
Got mine at about 14 yrs old. Around 2006. Amp was built in '83. Still have it and it still blows any other amp I've had out the water.
It was my first amp too, bought it (used) in '88, looks exactly like this one, and same Scorpion speaker. It's awesome. Loud enough for band practice too. Don't think I'll ever part with it.
Btw, try an "American Sound" pedal (sold (at least) under Joyo and Harley Benton brand names) and run it into the fx loop return (ie straight into the power amp).
Bliss.
Hi Johann! Another great job at demoing one of the old classic amps! Your tone and playing should make anyone see that this was a great classic old solid-state amp. And still is! Know that you are appreciated Johann by all of us guitar players! Stay safe and well! God bless you my friend!
I picked up one of these last weekend for 40 bucks and I love it!!!!
Johan's tone on an 80s solid state Peavey rivals any other TH-cam tone - I actually prefer the Peavey tone to the Marshall tube amps as it would otherwise be overlooked in this era of boutique and high quality modelling amps.
Thanks man! Glad to hear it
Your description on the scorpion speaker was spot on, i own a peavey amp with one of those and always found it to be a bit diferent to EQ than the Blue Marvel Bandit's, but being dark is usefull sometimes. A friend of mine built a 2x12 cabinet with that scopion speaker to pair with his DSL that he always find to be a bit too bright, and i gotta say, it paired really well with that amp, considering the scorpion prices, it was a good bang for the buck.
I wonder how they sound paired with a JCM 800.
Excellent content.
Thanks man, Im glad to hear that! Im gonna compare the Peavey speakers (Eminence, BW, Scorpion, Sheffield and Blue Marcel) in a later clip, I can include other amps then too. Cheers
I just bought this EXACT old model you are using n videos. Everything you showed it exact to mine. It took me several days to figure out this amps finicky controls and how to get it to do what I wanted. But it was worth the frustration to stick with it and keep trying because eventually I cracked it and also found the right combination of pedals to drive this for heavier gain beyond it's magnificently warm and natural compression overdrive. I drive it with boss Ds1 into a boss super overdrive, into a time space echo delay. I highly recommend this amp if you like to play 80s metal, classic rock, or even Satriani type leads. It can do it ALL very well if you are patient enough to figure out how
My brother found a bandit on the side of the road a while back. He gave it to me since it was sitting in our grandparent's basement. Lo and behold the serial tag says its an '81.
Broken speaker I was going to replace but now I think I'd rather get it reconed.
Remember back in school in the early 80's when the music teacher let us practice at school in the music room. Peavy bandit was the practice amp and we all thought it sounded sh''t. Well now I know it was us sounding sh't, not the amp
n/. Rock Heavy Johan, good stuff.
Thanks man, I actually sounded like shit on these amps too back in the day ;-)
LOL me too.
WHY are you censoring?
To be honest I never heard a Peavey Bandit sound that good. Have a nice day
Glad to hear that! You have a nice day too! Cheers
Wow, that brings back memories. I had one of these in the early eighties that looked just like the one your are playing, and remember people always being amazed at this little amp. It was brand new. It would scream!!! I considered this my first good amp, but ended up trading it for a Marshall Club and Country in about 83. I wish I still had it.
Seems like a good trade though! Cheers
LOL... It was a good trade Johan. The Marshall opened up new horizons to me. I remember hitting a chord and listening to that sustained Marshall grind and thinking..... wow, that sounds great! Hope you are having a great day!!!
My very first amp was the 1984 Bandit 65, and with my Ibanez Roadstar II and some Boss pedals, it was the best alternative on the market for an allround amp back then :)
Just bought one for £40 after using one in a rehearsal room tonight, wowzers what a sound
Good video! IIRC, the book 'The Peavey Revolution' by Ken Achard, has a clear picture of the first Bandit, and a good explanation about the various versions... I've been using Peavey gear for many years. Currently own a Teal stripe Bandit 112, a matching Teal stripe Classic Chorus 212, a 260 series Standard head, paired with a 412F cab, (all Scorpion loaded). My band's PA system is all Peavey, as well. FYI, all Peavey amps with a Saturation, or Supersat control, are the precursors to Transtube amps...
