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Topic: My Apologies To Hartley Peavey |
Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 23 Apr 2021 6:22 am |
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When I started playing guitar in the 1980’s, I used a lot of so so solid state amps, even a rack mount guitar amp, until I got into tube snobbery. I never looked back, until now. I was pretty impressed by the sound of the fender tone master but that thing has a steep price tag. Recently I came across a “blind taste test†video shootout between a fender blues jr. and a Peavey Bandit. Every tone I swore was a tube amp....you guessed it...was the venerable Peavey Bandit. I feel like I did when I discovered that Santa Clause wasn’t real ! My apologies to Mr. Peavey for being so dismissive of his trans tube tech !
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D.S. Rigsby |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 23 Apr 2021 7:23 am
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I've never been disappointed in a Peavey amp and I've got a bunch. 
Erv |
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Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 23 Apr 2021 7:42 am
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Yeah Erv, I’ve always liked the NV400 for steel. I just dismissed their ss offerings. I think I just got caught up in the “only tube amps are worthy†mentality for a while. I just couldn’t believe how good the bandit sounded in a blind test. Just blew me away.
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D.S. Rigsby |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 23 Apr 2021 8:21 am
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There's a local guitar slinger that plays one of the Special models. He is a dynamite Tele player and he leans on it pretty hard. The first time I heard him, I would have sworn it was a tube amp. Of course the Special is a pretty stout little amp, but I was really surprised at the sound and output.
Of course much of the sound comes from the player and their attack and approach, I know.
Back in the 70s and 80s when Peaveys were pretty popular with many of the country, southern rock guitar players, I used to hear and see a lot of guitar pickers disparaging them. I guess that's what you call amp snobbery. I wonder how many of them ever really gave Peavey amps a chance.
I'm grateful for Hartley Peavey and his contribution, not only to the steel guitar world, but to the music industry as a whole. |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 23 Apr 2021 8:31 am
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WHAT!?!?!? Santa's not real?
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 23 Apr 2021 8:58 am
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Bandits are great amps for a Telecaster. I'm mostly a tube amp guy for guitar, but those Bandits are an exception. I personally like the original 50-watt Bandit and the Bandit 65 the most. But the later versions I've played are also good amps.
I've mentioned this a couple of times, including recently on the Dennis Payne obit thread. I would go see him and Smiley Roberts playing in Nashville whenever I could find them playing. He played a (I think) '57 Tele straight into a Bandit 65. Just blew me away, absolute pure Tele squawkin' goodness. Of course, the player and guitar matter a lot. But nothin' in that amp held him back. I've had a couple and feel the same way. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 23 Apr 2021 9:29 am
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| The thing that the listener doesn't get, is the way a tube amp responds to the player. I think that's what endears them to tube connossieurs, but those little Peavey amps sure sound fine to me. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 23 Apr 2021 10:46 am
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| My Amp Tech calls my 70's Peavey Pacer "The Princeton Reverb Killer", and he is a Tube Amp guy from way back. |
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Bill Terry
From:
Bastrop, TX
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Posted 24 Apr 2021 5:14 am
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| Dave wrote: |
| I personally like the original 50-watt Bandit and the Bandit 65 |
Me too... and they're out there for around 50 bucks most of the time. I'm down to two at the moment, but when someone is basically just giving one away I have a hard time resisting.
I've got a 50W version that's great for guitar, but it also matches up with my Emmons really well in a pinch. I'm not a loud player (I get told to turn up regularly) but the Bandit has plenty of volume for me.
I have 100.00 in this one with the Tolex and grill updates. Interestingly enough, I've had a lot of compliments at gigs on the sound of that amp from guys who didn't know it was a Peavey. I had one guy ask me when Mesa Boogie made that model? LOL...
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Lost Pines Studio
"I'm nuts about bolts" |
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Tim Johnson
From:
Cadiz, KY, USA
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Posted 25 Apr 2021 5:51 am
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| Pete Burak wrote: |
| My Amp Tech calls my 70's Peavey Pacer "The Princeton Reverb Killer", and he is a Tube Amp guy from way back. |
I absolutely love my Pacer with Tele, don’t use anything else. |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 25 Apr 2021 11:45 pm
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Look, I love Peavey ss amps as much as anyone, they have been part of my gear list on and off since they first came out.
However comparing a Bandit to a good Fender Princeton???.. You guys must have the wrong Princeton amps. The Bandit 65 is a good amp, and is certainly a lot louder than a Princeton, or even a Deluxe or Vibrolux... However, they are still solid state, and sound it, and respond like good solid state amp should... Very unlike a tube amp.
