Peavey Bandit 65

I have the old Bandit 65 from the 80's. Features have been described pretty well below. Bought mine used about 3 years ago and it's all original except for the reverb tank - all but one spring was broken when I bought it, so I replaced the tank. It's in good shape cosmetically as well - the logo is still on the front, grill cloth intact, etc. The thing smells like cigarettes and beer so I know it's seem some use in bars!

I have a number of guitars but I mostly play an older PRS CE24 and a Squier Strat (both ends of the quality spectrum). I play mostly blues, classic rock and country music. Some jazzier stuff as well.

When I first bought this amp I used it set very clean and plugged into various multi-effect pedals for distortion and even for reverb. About a year ago I finally tried playing without any pedals, and I found that this amp sounds GREAT totally on it's own! What I do is set the PRE gain at 3:00 (3/4 up) or higher, the POST gain around 9:00 (1/4 up) and then keep the SATURATION somewhere between 0 and about 4, depending on the guitar and how much grit I need. Tone controls are: bass - 4, mid - 0, treble - 5 and presence between 0 - 5. With these settings my PRS just sings! Huge sustain and even controlled feedback, with warm tube-like overdrive tones. And I can get my Strat to sound more SRV'ish with just this amp, than with any overdrive pedal I've tried.

I should mention that I also have a 40 year old Fender Deluxe Reverb as well, that I used to gig with regularly - but the Peavey has replaced it. The DR sounds great but it needs a good overdrive pedal to really get it going and it's tonal variety is rather limited. The Bandit's tone is so much more versatile (eq pots very expressive) and with the pre, post, and saturation controls, it gets an amazing range of sounds. Even though this amp sounds great on it's own, I confess that I have been using a compression pedal for a little extra punch.

As for volume - I use the lead channel all the time, and with the PRE gain set 3/4 or full up, I've never had to turn the POST gain past 3 or 4. I play smaller clubs and outdoor gigs (county fairs, Music in the Park, etc) and this thing has all the volume I need, and then some.

I've been using this amp for rehearsals and gigs (a bunch of them outside events) for the last year without any problems. This Bandit is about 25 years old and still doing just fine. I did take another amp along to my last gig, just 'cause the venue was an hour away and I thought it prudent to have a back-up (hey, I was a Scout, so I've learned to 'be prepared').

I called Peavey for info when I bought this amp. They told me where to find an owners manual and what kind of reverb tank to buy. For a product this old, I was surprised how helpful they were.

Love this amp! I never thought I'd like a SS amp so much. I've been contemplating getting a second Bandit 65, for larger venues or just to get a stereo effect on stage. Love it, love it, love it!

I have the old Bandit 65 from the 80's. Features have been described pretty well below. Bought mine used about 3 years ago and it's all original except for the reverb tank - all but one spring was broken when I bought it, so I replaced the tank. It's in good shape cosmetically as well - the logo is still on the front, grill cloth intact, etc. The thing smells like cigarettes and beer so I know it's seem some use in bars!

I have a number of guitars but I mostly play an older PRS CE24 and a Squier Strat (both ends of the quality spectrum). I play mostly blues, classic rock and country music. Some jazzier stuff as well.

When I first bought this amp I used it set very clean and plugged into various multi-effect pedals for distortion and even for reverb. About a year ago I finally tried playing without any pedals, and I found that this amp sounds GREAT totally on it's own! What I do is set the PRE gain at 3:00 (3/4 up) or higher, the POST gain around 9:00 (1/4 up) and then keep the SATURATION somewhere between 0 and about 4, depending on the guitar and how much grit I need. Tone controls are: bass - 4, mid - 0, treble - 5 and presence between 0 - 5. With these settings my PRS just sings! Huge sustain and even controlled feedback, with warm tube-like overdrive tones. And I can get my Strat to sound more SRV'ish with just this amp, than with any overdrive pedal I've tried.

I should mention that I also have a 40 year old Fender Deluxe Reverb as well, that I used to gig with regularly - but the Peavey has replaced it. The DR sounds great but it needs a good overdrive pedal to really get it going and it's tonal variety is rather limited. The Bandit's tone is so much more versatile (eq pots very expressive) and with the pre, post, and saturation controls, it gets an amazing range of sounds. Even though this amp sounds great on it's own, I confess that I have been using a compression pedal for a little extra punch.