Har själv en likadan 81a med Scorpion element! Älskar den!
Johan, please tell us your secrets for dialing in an amp!
I don't know what makes those Bandits sound so good! They certainly did something right! \m/
Cheers Clive! \m/
Great playing, great sound, I was kind of hoping to hear what single coil pickups sound like through this amp, but thanks, great review!
I had a Bandit 65 as a kid. Set the Saturation at about 1/2 and ran an original Rat pedal in front. That little amp gave me hours of fun..
I like it very much when you comment on what you hear, too. Peavey Bandit rules again in Johan's mighty tone hands ;-) Rock on!
Thanks my friend! Glad you like it.
I have its big brother. the 82 Special 130 Bought it new for the massive cleans as a jazz amp. Not quite perfect but here we are in 2024 and it still fires up with 1 count em players 1 ever trip to the tech for a loose internal connection. Did have to replace the original speaker from just age but the amp is still balls out the baddest dude on any stage it gets on. If you want to drop it on the way into the gig throw beer on it and still make the whole night get one of these early 80s Solo series amps. Them fellas in Mississippi did it right back then
Great riff at 2:21, wish it lasted longer !! My 1st amp was one of these, bought New when I was 13/14 (so very long ago). Rocked the hell out of it for a few years - daily with my drummer brother, but also full jam sessions with friends. Bandit always held it's own.
True story: Loaned it to a pal one night, to play a house party with his band.. and someone STOLE it !!! Later found out who snatched it & tried to get it back, but guy had Sold it. So me & my crew cornered & scared him till he pissed himself & cried, in front of a crowd at another party. His name was Damian, but I think we cured him of his evil ways !!
Hahahaha! He certainly had it coming. :-) Glad you like the riff!
Johan Segeborn
Hell yes! Bandit stole Bandit & paid with SHAME. It was really funny.
Isn't that riff from a particular song? It sounds familiar.
@@lukejohnson6004 Dio - Stand Up And Shout
That Peavey Bandit is the quintessential example of the 80's Peavey amps. Sounds great! And these amps have their own character too, which I think is really cool. They weren't trying to copy Fender or Marshall, but instead just make their own unique and good tone.
That was a great comparison between the onboard speaker and the Celestions. Next I'd suggest trying some of those Scorpion speakers paired with an amp other than a Peavey. That's where I think they really shine, to take some of the top end off of a Marshall amp, for instance.
Thanks Dave! There will be a Peavey Speaker shootout soon here on the channel. We can use a Marshall too then. Cheers
I had a peavey bandit 150 back in the day, i wired my alarm clock up to it once and the neighbors thought we had a fire alarm going off in our house. I think it had black widows in it.
Hahaha! Brutal :-)
Peavey bandit 150? 🤔
HAHA!!
It was called the Specail 150 originally, but it was simply a louder offering to the Bandit. Same great features just louder.
Loud and awesome. SOOO loud and awesome. Hard to find one here around upstate SC
Marshall Sound... Very good!!! I see your vídeos from Brasil.
I have not chimed in for awhile another great little rehearsal amp, I see you found it , cheers Johan
Cheers Stepvan!
People have preferences for Peavey Bandits. Red stripe. Teal Stripe. Silver Stripe. Transtube. This doesn't have Transtube, but it sounds mighty fine!
Johan, have you ever done a video on how you adjust an amp the way you like it and finding the sweet spot? If you did, I'm having trouble finding it. Cheers!
Thanks man, I haven't done that video yet actually, but its a good idea. One will be coming up soon!
Johan Segeborn Excellent! Looking forward to it.
Hartley!
Great sounding Bandit!
Ahh, the memories! This was the amp I used from '86-'90 when I was a teenager and just started playing guitar.
That’s funny. This was the first amp I ever purchased, summer of 1987. I was 14, it was my first job and I saved for weeks to buy the thing. Played it for roughly the same time period as you as my main amp. Really couldn’t get a good sound from the Saturation, but leave it around 3 when it started to harden at boost it with a Boss SD-1 and I had a lot of fun with it.
Same
Thanks brother, nice tones, well done!Be well!
