Having owned both of these excellent amps, I feel that the Roland is way out in front from the Bandit. However, the original Bandit 65 has a clean channel thats superior to both of these later amps. A great review. Bravo.
IMO, the Peavey sounds better (more open and dynamic) by a small margin when the clean channels are compared, and by a larger margin for dirty tones. Very cool amp!
A lot of bandit fans here but based on what I’ve heard (in person btw) I think the break up on the blues cube is much more convincing than anything else available. Bandit is a badass sleeper however.
The major difference between them is that the Peavey sounds brighter, and gets a somewhat scooped sound. The Roland sounds like it more oriented toward bass and mids (it has a warmer tone.) Both of them are good amps, its just a matter of whether you want a bright sound or a warmer sound.
Just wanted to say that all your videos about the Peavey amps were super handy when I saw one for sale cheap. I've now got an express 112 and it fantastic. Thank you
To my ears, (at least) they are similar sounding. The BC and Bandit very similar on clean. OD channel, the BC is very muddy & indistinct, the Bandit, much clearer! With the pedal, Bandit still a tad clearer sounding, but both were good, used that way!
@@melanie2663 I have owned 2 bandits, and have sold 1 and am willing to sell the other if someone wanted it. They sound phenomenal and are built like tanks. Honestly though they are as heavy as a tube amp, so id rather just use a tube amp most days. I have not tried the blues cube, but since then the Boss Katana has found a place in my house hold. So many great tones, its light, and loud af.
Bandit drive has a little more bite, but I’m still blown away that the blues cube is a solid state. Solid state tech has come a long way in the past 15 years.
Thank you for the comparison. I think the clean channels were fairly similar, my personal taste was for the Blues Cube, the Bandit being a bit bright in the 2Kish range. However, I thought the Bandit sounded better on the crunch channel, where the extra brightness made it much more clear. TransTube vs Tube Logic? I'm not sure which is the real winner, but you would expect that Roland would have the clear advantage of being much newer tube emulation technology than the '90s era TransTube circuit. I would probably still get the Blues Cube Artist if price was no factor as the different power output settings are a definite advantage, as well as the possibility of different sounds with tone capsules. Thank you for the video.
The Bandit really stands out here at least to me. I had one of the old original blues cubes that sounded pretty good too. All SS. 2x 10 as I recall. The 1 x 12 sounded better I thought but even back then Roland had something going on,. Would love to hear one of them next to a Bandit. Am looking around for a used Studio Pro now. You're costing me money!!!
I can vouch for the peavey studio pro, killer amp loud as all bejeebus, my Fender deluxe 85 is near as loud but not as brutal in tonality ( the peavey is better for heavier tunes IMO)both 65w amps .
I've watched this video before. This time I really like them both. Still I think I have to give it to Peavey based on value. I paid $300 for my 2018 Bandit used and I LOVE IT! Cheers from Williams Arizona!
Great shootout Shane. I would have to give it to the Peavey Bandit. They were neck n neck until you dialed them in for "your sound". As soon as you did, the Roland got muddy in the upper frequencies where as the Bandit stayed clean and clear with great note separation. I would really love to see the Bandit up against that Fender Deluxe Plus 112 you played in SFO. Both of them are about the best solid state amps I have ever freaking heard! Since I am an old Fender guy from seriously WAAAAAy back, I keep looking for that Fender amp, but even the Peavey Bandit red stripe, I have only run across one of them on the used market here. Lots of the rage or whatever it's called, and plenty of the studio. Plenty of the blue stripe and silver stripe bandits to be had here. Bob in Germany
Clean I was liking the bc a little more, in od mode I take the bandit More focused tone. The strat had more quack to it. Might be the Eminence rw&b in the Peavey. I have one in my blues deluxe , Killer upgrade!
Great video. The Peavey Bandit sounds fabulous and I preferred it with the Humbuckers. On Single Coils I would go with the Blues Cube - but only just, I think the Peavey, in this demo at least has a more open sound and a sweeter top end.
tdunster2011 yeah and getting one of those bandits will only cost you 200 or less compared to what 600 for the blues cube? dont hear 400 bucks worth of difference there. i got my bandit for 65 bucks used with a footswitch of off craigslist. i got lucky on that one lol.
Man! I love my red stripe Bandit but the Roland sounds bigger and warmer on every setting. The Bandit still sounds great though! Don't let comparison be the theif of joy!
I could tell you were liking the Blues Cube but for some reason it didn't sound as clear as the Bandit did on my speakers. I actually liked both quit well. Good test.
Great amps and very similar overall - both nail the old fender tweed tone and sound totally authentic. I went shopping for a blues junior but the guy in the shop persuaded me to A/B a few amps and in the price range the blues cube cane on tops for my tone and how I play.
Bandit, Bandit, Bandit! I've been playing for 37yrs and have owned sooo many tube amps. Now, I just play a bandit on stage(& Envoy at home) w a Boss SD1 in front and it's pure bliss. The SD1 adds the extra tube-like compression & sag that makes the Bandit sound & feel even more like a tube amp. With the SD1 added, I guarantee, no one could tell it wasn't a tube Amp just by listening. IMO, with TransTube, Hartley hit it out the park!!! That's some "TransTube Logic" for Ya
I blew up my Peavey StudioPro 112 Red Stripe, and found a bandit as replacement. The Bandit is my 2nd favorite amp, after the StudioPro. That sound was just that bit more complete. But love my Bandit!
