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Peavey Bandit 65


honeyiscool

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So what about it? I've been thinking about buying one. It doesn't have much value in the used market and I can have one for $100 or so, probably. I'll be using a booster in front of an overdrive pedal so I don't really need it to be gainful, but I do want it to be loud (and I hear these are stupidly loud), and I want the spring reverb.

 

I admit that I mainly want it because much of Pixies' Surfer Rosa was recorded with one. I know that it won't make me sound much like Pixies because he had his effects and such, but I want a cheap combo amp that I can kick to get the crashing springs effect, since this is part of the authentic Pixies sound**, and I would have no qualms about kicking a cheap SS Peavey, whereas I wouldn't exactly want to kick a 65 Reverb. Oh yeah, and the whole point of this is that I'm involved in a fledgling Pixies cover band, and I'm playing lead guitar in it, and none of my current equipment is really suitable for that.

 

 

** Having seen Pixies lately, when Joey plays "Vamos" nowadays, he uses a delay/looper. I have to say, it's just not as good as the old days when he used to beat the {censored} out of his Bandit.

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I love peavey bandits and own 4....YES 4 of them. Picked them all up super cheap.

Bandit 75

Bandit Solo Series

Bandit Transtube (silver)

Bandit Transtube (red)

I do all kinds of crazy fun shit with them. Daisy chaining, 2x2 stereo rigs(one side metal head one side clear with reverb up the wazaoo), pedals etc. They are built like tanks and sound good too. Good times!:)

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It's part of the sound, and there's no real damage you can do with that.

 

 

Oh yes, there is. Everything...pots, jacks, transistors (which are obsolete on the older models), etc. are all connected to one PCB that is a major PITA to work with. I've been around a lot in the last 20 years and they're great amps, I've seen amateurs get great punk tones out of them and touring pros get great blues tones out of them (even country). But every Bandit I've ever been around has eventually developed problems with age (intermittent reverb is usually the start) and every one has ended up as land fill because amp techs won't bother with them, the bench fees to diagnose are more than the amp is worth.

 

For $100, it sure isn't going to hurt the wallet to beat it to death, but it will die.

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I love peavey bandits and own 4....YES 4 of them. Picked them all up super cheap.

Bandit 75

Bandit Solo Series

Bandit Transtube (silver)

Bandit Transtube (red)

I do all kinds of crazy fun shit with them. Daisy chaining, 2x2 stereo rigs(one side metal head one side clear with reverb up the wazaoo), pedals etc. They are built like tanks and sound good too. Good times!
:)

 

L:love:ve the Red Line Transtubes...got a Bandit and two of the Envoys (one with a Celestion 10"er and the other with a Jensen 12"er - tight fit!)...excellent gigging combos! :thu:

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  • 5 years later...
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These are GREAT little amps, especially the solo series. Mine is from 1985. I guess sound is subjective but I certainly don't agree with the poster that said to "kill it with fire." What a terrible thing to say. Set up right these amps hold their own with just about any amp. I've had them all from Fender twins to Mesa Boogie and everything in between during my 48 years of playing.

 

I really like all the headroom as I have a Tele with vintage pickups that aren't very loud. The cleans are almost too clean and the distortion set a certain way really warms up the overdrive. All in all I believe it to be a very useful amplifier. Please let your ears decide. I guess I'm getting up in age but I know a great amp when I hear one. Cheers.

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Set up right these amps hold their own with just about any amp. I've had them all from Fender twins to Mesa Boogie and everything in between during my 48 years of playing.

 

 

I once had a Bandit 65 - that was back in the early 80s. I sold it and bought a Mesa Boogie S.O.B. 60W combo, which was IMHO a much better amp. I didn't dislike the Bandit, but it definitely sounds like a solid state amp, and the dirt ("saturation") was really not to my liking.

 

I'd rather have a Classic 30 or Classic 50 - I think they are much better sounding amps overall than the Bandit is. YMMV

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
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So what about it? I've been thinking about buying one. It doesn't have much value in the used market and I can have one for $100 or so, probably. I'll be using a booster in front of an overdrive pedal so I don't really need it to be gainful, but I do want it to be loud (and I hear these are stupidly loud), and I want the spring reverb.

 

I admit that I mainly want it because much of Pixies' Surfer Rosa was recorded with one. I know that it won't make me sound much like Pixies because he had his effects and such, but I want a cheap combo amp that I can kick to get the crashing springs effect, since this is part of the authentic Pixies sound**, and I would have no qualms about kicking a cheap SS Peavey, whereas I wouldn't exactly want to kick a 65 Reverb. Oh yeah, and the whole point of this is that I'm involved in a fledgling Pixies cover band, and I'm playing lead guitar in it, and none of my current equipment is really suitable for that.

 

 

** Having seen Pixies lately, when Joey plays "Vamos" nowadays, he uses a delay/looper. I have to say, it's just not as good as the old days when he used to beat the **************** out of his Bandit.

 

Great SS amps. Have thought about buying one several times... really like the models with the red line on the front... Do it!

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