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Topic: Peavey Bandit Transtube |
Wayne Quinn
From:
Cape Breton.NovaScotia
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Posted 16 Apr 2016 3:53 pm |
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Why do they make Steel Guitar amps if you can get away with just any amp. something wrong with this picture . 
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D10 Carter, SD10 Mullen .Nashville 400,. peavey 112 Boss DD3., RV5, |
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Tom Gorr
From:
Three Hills, Alberta
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Posted 17 Apr 2016 8:46 pm
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Musicians have used fender twins forever and half the amps built use similar circuit design ideas....that tonestack design is capable of doing nearly anything you ask of it. A lot of Mesa Mark series clean channel borrowed heavily from Fender....and also have a GEQ that can scoop at 750 Hz for the scooped metal sounds going back to the 80s.
Marshall lineage amps were an evolution of the Fender Bassman. Most amps go back to Fender which goes back to the original RCA design manual. There are a few basic designs that just seem to amplify signals properly. As a side note... some pickups both sixstring and steel were likely wound to sound great with Twins. The Shobud SC pickups sound totally different when you hear them in a tube amp vs SS.
There isn't a much difference in core amp circuit design as one would expect given the hundreds of amp companies that exist. Quality comes from componentry and specific tones from specific tweaks within a few variations of a common framework.
Peavey is reported to have built the Session model out of the Pacer...possibly a SS version of a Fender Twin type concept...which was an amp that I really enjoyed for six string electric guitar. Peavey has a ton of old amp models that used their paramid tonestack concept that steel players particularly appreciate on Peaveys steel amps. I read that Peavey hired the engineer from Electrovoice or was it JBL? to develop the Black Widow... so there is lineage histories even around speaker design and voicing technologies. I bought a speaker from an original Nashville 112 to put in my six string amp because it had killer mids for blues guitar tones. I love that speaker for six string...yet many guys pull them from the N112 because they were honky for steel. I loved them for steel too. I heard Jernigan play through one with a Fessy and the mids were gorgeous and forward... Almost pre Rola Greenbackish in voicing..British Celestion...which moves us over to the marketing term Sheffield in concept and many of the Transtube Bandits were equipped with Sheffield speakers..a tip of the hat to Celestion derived speaker voicing. One of the trends in Nashviille is to equip Fender amps with Celestion Greenbacks for example. Suits the rock meets country genre tonal character perhaps.
I think when you buy an amp specifically designed for steel you are buyng something that has been pretweaked to sound good for the intended purpose. It doesn't always sound good either. My Bandit works better for my MSA than my Vegas... my Emmons sounds very nice through the Vegas but is unuseable with my Bandit Transtube....When you buy a non steel amp. .. you generally have to be prepared to tweak it yourself with additional investment or accept tone that isn't perfect. But tone isnt actually found in anything other than the serendipidy of a whole bunch of parts happily working together to produce something we personally enjoy. Its a somewhat unpredictable equation given the infinite combinations of hands picks strings guitars pickups pedals cables amps tubes speakers rooms and ears...and location of ears in room.
Borrowing from the gold prospectors dictum.... Good tone is where you find it. |
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Sumit Simlai
From:
Uttar Pradesh, India
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Posted 18 Jan 2017 10:36 am Re: Peavey
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| Mike Brown wrote: |
| Sure, it would work for your steel guitar. When you get a chance, I recommend that you test drive a Peavey Nashville 112 amplifier. Should you have any questions about Peavey products, please don't hesitate to contact me toll free in North America at 1-877-732-8391, ext. 1180. |
Hi I live in New Delhi, India and have been an active non-pedal steel player past 47 years. As of date, I have had only two amps, first a Gibtone valve set that conked out quickly, and now a Marshall 15W G15RCD practice amp. This doesn't truly give me that electrifying sense of playing an electric steel.
If I were to buy a new larger amp, there are not too many choices here in India except the following:
Peavey Bandit 112
Roland Cube 80XL / 80GX
Stranger (Kolkata manufactured)
Fender Mustang
Marshalls
I am sort of inclined towards Peavey Bandit 112 (Nashville 112 isn't available here, new or seconds). Tough choice between Bandit and Roland Cube 80.