Grate review Shane!! Shocked by the Peavey, I've had many Peavey's over the years...maybe I need to look st one again?? Been really intrigued by the Blues Cube as well. Just spent some time with some new Aussie mates. My company has a franchise is Melbourne...Called "Safe Roads." We hung out at a traffic conference in Arizona recently. Met guys from all over Aus, Sydney, the Gold Coast, Darwin....I'm loving you're channel. Good on ya from Virginia !! Cheers, Rod
The bandit sounded more open with the Paul against the darker "under blanket" tone of the Cube. With the strat the cube was clearer but the bandit had that southern dirt. For me peavey is the winner.
Playing this back in my studio, the Peavey is clearer and brighter. The Roland has more low mids and as a result is thicker but muddier. But I've heard the Roland on other videos and it seems capable of being just as clear, so it may just be the settings used in different circumstances.
Very cool. Have you or could you compare your redstripe to the newer version? Would be nice to hear if there is enough of a difference to warrant looking for the older USA amp. Thanks and love your vids!
I own the USA red stripe and tried the Chinese one and theres no comparison.USA one blows it away by a long shot. Couldn't even stand the newer China made one. Was really cheesy.
I have the Chinese one, and like the Lead channel. The cleans seem to have an overly 'immedediate', aggressive attack. I wanted to hear how one would sound in a Shane video.
thank you, I have one brannew:380€s!, bye the way, Roland BCArtist costs WAY more, and just in the beguinning of this vid the Peavey sounded better! I have the new Gray Stripe version, but for clean Jazz amp its soo great! : )
I do not understand why all of you guys that review amps demo an amp with an overdrive or boost in front of the amp. I want to hear everything the amp has to offer with the guitar going straight in otherwise the review is useless. Great review up to the point that you used the pedal. I have to say I was surprised by the Peavey but the Blues Cube is a much better amp. Roland is really the master when it comes to solid state amps and the blues cube is really the best amp I’ve ever owned and played through. It not only sound like an old Fender tweed amp buy it feels like one too if that makes sense. I’ve played countless jobs with that amp and either my tele, strat, or les paul and no pedals. I can dial in a great tone on that amp and I have to say that the blend between both channels sounds great. Watch Don Felder’s review on this amp, he comments on how great the blend between both channels sounds. My only complaint about the amp is that they should make a lacquered tweed version and they should also make the control panel chrome with chicken head knobs and a on/off toggle switch then it’d be perfect.
I have a couple of first generation Roland Blues Cube 60's from the 90's. I also have a made in USA Peavey red stripe Bandit with an Eminence Swamp Thang speaker. I absolutely love my 90's Blues Cube amps and would love to try one of the new versions. I like my Peavey Bandit quite a bit as well. I would love to see a side by side comparison of the first generation Roland Blues Cube with the new version.
Almost 14 years ago I got a Peavey Bandit Solo Series for $45. Still got it and is possibly my favorite amp in my arsenal. Even handles my T-40 whenever I need it to.
Both amps sound good. On the Blues Cube it is necessary to dial the bass back to 9 o'clock or so, or 3 on the dial. Otherwise the bass can be flabby. The tone stack is similar to a number of fenders and the "rule of 6" for the EQ and reverb works well (6 treble, 6 midrange, 3 Bass, 2 or 3 for reverb).
Having played a Blues Cube at the store, and really liking it, I thought it would win this comparison because all my Peaveys have been tube amps. Correction: I had a Pacer in 1979, but I sucked bad enough that I couldn't tell a good amp from a bad one. The Bandit sounded amazing! If I didn't already have a Classic VT and a Valveking 50 I would buy a Bandit immediately.
I'd give a slight edge to the Bandit. I had a red stripe but i got rid of it because it was just too damn loud for my purposes (mostly home, some small jams). I now have a Blues Cube Hot and am happy.
I've always thought the Peavey transtube series were great amps but never realized how great till recently. Bro, you hit the nail on the head with your proclamation about these amps. I've compared my red stripe studio pro to many other modern tube emulation amps and also to many real tube amps. The Peavey embarrassed every other high tech modern SS amp and even most tube amps. It's the only one that truly sounds like a tube amp. Just upgrade the speaker (I use the mojotone greyhound, highly recommend it).and get some drive pedals and use the clean channel. This technology is over 25 years old and still the best out there. Those good boys in Mississippi perfected the concept right out of the gate. Now stop telling people to buy them so I can hoard many backups for myself without having to spend so much. The tube shortage and your videos have shot the prices up at least 60% in the last 6 months.... But you're correct about these amps.
I wonder if the mic placement is similar on the amps. Shane may not be hearing what we hear... I agree the BC sounded more muffled than the Bandit esp. after he adjusted them both for his preferred tone. Hard to tell if this recording is good for us to compare with?