As for volume - I use the lead channel all the time, and with the PRE gain set 3/4 or full up, I've never had to turn the POST gain past 3 or 4. I play smaller clubs and outdoor gigs (county fairs, Music in the Park, etc) and this thing has all the volume I need, and then some.

I've been using this amp for rehearsals and gigs (a bunch of them outside events) for the last year without any problems. This Bandit is about 25 years old and still doing just fine. I did take another amp along to my last gig, just 'cause the venue was an hour away and I thought it prudent to have a back-up (hey, I was a Scout, so I've learned to 'be prepared').

I called Peavey for info when I bought this amp. They told me where to find an owners manual and what kind of reverb tank to buy. For a product this old, I was surprised how helpful they were.

Love this amp! I never thought I'd like a SS amp so much. I've been contemplating getting a second Bandit 65, for larger venues or just to get a stereo effect on stage. Love it, love it, love it!

It's a pretty basic solid state setup: 2 footswitch-able channels, 3-band EQ, presence, an effects loop, and a spring reverb. Really, it's got everything I need and more, although sometimes I wish it had a headphone jack. The one sort of neat -- but in my opinion somewhat limited -- feature is the pull-knob. This amp has three: one for "bright" on each channel, and one for "thick" on the EQ. I don't typically use these knobs, but I suppose I would if I was looking around for different sorts of sounds.

I play rock'n'roll, more or less, and I play semi-regular gigs with this amp. The thing has tons of power and could easily do a club without being mic'd. Typically, however, I used it with a SM-57, and I tend to keep the volume somewhere between 3 and 4. My one complaint is its weight: the thing is rather heavy for a 1-speaker combo. Makes it feel solid, I guess.

I've played a pretty decent variety of guitars through this amplifier and have yet to find anything that doesn't work. My main guitar is a Les Paul with stock humbuckers, and I think it sounds great. However, this amp can be somewhat difficult to get a good sound from at first. That being said, once you find some settings that work well, it can be great. Other people have said that it's a relatively "flat" sounding amp, and I would agree. The key, in my opinion, to getting a great sound from this amp is to have a couple of choice pedals from which you can draw some character tone. My live setup is really simple: guitar --> Boss TU-2 --> Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive --> Bandit 65. I generally just set my two pedals on top of the thing, turn it up, and play.

I think this amp tends to handle overdrive better than distortion. I do occasionally use a DS-1, but it's really more suited to making crunchy, classic-type sounds -- something it does very well. The clean channel is nice for running an acoustic guitar through in a pinch, but really nice, almost tube-y cleans can be achieved through proper manipulation of the lead channel and the EQ.

As I said previously, the features are nice, but I don't use all of them. The pull knobs stay pushed 99% of the time, and the effects loop has been used once (not that it's useless or anything; I just like to keep it simple). The reverb, on the other hand, is most useful. It sounds pretty good and is very versatile.

Also, if you decide that you need volume in a smaller combo, this amp is for you! I've never had it past about 3/4 for any length of time, and 1/4 is more than enough for jamming with a drummer. It's a loud amp that continues to sound good at volume.

If you're a real tone-freak, however, keep in mind that this is most certainly not a Fender '57 Twin. But for what it is, it's wonderful. That's why it gets an 8.

This amp is by far the most dependable piece of hardware I've used. I'd put its reliability on par with that of the indestructible Boss pedals. I have no concerns about gigging without a backup; my Bandit has never failed me, and I doubt that it ever will.

I've never dealt with Peavey, and the thing doesn't look like it's going to die anytime soon.

For what I do, this is an excellent amp. Tons of power, all the features I need, and the versatility to do more than just rock'n'roll. You could conceivably set it up to play anything from jazz to all but the heaviest metal. It takes pedals well, it's damn near indestructible, and it's a great little amp whether you're a beginner, a gigger, or just want to play a good sounding amp. I've played better sounding amps, but they typically cost at least a few hundred bucks more and, frankly, are less reliable ('57 Twin, JCM-800, Bassman, Blues Junior). Sounds better than any Marshall combo I've ever owned. If it was stolen or lost, I would absolutely scour the globe to find another one.

