Solid State Peavey Love

UnclePsychosis

A few of us here are big fans of the Bandit / Studio Pro, but in this video here a little Decade practice amp sounds outrageously good to my ears.

It might not be the same amp that Josh Homme uses (I think there's a lot of misdirection about how they really use gear) but it's damn close and even those bass tones are proper gnarly and very close to what they sound like on the record IMO. 

I do love the idea that one of the world's biggest rock bands is powered by a 10W solid state practice amp with 8" speaker... 



Good luck finding one now! 

ICBM

Josh Homme's stage rig, hidden behind a curtain...










Not really - or at least I don't think so! - just a random pic I've always found amusing .

But solid-state Peaveys are the most under-rated amps of all time.

robinbowes

Love my Bandit 65. Got it as a straight swap for a DD3

HerrMetal

Ah interesting. My first amp was a small Peavey but I could never remember what model. I think I came to the conclusion it was a Backstage or something like that but seeing the image above it almost certainly looked more like the Decade.

Looking at the manual https://peavey.com/manuals/decade_operating_guide.pdf it has something I definitely do remember seeing from way back - recommended settings for 'American Rock' and 'British Rock'.

Also I don't recall my amp having Reverb - so it probably was a Decade then. Interesting to know. Thanks.

Gassage

If the Mace was good enough for Skynyrd at Oakland, then it's good enough for me.

ICBM

Gassage said:

If the Mace was good enough for Skynyrd at Oakland, then it's good enough for me.

The Mace is a hybrid - solid-state preamp, valve power stage - though. 160W, six 6L6, and to get the Skynyrd sound you just crank it . It also weighs as much as an 18-wheeler.

Winny_Pooh

I like the red stripe models and have one at parent's house, but to be realistic it will never replace a valve amp. 

paulphoenix

What did Peavey get so right with these amps that everyone else has gotten so wrong ever since (even Peavey)? 

longshins

Love my Peavey Bandit, what a great amp that lots of people seem to have a soft spot for.

ICBM

Winny_Pooh said:

I like the red stripe models and have one at parent's house, but to be realistic it will never replace a valve amp. 

Mine has, and I am being realistic. (Admittedly I upgraded the speaker.) If I didn't already own a valve amp I don't think I'd buy one now.

paulphoenix said:

What did Peavey get so right with these amps that everyone else has gotten so wrong ever since (even Peavey)? 

The earlier ones, up to the Solo Series, are built to withstand nuclear war - they do sound a bit 'solid-statey', but they're loud and don't sound bad. The Transtube series aren't quite as solidly built, but sound much better - they really nailed the valve-like dynamics as well as having a very natural overdrive sound.

DesVegas

I've had and played through my Bandit 112 for years and years and years. And years, and it's perfect for me. It takes pedals so very well. A great eq and can get too loud. Not too heavy either. Perfect

TTBZ

I was very pleasantly surprised by the Bandit I used at a rehearsal room a while ago. Teal stripe I think. The clean channel took pedals great but even the drive channel was really good. 

Love QOTSA but I don't get the obsession with Josh Homme's tone, it's awful. Boxy mids. Was better in Kyuss when it was drenched in fuzz.

ThePrettyDamned

Peavey have some ace solid state amps.

I am currently using a Marshall jcm800 solid state thing, and it's also fantastic. I'm not sure what changed between the 80s and now where solid state amps were made to sound worse and be worse built!

Watch the peavey decade become a desirable amp... 

TTBZ

I'd quite like if decent solid state tech was picked up again, valves just don't seem that sustainable going forwards. Orange seem to be the only ones doing anything with it with that new Super Crush. I actually prefer the sound of their SS amps (but only judging this off the demos) - they seem tighter and less fuzzy/sludgy.

ICBM

TTBZ said:

I'd quite like if decent solid state tech was picked up again, valves just don't seem that sustainable going forwards. Orange seem to be the only ones doing anything with it with that new Super Crush. I actually prefer the sound of their SS amps (but only judging this off the demos) - they seem tighter and less fuzzy/sludgy.

I got one of the best tones I've ever had in a practice room last weekend with my PRS Swamp Ash Special into my Boss ME-50 and an Orange Crush 120 combo - I'd put it up against any valve amp I've played through below at least Mesa quality. The odd thing is that they don't even use any new technology, it's a bog-standard transformer power supply, power IC output stage and IC-based preamp - it could have built any time in the last thirty years - but there are obviously good ears on the design team, and they've used a decent enough cabinet and speakers.