The Peavey Bandit and get the last made USA model, with red stripes and a red Peavey triangular logo. Tube snobs will rethink and some will cry. The amazing. Knowing so many gigging musicians, that did not know each other offered to me their backup amp, sometimes front line and recording amp? All sad they owned the last USA bandit and that consistency was/is almost impossible, but true. Many loved used the tube Peavey Deltra Blues 210 and one is in a Hall of Fame Band. Peavey amps were Hartley’s specialty, built for gigging musicians and are almost indestructible. Listening to the Delta Blues 210, then the Bandit and tube snobs need shut up, plus it says 80W RMS, which usually means about 30W RMS in reality...no! The Bandit pounds out 80W that will fill most sized gigging venues which ease and if you up the volume in a room, you may be deaf fast. Many Head/4x12 cabinet setups would turn to it and say “Wow!”. One open Jam night for gigging musicians to meet, share ideas and help make the music scene had 2 Peavey Bandits and no other amps. Nobody had an issue. The only thing I wished Hartley would have added was an emulated headphone/line out to make it perfect over outstanding. That would allow playing without waking up the whole house, or apartment...instant eviction. The Hall of Fame gigging musician, now also an outstanding tech, used a Peavey 210, but I told him about the USA Bandit. He was interested in hearing and I made that possible and he was blown away! His name is Brian and he filled in as lead guitar player for the Guess Who, when Randy Bachman left to help create BTO. That is touring as a group, with the Allman Brothers, Lynard Skynard, ZZ Top, on and on, from Texas to Tennessee. It made sense, he said to have a week of bands gigging, then moving as a group, city to city. It worked if gear crapped out, vehicles had issues and enjoying a tour together. More fun. If he is good with a Delta Blues 210, wowed by a Deltra Blues USA, in a room full of iconic Fender Amps and Marshall Amps and Guitars to put into them. Take the bandit, which used to be found used for $250 mint, now maybe $400 mint. Peavey is often overlooked, not endorsing piles of artists to keep gear pice down and quality high. Believe! Put any Boutique or Bigger Name Amp manufacturer and pit against the Bandit, Deltra Blues 210, or Peavey 5150/6505 combos and be wowed at half the price. We get stuck on brand name, me too, I admit, but the Peavey secret is dying. This is long, because it is true!! I have no Peavey affiliation. They just rock so hard, let guitars cry, can be dropped down a flight of stairs and still work. Don’t sleep on Randall Older Solid State amps. People give them away! Dumb! Dimebag played them for good reason. Loud, clean, built tough, no tube issues, and will rip metal if you choose. I just talked myself into buying a Bandit again and Randall 100w solid state. I sold them. Huge mistake, cheap to fix. Marshall, the man, RIP, late in life chose to gig with icons wanting to pay homage before a place in heaven and he picked a Tech 21 60W solid state to use over his own iconic amps and it soared. That sells it immediately! Be happy! Be safe!
i have a Roland Blues Cube 60. rather like it but i've been kicking around the idea the Artist. i've heard demos of the 4 tone capsules and i like the NY Blues capsule. full sound and ballsy. anyway, it is to me.
unclejondale I bought the Blues Cube with the New York flavour. It sounds realy warm and agresive the same time. Good for jazz, to blues to and rock. Yes it is! And it loves my pedals to. I think a very good choice for practice, recording and gigs!
Both amps sound very good. I have the exact same peavey bandit and stopped taking half stacks out years ago. Ive played the bandit in a small arena already. Alot of times I run a blues driver in front of it. Theamps over drive on the vintage is good also. My co guitarist has an old peavey and it sounds better then his $1500 prs amp. I also play out on a marshall dsl 40. Either 1 I get complements on tone.
Hey Shane great shoot out !! I have had tons of Peaveys over the years, kind of walked away from them but now I'm kind of thinking I need to take a trip back!! Been really interested in the Blues Cube, but I'm listening with a really sweet pair of AKG headphones, so I know I'm getting good tone and the Blues Cube sound kinda muddy and muddy compared to the Peavey. My Company has a franchise in Australia called "Safe Roads", they're located in Melbourne. Them in a bunch of other new ones in mates and I spent some time together at a traffic convention in Arizona recently.... definitely have got some friends spread out all over the great country of Australia now. I'm subscribed to your channel looking forward to hear what you got out there Cheers, Rod
Not much in it for me, but if I could find a red stripe bandit I would grab it with both hands. I only use a clean amp with pedals for drive, the Roland with it's plug in tone shapers is too many options for me. The tone l like the most is Roy Smith's (Skaboosh) Park JTM 45, if you search for Park JTM 45 you'll find it on UA-cam. As they're not made any more which clean amp and pedal combination would get close to that tone? it's the Kossoff 'Molten Gold tone. Merry Christmas from the UK Shane, thanks for all your demos. Ian
I am interested in both amps, thanks for the video. But I am know really hesitating to spend 500 euros more on the Roland blues cube, although the actual version of the Bandit 112 is not exactly the one in this video.... I found the peavey bandit current version still really good.... even better the the Roland.
Roland blues cube has much darker and fuller blues tone then peavey bandit. Are they at exactly same positions with volume, treble, middle, bass and reverb please? Distortion on Peavy was mush more pleasant then Roland blues cube that had dark closed tone.
At 3:03 I start hearing that background noise I hear on my Peavey Red Stripe Bandit and im wondering if that is the Peavey in the video and if this is normal for a Bandit and if there is a way to rectify this?.. I'm thinking of adding a noise gate to eliminate this..
They still make transtube bandits but not the red stripe. I think the voicing on the vintage setting (clean and lead) is better on the red stripe, and the voicing on the modern/high gain etc is slightly better on the newer cyclops bandits. They're both, imho, much better sounding than the muddy-ish blues cube.