Purchased in 1986 and at the time was in the top 3 in Guitar for Practicing Musician's top amp seller list for what must have been 3-4 years. For the novice and intermediate guitar player who's not picky with tone this is a more than solid amp. Built in distortion is way to saturated to do hard rock or metal but for a light overdrive like sound it does well. It has channel switching and you can plug an effects loop. The amp cranks (65 watts solid state) and is loud enough for gigging and jamming the versatile songs that we did (but with the aid of a handful of pedals)

The clean channel is crisp, perhaps a bit stiff. It's no contest when it's side by side next to a marshall but when I hooked up my Boss GT-6 (all in one programmable pedal) and used some of the amp modeling it sounded pretty good. The built in distortion is only good for a light crunch. If you turn it way up it sounds pretty crappy and you loose the crispness. Clean is nice and useful. When using the clean channel with a procat stomp box and a boss eq it sounds pretty damn good (a good classic rock sound).

damn reliable. It went almost 20 years before the treble pots (resistor) started to go. I kick the crap out of this. it fell down a couple of times. Solid.

n/a

I've been playing for over 20 years and I've recommended and seen other people be happy with this amp. if you expect versatility and that tube sound this is not the amp for you. I think it just barely makes it as a professional amp.

65W solid state combo, 2 channels that are footswitchable. spring reverb, 3 band eq, thick option, bright option, sounds good to me

The clean is decent, and the reverb sounds excellent, but here's the trick -- use the lead channel and put saturation low and you can get tube-like sounds on a serious budget. I recommend this amp to any gigging guitarist, I'll never sell mine! This amp shines with pedals in front of it.

Never fails

Never had to deal with them, peavey is legit

I have thought about buying another one to do stereo stuff or just be really big sounding. I've owned many peavey amps, musicman, fender, ampeg, crate, ect, and this is the best value of any of them!

In 1982, the features were certainly average. Today, when compared to something like a Spider III, the features are lacking.

An excllent sound for the money.

I've used this amp for 26 years!! In all that time, there hasn't been a single problem. Seriously, what else can you say about that?

I've not had a reason to call them in 26 years.

Love it or hate it, the Peavey Bandit 65 is a solid performer. I decided to try a Spider III 150 recently, but I took it back after it suffered from the Black Block problem (see the Line 6 forum). As always, I'm back to the Peavey which has never let me down....not even for a moment. I may try a new Peavey Vypyr amp, but I'll be keeping the bandit until one of us dies....and it probably won't be the bandit first.

mine is a 83 and i've had it for about a year and a half and it handles
my bass exceptionally well even considering the manual said the amp is for bass and electric it's got all of the controls that i've ever really needed no effects though but it did have a reverb that was removed before i got it

the distortion sounds like s**t when you crank turn but it has a very rich gritty clean that goes well a distortion turned up a bit and a very versatile sound that i can rigg to go well to go my bass

when i got the amp it had a busted speaker but after i replaced that i've never had a problem

i had no problem finding a aurthorized peavey music store place but i had to call 3 time to get a hold of the repair guy and they couldn't even hook me up with manual or tell what was wrong leaving me to look for a manual on the net and find the problem (speaker was busted) myself

i've been playing nearly two years and i'm pluging the amp to a ibanez soundgear series gto and sounds great i've only turned up past 5 once and it shook my house great amp i'd recommend to to anyone who places a variety of stuff

Mine is an '82 with two channels and reverb. It has an effects loop, which I only used once just to verify that it worked. Apparently the two channels and reverb are footswitch-able, but the FS is long gone. I mostly use this amp at home and for rehearsals. Even in extreme cases, I've never had to turn it up passed 5 - the volume goes up FAST!

This is very much an amp in the classic sense - It's meant to give a clean to slightly gritty sound that you can then add effects to the front end of. It reminds me of an old Fender amp in that sense. Yes, the distortion on it sounds terrible - very buzzy and overly compressed - but you're not supposed to run a classic amp like that. It provides a good basic clean tone and allows you to use distortion pedals to custom-tailor the sound. I use an old Fender Duo-Sonic and Mustang with a BOSS phaser and an EH Big Muff. I tend to go for a distorted grind that blooms into a low feedback - the kind of tone that favors melody but allows for noise. I play and have played most every style, but right now I'm focusing on free jazz and avant-garde. It suits those styles well because it is very responsive to different guitars and effects and can provide a wide variety of good tones that sound slightly different then the normal Fender/Marshall stuff.

