I can vouch for the tank-ness of it. I fell down the stairs carrying this amp as a teenager. I wound up on crutches, this amp is still crankin’ 25 years later.
Just bought a mint 1982 Peavey Bandit 65 with original speaker and footswitch for $200 at a local music shop here in Colorado. Man it sounds awesome. I don’t care for the distortion channel if I want a tight modern Metal tone but that’s really ok this thing can do anything and it takes pedals so well that a decent distortion pedal gives you a great Metal tone if you need. I just wish I didn’t just sell my Keeley El Ray Dorado pedal to help aid the purchase of this amp because that would have sounded great through this amp. Oh well, can always get another distortion pedal. At least I got the amp I wanted for a long time as a strictly home player who doesn’t gig. I just wanted an amp that sounds great and can get many sounds and is reliable. This thing will stay with me for years.
I hear ya. The 65 is probably my favorite pedal platform, it definitely has the most clean headroom of any amp I’ve played. I think I’ve bought and traded away probably 20 tube amps in the past 20 years. But, my bandits aren’t goin anywhere.
Love the saturation knob on the Peaveys. The Pre gives more “loose” uncompressed distortion, while the Saturation dials in more compressed fuzz. I have a Backstage Plus and I can find all kinds of fun distortion sounds on it. I really miss the Bandit reverb, though. The Backstage doesn’t have the wet depth that the Bandit has.
Recently found a teal stripe bandit on e bay , cleaned it up . Tested it , AWESOME . no crackling of pots the whole thing is amazing . The most amazing thing was ----- the cost . 10 pounds ! I can't fault it . Heavy though , that's cos it is a Peavey .
I use a volume box in the effects loop ( preamp out, power amp in). I can turn all the knobs up on the gain channel and control the volume with the box. I can practice without bothering anyone...too much.
I absolutely love my Bandit 65. Someone listed it on Marketplace for $25. Cleaned the pots and it's been perfect ever since. The inability to change channels except with a footswitch had me baffled the first night I owned it. I kept looking at the front and back panels, reading the manual and figured I had to have missed seeing the channel select switch. In a pinch, you can plug a regular guitar cable into the footswitch jack and it will turn on the clean channel (the other end shouldn't be connected to anything). I tried some of the later Bandit models and they just didn't sound as good to me. They've been sold off, but I'll never let go of my Bandit 65.
I think the 65 definitely has the best clean channel, it has such a pleasant and natural feeling/sounding compression to it. And honestly, I think it’s louder than the later 80 watt versions, or at least has more headroom.
I've had the '84 for a few years, (scorpion) played a gig/party w it recently, friends couldn't believe it wasn't tube. JUST picked up a silver stripe from the 90s w the Sheffield 1230 for $60... Played em side by side, clean, dirt - The '84 was superior !
Nice demo my friend have Peavey bandit 65 and afrer i want Peavey bandit bandit 75 ,and Peavey transtube silver strip 'and Peavey banndit transtube redstrip they all sound good !❤
In '83 when Metallica were recording an album the Marshall stack sounded great in the room but had no attack or punch on tape so they tried the studio's new 65 Bandit and it did the trick. I recently bought a mint '83 for $260.00 USD. Granddad never took it out of the house and when he passed his son sold it to me. I use it as a back up for my Marshall JMP 50. I am in a power trio so I can hardly fake it if my Marshall went down. At rehearsal I use it as my vocal monitor and it is just loud and clean enough to work out fine over a drummer and bass player with over 500 watts.
I haven’t had a half stack in over a decade. But this is my amp for when I need to be LOUD. I haven’t found a situation this amp can’t handle with a few pedals.
Interesting. Was this a common thing for older amps? 99% of the times I’ve played this amp, it’s been as a clean pedal platform with at least a buffered pedal or two in the chain. I did just go straight in the front for this video though.