The trick with the Blues Cube is to roll the bass back to 4 or 5, Mids at 5, and treble at 8, and Presence at 6 or more depending on guitar - then they don't sound muddy at all. If though, you set the knobs to the 12 O'clock / middle position they do sound muddy / terrible in comparison.. I was ready to sell my Blues Cube until I heard with the EQ set correctly. Now I'm loving it. I love the Bandits as well.
Shane is used to his Bandit, so it's no surprise it sounded better, and Shane missed the EQ on the BC for the lead stuff.. In fairness, give the blues cube to Shane for a week, then re-shoot the vid. I would love to see that! The blues cube sounds like an expensive, heavy, fragile tweed tube amp. Not exactly, but damn close. It breaks up just right, has that warmth. So it's a bargain at the price point if that's what you need. If you don't need it, get a Bandit.
Waleed Ali: I would get the bandit. You can change the speaker later down the road. WGS speakers work very well for about $70. That's my 2 cents... Cheers
I have a red stripe peavey bandit with an eminence legend 1275 speaker and I’ll take that everyday over my 6505 mh/orange micro dark/blackstar ID 60 TVP (run through 2 Celestion greenbacks)!
How are the picking dynamics and feel between the two? You had them set the same yet the blues cube was much louder, how do they compare in loudness? Are they tube loud? Is Roland Tube Logic an improvement over a old solid state amp or is marketing hype?
The Blues Cube has a deeper/warmer tone than the Peavey Bandit. Unless he had turned up the neck pickup and turned down the bride p-up,, I tried to watch carefully, but there's some editing in the video and I just don't know.
The BC does have a warmer tone because of it's modeling in design. Some call it muddy but I prefer it actually. Both good amps just depends on which sound best suits your style.
what is the tube accessory that sitting on top of the blues cube from Roland? I'm wondering if the tube accessory is altering the sound we're hearing from the Roland blues cube. Could you elucidate for us please?
How do they handle od/distortion stacking vs using the amp dirt channels? Seems the Fender Champion 100 can take about 2 dirt pedals but turns to mud after that
I have both...and each is a great amp..you should set both amps at 12 o clock...not just the roland...this would in my opinion show what each amp truly does.......the roland is way more expensive...and was designed at each stage of the signal path to emulate that of a tweed style tube amp.
Hey Shane, this is a time traveler from the year 2019, you're gonna do well and add a lot of wall art too.
Having owned both of these excellent amps, I feel that the Roland is way out in front from the Bandit.
However, the original Bandit 65 has a clean channel thats superior to both of these later amps.
A great review. Bravo.
I love the 65, got one for 20$
I am a live and die by Peavey guitarist, I think their amps are some of the best and it still remains true in most cases to me.
Both great amps. I always recommend these two for people who want a solid state amp with great tube emulation.
IMO, the Peavey sounds better (more open and dynamic) by a small margin when the clean channels are compared, and by a larger margin for dirty tones. Very cool amp!
A lot of bandit fans here but based on what I’ve heard (in person btw) I think the break up on the blues cube is much more convincing than anything else available. Bandit is a badass sleeper however.
Can't believe how well the Bandit held its own against the Blues Cube Artist. Huge price difference, not a huge sound difference.
The major difference between them is that the Peavey sounds brighter, and gets a somewhat scooped sound. The Roland sounds like it more oriented toward bass and mids (it has a warmer tone.) Both of them are good amps, its just a matter of whether you want a bright sound or a warmer sound.
The Roland is modeled more after that tweed amps sound as opposed to the Peavy which is why it's a warmer sound.
Just wanted to say that all your videos about the Peavey amps were super handy when I saw one for sale cheap. I've now got an express 112 and it fantastic. Thank you
Bandit all the way, much fuller and warmer.
To my ears, (at least) they are similar sounding. The BC and Bandit very similar on clean. OD channel, the BC is very muddy & indistinct, the Bandit, much clearer!
With the pedal, Bandit still a tad clearer sounding, but both were good, used that way!
It’s impossible to compare when you’re playing the guitar the wrong way round 😊
Another much wanted demo! These are exactly the two amps i was deciding between when I got my Teal stripe.
Can't go wrong, use my peavey every night
4 years on, what's your opinion? I'm torn between the bandit and the blues cube.
@@melanie2663 I have owned 2 bandits, and have sold 1 and am willing to sell the other if someone wanted it. They sound phenomenal and are built like tanks. Honestly though they are as heavy as a tube amp, so id rather just use a tube amp most days. I have not tried the blues cube, but since then the Boss Katana has found a place in my house hold. So many great tones, its light, and loud af.
Bandit drive has a little more bite, but I’m still blown away that the blues cube is a solid state. Solid state tech has come a long way in the past 15 years.
I would recommend and A/B switch pedal for future comparisons to speed up the back and forth. Good demo.
Agreed!
😁
Thank you for the comparison. I think the clean channels were fairly similar, my personal taste was for the Blues Cube, the Bandit being a bit bright in the 2Kish range. However, I thought the Bandit sounded better on the crunch channel, where the extra brightness made it much more clear. TransTube vs Tube Logic? I'm not sure which is the real winner, but you would expect that Roland would have the clear advantage of being much newer tube emulation technology than the '90s era TransTube circuit. I would probably still get the Blues Cube Artist if price was no factor as the different power output settings are a definite advantage, as well as the possibility of different sounds with tone capsules. Thank you for the video.