I worked with a guy that had and used a Bandit for years.. After listening to my various tube amps, he ditched it, and went and put together a rack setup, with a tube power amp... I have had great SS amps that I have enjoyed and used profssionally, such as Lab Series, and JC 120... They are good sounding amps for certain, but simply were never in the class of any Fender when it came to warmth, tone, touch response, sustain etc.. I would put the Bandit 65 in that same class,,, Good, but not Fender tube amp good.... bob
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Bill Ferguson
From:
Milton, FL USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2021 6:32 am
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Dustin, would you like for me to send your post directly to Hartley?
He does not read the SGF or FB.
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AUTHORIZED George L's, Goodrich, Telonics and Peavey Dealer: I have 2 steels and several amps. My current rig of choice is 1993 Emmons LeGrande w/ 108 pups (Jack Strayhorn built for me), Goodrich OMNI Volume Pedal, George L's cables, Goodrich Baby Bloomer and Peavey Nashville 112. Can't get much sweeter. |
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Pete McAvity
From:
St. Louis, Missouri USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2021 6:43 am
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Makes sense. A modded Bandit became the platform for the NV400.
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Excel Superb D10, Kline U12, Sarno Black Box, Goodrich L120, Boss DD5, Baby Bloomer, 1965 Super Reverb chopped to a head, feeding a mystery PA cab w/ a K130.
They say "thats how it goes". I say "that ain't the way it stays!" |
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Bob Watson
From:
Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
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Posted 26 Apr 2021 5:05 pm
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| I played through a Peavey Special 150 for years and it served me well. I started playing more Blues and R&B style gigs and started missing the sound of tubes, which I feel sound better for those styles. I always liked the sound of the Peavey Special 150 a little better when I use it with a compressor. I don't use a lot of compression, but I feel it gives the amp a more tube like feel. It also sounds pretty good for pedal steel if my steel amp is out of commission. I don't use it very much anymore, but I'd never sell it. It's truly a workhorse and if I'm playing out of town, it goes with me in case the tube amp breaks down. |
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Steve Schmidt
From:
Ramsey, MN, USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2021 5:57 pm
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| I picked up a really super beat bandit 65 off Craigslist for $40. Despite looking horrible it sounds very good with steel. After seeing yours Bill Terry, I am going to build a new cabinet. I’ll post pics |
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Bill Terry
From:
Bastrop, TX
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Posted 27 Apr 2021 5:08 am
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| Steve wrote: |
| After seeing yours Bill Terry, I am going to build a new cabinet. I’ll post pics |
Mine is in the original cab, just new tolex and grill, but I toyed with the idea of building a new cab from pine, but never did. Great idea!
BTW, since we're on the topic, does anyone actually use the 'Saturation' effect? I suppose it was intended to simulate tube distortion, but that was one thing about these older Solo Series amps I never cared for.
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Lost Pines Studio
"I'm nuts about bolts" |
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Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 27 Apr 2021 5:59 am
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| Bill Ferguson wrote: |
Dustin, would you like for me to send your post directly to Hartley?
He does not read the SGF or FB. |
Sure Bill. I’ll own up to my wrongs !
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D.S. Rigsby |
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Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 27 Apr 2021 6:04 am
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| Bob Carlucci wrote: |
Look, I love Peavey ss amps as much as anyone, they have been part of my gear list on and off since they first came out.
However comparing a Bandit to a good Fender Princeton???.. You guys must have the wrong Princeton amps. The Bandit 65 is a good amp, and is certainly a lot louder than a Princeton, or even a Deluxe or Vibrolux... However, they are still solid state, and sound it, and respond like good solid state amp should... Very unlike a tube amp.
I worked with a guy that had and used a Bandit for years.. After listening to my various tube amps, he ditched it, and went and put together a rack setup, with a tube power amp... I have had great SS amps that I have enjoyed and used profssionally, such as Lab Series, and JC 120... They are good sounding amps for certain, but simply were never in the class of any Fender when it came to warmth, tone, touch response, sustain etc.. I would put the Bandit 65 in that same class,,, Good, but not Fender tube amp good.... bob |
I was only talking about the “red stripe†bandit that I heard. I haven’t heard the bandit 65 nor have I played any bandit. I love tube amps...but the “blind taste test†really made me rethink my position. Diff’rent Strokes, diff’rent folks...To be fair, the bandit in question had a speaker swap too.
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D.S. Rigsby
Last edited by Dustin Rigsby on 27 Apr 2021 6:06 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Doug Earnest
From:
Branson, MO USA
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Posted 27 Apr 2021 6:04 am
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I did use the saturation effect for electric guitar quite a bit of the time, I remember it as being versatile. Of course being so long ago I remember nothing about the settings but the sound I dialed in mostly was "just a bit o dirt". I had the footswitch so as to switch channels.
It was my main amp three nights a week for a couple of years. Just hometown honky tonk stuff but it made me quite a bit of spending money! Not one patron ever came up to me and mentioned that I didn't have a good tube sound.......