It's probably one of the most reliable things ever. I haven't put mine through much abuse, but I have a friend who has put his through hell and only have it break down once. He has used his since '81 without any problems, save for one time when the ground wire for the chassis came loose and started picking up the radio. It has even been completely underwater! After letting it dry out, it turned on and worked just fine.

Haven't needed them, although I was able to find the user guide on their website.

I have been playing since Kurt Cobain died at least. I am fortunate enough to own the best sounding amp I have ever heard - an old Fender Bassman. The Peavey doesn't sound as good, but it gets close enough. I bought it because I'm slightly built and can't haul the Bassman all around town and maintain my enthusiasm for playing music. Plus, tubes are expensive and fragile. The PV gives me a good variety of tones and a nice foundation for my sound in a small, durable package. It's the quintessential back-up amp and an ideal rehearsal tool. And, hey!, it's like $100! I have pedals that cost more sitting in a box.

Made in mid 70s,
2 channels, Normal and Lead, Lead has pre and post gain plus saturation, Normal has just gain plus shared bass, mid, treble and presence controls and master reverb.
Pull Bright on pre gain and Normal gain pots plus Pull thick on tone controls. This only works on Lead channel and cuts mids and tops, a nice effect. Would be nice if it had an external speaker output but it can be slaved using the pre amp out on the rear panel.
Plenty of power, at home use on 1-2, gigs 3-4/5. Never had it up to 10!

Guitars, Squier Strat with single coil sized humbuckers at Neck and bridge, S/C in the middle, plus switching to allow 7 pick up selects, neck, neck and middle, middle, middle and bridge,neck and bridge, all three on.
Squier Tele, standard P/us and wiring. Les Paul Copy, standard.
Ovation Celebrity Electro/ Acoustic.
Suits all styles played, Blues, British R&B, Classic Rock.
Use a Marshall Bluesbreaker II for extra drive and Zoom 505 Mk1 for modulation effects, Phase, Flange and echo. Get all the sounds I need, from Clapton to G.Moore etc

Just got the beast back from the repairers. Whwn I took it in he said "Great, a proper Peavey, built like tanks in those days, don't ever sell it!". Simple repair, pre-amp chip blown, only problem in 10 years.Replaced and serviced for #48.
Reverb can pick up hum if placed too close or on top of another combo with transformer at the top.
Never let me down on a gig.
My tech tells me that all the components in this model were to military spec and the output transistors are capable of 300watts! even though the amp is rated at 65 watts

Great on line forum, but have never used Peavey Support.
Really good amp repairers located in Coventry, can recommend, e-mail for details if you need a repair.

I would definitely try to replace this with another Bandit 65 Solo Series, though I'm not sure whether I'd go for a more modern Bandit.
I love this amp for everything it has, can be used for country to heavy stuff if you take the time to set it up for your favourite sounds. At rehearsal studios I use a Marshall 50 watt FET top and 4x12 as they come in the cost of room hire but I don't seem to get the same sound as the Bandit and it can be off putting. This amp has been played against a Fender 80w tranny combo, and a Laney 50watt valve combo in various bands and blows them both away, but fits perfectly with Bass players TE BLX80.
I wouldn't trade this for the world, prices on E-bay are still fetching what I paid 10 years ago.

Don't know what year, looks like a mid 80s amp though. They amp seem versatile, but very hard to tweek, and useless on the fly. Dual channel but this one is missing a foot switch so I can't change the channels. This amp is a friends and he blew my tube amp so i borrowed it while mine was getting fixed. It is a very loud amp, but I wouldn't turn it up.

Right now I have an SG standard and an aluminum neck Kramer. Both humbuckers and the kramer has Super Distortion on it. I play a harder (dare I say) indy /post punk. The amp is very noisy and feeds back at any playable volume. It will not clean up for anything, or at least I can't seem to figure it out. The pull pods add a nasally nastiness to the amp and I never pulled them. I noticed that app did sound better on my strat than a humbucker. The only thing that sounds decent is the reverb. (which surprised me)

This amp has been serviced once and needs more work again in 2 years. I wouldn't trust this amp for a gig or even think about it. it had some loose wires and was pretty cheap to fix up i've had older amps that lasted forever, now the bass pod doesn't work. Probably needs soldered. The amp never left the house expect about twice a year and should hold up better than that.

I'll give it a 5 because these amps are cheap and meant to be that way. It's a great amp for starters and I think I read somewhere it's the most sold amp of all time. Now that I've been playing for 15+ years this amp is not an option.