Low cost state amp for blues / edge of break up tone Peavey Bandit , Blues Cube, Tech 21 etc.

FatBastard

I don't need an amp at all since I already have a Vox AC15, a Blues Jr and a JCM 9000 (hugely under-rated but too rock for my tastes so will sell it), but since I the BJ's tubes went it occurred to me for the price of replacing them I could buy a used solid state Peavey Bandit 112 off Ebay for not much more. I have heard them on Youtube and they sound pretty fine to me when used with a setup that is in accordance to my ears.  If you Google this query a lot of people also like to talk about  used Tech 21 Trademarks or Roland's Blues Cube, which are a fair bit more expensive even secondhand I was wondering what people think the extra value added is by these dearer models? I believe they are more versatile and model a big range of sounds, but TBH I dont really like fiddling with the amp settings too much. I prefer to dial in my usual tone and then manipulate it using the pedal board - my Blues Jr is a great pedal board for example. Any thoughts people?

timmysoft

Kustom KGA65 incredible mosfet 65w amp. Can be had for very little but it’s a great amp 

FatBastard

timmysoft said:

Kustom KGA65 incredible mosfet 65w amp. Can be had for very little but it’s a great amp 

Never heard of them. Did Google it, but the demos I found were too metal for my taste (I'm kind of like a fat Fendery edge of breakup guy). Possibly gave a skewed view though as I could probably do a Metallica impression on my Vox if I fuzzed it enough.

Sassafras

I like the Trademark series. Excellent value, very versatile and they do the slight break-up sound really well.

ICBM

I really don't like the Trademark amps. Horrible overdriven sounds, tolerable but not outstanding clean sounds, and can be very difficult to repair if they go wrong.

The Bandit beats it hands down on all counts in my opinion.

TimmyO

I had a Trademark 10 that I really liked.

I
Always wanted to like the bigger ones but couldn't - didn't sound as good imho 

FatBastard

Sassafras said:

I like the Trademark series. Excellent value, very versatile and they do the slight break-up sound really well.

Heard differing views on that ICBM's for one. But is the main selling point the tweak-ability and million presets? If I can get as good a blues edge of breakup sound from something simpler and cheaper, that might make more sense.

FatBastard

ICBM said:

I really don't like the Trademark amps. Horrible overdriven sounds, tolerable but not outstanding clean sounds, and can be very difficult to repair if they go wrong.

The Bandit beats it hands down on all counts in my opinion.

I have heard some good demos of the Peavey, but I'm a bit concerned it is overly friendly to heavy rock. There are lots of videos of people playing with thick distortion metal riffs. The Fender tube amp sound is the one I favour.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

FatBastard said:

ICBM said:

I really don't like the Trademark amps. Horrible overdriven sounds, tolerable but not outstanding clean sounds, and can be very difficult to repair if they go wrong.

The Bandit beats it hands down on all counts in my opinion.

I have heard some good demos of the Peavey, but I'm a bit concerned it is overly friendly to heavy rock. There are lots of videos of people playing with thick distortion metal riffs. The Fender tube amp sound is the one I favour.

The Blues Cube would be the one to look for then, if the Fender blues thing is what you're after. The sound is modelled on a '59 Bassman. It's the most convincing pretendey valve amp I've played. Not just in sound, more so in terms of 'feel' and responsiveness.

Obviously, total different ball park price-wise to a used Bandit.

ICBM

The Bandit does pretty good low-gain Fender sounds in my opinion - but if that’s specifically what you want, look for any of the blackface-style Fender solid-state models like the Deluxe 90, Princeton 65 etc - they have excellent Fender clean sounds and pretty decent overdrive channels too, and typically sell for not much more than £100 too. The older ‘112’ models with the small knobs aren’t bad and are even cheaper.

I had a Deluxe 90 in the shop for a quick service last week - it sounded great, both clean and dirty. They’re also well-made, reliable and easy to work on.

ThePrettyDamned

I used an old bandit for fendery cleans and breakup 

Clean channel was set a little scooped 
Dirt channel was low gain, thrash switch enabled (cringe at the name, but it just scoops mids) and dialled to taste. Quite responsive, liked pedals and worked nicely for bluesy stuff. 

Try one out, they show up in cash converters and music shops a fair bit, but make sure you spend time dialling. The eq is powerful, and I ignored the thrash switch for a few days because of its name. Turns out it was exactly what I needed... 

Snags

A friend has a Bandit that he uses for loads of clean and low-gain stuff.  He's absolutely not a metaller, and it always sounds good to me. Admittedly the Peavey styling encourages you to think 80s hair metal, but it's not compulsory.

ICBM

Snags said:

A friend has a Bandit that he uses for loads of clean and low-gain stuff.  He's absolutely not a metaller, and it always sounds good to me. Admittedly the Peavey styling encourages you to think 80s hair metal, but it's not compulsory.