An early tip will help decide as I intend visit the music shop tomorrow.
regards
Sumit
Last edited by Sumit Simlai on 18 Jan 2017 4:46 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Sumit Simlai
From:
Uttar Pradesh, India
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Posted 18 Jan 2017 10:43 am Re: Better suited amplifier
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Okay Mike understood. but what if Nashville is not available at all in my area / country and importing it may not be a good idea both financially (huge import duties) and technically (110V, 60 Hz AC as against 240V, 50 Hz AC in India). Is there an alternative? As I asked in my post five minutes ago, how does the Bandit stand up against the Nashville on a scale of 1-10? |
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Sumit Simlai
From:
Uttar Pradesh, India
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Posted 18 Jan 2017 10:44 am
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| chris ivey wrote: |
| you should be able to find good bandits between $100-$200 all day long. i use an older 80w bandit 112 for lots of gigs. |
Hi Chris,
you seem to be very confident about the Bandit 112. What do I lose as compared to Nashville 112? |
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Sumit Simlai
From:
Uttar Pradesh, India
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Posted 18 Jan 2017 10:47 am
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| chris ivey wrote: |
with all due respect to you, mike (we like you)
this case is about a beginner asking about a usable amp for home practice and jamming. nothing professional.
the bandit is a totally sufficient amp for that at around 100+ bucks. you're recommending a new
$800 amp that really isn't that much of an improvement? c'mon! |
Well that's about newbies. I am not one. So tell me, professionally is the Bandit 112 an excellent product for stage as well? How would you compare it with Roland Cube 80W? |
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Bill Moore
From:
Manchester, Michigan
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Posted 18 Jan 2017 11:22 am
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| i think most prefer the Roland 80 to the Bandit. I have owned both and I agree. You might consider a small bass amp. I use Carvin bass amps now and they work well. You would need to use an outboard effect pedal for reverb or delay. Good luck. |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 18 Jan 2017 12:37 pm
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Chris is dead so he might be a while getting back to you.
My own experience with a Bandit -- and note that there have been a number of different models called "Bandit" over the years so I am never certain exactly what amp is being discussed -- is that it was loud but more shrill than rich/fat. I have never played a Cube but there has been a lot of love for them here on this forum. |
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Sumit Simlai
From:
Uttar Pradesh, India
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Posted 18 Jan 2017 4:33 pm
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Very sorry to hear about Chris.
Thanks for the tip about Roland. I guess then power is not something that I'll be able to enjoy due to reasons of availability here in India.
What would be a comparison between Nashville 112 and Cube 80 GX/XL? Just for sake of curiosity. |
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Sumit Simlai
From:
Uttar Pradesh, India
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Posted 18 Jan 2017 4:40 pm
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| Jon Light wrote: |
Chris is dead so he might be a while getting back to you.
My own experience with a Bandit -- and note that there have been a number of different models called "Bandit" over the years so I am never certain exactly what amp is being discussed -- is that it was loud but more shrill than rich/fat. I have never played a Cube but there has been a lot of love for them here on this forum. |
I'm referring to the Peavey Bandit Transtube that's currently bring offered by Peavey. Of course, their website lists only the Nashville 112 and Session 115 as steel amps. Bandit is classified under a different category. |
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Nathan Guilford
From:
Oklahoma City
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Posted 18 Jan 2017 4:45 pm Good amp to start with.
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Yes! I found a peavey bandit blue stripe at a garage sale for 50 bucks. It lasted for about a year and was a great amp to get those pristine cleans. Distortion channel was absolutely useless.