I didn't like the Special 130 quite as well because you couldn't turn it up as far without being way too loud. |
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Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 27 Apr 2021 6:12 am
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| Doug Earnest wrote: |
It was my main amp three nights a week for a couple of years. Just hometown honky tonk stuff but it made me quite a bit of spending money! Not one patron ever came up to me and mentioned that I didn't have a good tube sound........ |
In the end, isn’t that what it’s really all about ? 2 for 1 customer satisfaction. Happy player+Happy patron + happy pub owner= more gigs. Simple math !
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D.S. Rigsby |
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Bill Ferguson
From:
Milton, FL USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2021 5:18 am
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Well Dustin, I sent you post to Hartley Peavey and got a reply last night.
Here ya go!
"Bill, Many thanks for forwarding this to me!!!....Back in the late 80’s tube production in the USA has been stopped several years earlier and all tube production (for Guitar amps) was coming from Eastern Bloc/China countries…I figured that when the Russians, and their “satellitesâ€, and China discovered how to make transistors and IC’s, that they would stop making tubes…. On this assumption, I asked my Engineers to make a solid state “equivalent†to a tube amp from input to output… My chief engineer was Jack Sondermeyer who ran RCA’s solid state audio division in Somerville New Jersey up until mid 1972 when he came to Peavey… Jack was damn close to an electronic Genious!!!... Of course when I discussed this with Jack he said that it was “IMPOSSIBLE†(just as he always did when I brought another crazy idea to him)…As usual Jack thot about it for about a week and then announced “I Have found the answerâ€â€¦.We made a “mockup†and it sounded damn near Identical to a tube amp….To “prove the point†re: the “Transtube Technology†we set up a “trial listen†at Sound Check in Nashville with 5 of Nashville’s
Top session men (AKA “golden earsâ€)… the name of the Event was “ FIND THE TRANSISTOR AMPâ€â€¦.Our (then) new “BANDIT†was placed behind a curtain along with 4 other TUBE AMPS… They all listened intently, with each bringing his own guitar… They couldn’t agree on which amp sounded best, but they ALL picked the SAME amp as being the “Transistor ampâ€â€¦ It was NOT our BANDIT but a reasonably well respected guy’s tube amp (Rivera)!!!!…. Frankly, I felt that if we could fool these the “Golden Eared Pro’s†we were good to go with Jack’s “Transtube†discoveries!! BTW we patented this approach shortly after this “A/B- Shootoutâ€â€¦BTW way we have been using this unique technology ever since…This is (as Paul Harvey used to say) “the REST of the storyâ€!!!.............warm regards………….. Hartley"
And Hartley shared your post throughout the engineers at Peavey.
Pretty neat.
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AUTHORIZED George L's, Goodrich, Telonics and Peavey Dealer: I have 2 steels and several amps. My current rig of choice is 1993 Emmons LeGrande w/ 108 pups (Jack Strayhorn built for me), Goodrich OMNI Volume Pedal, George L's cables, Goodrich Baby Bloomer and Peavey Nashville 112. Can't get much sweeter. |
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Doug Earnest
From:
Branson, MO USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2021 6:09 am
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How nice to see a reply from Mr Peavey, who I hold as an example of a great American businessman. I'm sorry I have never had the opportunity to meet him. I have read some books about him and the company.
It seems he is remembering and referring to the later model TransTube Bandits, completely different amp from the original Bandit 65 and its' cousins, the Bandit 50, Special 130 and 150. I think there were a couple of others also.
I've never had a chance to play through one of the TransTube Bandits that had not been trashed out so I can't give a fair comment on them.
Once again, thank you a thousand times Hartley Peavey and company. |
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Larry Dering
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2021 9:19 am
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| Doug, I have played through the early Bandits and Back Stage 50 and I still own a trans tube Bandit, along with a boatload of other Peavey and Fenders, both tube and SS. That trans tube Bandit is a killer amp for Telecaster. Not exactly my taste for pedal steel but it will do ok. Peavey has been on more jobs than any for me without a problem. |
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Steve Hinson
From:
Hendersonville Tn USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2021 3:02 pm ...and...
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I once read an interview with Buddy Emmons where he made this statement:
"Every steel guitar player owes Hartley Peavey a debt of gratitude."
SH |
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Ron Shalita
From:
California, USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2021 7:41 pm
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I have had a lot of PV amps... and they were all great, never a problem .. I still have my LTD 400 that I will keep till I die.. I feel the same a.bout all of my vintage Fenders.. love and use them all everyday..
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Been playing all of my life, Lead Guitar, and Pedal Steel, sing Lead and Harmony.. play other Instruments also but I hate to admit to it.. |
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