As ever - I have to repeat this every time I mention these amps just in case anyone has missed it, it's important - I used the dirty channel but with the volume up full and the gain turned down to 9 o'clock so it's completely clean - it takes overdrive and distortion pedals much better than the clean channel (which is better for sparkly pure cleans).

ThePrettyDamned

ICBM said:

TTBZ said:

I'd quite like if decent solid state tech was picked up again, valves just don't seem that sustainable going forwards. Orange seem to be the only ones doing anything with it with that new Super Crush. I actually prefer the sound of their SS amps (but only judging this off the demos) - they seem tighter and less fuzzy/sludgy.

I got one of the best tones I've ever had in a practice room last weekend with my PRS Swamp Ash Special into my Boss ME-50 and an Orange Crush 120 combo - I'd put it up against any valve amp I've played through below at least Mesa quality. The odd thing is that they don't even use any new technology, it's a bog-standard transformer power supply, power IC output stage and IC-based preamp - it could have built any time in the last thirty years - but there are obviously good ears on the design team, and they've used a decent enough cabinet and speakers.

As ever - I have to repeat this every time I mention these amps just in case anyone has missed it, it's important - I used the dirty channel but with the volume up full and the gain turned down to 9 o'clock so it's completely clean - it takes overdrive and distortion pedals much better than the clean channel (which is better for sparkly pure cleans).

That's also how I ran the bandit, I also had the thrash switch engaged. 

BillDL

I used to love my Peavey Bandit.  It was the 2nd amp I owned back in the very early 80s and I used it for a few gigs.  It was a bit big and heavy to have sitting around the livingroom of my house after I got married far too young to a moaning-faced cow, so I bought a few other Peavey amps for practice and a few other larger ones over the years.  I never bought any of the later "transtube" ones though. 

Around 1989 I bought a Peavey Triumph 120W 1x12 Black Widow speakered valve combo.  I loved that amp, but it suffered from a manufacturing defect design fault that Peavey refused to acknowledge.  It would suddenly start singing by itself at the most unexpected times, regardless of playing volume.  It was caused by the positioning of the valves and mysteriously Peavey later released another Triumph with the acronym PAG (Parallel Axis Geometry) tagged to it as though it was a new improvement.  In fact all they did was move the valves.

This will no doubt only mean something to a Scots person who was familiar with guitar shops in Glasgow in the 80s and early 90s.  A work colleague and I were setting up a band and I needed something for large bars and small clubs. I bought the Triumph combo from Sound Control, Jamaica Street, Glasgow (now Kenny's Music).  My car was off the road at the time so I had to carry that amp back up Jamaica Street and down to the Low level of Central Station, which is about 400 metres.  On arrival at my home station I had to carry it up a steady incline of about a quarter of a mile to my house.  I'm sure the amp was well over 75 lbs and I have no idea how many times I had to put it down and sit on it resting for 5 minutes, then carry it for a while with the other arm so that they would be symmetrical when stretched well below my knees.  I was clearly young and stupid and didn't think to take a dolly of some kind to get it home.

rossi

I thought  that the USAF used up all the old Peavey SS of this period   dropped by B52's  as bunker busters  in the Gulf war .My Backstage 20 is certainly heavy enough .It has  spring reverb  just to make defusing  harder on delayed action .

Schnozz

I'm really enjoying my USA Silver Stripe Studio Pro 112 very much, but I'm still in the honeymoon period.

The USA Silver Stripe Bandit 112 was a bit too much for me, in terms of both weight and volume (and the previous owner hadn't cleaned it at all).

Extraordinary bang for buck.

grungebob

I had a stereo chorus USA 2x12. 

It was heavier than the earth I swear! You didn’t lift it up you pushed the ground down. 

PolarityMan

TTBZ said:

Love QOTSA but I don't get the obsession with Josh Homme's tone, it's awful. Boxy mids. Was better in Kyuss when it was drenched in fuzz.

Yeah I reckon its only OK at best,  plus QOTSA never really captured the song writing magic they had in rated R and songs for the deaf. I suspect Oliveri leaving is partly to blame.