_________________
'02 Carter S-12 uni
‘76 MSA D-12
www.toothbrushers.com |
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Sumit Simlai
From:
Uttar Pradesh, India
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Posted 18 Jan 2017 4:51 pm
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| Charlie Hansen wrote: |
| Thanks guys for all the advice. I guess a bandit it is. |
Hi Charlie,
How do you find the Bandit? |
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Sumit Simlai
From:
Uttar Pradesh, India
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Posted 19 Jan 2017 2:14 am
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| Bill Moore wrote: |
| i think most prefer the Roland 80 to the Bandit. I have owned both and I agree. You might consider a small bass amp. I use Carvin bass amps now and they work well. You would need to use an outboard effect pedal for reverb or delay. Good luck. |
Hi Bill, thanks for your advice. But when you say a small bass amp, you mean in addition to the cube or just the base amp? the cube as such has a lot of useful effects I guess. How do you think the tone would be with a cube as compared to a Bandit? |
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Sumit Simlai
From:
Uttar Pradesh, India
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Posted 19 Jan 2017 2:18 am
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Gentlemen, before anything I should have said that I am a non-pedal steel player, not a pedal steel player at all.
In this context then what would be the ideal amp among the two to go with? |
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Sumit Simlai
From:
Uttar Pradesh, India
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Posted 19 Jan 2017 3:31 am
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Finally I took the decision.
Roland CUBE-80GX Guitar Amplifier.
Just ordered. |
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Wayne Quinn
From:
Cape Breton.NovaScotia
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Posted 19 Jan 2017 7:51 am
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I , my self would use and amp that is made for pedal steel guitar.why try to get blood out of a stone. thats my take on it.unless your looking for sound other than country 
_________________
D10 Carter, SD10 Mullen .Nashville 400,. peavey 112 Boss DD3., RV5, |
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Sumit Simlai
From:
Uttar Pradesh, India
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Posted 19 Jan 2017 10:30 am
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I fully agree with you Wayne. The problem is for a lap steel guitarist like me, there aren't many choices in my country. Nashvilles and Steelkings are not heard of this side of the world. Bandit is considered high end here and is only available on order.
Having gone through all the rigmarole past few months I had to decide. |
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Wayne Quinn
From:
Cape Breton.NovaScotia
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Posted 19 Jan 2017 6:18 pm
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I have never tryed the Roland Cube amp my self. but some members here on the forum a while back say that the XL 80 Roland Cube worked for them. hope its good for you .that amp would be my pick over some other amps that are non Steel amps if i had to go that route.
_________________
D10 Carter, SD10 Mullen .Nashville 400,. peavey 112 Boss DD3., RV5, |
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Jerry Recktenwald
From:
Louisville KY
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Posted 19 Jan 2017 6:58 pm
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| I have a fender sidekick 65 the clean channel only has treble and bass only. I also have a Boss GT 8 and want to use it to tweak my sound. Would replacing the speaker be worth the money and trouble? I am learning PSG GFI SM 10 |
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Bob Watson
From:
Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
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Posted 19 Jan 2017 9:16 pm
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| I've been playing a Push Pull Emmons pedal steel through the Roland Cube 60 modeling amp, which is an older version of the Roland Cube 80XL, for over 10 years. I set it to the "Black Panel" which is the amp model for a Fender Twin Reverb. I like it quite a bit. The fact that you are using it for lap steel, you might try the amp model that emulates the Vox AC30. It would give you a little edge, like a tube amp turned up loud enough to break up a little. I think you made the best choice and I'm sure you'll love your new Cube 80XL. Let us know what you think of it after you've had it a few days. |
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Bruce Derr
From:
Lee, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 20 Jan 2017 6:32 am
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Sumit, I think you'll be happy with the Cube 80GX. I usually gig with an 80X (earlier version but similar) and I also have a Cube 60, an old Bandit and a Studio Pro 112 (somewhat similar to a Bandit). I prefer the 80X for gigs. It has a silkier high end, plenty of available lows and pretty good reverb. I have not tried the current Bandit model but I have heard it is a good amp. But many steelers have posted comments about the Cubes, especially the 80XL, and most have been favorable. It's smaller and I believe lighter than the Bandit.
It may take some time for you to find settings that you like because the EQ is sensitive and wide-ranging, and the amp models are all quite different. Like others who have posted, I usually use the Black Panel setting. I set EQ fairly flat, with treble down a notch or two, and presence off, but of course that will depend on your guitar. When I need some overdrive I just crank the preamp gain up and reduce the volume accordingly. |
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