Thanks my friend, you too!
Can't wait until you get to the Peavey vtm 60...love that amp.
First chance I get! :-)
VTM, vintage tone Marshall,, it's almost at a jcm 800 really.
I have a small '95 Envoy I bought for like $40 when I had an issue with the amp I will keeping in the house, and I wasn't going to be able to get any of my others that I had at various parts of the city for a week or so. I remembered the little Peavey SS Amp that I got with my first electric guitar (back in 87-88, a black Kramer Pacer). Everyone I knew at that time had Peavey amps, as we were all between 12-14 years old, and I remembered how much I hated them. Turning up the gain more or less just made it sound muddier and harsh.
But though my normal home amp was out of commission, I had an Ethos Overdrive preamp (2 channel Dumble ODS SS premp, that even when comparing to the Dumble clones I have now, a couple which are about as close as you can get to the actual ones, still sounds REALLY good), along with a a couple other Preamps (an Orange and a Sansamp), so I planned on just running through them. The Ethos has its own post-gain FX loop to run my delay and reverb through. But when I ran my Les Paul right into the front of the Peavey, I was actually shocked at just how good it actually sounded. It had a real Marshall quality to it, that sounds good enough that since then a few times I actual recorded running into the Peavey preamp and running it into an external power amp or into a sound board.
I believe it was a Trans tube model. The only downside to it (which is a big enough downside as to render it to only be used once in a while, was that while it sounded really good, it had Zero dynamics and touch sensitivity. Turning the guitar volume down just made it quieter, it didn't clean up the tone at all. However, it does made it work well for late night playing.
I think it's a 40W, with a 10" speaker. I actually wish it had more touch to it, since it weighs like nothing compared to a tube amp. It's lighter than my Princeton Reverb.
I had one of these in the late 80s with a Roadstar - I currently am nursing a semi.
My first amp the 65 bandit solo, I wanted the hot rod Marshall sound, took me 10 years to get it. But the peavey BANDIT and a overdrive box with a delay in the loop was good for my first years.
Johan any chance of a review of the Peavey Rage Transtube Combo of the 80s? The early ones came with Blue Marvel speakers and sound amazing for the price. They are great little recording amps
I had two of these. One was full valve which I didn't understand. Nice work!
Thanks Alastair! Do you which model the Valve amp was?
I have a Solo 65 & The Special 130. Both great workhorses.
I just scored a 1981 Bandit Solo! oh boy! what a gem indeed!
This amp is great. It does anything you want it to if you just spend a little time dialing it in.
Had the pleasure of playing that model of Bandit before. Reminded me of a Mace VT type sound and could have well had a similar circuit at the time who knows. Ended up with a Studio Pro 40 for $75 and a "Just get it outta my store" door opening for me! hahaa. Sounds in the Solo or Bandit 65 ballpark but smaller lighter 112 combo size
Cool, I'm gonna compare the Studio Pro 40 to the Solo Bandit soon. Have already recorded it
Great as Always!
Thanks!
Damn, how do you do it - you can pull a marshall tone out of an AM radio! lol, I remember the bandits, and I had no idea you could get this tone out of them. Good job, Johan! I think I will pick one up for the collection! Later, Jason. "Let's Go"
Thanks Jason! :-)
I have on of these i bought it with the speaker swapped out to a Celestion speaker... one of the best SS amps ever made.
Johan, where can i send you pics of my 1980 bandit....been stored in my closet with its original cover for 20 years, awsome amp
Would you consider selling?
Love my bandit 65
Can we get the settings for 2:21???
I've still got my early '80s Peavey Solo Special ( 120W version on the Bandit ) With normal EQ, the parametric EQ came a few years after I got it new. It has the Saturation circuitry, which came before the TransTube versions.
They could be bought with 2 different speakers, the Scorpion ( which mine had) and the more expensive Black Widow. I never had them side by side to test but was told the Black Widow was a bit "tighter" and "focused".
Awesome video!
Thanks Thomas!
Johan, I'd love to learn that lick from 2:30 - 2:44. Could you tell me what song it's from?