The Bandit really stands out here at least to me. I had one of the old original blues cubes that sounded pretty good too. All SS. 2x 10 as I recall. The 1 x 12 sounded better I thought but even back then Roland had something going on,. Would love to hear one of them next to a Bandit. Am looking around for a used Studio Pro now. You're costing me money!!!
I can vouch for the peavey studio pro, killer amp loud as all bejeebus, my Fender deluxe 85 is near as loud but not as brutal in tonality ( the peavey is better for heavier tunes IMO)both 65w amps .
I own the Blues Cube and it is one of my favourites. I was surprised at the great tones of the Peavey. Two stellar amps.!
Shane, thanks so much for doing these comparisons (amps and pedals). You're helping players on limited budgets spend their bucks more wisely. Cheers!
I've watched this video before. This time I really like them both. Still I think I have to give it to Peavey based on value. I paid $300 for my 2018 Bandit used and I LOVE IT! Cheers from Williams Arizona!
2 totally different driven tones. I really like them both.
Great shootout Shane. I would have to give it to the Peavey Bandit. They were neck n neck until you dialed them in for "your sound". As soon as you did, the Roland got muddy in the upper frequencies where as the Bandit stayed clean and clear with great note separation. I would really love to see the Bandit up against that Fender Deluxe Plus 112 you played in SFO. Both of them are about the best solid state amps I have ever freaking heard! Since I am an old Fender guy from seriously WAAAAAy back, I keep looking for that Fender amp, but even the Peavey Bandit red stripe, I have only run across one of them on the used market here. Lots of the rage or whatever it's called, and plenty of the studio. Plenty of the blue stripe and silver stripe bandits to be had here. Bob in Germany
that Bandit sounds so fuckin good. Both provide some killer tones
for me the Roland Blues Cube is the winner. great demo.
Clean I was liking the bc a little more, in od mode I take the bandit
More focused tone. The strat had more quack to it. Might be the
Eminence rw&b in the Peavey. I have one in my blues deluxe ,
Killer upgrade!
Great video. The Peavey Bandit sounds fabulous and I preferred it with the Humbuckers. On Single Coils I would go with the Blues Cube - but only just,
I think the Peavey, in this demo at least has a more open sound and a sweeter top end.
tdunster2011 yeah and getting one of those bandits will only cost you 200 or less compared to what 600 for the blues cube? dont hear 400 bucks worth of difference there. i got my bandit for 65 bucks used with a footswitch of off craigslist. i got lucky on that one lol.
Man! I love my red stripe Bandit but the Roland sounds bigger and warmer on every setting. The Bandit still sounds great though! Don't let comparison be the theif of joy!
I could tell you were liking the Blues Cube but for some reason it didn't sound as clear as the Bandit did on my speakers. I actually liked both quit well. Good test.
Shane, could I send you an A/B box?
Really.
save him lots of vid editing fer sure!
Great amps and very similar overall - both nail the old fender tweed tone and sound totally authentic.
I went shopping for a blues junior but the guy in the shop persuaded me to A/B a few amps and in the price range the blues cube cane on tops for my tone and how I play.
Bandit, Bandit, Bandit! I've been playing for 37yrs and have owned sooo many tube amps. Now, I just play a bandit on stage(& Envoy at home) w a Boss SD1 in front and it's pure bliss. The SD1 adds the extra tube-like compression & sag that makes the Bandit sound & feel even more like a tube amp. With the SD1 added, I guarantee, no one could tell it wasn't a tube Amp just by listening. IMO, with TransTube, Hartley hit it out the park!!! That's some "TransTube Logic" for Ya
I've had two red stripe, if ya want a gigging amp and practice without all the effects it's a great little workhorse...
i used to have that peavey bandit 112 transtube and i loved it. i miss it very much. if i remeber right it had a pretty great, real, spring reverb.
I blew up my Peavey StudioPro 112 Red Stripe, and found a bandit as replacement.
The Bandit is my 2nd favorite amp, after the StudioPro.
That sound was just that bit more complete.
But love my Bandit!
Grate review Shane!! Shocked by the Peavey, I've had many Peavey's over the years...maybe I need to look st one again?? Been really intrigued by the Blues Cube as well. Just spent some time with some new Aussie mates. My company has a franchise is Melbourne...Called "Safe Roads." We hung out at a traffic conference in Arizona recently. Met guys from all over Aus, Sydney, the Gold Coast, Darwin....I'm loving you're channel. Good on ya from Virginia !!
Cheers,
Rod
The bandit sounded more open with the Paul against the darker "under blanket" tone of the Cube. With the strat the cube was clearer but the bandit had that southern dirt. For me peavey is the winner.
Great video thank you.This is the first review that I have listened to time and again ! Thank you.
Peavey wrap that chassis in tweed and market it as "classic bandit" ..... Would be Imho an instant.... well classic
Loup Garou I agree. I know the only thing that should matter is the sound but the Peavey looks too metal for me.
I like what you did there.
Playing this back in my studio, the Peavey is clearer and brighter. The Roland has more low mids and as a result is thicker but muddier. But I've heard the Roland on other videos and it seems capable of being just as clear, so it may just be the settings used in different circumstances.
Just purchased a BCA. Thanks Shane.
Congrats, I just bought the Blues Cube Hot 3 weeks ago, KILLER amp!!!