I also had a Peavey Triumph valve amp in this week, and that *does* sound like 80s hair metal - horrible nasal midrange on both the crunch and lead channels, and no good low-gain sounds. Terrible amp... weighs half a ton and doesn't sound as good as a Bandit.

Matt_McG

When I was a teenager, I went from a Peavey Bandit 112 to one of the Fender red-knob solid state amps already mentioned by @ICBM -- Studio 85 -- it was a significant step up.

Good clean and overdrive sounds, and a very nice (albeit slightly scooped 80s flavoured) distorted tone with the gain cranked. I sold mine to a friend who had a full 100w stack, as he preferred the sound of the little solid state Fender for rehearsals (where he couldn't get his stack working at volume). I gigged it, and then he gigged it, for a good few years with no reliability issues.

JezWynd

FatBastard said:

ICBM said:

I really don't like the Trademark amps. Horrible overdriven sounds, tolerable but not outstanding clean sounds, and can be very difficult to repair if they go wrong.

The Bandit beats it hands down on all counts in my opinion.

I have heard some good demos of the Peavey, but I'm a bit concerned it is overly friendly to heavy rock. There are lots of videos of people playing with thick distortion metal riffs. The Fender tube amp sound is the one I favour.

If you don't need a lot of volume, the Vox Pathfinder 15R is a nice Fendery combo.

Flanging_Fred

JezWynd said:

FatBastard said:

ICBM said:

I really don't like the Trademark amps. Horrible overdriven sounds, tolerable but not outstanding clean sounds, and can be very difficult to repair if they go wrong.

The Bandit beats it hands down on all counts in my opinion.

I have heard some good demos of the Peavey, but I'm a bit concerned it is overly friendly to heavy rock. There are lots of videos of people playing with thick distortion metal riffs. The Fender tube amp sound is the one I favour.

If you don't need a lot of volume, the Vox Pathfinder 15R is a nice Fendery combo.

Yeah, I was also going to suggest this.

 Mine has been perfect for blues jams,  small, light and I actually find it surprising loud for its size.  I was a bit shocked at how nice it sounded with my R8.

 I have even used it with my band and it _just_ about kept up, where I normally use 50w Marshall JCM800.

Bygone_Tones

This might interest you:

https://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?210020-DEMO-Tech-21-Trademark-60-Solid-State-WTF!!!-ReWind-PAF1s

Greatape

Other than the BC, I'd be looking at one of the new Boss Nextones or maybe an old Fender Deluxe 112 solid state. Loud as all f#ck, that one. 

EricTheWeary

The band I was in for a bit the other guitarist went between a Fender Twin and a Trademark 60. With his various posh pedals in front they seemed pretty close to me. Nobody seems to like the distortion channel though. 
My experiments with a Bandit would probably suggest the clean channel plus an appropriate OD pedal. Let’s face it seeking a great edge of break up tone is a big reason why people buy valve amps.
An Award Session Blues Baby seems like it should be on your list, not on budget from new but I guess it’s possible one will turn up used. 

FatBastard

Flanging_Fred said:

JezWynd said:

FatBastard said:

ICBM said:

I really don't like the Trademark amps. Horrible overdriven sounds, tolerable but not outstanding clean sounds, and can be very difficult to repair if they go wrong.

The Bandit beats it hands down on all counts in my opinion.

I have heard some good demos of the Peavey, but I'm a bit concerned it is overly friendly to heavy rock. There are lots of videos of people playing with thick distortion metal riffs. The Fender tube amp sound is the one I favour.

If you don't need a lot of volume, the Vox Pathfinder 15R is a nice Fendery combo.

Yeah, I was also going to suggest this.

 Mine has been perfect for blues jams,  small, light and I actually find it surprising loud for its size.  I was a bit shocked at how nice it sounded with my R8.

 I have even used it with my band and it _just_ about kept up, where I normally use 50w Marshall JCM800.

I already own this amp I am embarrassed to say. It's OK, but never really found a tone I loved on it. Probably should have persevered with it, but when I have an AC15CC1X, I obviously default to that. When the tubes blow, I might dig out the 15R again. To be honest though, although I like the Vox amps, the BJ is still my favourite.

Incidentally, I have a MKII model of my BJ. Are the latest one a significant upgrade? I would doubt it, but am just curious.

FatBastard

Greatape said:

Other than the BC, I'd be looking at one of the new Boss Nextones or maybe an old Fender Deluxe 112 solid state. Loud as all f#ck, that one. 

Is the consensus here that the Fender Deluxe is much closer to an edge of breakup Fender tube, than the Peavey Bandit, or does it just win by a nose? The reason I ask is that used it is double the price, so was wondering how much extra value it adds. Also, is it good at bedroom volumes? That is all I would be using it for right now