Wow you really got the tone dialed in on this one! Sounds incredible, especially though that 1960A! If you just hid the amp and said you were playing some vintage Marshall I think most of us would've had no trouble believing you.
Thanks Jay, glad you like it!
I used one for years, stage and studio. Even, on occasion, for electric bass.
It's a quality tool that accurately represents the skills of the player - which can make some players a little uncomfortable... :)
Hello Johan! I have just found this earlier video of Yours. Man, I really loved the sound of Your amp. If You play old school technique (playing with pot and dynamic picking) then You can really generate classical sounds with this amp. Most of the people are snobbers when its about Peavey. Now everybody could see that You can generate classical blues-rock sounds with this amp without any toy. In the early nineties I dint have money for a tube amp so I used the Peavey Express 112 with a Celestion Sidewinder for 5 years. I used the drive channel only and a BOSS CE-2 and BOSS DD-3 in the effect loop. The sound was very simillar to Yours. Thanka for Your video! I would be curious about Your opinion about these old solid state Peaves amps
Bought one of them new in '81, loved it . Sounded great through a 8 ohm
Marshall cab with G80's. Tone was similar to my friends 50watt. Plex
The bandit had more upper mids. Scorpion speakers do sound alot
Green backs, and they handle way more power. Like most Peavey gear , bullet proof.
A friend of mine has a red stripe transtube bandit, sounds killer with his
Nashville Tele.
You should do a scorpion, green back comparison.
Hi Dawn, that will coming up too. Plan to compare the Peavey Speakers, Eminence, BW, Scorpion, Sheffield and blue marvel too.
I usually think that black less Paul is to bright, but with this amp it seems to work.
There it is! Yep, its a good amp. Truth is a speaker swap out for a vintage 30 celestion probably would have a similar effect, even though you may have to watch the volume.
Impressive! Thanks!
Thanks man!
Great crunch tones from a solid state amp. Amazing. Doesn’t sound the least bit digital.
Thanks! Glad to hear it! :-)
Kenneth Dismukes It doesn't sound digital because it isn't digital. It's analogue. The reverb is also analogue (it has real springs in it). Analogue is always better than digital.
J S is the King! Yeah baby! Carrying the torch of rock.
Nice peavey amp demo my first amp,was a peavey
Thanks Ron!
This amp rocks!!!!
If Peavey and Marshall (GK too) could both make such AWESOME solid state amps back in the 80s, WHY can't anyone do it nowadays?!!?
I think they expected Solid State amps to be the future in the 70-80s and put some recourses and research into it then.
But I think the current Peavey Rage sounds great, at least the previous version did.
Great video as usual! I have this same Solo 65 model but the reverb section is broken (tank is ok, I swapped it into a cyclops Bandit to check). One possible problem area could be the op amps and so I ordered a pack of the '458' (#from memory) and the other 221(also maybe wrong#) that people change out to 'improve the tone'. Very cheap to get the op amps (maybe twenty cents each?). Didn't fix the reverb problem but while in there I swapped several of the op amps and the tone didn't really change much at all. Maybe you want to do A/B/C with the spectrum of compatible op amps (all socketed plugs on the Bandit so an easy test). Fortunate I got my fleet of Bandits before the Internet caught on ;)
Thanks, that's an interest idea. Cheers
Oh man, listen to that! ... I think I know the answer, but I must ask: do you use any pedal along with the amplifier in that video? It sounds incredible!!
I have just a peavey like that, I have some questions because it is the best video I've seen about this amp on TH-cam ...
-Any recommendation to maintain the amplifier? I feel that it no longer provides the same saturation as when I bought it. The previous owner told me that the amplifier was abandoned for many years ... in a church. I do not know if that loss of saturation is due to something in some component ...
-How and how do you recommend cleaning the outside of the amplifier? I could not take the dust that accumulated for years ...
I apologize for my English, Ha! It is not very good and I supported myself with the google translator. Greetings from Mexico!!
Thanks, glad to hear it! Maybe you can try playing the amp through some other speaker, to see if it has gone dull. Otherwise you can take it to an amp tech for a service. Cheers Johan
Thanks man!
I owned a Bandit in 1980. How you got that one to sound good is beyond me.
Thanks!