Great video, thx for this test. Very interesting. This Peavey seems to rock.
Thanks for a great vid!! Question: its difficult to determine over youtube, but which one is overall louder with just cleans?
Very cool. Have you or could you compare your redstripe to the newer version? Would be nice to hear if there is enough of a difference to warrant looking for the older USA amp. Thanks and love your vids!
I will do that soon for sure.
can you get a katana too, and put that in the mix? anyway, definitely looking forward to hearing your take on a modern bandit.
I own the USA red stripe and tried the Chinese one and theres no comparison.USA one blows it away by a long shot. Couldn't even stand the newer China made one. Was really cheesy.
Fenderbender 789 Thank you!
I have the Chinese one, and like the Lead channel. The cleans seem to have an overly 'immedediate', aggressive attack. I wanted to hear how one would sound in a Shane video.
Man I really underestimated the Peavy 112 amps
thank you, I have one brannew:380€s!, bye the way, Roland BCArtist costs WAY more, and just in the beguinning of this vid the Peavey sounded better! I have the new Gray Stripe version, but for clean Jazz amp its soo great! : )
That Bandit! Dang!! BC just didn't have the presence that the Bandit has....always a treat Shane, rock on!!
Both are very good. I play LPs and it seems that humbuckers sound more natural on the Roland.
The blues cube doesn't have a power attenuator. It has four separate amps.
Very good demo. First time I hear the Bandit, and I must say I'm quite amazed.
I do not understand why all of you guys that review amps demo an amp with an overdrive or boost in front of the amp. I want to hear everything the amp has to offer with the guitar going straight in otherwise the review is useless. Great review up to the point that you used the pedal. I have to say I was surprised by the Peavey but the Blues Cube is a much better amp. Roland is really the master when it comes to solid state amps and the blues cube is really the best amp I’ve ever owned and played through. It not only sound like an old Fender tweed amp buy it feels like one too if that makes sense. I’ve played countless jobs with that amp and either my tele, strat, or les paul and no pedals. I can dial in a great tone on that amp and I have to say that the blend between both channels sounds great. Watch Don Felder’s review on this amp, he comments on how great the blend between both channels sounds. My only complaint about the amp is that they should make a lacquered tweed version and they should also make the control panel chrome with chicken head knobs and a on/off toggle switch then it’d be perfect.
Bandits way better!!
I'm a Blues Cube fan but the Peavey Bandit sounded great.
I have a couple of first generation Roland Blues Cube 60's from the 90's. I also have a made in USA Peavey red stripe Bandit with an Eminence Swamp Thang speaker. I absolutely love my 90's Blues Cube amps and would love to try one of the new versions. I like my Peavey Bandit quite a bit as well. I would love to see a side by side comparison of the first generation Roland Blues Cube with the new version.
Peavey sounds great!
Almost 14 years ago I got a Peavey Bandit Solo Series for $45. Still got it and is possibly my favorite amp in my arsenal. Even handles my T-40 whenever I need it to.
Both amps sound good. On the Blues Cube it is necessary to dial the bass back to 9 o'clock or so, or 3 on the dial. Otherwise the bass can be flabby. The tone stack is similar to a number of fenders and the "rule of 6" for the EQ and reverb works well (6 treble, 6 midrange, 3 Bass, 2 or 3 for reverb).
Bandit brighter Blues Cube warmer sounds a bit more tube like. Both great SS amps... Nice Demo Shane
Bandit wins. And a whole lot cheaper then a Cube. Thumbs up guy.
Goes to show just how far ahead of it's time the Bandit always was!!
Having played a Blues Cube at the store, and really liking it, I thought it would win this comparison because all my Peaveys have been tube amps. Correction: I had a Pacer in 1979, but I sucked bad enough that I couldn't tell a good amp from a bad one. The Bandit sounded amazing! If I didn't already have a Classic VT and a Valveking 50 I would buy a Bandit immediately.
I'd give a slight edge to the Bandit. I had a red stripe but i got rid of it because it was just too damn loud for my purposes (mostly home, some small jams). I now have a Blues Cube Hot and am happy.
I'm amazed how far the Peavey Bandit has come compared to the original from the 90's, which sounded terrible. The new ones sound really good!!
That dangling Les Pual at 4:50 :D
Bandit really shines for my taste (at least via UA-cam sound). Good review, thanks a lot.
Love both. Thanks Shane... just picked up Red Stripe Bandit for £45
I've always thought the Peavey transtube series were great amps but never realized how great till recently. Bro, you hit the nail on the head with your proclamation about these amps. I've compared my red stripe studio pro to many other modern tube emulation amps and also to many real tube amps. The Peavey embarrassed every other high tech modern SS amp and even most tube amps. It's the only one that truly sounds like a tube amp. Just upgrade the speaker (I use the mojotone greyhound, highly recommend it).and get some drive pedals and use the clean channel. This technology is over 25 years old and still the best out there. Those good boys in Mississippi perfected the concept right out of the gate. Now stop telling people to buy them so I can hoard many backups for myself without having to spend so much. The tube shortage and your videos have shot the prices up at least 60% in the last 6 months.... But you're correct about these amps.
And, you need to turn that guitar around and play it the right way. You think you're Albert king or something?
I like them both! But I will get Blues Cube
I’ve got a silver stripe bandit.... bought it cheap. Sound so good for a solid state.