@@Chucksguitargeekery Hi yes a lot of old amps and newer ones are like this. You can find the online schematics and user manuals to guide you. Thanks for your videos. JP
@@Chucksguitargeekery factory mounts a scorpion, right? what are the differences in terms of tone? in other videos with the mounted scorpion I felt a more closed sound. Clean is great. I wonder if it's all thanks to the eminence cone or even with the scorpion that wonderful clean comes out. What do you think? thank you
@@ChucksguitargeekeryI have an '88 backstage 110 with a celestion creamback I originally bought for a vox ac10 and the peavey sounds better with that speaker than the vox, so I sold the vox...paid $80 for the peavey compared to $499 for the vox...certain speakers can really open up the hidden goodness of these old peaveys
Unfortunately you did a demo for the speaker. A comparison of the original scorpion to the swamp thang will tell us what to expect if we purchase this amp. Nice playing though👍
I’ve never had a chance to play one, but I’m always keeping my eyes open for one to pop up locally. It’s a different beast than a bandit though. I only paid $60 for this bandit 🤷♂️
@@Chucksguitargeekery I bought one new around 92 for around $150. At the same time I bought one of the first block letter 5150's. A demo for $900.. Bob Rock was the 2nd guy in town to have one at the time that I knew of. The only reason why I got it when and how I did was because the split post pot broke for presence and was missing the chicken knob. Everyone in town wanted to borrow it including Chad Kroeger. Long story.
I've used a number of Peaveys including Bandits and they never failed me. These amps have proven themselves for decades now. They're still rocking.
Thanks for the awesome review. I just picked up a 1985 Bandit 65 with footswitch for 100 bucks! Absolutely lobe the sound!
I just picked up your mother but her gums were worn out from sucking.
Yes, old Peavey's live up to their REPUTATION....
Used to have one , great amp ...built like a tank
I can vouch for the tank-ness of it. I fell down the stairs carrying this amp as a teenager. I wound up on crutches, this amp is still crankin’ 25 years later.
Just bought a mint 1982 Peavey Bandit 65 with original speaker and footswitch for $200 at a local music shop here in Colorado. Man it sounds awesome. I don’t care for the distortion channel if I want a tight modern Metal tone but that’s really ok this thing can do anything and it takes pedals so well that a decent distortion pedal gives you a great Metal tone if you need. I just wish I didn’t just sell my Keeley El Ray Dorado pedal to help aid the purchase of this amp because that would have sounded great through this amp. Oh well, can always get another distortion pedal. At least I got the amp I wanted for a long time as a strictly home player who doesn’t gig. I just wanted an amp that sounds great and can get many sounds and is reliable. This thing will stay with me for years.
I hear ya. The 65 is probably my favorite pedal platform, it definitely has the most clean headroom of any amp I’ve played. I think I’ve bought and traded away probably 20 tube amps in the past 20 years. But, my bandits aren’t goin anywhere.
Love the saturation knob on the Peaveys. The Pre gives more “loose” uncompressed distortion, while the Saturation dials in more compressed fuzz. I have a Backstage Plus and I can find all kinds of fun distortion sounds on it. I really miss the Bandit reverb, though. The Backstage doesn’t have the wet depth that the Bandit has.
Recently found a teal stripe bandit on e bay , cleaned it up . Tested it , AWESOME . no crackling of pots the whole thing is amazing . The most amazing thing was ----- the cost . 10 pounds ! I can't fault it . Heavy though , that's cos it is a Peavey .
Nice! I say you can’t go wrong with any bandit.
Great tone. Nice playing as well. Very helpful vid.
I use a volume box in the effects loop ( preamp out, power amp in). I can turn all the knobs up on the gain channel and control the volume with the box. I can practice without bothering anyone...too much.
Hello nice test!!
I have an express 65 teal stripe nice and sweet sound with an old eminence inside 👍🏼
I absolutely love my Bandit 65. Someone listed it on Marketplace for $25. Cleaned the pots and it's been perfect ever since. The inability to change channels except with a footswitch had me baffled the first night I owned it. I kept looking at the front and back panels, reading the manual and figured I had to have missed seeing the channel select switch. In a pinch, you can plug a regular guitar cable into the footswitch jack and it will turn on the clean channel (the other end shouldn't be connected to anything). I tried some of the later Bandit models and they just didn't sound as good to me. They've been sold off, but I'll never let go of my Bandit 65.
I think the 65 definitely has the best clean channel, it has such a pleasant and natural feeling/sounding compression to it. And honestly, I think it’s louder than the later 80 watt versions, or at least has more headroom.