I wonder if the mic placement is similar on the amps. Shane may not be hearing what we hear... I agree the BC sounded more muffled than the Bandit esp. after he adjusted them both for his preferred tone. Hard to tell if this recording is good for us to compare with?
I like the Roland Blues Cube best. It sounds smoother and not brittle like a country music melody, from the peavey.
Awesome video - great comparison. Thank you!!!
LOL such a pain in the ass back and forth when without ABY pedal ^_^
The Peavey Bandit and get the last made USA model, with red stripes and a red Peavey triangular logo. Tube snobs will rethink and some will cry. The amazing. Knowing so many gigging musicians, that did not know each other offered to me their backup amp, sometimes front line and recording amp? All sad they owned the last USA bandit and that consistency was/is almost impossible, but true. Many loved used the tube Peavey Deltra Blues 210 and one is in a Hall of Fame Band. Peavey amps were Hartley’s specialty, built for gigging musicians and are almost indestructible. Listening to the Delta Blues 210, then the Bandit and tube snobs need shut up, plus it says 80W RMS, which usually means about 30W RMS in reality...no! The Bandit pounds out 80W that will fill most sized gigging venues which ease and if you up the volume in a room, you may be deaf fast. Many Head/4x12 cabinet setups would turn to it and say “Wow!”. One open Jam night for gigging musicians to meet, share ideas and help make the music scene had 2 Peavey Bandits and no other amps. Nobody had an issue. The only thing I wished Hartley would have added was an emulated headphone/line out to make it perfect over outstanding. That would allow playing without waking up the whole house, or apartment...instant eviction. The Hall of Fame gigging musician, now also an outstanding tech, used a Peavey 210, but I told him about the USA Bandit. He was interested in hearing and I made that possible and he was blown away! His name is Brian and he filled in as lead guitar player for the Guess Who, when Randy Bachman left to help create BTO. That is touring as a group, with the Allman Brothers, Lynard Skynard, ZZ Top, on and on, from Texas to Tennessee. It made sense, he said to have a week of bands gigging, then moving as a group, city to city. It worked if gear crapped out, vehicles had issues and enjoying a tour together. More fun. If he is good with a Delta Blues 210, wowed by a Deltra Blues USA, in a room full of iconic Fender Amps and Marshall Amps and Guitars to put into them. Take the bandit, which used to be found used for $250 mint, now maybe $400 mint. Peavey is often overlooked, not endorsing piles of artists to keep gear pice down and quality high. Believe! Put any Boutique or Bigger Name Amp manufacturer and pit against the Bandit, Deltra Blues 210, or Peavey 5150/6505 combos and be wowed at half the price. We get stuck on brand name, me too, I admit, but the Peavey secret is dying. This is long, because it is true!! I have no Peavey affiliation. They just rock so hard, let guitars cry, can be dropped down a flight of stairs and still work. Don’t sleep on Randall Older Solid State amps. People give them away! Dumb! Dimebag played them for good reason. Loud, clean, built tough, no tube issues, and will rip metal if you choose. I just talked myself into buying a Bandit again and Randall 100w solid state. I sold them. Huge mistake, cheap to fix. Marshall, the man, RIP, late in life chose to gig with icons wanting to pay homage before a place in heaven and he picked a Tech 21 60W solid state to use over his own iconic amps and it soared. That sells it immediately! Be happy! Be safe!
love your vids dude. thanks from the UK
Thanks mike ☺️👍
Both nice but I prefer the overdrive tone on the Cube.
i have a Roland Blues Cube 60. rather like it but i've been kicking around the idea the Artist. i've heard demos of the 4 tone capsules and i like the NY Blues capsule. full sound and ballsy. anyway, it is to me.
unclejondale I bought the Blues Cube with the New York flavour. It sounds realy warm and agresive the same time. Good for jazz, to blues to and rock. Yes it is! And it loves my pedals to. I think a very good choice for practice, recording and gigs!
Both amps sound very good. I have the exact same peavey bandit and stopped taking half stacks out years ago. Ive played the bandit in a small arena already. Alot of times I run a blues driver in front of it. Theamps over drive on the vintage is good also. My co guitarist has an old peavey and it sounds better then his $1500 prs amp. I also play out on a marshall dsl 40. Either 1 I get complements on tone.
Hey Shane great shoot out !! I have had tons of Peaveys over the years, kind of walked away from them but now I'm kind of thinking I need to take a trip back!! Been really interested in the Blues Cube, but I'm listening with a really sweet pair of AKG headphones, so I know I'm getting good tone and the Blues Cube sound kinda muddy and muddy compared to the Peavey.
My Company has a franchise in Australia called "Safe Roads", they're located in Melbourne. Them in a bunch of other new ones in mates and I spent some time together at a traffic convention in Arizona recently.... definitely have got some friends spread out all over the great country of Australia now. I'm subscribed to your channel looking forward to hear what you got out there
Cheers,
Rod
For me the distortion on the Peavey is so much smoother, and the clean is sweeter.
Not much in it for me, but if I could find a red stripe bandit I would grab it with both hands. I only use a clean amp with pedals for drive, the Roland with it's plug in tone shapers is too many options for me. The tone l like the most is Roy Smith's (Skaboosh) Park JTM 45, if you search for Park JTM 45 you'll find it on UA-cam. As they're not made any more which clean amp and pedal combination would get close to that tone? it's the Kossoff 'Molten Gold tone. Merry Christmas from the UK Shane, thanks for all your demos. Ian
I am interested in both amps, thanks for the video. But I am know really hesitating to spend 500 euros more on the Roland blues cube, although the actual version of the Bandit 112 is not exactly the one in this video.... I found the peavey bandit current version still really good.... even better the the Roland.
Looking for a amp for just clean with a A/B box going to another for dirty and distortion. This video rocked. Thanks
Both sound good
Roland blues cube has much darker and fuller blues tone then peavey bandit. Are they at exactly same positions with volume, treble, middle, bass and reverb please? Distortion on Peavy was mush more pleasant then Roland blues cube that had dark closed tone.
Doesnt weight lifting effect your fingers?
great demo btw!
From what I can hear the blues cubs sounds. Bit muddy/muffled and the bandit seemed to be breathing and I preferred the sound of the p
At 3:03 I start hearing that background noise I hear on my Peavey Red Stripe Bandit and im wondering if that is the Peavey in the video and if this is normal for a Bandit and if there is a way to rectify this?.. I'm thinking of adding a noise gate to eliminate this..
Why did Peavey stop making these amps ? They sound amazing.
Have you heard the Peavey Delta Blues? Best blues amp I have ever heard.
Yes. there is a video on UA-cam of a G&L S-500 playing through a Peavey Delta Blues. It sounds very good. Big speaker in them as well which is nice.
They still make transtube bandits but not the red stripe. I think the voicing on the vintage setting (clean and lead) is better on the red stripe, and the voicing on the modern/high gain etc is slightly better on the newer cyclops bandits. They're both, imho, much better sounding than the muddy-ish blues cube.
The trick with the Blues Cube is to roll the bass back to 4 or 5, Mids at 5, and treble at 8, and Presence at 6 or more depending on guitar - then they don't sound muddy at all. If though, you set the knobs to the 12 O'clock / middle position they do sound muddy / terrible in comparison.. I was ready to sell my Blues Cube until I heard with the EQ set correctly. Now I'm loving it. I love the Bandits as well.
@@tdunster2011 That's the exact same settings I use for my Roland Stage on the EQ and it's actually brighter and cleaner than the Bandit.
Consider doing a crush 35rt comparison? I wanna see how it'll do for blues
That would be great - I think Orange has a softer edge on the clean tone - and a dirtier - fizzy gain .
Shane is used to his Bandit, so it's no surprise it sounded better, and Shane missed the EQ on the BC for the lead stuff.. In fairness, give the blues cube to Shane for a week, then re-shoot the vid. I would love to see that! The blues cube sounds like an expensive, heavy, fragile tweed tube amp. Not exactly, but damn close. It breaks up just right, has that warmth. So it's a bargain at the price point if that's what you need. If you don't need it, get a Bandit.
Main difference for me is price. They both sound good.
The Bandit came out on top for me. I have a USA Redstripe and it is my go to amp:)
Waleed Ali: I would get the bandit. You can change the speaker later down the road. WGS speakers work very well for about $70. That's my 2 cents... Cheers
I agree, the Bandit is an amazing amp both in tone and reliability.
Have you run an overdrive through your bandit? if so what sort and how does it sound?
I have a red stripe peavey bandit with an eminence legend 1275 speaker and I’ll take that everyday over my 6505 mh/orange micro dark/blackstar ID 60 TVP (run through 2 Celestion greenbacks)!
How are the picking dynamics and feel between the two? You had them set the same yet the blues cube was much louder, how do they compare in loudness? Are they tube loud? Is Roland Tube Logic an improvement over a old solid state amp or is marketing hype?
Great vid mate,Merry Xmas
Thanks Clive. Merry Xmas to you too mate. :-)
All your fault Shane. I've been on the look out for Red stripe Bandit and snagged one for $100. For that kind of money I've got an awesome amp!
The mids are definitely more pronounced on the Peavey. The clarity seems a lot better in the mid range.
The Blues Cube has a deeper/warmer tone than the Peavey Bandit. Unless he had turned up the neck pickup and turned down the bride p-up,, I tried to watch carefully, but there's some editing in the video and I just don't know.
The BC does have a warmer tone because of it's modeling in design. Some call it muddy but I prefer it actually. Both good amps just depends on which sound best suits your style.
what is the tube accessory that sitting on top of the blues cube from Roland? I'm wondering if the tube accessory is altering the sound we're hearing from the Roland blues cube. Could you elucidate for us please?
How do they handle od/distortion stacking vs using the amp dirt channels? Seems the Fender Champion 100 can take about 2 dirt pedals but turns to mud after that
I have both...and each is a great amp..you should set both amps at 12 o clock...not just the roland...this would in my opinion show what each amp truly does.......the roland is way more expensive...and was designed at each stage of the signal path to emulate that of a tweed style tube amp.
@johncartelli which one plays better?
the blues cube is warmer....but its all what you like.....I could say one is better but you could like the other better...both great amps
I wonder how the Tone Capsules would factor in on this comparison? Have you tried it?
ua-cam.com/video/q8RMvA22b_k/v-deo.html
go and try both and see which one you like better...thats the best advice
sadly, none is available in my area. I'm gonna have to order it to get it.
Why does the Roland Cube have so much finger squeaking sound when the hands moved across the frets and it's a solid state amp?