I've had the '84 for a few years, (scorpion) played a gig/party w it recently, friends couldn't believe it wasn't tube. JUST picked up a silver stripe from the 90s w the Sheffield 1230 for $60... Played em side by side, clean, dirt - The '84 was superior !
Nice demo my friend have Peavey bandit 65 and afrer i want Peavey bandit bandit 75 ,and Peavey transtube silver strip 'and Peavey banndit transtube redstrip they all sound good !❤
The Bandit 65 has the ultimate JCM 800 tone in those dials, seek and one shall find.
What's your jcm 800 settings please
@@michaeltherion7459 seek and you shall find..
YES PLEASE HAHA
Whatever is on my backline needs to work...never had a ss peavey have an issue...not so with tube amps. You sounded geat to me!
Sounds soooo sick! Think I need one soon…lol
DO IT!! Just be patient with marketplace/Craigslist, wait for a deal, nothing I hate more than overpaying for a Peavey.
Music is subjective I suppose, but I really like how my peavey bandit 65 sounds. Only paid 175.00 for it. Makes it sweeter still.
In '83 when Metallica were recording an album the Marshall stack sounded great in the room but had no attack or punch on tape so they tried the studio's new 65 Bandit and it did the trick. I recently bought a mint '83 for $260.00 USD. Granddad never took it out of the house and when he passed his son sold it to me. I use it as a back up for my Marshall JMP 50. I am in a power trio so I can hardly fake it if my Marshall went down. At rehearsal I use it as my vocal monitor and it is just loud and clean enough to work out fine over a drummer and bass player with over 500 watts.
I haven’t had a half stack in over a decade. But this is my amp for when I need to be LOUD. I haven’t found a situation this amp can’t handle with a few pedals.
@@Chucksguitargeekery That's why I bought it :-)
Awesome Amp
Thanks buddy! It’s a keeper
Hi chuck, you need a buffer in the input of these amps like a tube screamer, boss tu3 or polytune 3 etc etc. The input impedance is low (around 220k)
Interesting. Was this a common thing for older amps? 99% of the times I’ve played this amp, it’s been as a clean pedal platform with at least a buffered pedal or two in the chain. I did just go straight in the front for this video though.
@@Chucksguitargeekery Hi yes a lot of old amps and newer ones are like this. You can find the online schematics and user manuals to guide you. Thanks for your videos. JP
hi, what speaker are you using? scorpion?
No, I have an Eminence Swamp Thang in there
@@Chucksguitargeekery factory mounts a scorpion, right? what are the differences in terms of tone? in other videos with the mounted scorpion I felt a more closed sound. Clean is great. I wonder if it's all thanks to the eminence cone or even with the scorpion that wonderful clean comes out. What do you think? thank you
@@ChucksguitargeekeryI have an '88 backstage 110 with a celestion creamback I originally bought for a vox ac10 and the peavey sounds better with that speaker than the vox, so I sold the vox...paid $80 for the peavey compared to $499 for the vox...certain speakers can really open up the hidden goodness of these old peaveys
I’ll name ‘him’, who else but ZZ Top’s Billy G.! 🤓😉
Unfortunately you did a demo for the speaker. A comparison of the original scorpion to the swamp thang will tell us what to expect if we purchase this amp. Nice playing though👍
The bravo was better. The bandit had more headroom but the bravo was a 20 watt marshall stack in a small combo with a 12" speaker.
I’ve never had a chance to play one, but I’m always keeping my eyes open for one to pop up locally. It’s a different beast than a bandit though. I only paid $60 for this bandit 🤷♂️
@@Chucksguitargeekery I bought one new around 92 for around $150. At the same time I bought one of the first block letter 5150's. A demo for $900.. Bob Rock was the 2nd guy in town to have one at the time that I knew of. The only reason why I got it when and how I did was because the split post pot broke for presence and was missing the chicken knob. Everyone in town wanted to borrow it including Chad Kroeger. Long story.
The bravo was also a tube amp sir
@@carlhuffman6792 The bandit is solid state. Not a tube amp. The bravo is.
@@carlhuffman6792 I've owned both